Installing LinearX LEAP 5 on 64-bit Windows 7 / Windows 10

With Chris Strahm's passing, there seems little hope that LEAP will be upgraded to support 64-bit platforms.

I have LEAP working on 64-bit Windows 10 -- dongle driver installed, software install errors worked around, etc. (It's far less complicated than on 64-bit Windows 7.) I've written up instructions and need a few folk to help test before I share the instructions more widely.

If you have LEAP and 64-bit Windows 10 and are willing to test the instructions, please send me a PM stating your version of Windows 10. (If you're interested but not willing to test, please post a message of encouragement.)

Thanks.
 
I'm starting this thread for those who need/want to install and use LEAP 5 on newer 64-bit versions of Windows. If you have questions or comments not specifically about installing LEAP, please start a separate thread. TIA.

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I have successfully installed and used LEAP on 64-bit Windows 7 Professional and Windows 10 Home Edition so I know that it is possible. I'll share what I've learned and provide instructions that I hope will work for you.

I'm splitting this initial post into several parts:

  • Technical Issues -- for the geeks among us
  • Using Virtual Machines -- the easy, sensible solution
  • Windows 7/10 64-bit Installation -- the true focus of this thread
  • Help Files -- resolving LEAP help issues
Skip whatever doesn't interest or apply to you. And please share results, good or bad.
 
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Technical Issues

LEAP is a 32-bit application. By itself, this is not a problem. In fact, open Windows Task Manager on a brand new 64-bit Win10 PC and you'll be surprised how many 32-bit applications and background processes are running on your shiny new 64-bit hardware. No, 32-bit applications are not a problem. They run just fine.

However, when installing LEAP on a 64-bit version of Windows, we have a very real problem: The USB License Key driver ("dongle driver") will not install. This is because the driver is not certified and digitally signed by MS. To be clear, the LEAP software will work flawlessly if only we can get the unsigned dongle driver installed.

There are four potential solutions:

  • Persuade the LEAP owners to create and distribute a signed driver. (Seems unlikely.)
  • Run LEAP in a virtual machine under a 32-bit Windows guest. (Easy enough.)
  • Run Windows with "driver signature verification" disabled. (Not too difficult.)
  • Sign the driver yourself with a self-generated test certificate and run Windows with "test signing" enabled. (It's far too complicated and requires MS WinDDK tools that most folk don't have. I mention it only for completeness, But I've done it, and it works.)
Note: I've found many sites which imply that "test signing mode" is the same as "driver signature verification disabled." I'm pretty sure that this is not the case, i.e., the former does not allow unsigned drivers. But I haven't specifically tested this.

Finally, the LEAP help files use MS WinHelp, a format technically unsupported since Vista. MS has provided a fix for all versions of Windows until Win10. I'll provide a partial work-around.
 
Using Virtual Machines

The easiest solution is to run LEAP in a virtual machine under a 32-bit Windows guest operating system. I've used the following successfully:

  • XP Mode on Win7 Pro. This was free with Win7 Pro (including the guest XP license) but I don't think that the guest license can be moved to Win10.
  • VMWare Workstation. Not free. (There is now a free VMWare Player that looks like it should work but I've not tried it.)
  • Oracle VirtualBox. Free, open source.
The downside to using a Virtual Machine:

  • Cost of VM software if not free.
  • Cost of 32-bit Windows guest OS license if you don't already have one.
  • Slower LEAP processing due to VM overhead. May or may not be noticable.
  • Learning curve for VM software installation and use.
The upside:

  • Easy to set up LEAP without driver and WinHelp complications.
  • In theory, could install LEAP under a VM on a non-Windows host (e.g., Linux).
  • Possible easy porting to new Windows versions. That is, as long as the VM is supported on the next version of Windows, you should be able to copy the VM guest to the new system. No need to reinstall a Windows guest OS, LEAP, etc.
 
Windows 7/10 64-bit LEAP Installation

The below worked for me on this Win10 configuration:

Edition: Windows 10 Home
Version: 1607
OS Build: 14393.1198

I have not tested this specific solution with Win7 but it should work. If you try it, please post your results.

