pgAdmin3 1.12.2 won't start on WinXP - Mailing list pgadmin-support

Hi,

I'm traveling so I threw together an XP laptop to allow me to
populate some PG tables while on the road.

I installed PostgreSQL 8.4.6.1 (to "Program Files\PostgreSQL") 
and pgAdmin 1.12.2 (to "Program Files\pgAdmin III").  This 
resulted in two copies of pgAdmin3 being present on the laptop
(1.10.5 in ...\PostgreSQL and 1.12.2 in ...\pgAdmin III).

As an "unpriveleged user" (Group = "Users"), I was unable to run
the *newer* pgAdmin3.  However, it appeared that the "original"
pgAdmin3 (in ...\PostgreSQL) *did* work properly.

[note all of these tests have been simple cursory inspections...
just try to connect to the PG server running on the local machine]

Invoking the 1.12.2 version resulted in a dialog complaining
"This application has failed to start because the application
configuration is incorrect..."

I spent some time wondering if the problem was related to the
"non-Administrator" account.  So, I tried both pgAdmin3's from
an administrator account and saw the same results!

I *tentatively* deduced that the problem was not related to the
privilege level of the user running the application.

Having saved a snapshot of the system (i.e., complete disk image)
*prior* to any applications being installed, I restored that
snapshot to try to isolate the problem.

[The snapshot represents a "genuine" XP SP2 from the laptop vendor's
CD, updates of all drivers from the manufacturer, a local install
of SP3 followed by all security and driver updates from MS's "Windows
Update" service -- i.e., a "clean", up-to-date XP system.  N.B.  I
can't imagine *anyone* troubleshooting a system without such a
snapshot to fall back to!]

Then, I installed PostgreSQL (8.4.6.1) with its bundled pgAdmin3
(1.10.5).  Next, I installed pgAdmin3 1.12.2 as above.  Invoking
the 1.12.2 version complained while subsequently invoking the
1.10.5 version did not (i.e., the symptoms remain the same as
originally encountered).

This suggests that the problem is not consequential to some other
application that had been installed prior to the original PostgreSQL
and pgAdmin3 applications.

Once again, I restored the disk image and installed *just* the
1.12.2 version of pgAdmin3 (again, to "Program Files\pgAdmin III").
I.e., PostgreSQL and the 1.10.5 version of pgAdmin3 are *not* present
in this system configuration (so I don't expect to be able to
connect to any local server).

Invoking this pgAdmin3 (1.12.2) resulted in the same behavior.

Having isolated the behavior to the pgAdmin3 1.12.2 version, I
compared a fresh download to the image that I have been using for
my installs and verified they are in agreement.

http://wwwmaster.postgresql.org/redir/198/h/pgadmin3/release/v1.12.2/win32/pgadmin3-1.12.2.zip

[Hmmm... in retrospect, I guess I could have abbreviated this report to:
"1.12.2 complains '... failed to start...' on virgin, up-to-date XP"]

I've checked the 1.12 FAQ and known bugs and see no mention of this
behavior.  And, since I've stripped the environment to the minimum
supported above "bare metal", I am clueless as to what else to try.

Thanks!

--don

[Apologies if I am slow to reply as I am traveling and not well-connected]