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Orchestrate won't open on a new PC — the window opens then disappears

Fix for Orchestrate failing to launch on a new PC — the window opens briefly then disappears before reaching the login screen.

Written by Christopher Hart

Applies to

  • Access Orchestrate (desktop client) versions before 7.82

  • New / freshly provisioned Windows machines

Keywords: Orchestrate won't open, window opens then disappears, window opens and closes, window disappears on launch, won't start, won't launch, fails to launch, crashes on startup, splash screen flashes, splash screen closes, closes immediately, disappears immediately, new PC, new PC install, new machine, freshly installed, never reaches login screen, login screen doesn't appear

Symptoms

  • The Orchestrate splash screen appears briefly (around 1 second) and then disappears.

  • The application never reaches the login form.

  • No obvious error message is shown to the user.

  • The same version of Orchestrate runs correctly on other machines, including machines on the same Windows version.

Before you start, confirm the correct VC++ 2013 runtime is installed

Orchestrate requires the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable, and the bitness (x64 or x86) must match the bitness of the Orchestrate build you are running. Installing the wrong bitness (e.g. the x86 runtime for a 64-bit Orchestrate) will not satisfy the dependency.

How to tell which one you need:

  • Check the MSI / setup file name — the platform is in the filename, e.g. Orchestrate_Live_x64.msi or SetupOrchestrate...x64.exe indicates the 64-bit build (use the x64 runtime). A name without x64 (the 32-bit build) needs the x86 runtime.

  • Check the install path — C:\Program Files\Orchestrate\... is the 64-bit build (needs x64 runtime); C:\Program Files (x86)\Orchestrate\... is the 32-bit build (needs x86 runtime).

To verify / install:

  1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps (or Programs and Features) and look for "Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable" in the matching bitness — the (x64) entry for a 64-bit Orchestrate.

  2. If it is missing, download and install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable in the matching bitness from Microsoft, then restart the machine.

Tip: It is fine to have both the x64 and x86 2013 redistributables installed — but the one matching your Orchestrate build must be present.

Resolution — uninstall and copy from a known-good machine

If the correct VC++ 2013 runtime is installed and Orchestrate still flashes-and-closes, copy a known-good installation from a working machine.

1. On the affected machine — uninstall and clear out

  1. Uninstall Orchestrate via Add/Remove Programs (Apps & Features).

  2. Delete these folders if they remain after uninstall:

    • C:\Program Files\Orchestrate\Orchestrate Planner

    • C:\ProgramData\Orchestrate\Orchestrate Planner

  3. Back up the registry first (see below), then delete the Orchestrate registry keys in all relevant locations:

    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Access UK Ltd\Orchestrate

    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Access UK Ltd\Orchestrate

    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Access UK Ltd\Orchestrate

2. Back up before making changes

Create a System Restore point (recommended):

  1. Press Win + R, type SystemPropertiesProtection, press Enter.

  2. On the System Protection tab, select your system drive → Create….

  3. Name it (e.g. Before Orchestrate registry change) → Create.

And/or export the keys you're about to delete (so you can roll back):

  1. Open regedit, navigate to each key above.

  2. Right-click the key → Export → save as a .reg file.

3. On the known-good machine , export the registry keys

  1. Open Registry Editor (Win + R → regedit).

  2. Paste each key path into the address bar, then right-click the key → Export, and save a .reg file for each:

    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Access UK Ltd\Orchestrate

    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Access UK Ltd\Orchestrate

    • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Access UK Ltd\Orchestrate

    (Command-line alternative, run as Administrator:)

    reg export "HKLM\Software\Access UK Ltd\Orchestrate" hklm-orchestrate.reg

    reg export "HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Access UK Ltd\Orchestrate" hklm-wow64-orchestrate.reg

    reg export "HKCU\Software\Access UK Ltd\Orchestrate" hkcu-orchestrate.reg

4. Copy the application files

  1. On the known-good machine, copy the full C:\Program Files\Orchestrate\Orchestrate Planner folder.

  2. Paste it into the same location on the affected machine.

Make sure both machines are the same build (x64 or x86) — do not copy a 32-bit install onto a machine expecting the 64-bit build, or vice versa.

5. Import the registry keys on the affected machine

  1. Double-click each exported .reg file (or run reg import "path\file.reg" from an elevated prompt) and accept the merge prompt — importing the HKLM keys requires administrator rights.

6. Launch and confirm

Launch Orchestrate and confirm it now reaches the login form.

If it still doesn't open

This procedure has resolved the issue in the field. If Orchestrate still flashes-and-closes after following all the steps above:

  1. Re-confirm the correct-bitness VC++ 2013 runtime is installed (x64 for a 64-bit build) — this is the most common miss.

  2. Contact Support for assistance.

Optional diagnostic, Process Monitor

Support may ask you to run Process Monitor (Procmon) to capture exactly what fails at launch:

  1. Download Procmon from Microsoft Sysinternals; run the 64-bit build (Procmon64.exe) on a 64-bit machine.

  2. Set a filter: Process Name → is → orcPlanner.exe → Include.

  3. Launch Orchestrate and watch for:

    • NAME NOT FOUND / PATH NOT FOUND on liblmxnet.dll, msvcp120.dll, or msvcr120.dll — a missing/transitive DLL.

    • ACCESS DENIED on those DLLs — a permissions or security block.

As a fallback, consider whether a later patch release (7.82 or later) runs cleanly on the affected machine.

Key takeaways

  • This affects Orchestrate versions before 7.82; later versions launch cleanly on the affected machines.

  • The splash-flash-then-close symptom is an early startup failure, often before any logging — so "no event log" is expected and not informative.

  • First check the VC++ 2013 runtime is installed in the bitness that matches the Orchestrate build (shown in the MSI filename / install path), and install the matching one if it is missing.

  • Always back up the registry / create a restore point before deleting or importing keys.

  • When reinstall fails, uninstalling and copying files + registry from a known-good machine is a reliable fallback.

  • If it still doesn't open after this proven fix, contact Support for assistance.

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