Vista x64 Crash Accessing the Settings Panel
 

Hi,

I am currently running MA3 Beta. I am running dual Opteron system on a Tyan board with 16GB of RAM and Vista x64 Business, and a dual monitor.

The screen saver starts and runs fine except for 3 issues

A) When it comes out of screen saver, it seems to take a long time until I get past a wait state and can access the icons/programs on the tray or desktop - let's say about 8 to 12 seconds.

B) Related, Seems like sometimes it has re-arranged my tray icons, almost like there was a crash of the explorer/desktop program and it re-initiated

C) Whenever I go into the Windows Control Panel screen saver panel, which is accessing the Marine Settings panel, or I get into the Marine settings and then close it, when the settings panel closes, I get the following "App Crash"...every time. To be clear, it saves the settings changes, but it always triggers the crash and the message


3) Can you tell me if running the Non-Beta would avoid these issues?

See attached files and the crash text below -
>
> Problem signature:
> Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
> Application Name: MarineAquarium3.scr
> Application Version: 0.0.0.3
> Application Timestamp: 4a08a76d
> Fault Module Name: MarineAquarium3.scr
> Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.3
> Fault Module Timestamp: 4a08a76d
> Exception Code: c0000005
> Exception Offset: 000068f6
> OS Version: 6.0.6001.2.1.0.256.6
> Locale ID: 1033
> Additional Information 1: 0d7e
> Additional Information 2: a54b787cb67361c2346fdb00971f7f88
> Additional Information 3: 0d2f
> Additional Information 4: c69c8927e57ef37ea9984d0d4517f516
>


Also, can you tell me what is the difference between the 2.x Non-Beta and the 3.X Beta Version as to features/functionality?

In answer to your questions Marine Aquarium 3 has a totally new 3D coral artwork which is 3 screens wide. It is rebuilt from scratch. You can also add your own music files and playlists. However some features like control over the lights are not as good just yet. MA3 is in active development so new versions come out every month.

Going back to MA2.6, you will be reverting to the old background which is a 1024 x 768 bitmap. The aquarium will not span both monitors.

No idea on the other issues you are experiencing.

When MA3 comes out of screensaver mode, it first goes to "windowed" mode - that's the "reason" there is a delay. You may observe a "black window" appear.

Speculation about the icons: Screen resolution? If you do not have the display settings set to "Automatic", then the screen resolution may be changing, which might cause your screen to be rearranged?


I, also, don't have a clue - but this is a bug worth investigating. It's every time you exit "settings", and no other time? [For instance, does it happen when switching to/from windowed mode?]

It would normally be the case that the Beta is LESS likely to have issues (except for new features being introduced). In your case, probably the Non-Beta would not help. But it wouldn't hurt to try it and see.

You can just do the trial (and enter code TESTFISH).

It's virtually impossible to diagnose this kind of thing unless it happens on my machine with the debugger running.

Vista Business 64 is a total unknown, but it's possible that MA2.6 would run OK. MA2.6 and MA3 have almost nothing in common, code-wise.

So

1) the error code from the App Crash tells you nothing about the cause?? and.....

2) You are going to issue a final version of a program which causes an App Crash every time you open the Settings Panel??

Otherwise, it's the finest looking aquarium program I have seen - !!!!! Great Great work. I would just like to get in and out of the control panel without triggering an application crash......

1. No.

2. MA3 is still Beta, and will be for a long time, but if crashing on a single isolated system was reason enough to stop production on a piece of software, there would be no software. What I might consider doing is putting Vista 64 Business on the Not Compatible list. I don't know anything about it, but just from the name it sounds like it might have some Draconian policies for accessing the Registry.

If anyone out there can duplicate this, please let me know.

Let me know if I can send oyu anything that would help you figure out what the cause is - this happens every time, so I can certainly repeat it - not sure seeing it happen relates any further useful info - kinda of wonder what the purpose of the App Crash message is if it does provide somewhere to start looking - would be nice if it conveyed useful info for the Developer -

Thanks for the reply - !

Thanks for the report, and we'll keep an eye out for anything which might shed light on your problem.

Did you post the name or brand of your Video Card and do you have the most recent video driver?

Stray thoughts:

Is there any additional (useful) information in the error log?

SP2 probably won't fix it, but it's worth a shot.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/935791#Method3

Hi, thanks so much for your help with this. I have a Sapphire (ati) PCI-E X1650 pro. The driver did indeed need to be updated which I did just now to the the March/2009 driver. Rebooted but did not cause any change.

I did check the "start in windowed" mode button, per one of the prior suggestions and that seems to have stopped the long re-draw process coming out of the screen saver

I get the same sort of crash, but not everytime, when running the beta via an in-house compatibility layer app that "trampolines" the app's registry calls to a file.

I'd be willing to track down the problem call as the aclayer app has debugging facilities built into it.

I will try updating later - I can't reboot right now nor shut everything down for a major upgrade like service pack 2...

