[MiKTeX] Installation problems

[Kristian Schilling]

Dear community,

as I have previously reported, I am unable to install MiKTeX on my
network environment. I want to have the MiKTeX files on a mapped drive
and not in "program files". Thus, I have created a directory "Q:\texmf"
and entered this destination into the installer.

In contrast to previous failed attempts, I have now used a laptop
computer that has never encountered TeX before. This was to test whether
my problems are connected with rudiments of a previous MiKTeX
installation on the other computer.

Now, the installer executes without error messages. After this, I have
run the Admin Settings Utility, included my local "Q:\localtexmf"
directory and the utility refreshed the FNDB.

However, upon LaTeXing a document, I get the response: "Sorry, but
latex.exe did not succeed."

I am pointed to the log file latex.log, which contains the following:

************************************************************************
2017-02-08 17:46:59,023+0100 INFO latex - running 'initexmf --quiet
--update-fndb' to refresh the file name database
2017-02-08 17:47:05,982+0100 INFO latex - going to create file: latex.fmt
2017-02-08 17:47:06,867+0100 ERROR latex -
Q:\texmf\miktex\bin\initexmf.exe did not succeed; exitCode: 1
2017-02-08 17:47:06,867+0100 ERROR latex - output:
2017-02-08 17:47:06,867+0100 ERROR latex -
Sorry, but "MiKTeX Configuration Utility" did not succeed for the
following reason:

Unknown format name/engine: latex/pdftex

The log file hopefully contains the information to get MiKTeX going again:

C:/Users/Administrator/AppData/Local/MiKTeX/2.9/miktex/log/initexmf.log

You may want to visit the MiKTeX project page, if you need help.

2017-02-08 17:47:06,867+0100 FATAL latex - The memory dump file could
not be found.
2017-02-08 17:47:06,867+0100 FATAL latex - Info: fileName="latex.fmt"
2017-02-08 17:47:06,867+0100 FATAL latex - Source:
Libraries\MiKTeX\TeXAndFriends\texmfapp.cpp
2017-02-08 17:47:06,867+0100 FATAL latex - Line: 701
************************************************************************

And the initex.log which is referred to contains this:

************************************************************************
2017-02-08 17:33:27,626+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:33:29,941+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:33:29,955+0100 INFO initexmf - Skipping user root
directory (C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\MiKTeX\2.9)...
2017-02-08 17:33:29,955+0100 INFO initexmf - Skipping user root
directory (C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\MiKTeX\2.9)...
2017-02-08 17:33:29,955+0100 INFO initexmf - Creating fndb for common
root directory (C:\ProgramData\MiKTeX\2.9)...
2017-02-08 17:33:29,984+0100 INFO initexmf - Creating fndb for common
root directory (Q:\texmf)...
2017-02-08 17:33:38,826+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:33:40,519+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:33:40,533+0100 INFO initexmf - Creating language.dat,
language.dat.lua and language.def...
2017-02-08 17:33:40,678+0100 INFO initexmf - running: mkfntmap
--verbose --admin
2017-02-08 17:34:20,689+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:34:21,514+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:34:22,208+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:34:22,223+0100 INFO initexmf - Skipping user root
directory (C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\MiKTeX\2.9)...
2017-02-08 17:34:22,237+0100 INFO initexmf - Skipping user root
directory (C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\MiKTeX\2.9)...
2017-02-08 17:34:22,237+0100 INFO initexmf - Creating fndb for common
root directory (C:\ProgramData\MiKTeX\2.9)...
2017-02-08 17:34:22,252+0100 INFO initexmf - Creating fndb for common
root directory (Q:\texmf)...
2017-02-08 17:34:30,978+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:34:31,730+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:34:32,511+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:46:59,582+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:46:59,613+0100 INFO initexmf - Creating fndb for user
root directory (C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\MiKTeX\2.9)...
2017-02-08 17:46:59,629+0100 INFO initexmf - Creating fndb for user
root directory (C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\MiKTeX\2.9)...
2017-02-08 17:46:59,644+0100 INFO initexmf - Skipping common root
directory (C:\ProgramData\MiKTeX\2.9)...
2017-02-08 17:46:59,644+0100 INFO initexmf - Skipping common root
directory (Q:\localtexmf)...
2017-02-08 17:46:59,644+0100 INFO initexmf - Skipping common root
directory (Q:\texmf)...
2017-02-08 17:47:06,821+0100 INFO initexmf - starting: MiKTeX
Configuration Utility 2.9.6234 (MiKTeX 2.9.6210)
2017-02-08 17:47:06,852+0100 FATAL initexmf - Unknown format
name/engine: latex/pdftex
************************************************************************

I am quoting the complete log files because I do not know what is of
relevance and what is not.

I do not understand what they are supposed to tell me. Please help me
get it going!
Kristian

[Ulrike Fischer]

Post by Kristian Schilling
Now, the installer executes without error messages. After this, I have
run the Admin Settings Utility, included my local "Q:\localtexmf"
directory and the utility refreshed the FNDB.
Unknown format name/engine: latex/pdftex

Your system seems to try to create an unknown format or use an
unknown engine. The first suspect for such a behaviour is a local
formats.ini or something like this in your local Q:\localtexmf.
Remove it and then try again. If it works inspect the tree.