Windows 11 on Parallels Desktop won't update naturally

[Affinity-Inspiration]

Same old same old. Only now I have a video. Am I in the right forum? who knows. 

It all works fine - the Betas - if I download and install it. But when trying to update it fails.

 I downloaded the Beta last week, and today again tried to update it.

as per the video.

[Sean P]

Hi Harry,

We renamed one of the update files to stop the EXE and MSIX files sharing the same one. It sounds like you may still have some rogue files there, particularly an update.json pointing to an incorrect location.

Can you go to the following location and empty them for me please? It should then let you update in-app.
C:\ProgramData\Affinity\Designer\2.0 (Beta)\

 

[Affinity-Inspiration]

10 minutes ago, Sean P said:

Hi Harry,

We renamed one of the update files to stop the EXE and MSIX files sharing the same one. It sounds like you may still have some rogue files there, particularly an update.json pointing to an incorrect location.

Can you go to the following location and empty them for me please? It should then let you update in-app.
C:\ProgramData\Affinity\Designer\2.0 (Beta)\

 

Sorry, nope. Just puts the json file right back there. and fails the install.

Contents of the JSON file:

{"uri":"https:\/\/affinity-update.serif.com\/windows\/2\/designer\/beta\/Designer2Beta-2.2.0.1994.msix","version":"2.2.0.1994","lastCheck":"9\/8\/2023 1:50:29 PM"}

[Affinity-Inspiration]

I might add, it all installs and updates fine on my Windows 10, Toshiba L630 Laptop. albeit very slowly.

[Sean P]

Hi Harry, Just had a look at your post history to see if I can find out what Mac you're using and saw your post here. Am I correct that you're still running Windows 11 on an M2 Mac?

Unfortunately only Windows 11 ARM edition works on Apple M devices via Parallels and as we do not support ARM editions of Windows 11 - you're likely to run into a few compatability issues. The failure to update in app is unfortunately one of those compatability issues.

[Affinity-Inspiration]

20 minutes ago, Sean P said:

Hi Harry, Just had a look at your post history to see if I can find out what Mac you're using and saw your post here. Am I correct that you're still running Windows 11 on an M2 Mac?

Unfortunately only Windows 11 ARM edition works on Apple M devices via Parallels and as we do not support ARM editions of Windows 11 - you're likely to run into a few compatability issues. The failure to update in app is unfortunately one of those compatability issues.

Well that’s a nuisance. 
I can just download the updates and install that way, but it does highlight the reasons - one of many - that I moved away from Windows some time back. 
oh well. 
Thsnks for your help in tracking it down.

Robert

[Affinity-Inspiration]

On 9/8/2023 at 3:26 PM, Sean P said:

Hi Harry, Just had a look at your post history to see if I can find out what Mac you're using and saw your post here. Am I correct that you're still running Windows 11 on an M2 Mac?

Unfortunately only Windows 11 ARM edition works on Apple M devices via Parallels and as we do not support ARM editions of Windows 11 - you're likely to run into a few compatability issues. The failure to update in app is unfortunately one of those compatability issues.

Hello Sean,

Interesting situation. I'm wondering if I can ask a question or two. Let me detail exactly what I'm running here first. Oh, I might add, that I fully understand the various limitations of mixing software on a single platform, and I'm not at all complaining or anything, just discussing really so here goes.

I'm running a MacOS 13.5.2 (22G91) M2Mini with 26GB RAM etc etc.

On top of that, I'm also running Parallels Desktop so I can use Windows 11 for the Windows versions of Affinity. The old Toshiba L630 Laptop Windows 10 is now about 20 years old and just doesn't cut the mustard any more, so I needed a fast Windows so I can still do work for my Youtube channel on Windows in addition to the Mac and iPad versions.

Also, keep up with the Beta release.

The Affinity Trilogy works brilliantly on the Mac, and so do the Updates and Betas - behaving as they should.

The same on the iPad Mini 6. As do the updates and Betas.

The same on the Toshiba Laptop, as do the updates and Betas.

Almost .... the same on the Windows 11 in Parallels. All three of the apps work fine. No problems. Except when there is an Update ready for either the Release versions or the Beta versions. That's when I get the "Can't Install Update" error as shown in the video above. So, okay, go to Serif and download the files, open them and they Update the installed versions fine no worries. It's just the Install Update part of the process from the Update menu of the installed app that's broken.

Now I know that the M2 has a few anomalies that can be insurmountable in cross-platform behaviour but affecting only the Install Update part of the process seems a little odd.

So after all that a question. Is there a Log file I can watch to try and catch what it is that the process is falling over? Are the developers able to catch it on their test bed? Are they able to watch the process happening? 

I know all of the Affinity Apps run on Windows 11 on the M2 in Parallels set up perfectly. Very nice. Just not the install update part. Am I the only person in the world that is seeing this?

I would like to say again, I'm not trying to be a nuisance about this I'm just trying to figure out what is causing the Update failure. Apart from the vague "it's an ARM thing".

Anyway, I'll continue along and continue to enjoy the software which works brilliantly.

 

Cheers

Robert

 

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, HarryMcGovern said:

Am I the only person in the world that is seeing this?

You may be the only Affinity user trying to run the update on an M2 Mac in Parallels running Windows 11.

 

[Affinity-Inspiration]

15 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

You may be the only Affinity user trying to run the update on an M2 Mac in Parallels running Windows 11.

 

Haha. That’s me. Never do things by half 🙂