Ok, I will attempt to remain calm. I wont go ballistic, nor will I start spouting obscenities. How do I get your 2 .exe's off my computer. I uninstalled your program, I don't want bits of it starting and running continues everytime I start my computer. I've tried to remove them from my regesty, I've tried to remove them winpatrole. But still everytime I start my computer there they are running away in my active tasks. So please explain how to remove them.
Please make note of this for your next uninstall program, I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels when you uninstall a program ALL of it should be uninstalled.

For those that are also experiancing this. Go to adminastrative tools, services, and shut it off. Now how do I deleat it from there?
This is more the sort of thing I would expect of Wildtangent.

Aah.. You have been smitten… Such is the lure of the most powerful 3D package on the planet..resistence is futile… Your only way out is to surrender to it.. Join us or pay the price…


On a side note, you might actually get somewhere if you mentioned “what files” were getting left behind. Somehow I don't see people uninstalling houdini just to answer your question

I don't think it's funny. It's just as bad as Wildtangent's spyware or Sony's copy provention crap. My comp is neather new nor top of the line so I don't need any bits and peices of some uninstalled program to be taking up cycles.
“most powerful 3D package on the planet” Bullsh. “Join us or pay the price” shouldn't that “or” be an “and” .
If you were a developer you would know “what files”. License client and license server. And after just checking to tell you what they are I see they have restarted themselves after I stoped them last night. That is BULLSH and I want that crap off my computer. So the way it looks every time I start my computer I'm going to have to go back into services to shut that crap down.
And you had better beleave I'll be going to every CG site I belong to and warning everyone about this shit.
I'm a demo junky and have been demoing cg software for a while, I have never had one put stuff on my computer that I couldn't easaly remove again, till now. :evil:

i don't understand your angry…

after stoped your problem makers in Services, swich it to disabled, then go to windows/system32/ and remove them manually…

if you really need to use specialized, professional software and you have just spent on it 17K$, you don't mind such details… if you mind, use something else… child toy :wink:


cheers,
Symek.

PS and… yes, actually it's funny.

I'm on Windows 2000 so your mileage may vary.

Stop the two services through the command prompt

net stop “Houdini License Client”
net stop “Houdini License Server”

Delete these two keys from the windows registry

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HoudiniServer
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HoudiniLicenseServer

Reboot, then delete these files

%SYSTEMROOT%\keys\
%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\sesinetd.exe
%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\sesinetd.log
%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\sesinetd.options
%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\hserver.exe
%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\hserver.ini

Indeed, this should be dealt with: on Windows machines after uninstallation the Houdini License and Server services are still present and there is no way for them to be deleted…

To partially solve your issues - you can just set the services to Disabled instead of turning them off every time you boot…

And by the way, a serious demo junkie like you should know that every major app out there leaves something behind - maya, xsi, etc may remove everything from Services, but they leave driver level software…

Let's hope you won't sue the company for stealing your precious cycles..

Cheers

Thanks wolfwood, I'll give it a run after this render is complete; some time this evening. I already deleted them from my regestry, but I haven't been in my systemroot.

Thanks diula, I have done that. And yes, for me every cycle is presious, I have so few of them :wink: Generally CCleaners “fix issues” will clean up most little bits and peices left by uninstalls. It's also why I have to reinstall windows every 3 or 4 months. The price I pay for being a demo junky.

SYmek I work agrabussness, I don't clear $17k in a year. I'm also sure that the Maya, 3dsMax, Carrara{my personal favorite}, and other highend CG program users will love to hear that someone on this board called their programs “childs toys”, I'll be sure to let them know. And if you think this is funny I'm sure your the type of person that would laugh if someone spit on your shoes. After all it wips right off, and no damage is done, so “patoo”.


Funny thing is I have been at this a couple of years, and untill I found a link to Houdini at 3dlinks, I had never heard of it before. I'm on 6 different cg forums and noone has ever recommended it, or even mentioned it for that matter.

http://web.archive.org/web/ [web.archive.org]*/http://www.sidefx.com [sidefx.com]

Copy/Paste the above.

They have been around for a while. Probably longer than the archives on the site I posted.

Sorry it didn't work out for you. Best of luck!

Cheers,

/Rick

wolfwoods advice will work….
and yes every program installed into Windows will leave something behind :?


as for never hearing about Houdini before…Side Effects isn't big on marketing….but have you seen any of these movies?
http://www.odforce.net/wiki/index.php/ProductionsUsingHoudini#Historical [odforce.net]

Funny or even bizzar is your level of frustration first on Houdini, later on its community (!?). Especially that as you said, you have no idea of what kind of software you are talking about (!) As you mentioned, Sony leaves copyright-protect software on your machine without warrnings or user agreements. This is a reason to be angry. SESI leaves licences services because it's a COMMON practise&need to have many Houdini sub-versions on one machine (8.022, 8.038, 8.045 etc) - if you need to uninstall one of them you typically don't want to uninstall license server. You can do it in literally tree steps - if you are familiar with your tool. This is actual need of professional users, what should be pretty clear after reading list of Houdini's involved movies.
Have you ever tried to uninstall 3Dequalizer or Avid DS? You are lucky if you can install them first… peace pipe!

cheers,
SYmek.

