TrainingPeaks WKO+ 3 with CrossOver Mac 8

[Update Jan. 29, 2012: The usefulness of running WKO+ on Mac via CrossOver has run its course. Updates to CrossOver Mac (v. 9–10) have rendered the process described below unusable and Mac OS (10.7 Lion) requires you run CrossOver Mac 10. Unfortunately a functional work around has not been found. Unless you have access to running the versions of software noted below, this process is no longer recommended; it may appear that everything is working properly until the final steps where you actually try to run WKO+ at which point it fails. And as the comments show, many gotchas have popped up over time as new devices come to market that have made a working CrossOver setup a fast moving target to pin down.

As result, I am now running WKO+ on my MacBook Pro by using Windows 7 Professional running inside the VMware Fusion 4 virtualization software. I have also heard from multiple people that Parallels Desktop 7 virtualization software works well. It is important to note that I have 8GB of RAM installed—lots of RAM will make a huge difference for running a virtualization set up for WKO+. This setup isn't as clean as it was with CrossOver but I can still manage just one computer for my primary work. I do have a recent model basic Windows laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium with another install of WKO+, and I can say that my VMware setup runs much faster so overall this Mac setup works great.

[Update Jan. 24, 2011: Updates have been made to this post since it originally was posted in January 2010 to include some subtle updates. The following information presents using version 8 of CrossOver Mac. Version 9 is now the current version but has been generally reported to not work well with WKO+. If you've had success with version 9 of CrossOver Mac, please post your experience in the comments.]

Let me cut to the chase: running TrainingPeaks WKO+ 3 with Mac CrossOver 8 is pretty easy. You have a Mac and want to run WKO+ without messing with Windows? Just keep reading.

Some background...

In early 2009 I posted step by step instructions for running TrainingPeaks WKO+ on a Mac using only CrossOver Mac—no Bootcamp, Parallels, or other installations of Windows needed. I figured it could be helpful for others but was surprised at just how popular, especially considering it wasn’t the most straight forward process. Success varied, but it showed there was a big interest for Mac users to run a Mac-only solution.

The original post used TrainingPeaks WKO+ 2 and CrossOver Mac 7, and both have since moved to newer versions. I was very interested in upgrading to TrainingPeaks WKO+ 3, but I was afraid the setup wouldn’t work. Given all the advantages of my working set up (not installing, maintaining, protecting, backing up or running Windows in any way), I was hesitant. But as with all things foolish I figured, “Let’s just see what happens?” Since then I've updated again to the latest version of WKO+ 3 and am now seemlessly syncing my WKO+ data for multiple athletes between my Mac setup and Windows setup using Dropbox. Drop me a line if you're interested in more details on that. If you want more background on the project, check out the original post.

The process...

I said this was pretty simple. But it’s not Steve Jobs simple. Downloading from your device directly to WKO+ doesn’t work out of the box, so you’ll need a separate Mac-native application to do that. But generally, all you need is:
  • Desire to run WKO+ without ever starting up Windows
  • Mac with an Intel processor
  • TrainingPeaks Device AgentGoldenCheetah, Garmin Training Center, PowerAgent, or other software to download data from your power meter or heart rate monitor. I recommend TrainingPeaks Device Agent for it's simplicity of installation (included needed drivers for various devices) and the fact that it supports lots of devices. The drivers Device Agent installs will work in GoldenCheetah, too, if you choose to use it.
  • CrossOver Mac version 8 (30-day free trial, $40); version 9 is the current version but those buying a license should be able to access version 8 and the old version may be available by hunting around the Codeweavers website
  • TrainingPeaks WKO+ 3 (30-day free trial, $129)
The original instructions were lengthy, it helped to be running specific builds of WKO+, and a little digging in Windows was needed. This year’s process is A LOT easier.
  1. Install TrainingPeaks Device AgentGoldenCheetah, Garmin Training Center, PowerAgent, or whatever other software you want to use to download data from your device.
  2. Download the TrainingPeaks WKO+ 3 installer
  3. Install CrossOver Mac.
  4. Install Internet Explorer 6 in CrossOver (optional step, but I did it, everything works, so I’m including it). In CrossOver, select Configure > Install Software..., then select Internet Explorer 6 from the list and install it in a new bottle of its own following on the onscreen prompts. A standard install works fine—no need to customize it.
  5. Install TrainingPeaks WKO+ 3 in CrossOver. Select Configure > Install Software..., then click “Install unsupported software...” and install it in a new bottle of its own. When asked for the installer file, find where you saved the WKO+ installer and let it go through its paces.
That’s it. No tweaking needed. Launch WKO+ and go to work. I was able to upgrade from my previous WKO+ 2 license and activate in version 3 right in the new install—no fancy work around needed like in the original setup (I left that part out of the original post's already lengthy directions).

