Troubleshooting
This page lists common problems in iPool Suite and what to do about each one. Find the message or symptom in the left column. The right column says what to do and links to the page that explains the fix in full.
- Installation and license
- Folders and Defaults.csv
- Databases and bid files
- Running scenarios and results
- Portable version
- Contacting support
Installation and license
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
Windows shows a security prompt when you run iPool-Installer.exe | Check that the publisher is iEnergy Australia Pty Ltd before you continue. See System Installation and Licensing. |
| Administrator approval is refused during an Anyone who uses this computer (all users) installation | Choose Only for me, which needs no administrator rights, or run the installer again with Run as administrator. See System Installation and Licensing. |
| You cannot find an Only for me installation in File Explorer | AppData is a hidden folder. Type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\iPool in the File Explorer address bar and press Enter, or right-click the iPool shortcut and choose Open file location. |
| The License Required window opens | Choose Enter License Key and paste your key, or Upload License File and select your .lic or .txt file. Click Validate License. If Apollo was licensed on this computer and that license is still valid, iPool Suite finds it automatically. See System Installation and Licensing. |
| Invalid License | Click Try Again and check that you used the file or key issued for this computer. If it still fails, contact iEnergy Support. |
| A banner warns that the license or a module has 30 days or less remaining | Open Settings → License to see the license status and module expiry dates. The Change license and Refresh license buttons are there. |
| You are moving iPool Suite to a different computer | Contact iEnergy Support before you install. Your license may need to be reissued for the new computer. |
| The Vantage Forecast tab is missing | The tab is hidden when the Vantage module is not licensed or has expired. Your downloaded forecast files are not deleted. |
| You are not sure which version you have | The Home page shows the version at the top. You can also see it under Settings (gear icon) → About iPool. |
Your own data and Defaults.csv were replaced after installing the sample data | You answered Yes to "Overwrite the existing data with the bundled sample data?". The sample files overwrite yours and C:\IENERGY\Defaults.csv is replaced the first time iPool Suite starts. No backup copies are made, so restore your files from your backup. Next time, untick Install sample data (recommended) or answer No. |
Folders and Defaults.csv
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
iPool Suite crashes when you run the Directory Initializer over your old Defaults.csv | Defaults.csv files from before iPool Suite have no DirSub line. Add DirSub first, set to the same folder as DirBid. See Migrating to iPool Suite, Step 1. |
| Folders are empty or wrong in iPool Suite | Check that C:\IENERGY\Defaults.csv exists, or set the folders in the Directory Initializer. |
| Bid Manager aggregator: "-s requires DirSub OR DirBid in Defaults.csv" | Defaults.csv has neither DirSub nor DirBid. Add both. See Migrating to iPool Suite, Step 1. |
| Bid files made by Bid Manager are not in the folder where iPool looks for bid files | Bid Manager writes to DirSub; if DirSub is missing, it uses DirBid. Set DirSub to the same folder as DirBid. |
| The Bid Manager generator does not read the market files you expect | The generator reads the market files from DirYBid. Make sure it points to your WESM FILES\RTDOE folder. |
| A new Historical Store folder is not used | The change takes effect after you restart iPool Suite. Your existing files are not moved: copy them to the new folder yourself before you restart. The folder must be on a local drive (not a network share), contain no comma or quote mark, and be at most 85 characters. Set it in Settings → Historical Store → Change…. |
| Your Apollo theme, layouts and recent folders are missing | Apollo's own settings are not imported. Set them again in iPool Suite. Your folder settings in Defaults.csv carry over. |
For what each line of Defaults.csv means, see Understanding Defaults.csv.
