BRISNET PP Generator

[Moto Pete]

As long as I've been around and as long as I've used BRISNET I never tried the PP Generator. I also haven't read ANY talk about it on message boards. Is it any good? I'm sure there are some here who use it.

[Tom]

It is very good.
You can make different set ups as you like, I have one that replaces the times with the BRIS pace of winner figures, one that shows third fractions for turf races.....
I think there are more things you can do with it but not sure how.
Would welcome a discussion of how others set it up.

[therussmeister]

I used it because I was able to print my speed and pace figures in the running line. I no longer make my own figures, but I still use it because it can be customized for my quirky way of handicapping, and I would hate to go back to handicapping without it.

The problem with it is it is legacy software that is no longer updated. This means you cannot add notes for cards you did not purchase using the software, (the programmers put in a Y2.012K bug), but there are workarounds for that problem. Also, I'm not sure it works with the current version of Windows, I'm still running XP.

[SandyW]

As long as I've been around and as long as I've used BRISNET I never tried the PP Generator. I also haven't read ANY talk about it on message boards. Is it any good? I'm sure there are some here who use it.
Has not been updated in years and will not work with Windows 7 or higher.
Will not work with 64 bit.
I can not understand why a company would let a software program that is this good just die.
Then again CDI owns BRIS and this program has nothing to do with slot machines.

[therussmeister]

I should add I had a really hard setting it up to print like I wanted it to, but that may be just me. The section where you adjust the print order and spacing either did not work right, or was just too counter-intuitive to me. I spent hours trying to get it to print acceptably. If you don't print, but read off the computer screen, that would be no problem.

[therussmeister]

Has not been updated in years and will not work with Windows 7 or higher.
Will not work with 64 bit.
I can not understand why a company would let a software program that is this good just die.
Then again CDI owns BRIS and this program has nothing to do with slot machines.
They let it die because the original programmers retired. It should be replaced.

[PhantomOnTour]

This program is everything to me and I use it daily.
I also insert my own data into the running lines and use the NOTES feature extensively.

It is fantastic and I feel the same way as others in that this thing is basically dead & that's a shame.
I worked them hard to get the latest patch involving the NOTES feature, and they were very nice to find a workaround....but, they also informed me that they would not do anymore updates, patches, workarounds etc on this program.

I am scared to buy a new computer because I fear this program won't work.

[SandyW]

They let it die because the original programmers retired. It should be replaced.
I don't think that it would take much to update this program, I am sure that CDI has computer programers on staff or if not pay someone to update it.

I think it use to be called customer service !!!

[ldiatone]

Has not been updated in years and will not work with Windows 7 or higher.
Will not work with 64 bit.
I can not understand why a company would let a software program that is this good just die.
Then again CDI owns BRIS and this program has nothing to do with slot machines.
it works on my Visita. Isnt that w7? also i can print with it also.
obtw if i want to use it, i download a one dollar file through "computrack" software and copy and past into the PP gen.

[BIG49010]

I have Window 7, but 32bit, and it works fine.

[KyRacer]

I've also used it for years. Like the ability to customize the pp's. After I take out the scratches, I print to a PDF file and open it with Foxit pdf reader. They look better there than viewing them inside the software. In one customization I removed the times and moved the comments closer to the finish position. I like it better.

I'm running it on a Windows 7 64 bit computer. My install log show that it could not self register the Vb5db.dll file. That maybe the problem for some, but I'm not sure. (Could not Self-Register: C:\Windows\System32\Vb5db.dll) But the program runs on my computer. I have the Vb5db.dll in my System 32 folder.

Added a pic as an attachment. Maybe.

[OverlayHunter]

I'm confused. I've been using Custom PP Generator Version 2.40 on Windows 7 and Window 8 64 bit laptops with no problem but I only use it to look at and sometimes print the PP's. Is it the more advance features that don't work?

[Fingal]

It is very good.
You can make different set ups as you like, I have one that replaces the times with the BRIS pace of winner figures, one that shows third fractions for turf races.....
I think there are more things you can do with it but not sure how.
Would welcome a discussion of how others set it up.

It's it on both my desk & laptop computers, & they are Windows 7 64 bit. Had no problems loading the program except re-doing my filter settings from when it was on a Windows XP machine.

I really haven't changed too much in the settings except to create a "4 lines, 4 works " option. Then since I use the non contender feature under the system option on the menu to eliminate horses, I can usually get my 2 to 5 win contenders to print on 1 sheet of paper.

[therussmeister]

This program is everything to me and I use it daily.
I also insert my own data into the running lines and use the NOTES feature extensively.

It is fantastic and I feel the same way as others in that this thing is basically dead & that's a shame.
I worked them hard to get the latest patch involving the NOTES feature, and they were very nice to find a workaround....but, they also informed me that they would not do anymore updates, patches, workarounds etc on this program.

I am scared to buy a new computer because I fear this program won't work.
I'm scared to not buy a new computer, because I want to keep my two computers with PP generator on it working for as long as possible if it won't work with my new computer. I would use my present machines exclusively to run this program.

[Speed Figure]

I'm scared to not buy a new computer, because I want to keep my two computers with PP generator on it working for as long as possible if it won't work with my new computer. I would use my present machines exclusively to run this program.

Try putting the program exe on a flash drive! then you can see if it installs on the computer before you buy it to make sure it works.

[JimG]

In what way is the old PP Generator (32 and 16 bit only) better than the Custom PP Generator (works with current machines)?

Jim

[SandyW]

It's it on both my desk & laptop computers, & they are Windows 7 64 bit. Had no problems loading the program except re-doing my filter settings from when it was on a Windows XP machine.

I really haven't changed too much in the settings except to create a "4 lines, 4 works " option. Then since I use the non contender feature under the system option on the menu to eliminate horses, I can usually get my 2 to 5 win contenders to print on 1 sheet of paper.


I tried installing Custom PP Generator Version 2.40 on my Windows 7, 64 bit desktop again for the umpteen time and it always gets hung up when the fonts are being installed.

If anybody has a fix for this it would be greatly appreciated as BRIS techs can't help at all, even though they tried.

[Capper Al]

Wow! Never realized that some much could be done with BRIS PP Generator.

[gillenr]

Long ago I tried PP gen & liked it. Don't use it anymore, but remember the problems I had with installing were caused by the dreaded phrase "close all open programs before installing". It was the only program I have ever had to do that & so if you're having problems, give it a shot.

[Fingal]

Looking at these all these download problems makes me try to remember what I did. I right clicked on the download link & saved it in my documents, then I ran it from there to install. And maybe I did the install as administrator, but I forget.

[BIG49010]

Does anybody work with the files outside of PP Generator, I was able to use Access to look at items I put in there?

[OverlayHunter]

I think many on this site use the data in a variety of different programs and databases.

[DJofSD]

I was never able to get it working on my W7 64-bit system.

After reading this thread, I looked at my system for Vb5db.dll. Not found.

I did a little looking on the net and found a few references on one of the Microsoft sites. That DLL appeared as a list item for one of the cab files for installing Windows 98. And while that is interesting, I don't believe it to be relevant to the W7 systems.

Questions for those running W7 64-bit and are able to use Custom PP Generator: (1) what version of Custom PP Generator are using; (2) do you know how vb5db.dll came to be on your system, i.e. what other software have you installed which would have included it?

Continuing, for those with a working PPGen, what is the path where vb5db.dll lives, and, how is it registered in the Windows registry?

