[SOLVED]I can't install .rmskin files.

Nox VII · Post by **Nox VII** » July 26th, 2017, 2:18 pm

Hello,
I installed Rainmeter today but I can't install skins with the skin installer.
Zip files work just fine but when I run a .rmskin file it shows me the following error message:
The Skin Packager tool must be create valid .rmskin packages.

I tried to find the file by running the .exe of the Skin Installer but I get the same message.
I uninstalled Rainmeter and installed it again, I tried both 4.1 and 4.0 versions but the problem remains.
Does anyone know how to solve it?

Post by **jsmorley** » July 26th, 2017, 2:23 pm

Nox VII wrote:Hello,
I installed Rainmeter today but I can't install skins with the skin installer.
Zip files work just fine but when I run a .rmskin file it shows me the following error message:
The Skin Packager tool must be create valid .rmskin packages.

I tried to find the file by running the .exe of the Skin Installer but I get the same message.
I uninstalled Rainmeter and installed it again, I tried both 4.1 and 4.0 versions but the problem remains.
Does anyone know how to solve it?

This sounds like something is altering the .rmskin as you are downloading it from whatever source like deviantART you are getting it from.

When the Rainmeter skin packager creates .rmskin files, it does so with a "security signature" on it that will allow us to detect and reject .rmskin packages that have been changed after they were created.

That would lead me to believe you have a virus or some other malware on your PC, and I would recommend running a good anti-virus and / or Malwarebytes AntiMalware right away.

It is also possible that the malware is in whatever web browser you are using, and I would be tempted to try other browsers, like Microsoft Edge if you normally use Google Chrome, to see if the same thing still happens.

Nox VII · Post by **Nox VII** » July 26th, 2017, 2:37 pm

jsmorley wrote:This sounds like something is altering the .rmskin as you are downloading it from whatever source like deviatntART you are getting it from.

When the Rainmeter skin packager creates .rmskin files, it does so with a "security signature" on it that will allow us to detect and reject .rmskin packages that have been changed after they were created.

That would lead me to believe you have a virus or some other malware on your PC, and I would recommend running a good anti-virus and / or Malwarebytes AntiMalware right away.

It is also possible that the malware is in whatever web browser you are using, and I would be tempted to try other browsers, like Microsoft Edge if you normally use Google Chrome, to see if the same thing still happens.

Avast didn't find anything.
I also tried it with a different browser like you said (instead of Firefox I used Chrome) but nothing changed.
Are you certain that a virus causes this? If so I'll have to format my PC.

Post by **jsmorley** » July 26th, 2017, 2:43 pm

Nox VII wrote:Avast didn't find anything.
I also tried it with a different browser like you said (instead of Firefox I used Chrome) but nothing changed.
Are you certain that a virus causes this? If so I'll have to format my PC.

I can't imagine what else could cause it.

To be certain, let's be 100% sure that where you are getting the .rmskin from is ok.

Get this .rmskin:

ExampleMeterButton_1.0.rmskin

Does that exhibit the problem?

If so, use the "attachments" panel at the bottom of the post when you reply, and attach that same .rmskin to a new reply here. I want to compare what you "get" with what I "sent".

Nox VII · Post by **Nox VII** » July 26th, 2017, 2:52 pm

jsmorley wrote:I can't imagine what else could cause it.

To be certain, let's be 100% sure that where you are getting the .rmskin from is ok.

Get this .rmskin:

ExampleMeterButton_1.0.rmskin

Does that exhibit the problem?

If so, use the "attachments" panel at the bottom of the post when you reply, and attach that same .rmskin to a new reply here. I want to compare what you "get" with what I "sent".

It shows me this now:
Unable to create file:
C:\Users\?a???\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins\ExampleMeterButton\ExampleMeterButton.ini
Skin Installer Will Now quit
Click OK to close Skin Installer.

But I found out that at the downloading tab where it gives you the option to either:

Open with "Rainmeter.SkinInstaller (default)
Save file.

If I press the save file it shows me the message I posted in the OP,
Invalid package:
ExampleMeterButton_1.0.rmskin
The Skin Packager tool must be create valid .rmskin packages.

But if I press the "open with Rainmeter.SkinInstaller (default)" it opens the installer but when I press "install" it shows me the:
Unable to create file:
C:\Users\?a???\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins\ExampleMeterButton\ExampleMeterButton.ini
Skin Installer Will Now quit
Click OK to close Skin Installer.

