Moving Alive to Your New Computer


To keep your Alive users and sessions (optional)

  1. Close Alive on both computers. Open your Documents folder on your old computer. Copy the entire Alive Sessions folder from your old computer's Documents folder to a USB drive. Make sure you copy the entire Alive Sessions folder by dragging the folder itself (not individual files) to the USB drive.
  2. Open your Documents folder on your new computer, then copy the entire Alive Sessions folder from the USB drive to your Documents folder on your new computer.
  3. It's easier to move your Alive users and sessions before installing Alive on your new computer.
  4. If you copy after installing and using Alive on your new computer, you'll need to choose one of these options: a) Overwrite the Alive Sessions folder on your new computer, b) First rename the Alive Sessions folder on your new computer to Alive Sessions Backup, or c) Merge the two folders, then delete the users.db file in your Alive Sessions folder.

 

To move Alive to a new computer

  1. Install Alive on your new computer
  2. Open Alive on your old computer, then in the initial choose user screen press the Transfer Activation button in the bottom left corner of Alive. Check the box next to your Alive serial number and follow the Transfer Activation steps. If you can't or don't want to open Alive, or have a very old version of Alive, run Uninstall Step 1 - Transfer Activation from your Start Menu (open your Start Menu -> Alive -> Uninstall Step 1 - Transfer Activation or search your Start menu for Uninstall Step 1 - Transfer Activation by typing it into your Start Menu).
  3. On your new computer, open Alive, press "No" if it asks you to use a trial, then enter your serial number when prompted, in order to activate Alive on your new computer.

Alive Compatibility with macOS


 

Not Compatible with macOS 14

macOS 14 (Sonoma) has introduced incompatibilities (bugs) which break games like Alive and Tropical Heat. This issue isn't limited to Somatic Vision games, it effects thousands of games (depending on the game engine used for game creation). It may not be possible for us to fix these macOS 14 issues. We are continuing to look into possible future solutions. Hopefully Apple will fix these bugs. Meanwhile macOS is only supported up till macOS 13 (including macOS 13.6.3).

 


 

M1/M2 Mac

macOS 10.12 (Sierra) - macOS 13 (Ventura)

  1. Works with iFeel USB sensors, BioSignals USB sensors, iom2 sensors and emWave sensors.
  2. Warnings are shown during installation. You must trust / accept all device drivers and components to allow Alive to connect to iFeel / BioSignals sensors.
  3. Download the latest version of Alive from: http://www.somaticvision.com/getalive
  4. You cannot install regular versions of Windows on Mac M1/M2 computers, so you can't install Alive for Windows on Mac M1/M2 computers.
     

 

Non M1/M2 Mac (before 2021)

macOS 10.12 (Sierra) - macOS 13 (Ventura)

  1. Works with iFeel USB sensors, BioSignals USB Sensors, iom2 sensors and emWave sensors.
    Also works with iFeel Bluetooth sensors only on macOS 10.12-11. iFeel Bluetooth is disabled by default. To enable it, you should run Enable iFeel Bluetooth once.
  2. Warnings are shown during installation. You must trust / accept all device drivers and components to allow Alive to connect to iFeel / BioSignals / emWave sensors.
  3. Download the latest version of Alive from: http://www.somaticvision.com/getalive
  4. You can install Windows through Parallels Desktop and use Alive for Windows on your Mac. This allows you to also use Lightstone, IOM, or GP8 Amp sensors through Alive for Windows on your Mac.
     

 

Legacy Version of Alive with Wild Divine Lightstone and IOM support for macOS 10.10 - 10.14

  1. Download an older version of Alive for 32-bit versions of macOS from: http://2120fd210807345b9f89-738c504147eef36f7522b5e06b1ff229.r65.cf1.rackcdn.com/Alive_3.2.5.1.dmg
  2. Works with Wild Divine Lightstone, IOM, or HeartMath emWave sensors only.

GP8 Amp Heart Rate Signal Quality

Most GP8 Amp BVP (finger heart rate) errors are caused by improper placement of the finger in the sensor. Move your finger out of the sensor a bit, then a bit more. Switch which BVP sensor you are using or move the sensor to a smaller finger. You can also purchase an iFeel Sensor which works with the GP8 Amp as a highly accurate and very comfortable and easy to use heart rate source.

Most GP8 Amp ECG errors are caused by movements or poor conductance (move hair out of the way or change electrode location, clean the skin and sensor with alcohol wipes, move the electrode slightly). Please read the GP8 Amp User Guide for more information.

Also, make sure you have your heart rate source set correctly on the Alive Main Menu.

For a detailed tutorial on fixing common GP8 Amp heart rate errors please watch this video:
https://youtu.be/CRij0Mpf8e0


 

Alive Crashing on Startup (or not opening) in Windows

Alive relies on certain standard Windows components. If these components are missing or have been replaced Alive may crash on startup. Also, Citrix is known to crash Alive and many other games.

Alive relies on Windows components installed with Windows Media Player. If you don't have Windows Media Player installed you may need to install it to fix your Alive crash. To install Windows Media Player use Turn Windows features on or off from Control Panel. Windows Media Player may be found in the Media Features section of Turn Windows features on or off in Windows 10. Make sure the box next to Windows Media Player is checked, then press OK. If you are using Windows 10 and do not have a Media Features section or Windows Media Player section, you probably have Windows 10 "N" and must install the Media Feature Pack from Microsoft.