[OverlayHunter]

Questions for those running W7 64-bit and are able to use Custom PP Generator: (1) what version of Custom PP Generator are using; (2) do you know how vb5db.dll came to be on your system, i.e. what other software have you installed which would have included it?

Continuing, for those with a working PPGen, what is the path where vb5db.dll lives, and, how is it registered in the Windows registry?

I can answer some of the above.

From post 12 in this thread: "I've been using Custom PP Generator Version 2.40 on Windows 7 and Window 8 64 bit laptops with no problem but I only use it to look at and sometimes print the PP's."

I haven't a clue where the vb5db.dll came from but it's dated June 18, 1998.

A search of the hard drive on my Windows 8 laptop shows it residing in 2 locations: (1) Windows\SysWOW64 and (2) Windows\System32.

A search of the hard drive on my Windows 7 laptop shows it also residing in the same 2 locations: (1) Windows\SysWOW64 and (2) Windows\System32.

Dealing with registries is above my pay grade. Haven't a clue, but if you can give me step by step explicit directions, I can try to find that tonight.

[DJofSD]

I can answer some of the above.

From post 12 in this thread: "I've been using Custom PP Generator Version 2.40 on Windows 7 and Window 8 64 bit laptops with no problem but I only use it to look at and sometimes print the PP's."

I haven't a clue where the vb5db.dll came from but it's dated June 18, 1998.

A search of the hard drive on my Windows 8 laptop shows it residing in 2 locations: (1) Windows\SysWOW64 and (2) Windows\System32.

A search of the hard drive on my Windows 7 laptop shows it also residing in the same 2 locations: (1) Windows\SysWOW64 and (2) Windows\System32.

Dealing with registries is above my pay grade. Haven't a clue, but if you can give me step by step explicit directions, I can try to find that tonight.
Excellent - many thanks.

As a prep step:
(0) Start a new, empty Windows Notepad, or, your favorite editor which will be used below. It will be used to paste what you find in the registry search. The registry items will be moderately long and there's trick which will allow use of the clipboard to copy then paste.

For searching the Window registry:
(1) Click the Start button;
(2) In the "Search programs and files" box type "regedit" (sans the deer tracks) then press Enter;
(3) If the Windows User Account Control window pops up, click Yes;
(4) Make sure the "Computer" icon at the very top of the left side pane is selected/highlighted;
(5) Use the CNTRL+F key sequence to open the search window;
(6) Make sure all 3 boxes with the labels keys, values, data are checked;
(7) Into the "find what" field enter vb5db.dll then click "find next." It might take the program a bit to find the first match.
(8a) Assuming a match is found, notice two items are highlighted: one which is dim in the left pane, and the brighter one in the right pane. Do a left mouse click on the item in the left pane; next, on the menu for regedit, select Edit then click on "copy key name" followed by a paste into the Notepad app;
(8b) Return to the regedit app and press F3 to do another search for the next instance of "vb5db.dll". If another instance is found, repeat the click in the left pane and copy/paste operation;
(8c) When the search fails to find another "hit", you're done, exit/quit the regedit app. You will not have changed anything in the registry, so, your system will be safe;
(9) In the Notepad app, do a select all then copy to the clipboard, and then paste the clipboard contents into the reply message to this thread.

Again, many thanks.

[OverlayHunter]

DJofSD,

I had a few minutes so I did the initial registry search. Well over 100 items appeared in the right box. I'm not sure what all that stuff is or why it should be related to the subject file.

At any rate, I did click on the dimly highlighted item in the left pane (SharedDlls) and retrieved the first key name (if I'm labelling it correctly). It is: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDlls

If you have any further insight you think I'll need, please provide it. I'll not be able to get back to this till at least 8 PM tonight or, perhaps, early in the morning.

[DJofSD]

DJofSD,

I had a few minutes so I did the initial registry search. Well over 100 items appeared in the right box. I'm not sure what all that stuff is or why it should be related to the subject file.

At any rate, I did click on the dimly highlighted item in the left pane (SharedDlls) and retrieved the first key name (if I'm labelling it correctly). It is: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDlls

If you have any further insight you think I'll need, please provide it. I'll not be able to get back to this till at least 8 PM tonight or, perhaps, early in the morning.
OK, that's a good start.

If you are seeing multiple items on the right side, it is not a surprise. That list on the right side is basically a way for Windows to quickly find shared DLLs. It provides a look-up function using a key and is a lot quicker than reading the contents of folders which is linear -- from the top to the bottom of the subfolder each and every time is is looking for something which is very slow.

I assume when it finds vb5db.dll a specific line in that long list will be highlighted. It is the combination of the complete path under name and both the type and data which is of interest.

These specific registry entries are when a DLL has been registered with the Windows OS. Whether there is more than 1 instance, and, if there is more than 1, if it is all are the result of the registration process is not clear.

I am assuming the reason why my PPGen fails is b/c FoxPro needs the DLL but Windows can't find it. So, the plan is to use the Windows registration facility and that utility app needs the information in the name column, and then, I need to copy vb5db.dll into that same folder then see if it fixes my problem.

There's a few other details I'll forego.

Again, thanks for your help. One of the benefits for doing this exercise will be documenting it for other PA members to use if they find they can not use PPGen. It might not fix every problem others might have using Custom PP Generator, but, at least it will be there for them to try!

[therussmeister]

Does anybody work with the files outside of PP Generator, I was able to use Access to look at items I put in there?
Yes, in my first post I mentioned you can no longer add notes using PP generator unless you bought the card. But I found you can add, and edit notes with any database program that can work with mdb file extensions. Actually this works better than using the built-in form for adding notes because you can bulk download them.

Because I don't have Access, I have been using a "free" program called mdb+.

[DJofSD]

Yes, in my first post I mentioned you can no longer add notes using PP generator unless you bought the card. But I found you can add, and edit notes with any database program that can work with mdb file extensions. Actually this works better than using the built-in form for adding notes because you can bulk download them.

Because I don't have Access, I have been using a "free" program called mdb+.
Yes, the notes part of Custom PP Generator was an add on, or, bolt on if you will.

It has been a long time since I fooled around with it, IOW, what I will share next could just be a lot or a little wrong.

The notes were a separate table which is parallel to the main data base, i.e. the notes data base uses the same key strategy to access the text data for a particular track, race and horse.

I'd say anything done outside of the PPGen app would be better simply because the FoxPro developed apps and the way it was integrated into PPGen was not all that good.

[OverlayHunter]

I got an unexpected break and finished the registry search. There was nothing else, just the one registry entry I posted this morning.

I'm curious. How do you know that was developed with Foxpro?

[DJofSD]

OK, thanks.

I'll fool around with the info I have and see what happens.

[PhantomOnTour]

I am excited that there are this many folks who use the PP Gen program.

BRIS guys told me they were looking into a web based set up for the future, but I think that idea may be dying on the vine. Which is okay because a web based set up will be a total nightmare on busy days.
Just hope some folks over there take notice and either update or create a new program similar to PP Generator.

It is fantastic

[therussmeister]

When formulator went to a Web based product is when they lost me.

[SpotPlays]

It's a really good program and it's truly unbelievable that a company with that type of money will not keep the software up to date.

I hope they reconsider this decision.

[OverlayHunter]

DJofSD - did you have any success with the dll location and registry?

[DJofSD]

DJofSD - did you have any success with the dll location and registry?
No, at least not yet.

Copying VB5DB.DLL into SYSWOW64 then running the registration utility resulted in Windows telling me "...but the entry-point DllRegisterServer was not found."

