AutomationStudioLauncher corruption

Hello everyone,
I would like to report a series of anomalies encountered with various versions of Automation Studio, trying to provide a clear timeline of the operations performed and the issues discovered:

  1. First issue – AS 4.6 version

    • After a crash during the Upgrade of a component, the Desktop shortcut for Automation Studio 4.6 became corrupted.
  2. More serious issue – AS 4.12 version

    • I attempted to update the same component (Mapsafety 5.10) in Automation Studio 4.12.
    • First, the Desktop shortcut was lost (similar to what happened in version 4.6).
    • Subsequently, after launching the “pg” file (normally used to start the application) and experiencing another crash during the upgrade operation, the “pg” file itself disappeared from the installation directory.
    • Moreover, Automation Studio 4.12 no longer appeared in the list of installed programs in the Windows Control Panel.
  3. Impact on other versions

    • As a precaution, I began reinstalling versions 4.12 and 4.6, but in the meantime, I found that the Desktop shortcuts for versions 4.10 and 4.3 were also affected.
    • Version 6.0 and those prior to 4.3 (4.2, 4.1, 4.0, 3.09) continue to work properly and do not seem to be affected by the issue.
  4. Dongle deactivation

    • On March 1, the dongle (which had been working fine the day before) suddenly became invalid for Automation Studio activation, even though it is still recognized by the operating system.
  5. Additional useful information

    • Currently, these problems occur only with Automation Studio, which is installed on a physical machine.
    • We have dozens of virtual machines running other software that do not show any issues.

Request:
Do you have any guidance or suggestions on how to determine the cause of these anomalies (corrupted desktop shortcuts, disappearance of the “pg” file, version missing from the Control Panel) and why the dongle might have suddenly been deactivated? Are these known problems (possibly related to some Windows update or specific conflicts with Automation Studio components)? Any advice on diagnostics, logs, or recommended steps for reinstallation or repair is greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your support and for sharing any experiences or insights you may have.

Update on the AutomationStudioLauncher (AS 4.6) corruption issue:

Hello everyone,
I would like to provide an update on the issue concerning the corruption of certain Automation Studio components, specifically the Launcher:

  1. Reinstallation of AS 4.6

    • I performed a complete reinstallation of Automation Studio 4.6, which finished without any reported errors.
  2. Post-reinstallation updates

    • I then carried out a first update (Service Pack) to restore the version state as it was before uninstallation. This operation completed successfully.
    • However, updating the mapSafety 5.10 component once again corrupted the AutomationStudioLauncher.
  3. Observing the issue

    • In an attempt to understand the root cause, I repeated the update procedure and noticed that during a new crash of Automation Studio, the “pg” file (in the system folder) was removed at that exact moment.
  4. Inability to “repair” AS 4.6

    • Currently, it is not possible to start the “repair” function for AS 4.6 because the installation file is a lower version than the one registered on the system.
    • For this reason, I will have to go through the entire uninstall and reinstall process again.

Questions/Considerations:

  • Does anyone have suggestions on what might cause the “pg” file to be removed when Automation Studio crashes?
  • Is there a way to “force” a repair of version 4.6 when there is a mismatch between the installation file and what is registered in the system?
  • Any additional advice on how to prevent corruption of the Launcher during component updates is greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for your time and support!

I do not have any suggestions for your issue, and I doubt that anyone else will either. From my point of view, the problem is related to your laptop/PC.

I can only say that, during my application period, when I needed to work and develop not only with B&R, we occasionally encountered issues where the installation of tools, IDEs, etc., from different automation brands caused various conflicts. We solved this by using a virtual machine for each system’s tools.

Additionally, make sure that your laptop meets the requirements for AS installation (OS, memory, etc.).

Hi,
I agree with you for the usage of virtual machines, this will avoid any conflicts between developement tools !
@Ennio_Roberti the thing that shock me it that some executable disapear from the installation folder and windows didn’t recognize the software itself. If you have your IT team available you maybe can check with them about anti-virus software (if you have one).
Here is my thinking:
You said that during the upgrade of mappSafety 5.10, things get corrupted. Anti-virus software didn’t really like Safety as I already see. So the anti-virus detect something wrong then try to put software in quarantine. This could be why you see executable disapears and software is not recognize by windows.
Maybe your IT team could have a report of you PC for all quarantines.

Best thing is to use VM :slight_smile:

Hope that could help !

Regards,
Florent

@florent.boissadier named it very clearly, and I agree with him. I do not believe that the problem you have is caused by the Automation Studio installer or update tool; there must be a cause related to your PC, OS, or IT settings.

Hi Jaroslav, i already have VM for other brands software. Automation Studio is the only packages in the physical machine (from 3.9 to 6). My laptop works with AS since first workday from 2 years. Some stranges were started with AS 6 installation . I know it’s probably that is the SO or other components outside AS but it’s a harder to solve it without external informations. I will try to replicate the malfunction and send all information to the support.

Best regards.

I do not blame you. This is definitely a topic for support as well. I have different versions of AS installed, including Automation Studio Code, on my laptop. And I do not see any of the issues you described. From my past experiences, there was always a PC-specific external factor. But let’s give others a chance to speak in the BRCommunity.

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