d7x Manual

[Revision In Process]  The information below was originally written for d7II, but also applies to d7x.  Some interface screen shots and other information may not apply to d7x (for example, “Check for Updates” is not applicable as d7x currently manages updates automatically and without user interface.)

Please see d7x Server Connectivity if you are experiencing connectivity issues when attempting to activate your d7x license.

Depending on the security software being used on the system, this may or may not be necessary to prevent false positives in legitimate/clean copies of d7x and related binaries, and even many other optional 3rd party applications that a PC technician may choose to use (either through d7x or otherwise) in a malware removal or Windows repair scenario.  In the past with some stubborn security software, it has been observed that all protection settings must be disabled entirely (no matter how irrelevant they seem, like web protection features) in order to run this and other legitimate software used in PC repair, even from within Windows safe mode!

From time to time, we may document some of the harder to disable anti-virus software here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRH8ZC4G_wWH2zwDL1Fo-fpFhnOyu9Dh2

Extract to a new folder, anywhere on the hard drive.  d7x is a portable application not requiring installation, and may run anywhere on the local system.

Typically, we extract to a folder on the user’s Desktop.  When run from outside the local file system, such as from a flash drive or network path, d7x will copy the needed components locally as necessary, by default to the %systemdrive%\Support\d7x folder (but this location can be changed later in d7x Config.)

 3a.  (Highly recommended for everyone!)  Skip the last configuration step by choosing the “Starter Config” download above.

This download is complete with many settings configured for ease of use, as well as custom apps and internal functionality already populated and arranged with best practices in mind.  This provides a great basis for getting started, and you can make changes at any time.

 3b.  (The “Clean Install” method) Download the “Blank Config” above.

This download is entirely void of any configuration and should be used if you either have a lot of free time on your hands to configure d7x with, or you have an existing d7x configuration you wish to import (extract this download into your existing d7x directory, delete the old d7x EXE file, and run the new one extracted from this download.)

 3c.  Existing d7II users (who wish to save existing configurations) should instead read “Updating d7II to d7x” in on the main page of the d7x Manual.

Please be patient, the first run can take a minute (d7x may not appear visible on screen at first.)  If the software is running in Task Manager and using resources, allow it to finish.  If absent, or the software does restart after a self-update, just double-click the exe to start it up again, at which point you should see the prompt you to enter your license information.

Unless updating an existing config, the d7x software should soon prompt you to enter your subscriber account credentials.  After this, older d7x accounts will be prompted for additional d7x license info, but this does not occur with newer d7x accounts.

PLEASE NOTE:  You only need to register/activate d7x one time, after which you will copy the entire d7x folder (where you extracted it) for your technicians to use through network paths, on flash drives, etc.  The manual also contains a section for the d7x Remote Deployment Tool, which you can create once d7x is initially activated.

To successfully activate and use the software:

a.  You will need the provided d7x Account (formerly d7II or dCloud) login credentials.  These were automatically sent to the email address you used to purchase, immediately after making payment.  If you did not receive that email, we can resend as necessary, but please check your SPAM first (if it was blocked once…)

b. This step applies ONLY if you purchased your subscription prior to August 2018:  You will need your registered company name and the product/license key for activation, which we send to you after we setup your account on our servers.  PLEASE NOTE:  The software is required to reflect your company name in the title bar of the application, which you provided during checkout/payment.  Your company name is tied to your product/activation key, so that it cannot be changed without invalidating the product license.  The company name cannot be modified after account creation without additional charges; contact us for more information.

c.  You are asked to create your own “Technician Password“, which is NOT related to the d7x Account credentials.  You will create this password to use for encrypting any data you store on our servers (we do not need this from you.)  This password is also for your technicians to use with various d7x functionality, so don’t make it too difficult!  Please see The “Technician Password” for important details.

Once started, click the Main drop-down menu of the d7x interface, then click Check for Updates.

You may receive a message that no application updates were found if you are running the latest version.  This does not mean that updates were not processed for additional executables (modules) used by d7x, as well as updates for default custom app configurations, which are all updated automatically by the Check for Updates function.

