Startup Elliott V8 and Receive Message: In NWSMDDFM, Unable to Open DDF Files

Q - I just installed the general release Elliott8.exe program in my old Elliott V8 folder, which was installed during 2013.  I started up Elliott V8, and then I received the following error message:

     In NWSMDDF, unable to open DDF files.

     Please exit Elliott processes and try again.

I exited Elliott V8 and started up again. I received the same error message. See sample screen below. What happened?

A - This message indicates that Elliott V8 was unable to open the DDF files, which are needed for Elliott V8 operation.  Either the DDF files are missing or Elliott V8 can't open them in a timely manner. Please check to make sure that the  <root>\bin\DDF40 folder exists. The <root> refers to where you have Elliott V8 installed, like "M:\Elliott8." If the corresponding DDF40 folder is missing, then it is likely that is the cause for the problem.

By default, the Elliott V8 installation package does not update the DDF40 folder if we are updating an existing Elliott V8 installation. In the older V8 version, our system refers to the <root>\DDF40 folder for DDF files. In the later version, the system refers to the <root>\bin\DDF40 folder. The <root>\bin\DDF40 may be missing since the prior version does not need it.

To force creation or updating of the DDF40 folder, during the installing of Elliott 8, instead of choosing "Typical" use the "Custom" installation option. Make sure to indicate that the "DDF" should be installed and try again.

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