Peter,

I solved it by upgrading my copy of WinRAR from 4.0 to the latest version -- 5.90.

If you created the archive with a later version of WinRAR, that may be why some other users are also having a problem.

Thanks!
Joseph

Peter,

Yes, I am using WinRAR. The full version of 2.11 opens without any problems, but the patch does not.

I've asked Zheng to try and see if it works for him.

Thanks,
Joseph

Before applying the Upgrade Patch, make a copy of the folder with the current version (in this case 2.10) and place it in the C:\Temp folder.

Then apply the upgrade to (in this example) the original XXHE 2.10 folder and rename it XXHE 2.11. Afterwards, move the copy of the 2.10 folder back to the XXHighEnd tree and create a new shortcut to the 2.11 exe file. You will end up with two desktop shortcuts -- one for each version. Just remember to name them XXHE 2.10 and XXHE 2.11, respectively.

This way, if you don't like the newer version, you can always delete it and easily return to the previous one. But before you begin, always write down your settings in case they are lost or scrambled and you have to restore them.

Best,
Joseph

Peter,

When I download and try to open:

XXHighEnd-211-UpgradePatchOver204AndBeyond.rar

a message appears that says:

"The archive is either in unknown format or damaged."

I tried it several times with the same result. There is no problem opening the full version.

Regards,
Joseph

Sorry, Peter. There's a mistake in my previous posts. The correct version to download from WinISO.net is TH2, standard or single-language, released in November 2015. TH2 is the code for Version 1511, Build 10586.0.

TH1 was the previous release of Version 1507, known as Build 10240, which you don't want. Oy!

~Joseph

PS. Is there some reason why the ability to modify posts disappears so quickly?

Peter,

I should add that I began the 10586 install from within 10074. By which I mean that I booted the XXHE PC with 10074 (which was already installed), loaded the 10586 disc into the DVD drive, located it in the File Explorer, and clicked on "Setup.exe"

First, I also disconnected the PC from the Internet to prevent the possibility of automatic updates. On the opening installation screen, I bypassed the "check for updates" option. Before reconnecting, I opened XXHE and in the Play window, right clicked on the Stop button and checked "Stop Windows updates."

It is entirely possible that booting from the 10586 DVD will also preserve the existing apps, but I cannot verify that. For some unknown reason, my PC would not boot from the installation DVD, which is why I updated it from within the existing OS.

I understand from my friend Zheng that you now recommend Build 14393. Of course, every time you install a new build all of the W10 defaults and useless apps are re-installed, too, which means spending two hours to tweak the OS back to its basic form, without the add-ons and default settings.

Cheers,
Joseph

Yes, I downloaded the ISO for 10586 Standard Edition (it is actually the Pro edition), burned it onto a DVD-R, and installed it over 10074. It retained all of my third-party apps, like XXHE, without deleting the existing licenses. So, XXHE was still activated and all of my settings were still in place.

To save space, I then ran the Disc Clean-Up utility and deleted the 'Windows Old' folder, which kept build 10074 available in case I wanted to roll 10586 back to the earlier version.

To clarify the 10586 download instructions, go to:

http://windowsiso.net/

At the top of their home page, go to the "Windows 10 ISO" drop-down menu at the top and select "Windows 10 TH1 Download." TH1 is code for the original Build 10586.0. DO NOT click on the large graphic on the lower right of that page or you will download the latest version.

From there, select the edition you want from the TH1 drop-down menu. It should be the "Standard" edition, NOT the N or KR.

If you're asked for an installation key, for the Professional Standard (full) edition use:

     W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX

Of course, you will still have to obtain an activation key to unlock all of the OS features, but they are mainly related to personalization. If you don't care about these, it will still function well enough to use XXHE.

~Joseph

PS. Apologies for the delay in responding -- I don't consult the forum very often.

Update:

I experimented further with both versions of the 10586.0 mentioned above and can no longer recommend the "N". In a test install over 10074, it deleted all of the apps in the Programs Files, both x86 and x64. It also failed to recognized all of the actions that I had taken to turn off W10 features in the earlier install, disabled some of the ports on my USB add-in card, and could not be activated. Ay Caramba!

However, the Standard (Full) installation worked perfectly. It remembered all of the previous settings, preserved all of the installed apps, and I was able to activate it by using the Activation Key as a new product ID.

As usual, your experience may vary.