I've been researching it but at this point I have to assume the problem when trying to run custompp.exe might not be what I thought it was. And, BTW, I also have a copy of the DLL in the same folder as the PP Gen program.

I do not know what file custompp.exe is looking for and assumed the DLL was it. I'll need to see if an entry in a log might tell me the specifics, or, have to dig deeper using a tool to figure it out.

P.S. Part of what I am researching is exactly what version of FoxPro was used to create the Custom PP Generator app. I don't know if it is Visual FoxPro or something prior to 9.0.

P.P.S. A page I am reading: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/b41s6txx%28v=vs.80%29.aspx

[DJofSD]

Now, by looking at the executable, I am beginning to think it is a problem due to VB6 parts and pieces missing.

I found a page on one of the MS sites for the run time installables but now I'm finding problems getting that to do something.

And, this gentleman, is why I still have laptops with XP and Vista. I'll get back to this ASAP but no more for now.

[KyRacer]

Although I have the Custom PP Generator running on my Winows 7 64 bit computer, I thought I would try to install it again in another folder. I had the same problem that SandyW had. Having tried a lot of installations, I may have found a solution. The problem is with the pp2b.tff font and not finishing the installation. Windows 7 doesn't seem to want to install it and hangs the program up. You have to install the fonts manually and then a full install and an upgrade install. I've inclosed the procedure in a pdf file and also attaching a folder with the 2 fonts in it. I called Bris and they said it was ok to attach the fonts. It worked for me. Maybe someone else can try it and let's know if it works.

[DJofSD]

I did not have any problem getting W7 to install the fonts. I used the 'run as administrator' option while using my admin account. The 2 font files are in the Fonts subfolder.

What I am experiencing is an error when starting custompp.exe . There is a pop up window with an error message.

[DJofSD]

I've been comparing items in the Windows system log on a Vista system where custompp.exe is running, and, my W7 64-bit system.

After learning a bit more about registry reflections then chasing down what is CTF and TIP, I have a request for those running custompp.exe on a W7 64-bit system without any problems.

I'm looking for an explanation about why I am seeing some differences between my two systems. One branch on the diagnostic tree implies some differences in the registry are missing due to Windows features not enabled/used. Unfortunately not enough specifics to help me determine if that is a part of the problem I have.

So, it the attachment is what I have at the moment. If those able to use custompp.exe would post what they have, and, for any item that has more than one sub-item, expand the tree before posting.

TIA

[OverlayHunter]

I might be able look at my Windows 7 machine Friday or this weekend.

Please understand that I'm working with way less than a full deck when it comes to these issues and I'm pretty sure that this question may no longer be pertinent but you've mentioned Foxpro a couple of times as the language you believe was used to create the BRIS custompp program. That may well be the absolute fact but I'm curious why in the BRIScust folder that gets set up at installation I see mdb files (I believe they are for Access) and see no dbf files which I'm certain were used by Foxpro through Version 9.

[DJofSD]

I might be able look at my Windows 7 machine Friday or this weekend.

Please understand that I'm working with way less than a full deck when it comes to these issues and I'm pretty sure that this question may no longer be pertinent but you've mentioned Foxpro a couple of times as the language you believe was used to create the BRIS custompp program. That may well be the absolute fact but I'm curious why in the BRIScust folder that gets set up at installation I see mdb files (I believe they are for Access) and see no dbf files which I'm certain were used by Foxpro through Version 9.
Whenever you can is good 'nuf -- THANKS.

FoxPro as the tool used is something I have carried around in my head for a long time. Exactly when and how I made that observation has been lost.

Access uses the same extension and file structure which derive from the old, old, dBase days. I'll dig up some more info about it later today.

Also, Access is lurking in the background of this custompp.exe stuff. It does use the MSJET40.DLL.

[KyRacer]

DJofSD,

Sorry it didn't work for you. I was hoping that would solve the problem. My old installation that I've been using has to have the "Run as Administrator" box checked, probably because I installed it as Administrator. The new installation runs both with the box checked or unchecked.

Last night I deleted the fonts from the font folder and ran the custompp program to see what would happen and got a popup similar yours. Try right clicking on custompp and going to properties and try running both as Administrator and with the box unchecked. Don't forget to hit apply. Open your word processor and see if the pp2a and pp2b appear in the fonts drop down menu. Can you print with them?

When you tried the full installation (briscustppfull2400.exe), did it hang when it got to pp2b font or did it complete the installation? If it didn't hang and completed the installation, then it must be looking for a different file than the pp2b font. That would make me wonder why it hangs on me. If it completed did it leave a install.log file in the folder?

How do you get to the Windows Feature screen that your showing?

I think the original PP Generator was developed with Foxpro, but I think the current version was made with Visual Basic 6.0. There's a program at AnalogX.com called textscan that lets you look at text inside of a program. Got the feeling the program was a VB6 program.

[kmitchell006]

Try this updated version...

[OverlayHunter]

KyRacer -

Learn about Windows features here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/turn-windows-features-on-off#1TC=windows-7

[DJofSD]

DJofSD,

Sorry it didn't work for you. I was hoping that would solve the problem. My old installation that I've been using has to have the "Run as Administrator" box checked, probably because I installed it as Administrator. The new installation runs both with the box checked or unchecked.

Last night I deleted the fonts from the font folder and ran the custompp program to see what would happen and got a popup similar yours. Try right clicking on custompp and going to properties and try running both as Administrator and with the box unchecked. Don't forget to hit apply. Open your word processor and see if the pp2a and pp2b appear in the fonts drop down menu. Can you print with them?

When you tried the full installation (briscustppfull2400.exe), did it hang when it got to pp2b font or did it complete the installation? If it didn't hang and completed the installation, then it must be looking for a different file than the pp2b font. That would make me wonder why it hangs on me. If it completed did it leave a install.log file in the folder?

How do you get to the Windows Feature screen that your showing?

I think the original PP Generator was developed with Foxpro, but I think the current version was made with Visual Basic 6.0. There's a program at AnalogX.com called textscan that lets you look at text inside of a program. Got the feeling the program was a VB6 program.
I have tried to execute custompp.exe both without and with using the elevated privilege levels using either the RMB to select run as administrator or changing the option via the properties associated with the app. I always end up with an error in a pop up window.

[DJofSD]

DJofSD,

Sorry it didn't work for you. I was hoping that would solve the problem. My old installation that I've been using has to have the "Run as Administrator" box checked, probably because I installed it as Administrator. The new installation runs both with the box checked or unchecked.

Last night I deleted the fonts from the font folder and ran the custompp program to see what would happen and got a popup similar yours. Try right clicking on custompp and going to properties and try running both as Administrator and with the box unchecked. Don't forget to hit apply. Open your word processor and see if the pp2a and pp2b appear in the fonts drop down menu. Can you print with them?

When you tried the full installation (briscustppfull2400.exe), did it hang when it got to pp2b font or did it complete the installation? If it didn't hang and completed the installation, then it must be looking for a different file than the pp2b font. That would make me wonder why it hangs on me. If it completed did it leave a install.log file in the folder?

How do you get to the Windows Feature screen that your showing?

I think the original PP Generator was developed with Foxpro, but I think the current version was made with Visual Basic 6.0. There's a program at AnalogX.com called textscan that lets you look at text inside of a program. Got the feeling the program was a VB6 program.
Regarding a test of the installation of the fonts: I used the MS writer app, and, I was able to both select the fonts and successfully produce hard copy, no problem.

