Install: execption occured:"ascii' codec can't decode byte 0xcf

[sgrogan]

Than You for helping. I will try to switch over to Linux but as I already have many software which supports on windowsXP, that is the reason I am still using it.

I understand where your coming from, I upgraded to a new computer to Win7, but I'm using Linux(for me Kubuntu 14.04) more and more. You can set up a dual boot configuration so you can still use your XP programs, just not on-line, during the transition.

From your screenshot it looks like you installed the x64 version not the x86 version?
Are there any special characters in your username? accents, spaces, #,! these sometimes cause problems.

Coming form Windows if your looking at Linux I would suggest looking at Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and Linux Mint. And be prepared to be killed by kindness from many of our excellent Linux users. For now I would search only. Downloading stuff on XP is dangerous. There have been no security updates in months so be careful.

[arkitx]

FreeCAD-0.15.4671_x86_windows_setup.exe.

Also before that I had installed "FreeCAD.0.14.3700_x86_setup.exe" which is running perfectly okay.

As per your suggestion I will switch to Linux but how the 0.14 version was installed and run perfectly but the new 0.15 version having problem in same username. Thought I have my username with not special characters in it. its "ARKITX" only. I hope something goes wrong on built end of the version. I may wrong...

[sgrogan]

hope something goes wrong on built end of the version. I may wrong...

TBO I don't don't know. I fired up my old XP machine and the installer ran fine. I also had 0.14 already installed.
Maybe you could try the development snapshot that does not get installed.
Download the x86 .7z file from here https://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/rele ... g/0.16-pre and unzip with http://www.7-zip.org/
Then navigate to the /bin folder of extracted folder and run FreeCAD.exe

[wmayer]

Go to the %APPDATA%\FreeCAD folder and rename or delete the file user.cfg. Then try again.

[Golla]

Hi,

still the same problems ...
Even deleting user.cfg and system.cfg dont works.

[riquitrack]

I get the same error as the partner Golla only changes the byte rather than "0xFC at position 275", my mistake is "0xc3 at position 613". The rest is identical error, before I install version 0.15 on Windows XP SP3 and work, but after reinstalling the OS has not returned to work, I installed python and have all programs that were previously installed when running FreeCAD 0.15. I will continue to carefully thread.



P.S. And try the solutions you gave other answers but did not resolve the error.

Sorry for my bad English and the translator of Google


C:\Archivos de programa\FreeCAD 0.15\bin>freecadcmd
FreeCAD 0.16, Libs: 0.16R5352 (Git)
(c) Juergen Riegel, Werner Mayer, Yorik van Havre 2001-2015
##### #### ### ####
# # # # # #
# ## #### #### # # # # #
#### # # # # # # # ##### # #
# # #### #### # # # # #
# # # # # # # # # ## ## ##
# # #### #### ### # # #### ## ## ##

Initialization of FreeCAD failed:
While initializing FreeCAD the following exception occurred: ''ascii' codec can
't decode byte 0xc3 in position 613: ordinal not in range(128)'

Python is searching for its runtime files in the following directories:
C:\Archivos de programa\FreeCAD 0.15\bin\python27.zip;C:\Archivos de programa\Fr
eeCAD 0.15\bin\DLLs;C:\Archivos de programa\FreeCAD 0.15\bin\lib;C:\Archivos de
programa\FreeCAD 0.15\bin\lib\plat-win;C:\Archivos de programa\FreeCAD 0.15\bin\
lib\lib-tk;C:\Archivos de programa\FreeCAD 0.15\bin

Python version information:
2.7.8 (default, Dec 4 2014, 10:05:50) [MSC v.1500 32 bit (Intel)]

Please contact the application's support team for more information.


C:\Archivos de programa\FreeCAD 0.15\bin>

[wmayer]

issue #0002238 shows the reason for the failure. Your Windows path environment variable very likely has some some non-ascii characters in it which makes FreeCAD to fail at startup. As a workaround for now either remove the corresponding paths from the environment variable or create a .bat file with this content:

Code: Select all

set PATH=
start FreeCAD.exe %1

and then start FreeCAD via batch file.

[riquitrack]

Tested the .bat file and works perfectly. Thank you.