(If you chose step 3a , you can skip this step.)  

Populate the custom action lists in the main interface as desired, to include the d7x internal functionality and custom apps you wish to use.  For the “Auto Mode” on each tab, these functions and apps will run in order, from top to bottom, left to right.

To add custom apps to each section of d7x, go to the Main menu > Config > Custom Apps > Assign App / Function To Section.  Here you can simply drag and drop apps (use the right-click to drag and drop) from the list on the left to the selected section (list on the right) to populate them by section.  (You can also add functionality and apps to the sections in the interface via right-click menu option.)

Register d7x one time only, and make copies of the d7x folder for any other technicians using the product after registration and initial configuration.

Always keep fully configured copies of d7x on tech bench computers, network shares, and flash drives; avoid using the remote deployment tools unless actually working remotely.

When you need to register a new copy of d7x then please use the Browse button at the registration prompt to find/import your existing d7II compatible license file (.\Config\Reg.Settings.dat from d7II, or .\d7x Resources\Config\d7II.License.dat from d7x), which ensures the exact same “Technician Password” is used.  This does NOT import your entire configuration, but instead only imports account credentials, registration data, and the “Technician Password” itself.

We highly recommend viewing the 7 videos on our d7x Intro playlist for setup and initial configuration.

Pre-Requisites:  (Both Methods)

If you have any copies of d7x on the same PC, ensure that you have used the END SESSION to close one of them before the upgrade.

Next, be sure to delete the following Registry key if it exists:  HKLM\Software\Foolish IT\d7II.

To keep/update an existing configuration.

Download the “d7x (Blank Config)” zip file, and extract the included d7x vX.X.X.X.exe file and d7x Resources directory to your existing directory with a registered/working copy of d7II.exe or a previous d7x vX.X.X.X.exe file.  Be sure to delete the original exe file before running the new d7x vX.X.X.X.exe file.

Run the d7x vX.X.X.X.exe file, and it will startup after converting the d7II configuration and removing the .\Config folder in the process.  Once d7x starts, you should verify your configuration, paying attention to email/FTP settings.  ** Email settings that are configured for GMail can now be reconfigured using Google OAuth2 (meaning you can enable 2FA without needing to use insecure ‘App Passwords’ with d7x) so we highly recommend reconfiguring with that setting vs. using the traditional password based authentication provided by earlier versions of d7x and d7II.

Optional/Recommended:  Now you may want to cleanup d7II config files no longer in use, so that your configuration is as slim as possible for transfers to and from the Config Mgmt Portal.  So go into the .\d7x Resources\Config_Legacy folder, and delete EVERYTHING EXCEPT the “Profiles” and “SortOrder” folders, and the “AppOverrides.ini” and “AltText.ini” files.  Absolutely everything else is unused by d7x even the logos, so they are just taking up space and unnecessary.

Optional/Recommended:  Next you should cleanup the rest of the unnecessary files by deleting everything (files and directories) from the root of your d7II-now-d7x folder EXCEPT for the d7x vX.X.X.X.exe file, the d7x Resources directory which now houses all of d7x’s various dependencies and components, and your Scripts directory (if you have one.)  Everything else is d7II and should be deleted.  Note that the 3rd Party Tools directory should be deleted because many d7x custom apps will download/extract to different locations than the d7II custom app of the same or similar name, leaving you with duplicates in that directory, so we recommend just deleting it entirely, and letting d7x recreate it.  If you prefer to have these files in the folder before you begin work on a system, then you can pre-download every app used by d7x and your custom apps in your auto mode profiles by going to the “Auto Mode Options” button on the top right corner of the app and select “Download/Update All Apps Now” from the drop down menu.

FINAL STEP (DO NOT SKIP):  Once your new d7x folder is cleaned up of unnecessary files, you need to visit the Config Mgmt Portal where you can save your config but most importantly test to see if the Technician Password was imported.  Launch d7x and go to the Servers drop down menu on the top left, and select Config Mgmt Portal.  At this point you may be prompted to enter a “Technician Password” which is why you should not skip this step, and if so do this now, and please see the info below about the Technician Password!  If you were not prompted to enter a Technician Password, that means it imported from your d7II configuration, but you should be sure that you know it.  If not, you can reset it in d7x Config > Admin tab.