Also the attachment that you asked:

ExampleMeterButton_1.0.rmskin

Post by **jsmorley** » July 26th, 2017, 2:53 pm

Nox VII wrote:It shows me this now:
Unable to create file:
C:\Users\?a???\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins\ExampleMeterButton\ExampleMeterButton.ini
Skin Installer Will Now quit
Click OK to close Skin Installer.

But I found out that at the downloading tab where it gives you the option to either:

Open with "Rainmeter.SkinInstaller (default)

Save file.
If I press the save file it shows me the message I posted in the OP,
Invalid package:
ExampleMeterButton_1.0.rmskin
The Skin Packager tool must be create valid .rmskin packages.

But if I press the "open with Rainmeter.SkinInstaller (default)" it opens the installer but when I press "install" it shows me the:
Unable to create file:
C:\Users\?a???\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins\ExampleMeterButton\ExampleMeterButton.ini
Skin Installer Will Now quit
Click OK to close Skin Installer.

Also the attachment that you asked:ExampleMeterButton_1.0.rmskin

Is this error:

C:\Users\?a???\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins\ExampleMeterButton\ExampleMeterButton.ini

Exactly like that? with the ? characters in it, or did you change that before you posted?

Nox VII · Post by **Nox VII** » July 26th, 2017, 2:54 pm

jsmorley wrote:Is this error:

C:\Users\?a???\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins\ExampleMeterButton\ExampleMeterButton.ini

Exactly like that? with the ? characters in it, or did you change that before you posted?

Exactly like that. Nothing changed.

Post by **jsmorley** » July 26th, 2017, 2:58 pm

Nox VII wrote:Exactly like that. Nothing changed.

Ok, so forget the virus / malware. Something else is going on. The .rmskin I sent and the one you attached are identical, so that's not the problem.

Seems like the issue is with your account name in Windows. Presumably it has Unicode characters in it, and for some reason that is giving the skin installer fits.

What is the account name you are using? What should actually be there in:

C:\Users\?a???\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins\ExampleMeterButton\ExampleMeterButton.ini

Obviously not actually question marks, those are not allowed in path or file names in Windows.

Nox VII · Post by **Nox VII** » July 26th, 2017, 3:05 pm

jsmorley wrote:Ok, so forget the virus / malware. Something else is going on. The .rmskin I sent and the one you attached are identical, so that's not the problem.

Seems like the issue is with your account name in Windows. Presumably it has Unicode characters in it, and for some reason that is giving the skin installer fits.

What is the account name you are using? What should actually be there in:

C:\Users\?a???\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins\ExampleMeterButton\ExampleMeterButton.ini

Obviously not actually question marks, those are not allowed in path or file names in Windows.

I had some problems with other programs because of the Greek characters in file names so I changed Window's language to English, and my user's name to English but my user's file has still Greek characters (Μακης) and it's locked so I can't rename it without deleting the user as far as I know.
I'm not certain whether I'm looking at the correct file though, because the error message shows ?a???, but that file doesn't have an English "a" but a Greek "α". The problem is that there's no other user in my PC and no other file with the same amount of letters in the C:\Users\ directory.

Post by **jsmorley** » July 26th, 2017, 3:12 pm

Nox VII wrote:I had some problems with other programs because of the Greek characters in file names so I changed Window's language to English, and my user's name to English but my user's file has still Greek characters (Μακης) and it's locked so I can't rename it without deleting the user as far as I know.
I'm not certain whether I'm looking at the correct file though, because the error message shows ?a???, but that file doesn't have an English "a" but a Greek "α". The problem is that there's no other user in my PC and no other file with the same amount of letters in the C:\Users\ directory.

That seems to be the root of the problem, but I don't have a good solution for you right off. As you say, creating a whole new account or re-installing Windows to use a new name for your account is pretty ugly.

I will ask the code monkeys to look at the Skin Installer code to see if we are doing something wrong with CodePage or Unicode characters in the user name, as in theory it shouldn't matter. There is still something about this that nags at me though, as we have tons of Rainmeter users who have foreign language user names (well foreign to me...) including Chinese and other super-non-English representations, and I have never run into this issue before.

[SOLVED]I can't install .rmskin files.

[SOLVED]I can't install .rmskin files.

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Re: I can't .rmskin files.

Re: I can't .rmskin files.

Re: I can't .rmskin files.

Re: I can't .rmskin files.

Re: I can't .rmskin files.

Re: I can't .rmskin files.

Re: I can't .rmskin files.