Uninstall / Re-installation
Error reporting Form
To try and streamline error reporting I have set up a simple form to get me the information I need to help you.
Please use this form if you are having a problem that is not solved by the tips on this page.
Startup.txt
In your oziTarget application folder there will be a text file called “Startup.txt”
On startup oziTarget looks for this file to get instructions. This is typically triggered during an update to oziTarget so it will Update the user settings or Reset the user settings at start up.
The file normally looks like this:
//Update
or
//Reset
Remove the // from the line to execute the command on startup of oziTarget.
'Reset' will force a refresh of the settings to default values and may help clear any errors caused by a faulty setting
'Update' Will reload the values for all of the application settings and is typically done when a new version is issued.
Simply open the startup.txt file in Notepad or similar, and change line 1 to to read “Reset” and save the file.
You can actually delete all the other text or just remove the slashes. Either will work.
When you start oziTarget it will flush the user settings file and return all settings to default values.
This may not fix your problem but it is the first place to start after you have checked all your Windows updates are done. See this post here on that…
Reset
The scorched earth option
The more extreme option is to manually get in and delete the app data folders that Windows generates for oziTarget.
This will take some skills in Windows so proceed with caution. Make sure oziTarget has been shut down first.
oziTarget (like most software) stores various files in a hidden folder under your user profile. First we must locate it.
- In Windows File Explorer we must turn on “Hidden Items”. This is typically under the view tab but depending on your version of windows it could be under the context menu (Right Click) > Customise this folder. If in doubt ask Windows or Google how to do it…
- Navigate to C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Roaming\oziTarget where <UserName> is the name of your Windows user profile.
- Delete everything in this folder. This will remove any corrupted data files that oziTarget may be trying to read.
- Now navigate to C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Sean_Kavanagh and delete all files and folders in there. This is where your user settings are stored and may be causing issues.
A reboot of the PC should not be needed but can’t hurt either.
When oziTarget is re-started it will make new versions of any files in those folders that it needs and hopefully you will be back up and running in no time.
Windows shutdown vs reboot
Another little gem that has been learnt the hard way is that Windows shutdown is not always what you would expect.
I mention this here because many issues can be caused by Windows doing odd things.
In order to make your computer start up nice and fast and feel all frisky, Windows actually saves a whole lot of data when you shut down so it is all there and ready to go when you next start the computer. The problem is that if there is a problem with a driver or some other bit of magic dust in the computer it helpfully restores it for you on the next start up. Think of Shutdown as more like sleep or a deep hibernation.
To fix this you can do two things. Selecting Reboot will clear all this junk and restart Windows with a clean kernal and memory.
You can also force Windows to do this every time by disabling Fast Start as follows;
In the Windows search bar, enter control panel, then hit Enter on your keyboard.
In the Control Panel, click System and Security.
Click Change what the power buttons do.
If Turn on fast startup is grayed out, click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
Uncheck Turn on fast startup, then click Save changes.
Again, this may vary in different versions of Windows so Google is your friend.
If you don’t want to disable Fast Start then you can hold the SHIFT key when selecting shutdown to get a real shut down for this one time.
On a personal note I make sure my flight computer has been shut down fully before every flight. I want that computer as clean and fresh as possible to reduce any chance of problems.
Windows Updates
Again, just to repeat this information. Disable or Pause your Windows updates at the start of a competition or the night before you plan to use oziTarget.
Make sure all updates have finished installing, the reboots have been done and then Pause it.
This will prevent long updates trying to happen over questionable WiFi in briefing or on the launch site. The update process can cripple your computer when you need it the most.