Error «hexadecimal value 0x00» when starting POINTCLOUD

Summary

When starting TCP PointCloud Editor, an error message appears stating that the hexadecimal value 0x00 is not a valid character (line 1, position 1) and the program does not start. The most likely cause is that the user configuration file has become corrupt, usually after a change of screen resolution or after going from working with two monitors to just one. It is solved by deleting the user configuration of the application —making a copy of the folder first— so that it is regenerated with the default values on the next start. The same mismatch, when the application does start, causes windows and dialogues to be clipped or off screen: that case is covered in «Windows of POINTCLOUD clipped or off screen».

Applies to

• TCP PointCloud Editor (POINTCLOUD). The tickets do not state specific version numbers, but the procedure is the same in all of them: the application creates a user.config for each version, in its own subfolder.

Symptoms

• On starting the program the message appears: «Error - '.', hexadecimal value 0x00, is an invalid character, line 1, position 1», which prevents it from starting.

• The fault occurs after installing the application, on a computer where the screen resolution may have been changed or where two monitors have been reduced to one.

Cause

Corrupt user configuration file: the most likely cause is that the user configuration of the application has become corrupt after a change of screen resolution or after going from two monitors to one.

Solution

Case: error «hexadecimal value 0x00, is an invalid character, line 1, position 1» on starting

1. Close the application if it has been left open or blocked.

2. Open the user configuration folder C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Aplitop,_S.L, replacing <user> with your Windows user name. You can go there directly by typing %localappdata% in the Windows search box and pressing Enter. If you cannot see the AppData folder, enable the Hidden items option in File Explorer (View menu).

3. Before deleting anything, make a backup: copy the Aplitop,_S.L folder to another location, for example the Desktop. If deleting does not solve the problem, you will be able to leave everything as it was.

4. Inside you will find one subfolder for each version of the application that has been started on the computer: the user.config file —the one that stores the position and dimensions of the windows— is created when the application starts, one per version.

5. Delete the subfolders in which that user.config file appears.

6. Start the application again so that it regenerates the default configuration.

7. If that does not solve it, try deleting the other folders in C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Aplitop\PointCloudEditor as well. It is a different location, with other application settings; make a copy of it too before deleting.

If the problem persists

• Tell Aplitop technical support if the above procedure does not solve the incident, attaching a screenshot of the error message.

• If you cannot find any subfolder with a user.config in AppData\Local\Aplitop,_S.L, do not delete anything on your own judgement: tell technical support.

• If after regenerating the configuration the application starts but some window or dialogue is shown clipped, too small, too large or off screen, see «Windows of POINTCLOUD clipped or off screen»: it is the same user configuration mismatch, with a different symptom.

• If after regenerating the configuration the application still does not start or shows other errors, the origin may be an incomplete or corrupt installation: see POINTCLOUD does not start after installing or updating and carry out a clean reinstall.

Category: Installation and system requirements · Level: Intermediate