Solution:
ispLEVER is not supported to run on Windows 7 operating system. Based on our initial tests, we were able to run ispLEVER in the command line mode without any or minimal issues. ispLEVER is not fully compatible with Windows 7 when running in Graphical User Interface.
If you are running on Windows 7, follow some of the steps mentioned below, and you may be able to run the tools with minimal issues in Windows 7.
This applies to 32-bit of Windows 7 and not to the 64-bit version.
The only recommended way to run ispLEVER in a 64-bit version of Windows 7 is to run it under 32-bit WindowsXP SP3 virtual machine. Microsoft Virtual Machine software or other tools like VMWare can be used to run WindowsXP in virtual mode. Please check the links at the end of this FAQ for information on these tools.
1. Before installing ispLEVER. Make sure you are logged in as an Administrator. In certain instances we have seen that ispLEVER does not install correctly if you are not logged in as an Admin.
Secondly, turn off UAC (or User Account Control) in Windows 7. UAC causes issues in the environment settings of ispLEVER. ispLEVER requires some ini files to be in Read Write mode, and with UAC turned on the files do not have Read Write permission. To turn off the UAC, follow instructions below:
a. Go to User Accounts in Control Panel. You can do this by clicking on Start and then type "User Accounts". Alternately, you can go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts.
b. Click on "Turn User Account Control on or off" option.
c. Uncheck box "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help Protect your computer". Click OK and Restart.
2. Installing ispLEVER on 32-bit Windows 7. ispLEVER 8.0 installs fine on 32-bit Windows 7. As with previous Windows operating systems, you must be logged in as an Administrator when installing ispLEVER.
One of the things you can do even before installing ispLEVER is right click on setup.exe (for ispLEVER) and then select Run as an Administrator. If are logged in as an Admin and you do not need to do this.
3. Installing ispVM System on 32-bit Windows 7. ispLEVER installation in step 1 above will install ispVM system as well as ispVM driver (or attempt to do so). ispVM, version 17.7 or later runs on Windows 7.
Versions previous to 17.7 require some installation process as described below.
When you try to install the older version, it will generate an error that the "USB driver is not supported in this Operating System". Click OK to ignore the error, and then Finish to finish installation.
Now go to the ispLEVER installation folder, for example C:\ispTOOLS_8_0, and browse to the ispvmsystem folder.
Locate the driver installation file ispDriverInstl.exe.
Right click on the file and select Properties. Go to the Compatibility tab, and check the box labeled "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" and then select Windows XP (any service pack selection is fine).
At the lower section of the Compatibility tab, in the Privilege Level section, check the box labeled "Run this program as an administrator". Please note, if the Privilege Level option is not active (grayed out), then you are already running as an Admin, and you do not need to check that box.
Click Apply, then OK.
Now run the ispDriverInstl.exe file and follow the instructions to install the driver. Reboot and ispVM System will run fine.
4. Running ispLEVER in 32-bit Windows 7. A common error that users may see when running ispLEVER in Windows 7, is - "Failed: System error 1". This happens when you are not running the tool as an Admin.
There are two way you can avoid this error:
a. Go to ispLEVER Project Navigator shortcut, right click and select the Run as an administrator option.
b. In order to avoid doing right click every time, you can permanently set up the "Privilege Level" to run as admin, in a similar way as described in step 2 above. Right click on the shortcut, select Properties, go to Compatibility tab, and in the Privilege Level section, check the box labeled Run this program as an administrator. Please note, if the Privilege Level option is not active (grayed out), then you are already running as an Admin, and you do not need to check that box.
Click Apply, then OK and launch ispLEVER Project Navigator.
5. Handling errors while running the designs in 32-bit Windows 7. If you still get an error while running a design, it is a good idea to identify the level at which the error occurred. Look through automake.log to check which process was run when the error occurred, for example, ngdbuild.exe, map.exe or par.exe etc.
Browse to the location of the executable associated with the error under C:\ispTOOLS_8_0 folder and run it in compatibility mode as described in Step 2 above.
6. Using Windows 7's XP Compatible Mode Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate edition have an option to run Windows XP Compatibility mode. As with the enterprise-based MED-V (Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization) product, XPM does not require you to run the virtual environment as a separate Windows desktop. Instead, as you install applications inside the virtual XP environment, they are published to the host (Windows 7) OS as well. (With shortcuts placed in the Start Menu.) That way, users can run Windows XP-based applications (like IE 6) alongside Windows 7 applications under a single desktop.
For details and downloads, visit
http://www.microsoft.com/windo...rtual-pc/download.aspx 7. Using Windows 7's Virtual PC Environment 32-bit Windows 7 - Professional and Ultimate Editions have an ability to run Virtual PCs. This feature allows you to run other OSs in a windowed version. You can install a version of Windows XP or Windows Vista within Windows 7 environment and run the ispLEVER tools. Please check the reference section below to visit Microsoft Virtual PC site.
Also check the Windows XP mode for Windows 7 that allows older applications to run in Windows 7 (link below).
If all of the above steps do not help you run through your designs, contact Lattice Technical Support. Please include the design so the issue can be verified and if possible, workaround provided. Do include the version of Windows 7 you are using.
Check out these links as additional notes and references that may help.
Microsoft's websites on UAC
Microsoft's website Make older programs run in Windows 7
Microsoft's User Access Control for Windows.
Microsoft Virtual PC 2007
Microsoft Windows XP Compatibility mode for Windows 7 VMWare Virtualization Tools