The following software is known to replace required Windows components and cause Alive to crash:
Citrix
Cyberlink PowerDVD
LenovoDVD
InterVideo WinDVD

These software packages may have come bundled with your computer . If Alive is crashing it is recommended that you uninstall these software packages if they are present on your system.

Citrix is known to replace standard graphics drivers with it's own virtual graphics drivers that cause many games, including Alive, to crash. To use Citrix and Alive, you must remove Citrix, then reinstall it from the Command Prompt using the following command: CitrixWorkspaceApp.exe ADDLOCAL=ReceiverInside,ICA_Client,AM,SELFSERVICE,DesktopViewer,Flash,Vd3d,WebHelper,BrowserEngine

In addition, some video screen capture software, for example Replay Video Capture 6, replaces standard Windows components and causes crashes.

If you do not have any of these software packages installed, you may be able to fix Alive by downloading and installing the latest full version of Alive from: www.somaticvision.com/trial.php?M=D

Exporting and Importing Users in Alive

If you want to copy all of your Alive users to another computer, the process is simple as long as you don't have any Alive users on your new computer. Simply open your Documents folder on your original computer with Alive, and copy the entire Alive Sessions folder to a USB drive. Place the Alive Sessions folder into the Documents folder on your new computer. THIS WILL OVERWRITE ANY ALIVE USERS ON YOUR NEW COMPUTER.

If you have Alive users on two computers, but want to copy a single user (or multiple users) without losing users on the computer you would like to copy to, you must use the Alive Import / Export users feature:

  1. Open Alive
  2. Before choosing a user click "export user" (on the right side)
  3. Click the user name you want to export. A dialog box will pop up letting you know where to find the files on your computer.
  4. Open your Documents folder and find, but don't open the Alive Exported Users folder. Copy the Alive Exported Users folder to a USB drive, or in any other way copy it to your other computer. On the other computer put it in the Documents folder (where you can see the Alive Session folder, so in your Documents there are both Alive Sessions folder and the Alive Exported Users folder).
  5. Open Alive on your new computer and click import user.
  6. Choose the user name for the client you exported.

Installing Alive on a Computer Without Internet

If you do not have an Alive DVD and want to install Alive on a computer without an Internet connection please watch the following video, or follow the instructions in the video description:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjzf-MSmg_Q

How to register Alive on a computer without an Internet connection

To register Alive on a computer without an Internet connection, you need access to a 2nd computer, with an Internet connection.

On the target computer, where you want to register Alive:
1. Go to Start Menu -> Programs -> Alive and open Alive.
2. If you still have trials, press 'No' to register Alive.
3. Enter your serial number and press 'OK'.
4. Write down, or copy to a new document, the information, especially the computer code, shown. Then press 'OK'.
5. Press 'No' to indicate the computer is not connected to the Internet.

On a second computer, with an internet connection
6. Go to www.somaticvision.com/registration/
7. Enter your name, serial number, and computer code. The computer code is the code we got from step 4 above.
8. Press 'Unlock Product' and you should see your unlock code. Write this code down, or copy it to a new document.

On the first, target computer, where you want to register Alive:
9. Enter the Unlock Code from step 8 above. Press 'OK'.

Alive will now be registered on the target computer.

Problems Downloading Alive

To install Alive on Windows you use one of the Alive Downloaders. The Downloaders download all Alive files and then run Alive Setup to begin installation.

There are both Standard and Alternate Alive Downloaders.

Begin by using the Download Alive link at https://www.somaticvision.com/trial.php?M=D. This Downloader will download Alive in 300 MB parts. If a part contains errors, the percent completed shown in the Downloader will decrease and that part will be downloaded again.

If you have a problem with the Standard Downloader, use the Alternate Alive Downloader link from that same page.

If you are unable to download Alive using either Downloader, try again on another computer with a faster Internet connection. Once the Downloader finishes downloading, all required installation files are saved in a single folder either on your desktop, or in whatever folder you saved the Downloader in. You can then copy these files onto a USB drive and transfer them to the computer that you wish to install Alive on.

If you can't use any of the Alive downloaders, you can manually download all Alive files. You may wish to use a download manager to ensure each file is downloaded completely and without errors. Make sure all files are in the same folder, and have the file names exactly as listed below (you may not see the .exe extension if your computer is set to hide extensions). Once all files are fully downloaded and in the same folder you can run the exe file (the one without -1a or -2c, etc. in the name) to install Alive.

You can manually download all files by copying each file's link as shown in the regular or mirror Alive Installer. Once the Alive Installer is open, click Show manual download links and copy and paste each separate line to download that file.

Execution of command 'ServerOpen.exe' failed or "Permission" problem

If you are having problems, when opening Alive or Alive Environments, that give an error message relating to "ServerOpen.exe", "Error 5", or a "Permission" error you may have an anti-virus or anti-spyware program running that is preventing Alive from functioning properly. Please temporarily disable, or properly configure, your anti-virus or anti-spyware program to allow Alive to fully function. For example you may need to add an exception for the SomaticVisionServer.exe to your firewall, or disable (or properly configure) Comodo "Defense + Security level" protection.

Clinical Version Tricks - How Do I Skip the Coach for New Users?

In the clinical version of Alive, once you have selected a user, you can press the backquote ( ` ) key to open the clinical control panel. On most keyboards this key is located in the upper left corner. This quote looks similar to a standard quote, but is angled in the opposite direction.

Once you open the clinical control panel, the top button allows you to unlock the main menu.

In addition you can change the heart rate smoothness difficulty level, turn off coach suggestions, open a secondary graphing screen and more.

A video tutorial on the clinical version features will be available shortly and a link will be added to this FAQ.

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