Once that is done, and this is optional but a recommended part of your last step, you can now save/upload your config through the Config Mgmt Portal, and create a d7xRDT (Remote Deployment Tool) based on that config.  (The d7xRDT is a replacement for the d7II_SFX_Mini.)  More info and a video on the d7xRDT is available further down in the manual.

To start with a new/blank config or starter config.

Download your choice of the “d7x (Starter Config)” or the “d7x (Blank Config)” zip file, and extract to a new folder, launch d7x vX.X.X.X.exe and enter your account credentials (and license data for earlier license types.)  The difference between them is that the Starter Config contains a pre-built configuration that you can look at and modify easily (the default auto mode profile is populated with apps, and “Your Company Name Here” text and generic logos are setup instead of no logos, so you have templates to work with and can see what and where modifications need to take place.)

Note that you may register d7x by using the Browse button (when prompted for your account credentials and license information) so that you may find and import an existing d7II\Config\Reg.Settings.dat file.  The only issue with this is that it ensures the exact same “Technician Password” is used; see the note on The “Technician Password” below for more information on the Technician Password, but you should know the password in use so if you aren’t sure of what that password is, then after importing a d7II license file you should go to the d7x Config > Admin tab and reset your Technician Password from there.  Once reset, ensure to delete or overwrite any configs you have in Config Mgmt Portal as they will be encrypted using your previous Technician Password.

Notes:  (Both Methods)

#1  The “Technician Password”  (IMPORTANT!)

#2  For remote usage, please see d7xRDT, the “d7II SFX Mini” replacement (Video)

#3  If for some reason you are updating from d7II v2.x (which was not forced to update to d7II 3.x) then you may want to see this article:  Recreate the d7II v2.x Look and Feel

d7x uses a ‘session‘ concept, which you can think of as a “Repair Session” or “Malware Removal Session” where “session” could be substituted with “job.”

*** Always use the “End Session” button when finished with d7x on any system, even if you launched the software once, did nothing, and closed it.  The “End Session” button can seen as an option when clicking the red X to close the main d7x interface.  If that’s enough explanation, then you can skip the rest of this section, which explains what a ‘session’ is and what it does.

d7x will start a new session when launched for the first time, on any system that it was never previously used on, or where it has ended a previous session.  During this first run in a new session, certain temporary system modifications will take place, such as:

 * Creates registry entries necessary for operation for auto mode functionality with itself (remembering options after reboot or program restarts) as well as for exchanging settings and path information for external applications used with d7x, for scripting functionality, and for 3rd party applications that you may be using.

 * Applies whitelisting to Windows Defender (where possible) on d7x and subdirectories.

 * Applies group policy settings (if configured) such as Windows Update and even using a WSUS server on your local network.

 * Applies other preferences in Windows settings that you use to work on a system, such as showing hidden files, system files, file extensions, and more!

 * Creates a desktop shortcut to the d7x executable or the parent directory if configured (assuming you don’t just run it from a folder on the desktop…)

 * Installs right-click context menu items in Windows Explorer (the ‘shell extensions’) to be used for quick work with d7x on files in the file system.

 * Automatically run any scripts, d7x internal functions including creating system reports, or 3rd party applications that you have configured.

In order to remove these session specific settings (especially the Explorer context menus) you MUST use the “End Session” button on the “End Session” tab after you are finished with d7x on that system.

Alternately, the red X button at the top right of the app will give you the End Session option as well, executing the End Session options as configured on the “End Session” tab.

End Session can also be configured to perform other automated tasks, such as:

 * Email reports/logs to the tech.

 * Upload reports/logs to your self-hosted FTP, including a method to send reports to your customer ticket in the 3rd party PC Repair Tracker software.

 * Upload any configuration changes made during the session, either to our cloud storage or your self-hosted FTP.

 * Apply other settings changes to Windows.