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Steps to install LEAP:


  1. Restart with driver signature verification disabled.
    • For Win7, reboot and press F8 to get to the startup options. Find/select the "disable driver signature verification" option.
    • For Win10, see the instructions here, "Option Two." (Not "Option One.)
    Note that starting Windows with driver signature verification disabled is temporary and in effect only until the next boot. Whenever you want to use LEAP, you'll need to (re)start the computer with driver signature verification disabled. There is no visual indication that verification is disabled (at least on Win10).
  2. Install LEAP to C:\LEAP. (Do not use the default location -- C:\Windows\Program Files -- as that will not work properly later.) If you encounter errors, see separate post in this thread regarding registry issues.
  3. Install the update patches (leape36.exe & leapx351.exe). Pay attention to the installation folder -- it should default to C:\LEAP. If not, go back and check your work.
  4. The above could have be done successfully without disabling driver signature verification. The next step requires that it be disabled. If you are not confident that you have verification disabled, reboot now and disable verification.
  5. Plug in the LEAP dongle. Windows should detect the new hardware and offer to install drivers. Select the option to manually select the driver file. When prompted for the location, navigate to C:\LEAP\Drivers and select the displayed driver. You should get a driver successfully installed message. If not and you are certain that verification was disabled, stop here and post a question with details.
  6. Start CrossoverShop and EnclosureShop to verify that they work. Each will complain that they cannot find some tutorial (because LEAP is hard-coded to look in C:\Windows\Program Files\LEAP). Select File | Open and open one of the tutorials from C:\LEAP\Projects-Enclosures and C:\LEAP\Projets-Crossovers. LEAP should start next time with these projects and not complain.
LEAP should be completely functional now with one exception: Clicking on a help button will not open the LEAP help files on Win10 and may not on Win7. You might as well try clicking on a help button in LEAP. If it works, you're done. If not, see the Help Files post in this thread.
 
Registry Issues

Some Win10 systems may have corrupted registry permissions that create problems for 32-bit applications. This causes the LEAP install program to fail at the end. LEAP is actually usable at this point but the patches cannot be installed.

The below is a work-around that manually installs the required registry entries.

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(1) Copy the below into NotePad:
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\LinearX]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\LinearX\CrossoverShop]
"ProgramDir"="C:\\LEAP"
"ProgramPath"="C:\\LEAP\\LEAP_XVR.EXE"
"ProgramVersion"="5.1.0.330"
"RegisterPerson"="YOUR NAME"
"RegisterCompany"="YOUR COMPANY"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\LinearX\EnclosureShop]
"ProgramDir"="C:\\LEAP"
"ProgramPath"="C:\\LEAP\\LEAP_ENC.EXE"
"ProgramVersion"="5.1.0.330"
"RegisterPerson"="YOUR NAME"
"RegisterCompany"="YOUR COMPANY"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\LinearX]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\LinearX\CrossoverShop]
"ProgramDir"="C:\\LEAP"
"ProgramPath"="C:\\LEAP\\LEAP_XVR.EXE"
"ProgramVersion"="5.1.0.330"
"RegisterPerson"="YOUR NAME"
"RegisterCompany"="YOUR COMPANY"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\LinearX\EnclosureShop]
"ProgramDir"="C:\\LEAP"
"ProgramPath"="C:\\LEAP\\LEAP_ENC.EXE"
"ProgramVersion"="5.1.0.330"
"RegisterPerson"="YOUR NAME"
"RegisterCompany"="YOUR COMPANY"
(2) Still in NotePad, edit all occurences of "YOUR NAME" and "YOUR COMPANY." Note that the installation folder above is C:\LEAP. You can change this but I don't recommend it.

(3) Save the modified text as LinearxRegKeys.reg.

(4) In Windows Explorer, right-click on the LinearxRegKeys.reg file. Select "Merge" and click OK on the warning message. You should get a "successfully added" message box.

Now retry the installation procedures. You may still get an error at the end of the LEAP install that you can safely ignore. You should not get errors when applying the patches.
 
LEAP Help Files

LEAP uses MS WinHelp to display help. WinHelp support technically ended with Vista. However, MS has issued patches/fixes to install WinHelp on every version until Win10. If you're using pre-Win10, I suggest that you look for the official MS fix.

Unless MS decides to release a similar fix/patch for Win10, we're stuck with two choices:

  1. Use untrusted software from untrusted sites. There are quite a few sites that offer to fix this Win10 WinHelp issue. Until I can vet a safe source, I cannot recommend using any. If you are more trusting than I am, feel free to roll the dice.
  2. Use a limited work-around. You won't have context-sensitive help from within LEAP but you should be able to manually open the files.
For the latter, you'll need a copy of WinHelp (C:\Windows\winhlp32.exe) from an older 32-bit version of Windows. I used a copy from 32-bit XP Professional.

Sadly, we can't replace the WinHelp stub version in C:\Windows -- MS has locked down the file permissions. Nor can we change the default program to open *.hlp files because, well, MS.

So save the older winhlp32.exe in the C:\LEAP folder. Run the exe and you should get an Open File dialog and see LEAP_ENC.HLP & LEAP_XVR.HLP. Select one and it should open. If so, you can set up shortcuts if you care to. If not, maybe a copy from a different Windows version will work.
 
Errors Installing Patches -- Update.exe

I had a report of a problem when installing the patches: The patch program may fail with:
Windows cannot find 'update.exe'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.
This problem occurs if you use compatibility settings, e.g., "Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows XP (Service Pack 2)" on Windows 10.

