If you’re trying to start inFlow On-Premise and you’re getting this error: “There was an error connecting to inFlow”, there could be a number of reasons causing this issue.
See the list below to jump to a section of this article that applies to you.
- Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
- Antivirus
- Windows Update
- Using a Dell or HP computer?
- Clean up and reinstall
Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
There are some backend programs that allow inFlow On-Premise to run. If any of them are missing, it could cause an error.
To fix this issue:
- Stop the current installation (it may complete itself, if it does, please uninstall it, as it will not work correctly).
- Download both files: Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable x64 and Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable x86.
- Install both files and then re-run the inFlow On-Premise installer.
Antivirus
This error can be caused by your antivirus preventing inFlow from starting up properly. There are parts of inFlow that require administrator access (service start-up, database connection, etc.), and some antiviruses may stop this.
First, open your antivirus and look for a way to disable it temporarily (we can re-enable this later if we’ve ruled out antivirus as the cause of the issue). Each antivirus is different, but generally, this would be in the main screen where you can switch your protection on / off, and for how long (ten minutes should be enough).
Once you’ve done that, try to restart the inFlow service.
Try opening inFlow again. If that worked, great! It’s a problem with the antivirus flagging inFlow incorrectly. It’s possible to add inFlow as an accepted/trusted program through your antivirus, though again each antivirus has a different way of adding this setting. You may have to search for instructions to do this. For example you can search “Add program Norton antivirus” or “Add program McAfee” to get specific instructions.
Windows Update
Occasionally if there are any outstanding Windows updates that need to be installed, that can prevent inFlow from launching. To check that your Windows is up to date please see the steps below.
- Click Start (or hit your Windows Key), type in Windows Update and click Check for updates.
- Install any “Important updates” you see.
- Restart your computer first before trying to launch inFlow.
Are you using a Dell or HP computer?
We’ve had some reports of some customers experiencing troubles starting inFlow on Dell and HP computers after a recent Windows update (primarily in Windows 10). Following the update, a pre-installed service, SupportAssist Agent, now uses the same port that inFlow needs to run properly. In version 3.5.2 and higher, we released the feature to choose which port inFlow installs with. If you’re eligible for inFlow version 3.5.2 or higher, please follow the steps below. Check for saved backup files
- Open the File Explorer on your computer and go to the directory C:ProgramDatainFlow InventoryBackup (If you have recently made backup files proceed to step 3.) From here, verify there are backups in this folder that have been created recently. You can also create a backup from within inFlow from the steps here.
- Uninstall inFlow and re-run the inFlow installer.
- Click Customize my Installation.
- Select Server and Client.
- Select Use a custom port and set the port to 36191.
- Install.
We no longer support older versions of inFlow On-Premise (3.5.1 and older). And as of July 31, 2024, inFlow On-Premise will be sunset.
Clean up and reinstall
If disabling your antivirus didn’t work either, then it’s probably related to the program installation instead of the antivirus (you can turn the antivirus back on now). This error message can show up if certain components are missing / uninstalled or if you’ve recently upgraded your Windows (e.g. Windows 7 to Windows 10). Please follow the instructions in the clean-up article here to preserve your data and reinstall inFlow: cleaning up and installing inFlow.