To get files from a previous version of WKO+ I recommend reviewing the online help topic “Migrating Your Data...” at WKO+ Start Up Guide: First Hour. This will give you the needed background for migrating data, but I found a slight modification to those directions that works better:
  1. Manually create a new athlete in WKO+ 3 with the same name as the data you want to import
  2. Exit WKO+
  3. Find the folder created for that athlete’s data (should be at /user home folder/Documents/TrainingPeaks/WKO/Data/). 
  4. Drag the old .wko files into that folder
  5. Launch WKO+ again and ta-da! This only seems to work, though, if you manually create the athlete in WKO+ first.

To get new files into WKO+, you’ll need to use TrainingPeaks Device Agent, GoldenCheetah, Garmin Training Center, PowerAgent, or whatever other software you want to use to download data from your device. Then find the file you downloaded in that application (or export it from that app), and open it from within WKO+. Unfortunately, dragging and dropping a file from the Finder onto WKO+ doesn’t work when using CrossOver as it would when using WKO+ in Windows.

Since using this setup for nearly a year, I've found one caveat. The data comparing different files in the multi-file/multi-range analysis tool doesn't work. The graph displays the comparative data just fine but the numerical data isn't displayed.

Got all that? Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the fact that you have one less reason to run Windows! Unless you're me and had to buy a Windows computer for another use and are now syncing and maintaining both anyway. I still do 95% of my WKO+ work on the Mac, though.

38 comments:

Gear said...

Thanks for documenting this process, we have linked to it from our support pages.

-Gear, co-founder, TrainingPeaks

Julian said...

I have been running WKO+ 3 under Crossover 7 for a while with success as well... FYI. Any luck on getting Device Agent 3 working on Crossover- It installs fine but none of the text appears once launched...

Lucas Wall said...

Haven't even tried to make Device Agent work. I like having data in Golden Cheetah, too, so using that process for device download is ideal for me and is generally simple. Also, CrossOver would have to emulate PC ports--another level of complexity and the USB cradle for PowerTap is a little kludgy to start--so I figured it wasn't worth the effort to try. But if someone finds it's as easy as a standard install, that would be cool!

fabian herold said...

hi there

does this newer, simplified method also work with the older 2.2 build 106 version of WKO+ and Crossover v.8?

Lucas Wall said...

I haven't tried using WKO+ 2 with CrossOver 8. The changes in CrossOver from version 7 to 8 are most likely what enable the simple installation, but it is possible that some of the re-writes in version 3 of WKO+ are what enable it. If you give it a try, let us know how it works.

fabian herold said...

i tried and it didnt work... istalled 3.0 after that, but here i have problems with the activation key... says it is not valid... on my windows pc it worked, though...
any ideas?

Lucas Wall said...

My understanding of the license system for WKO+ is that it involves a unique identifier for every machine you put it on, so an activation key from an installation on different computer won't work. Also, the WKO+ version 2 license is only for 1 computer, so if you've got it on a PC, too, that may complicate things further. Contact TrainingPeaks Support for assistance on the activation. This is the most challenging part of the process of WKO+ 2 with CrossOver and why the WKO+ 3 and CrossOver 8 combo turned out to be so great.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the instructions. They work well. Quick question. I get an error when I try to upload or download to/from trainingpeaks even though my account info is correct. Have you had this issue? I can bug the trainingpeaks folks, but thought this might be a WKO incompatibility with crossover.

Scuba said...

Does anyone else have a problem importing the files. The import window freezes after it says finshed reading. It won't let me save them. I am trying to import from the garmin training center.

tailgunner said...

i seem to be getting an error message when i try to save an imported file when i try to enter the athlete name. says something like there is a problem with wine. i know its a long shot but does anyone have any input/advise?

Anonymous said...

I am having the same problem as tailgunner. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Lucas Wall said...

I'm not sure what the "import" window is. Are you simply using the "open" window? I'm opening .csv files which open and save fine (after setting the athlete and making sure the workout date is correct).

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting all this. I recently got a mac after years of pc problems and final pc meltdown. It didn't occur to me until afterward that I couldn't run wko natively.