To resolve the problem, do not use compatibility mode settings for the patch files.

Alternatively, manually extract the patch archive files using WinZip or 7-Zip to a temporary folder and run Update.exe. You can then delete the temporary folder.
 
Houston, We Have A Problem

Well, MS changed something (presumably via the vile automatic updates) and the above instructions no longer work. While trying to diagnose the reported problem, I uninstalled my working version of the driver and attempted to install the driver from scratch. It failed every time.

I assumed that I could roll back to a prior restore point. Nope. Apparently restore has been broken for three months now (see https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-update/system-restore-error-0x80070091/cedb6d6a-a3cf-4917-a6c0-a1544631adb6j). So I cannot recover my previously working LEAP environment. So much for good intentions.

I'll keep trying but, in the meantime, LEAP works just fine in a VM as described above. Not ideal but at least fully functional.

I'll update this post when I have solutions for the current issues.
 
Houston, We Have A Problem -- Solved

Well, I really didn't want to post binary files -- I'm paranoid and you should be, too -- but the only solution seems to be a digitally signed LXK_USB driver.

Attached is the most recent version of the driver signed with a self-generated test certificate. I created this specifically for a Win7 AMD box but it works fine on my Win10 Intel PC. Note that you don't need to install the test certificate. (In fact, I don't even have it -- it was lost when the old Win7 box suddenly died.)

This version does not eliminate the requirement that you start your computer with driver signature verification disabled so see prior posts about that.


Driver Installation Steps

  1. Reboot with Driver Signature Verification disabled.
  2. In Windows Explorer, go to the C:\LEAP\Drivers folder. Rename or otherwise save the LXK_USB.sys and LXK_USB.inf files.
  3. Extract the contents of the attached zip file to that folder.
  4. In Windows Explorer, right-click the LXK_USB.inf file and select install.
  5. You will get a UAC prompt to allow modifications to the computer. Click “Yes.”
  6. You will get a warning asking you to confirm installing the unverified driver. Click “install anyway.”
  7. Wait a bit (it takes longer than you’d think) and you should get a “drivers successfully installed” box. Click “OK.”
  8. Plug in the LEAP dongle. You should see a progress box “installing drivers.” This takes a minute or two.
  9. You should finally get a dialog stating that the drivers were successfully installed. (Note that it's possible to get a success dialog when they don't actually work. Just saying.)
  10. Try starting LEAP. If LEAP doesn’t find the key, dismiss the error dialog, unplug the key, plug it back in, and try starting LEAP again.
 

Attachments

  • Drivers.zip
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He might be cursing you from the grave, but his memory will live on with this. After all LEAP is still in my opinion the best among the speakers simulation software, have to admit as much as I hated to deal with him.

I'm going to try this now to get rid of the VM... thanks a Ton!
 
He might be cursing you from the grave, but his memory will live on with this. After all LEAP is still in my opinion the best among the speakers simulation software, have to admit as much as I hated to deal with him.

I'm going to try this now to get rid of the VM... thanks a Ton!

I truly hope that Chris is not cursing me from the grave. I don't think my karma could withstand that. <g>

Please do share your results, positive or negative.
 
Have you tried importing OBJ file for enclosure?

In case there's any confusion, the dongle driver is used only at LEAP startup to verify the license. Any issues that occur using LEAP would be due to 32-bit compatibility issues unrelated to the dongle driver. I never had issues on Win7/64 and, hopefully, Win10/64 hasn't changed that.

That said, I tested importing an OBJ definition yesterday. No problems once I got the import settings right.
 
In case there's any confusion, the dongle driver is used only at LEAP startup to verify the license. Any issues that occur using LEAP would be due to 32-bit compatibility issues unrelated to the dongle driver. I never had issues on Win7/64 and, hopefully, Win10/64 hasn't changed that.

That said, I tested importing an OBJ definition yesterday. No problems once I got the import settings right.

Sorry, no sure we are talking about the same OBJ or not. I was referring to import 3D file in OBJ format.

I use LEAP 5 in Oraclel VM virtualBox. This import function doesn't work.
 
Sorry, no sure we are talking about the same OBJ or not. I was referring to import 3D file in OBJ format.

I use LEAP 5 in Oraclel VM virtualBox. This import function doesn't work.

Hmm. Yes, we are talking about the same 3D OBJ file format. It is a simple text file format. Go to your LEAP folder (C:\LEAP if you followed my instructions), go to the "Project-Enclosures\AppNote02" sub-folder, and open any of the three *.obj files in a text editor (e.g., NotePad). They are simple text files.

That said, if you cannot load the custom enclosure in a properly configured VM/32-bit guest OS, it won't magically work in Win10/64. I suspect that your *.OBJ does not meet LEAP requirements (e.g., no concave surfaces). But that's just a guess.