Re: miktex installation fails


walter a kehowski wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have just tried to install MiKTeX twice with the same failure. Everything
> goes well until it starts generating the format files and stops at
>
> startex:
>
> (no more output)
>
> and then the "Next" button is activated. I click on it and the setup says I
> have now successfully installed MiKTeX. When I try to generate the format
> files at the command line with "initexmf --dump" I get
>
> "inimf" --ini --interaction=nonstopmode --halt-on-error "plain"; input
> modes; dump
> This is METAFONT, Version 2.71828 (MiKTeX 2.4) (INIMF)
> (C:\texmf\metafont\base\plain.mf
> Preloading the plain base, version 2.71: preliminaries,
> basic constants and mathematical macros,
> macros for converting from device-independent units to pixels,
> macros and tables for various modes of operation,
> macros for drawing and filling,
> macros for proof labels and rules,
> macros for character and font administration,
> and a few last-minute items.) (C:\texmf\metafont\misc\modes.mf)
> Beginning to dump on file plain.base
> (preloaded base=plain 2005.12.13)
> 2207 strings of total length 29701
> 11865 memory locations dumped; current usage is 3658&7845
> 1003 symbolic tokens
> Transcript written on plain.log.
> "mp" --ini --interaction=nonstopmode --halt-on-error "plain" dump
> (C:\texmf\metapost\base\plain.mp
> Preloading the plain mem file, version 0.9)
> Beginning to dump on file plain.mem
> (preloaded mem=plain 2005.12.13)
> at most 1421 strings of total length 23687
> 3332 memory locations dumped; current usage is 1015&2225
> 478 symbolic tokens
> Transcript written on plain.log.
> "mp" --ini --interaction=nonstopmode --halt-on-error "mfplain" dump
> (C:\texmf\metapost\base\mfplain.mp
> Preloading the plain base, version 0.9: preliminaries,
> basic constants and mathematical macros,
> macros for converting units,
> macros and tables for various modes of operation,
> macros for drawing and filling,
> macros for proof labels and rules,
> macros for character and font administration,
> and a few last-minute items.)
> Beginning to dump on file mfplain.mem
> (preloaded mem=mfplain 2005.12.13)
> at most 1487 strings of total length 24489
> 3679 memory locations dumped; current usage is 1110&2542
> 538 symbolic tokens
> Transcript written on mfplain.log.
> "pdfetex.exe" --ini --interaction=nonstopmode --halt-on-error --alias
> pdflatex *
> \pdfcompresslevel=9 \pdfdecimaldigits=3 \pdfhorigin=1 true in \pdfoutput=1
> \pdfp
> ageheight=297 true mm \pdfpagewidth=210 true mm \pdfoptionpdfminorversion=4
> \pdf
> pkresolution=600 \pdfvorigin=1 true in \input latex.ltx \dump
> initexmf: The application "pdfetex.exe" could not be started.
> "tex.exe" --ini --interaction=nonstopmode --halt-on-error --alias tex
> plain.tex
> \dump
> initexmf: The file "plain.fmt" could not be found.
> "etex.exe" --ini --interaction=nonstopmode --halt-on-error --alias latex
> *latex.
> ltx \dump
> initexmf: The file "latex.efmt" could not be found.
> "pdftex.exe" --ini --interaction=nonstopmode --halt-on-error --alias pdftex
> \pdf
> compresslevel=9 \pdfdecimaldigits=3 \pdfhorigin=1 true in \pdfoutput=1
> \pdfpageh
> eight=297 true mm \pdfpagewidth=210 true mm \pdfoptionpdfminorversion=4
> \pdfpkre
> solution=600 \pdfvorigin=1 true in \input plain.tex \dump
> initexmf: The application "pdftex.exe" could not be started.
>
> Any idea what the problem is?

No, but there is a lot of data you have omitted.

It appears that mf.exe could be started, but pdfetex.exe could not. Did
you try to locate these files? Do they exist? If so, where are they?
Are they in the same or different directories? Are their locations part
of the PATH variable? Are either of them subdirectories of "Program
Files"? If so, are you installing MiKTeX as administrator or user?

Did you have a previous MiKTeX installation on the computer? Did you
remove it before the new installation? What is the version of Windows?
Is there anything unusual about the computer?

Generally programs can't be started if they are missing or corrupted or
not on the PATH. Certainly miktex's setup should install them, but if
you are not administrator, it might not be allowed to install them in
certain places.


Dan

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