I am a third user having the crash problem noted above. If you try to open a workout file (open file button), for example a .txt file from a computrainer workout, WKO crashes when you assign the athlete name to the workout. I have a new mac, wko 3 and crossover 9. Any thoughts would be helpful. I'm lost.

Also, I found msvcp60.dll, and put in in the proper directory, but it doesn't show up in the crossover manage bottles tools. Thoughts?
Matt

Lucas Wall said...

@Anonymous (April 6, 2010): You shouldn't need the msvcp60.dll file unless you're following the old instructions for WKO 2 and CrossOver 7. As a result, don't worry if it doesn't show up.

Also, it's important to note: I have no idea how this is working yet on CrossOver 9 which was released recently. These steps are for the older version 8 of CrossOver Mac.

Are other people who are having problems with opening files using CrossOver 9?

Chloroflexus said...

Is anyone having a problem with a problem with Wine and WKO crashing?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your help. I wonder if there is a way to get Crossover 8 from codeweavers. I'll check that out. In the meantime, maybe if others are having problems we can work it our collectively. I have tried reinstalling, moving the data file directorires, and a couple other things. No luck yet. I'll keep trying though. Thanks again
Matt

Anonymous said...

I have the same error with Crossover 9. When assigning the athlete's name the program fails/locks up. A bit lame.

Anonymous said...

Haven't finished following your instructions yet but just curious why Internet Explorer is included?

Lucas Wall said...

IE is included based on a suggestion from a user installing CrossOver for another use because there are some system level functions it helps to emulate. Whether it's needed to make WKO+ run is debatable, but the activation process worked this time (no special manual steps needed). Since it was so easy to do, it seemed worth just doing it.

Mike Schmitt said...

I just got a new MacBook Pro and using Crossover 9 with WKO+ 3.0. I'm also having problems opening files then saving them. Not sure where to start to fix the problem.

Unknown said...

I have been able to get WKO 3.0 to work beautifully using the instructions posted here. As noted there is no drag and drop (you have to use the open dialog box) and the windows sometimes redraw poorly, but it works well. (Thank you Lucas!)

A FEW NOTES:
First, Crossover 8 works well, but I Crossover 9 CRASHES. I strongly recommend you use the prior version of crossover. I don't know where to get version 8 of the trial version of crossover. You might try looking up crossover at versiontracker.com - they sometimes list prior version sources if available. In any case, if you buy a crossover license, you will have access to prior builds.

Second, after I got the crossover trial , I did not register for 30 days and Codeweaver (the software company) sent me an offer to buy the license at 50% off. I don't know if they always do this, but it might be worth waiting if you are on the fence.

Third, I previously posted an issue with uploading and downloading from WKO 3. This was resolved when I purchased the WKO 3 license. I had previously been using WKO 2 in VMWare fusion but wanted to check out WKO 3 in crossover before upgrading. It was worth it. MUCH faster startup and shutdown in crossover than VMware and the power of quadrant analysis. works for me!

Good luck!

Patrick

Unknown said...

Below is a link to Crossover 8.

http://media.codeweavers.com/pub/crossover/cxmac/demo/crossover-demo-8.0.3.dmg

I installed per the instructions above with no issues. The only limitation I have now is 'uploading' a file from WKO 3+ to Training Peaks via the web. Has anyone cracked that process?

Thanks,
Zach

BonkForFun said...

I originally installed with crossover 9. Was having problems. Just reinstalled with CO8 (thanks for the link!). WKO+ still looks a bit different and toned down from online pics (pictures where WKO is running on a windows native machine).

Does anyone have a screen shot from their successful run on a Mac? I would like to see how they compare to my graphics, tabs, data, etc.

Thanks,
Wm.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone knows how to use Training Peaks 3.0 on a non Intel Mac? Thanks. octavisanchez@yahoo.com

Lucas Wall said...

@anonymous regarding running on a non-Intel Mac... That is NOT an experience I will help anyone have! Microsoft Virtual PC was created to run Windows on a Power PC Mac. It took forever to launch and run. I can't emphasize how bad the experience would be if you could even get WKO+ to run using that. I'm talking about measuring your experience in hours, not minutes. If you're interested in running WKO+ on a Mac, get an Intel Mac.

Lucas Wall said...

@paperonthetable. Here's a screenshot. The appearance is a little different than the screenshots on the product site because the app doesn't reflect the user interface of Windows (i.e. no blue Glass appearance).