 * Automatically run any scripts, d7x internal functions, or even install other 3rd party applications that you have configured.

 * d7x can also self-delete after the End Session tasks complete (this will delete the entire folder where the d7x .exe/files are located.) 

You could think of it as an “install” and “uninstall” however the terms are not correct in that d7x are portable applications, which can be run from anywhere with no installation package or process.  As such, you won’t find them in the installed programs lists of Windows Settings/Control Panel, and therefore there is no uninstall package to worry about.  Simply close the program a different way (End Session) when you are finished!

Those familiar with the original d7 may know that it performed many of these temporary system modifications at each program start, and also removed them at each shutdown.  This behavior was changed with d7II and now d7x to increase startup speed and mitigate other potential issues, as well as to add easy indicators for applying other permanent modifications that can be made as you have configured them (such as applying your custom branding to the operating system) but these aren’t applicable here.

Final Note:  When d7x is launched on a system, you cannot start a new copy of d7x from a different folder until you End Session from d7x.  d7x will always find and launch the d7x .exe that was originally launched on that system, terminating itself on success.  This is by design, in order to properly preserve session data and reports, so that you may safely finish your work with d7x.exe as necessary without confusing files and settings from a different copy of d7x in a different folder.  This typically only impacts people configuring d7x on a tech bench system, where no repairs are being performed however multiple copies of d7x exist and are used for configuration from different folders.

The first time d7x or d7II.exe is launched without an existing registration file, the user is prompted to create the “Technician Password“, which is NOT related to the d7x Account (aka dCloud) credentials.

This password is used as an encryption key for your customized d7x/d7II configurations, when stored in the dCloud portal or on your own self-hosted FTP server.

It is also used for various d7x functionality (e.g. “Main” menu > “Lock Screen”) so rather than receiving a randomly generated password from us, it should be familiar and easy enough for any techs using the product to remember.

Potential problems:  

Unexpected registration prompt on d7x (or d7II) startup, indicating a blank configuration; occurs after updating a config from dCloud/FTP.

If a different “Technician Password” is used to register multiple copies of d7x (including d7II) and these copies are in use, especially when using the same config name (such as the Default) this will cause config data previously encrypted by earlier copies of the software (such as your dCloud/FTP stored configurations and branding customizations) to be unreadable in other copies of d7x or d7II, including the SFX Mini and d7xRDT tools used for remote deployment.

If multiple configs encrypted with different Technician Passwords are saved/uploaded to dCloud/FTP overwriting a previous config of the same name (note your settings may be configured to auto-save during End Session) then any other copies of d7x/d7II/SFX Mini/d7xRDT configured with the other Technician Password will also update to a blank configuration.

Solving these problems:

We can decrypt your password from the Reg.Settings.dat, however we can do nothing without obtaining this file from a registered d7x (or d7II) configuration.  Without the password itself, there is no way to gain access to your encrypted config archive on our servers, nor can we retrieve it from the remote deployment tools (d7xRDT or d7II SFX Mini.)

Without an existing config and the Reg.Settings.dat file, you will simply need to reconfigure d7x from scratch.  Be aware the issue WILL reoccur when you use older copies configured with the older Technician Password, so especially with the remote deployment tools, you should destroy all older copies of these and d7II/d7x that would be using the old password.

Avoid these scenarios:

For new subscribers, if the account credentials and registration/product key are given to multiple techs instead of copies of the registered software, then they will create the issue by using different Technician Passwords when registering separately.

For existing users, registering a new copy of d7x (or d7II) or “fresh download” can lead to this problem.  If the tech has never (or rarely) used certain features in d7II requiring the Technician Password to proceed (e.g. “Main” menu > “Lock Screen”) they may not remember the password created during initial registration, or even what it was for, and use a different password when registering a new copy.

Additionally, relying entirely on the remote deployment tools (d7xRDT or d7II SFX Mini) can lead to loss of your configuration, should this problem occur.  Not only do they slow down initial startup and always require internet access, but they will also fail to extract your config if it is ever saved/uploaded by any copy using a different Technician Password.