[DJofSD]

DJofSD,

Sorry it didn't work for you. I was hoping that would solve the problem. My old installation that I've been using has to have the "Run as Administrator" box checked, probably because I installed it as Administrator. The new installation runs both with the box checked or unchecked.

Last night I deleted the fonts from the font folder and ran the custompp program to see what would happen and got a popup similar yours. Try right clicking on custompp and going to properties and try running both as Administrator and with the box unchecked. Don't forget to hit apply. Open your word processor and see if the pp2a and pp2b appear in the fonts drop down menu. Can you print with them?

When you tried the full installation (briscustppfull2400.exe), did it hang when it got to pp2b font or did it complete the installation? If it didn't hang and completed the installation, then it must be looking for a different file than the pp2b font. That would make me wonder why it hangs on me. If it completed did it leave a install.log file in the folder?

How do you get to the Windows Feature screen that your showing?

I think the original PP Generator was developed with Foxpro, but I think the current version was made with Visual Basic 6.0. There's a program at AnalogX.com called textscan that lets you look at text inside of a program. Got the feeling the program was a VB6 program.
To navigate to the Windows Features app: Windows Start -> Control Panel -> Programs -> Turn Windows features on or off .

The screen shot was created by making sure the app window had focus, pressing and holding the ALT key while pressing the PRINT SCREEN key. Then start the Windows Paint app, paste the clipboard contents into Paint and then save it into a file. The file is then U/L to a message via the Manage attachments button at the very bottom of the screen when creating a new message to add to a thread.

[DJofSD]

Regarding the FoxPro versus BASIC question: you could very well be correct. I never did consider the app could have been rewritten at some point. And, the error message I posted does have the feeling of a BASIC app.

[OverlayHunter]

Please see attached pdf's.

[DJofSD]

OH, THX. I'll review the Windows configurations and see if there are differences between my system and yours.

It'll be later today.

If there any others which could also take a look at the Windows optional software configuration and post, it would help and be appreciated.

As stated previously, this is just one branch in the diagnostic tree for trying to figure out the failures with custompp.exe on my W7 64-bit system. (While sysinternals Procmon is telling me about the error, I can not seem to uncover the specifics to be able to figure out where the installation might have gone off the tracks, or, if there are some pieces from another software installation which I am missing, or, something else altogether.)

[KyRacer]

Thanks guys for the info. Hadn't looked at it before. Attached are my Windows Features. Opened the trees except for games.

[KyRacer]

DJofSD,

At this point it doesn't look like it's the fonts, but I would like to know if you have an install.log in the BRISCust folder and if the program hung when you tried to install it.

I'm attaching 2 install.log files. I've renamed then GenXPinstalllog.txt and GenW7installlog.txt. I changed the log extension to txt so it will open in your text viewer. The 1st one is the install.log from my Virtual PC windows Xp mode. The 2nd is my install.log from my installation on Windows 7. The 1st one copied a lot of files into the system32 folder. The 2nd one copied or overwrote files in the system 32 folder, except I couldn't find most of those programs in the system32 folder. So what was it overwriting. I think Windows 7 takes those files an puts them in the SysWOW64 folder.

This is a link to a topic that might help.
http://www.samlogic.net/articles/32-64-bit-windows-folder-x86-syswow64.htm

Below is a list of files from the install.log. I believe they should probably be in your SysWOW64 folder but no sure.

MBMouse.ocx
MSCOMCTL.OCX
Tab32x30.ocx
tdbg8.ocx
UIToolX.ocx
xadb8.ocx

comcat.dll *
dao360.dll
duzactx.dll
mfc42.dll *
msvbvm60.dll
msvcrt.dll *
oleaut32.dll *
olepro32.dll
Vb5db.dll *
Vb6stkit.dll
vbajet32.dll

stdole2.tlb

The ones with the asterisks are in my c:\windows\system32 folder. Use Windows explorer to see if these files are in your sysWOW64 folder. Check the files below first, they're the ones I don't think are installed when the program hangs when trying to install the fonts. They're suppose to be installed after the fonts along with custompp.exe.

Actbar2.ocx
duzactx.dll
dao360.dll
vbajet32.dll
Vb6stkit.dll

Did your computer come with Windows 7 installed or did your install it over Windows XP? I installed mine over Windows XP and maybe it moved the 32 bit files to sysWOW64 folder during installation and that might be why I have them and you don't . Just a guess.

Both logs show "Could not Self-Register: C:\Windows\System32\Vb5db.dll" and but program works fine. The rest of the files are self registering.

Hope this give you some ideas.

[OverlayHunter]

Attached are the install logs from my Win7 and Win8 machines. I don't have the technical expertise of KR so I can't give you any commentary except that Win7 installation was done in Sept. 2011 and the Win8 in Jan. 2013 on the off-chance those dates happen to hold any significance.

[Uncle Salty]

It's a really good program and it's truly unbelievable that a company with that type of money will not keep the software up to date.

I hope they reconsider this decision.

I agree. I was floored when they told me they couldn't fix it the date problem in their custom item list.

My handicapping was never better than when I was making my own Q figs and adding them into the BRIS PP Gen program.

I wonder if it was because they weren't making any money on it and it was just a resource/manpower drain for them. I would have paid a subscription price for that software if necessary.

[DJofSD]

Please see attached pdf's.
OK, I see some differences. Whether or not it explains my problems with custompp.exe is not clear.

Games - ignoring.
Indexing Services - off in both lists.
Internet Explorer 11 - on in both lists.
IIS - off in both lists.
IIS Hostable Web core - off in both lists.
Media Features - all sub items on in both lists.
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1 - off (?) in both lists.
MSMQ Server - off (?) in both lists.
Print and Document Services - different items count: mine, 4; yours 5. I am missing Scan Management. Checked and unchecked items are the same.
Remote Differential Compression - on in both lists.
RIP Listener - off in both lists.
SNMP - off in both lists.
Simple TCPIP Services - off in both lists.
Table PC Components - on in both lists.
Telnet Client - off in both lists.
Telnet Server - off in both lists.
TFTP Client - off in both lists.
Windows Gadget Platform - on in both lists.
Windows Process Activation Service - off in both lists.
Windows Search - on in both lists.
Windows TIFF IFilter - off in both lists.

At this point walking down the two lists, the contents of the list differ:
Windows Virtual PC does not exist in my list of features installed/used.

XPS Services - on in both lists.
XPS Viewer - on in both lists.

So, there are some differences between the two systems as far as the list of Windows features are concerned.

My system is Windows Home Premium.

[OverlayHunter]

DJofSD -

FWIW both Windows 7 and 8 on my computers are the professional versions. Regarding the "Scan" difference, I have installed scanning software on both machines. Perhaps that software added that choice when it installed.

[OverlayHunter]

You've probably thought of these but on the chance you haven't:

Do you have access to other computers (friend, relative, neighbor, work, etc.) that you can try the software on? If you do, you can make some comparisons against your machine. For example, if they use the professional version of Windows and the software works on them, perhaps that may indicate that may be related to the problem.

Have you tried downloading the installation software again on the chance that the one you are using could be faulty in some way?

Is there any way to determine if some unrelated software on your machine is incompatible with the custompp software in some way?

[DJofSD]

OH, thx.

I have a scanner, an Epson. I use it through a USB port. It uses software from the vendor for the UI not anything from Microsoft. And, I recall there was some drivers installed for the USB device.

I'm beginning to feel the Windows features is not going to explain why there are some registry differences which I had thought were the general area which was the source of the error I am getting.