Unknown said...

Hi
Thanks for documenting the process. I have installed Crossover 8, Golden Cheetah and WKO+ - everything works fine excpet downloading data in GoldenCheetah.

It doesn't pick up the USB cradle and indicated I needed to isntall an FTD driver (or some such). I found the link to the driver, however it requires a bit of 'coding' in Terminal which is beyond me. Was wondering if anyone else had this issue and if they can assist in providing an 'idiots guide' to doing this.

Cheers
Hari

Lucas Wall said...

I responded to Hari off-site about getting FTDI drivers with GoldenCheetah. (These are needed especially if you're using a PowerTap with the old yellow computer, the Cervo). The instructions provided via the GoldenCheetah site for installing FTDI drivers are obtuse, at best. While I figured it out, the current easiest solution is to install the TrainingPeaks Device Agent software. I makes downloading from many devices quite easy and the driver it installs will work within GoldenCheetah, too.

Coach Kh said...

I just purchased WKO+ 3 and CrossOver in order to run WKO on my Mac. I am having trouble downloading WKO into CrossOver - not sure how to do it from the instructions - sorry! ( I downloaded Internet Explorer 6). I have downloaded CrossOver and now am having trouble with the next step - downloading WKO into crossOver - can you PLEASE help??

THANKS

Kathleen H

Coach Kh said...

I just purchased WKO+ 3 and CrossOver in order to run WKO on my Mac. I am having trouble downloading WKO into CrossOver - not sure how to do it from the instructions - sorry! ( I downloaded Internet Explorer 6). I have downloaded CrossOver and now am having trouble with the next step - downloading WKO into crossOver - can you PLEASE help??

UH OH - I purchased CrossOver 10 - is that an issue?

THANKS

Kathleen H

Unknown said...

10.x of crossover will install WKO+3, but unfortunately you cannot open any specific workouts. Crossover reports an unrecoverable error.

At least you can look at your charts!

Still stuck Windows I guess until Training Peaks gets their act together and puts out a Mac version.

Unknown said...

This works great. I had no problems using Crossover 8 downloaded from this link (http://media.codeweavers.com/pub/crossover/cxmac/demo/crossover-demo-8.0.3.dmg) and WKO+ 3 on a Macbook Pro running OS 10.6.7. Was able to bring over all my old training files easily. After downloading and installing the demo versions, and making sure it all worked, I purchased Crossover, and the serial # worked for Crossover 8. Then I paid for the upgrade to WKO+ 3 and I'm all set. Thank you so much for all this info. So happy to be free of Windows!!

Damon said...

Thanks for all you've done here. It got WKO+ installed under Crossover(v8...) and it reads all my old data, but I cant seem to get it to suck my Polar CS600 data into the Mac. Ive installed the mac version of TP's Device Agent...but it wont read the infra red download gadget. All thoughts appreciated. Tx

Alan said...

i tried to download wko+ 3 to my imac all i got was a bunch of code. Do i need to install agent device first?

thanks

tripi said...

Hi, I have some problems with getting my workouts into wko+. I have wko+v3 running with crossover 8.0.3. The wko+ device agent is not working very well in my opinion, I had really bad problems, so I opened Garmin training center and exported all my workout in a *.tcx file. After that I opened wko+ an opened the file. The program was reading and saving the file. But now I already have workouts in july, august ...december 2011 and so on. Until may 2011 I worked with a Forerunner 305, now I have a Forerunner 310xt. Could this be the problem. Please help. Thank YOU!

tripi said...

Maybe it has something to do with the format of saving or the date, I have a workout on 10.06.11 which means 10.june.11 an I find it on 06.october.11, so the month and day changed. Would be cool to solve this problem. Any idea? Thank YOU.

ash said...

I realise this entry is quite old, however since there is so little information regarding WKO and crossover, it seems that only crossover 10 is compatible with 'Lion'

http://www.codeweavers.com/products/crossover/requirements/

I dont know if anyone has WKO working on crossover 10 or, mine kept crashing similarly to what others mentioned with crossover 9.

Lucas Wall said...

As you might be able to conclude from the comments here or from recently attempting to run WKO+ in CrossOver, this setup is no longer as elegant as it once was. I just posted an update at the top of the original post, but in short, I've retired this process for running WKO+. If you know of way to resurrect it so others can easily run WKO+ in CrossOver with modern versions of WKO+, CrossOver, and Mac OS, PLEASE SHARE!