Oops – you goofed like I did. You installed Lion before realizing that it would NOT run ExamView (or your other essential or favorite PowerPC/Rosetta programs). From the number of hits that my post ExamView will NOT work on OS X Lion is getting from the search terms “ExamView Lion” I know this is a big issue. And, just so we are clear…
THERE IS NO EXISTING VERSION OF EXAMVIEW THAT WILL RUN ON AN OS X LION MAC.
As you can see for yourself above, I’ve looked it up, I’ve downloaded it, I’ve contacted ExamView (einstruction actually) and this has been verified. And yes, I am talking about the most current version of ExamView for Mac. So, you are in one of two situations:
1) You have a current Mac that you prematurely upgraded to Lion. At this point, accept it. There is no upgrade for ExamView and no workaround. You HAVE to go back to Snow Leopard if you have to run ExamView.
- If you have a Time Machine back up from your Snow Leopard days, you are set! You can go back to Snow Leopard, no hard feelings.
- If you do NOT have a Time Machine back-up, you will have to back up all your data (I recommend an external hard drive), erase your hard drive, re-install Snow Leopard (and all of your applications and settings and stuff) and then you are good to go.
2) You have a beautiful, brand new Mac with Lion installed. NO, you cannot put Snow Leopard onto it and NO you cannot run your ExamView. Today I was told however, that Windows 7 would run on the new Mac. So, now all you have to do is buy Windows 7, partition your new hard drive, install Windows 7 to run in addition to Lion and you are all set! What a pain! Plus, I hate all things “Windows” so this was not a viable option for me.
EDITED/UPDATED
3) Parallels Software – Thanks to two people, a great friend on FB and an amazing educator on Twitter, I found out that you can purchase a program called Parallels that allows you to run Windows programs on your Mac. The only expense here is the program ($80) and the time. Most ExamView CD’s that come with the book include the Mac and PC installers so you should not have to purchase a new version of ExamView. This is still not an ideal option for me because I am not a Windows fan. Since ExamView is the ONLY software I need this for and an eventual fix is coming I’m willing to wait it out. However, if you have a new Mac and no other options then this may be a great fix for you.
In all cases, if you have AppleCare then you are in luck, CALL THEM at (800) MYAPPLE. They will help you with software issues. The great people at AppleCare patiently walked me right through every step I needed to back up my data, erase my hard drive, and then re-install Snow Leopard. (I had no Time Machine back-up.) They also gave me options of partitioning my hard drive so that I could run Lion or Windows 7 along side of Snow Leopard. However, I decided not to do that. I am just going to run Snow Leopard until ExamView gets their act together and puts out an updated ExamView. At that time, I can just re-download Lion from the App store and then re-install. I was told that I will not be charged again as Apple has a record that I already bought it. ExamView emailed (someone more important than me) that it would be about 90 days. Right. I’ll believe that when I (don’t) see it.
Whatever you decide to do, PLEASE contact einstruction. Hopefully the more people that contact them the more pressing of an issue they will realize this is. And please let them know that this is not simply an “inconvenience”. It is an unacceptable failure on their part to upgrade their outdated software. We haven’t been “inconvenienced”, we have been completely put out of service.
e-instruction contacts:
- http://www.einstruction.com/support/technical-support
- You can also call: 888-333-4988 to speak with a technical support representative.
Even with Time Machine, one would still need to erase the Lion partition using Lion Recovery, reboot to the Snow Leopard install DVD, and then run the Restore From Time Machine utility. Lion changes the partition upon installation that prevents Snow Leopard from being able to alter it, which is why the Lion Recovery partition must be used to wipe Lion before a restoration from Time Machine is possible. If you don’t wipe Lion first, the data will restore from the chosen date but the computer will still have the 10.7 system.
It is true that the Mac App Store keeps a running list of all your purchased contents, including Lion, so that, if you remove an application, it may be re-downloaded again at no additional charge.
@James – I was not aware that a Time Machine restore would leave you in 10.7, I thought it would take you back into Snow Leopard. Thank you very much for clarifying that! It seems that any fix is going to be somewhat painful.
There is another option: Parallels makes it possible to run other operating systems, including Windows 7, without rebooting. Then you can have Lion AND Examview!
Thanks for this Lori! I just had a friend on FB tell me the same thing. I believe I will even edit this post. Parallels is $80 and ExamView software comes with the Mac and PC version on it so you could go that way if you had to have Lion. This would be especially useful on a new Mac that cannot have any OS but Lion. I need to research Parallel more. I am very mistrustful of anything Windows. I will miss Lion, but dislike Windows enough to hold off until ExamView fixes their software.
VirtualBox is a free virtualization software – while not as polished as VMWare Fusion or Parallels, it does the job for free, so those on a budget could go that route.
Examview is five year old software (or more).
I’m moving forward with the new technology. I thought about going back to Snow Leopard, but I’m moving ahead with Lion!
I’ve discovered a test generator called “Starquiz”.
It can be found at the Mac app store.
I tried using Parallels with no luck.
When I tried to open a test I got an error message saying “this is not a valid test”.
I’m using the same TeacherExpress software to open it that I used to create it.
Also, I was unable to open the teacher resources. When I clicked on a resource, I got a message saying “application not found”.
@Steve – wow, thanks for the information. It really is no fun, but I did erase my hd and re-install Snow Leopard. ExamView is now running again. I uploaded all of my tests and banks to Dropbox and now have access to them on all of my computers. Good luck.
I spoke with tech support for Examview. He told me that there is no update for Lion in the future.
He told me that they are in the process of moving toward web-based programs.
Web-based? We have a web-based SIS, alas we don’t actually have wireless in every classroom, let alone drops in a building built in 1912 (but I do have a super high, beautifully embossed tin ceiling).
And even if you have web-access, the web is routed through the Board for security, which in turn gets all it access through the Provincial Learning Network… if any of these go down… and what if I’m working on a test far from civilization — on a ferry in the Haida Gwaii, or on field trip through the Rockies — been there, done that…
@Maple: Great points – I didn’t even think of that. I spend MANY hours at soccer practices each week where I have no wi-fi. So, I would not be able to work on any assessments unless I had wi-fi. But, there HAS to be something better than ExamView out there!
I am using parallels with examview with 0 problems. I don’t like that this is what I had to resort to, but it is better than not having Lion.
Brian – I am glad to hear that you are having success with parallels (even though it is less Han ideal). This should give Lion users some hope!
Quia is a reasonably inexpensive alternative for the short run until ExamView is ready for Lion. It actually handles images better, but printing is a bit of a problem. The Quia license cost $50 a year.
Screw them. They have been anti-Mac for years and I have moved on. I have been slowly converting all of my questions to Latex. Platform-independent and fully modifiable.
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They finally fixed it and emailed me a link to a FREE download of the new version! I blogged about it here http://wp.me/pTkSE-bp.
Yeah!