Cheers,
Joseph

For those of you who don't want to bother Peter for the link, you can download an ISO image of W10 Build 10586.0 from this site:

     WindowsISO.net

At the top of their home page, go to the "Windows 10 ISO" drop-down menu and select "Windows 10 TH1 Download." TH1 is code for the original Build 10586.0.

From there, select the edition you want from the TH1 drop-down menu. I suggest the "N" edition because it does not have many of the media-related apps, such as camera and the Windows Media Player, built-in. All editions are available in many different languages. The downloads, themselves, are actually from Microsoft's servers, which are linked from the WindowsISO.net site.

If you're asked for an installation key, for the Professional Standard (full) edition use:

     W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX

and for the Professional N edition, use:

     MH37W-N47XK-V7XM9-C7227-GCQG9

The KN edition is in Korean only. A link to keys for other editions can be found at the top of the first drop-down menu.

You should install it with your Internet connection disabled and then with "Stop Windows Updates" selected in XXHE before reconnecting. To do this, in later versions of XXHE, right-click on the Stop button at the bottom of the Playlist window.

If you have a problem booting from the installation disc, install from within an existing Windows OS that has the same architecture (x32 or x64). I found that it was easier to locate the installation disc in the File Explorer and proceed by double-clicking on Setup.exe.

While you'll have to purchase an activation code to unlock every feature, in practical terms, it's not necessary for a dedicated XXHE PC. Unlike 10074, this version never expires, so you can keep your PC's calendar on the actual date.

~Joseph

Hi, Peter,

For the past few days, whenever I tried to search the XXHE forums from the Search page, this message appeared:

8: Undefined variable: db_connection
File: /var/www/html/phasure/Sources/Security.php
Line: 843

I tried searching for topics on two different PC's that have different OS's and the same thing happened with both. Curiously, when I searched for a term that does not appear in the XXHE Forum, then the usual page came up showing "0" results. Does anyone else have this problem?

As a control, I also searched other online forums and normal results by topic or thread were returned as expected.

Thanks!
Joseph

Hi, Peter,

Your description is accurate, but 2.09 makes the bass and highs sound like they are coming from speakers that are separate from the main (mid-range) drivers, which is  distracting. The music no longer sounds as well integrated as it is in 2.08d or even 2.07.

To put it another way, the sound of 2.09 is somewhat like a speaker system where the drivers are not properly aligned, making it easy to identify each driver as a separate unit. To my ears, 2.08d is much more seamless from top to bottom than 2.09.

Independently, a friend with a completely different system contacted me to share the same opinion. For us, newer is not always better, so we are staying with 2.08d as the best overall SQ to date.

I'm sure others will disagree!

Cheers,
Joseph

Hi, Peter,

I studied your responses and have basically solved the problems.

The music now plays with an SFS of 0.10 or higher because earlier I had the buffer size set too high. Actually, I could see that the music was being played by XXHE -- the slider was moving and the time was advancing, but no sound was coming out. When I changed it from 4096 to 1024, this restored the sound output. But I also had to change Q1 = 14 to Q1 = 0 and also set Q3, Q4, and Q5 = 0.

Now that the buffer can be larger, with the size set to 10.0 / 60.0, the ticks are so far apart, that they never seem to appear.

This may not be a true cure, but at least I no longer hear the ticks. Turning off Garbage Collect made no difference here.

Thanks!
Joseph

Hi, Peter,

I am having the same tick issue under 2.07. As you mentioned, it seems to relate to the SFS setting. When the setting is higher, the ticks are less frequent. However, when I change SFS to 0.1 or greater, the music does not play at all.

This started after I changed DAC's to one that only plays 16/44 files. FYI, I only play 16/44 rips from CD's and the ticks do not occur with other playback software, like JRiver Media Center 23.

Since I am using a conventional PC specially modified for XXHE, what settings do you recommend? Right now, SFS = 0.09. While the ticks are no longer very noticeable, they happen during the entire playlist, not just the first cut. I sold my old DAC and no longer have an immediate way of making a comparison with the new one. However, in the near future, I can borrow it back from the friend who bought it (he lives some distance away, but visits about once a month).

Thanks,
Joseph

Hi, Peter,

I think I understand what you are saying.

I usually make adjustments in MaxOS and then go to MinOS, so I am still not sure how the problem was solved.

Thank you, again, for your attention. BTW, the SQ in 2.07 is outstanding! It is amazing that you can keep making improvements like this.

Cheers,
Joseph