Release Notes – TechSuite Windows App 2.0.4: System File Checker, Command-Line Exit Codes and More

Hi folks –

TechSuite Windows App 2.0.4 is out. It fixes tools that were failing on 64-bit Windows, makes the command line report problems with real exit codes, and fixes several smaller things. TechSuite installs the update itself the next time it starts.

Tools that use Windows’ own programs now run the 64-bit versions

System File Checker was failing with “Windows Resource Protection could not start the repair service” on more than half of runs on some PCs. TechSuite is a 32-bit program, and on 64-bit Windows a 32-bit program that asks for C:\Windows\System32 is quietly given the 32-bit copy of the tool instead. TechSuite now runs the 64-bit one.

We’d already fixed System File Checker itself with a tool update. This fixes the cause, so it applies to every tool that points at a program in C:\Windows\System32, including Custom Apps that do.

Command line: real exit codes

Until now the command line exited with 0 even when something was wrong. It now reports the problem:

Exit code	When
3	A tool or procedure name wasn’t found, or the command is missing something it needs
4	TechSuite couldn’t sign in: your shop’s account was rejected
6	TechSuite hit an error while running or downloading

Check your scripts. A script that treated every exit code other than 0 as a failure will now fail where it used to pass quietly, for example when a procedure name has a typo. That’s the point, but it will show up the first time you run an old script.

Also on the command line:

Restart or shut down after a run. --restart_after_run (-y) and --shutdown_after_run (-w) now do what they say, 30 seconds after the run finishes. Run shutdown /a to cancel. Using both together is an error, and nothing runs.
--run_win_exe (-x) is gone. It never did anything, so TechSuite now stops with exit code 3 and “Nothing was run” instead of ignoring it. Remove it from any scripts.
Help text. --resume-run is -n. The help said -i, which is --tool-info.

Crash and blue screen insights

Recent App Crashes counted crashes from earlier years as recent. It now counts only the last 30 days.
Recent Blue Screens never reported anything once your System log had a single blue screen event. It works now.
Both checks also run faster on PCs with large event logs.

Customer and Ticket after an update

On some PCs the Customer and Ticket fields came up blank after an update, because TechSuite was looking for them in the wrong place in the registry. It now finds the values it already saved, and saves them in the right place from now on. The same goes for your theme, favorites and any run you were resuming.

Smaller fixes

Run without Saving in the Save Procedure window now runs your steps. It used to close the window and do nothing.
Add My App now shows .ps1 scripts in the file picker.
Reports show full drives. The drive usage bar in your local report turns amber at 75% used and red at 90%, like the System page.
A clearer .NET Framework warning. TechSuite now warns when .NET Framework 4.8 is missing. It used to warn only for versions older than 4.0.
Enter and Esc work in dialogs again. Press Enter to confirm and Esc to cancel in the password prompt, Save Procedure, Load Template, Resume and the other dialogs. The password and name boxes are ready to type in as soon as the dialog opens. In the delete confirmation, Enter cancels, so it can’t delete anything by accident.

Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected].

Ian & Garrett