Installation of software applications depends upon certain factors such as system configuration, the number of files getting installed, and network speed.  Installation time is influenced by a change in any of these elements and, hence, individuals have varied preferences of when to install. Some might prefer to do so in the office hours while others choose to install when they are not working. If you ask me what time is the best to run the installation of Cadence OrCAD® and Allegro® products, I prefer to do so when my day’s work is over, mostly at night, bundled with all my other maintenance and system-level tasks.  I just start the installation and let it finish by itself. A fresh install is ready when I am back to work the next day. In the night or when your system is free, all its resources can be fully utilized by the installer. The overall installation time is less but even more important there is the least chance of any accidental interruptions. Sounds perfect, but what if you encounter an error and the installation is aborted or is stuck? Must you start all over again? Not at all because I am sharing some tips that you can follow before you initiate the installation process to ensure a hassle-free installation.

1.    Media is Extracted to Different Directories

You may notice that the installation has stopped halfway and prompts you to select another media location. Why? Most probably because you have extracted the media files to different directories on your machine. To avoid such a situation, download and extract all the media files to the same directory.

2.    Media is Corrupt or Incompletely Downloaded

Are you seeing errors when installing and are not able to proceed?  You may assume media files are corrupt or not downloaded properly, and now the only solution is to download the media files again. You can save effort and time by verifying the media before running the installation. After downloading, compare checksum values of media files you downloaded to that mentioned in the README-checksums.md5  file at the Cadence downloads page. Any difference in value confirms that a re-download is required.

3.    Insufficient Permission on Installation Directory

You have often run the installer to install on a shared location over the network. It is practically possible but causes an issue if you do not have enough permissions to that network location. Ensure that you have write permission on the directory where you are installing else you are likely to get a message saying that installation failed.

 4.    Inadequate Space on the System

Any EDA software is huge and demands free space on your system. If your system space is already used up, the installation process will not be completed. A good practice is to keep enough space free for a successful installation, which is approximately three times the size of the media. The installer also checks for the free space available on a system and tells the expected size limit in advance. You can proactively clean unwanted files from your system and then trigger the installation. Do not forget to clean up the %TEMP% location also as the installer attempts to write temporary files during the installation process. It is important to have enough space in your temp directory.  

5.    Conflict with Anti-Virus Programs

The installation process performs operations like writing into the Windows registry or system folders, setup services, and much more. These operations may interfere with the system’s firewall or anti-malware programs and cannot be accomplished as designed. As a result, the installer either behaves ambiguously or fails. It is always advisable to turn off any firewall or virus detection program before you run an installer.

6.    Lack of Administrative Privileges

The installer may not be able to configure the software properly on your machine if you run the installer with limited user permissions. So, if you are a standard user, you will not be able to run the software at full capacity. Always confirm that you have full administrative rights to ensure a clean and complete installation.

In addition to the above points, for fast-track installation, I would suggest copying the media files locally. This step not only reduces the total installation time but also bypasses network latency or glitches. Moreover, Allegro and OrCAD products come with their Download Manager for Windows systems. So why do all the trouble of downloading media files manually? Leverage its capabilities by downloading it once and for all.

In my next blog posts, I will uncover how to effectively install Cadence products using various mechanisms without confronting errors. I would suggest clicking the SUBSCRIBE NOW button, so you do not miss anything.

That’s all there is to it.  Hope these tips help you with the installation of products. Cheers!