Blindata Client PC Installation¶

This document describes how to install and update Blindata on a client PC where there is already an existing server and client installation.
Download Blindata Utilities from here:

http://www.ball-software.com/download/updates/utilitiessetup.exe

Install the program.

If the client PC has Windows 7, 8 or 10 installed, you will have to run the program as administrator.
To do this, right click on the Blindata Utilities icon (the yellow spanner) and select ‘Run As Administrator'.

Go to Setup > Database Setup.

You will need to fill these fields with the relevant information.
The easiest way to find this is to look at another client PC with Blindata installed and view the blindata.ini file, which will probably be held in c:\program files(x86)\ball software\blindata.
If the extension .ini is not shown you can identify this file because it will say ‘Configuration Settings’ beside it.
An alternative to this would be to copy the blindata.ini file and put it in the c:\program files(x86)\ball software\blindata folder.

Once the database settings have been entered, select ‘SQL Enabled’ and then ‘Save’.
Then select the Updates tab and ‘Get Blindata Update’.
If a message comes up saying ‘Getting Stored Update’ then Blindata will install correctly

Blindata.ini

The Blindata.ini file will contain settings like this.
If an update on a client PC has not worked properly, sometimes the solution is to edit the .ini file and set the version back by 1.
In this case, the line would say version=1004.
The Utilities program should then be run again.

[Connection]
server=HPTOUCHSCREEN\SQLEXPRESS,4000
database=BlinData
login=sa
password=blindata
[version]
version=1005
version_display=ver. 10.0.5
build=2

Incorrect blindata.ini File Location
The problem was noticed when Blindata.exe was run for the first time and there was no blindata.ini file beside it.
In fact 'C:\Program Files (x86)' is a system folder and it is protected by special rules with regard to last Windows OS versions (probably it has started from Windows 7).
If to run Blindata.exe as usually (do not use right click > Run as administrator), it has a read access only to 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Ball Software\Blindata' by default.
In this case it creates blindata.ini file in the 'VirtualStore' folder and uses 'c:\Users\<User Name>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files(x86) path (please note that some folders are hidden) instead of 'C:\Program Files (x86)'. That is why 'blindata.ini' is created by a wrong path.

There are two ways for resolving it:

1. Run Blindata as administrator for the first time.
2. Before the first Blindata.exe running, to change the permissions for C:\Program Files (x86)\Ball Software\Blindata folder adding full access for the 'Users' group.

In the both cases above Blindata should create blindata.ini file in the correct path.

But if blindata.ini file already exists in the wrong folder (c:\Users\<User Name>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files(x86)), it should be removed.
After that, Blindata will use blindata.ini file from the correct folder (C:\Program Files (x86)\Ball Software\Blindata) and the problem should be resolved.

Important Update Info

When it's time to update Blindata, please use the 'Blindata Utilities' program, but first back up the database.
For this, please press the ‘Get Blindata Update’ button in the 'Updates' tab.
And don't forget that you need to update Blindata on the server first and only then update Blindata on the client PC.