In a production environments, we typically have multiple versions of Houdini running, depending on when the show started. It's bad to upgrade version of Houdini every time when there's new one because it may break things.


When a process is running, WIndows (or even *NIX software) cannot allow you to delete that program that's being run – hence you cannot delete those 2 files you spoke of. And no, Side Effects does not install spyware or rootkit on your machine.

Like Symek stated, this is the preferred situation, to have the licensing apps left behind after uninstall. I have on my comp right now version 8.0.404, and 8.0.474. I'm about to uninstall .404 since .474 works fine for me, and I wouldn't want the license administrator to go too. And again, it's trivial to shut down the services and just delete the exes from their folders.

Beleave it or not, I not only own a few programs that have regular up dates, but I am also a beta tester. Suprise. I understand about needing to leave regestration keys in place, and not having them deleated on uninstall. I'm also aware that demos leave markers so you can't just reinstall the demo once it's time is up. But those are not in my sevices and don't run continues. I wouldn't have worried about it if they hadden't have turned up in my regular friday clearnout/check up. The fact of the matter is if they hadn't have turned up in my active tasks, I wouldn't have worried with them. It was the fact that they were running all the time that I found aggrivating, as I said I don't want bits and peices of an uninstalled programs running on my comp. I was frustrated by the fact that I was going to have to go into parts of windows I try to stay out of, and I wasn't sure were to start; thanks again wolfwood. I never said I was frustrated by Houdini, nor it's community; just one person. I also never said anything to the effect of “Especially that as you said, you have no idea of what kind of software you are talking about (!)” not at all sure were that came from.
I have no problems with the community here most all posters have been trying to help; save one.
As far as trying to uninstall software that just dosen't want to go, well that's why I brought up wildtangent, didn't think I was ever going to get that crap off my comp, and part of the reason I don't download games.

Still finding big chunks of Houdini on my hard drive. I'm not mad, or aggrivated, just bemused. Of all the programs and demos that have come and gone on my comp none have every left so much of themselves behind after an uninstall.

How big is this “big chunk”? I have uninstall and install Houdini from version to version for many many times. SESI is very good at cleaning up those directory where it installed. I am not sure I understand why you're having so many problems.

Typically if there is a newly added files, such as pref. files, Houdini may or may not delete it after it is uninstall. If you want to, after you have stopped the Houdini Client and Server application in your Windows Services, you can simply go to that Houdini directory and delete it yourself. The other place that addes the Houdini directory is your home directory. I think it's under you “My Document” folder. This is added, again, as a preference and settings, when you first run Houdini. When you uninstall, these don't get removed (and for a very good reason, too)

Lets see so far I have used the Houdini uninstall, then windows add/remove, then Ccleaner, then wolfwood's instructions. Then this AM I found the files your talking about. The reason I keep reffering to Wildtangent is because it's the only other program I have had an equivelant amount of problems cleaning out. This in it's self puts Houdini in my “can't recommend it” category. And I wont even mention the learning curve; which would be better described as a shear cliff. :wink:
Now, I'm done with this. My evalution is complete, and my review written.
“The only thing that exceeds Houdini's power is it difficulty in use. The amount of effort involved in getting a render of ”wip“ quality puts it deep in the ”work“ catigory, as there is no fun to it, I don't ever see the term ”ease of use“ being applide to it. But the real fun starts when you try to uninstall it. Which the difficulty of is equivelent to the difficulty of using it”. Don't be too insulted I write these for hobbyists, not pros.
Carrara5 is still my top pick for recommendation to hobbyists.
I will say for the most part the community here is quite nice, and has been most helpful. But as far as the program it's self, Side effects would have to pay me to use it.

May be you should take a Windows 101 class before evaluating this software.Everyone with a decent computer skill knows where all the installed files are going but clearly you are not one of them and you want to put a finger on sidefx ?? Give me a break…

“would have to pay you to use the software”
Good luck with this attitude.No one here is begging you to use this software and you do realize that this is a forum where you get FREE support from software developer as well as fellow houdini artist.

Please share your Review with the rest of us. I am sure it will be a good laugh .
:wink:

If you find Houdini “too hard”, well, don't use it. It's probably not suited for you. No one here is paying you or forcing you to use it. I'd love to see how far you can get on a feature effects production with carrara when the director starts minding the changes to the most minute details.

In an attempt to swing this thread back on topic.

manleystanley does have a valid point about the uninstall. The current uninstall tools are ideal for Houdini users who download/install the frequent builds. Uninstalling Houdini just removes that specific version but leaves your preferences and licensing, which is good for the Houdini “users”.

But there are also a fair number of students and hobbyists who just want to try out the Apprentice version for a bit just to see what its like. (Might even be kids in Middle/High School using the parents computers.) They try Houdini, and for whatever reason just don't like it. (People think and work differently, some like Houdini some don't.) So when they uninstall it Houdini, expecting to have it completely removed, it still leaves traces behind, which is bad. Its true that lots of other packages leave crap around after you uninstall them, but just becase other vendors do it doesn't mean its “ok”.

What should SESI do? Add a option to “Remove All Users Preferences and Licensing”. For example, when you uninstall some video games it asks you if you want to remove your “saved games”, which is nice.