Windows Installer and SketchUp Webhelper problems

I am using SketchUp Pro and have experienced a recurring problem starting a couple of days ago. Something is triggering the Windows Installer (I think) program, and it starts searching for a file related to updating the SketchUp Webhelper.exe program. It can’t find the source file and says to insert a CD-ROM with the correct source file (msi?).

What should I do to either complete this updating if it is necessary?

That’s odd since there isn’t a CD-ROM offered. I’ve never seen a report like this before.

You might try repairing the installation. Find the downloaded installer, right click on it and choose Run as administrator. Then when offered the options, choose Repair. Maybe that will take care of it.

Agreed - obviously the CD-ROM request is an odd one. I assumed that, since the installation was a download, I would “browse” for another location perhaps in the SketchUp 2020 program file areas. No such luck yet. And, as of right now, even Task Manager won’t close the “Installer” program.

I had never encountered this program until after I changed the SU 2020 executable to “Run as Administrator.” I don’t think they are related, but I was trying to backtrack as to what had happened.

I haven’t been able to find the Installer program, or do you mean the SU 2020 installer program?

You shouldn’t need to do this IF you right click on the downloaded installer and choose run as administrator.

I would follow the steps I outlined earlier, then do a cold reboot of the computer.

Yes. I mean the installer. The file you downloaded from SketchUp.com It’s probably still in your Downloads folder. If not, go to sketchup.com/download/all and download it again.

Ah. You mean “SketchUpPro-2020-1-229-63.exe” that now resides in my Downloaded Apps folder.

(Forgot to press “Send.”)

In the meantime, I found and ran the Installer, chose the Repair, and now I’ll re-launch SU and see what happens.

As always, thanks for your help. I’ll keep you posted.

Kent

PS: I tend not to watch the SU videos unless you’re in the Chat list.

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I did encounter this one more time after re-installing, but it wasn’t quite as tenacious, so I haven’t been hindered by it. The squeaky wheel got the grease.

BTW, why was it recommended to always run SU as an administrator, not just this time when I was reinstalling it? It appears to trigger the Windows “User Account Control” window every time I start it.

It is NOT recommended to run SketchUp.exe as administrator.
It might mask issues resulting from having installed the Installer’s exe file incorrectly, in the first place - i.e. not having used the context-menu “Run as administrator” - then with Install or Repair as appropriate.

If you [ill-advisedly] choose to always run SketchUp.exe as administrator it will cause other subtle issues - e.g. permission prompts pop up, or the drag-n-drop of image files into the SketchUp window will no longer work because Windows-Explorer runs at a base-level permissions, and then you’d be trying to affect something running at a higher permission level - i.e. SketchUp !

FWIW, I only said to install SketchUp using Run as administrator. I did not say to launch SketchUp that way.

It’s unusual for you to see that file name, unless you get prerelease builds. The file that you download from the download all page should be named SketchUpPro-2020-1.exe. It is the same build, it just seems odd that you have one named SketchUpPro-2020-1-229-63.exe.

Well, … somebody (not Dave) in one of the previous threads on the forum recommended “… always ‘Run as administrator.’” I will try to track down exactly where. It was NOT Dave; he only recommended running the installer as an administrator. I will check through my past forum contacts/topics and see if I can find out where. Regardless, I am no longer running the main executable as an administrator.

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Tis not my place to wonder why. I have no idea, but I did nothing unusual or untoward. I downloaded the file from the Trimble pages after seeing in my SU that there was a newer release.

Sorry, if I put a bee in someone’s bonnet.

It doesn’t matter at all, and it is possible that the friendlier name was added after you had downloaded the file.

I have some additional information. FYI, I am no longer running SU as administrator.

I have found the behavior that seems to trigger the Windows Installer problem. If I open SU and select a file to open, everything opens and starts fine, no problem and as expected.

However, if I go to directly to a file first and double-click it to open and start SU, the Installer is triggered. Obviously, I have SU identified as the app associated with SKP extensions. This Installer misbehavior does not occur with any other programs except SU and LO. In other words, if I click on a Word file or Excel file or PDF file, the appropriate app opens and starts without problems.

Does this happen to anyone else on Windows machines?

It seems odd that the installer itself owns SKP. SketchUp 2020 has an existing problem where the installer doesn’t set 220 to own SKP or .layout files. You would need to yourself, but you will run into another issue. 2020 doesn’t appear in lists as 2020, it appears as a duplicate of the last SketchUp you installed. For me right now I see two 2017 entries, for most people they see two 2019 entries. One of the two is 2020, so try setting one, and test opening a SKP. If it opens up the wrong version, try the other entry in the list.

I think that worked half way! Yeah!

I tried the SKP extension first, and, yes, there were two identical “SketchUp Application” listed. I tried the first, and it triggered the Installer. I then tried the second, and the file opened perfectly.

However, I then went to the LO extension, and, when I highlighted LayOut, only one app showed. I selected it (probably again as it was already associated with this extension), and guess what - the installer started. Ugh.

Why would LO trigger the Installer. Does THIS happen on other users machines?

Wow. Perhaps I spoke too soon. Today, as I was trying the lathe parts, something was triggering the Installer every time I saved. I closed the program and will reboot, I am hoping the Save worked because I had just done the knurling.

What is SketchUp_WebHelper used for? This seems to be what is trying to installed/updated?

Should I go to the website, download, and re-install SU again?

This seems to be worsening - if I have trouble SAVING?

Quite a few windows in SketchUp are actually web pages. As you open 3D Warehouse or Extension Warehouse, geo location and maybe some others, there is a new SketchUp_WebHelper.exe. It should never open the installer.

Well, I did run “repair” again from the downloaded installation program, and, after that, I was not getting any Windows installer pop ups. The session this morning seemed to work just fine.

I believe that when the installer was triggered “SketchUp_WebHelper” showed up somewhere in the process.

I guess I will keep going and see what happens. It doesn’t seem correct that I need to “repair” the program as often as I have been.

Any thoughts on the LO issue of starting from a file name?

Help again please. I just received notification of the latest update fro SU 2020, so I downloaded the file and installed it. After installation, (of course), I recalled that I should have run the INSTALLER as an administrator, so I attempted to do what we had done before and “Repair” the installation by running the Installer again but this time as an administrator. After getting past the page where Repair is selected the installation failed. I have the install log. So, I don’t know what to do next. I am not sure how this left my SU. It seems to still be working. Advice?