Best Practices:

Register d7x one time only, and make copies of the d7x folder for any other technicians using the product after registering.

Always keep fully configured copies of d7x on tech bench computers, network shares, and flash drives; avoid using the remote deployment tools unless actually working remotely.

When you need to register a new copy of d7x (or any fresh download of any d7II product) then please use the Browse button at the registration prompt to find/import your existing d7II compatible license file (.\Config\Reg.Settings.dat from d7II, or .\d7x Resources\Config\d7II.License.dat from d7x), which ensures the exact same “Technician Password” is used.  This does NOT import your entire configuration, but instead only imports account credentials, registration data, and the “Technician Password” itself.

If you do not wish to import the registration file, keep in mind that while you may copy/paste your registration information manually, you must be certain to type in the exact same “Technician Password” (case sensitive) to avoid these issues in the future.  While we can decode this password from an unencrypted d7II based settings file (if you had one available to send us) we cannot retrieve the password from an encrypted configuration archive (either on our servers or in your possession) since that very password was used to perform the encryption!

Please see d7x Server Connectivity for issues in activating d7x, using the Config Mgmt Portal, or the d7xRDT.

Please keep in mind:

1.  Please try d7x again, it may not have “failed” to perform the task, but only failed to “re-launch” itself after the task, or failed to “stay active” and visible during a task or when running custom app (especially if the custom apps might interfere with d7x’s operation.)

2.  Ensure the d7x process has terminated before starting d7x again.  d7x will attempt to pick up wherever it left off after a crash, so if it was in “Auto Mode” it will pick up with the next item in the list after restarting.   You can also reboot the PC (if necessary) and d7x will still attempt to pick up wherever it left off.

3.  You cannot run multiple copies of d7x at the same time.  Launching any new instance of d7x will terminate itself if an existing one is found.  The only exception is when d7x relaunches multiple copies of itself for other various purposes, however you cannot launch multiple copies for normal use.

If you are running a newer version of d7x in order to fix an issue, you must delete the older d7x .exe file(s) before running the new d7x.  If this fails, then you have another older affected copy of d7x running, having been launched by the new d7x when it reads session data from the registry.  In this event you should close d7x and delete the registry value “AppEXE” located in:  HKLM\Software\d7xTech\d7x\Session\Paths and do the same for the \Session\Paths located in HKLM\Software\Foolish IT\d7x  and \d7II (if either exist) and then restart the new d7x.  This should be done prior to performing any steps below, only if the issue persists.

d7x can fail to start or in other tasks when run from your own PC, or a “TBC” aka “Tech Bench Computer” even though it does NOT fail at those tasks on a customer’s PC.

This can be an issue if your own PC is frequently used for d7x downloading/updating and configuring, especially when multiple copies of d7x are located and used from multiple locations on that PC, and the operator ignores the Session concept when switching between them (this can ultimately cause a lot of configuration headache, especially with the d7x Remote Deployment Tool.)  d7x always uses the Config and other resource folders that it was using when a session was first started on that PC, even from a different copy of d7x in a different folder.

1.  If d7x isn’t starting or performing, first try deleting the registry key:  HKLM\Software\d7xTech\d7x as well as HKLM\Software\Foolish IT\d7x and \d7II (if either exist.)

This key stores configuration and location information for the d7x files and paths that will be used by a running instance of d7x, and deleting it will remove all session data from that PC (of course this is normally done as part of the End Session tasks.)

Note this will not always be the only source for session data as d7x<->d7II compatibility is phased out with the introduction of newer features.

 2.  If d7x still won’t behave, then open the .\d7x Resources\Config dir where you are running d7x from, and ensure your computer name is not listed in the TechPCs.txt file (if it exists) and if so then remove it/save/retry with d7x.

Computer names stored in the TechPCs.txt file inform d7x to bypass certain startup tasks on those PCs (including any session start tasks, startup apps, or startup kill tasks.)

Note that you should always follow step 1 first (deleting the registry key for session data) since it could be pointing to a different \Config dir than you think you are working with.  This is because d7x will use the \Config directory it was using when a session is started on that PC, even if it was started by a different copy of d7x from a different folder.