Databases and bid files
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| The run stops: "no regions loaded … a legacy .mdb cannot be opened" | A database is still .mdb. The engine reads only .db database files. Convert it with Database Editor → Convert Database, put the .db in DirDB and change PoolDB or the -ipdb value to .db. See Migrating to iPool Suite, Step 2. |
| Your database is not listed in the Database Initializer | The list shows only .db files. Convert your .mdb databases first. |
A .db file you already had was replaced | Convert Database replaces an output .db that already exists. Restore it from your backup, and choose a new output name or folder next time. |
| "Legacy CArchive .bid not supported" | The bid file uses an old format that is no longer supported. Renaming it is not enough. Convert it with Bid Manager → Convert Legacy .bid. See Migrating to iPool Suite, Step 3. |
A copy line cannot find a .bid file after a run with -opbid | The engine now writes .bidx. Change the copy line, or run the batch file converter. |
| Bid Manager aggregator: "ERROR: table bid_file already exists" | The aggregator does not overwrite an existing bid file. Delete the old output, or use a new -s name. |
Dynamic bidding (-ib) fails with an .ibd file | Convert it to .ibdx with Bid Manager → Convert Legacy .ibd and use the .ibdx name. |
An .ibd file is listed as SKIP by the command-line converter | An .ibdx of that name already exists. Add -overwrite to replace it. The same list is saved in ibd2ibdx.log in the -outdir folder. |
| The batch file converter lists a database or bid file as Not found or Failed | Convert that file yourself. See Migrating to iPool Suite, Steps 2 and 3. Converted and Already exists are both fine. |
| A run uses a different bid file than you expected | When a command names X.bid, the engine looks for X.bidx first. If both exist, X.bidx is used. Do not keep a .bid and a .bidx of the same name for different data. |
Running scenarios and results
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
CSV files such as TraceGrp.csv are missing | By default many detailed CSV files are no longer written; their results are in the scenario's .isdb file. Set the scenario's Output format to All CSV + .isdb, or add -csvout to the command line. See Migrating to iPool Suite. |
| Import is blocked in the Batch file preview | Unknown flags block Import until you fix them. The preview lists each line that was skipped or not imported, with the reason. |
| Lines from your old batch file were not imported | Lines that only choose databases (such as -nowin -ipdb …), call of another batch file, and shared variables such as %COMMON% do not carry over. The databases chosen in the Directory Initializer are used instead. |
The converted batch file still starts with call DefInit.bat | DefInit.bat is no longer used. Open the _converted.bat file in Notepad and delete that line. Keep folders and databases in Defaults.csv, put -ipdb <name>.db on a scenario's line for a database for one scenario, and put -5mnDisp 1 on the -new BASE line. See Migrating to iPool Suite. |
| The converted batch file calls another batch file | Convert that batch file too. The _converted_report.txt file lists every line you need to check yourself. |
The converted batch file uses -rep 3 instead of your -rep 1 or -rep 2 | The converter sets the report level to -rep 3. Untick that rule in the Changes tab before you save, or use --keep-rep on the command line. |
An iBidEzy.exe line is turned into a comment | There is no direct replacement for iBidEzy. Redo this step in Bid Manager. |
Co-optimized energy prices (-coopt) differ from earlier results | They are calculated differently from earlier builds. Add -cooptprice legacy (or CoOptPrice,legacy in Defaults.csv) for the earlier prices. |
A -bf bid file is paired with the wrong bid type | A -bf file is paired with the -bt in front of it. Write -bt DEF_PRIORITY -bf OM_HST.bidx, not the other way round. |
An old .emp scenario file cannot be opened | Old .emp files are obsolete and cannot be converted. Run the scenario again in iPool Suite. |
| Scenario Studio does not accept a scenario ID | Use no spaces (use _ or -), none of the characters \ / : * ? " < > |, no dot at the end, at most 100 characters, not a Windows reserved name (such as CON or NUL), and an ID not already in use (ignoring case). See Migrating to iPool Suite. |
Portable version
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| iPool Suite shows an error and closes when it starts | The portable folder is not writable. Extract iPool-Portable.zip to a folder you can write to, for example D:\iPool-Portable or a USB drive. Do not extract it into C:\Program Files or another read-only folder. See Portable Version. |
| The portable copy keeps its settings in your Windows user profile | iPool\iPool-portable.ini has been deleted or renamed. That file is what makes the copy portable. Restore it from the original zip. |
Defaults.csv cannot be created | The portable folder path contains a comma (for example D:\Tools,Old\iPool-Portable). Defaults.csv cannot hold such a path. Move the portable folder to a path without a comma. |
| "No Defaults.csv was found on this PC." | Choose Create Defaults.csv, Not now (asked again at the next start) or Don't ask again. If you decline, set the folders later with the Directory Initializer. |
| A folder change in the portable copy also changed the installed copy | Both copies use the same C:\IENERGY\Defaults.csv. A folder change made in either copy applies to both. |
| Folders are wrong after you moved the portable folder | The DirMain line in Defaults.csv still points to the old location and is not changed automatically. Edit it by hand. |
| Licensing through iPool Suite is restricted by administrator permissions | Place the machine-specific .lic license file in the iPool folder, next to iPoolSuite.exe, then start the application again. |
A change to the Settings → Portable iPool.ini option has no effect | The change takes effect after you restart iPool Suite. Settings offers Restart now. |
Files in C:\iEnergy\WorkingFolder were replaced by the portable sample data | Extracting iPool-Portable-SampleData.zip over an existing C:\iEnergy\WorkingFolder replaces files with the same names. Restore them from your backup. |
Contacting support
If the problem is not listed here, or the steps above do not fix it, email support@ienergyglobal.com.au, or use Support in the top bar of iPool Suite. Please include:
- Your iPool Suite version, from Settings → About iPool.
- For a batch file problem, the
_converted_report.txtfile that the batch file converter saved next to your batch file.