And going back the FoxPro v. BASIC question, if custompp.exe is VB then it makes sense why ProcMon can only provide a little information about the error -- the BASIC executable is a different animal altogether. In the past and with different (earlier) versions of BASIC, there was a certain amount of reverse engineering possible. Mostly done visually but on occasion, using a dissassembler and its features to produce assembler listing in aiding whatever investigation I was performing. I'll have to think about going around that particular block yet again.

[DJofSD]

You've probably thought of these but on the chance you haven't:

Do you have access to other computers (friend, relative, neighbor, work, etc.) that you can try the software on? If you do, you can make some comparisons against your machine. For example, if they use the professional version of Windows and the software works on them, perhaps that may indicate that may be related to the problem.

Have you tried downloading the installation software again on the chance that the one you are using could be faulty in some way?

Is there any way to determine if some unrelated software on your machine is incompatible with the custompp software in some way?
Yes, as stated earlier in the thread, I have a Windows Vista laptop. The BRIS Custom PP Generator is installed on it, and, it works.

What I have done so far is to use the sysinternals tools, mostly, Procmon to help analyze the error I see on my W7 system. It occurs when the Windows registry is being accessed.

I have compared the germane part of the registries and found some differences. As an aside, part of that effort was to learn about registry reflections, and, understanding the W7 facility which was a part of the continued migration from 32-bit to 64-bit environments and being able to continue to support 32-bit apps. This is, in part, what SYSWoW is about, and, the part of the registry with a key of SYSWow6432. But even after allowing for the differences in the registry for the different flavors of the OS and how 32-bit apps are supported, I was still seeing things on Vista that were not there for W7. My theory was the things missing in the W7 registry were the things missing which caused the error I get.

Yes, I have downloaded a new copy of both the full and update version of the latest version of the BRIS app. It has not made any difference -- I still get an error on the W7 system.

I believe the only possible way something which is incompatible with the BRIS app would cause a problem would be during the installation of the BRIS app. If the installation of the BRIS app failed to make the changes to the registry then it would explain my error. Certainly, one thing to do is to uninstall the BRIS app then reinstall it while using Procmon and reviewing any errors it might show while the installer is running. I'm not sure I really want to do that but I might be forced to in order to find the problem or eliminate it as a source of the problem.

And, as a general comment, this problem I experience, and, the inability to review my system's installation for the BRIS app really irritates me. I am used to installing software -- I've done it for a long, long time -- and I am used to being able to verify the installation is done correctly. I won't get into the sordid details. But, I will say dealing with most software installations on Windows leaves a whole heck of a lot to be desired. Having at least a minimal list of things to manually go look for would at least be something to chase down. But right now, I 'gots nuttin'.'

[OverlayHunter]

I should have been more clear. By other machines, I meant other Win 7 machines. It's one thing for me and others to send you information from our machines but it's quite another for you to have access to a machine when the software installs correctly so you can actual poke, prod, examine,and make comparisons. Just the act of doing that may trigger a thought or idea if not actually present you with a solution.

[DJofSD]

DJofSD,

At this point it doesn't look like it's the fonts, but I would like to know if you have an install.log in the BRISCust folder and if the program hung when you tried to install it.

I'm attaching 2 install.log files. I've renamed then GenXPinstalllog.txt and GenW7installlog.txt. I changed the log extension to txt so it will open in your text viewer. The 1st one is the install.log from my Virtual PC windows Xp mode. The 2nd is my install.log from my installation on Windows 7. The 1st one copied a lot of files into the system32 folder. The 2nd one copied or overwrote files in the system 32 folder, except I couldn't find most of those programs in the system32 folder. So what was it overwriting. I think Windows 7 takes those files an puts them in the SysWOW64 folder.

This is a link to a topic that might help.
http://www.samlogic.net/articles/32-64-bit-windows-folder-x86-syswow64.htm

Below is a list of files from the install.log. I believe they should probably be in your SysWOW64 folder but no sure.

MBMouse.ocx
MSCOMCTL.OCX
Tab32x30.ocx
tdbg8.ocx
UIToolX.ocx
xadb8.ocx

comcat.dll *
dao360.dll
duzactx.dll
mfc42.dll *
msvbvm60.dll
msvcrt.dll *
oleaut32.dll *
olepro32.dll
Vb5db.dll *
Vb6stkit.dll
vbajet32.dll

stdole2.tlb

The ones with the asterisks are in my c:\windows\system32 folder. Use Windows explorer to see if these files are in your sysWOW64 folder. Check the files below first, they're the ones I don't think are installed when the program hangs when trying to install the fonts. They're suppose to be installed after the fonts along with custompp.exe.

Actbar2.ocx
duzactx.dll
dao360.dll
vbajet32.dll
Vb6stkit.dll

Did your computer come with Windows 7 installed or did your install it over Windows XP? I installed mine over Windows XP and maybe it moved the 32 bit files to sysWOW64 folder during installation and that might be why I have them and you don't . Just a guess.

Both logs show "Could not Self-Register: C:\Windows\System32\Vb5db.dll" and but program works fine. The rest of the files are self registering.

Hope this give you some ideas.
A partial response to some of the items in the message (damn, too much to watch: US Open, WC all going at the same time. Next weekend LPGA up against the WC too. Good thing they invented the DVR.)

Thanks for posting the installation logs from the Wise installer. I have grabbed the log from my Vista system and will bash them against each other using my fav app for that, Beyond Compare 2. I'll post my findings later.

I did do a manual inspection of the list gleaned from the installation log.
All of the files were found on both the Vista (no surprise) and W7 64-bit systems. For Vista, all found in system32 and for W7 all in SysWOW64.

The W7 system was purchased as a new box with W7 factory installed. The Vista laptop has been a sand box of sort, and, it has been wiped with a clean, bare machine install of Vista 32-bit and a few other software packages installed.

Yes, I have a W7 32-bit system my son uses for WoT. I don't do anything on it except to keep it up to date and the occasional defrag. I guess it could be instructive to do an initial installation of the BRIS app to see what happens. And, as I recall, the Beyond Compare utility will allow me to do a before and after snap shot of the systems contents to facilitate a before/after comparison of what the Wise installation utility would change. What I will need to review is if the registry updates are capable of being captured using that approach or not. In any event, I have my own utility to take snap shots of the registry so the utility can then do a comparison to find those changes.

TTFN - back to WC and the US Open.

Thanks for all the info and assistance.

[takeout]

I like the PP Generator, too, but when I went from XP to 7 I had to quit using it and go back to pdfs because the data file won't show “1/2” lengths any more in the running lines. All of the other beaten-length fractions seem to be there but the halves are all missing. Not sure, but in KyRacer's post #11, it looks like the halves are missing there as well. I tried to get a pdf of that day to verify but of course I'm too late it's no longer available.

[KyRacer]

takeout,

Your absolutely right. the half's with the underline are missing. I took a screen shot from multicaps and it showed them on it's pp's. I looked at the character map of the fonts and the half's with the underline seem to be missing. It's late, I'll look at it closer later today. This was mentioned in another tread a couple of years ago. Now I know what they were talking about. I usually use multicaps to look at the pps of individual horses, the Generator for workouts and trainer stats and other things.

This is what it should've look like.

[OverlayHunter]

Thanks for solving that mystery,takeout, they are missing when I view on my Windows 8 machine as well. Must be a hardwired bug in the software. The data is definitely in the delimited file but it never makes it to the screen.

[socialnetworker]

I tried to get a pdf of that day to verify but of course I'm too late it's no longer available.