The d7x Registry Search window may crash if you search more than once within the same Registry Search window.  You may open multiple Registry Search windows simultaneously to avoid the issue.  Note this will NOT crash the main d7x program, only the Registry Search window.

None are known at this time.

Notice: Although the “Installed Date” value on the System Info tab is reported correctly in Windows 10/11, the value itself is now modified during every major Windows 10/11 update. Unfortunately, we were not able to discover any other method to obtain the original installation date.

Issue:  d7x lower status bar may report “Idle…” when busy (or an idle/display message) during an Auto Mode.  Specifically, Malware Auto Mode configurations using KillEmAll settings/options at the top can trigger this behavior, though it may also be caused by various other reasons in any Auto Mode.

Subsequently, clicking anywhere within a d7x based user interface will trigger the “Not Responding…” Windows message.  In this case, d7x isn’t updating the user interface appropriately, which causes both the status bar “Idle…” message as well as the Windows/app unresponsive behavior when the user initiates any type of interaction with one of d7x’s windows.

Please be assured that d7x is most likely doing what it should be, and therefore d7x should be left undisturbed for a reasonable amount of time (even in a state where the user interface is unresponsive) based on the last action performed or desired, in order to determine if there is any issue (beyond the broken UI status update.)

Originally on Friday the 13th (updated)

Affected:  d7x PC Technician’s software.  No other products or services are affected.

TLS authentication with the server is not functioning properly.  The failures result in TLS authentication errors when starting d7x, and you may be prompted to change your login credentials.  Please do not do that (just close/cancel!)  Also, a fresh download of d7x will fail to activate, and working copies may possibly have failures in Config Mgmt Portal and in checking for updates.

WORKAROUND:  Get the latest d7x from the manual; download the blank config version, all you need from this is the new d7x EXE file.  Delete your existing d7x vX.X.X.X.exe file, and copy over the new d7x EXE file from the download, running that instead.  The latest d7x versions have TLS authentication disabled for server access.

NOTE:  If the workaround fails, then you have another older affected copy of d7x running, having been launched by the new d7x when it reads session data from the registry.  This happens when running multiple copies of d7x on a PC from different locations.  In this event you should close d7x and delete the registry value “AppEXE” located in:  HKLM\Software\d7xTech\d7x\Session\Paths and do the same for the \Session\Paths located in HKLM\Software\Foolish IT\d7x  and \d7II (if either exist) and then restart the new d7x.

If using the d7xRDT it should just work now without doing this, unless d7x has already been run on that system, then you’ll need to follow the same workaround as described above including the NOTE.

If you are not yet affected, it is strongly recommended to update to v19.9.13.1 (or later); choose Check for Updates from the Main drop down menu in d7x, or you may follow the workaround as described above including the NOTE.

Symptom:  When attempting to start d7x on a PC where d7II has previously ran (without ending session), you may receive these d7II subscriber error messages as pictured below, beginning with “This Subscription is Inactive or Unconfirmed“…

The above messages are NOT d7x errors (d7x has differently worded errors and a different registration screen), but they are d7II errors, which you can tell by all of the references to “d7II.  You will also note that d7II.exe is running if you look in Task Manager.  You are receiving the errors because d7II servers are no longer in operation, and d7II.exe usage is no longer supported.

If you received these errors after starting a d7x based .exe, then you are starting this on a PC where d7II has previously ran, but not ended session.  Most likely this is a tech bench or personal PC which you’ve used for configuring or testing d7x, and not a customer’s PC.

d7x was designed to yield to d7II sessions, so that any work started with d7II would be finished with d7II.  In addition, should early d7x TestBuild versions fail for any reason, they were designed so that you could run d7II to finish the work, as it would take over the d7x session.

Therefore when a d7II session is found on a PC, d7x will always run the d7II.exe pointed to by the d7II session data in the registry.  

