ShowBiz Installation Guide

Modified on 12/01/2015 09:27 AM by Suzanne Coy — Categorized as: Installation, Technical Guide

Check the minimum and recommended requirements against your PC/Server

Minimum and recommended hardware and software for Users' PCs and the ShowBiz server

Ensure the computer is on your normal Domain before running ShowBiz


If you're unsure how to do this, follow the instructions here.

Check any existing ShowBiz Shortcuts (optional)


If you already have one or more shortcuts on the desktop or in the start menu, they may point to the wrong place, e.g. from a demo or old version of ShowBiz prior to automatic updates. To check for this:

1. Right-click on any existing ShowBiz shortcut and select Properties.

2. Check the "Type of File"

  a. If "Type of File" is a "ClickOnce Application Reference (.appref-ms)" then it can be left

  b. If this is NOT the case, then the shortcut should be deleted (to ensure an obsolete version of the software is not run), and the below procedure should be followed


Install ShowBiz (mandatory)


Note: Please check subsequent sections of this webpage for solutions to common issues if appropriate.

1. Download and install each of the following onto each PC:

  a. Crystal Reports

  b. Microsoft SOAP (based on Windows Version)
    b1. Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7: here
    b1a. MsXML 4.0 msi Service Pack 2
    b1b. Security Update for Microsoft XML Core Services
    b2. Windows 98, 2000, ME, Server 2003, XP: here

  c. Microsoft Visual Basic Pre-reqs

2. Install ShowBiz from the following webpage:

  ShowBiz 4 ClickOnce installer

Important Note re. common richtx32 issue (as needed)


If you receive an error regarding richtx32.Ocx access being denied when first run ShowBiz, you need to use Regsvr32 to register the richtx32.Ocx file under C:\Windows\System32 for 32-bit Windows, and C:\Windows\sysWOW64 for 64-bit Windows.

1. Get access to the desktop (e.g. via teamviewer or other means)
2. Create a temporary folder (e.g. "Strident")
3. Copy/Remote File Transfer from a suitable source computer, all files that start with richtx that are in C:\Windows\System32 (or Windows\sysWOW64) into the destination computer's new temporary folder. There should be 3 files.
4. Move these files into the destination computer's C:\Windows\System32 (or Windows\sysWOW64) folder. If already exist, replace if files being copied are newer than existing files.
5. Open a command window (preferably as admin) by going the start menu and finding Command Prompt, right-clicking and choosing Run as Administrator
6. Enter the following at the command line: regsvr32 C:\Windows\System32\richtx32.Ocx (or Windows\sysWOW64 equivalent)

Important Note re. access to SQL/Firewall (as needed)


If a client PC can't connect to the SQL Server, we suggest you first try to connect to the SQL Server/Instance and Database via an ODBC connection to help diagnose any issues. If the ODBC connection fails, then that computer can't communicate with SQL until modified (and you'll need the following batch file), if it succeeds then the problem is elsewhere, e.g. with ShowBiz.

The batch (.bat) file to run if an ODBC connection fails should contain the following text, and be ran on the client PC with admin privileges. This opens the relevant ports for SQL to communicate over.

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Open Port 80" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=80

@echo ========= SQL Server Ports ===================
@echo Enabling SQLServer default instance port 1433
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="SQL Server" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=1433
@echo Enabling Dedicated Admin Connection port 1434
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="SQL Admin Connection" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=1434
@echo Enabling Conventional SQL Server Service Broker port 4022
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="SQL Service Broker" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=4022
@echo Enabling Transact SQL/RPC port 135
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="SQL Debugger/RPC" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=135
@echo ========= Analysis Services Ports ==============
@echo Enabling SSAS Default Instance port 2383
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Analysis Services" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=2383
@echo Enabling SQL Server Browser Service port 2382
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="SQL Browser" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=2382

@echo ========= Misc Applications ==============
@echo Enabling HTTP port 80
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="HTTP" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=80
@echo Enabling SSL port 443
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="SSL" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=443
@echo Enabling port for SQL Server Browser Service's 'Browse' Button
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="SQL Browser" dir=in action=allow protocol=UDP localport=1434
@echo Allowing multicast broadcast response on UDP (Browser Service Enumerations OK)
netsh firewall set multicastbroadcastresponse ENABLE