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CANtrace Troubleshooting

Welcome to the troubleshooting guide for CANtrace.

If you are experiencing issues with installation, licensing, or hardware detection, please review the common solutions below to get your CAN bus analyzer running smoothly.

Installation Issues

If you encounter errors while trying to install CANtrace, try the following steps:

  • Remove Previous Versions: Use the Windows Control Panel to completely remove any older versions of CANtrace before attempting to install a new one.
  • Extract the Installer: Do not run the executable file directly from inside the .zip archive. Extract the contents to a separate folder first, and then run the executable from that new folder.
  • Run as Administrator: Ensure you have administrative privileges on your PC, as they are required to install CANtrace.
  • Check Disk Space: Make sure there is enough free disk space on your target drive. CANtrace is lightweight and only requires about 100MB of disk space.

License & Hardware Detection

If your license fails to validate or your CAN hardware is not recognized:

  • Verify the License String: Ensure you have pasted the original license string exactly as provided, without any modifications.
    • Demo Licenses contain a pipe character (|) and white spaces.
    • Full Licenses contain white spaces.
  • Hardware Connection: Double-check that the correct CAN hardware is securely plugged into your PC.
  • Reconnect & Restart: Unplug and re-plug your CAN hardware, or restart the CANtrace application entirely, then try importing the license again.
  • Update Drivers & Firmware:
    • Verify that the correct driver for your specific CAN hardware is installed. You may need to visit the manufacturer's website to upgrade to the latest driver.
    • Check your hardware's firmware version, as a firmware upgrade might be necessary for compatibility.
  • System Reboot: Restarting your computer is sometimes required to finalize driver installations.

Uninstallation

To perform a clean removal of the software (which is highly recommended before reinstalling):

  1. Open the Windows Control Panel.
  2. Navigate to Programs → Uninstall a program.
  3. Locate CANtrace in the list, right-click, and select Uninstall.

Need Assistance? If the steps above did not solve your problem, our team is ready to help. Contact us at support@tke.fi and include the following details so we can assist you quickly:

  • Windows OS Version: Specify 32-bit or 64-bit.
  • CANtrace Version: The specific software build you are using.
  • Error Messages: Any specific text or error codes received (especially if installation fails).
  • Hardware Details: Your CAN hardware name and serial number.
  • License Manager Output: Provide a screenshot or text output from the Help → License Manager dialogue, which displays your current licenses and all detected hardware.