Does anybody know anybody willing to help assemble an archive of past PPs
(besides Brisnet:) ).

I would like to purchase entire seasons for research purposes at a reasonable cost.

[DJofSD]

Yes, I have a W7 32-bit system my son uses for WoT. I don't do anything on it except to keep it up to date and the occasional defrag. I guess it could be instructive to do an initial installation of the BRIS app to see what happens. And, as I recall, the Beyond Compare utility will allow me to do a before and after snap shot of the systems contents to facilitate a before/after comparison of what the Wise installation utility would change. What I will need to review is if the registry updates are capable of being captured using that approach or not. In any event, I have my own utility to take snap shots of the registry so the utility can then do a comparison to find those changes.

OK, back to it.

ATM, I plan to use my son's PC to do more work on why I can not execute custompp.exe on my W7 64-bit system. This will be much later today or tomorrow.

It is a system that has never had this app installed before and the system is relatively "clean/skinny", i.e. there is not too much else installed on it.

Any suggestions before I begin?

[upthecreek]

Is anyone able to run the Bris PP generator on a 64 bit is,specifically W8.1?
I ask a Bris tech ,they said it only runs on a 32 bit system I also read something about Wow 64 thats included w/ window 64 bit is that makes running 32 bit programs possible?
Thnx

[Jingle]

I do not had a problem running the Bris PP's on my Win 7, 64bit Toshiba laptop. I am using ver. 2.40 of the PP Generator. I am not sure it will work with later versions.

[GameTheory]

Is anyone able to run the Bris PP generator on a 64 bit is,specifically W8.1?
I ask a Bris tech ,they said it only runs on a 32 bit system I also read something about Wow 64 thats included w/ window 64 bit is that makes running 32 bit programs possible?
Windows 64-bit versions run 32-bit software with no problem and with no extra steps, in general. It is not the 32 vs 64 bit per se that causes the incompatibility, just certain other parts of the OS that the old program is relying on means that some programs don't work with the newest versions, so sometimes you can use the built-in compatibility mode (on the shortcut that runs the program, right-click and go to the compatibility tab and set to an older OS version) which works sometimes, but often not. Or use a full-blown virtual machine running Windows XP, which is a pain for only one program but it is pretty much guaranteed to work...

[upthecreek]

Is anyone able to run the Bris PP generator on a 64 bit is,specifically W8.1?
I ask a Bris tech ,they said it only runs on a 32 bit system I also read something about Wow 64 thats included w/ window 64 bit is that makes running 32 bit programs possible?
Thnx
Of course Bris tech didn't know what he was talking about-just ran install and it works fine Didn't have to do anything just install & run

[hyipro]

I tried to open the file as I usually due, and I keep getting the message
"subscript out of range" cannot close the program, after the message
I have to do a windows force restart. Does this message mean I cannot
use the file, I would assume so any thoughts ??

[Fingal]

I had the same thing happen, even had to do the forced shutdown. Now when I open it I still get that message, but when I click continously the "OK" button on that out of range message the pps eventually come up. Strange.

[DJofSD]

As a guess, it is probably an error with some of the data in the file which the parser can't handle or the routine to stuff the data into the FoxPro database can not handle.

If so, when the next version of the same data file is posted by BRIS after the fields are finalized and the post positions are known, that error will likely go away.

[hyipro]

bad data files, and the large size of the fields, should be fixed by early tonight

[therussmeister]

Try putting the program exe on a flash drive! then you can see if it installs on the computer before you buy it to make sure it works.
Update:
It almost works fine with Windows 8, but there is one problem I have encountered. It does not display 1/2 lengths. That is, a horse that was trailing by 3 1/2 lengths will read as 3 lengths. A horse trailing by 1/2 length will show no margin. It has no problem with 1/4 and 3/4 lengths.

[Southbaygent]

Sorry to resurrect a very old thread.

I’ve been using the Bris Custom PP Generator on two different Win10 machines with no problems. One - a Surface Pro 3 tablet I take to the track with me, Two - a MacBook Pro running a virtual Windows 10 “window” (you’d think THAT would be problematic but no!)

So, I bought another Intel I7 Win 10 box, I used (paid for) PC Mover software to move my MacBook Virtual Win10 to the new box. The most complicated programs migrated perfectly, MS Office, MS Visual Studio.Net, Crystal Reports, etc. some needed product key most ran immediately.

But NOT the Bris PP generator :(

My issue seems a bit different than all the threads I’ve been reviewing here. When I click on the shortcut or executable to run the program, every time it starts the Windows Installer, appears to hang, and if I wait like 30 minutes the Installer Times out “installer server not responding...BUT the PP generator is eventually loaded up!? Attempts to import a file causes 4-5 errors, but clicking past all of them eventually presents the PP format.

Frustrating,.....just venting here and thanks for those who read all this.

Two questions:

A) any updated tricks to make it work?

B) any other viable product for taking the comma delimited PP files to create a PP PDF file? I use the the comma delimited files at $1/each for other programs as well.

Switching to a digital PDF representation of the PP’s and using this to handicap was a significant leap of faith for me. I have workaroind (keep using the tablet I guess) but irritated by this.

[Tom]

Try clicking on them main program icon instead of the shortcut.

[frontRunner]

Try this -- Right click on the icon and choose Run As Administrator

[lawmaker1]

Has anyone purchased Pandy's new Real Time program? A review would be appreciated!

[headhawg]

Has anyone purchased Pandy's new Real Time program? A review would be appreciated!No, didn't know he had something new, but what does this have to do with the PP Generator? This should be a new thread topic.

[pandy]

Has anyone purchased Pandy's new Real Time program? A review would be appreciated!

It just came out this week, very new. Next week I'm going to post some videos on my website so people can get a better look at how it works. Thanks for mentioning it.

[lefty359]

Has not been updated in years and will not work with Windows 7 or higher.
Will not work with 64 bit.
I can not understand why a company would let a software program that is this good just die.
Then again CDI owns BRIS and this program has nothing to do with slot machines.


I use PP generator with Win 8.1 and it works. My only gripe is sometime it leaves out btn lengths at some calls on some horses.

[Southbaygent]

Try clicking on them main program icon instead of the shortcut.

Tried that...no joy.

Try this -- Right click on the icon and choose Run As Administrator

Tried running as administrator, no joy.

The issue seems to be that the program thinks install isn’t completed. It starts the windows installer EVERY time and and every way I attempt to run the executable. As I mentioned before...after a very long wait (15-20 minutes ++) Windows error pops up it says the install sever isn’t responding, but after acknowledging/clicking on the error warning, the PP generator opens, loads files, prints, etc. :bang:

So some sort of installer, install not marked as completed issue I’m thinking.

[Tom]

Probably a good idea to uninstall it re-install it.
Might fix it ans save you a lot of time down the line.

[headhawg]

So some sort of installer, install not marked as completed issue I’m thinking.Sounds like the migration program didn't work as expected. You could try turning off your antivirus before you reinstall. If the installer phones home, make sure your firewall isn't stopping it from doing so. Run the installer in a compatibility mode? Just some ideas.

