watchtower library has experienced a problem and cannot continue

[Andrea64]

Using Watchtower Library on Windows 10. I agreed to the latest update on 12/25/18 and the program has not been able to open since.  I get the above error message.  I uninstalled the Watchtower Library from computer and downloaded it from jw.org. and I still get the same error message. 

[carlos]

1 hour ago, Andrea64 said:

Using Watchtower Library on Windows 10. I agreed to the latest update on 12/25/18 and the program has not been able to open since.  I get the above error message.  I uninstalled the Watchtower Library from computer and downloaded it from jw.org. and I still get the same error message. 

I've seen this problem once and the reason was that the harddisk had run out of space. Can you please check this to discard that reason?

[Andrea64]

windows (C has 826 gb free and Lenovo (D:) has 22.5 gb free.  

[carlos]

OK, one problem discarded.

 

I also had a problem with an update, and it was very similar to what you describe. I kept uninstalling and reinstalling to no avail. In the end, it seems the files I had downloaded were corrupted. I would try to download the whole WTL again from the website, with a different browser if possible to make sure the cache is not playing any tricks.

 

[Andrea64]

Ok. Thank you very much.  I'll try that and let you know if it works.  Our internet is VERY slow so it will take a few hours.

[vern]

https://www.jw.org/en/online-help/watchtower-library/install-watchtower-library/

 

 

ISO software?

 

also try installing "running as administrator"  right click and look for this phrase

 

also try "compatibility" mode  windows 7  or 8.....

[Andrea64]

I finished downloading wtlib from jw.org. (it uses something called iso) using a different browser. I installed it and tried to pull it up and got the message "watchtower library data files cannot be accessed. Please ensure that the necessary media is accessible and try again". It seems there is a third party (Microsoft) file or download or something that I need in order to access wtlib. which apparently is not on my computer. Any idea what that would be?

[carlos]

Andrea, you are using Windows 7, aren't you? In Windows 7 you need some software to open that ISO file.

 

You can use WinRar or 7zip or to extract the contents of the file. I find WinRar a bit easier to install and use. Both can be downloaded for free and are small. After you install the Watchtower Library, you can remove them if you wish.

 

You need to open the ISO file, extract the contents to a folder, then double-click on SETUP.EXE

 

In case you find this too complicated, I can send you the files in a different format that you can open without any additional software. But then you will need to download it with that slow connection.

 

 

[Andrea64]

My computer uses Windows 10.

[jwhess]

7 hours ago, Andrea64 said:

Using Watchtower Library on Windows 10. I agreed to the latest update on 12/25/18 and the program has not been able to open since.  I get the above error message.  I uninstalled the Watchtower Library from computer and downloaded it from jw.org. and I still get the same error message. 

Sr. Andrea, did the previous updates install correctly?

[Andrea64]

Yes. It wasn't until this latest update that I had a problem. After I agreed to the update, the program shut down.  When I tried to open it back up, at that point I got the error message.

[Andrea64]

I think the best thing to do at this point is find someone with the latest cd and install that.  The latest one I have is 2015 which I installed and updated but I couldn't get any articles newer than 2015 after the update.

[rocket]

30 minutes ago, Andrea64 said:

I think the best thing to do at this point is find someone with the latest cd and install that.  The latest one I have is 2015 which I installed and updated but I couldn't get any articles newer than 2015 after the update.

 

The install from this jw.org link does not work for you?  It should be the same as what's on disc.

Edited December 28, 2018 by rocket

[Andrea64]

No. Done that twice using 2 different browsers and still get error messages when I try to open it.  Thank you though.

[carlos]

Andrea, the 2015 disk won't update. There was a bug in that version and it never worked beyond 2015. But if you can get a 2016 disk that will do the trick. Although you will have to download a lot of updates!

 

The good news is that if you have Windows 10 you don't need any software. Just right-click the ISO file you downloaded, select Mount and it will appear as a CDROM unit. Install from there by clicking SETUP.EXE.

[Andrea64]

Thank you Carlos!! That fixed it. Thank you so much for you time and help!

[carlos]

You're very welcome, Andrea.

[jmoskalski]

Hello Everyone.

 

I am also having trouble with my watchtower Library.  I recently got the 2017 DVD of the Watchtower Library from my hall and after installing it, I get the message "Watchtower Library has experienced a problem and cannot continue."  I later tried downloading the latest and greatest from the jw.org website and after installing, I get the same message.  If anyone can please help me, I'd really appreciate it.  I am totally out of options and don't know where to go from here.  Below are some of the things I tried with no success.

 

1.  Uninstalled Watchtower Library from PC and reinstalled.

2.  Cleaned out registry and PC using CCleaner.

3.  Shut down all virus scanners and malware scanners.

4.  C:\ drive has 64GB of space, also tried installing on another drive with no success.

5.  Tried installing on my wife's computer (who has a whole lot less software installed) and it gave EXACTLY the same error.  Now I have two PCs that don't work.  FYI, both PCs are running Windows 7 64bit.  As a final attempt, I installed it on my laptop which has a fairly fresh installation of Windows and there it worked fine.  Can't figure out though why.

6.  Updated .NET framework to latest version and C++ distribution package with no success.

 

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

 

Thank you,

Jack

[Tortuga]

4 minutes ago, jmoskalski said:

I am also having trouble with my watchtower Library.

It looks like you meet the system requirements...

 

System Requirements
Watchtower Library requires a computer or laptop with a Pentium-compatible processor or higher, running Microsoft Windows 7 or higher, with at least 48 MB of RAM for the application and 3 GB of free disk space on the 😄 drive.

[Qapla]

Looks like you have enough Hard Disk space ... but, do you have enough free RAM?

 

I would guess you have satisfied this requirement ??

"If your computer is running Microsoft Windows 7, you will first need to download and install a third-party utility that allows you to mount an ISO file"

[jwhess]

Did you have a previous version of the WTL loaded?  If so there may be a remnant of the files still installed.  I had to diligently search for anything labeled "Watchtower" and delete them before things started working (that was the 2016 version).  Since then it has updated correctly.

[jmoskalski]

Thanks all for your advice.  My PC has 16GB of RAM and task manager is telling me I have 10GB available.

I did have old versions of the watchtower installed some time ago.  The laptop (on which the new WTLIB works) did not.  Hmm.

I will try your advice jwhess and see if I can get rid of everything I can find that is labelled "Watchtower". 

I'll keep you posted on my success.

Thanks again.