Errors when starting RESOLVED (NO REPRO)

[EricL]

You void your DB warrenty if you run out of disk space.  Truncated lastexit.sim files are a telling sign that this has happened.   Finding all the places in the code where the the program writes to disk and adding code to detect out of space errors, warn the user and fail gracefully is beyond the scope of the fit and finish work I am willing to do.

Unless some evidence to the contrary arises, I am chalking this bug and probably your sudden shutdown bug up to being out of disk space.

[Peter]

Wel okay here you have a sim that is bound to give an error after a while, within 15 minutes. Yes it gave an error, and it sorta hanged afterwards.
I hope you get the error too.

[EricL]

I ran the sim.  After 10000 cycles, veggy repopulation attempts to add a single bleednrg as you have specified.  The path on the bot as configured in the sim is C:\Program Files\DarwinbotsII\Robots\Veggies.  I do not have a Veggies subdirectory in my Robots directory as you apparently do, so I (correctly) get a common dialog popup asking me where the bleednrg bot file is.  I tell it, it loads it the bot file and the sim continues to run just fine.  No hang or crash.

I still suspect disk issues as the error you are getting is Path Not Found.  It may be you have problems with your DB install.  Are you running FAT or NTFS?  You might want to run chkdsk on yoru machine...

Try configuring a shorter repopulation cooldown period.  If you get the error sooner, then we will know it is occurring at veggie repopulation time.

[Peter]

I am using XP so I am using NTFS. I hope there is nothing wrong with the harddisk, but to be sure, chkdsk is going to scan at next startup.
It hasn't got anything to do with the veggie-repop. It is even uccuring within a minute now, it happens even before 10000 cycles.

I am going to reinstall DB, there has probably happened something to the executable or in anything it uses, becouse you state there is nothing wrong with the sim and I get an error anyhow.

[EricL]

I doubt it's the exe.  EXE's tend to either work or not.

It might be the autosave feature.  Again, a path / disk issue....

So I'm clear, when you set the cooldown interval to somethign short, like 1, does it change the timing on when you get the error or not?

[Peter]

So I'm clear, when you set the cooldown interval to somethign short, like 1, does it change the timing on when you get the error or not?

NO, I am clear too, wasn't I earlier.
Changing doesn't affect anything about the time it gaves an error, the error is pretty much random, whatever you change. And isn't it like when you change veggie-repop-time it is not being set up before the next repop, is it. Atleast I don't see any veggies coming when I change the value to 1. And as I said the error occurs before 10000 cycles thus before veggie-repop.

[Peter]

Just want to notice, the instalation of the original DB(2.0) fixed it, and it isn't giving the error anymore.

[EricL]

The veggie repop counter is saved in the sim file, so it's not 10000 cycles from when you start the sim, it's 10000 cycles from the last repop.  You don't really know many cycles there are left to go after sim start before the 10000 countdown triggers the repopulation.  It may be happening 2 cycles after you start the sim.

Peter, I don't ask you to try things because I enjoy these lovely discussions.  I ask you because I have reasons based on an understanding of how the code actually works.  When you say something like "it hasn't got anything to do with veggy-repop" there is no way I can take that at face value.  You are not in the code.  There is no way you can know that.  I didn't ask you if it has anything to do with veggy repop - you arn't in a position to make that kind of assessment.  I asked you to try something very specific and tell me whether that changed things.  Sicne the problem is likely a function of your specific machine or your specific directory setup, only you can do these tests.  If it was something I could test on my machine, I wouldn't be bothering you.

You don't see veggies coming into the sim when you change the cooldown to 1?  I do.

Try changing the autosave interval.  Does that change the timing?

Just want to notice, the instalation of the original DB(2.0) fixed it, and it isn't giving the error anymore.

Sounds like disk problems.....  Better run that chkdsk and free up some more space...

[Peter]

Peter, I don't ask you to try things because I enjoy these lovely discussions.  I ask you because I have reasons based on an understanding of how the code actually works.  When you say something like "it hasn't got anything to do with veggy-repop" there is no way I can take that at face value.  You are not in the code.  There is no way you can know that.  I didn't ask you if it has anything to do with veggy repop - you arn't in a position to make that kind of assessment.  I asked you to try something very specific and tell me whether that changed things.  Sicne the problem is likely a function of your specific machine or your specific directory setup, only you can do these tests.  If it was something I could test on my machine, I wouldn't be bothering you.

I said it hasn't got anything to do with veggie-repop becouse changing it didn't change anything, I would have said better that changing the veggie-repop didn't change the error-time, I laid there the conclusion it didn't had anything to do with it.
But, okay point made, I will try to not do it again.

And further as I don't know the code exactly, I don't know exactly what has to happen. And so what there has gone wrong and gone well, so what to tell, I thought there was nothing special, in fact the veggies not appearing was something strange, I didn't know it was strange. I could have said in the first place the error-time didn't change, you could probably have agreed with just that info, (I think).

And now it seems that as an user I am unreliable as error-signs giver, I can easily overlook something.(maybe this was something for remote assistance)

And now if I change the veggie repop to 1 I see veggies coming.

Just want to notice, the instalation of the original DB(2.0) fixed it, and it isn't giving the error anymore.

Sounds like disk problems.....  Better run that chkdsk and free up some more space...

I am going to run chkdsk at next startup, as in NTFS chkdsk can't run properly if already started.
I hope there is nothing wrong with it.

[Numsgil]

Peter, reinstalling the original 2.1 installation fixed it?  Visual Basic relies on its own run time libraries that have the damnable tendancy of running different on different people's machines.  Maybe it's different versions, I don't know.  But if reinstalling fixed the problem, I'd bet anything it was a problem with one of the VB run times.

[Peter]

Peter, reinstalling the original 2.1 installation fixed it?  Visual Basic relies on its own run time libraries that have the damnable tendancy of running different on different people's machines.  Maybe it's different versions, I don't know.  But if reinstalling fixed the problem, I'd bet anything it was a problem with one of the VB run times.

Yes, correct, reinstalling the original 2.1 instalation fixed the problems. Using still desame 2.43t version.

Edit: and chkdsk said the harddisk was just fine, no single bad sector.