[PhantomOnTour]

A few years ago I was having font problems as well, esp with the displaying of fractional beaten lengths, as mentioned above by a few posters.
Luckily, BRIS put me in touch with the late Mr Marrone, who wrote the program. This guy called me personally and helped me download a patch (or workaround, or whatever it's called) that fixed everything. Unfortunately, my old computer has long since been replaced, and I have no access to the fix.
I have since given up on the PP Gen and now handicap without it.
It was a TERRIFIC tool, and I've not seen anything even remotely close to its capabilities since.
I could have my figs and notes appear in the pp's....race notes, individual horse notes, and on and on.
Sadly, Mr Marrone has passed away, and the program is quickly becoming a relic.
He was generous with his time, and a great help to me personally.
My game was never better than when I used the PP Generator

[Southbaygent]

Probably a good idea to uninstall it re-install it.
Might fix it ans save you a lot of time down the line.

Thanks, have tried that more than a few times, uninstall, reinstall. Tried as adminstrator, safe mode, etc....it’s not the end of the world I’ll probably move on shortly...it’s working on my tablet and that’s where I ultimately handicap with the PDF anyway....I just need to change up my race day routine and data download schedules a bit

[Tom]

I wish some programmer would write new PP program - it is one that really has a proven use.

[headhawg]

I have actually been thinking about doing that Tom, but it may be beyond my coding capabilities. I used it a long, long time ago but frankly I don't remember what it could do.

[mikesal57]

Do you guys know that ALLDATA has a PP built into it....

what would you want to do with it if you dont mind ?

Mike

[Tom]

Have it like the current PP Generator - same format as BRIS PPs.
Options and preferences like PP Gen has, ability to hide line, sort by post. odds, Running STyle, that kind of thing. Dsply time, pace figs, pace of race, pace of horse, show incremental splits, decide what fields you want to show and where to put them. Math capabilities, such as add E2 and LP into a rating, user defined fields from existing data, such as time......pretty much the whole enchilada! :D

[mikesal57]

Have it like the current PP Generator - same format as BRIS PPs.
Options and preferences like PP Gen has, ability to hide line, sort by post. odds, Running STyle, that kind of thing. Dsply time, pace figs, pace of race, pace of horse, show incremental splits, decide what fields you want to show and where to put them. Math capabilities, such as add E2 and LP into a rating, user defined fields from existing data, such as time......pretty much the whole enchilada! :D

Excel can do a lot....and maybe all you want...
Just need someone devoted to do it...

[Tom]

Excel would not be the medium that I would choose for PPs.
you can't make them look like the real PP and it too much program to use as easily as PP Gen.


Excel is too much program for the job.

[therussmeister]

I use PP generator with Win 8.1 and it works. My only gripe is sometime it leaves out btn lengths at some calls on some horses.

What it leaves out is 1/2 lengths so a horse behind by 2 1/2 lengths will show 2 lengths, a horse behind by 1/2 length will be blank.

The fix is to install a different font. If you search these forums you will find a download for the font and instructions on how to install.

I have made the installation on two different computers and had much trouble both times, I had to try multiple times to get it to work and feel both times I only succeeded by accident. I have no idea what I did right.

I've been toying with the idea of buying a used windows XP computer Solely for running PP generator in case my current computer dies.

[mikesal57]

What it leaves out is 1/2 lengths so a horse behind by 2 1/2 lengths will show 2 lengths, a horse behind by 1/2 length will be blank.

The fix is to install a different font. If you search these forums you will find a download for the font and instructions on how to install.

I have made the installation on two different computers and had much trouble both times, I had to try multiple times to get it to work and feel both times I only succeeded by accident. I have no idea what I did right.

I've been toying with the idea of buying a used windows XP computer Solely for running PP generator in case my current computer dies.

No need to buy a whole new PC....just slip in a new SSD Drive and make a dual - boot PC ...just need a XP Install and your good

Mike

[KyRacer]

Sorry to resurrect a very old thread.

I’ve been using the Bris Custom PP Generator on two different Win10 machines with no problems. One - a Surface Pro 3 tablet I take to the track with me, Two - a MacBook Pro running a virtual Windows 10 “window” (you’d think THAT would be problematic but no!)

So, I bought another Intel I7 Win 10 box, I used (paid for) PC Mover software to move my MacBook Virtual Win10 to the new box. The most complicated programs migrated perfectly, MS Office, MS Visual Studio.Net, Crystal Reports, etc. some needed product key most ran immediately.

But NOT the Bris PP generator :(

My issue seems a bit different than all the threads I’ve been reviewing here. When I click on the shortcut or executable to run the program, every time it starts the Windows Installer, appears to hang, and if I wait like 30 minutes the Installer Times out “installer server not responding...BUT the PP generator is eventually loaded up!? Attempts to import a file causes 4-5 errors, but clicking past all of them eventually presents the PP format.



Hey South,

I haven't used PC Mover before, but have been thinking of getting another computer and would probably use PC Mover, so your problems caught my attention.

You say when you click on the custompp.exe file it starts up the installer and it appears to be looking for the server. It could be thinking your other computer is the server. When you used PC Mover, how did you connect the two computers? Did it use some kind of cable or sent the transfer over the WiFi? You might try reconnecting the two computers and then start up the program while they're connected. Maybe it needs to finish the installation. Are your computers 64 or 32 bit? Could you put up a screen shot of the installer? Is it the PC mover installer or the installer that installs the Custom Generator from the briscustppful2400.exe file. If they were 64 bit, did you have any problem installing the Custom Generator? I was able to get it installed and running on my Win10 64 bit computer several years ago, but couldn't get it to install on a Win10 32 bit tablet.

Some people got it to run, some not so lucky. The briscustppful2400.exe file has problems installing the fonts on Windows 10 computers and hangs and doesn't finish installing the files that come after the fonts. Those are mostly dll and ocx files. I think that the reason some people get it to work is because they already have the files on their computer from other installations.

So try reconnecting your two computers and see if that helps.

[fast4522]

I've also used it for years. Like the ability to customize the pp's. After I take out the scratches, I print to a PDF file and open it with Foxit pdf reader. They look better there than viewing them inside the software. In one customization I removed the times and moved the comments closer to the finish position. I like it better.

I'm running it on a Windows 7 64 bit computer. My install log show that it could not self register the Vb5db.dll file. That maybe the problem for some, but I'm not sure. (Could not Self-Register: C:\Windows\System32\Vb5db.dll) But the program runs on my computer. I have the Vb5db.dll in my System 32 folder.

Added a pic as an attachment. Maybe.

Cool view, what are the RR & CR ratings?

[mikesal57]

Cool view, what are the RR & CR ratings?

Race Rating & Class Rating

[Southbaygent]

Thanks for your reply.

Re:PCMover I used both computers hooked up to my network via Ethernet. PCMover gets installed on both computers, Fire it up and it finds each device on its own. I was very pleased with the experience....needed to re-enter product keys for MS-Office and Visual Studio.net, and of course the Bris PP issue. Otherwise it was an easy easy transition, I’d recommend it.

Re: the Bris PP issue, I’ve tried what you suggested, multiple uninstall/reinstalling, manually registering some dll’s, nothing has worked.

Only almost last thought was an upgraded “wiseinstall” but that’s probably not a starter either.

Frustrated but I’ll live....I use the Bris file for a few other programs so at $1 I’ll continue using them, and either wait 20 minutes for the new desktop to fail the “install” and load Bris, or use Bris PP from my MS Surface Pro3 which still works.

[Tom]

Race Rating & Class Rating

What data file do you need to get those?
The $1 files don't have them.

[headhawg]

Muliticaps (.mcp) files?

[mikesal57]

What data file do you need to get those?
The $1 files don't have them.

HDW Files

and for it not looking like the real PP's
you'll get use to it...its really not that bad
plus
its free!!!

[JJMartin]

Excel would not be the medium that I would choose for PPs.
you can't make them look like the real PP and it too much program to use as easily as PP Gen.


