I Feel Stupid, Frustrated, and Angry

Feel free to skip, or quickly skim, most of the blue text in this post if you wish.

I should be blogging more often, but there hasn't been much to say.  My computer was in the shop for a while, and now I have it back.  But while my computer was in the shop, something good happened.

Holdem Manager, my tracking program, now works on the site where I play.  The program tracks every hand that I play online and keeps a boatload of statistics on everything that happens.  For example, if I want to know what percentage of the time a certain player raises, then folds to a reraise, there is a statistic for that--and I can see it on a HUD (heads-up display) while I'm playing.

This is a very big deal for me, because I have a lot of trouble moving information from short-term to long term memory.  I understand strategic concepts easily, but remembering small details is very difficult.  Some players can remember important hands that they played 10 years ago.  I can not tell you the details of one hand that I ever played.

Tracking software helps me to reduce that disadvantage.  I can see statistics on other players, so even if I don't remember any details, I at least have an idea how they play.  Perhaps more important, some of those players are tracking me, which puts me at a great disadvantage when I don't have that capability.

I tried to upgrade from Holdem Manager 1 (which is being phased out) to Holdem Manager 2 (which works with Americas Cardroom, the site on which I play.)  I was unable to successfully install the software.

I sent mail to the folks at HM2, they asked me to send them a crash log, and I did that.  Here is what I got back:


This email was sent because we received a crash log from you recently. I am sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with Holdem Manager but If you follow these instructions below it should fix the issue.

Solution Instructions:
Step 1: Restore Default Settings:
First try restoring your default settings, often some settings files can become corrupt and cause these issues:
http://hm2faq.holdemmanager.com/questions/2511/Create+a+Backup+and+restore+default+settings
NB: If this step is successful it is very import you send us the backup files as detailed in no.2 of that FAQ otherwise the problem may come back and we need those files to reproduce it and fix permanently.

Step 2: Set files to run as administrator
1 - Go to C:\Program Files\Holdem Manager 2 (Program Files (x86) for the 64bit version)
2 - Right click the HoldemManager.exe and choose "Properties".
3 - Go to the Compatibility Tab and select "Run this program as an Administrator"
4 - Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for HudFuncsApp.exe, ThirtyTwoBitIPC.exe and tablescannerdllloader.exe

If this option is greyed out it is because the UAC is disabled.
Enable UAC - http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/disable-user-account-control-uac-the-easy-way-on-windows-vista/
Reboot and complete Step 3 and 4.
UAC can be turned off again if desired.

Step 3: Update Windows
Often the issue can be caused by a conflict with another program or utility on your PC. Windows may have released an update to fix this issue. See here for details on how to run windows update - http://www.update.microsoft.com/windowsupdate/v6/thanks.aspx?ln=en&&thankspage=5
It is important to make sure to check windows update after it completes the previous update to make sure it says "No More Critical Updates Available" because it often does the updates in stages and does not always complete them all at once.

Step 4: Uninstall and reinstall HM2 with Revo uninstaller:
Other times critical system files may not have been installed on previous updates and it can also cause these types of errors or in some cases antiviruses may have removed files that it mistook for unsafe. Doing a revo uninstall also removes old registry file information which might have become corrupt. You can download the free version here: http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html and there is a useful tutorial how to use it here: http://www.guidingtech.com/457/revo-uninstaller/

Uninstall Holdem Manager 2 via Revo unistaller and then reinstall this version: http://www.holdemmanager.com/downloads/Holdem_Manager_2_Setup.exe

Step 5: Add exceptions to firewall
Some firewalls detect HM2 as a threat because of the way it interacts with different poker software, as a consequence they can block HM accessing files it needs to and in turn cause a crash. Please follow the instructions in the FAQ carefully.
http://hm2faq.holdemmanager.com/questions/1011/Software+Security+Problems+%28Firewall%29

Step 6: Set correct permissions on files and folders HM2 use
Please follow the instructions in this FAQ: http://hm2faq.holdemmanager.com/questions/2561/Set+Correct+Permissions+on+files+and+folders+HM2+use

If these solutions do not work please email us back and well be happy to help.

Thanks
Holdem Manager Support Team..http://forums.holdemmanager.com/forum.php

Then, I went to this page, as directed in step 1:

http://hm2faq.holdemmanager.com/questions/2511/Create+a+Backup+and+restore+default+settings

That link gave me four pages of instructions on how to do that part of step number one.  And I seem to be stuck on that step.

If I go through all these instructions, step-by-step (and I really don't have any choice) I'll eventually get it figured out, but it's going to take a lot of time.

Besides the problems with installation, from what I do have installed, it looks like I'll have to devote many more hours to figure out how to use the program.  Version 2 of Holdem Manager is very different than Version 1, and after briefly looking at the interface and all of the options, I don't know how to do anything that I was doing when I used Version 1 while playing on PokerStars.

This makes no sense.  I used to be a member of MENSA (I stopped paying dues when the local group folded.)  I took three semesters of computer science in college--it was a long time ago (1980s), but I try to keep up with developments, especially in software.

I estimate that it will take me somewhere between 10 and 30 hours to figure all of this out.  It could actually take a week or more, because there are several steps along the way where there might have to be E-mail communications between myself and Holdem Manager.  For example, they might want me to send them certain files, or the exact wording of an error message.

How can this be so hard?  Can most poker players, confronted with something like this, really figure it out fairly quickly and easily?  I don't see players in the twoplustwo.com poker forums complaining about it.

I'm supposed to be smart, but I feel stupid, frustrated and angry.