Random crashes OPEN

[shvarz]

I've had two crashes in 2.43x and both times error.sim was not created. Program quits with a very non-descript error message, something like "Darwinbots has to close. Sorry if you working but did not have your work saved".

[EricL]

Hmmm.  That doesn't sound like any error DB throws.   If it happens again, please grab the exact error message.

[shvarz]

Just happened again, when I decided to stop the run for the day and closed the application. It asked me whether I really want to quit, I said yes and it started saving lastexit sim.  Then the message appeared:

Title: "Darwin Bots Simulator"

White stripe: " Darwin Bots Simulator has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience."  There is a DB icon in here too.

Grey message: "If you were in the middle of something, the information you were working on might be lost.

For more information about the error, click here."

Button "Close" below that.

Clicking on "Click here" brings up the following message:

Title: "Darwin Bots Simulator"

"Error signature

AppName: darwin2.43x.exe
AppVer: 2.43.0.0
ModName: oleaut32.dll
ModVer: 5.1.2600.3139
Offset: 000344f1

To view technical information about the error report, click here."
Again, button "Close" is below that.

Clicking on "Click here" brings up:

Error report Contents
The following information about your process will be reported:
Whole bunch of technical info here, too much to re-type.
Then there is a box below that says:
The following files will be included in this error report:
C:\Docume~1\yvoronin\locals~1\Temp\b537_appcompat.txt

I am attaching that file here.

I went and checked the lastexit, and it saved fine - I can load it back into the program.

Hope this helps.

[EricL]

Interesting.  This crash is occuring down in the Windows OLE automation library, which is what oleaut32.dll is.  It is essentially a bug in Windows.  Such crashes should never happen in theory in that argument checking should prevent any non-malicious app like DB from being able to crash the DLL.  The error dialog is being thrown up by Windows itself, bascially saying "whoops, some application called darwin2.43x.exe made a call into me and I crashed and hosed it.  So sorry, I hope you saved - that is, if the app is the type of app that has anything to save, it could be anythign for all I know - because your probably screwed".

The DB thread is probably making some call into that DLL, perhaps to do file I/O to save lastexit.sim or delete the internet mode population file or similar (I forget all thats in that DLL) and indirectly causing the crash by passing it some argument that indrectly causes the crash.  Don't ask me how exactly.  Your disk isn't full, is it?  Perhaps lastexit.sim is already open - you don't have any hung zombie instances of db still running, do you? (check via the task manager).  Were you running interent mode when you exited?  Does it only happen at exit time?  Does it happen every exit?  Is your machine up to date (I.e. do you have Windows Update turned on and is your Windows code current?).

All that technical data could tell me exactly how and where in the Windows DLL the crash occurred, but it would take a lot of detective work to trace it back up into the DB code were I could fix it or rather, change DB's behaviour so as not to cause it.  Best bet is to try and narrow down the circumstances and look for a repro case.  I doubt it has anything to do with your specific sim.  Probably has more to do with exiting while in internet mode or when lastexit.sim is locked by a zombie process or something like that.

[shvarz]

All three crashes happened within IM. But now I always run in IM, so it could be just a coincidence. The previous two crashes happened while the sim was running, the last one - when I was closing. Disk is not full, windows autoupdate is on.

These crashes started recently, with 2.43x.  But it also could be the teleporters. I have not used the IN and OUT teleporters before 2.43x. I have about 80 saved bots now, does not seem like too many.  Another recent change is that I now constantly have viruses in my sims, with up to 100-300 copies per bot, so DNAs get pretty big.

Crashes don't happen often. Today the sim was running the whole day, from 9 to about 4, at which point I decided to close it and got the crash.  I'll keep you posted on how things go and whether I notice any reproducibility in when they happen.

[Testlund]

I think I can confirm this. Because it only happend two times to me I was thinking maybe it was just a conflict with an update process of other applications.
The first time I got the error message Shvarz mension. The second time when I woke up in the morning to take a look at my two instances of DB, I found one of them had just closed itself and dissapeared from memory. I have not been running IM, so that shouldn't be the cauce.
What you describe reminds me of heavy games that crash when they choke the computer resorces. DB has become quite resorce demanding lately. I found that it takes an extremely long time to open other applications when it's running and when surfing internet. Just pausing DB helps.

[EricL]

bump to bring open bug onto first page