Resolution:

To remove d7II session data from the PC and allow d7x to start, you must delete the following registry key:

HKLM\Software\Foolish IT\d7II

Since you cannot run d7II and End Session normally, only by deleting the entire key including all subkeys and values to erase the d7II session data will you allow d7x to start and operate normally, without calling on d7II.exe or assuming any d7II session paths or settings.

After closing d7II and deleting this registry key, d7x should then start normally.

DO NOT attempt to run d7II.exe again, or the behavior will reoccur.

In current versions of d7x, detailed error messages exist to inform you of the reason for the failure (e.g. DNS lookup failure, connection rejected due to invalid credentials, IP banned for too many invalid login attempts, subscription expired, etc. etc.)  

As for other connectivity issues, d7x requires access to several servers which could be restricted by a software or hardware firewall/NAT router or a UTM appliance.

• d7x software will not activate your purchased license.  An already activated copy of d7x can exhibit other behaviors as described below.
• d7x may fail to report or downloaded updated versions of it’s own software binaries, as well as default custom apps profile updates.
• d7x may fail with various functionality related to the Config Mgmt Portal, which stores your d7x configurations and custom definition files.
• d7x may fail to submit debug reports to the server when using capture mode to submit a bug report (however the option to request a response via email will still succeed to submit the information, as well as create a ticket in our support queue.)
• d7xRDT (the d7x “Remote Deployment Tool”) cannot populate your configuration list when run, cannot download the d7x core files (complete failure), or cannot download your configurations (if the core download was successful but not the configurations, it may prompt for registration when starting d7x.)

To test connectivity in a browser, try opening these addresses:

https://xcloud.d7xtech.com/ (SSL) or http://xcloud.d7xtech.com/ (Non-SSL) For these tests, when successful you should see a custom error page offering to return you to d7xTech.com

ftp://xcloud.d7xtech.com:32767/ or ftp://xcloud.d7xtech.com/  For the ftp:// based tests, when successful you should receive a login prompt (it is unnecessary to attempt login.)

Both of the above methods are used for various communications, so both must be available.  With both HTTP and FTP protocols, d7x now defaults to an SSL connection, however should d7x fail to connect over SSL, it will also try non-SSL connections as well.

d7x connectivity uses not only HTTP/HTTPS, but also Passive FTP/FTPS to access different servers for different purposes.  In Passive FTP, the client uses a standard port as a “control channel” to initiate communication with the server, which then responds with a randomly selected port in the upper range (we configure for 49000-54000) allowing the client to initiate a new outgoing TCP connection with the server from this port for data transfers. This works well in most cases, because firewalls typically do not block outgoing TCP connections.

Troubleshooting an FTP issue can be as simple as consulting your model’s documentation, or better yet, search the internet for issues using the model number with ‘FTP’ and look for keywords like ‘problem’ or ‘issue’ and similar.

In some cases a “smart” NAT router can block FTP over SSL (Implicit or Explicit) or any tightly locked down system can block all Passive FTP traffic if configured to block outgoing TCP connections on non-HTTP based ports; this should be extremely rare.  Similar issues can occur with some SPI firewalls due to default internal logic, but this should also be very rare.  In cases such as these where SSL connectivity over FTP is not possible, d7x will fall back to non-SSL connections.

Some “smart” NAT/firewalls attempt to detect the FTP control messages sent by the server in order to dynamically open data ports based on the PASV response, however this fails with SSL traffic and ports will never be opened to outgoing traffic.  In such a case the data port is not reachable, however d7x will attempt to reestablish a connection using non-secure communication (which we believe is acceptable, because your configuration data is also AES-256 encrypted at the file-level with the “Technician Password” you created during first-time setup of d7x.)

Unfortunately a NAT/firewall can still block insecure Passive mode FTP traffic under certain configurations.  There are at least two models of Sonicwall routers that include a setting to “Block FTP Bounce Attacks” which is enabled by default, and will block all Passive FTP traffic. We cannot confirm but there may have been a model of Cisco router that shipped with a similar setting enabled by default.  Fortunately, these older models are less common to find, and other similar configurations are also less likely since Passive mode FTP usage became widespread years ago due to the common usage of firewalls which block the incoming TCP connections required by Active mode FTP.