We’ve gotten reports that HDXPRT 2014 no longer works on newer versions of Windows 10. We ran tests in our labs and found that to be true.
At least one user has reported that the problem may be the version of CPU-Z the benchmark uses.
We’re working to track down the problem and hope to provide a workaround in the near future and a more definitive fix (if necessary) later.
Please let us know if you’ve encountered this issue and if you’ve found any ways to work around it.
Eric
It’s time for one of Bill’s favorite shows of the year. Mobile World Congress (MWC) starts Monday in Barcelona. Talking about technology in Barcelona, now that’s a plum assignment!
Bill’s got a lot to talk about. Since last year’s MWC, here’s some of what’s happened:
Operating systems will continue to evolve. Whether you consider that a promise or a threat, it’s a fact. Those who write software know the day will come when it’s running in an environment that did not exist when you wrote it. Sometimes you get lucky. WebXPRT, for example, has sailed through the release of new versions of Windows, Android, and iOS with no problems.
At other times, you have to take action. Last month, we alerted you to an issue MobileXPRT had with the pre-release version of Android L. We’ve released an update to MobileXPRT that resolves the issue with Android L.
The technical preview for Windows 10 became available to members of Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program on the first of October, and we’ve had a report that TouchXPRT does not run reliably on it. We are currently investigating this and will let you know the details as soon as we have them. We are checking HDXPRT on Windows 10 as well.
Of course, this is what previews are for. By addressing these issues now, the XPRTs will be ready to support these operating systems when they’re released to the public.
If you are running a preview version of Windows 10 and see a problem with any of our benchmarks, please let us know.
Operating systems continue to evolve. There’s already a new build of the Windows 10 preview. More are on the way. As they come, we will be there testing the XPRTs on them.
Eric
As mentioned in the XPRT blog, we are making the source code available to community members.
Download the HDXPRT 2014 source here.
We’re also posting HDXPRT build instructions in the Members Area. If you want more information, please contact BenchmarkXPRTsupport@principledtechnologies.com.
We look forward to your feedback!
Justin
We’ve really been enjoying the smaller size and quicker install and runtimes of HDXPRT 2014, and we encourage you to give the benchmark a try if you haven’t already! Within the next week or so, we’ll make the HDXPRT 2014 source code available to BenchmarkXPRT Development Community members. Part of what makes the XPRT community work is the feedback we get from members, whether it comes in the form of new benchmark ideas, suggestions for improvement, or questions raised during community preview testing. Having members comb through the code is another aspect of that community model. We welcome any members with programming skills to comment on our code and submit their own code for review.
If you decide to submit code, please read the XPRT commenting conventions, which are simply brief descriptions of a few practices that will make it easier for us to read your code.
We’ll also post detailed build instructions for HDXPRT 2014 in the Members Area. When the source code is available, check it out and let us know what you think. If you have code to share, please post on the forums or send us a message. If you haven’t yet joined the community, we’d love for you to join now.
Justin
After the HDXPRT 2014 release last week, we discovered a new issue. During installation, if network connections were active, Windows SmartScreen would pop up with a message that said, “Windows SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting…” If network connections were disabled, a popup would say, “Windows SmartScreen can’t be reached right now.”
Even after turning off SmartScreen entirely, we continued to receive Windows publisher verification warnings. It turns out that the problem relates to testing on a system where Windows 8/8.1 is reinstalled over an existing copy of the OS. Residual information in the C:\Windows.old files apparently trigger the warning. It may also occur if you upgraded from Windows 8 or 8.1 Preview to Windows 8.1.
You may not encounter this problem at all during testing. If you do, there are at least three options for dealing with this. The first option is to turn off SmartScreen in the Windows Action center and disable Windows prompts about publisher verification. Then, open Internet Explorer – Internet Options, click the Security tab, click the Custom level button, and scroll down to select Enable Launching applications and unsafe files.
The second option is to delete any Windows.old files. You can find instructions for that here.
The third is to test on a completely fresh OS install on a reformatted drive.
Also, today we’re posting an updated build that fixes a few UI issues. Scores from the original build are still valid and comparable.
If you have any feedback or questions regarding HDXPRT 2014, feel free to send us a message at BenchmarkXPRTsupport@principledtechnologies.com.
Justin
