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Problem:

I am getting a "Catastrophic Failure Error" when trying to upgrade clarity.

Causes:

A catastrophic failure is caused by missing system files or broken system registry structures. This is a critical sign of an unstable system that is typically caused by improper maintenance of the computer.

Solution:

Pre-Requisites:

  • Have downloaded the latest version of Clarity from Paymate's customer portal (.exe file).
  • Have received the "Catastrophic Failure!" error message when upgrading or installing Clarity on your computer.
  • Have user administrative rights on your computer.
  • Do not have Clarity running.

There are three ways to resolve this error. 

Solution 1: Running the .exe file as administrator

  1. Restart your computer.
  2. If possible, log in with the computer's administrator account. Alternatively, you can log in with your own account. Contact your IT person for more information.
  3. Right-click the downloaded .exe file for Clarity. 
  4. Select "Run as Administrator". 
  5. Go through the installation wizard as normal. 

Solution 2: Copy and paste Clarity files between two computers 

Please note that we strongly recommend having your IT person/department assist you with this method.

  1. Install Clarity on a second computer. DO NOT START THE PROGRAM.
  2. Open your Windows Explorer. 
  3. Navigate to Program Files (x86) > Clarity OR Program Files (x86) > Clarity_US. 
  4. Copy all files except "Clarity.lic", "Clarity.lic.bak", and "Clarity.config" onto a USB stick. If you are using Clarity US, the files to exclude will be named "ClarityUS.lic", "ClarityUS.lic.bak", and "ClarityUS.config". 
  5. Paste the copied files from the previous step into the folders and files on the first computer that did not work. When prompted, copy and replace the files on the first computer. This action will overwrite the files of Clarity - not the database or your data.
  6. On the first computer where you received the error, run Clarity as administrator. 
  7. Prior to logging in, click "Database Connection". 
  8. Enter the correct information. 
  9. Click "Test Connection". 
  10. If successful, continue to log into Clarity and proceed as normal. 

Solution 3: Download and install CCleaner

CCleaner is a free tool that you can download and install on your computer to remove Clarity's files (not your database data). We recommend having your IT person/department assist you with this method. 

  1. Download CCleaner from https://www.ccleaner.com/ccleaner/download. 
  2. Run the installer to install CCleaner on your computer. You may require administrative access to install this program. 
  3. Run CCleaner once the installation is complete. 
  4. Navigate to Tools. 
  5. Look for Clarity in the list of programs. 
  6. Select Clarity. 
  7. Click "Delete". 
  8. Close CCleaner. 
  9. Re-run the .exe file as administrator to install Clarity. 
  10. Go through the installation wizard as normal. 

You can follow this video guide: