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Topic: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes (Read 5190 times) previous topic - next topic

suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

As of yesterday, whenever I close a NWC file or the entire program, the screen freezes and then the system crashes.  No further news.
It is consistent and there was nothing added yesterday do account for the problem.  But I open and close a NWC file probably 7 times a day and so this is something I need to solve.

I thought to try to do a reinstall but since this 1.75b was a download I don't have a possibly bug free version.

Any step by step advice.
Thanks
Jay

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #1 –
Hi Jay,
one of the very first things we do with a crashing 9x box is boot to or shut down and restart to DOS.

_Always_ run a scandisk from DOS then rename the "temp" directory.

The temp directory is usually a subdirectory of Windows but not always so opening a DOS box while in Windows and running "set" will tell you where the temp directory is.

You will get a line that says:
temp=c:\windows\temp
Or something like it depending on where your temp location is.

After renaming the temp directory, don't forget to create a new one with the original name:
"md c:\windows\temp"
or wherever the temp location should be.

You can then delete the _old_ temp directory after you restart Windows or at your leisure.

If this is a bit daunting for you or you are uncomfortable at a command prompt then you could delete the entire contents of the temp directory from Windows Explorer.  This is less thorough as there will likely be some temp files that are open and thus cannot be deleted.

I have also seen occasions when the temp directory itself was corrupt.

Windows is a notoriously bad housekeeper and the temp location should be regularly cleaned out.

I have seen _many_ strange problems disappear when corrupt temp files have been removed.

Please note, this is _not_ a guaranteed fix, but it can't hurt.

Lawrie

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #2 –
Thanks Lawrie, this one goes into my toolbox. The portable one that I only lose very rarely (chechez la femme!) : my head.

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #3 –
Well that was interesting.
Two things- I know some unix/linux commands but no DOS ones so it was a trick to figure out how to rename the temp file in DOS but I did it [I think}
However other than Scandisk repeatedly reporting a free space disk error and fixing it nothing cam up that way.
And I don't know how to get into HD D so if you could give me that command I will follow the regime for that drive and maybe something good will happen.

Is it clear that the only program that this happens with is Noteworthy?  Nothing else crashes the machine except when I go to close the program then eveythig is down..

So thanks for the help so far I hope we can find a solution to this I need it before another week of crashing- it can't be good for the machine.
Jay

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #4 –
You clearly have some sort of system problem.

These kind of problems are notoriously caused by a faulty device driver, but this is not the only possible cause. If you recently changed a device driver, then you should check for updates or revert back to a previous, working driver version.

You may also have some developing hardware fault. It is hard to know without some idea of what changed on your system to start this problem.

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #5 –
It might be that you don't have DOS itself on your system, but you may have something that emulates it.  I think that's what they told me when I last bought a computer.

I run Win98 and don't have this shutdown problem when in either NWC or NWC2.

DOS commands can be found here:http://www.easydos.com/dosindex.html

To rename a file in DOS, just go to the directory (what Windows now calls a folder) type Rename Oldname.xxx Newname.xxx where .xxx represents the extension.

To get to the D: drive, just type D: at any DOS prompt.  To Change Directories (moving closer to the root), use the command CD.  CD and then the pathname and target folder should get you to wherever you need to be.

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #6 –
Obviously, your installation of NWC has developed a fault.  It could be registry-related, or a file may have been lost.

Windows 98 saves a copy of the registry (system.dat and user.dat), plus system.ini and win.ini to a .cab file. This is done each day at switch on, to a hidden folder c:\windows\sysbckup

The bad news is that windows 98, by default, only saves 5 copies !

So, since your machine has been crashing, forcing you to restart it daily, ALL 5 copies will contain the damaged registry/files.

So, you can't try replacing the registry with a known good copy, unless you have made back-ups ?

This leaves the only option, which is to de-install NWC, then re-install it.

Why did  this happen ?  Who knows!  Do you have any scheduled tasks running ?
Look in Start\Programs\Accessories\System Tools\Scheduled Tasks
This will open Task Scheduler.  Are there any programs in there ?
Anything like a registry or disk clean-up program ?
Registry clean-up programs can remove good bits as well as unrequired bits.
Disk clean-up programs can remove 'Non-Critical Files'
If you find one, consider removing it.

However, you will still need to repair your installation of NWC by de-installing, then re-installing.

Good Luck

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #7 –
p.s.  I should have added "if you DO decide to de-install, rather than just re-install over the old installation, be sure to back up your .nwc and .mid song files, if they are saved to default NWC folders."
But i'm sure i didn't need to tell you that.

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #8 –
I thought to try to do a reinstall but since this 1.75b was a download I don't have a possibly bug free version.

Well there is a download for that, but I'm not so sure NWC wants me to publicize the URL. (Get your license information ready..)
Sincerely,
Francis Beaumier
Green Bay, WI

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #9 –
Well I appreciate the feedback and help here- turns out that somehow/why when I added a new hd to the system the default copy of NWC corrupted.  So I unplugged the original [small] hd and left the 'copy' on the larger new drive and everything works fine.
I suspect my explaination doesn't explain much but somehow it worked.
Sheesh and whew!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks again.
Jay

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #10 –
>the default copy of NWC corrupted

This is possible, but unlikely.

A more likely explanation is that your two copies have different MIDI devices selected for use during play back, and the problem copy uses a device that has a buggy driver.

Another possibility is that the drive itself on the second copy has developed a fault.

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #11 –
Hi Jay,
sorry to take so long replying - been otherwise disposed...

Anyway...

However other than Scandisk repeatedly reporting a free space disk error and fixing it nothing cam up that way.

This suggests a hardware failure may be imminent..

And I don't know how to get into HD D so if you could give me that command I will follow the regime for that drive and maybe something good will happen.

"D:<Enter>" at a command prompt will change to the D drive.  However it is unlikely that your temp directory is there unless you are running Windows from D:.  Possible but unlikely.

turns out that somehow/why when I added a new hd to the system the default copy of NWC corrupted. So I unplugged the original [small] hd and left the 'copy' on the larger new drive and everything works fine.

Sounds like "funny stuff" in the registry to me.  A key pointing explicitly to one drive while other keys are pointing to the other or perhaps not specifying a drive at all thus resulting in some stuff coming from one drive and some from the other.

Or even point to locations that do not exist because of the drive letter change...

A recipe for strange behaviour.  Windows is not very forgiving when being moved around.

Lawrie

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #12 –
Hi David,
It might be that you don't have DOS itself on your system, but you may have something that emulates it. I think that's what they told me when I last bought a computer.

Actually, if you have any version of Windows 9x including ME then there is a copy of DOS there.  ME does hide it a bit better, but it is there none the less.

Microsoft would have liked to convince you otherwise but it just ain't so.

NT based systems (NT3.x, NT4, Win2k [which is NT5] and XP [which is NT5.1] ) on the other hand have a heritage going back to OS/2 and the joint development that MS and IBM had going.

Rumor has it that they split up because IBM wanted a character based front end and MS wanted a GUI.  There were probably other reasons.

Lawrie
 

Re: suddenly when I close a NWC file or the program win98se crashes

Reply #13 –
Hi Lawrie,
DOS was very useful, and I still use it sometimes, but not often.  It's difficult to remember the syntax.  I must have been told the DOS/Win thing when I switched my old PC from Win98 to ME, I guess.  I eventually switched back, and when I bought my new machine a couple of years ago, I had them load 98 on it too.