Excel is too much program for the job.


Ok, How about this:

[mikesal57]

JJ.....:ThmbUp:

[Southbaygent]

Ok, How about this:

Nice! 👍🏻

[KyRacer]

Ok, How about this:

Very nicely done. I love seeing screenshots of homemade programs or excel sheets. I was wondering what it would look like without the grid lines and maybe have the running positions, but not the lengths behind, the same size but with a bold font to give them some contrast and make them stand out more.

[Longshot6977]

Ok, How about this:


Was that awesome job done by you JJ? Or a friend? If you did it, great job. Must've taken a while to do.

[mikesal57]

Was that awesome job done by you JJ? Or a friend? If you did it, great job. Must've taken a while to do.

Yes, it is a awesome job....the best and probably hardest thing to do is to FIT it in a specific space and to NOT move much to read...GREAT JOB!!

and Tom is speechless now...lol

[JJMartin]

Thanks to all the likes :)

I made this over a year ago with the intention of emulating the original as closely as possible.

It took me about 3 months to code. The Comment line is also there to the far right but is not shown in the screen shot. The one thing I didn't get around to installing is the workout info.

[mikesal57]

Thanks to all the likes :)

I made this over a year ago with the intention of emulating the original as closely as possible.

It took me about 3 months to code. The Comment line is also there to the far right but is not shown in the screen shot. The one thing I didn't get around to installing is the workout info.

How do you import the data...& what file is it (Bris-HDW) ?

[JJMartin]

How do you import the data...& what file is it (Bris-HDW) ?


It is Bris but can handle HDW also. The data import is with VBA.

[Longshot6977]

JJ, how are you using this? Can you sort the data fields a certain way such as horses with highest % trainer/jockey or highest to lowest speed ratings or by fastest time at certain distance or something like that? Just curious. Thanks.

[JJMartin]

JJ, how are you using this? Can you sort the data fields a certain way such as horses with highest % trainer/jockey or highest to lowest speed ratings or by fastest time at certain distance or something like that? Just curious. Thanks.


You could certainly do all those things that you mentioned. In my process the original data does not change in that particular way but what I do (not shown in the screen shot) is deploy a multiple staged analysis macro. Calculations are run and the resulting figures are added somewhere within the confines of each entrant's data. Various color coding is assigned to certain attributes (for example certain cells for Turf turn green). Then in another sheet based on that first stage, a "summary" for each horse is compiled and condensed to 1 line per horse. Another round of calculations are done, creating a type of sub-rating and then a final multi-tiered figure emerges which serves as a performance or power rating. This sheet also serves as a database that can then be analyzed further with filtering and other applications to evaluate the effectiveness of whatever methods are being employed.



The reason why I run the calculations based on a display ideal for human reading rather than a simpler (or more complex) programmatical value extraction method is because I find the classic display to be more conducive to the algorithm creation process, more insightful. Calculations that are generated are derived from my own personal trial and error process. A type of visual feedback loop between the running lines and the various handicapping concepts applied occurs which really helps to intuitively identify the critical elements in the refinement process.


I use quite a bit of conditional formatting and color coding as well. I believe it is a very effective way to quickly communicate key information that may otherwise be too mentally taxing if everything was black and white.



As complex as horse racing is with so many variables to contend with, you can never be "too extreme". The flexibility that Excel provides is invaluable and definitely essential for me. Without it, I probably wouldn't even bother. I'll admit that VBA is not the greatest in code execution even after optimizing for speed. My current program takes about 10-15 seconds on average to populate a race, pp generator is something like 1.5 to 2 seconds from I what I see. 15 seconds is definitely tolerable given the benefits. If it took minutes to load I would have to trash it. :)


I would just add that anyone interested in learning VBA should keep in mind that it can take several years of coding experience before arriving at something you consider professional or of satisfactory quality. However, it would not take as long to get something minimally functional going. If you are already knowledgeable in other languages, you may even consider VBA a "downgrade" but any coding knowledge will provide some degree of foundational principles.

[Longshot6977]

Thanks for the detailed reply. Curiosity resolved.:ThmbUp:

[headhawg]

That's good stuff JJ. Very nice job.

[Gakiss2]

Thought this might be a good place to show my latest creation. Comments, questions, critiques welcome. Some Basics

Fun feature is the color graphs showing horse position at each call. Based on picking a representative line. It is supposed to help you visualize pace.

Last is 'last fraction' to show closers. One thing I dont' like is this is the only 'less is more' figure in this layout and that is not clear in the graphic.

Pace and Final are ratings for Pace and Final Time.

Fit is a recent addition. I score horse 'fitness' with a schema involving days away from Racing, days since last Workout, pattern of workouts (freq.) and add bonus points if a horse has won coming off a long layoff. Right now it requires a lot of effort. If I like the outcome I would make it more automated.

Field size, Finish position, Beaten Length. Classic 'form' data. Later I score these. Idea is the scoring can catch your eye then you look into the detail.

Next up is race level and Actual Odds. If the horse has had low odds at the current class level then at least the public likes him. If he was last bet 40 to 1 at a level or two below today's event then one of two outcomes. Either (A) lean away a bit or (B) pawn the wife's jewelry and throw down. I tend toward the former (still married) but if you are convinced this is the horse then this prepares you for potential long odds at betting time.

ScTot is a sum of all my scoring algorithms. They aren't scientifically justified, just my idea of what I'm looking for. Probably not worth it to detail each one but they are basic such as higher points for finishing 1st in the representative race or Beaten lengths less then 2.


Although you get an overall score it is not meant to pick by that score. That is designed focus your attention where a horse has an accumulation of positive scenarios. From there I mentally process, eliminate non-contenders, visualize pace, then if a horse has my attention I go the PP's and look through more than the one race I chose for this to see if what I am seeing is backed up by other past races or refuted by non excusable recent poor performance on other lines.

I've just recently started using it with some mild success. It takes an hour or two to put together from the PPs I use which is Today's Racing Digest basic sheets. It could be done from Bris comma delimited data but I would have to do some programming to make that work.

[JJMartin]

What data file did you use for importing? Was it the Bris $1 single file format?
Yes.

[Light]

Thanks, I deleted my message because I see it was asked already.

I've played around with this but could never get the superscripts and subscripts right, besides some other things but that was the main one.

[JJMartin]

Thanks, I deleted my message because I see it was asked already.

I've played around with this but could never get the superscripts and subscripts right, besides some other things but that was the main one.


There was a bit of debugging as expected. The good thing about VBA is that there is plenty of free online resources when you need help.

[Gakiss2]

I have managed to get the data files into an Excel sheet then import into ms access but that us a lot of busy work. Does anyone have some vba code that can pull the brisnet file into access? Any help appreciate ed

[Tom]

The files are test, right?
Can't you just import the text file into Access?
Or are there too many columns?

[Gakiss2]

I can import them into access. I was looking for something that didn't require the user to know how to do all that. I wanted it to work like most of the programs work where you just have to point to the brisnet file and the program does the rest as far as getting the brisnet data pulled into the database.
I guess if I can import it then I can eventually figure out how to program access to do what I am talking about. Guess I was hoping someone had already cracked that egg and I could take advantage of all that work already done

[Tom]

I am sure there are others out there far more skilled in that than I am that may chime in-- good luck!

[Gakiss2]

I appreciate the support. Any thoughts on scoring horse fitness base race workout dates , patterns, maybe even speed of race or workout? I've been experimenting with diff ways to assess fitness based on data