I am wondering, can I change the title of this thread, and if not, maybe I should re-post this - I originally combined two issues - what is the difference between Beta and Non-beta, and 2) the App Crash, but I see in the list of threads, you hardly see the main point of the thread now, which should be retitled "App Crash Accessing the Settings Panel".

Can the moderator do that?? so that we might get more people with the same issue....

I've renamed the thread and rearranged your first post so it is clear what you are needing the most help with.

Thanks so much -

1) right now I am running the download/freeload. Can I pay for the Beta?? Should I pay for the non-beat and get a registration code to enter into the Beta??

2) Is there a thread to register on to get notification of beta update/upgrade releases as fixes are made?

You can buy MA3 yes, at SereneScreen.com

https://www.feldoncentral.com/forums...ription&t=4385

sca - Don't buy it if it doesn't run properly on your machine. That's exactly why we let people try it for free.

The old MA2.6 program (the one you're calling non-Beta) is only $9.95. An MA2.6 Key will not work in MA3, but it's only $9.95 to upgrade, so the total cost is basically the same as just buying MA3 outright.

Jim or Edgar, if you're interested, I found the problem here and was able to come up with a work around. I was able to get the beta to crash every time by going to settings->program settings and then OKing out (when running under the compatibility layer.)

Turns out that the compatibility layer enables its own unhandled SEH via a call to SetUnhandledExceptionFilter. When that option is turned off, the crashes stop occuring. The crashes occur in MS's CTF dll, btw, which is used for language switching via the language bar. I looked but I couldn't find a way to turn it off in Vista like you could in XP.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the info. I looked up Compatability Layer, but it's way beyond me.

So can the Aquarium be run with Compatibility Layer turned off? I thought Marine Aquarium 3 worked relatively ok on Vista without resorting to any backwards compatibility modes?


Jim,

It's an attempt to allow XP programs which are not Vista-aware to run the 'old-fashioned way' but I have not heard that it runs particularly well. They are eliminating this half-baked 'compatibility layer' in Windows 7 and moving to a full Windows XP Virtual Machine. Literally Windows XP boots up inside a window and you can run your programs inside a 'real' XP environment which is insulated from Windows 7. It should run old programs much better.

Unfortunately, for reasons that no-one can figure out, Microsoft built Windows 7's virtual machine functionality in such a way that it will only work on premium AMD and Intel processors. All those folks who have bought the less expensive, but otherwise powerful Intel and AMD processors over the last few years will be out-of-luck. Strange since there are already excellent virtual machines that don't require these special processors.

I am running a dual core vista 64 ultimate rig with an Nvidia card. No issues with crashing at all. I am also not forcing a previous windows compatibility.

Data points:

I have a fairly-low-powered system that dual-boots Vista 32 and the Release Candidate Windows 7 - 32 bit. The graphics is builtin Intel 82945G Express Chipset.

(Vista Ultimate and Windows 7 Ultimate)

Installer version 10a, and Beta 10d, work fine, without the problems described here, on Vista and Windows 7 - without Compatibility turned on.

Actually, XP Mode works on almost all modern AMP processors - the only ones missing AMD-V, as they call it, are the budget models Sempron, Turion K8 (rev.E) and pre rev. F Athlons. Not including *all* the bells and whistles of the regular models in the budget line is IMO excusable.

Intel, on the other hand, have been more restrictive with this (Intel VT they call it) and even mid-range processors are cut out of that particular loop.

I can confirm MA3 works fine for me on Vista Home Premium 64-bit, no compatibility mode needed to run the program, no User Access Control prompts, it all works smooth and simple.

Is it possible that my install somehow installed in a manner that triggered this compatibility mode issue???

Is this an adjustable setting in the Registry?? Perhaps it was just some install glitch on my machine...

Why are some people having no issue but others are having the same issue, or at least, they can reproduce the issue.

As of right now, it runs fine - the only issue I have is when I go into the Screen Saver Settings window from the Personalize Window.....but in "X" days my trial will be up...

Hi,

Back to one of my sort of same questions - I want to run the Beta as it is much better graphically...how to I unlock all the fish - I am happy to pay now on the assumption that this will ultimately get fixed and for the most part, it works....

Hi Guys,

Just noticed part of this response - if someone walks me through loading/turning on a debugger I am happy to do that and send you the results if that will help -

Many thanks again to everyone -!!

Either version looks for the paid for keycode. If you purchase a keycode from http://www.serenescreen.com/ and install it, either version will then run.

HI Jay,

Will that code, entered into the Beta, then unlock all the fish...

Thanks -!

If you buy MA3 from SereneScreen.com, then you will have a keycode that works on MA3 Beta (installer or ZIP file download).

There may be some future extra upgrades like a creature pack, or some special fish pack down the road. But the core MA3 you will have paid for.

A valid MA3 keycode will unlock everything in any MA3 version, including the Betas.

[That may not be the case for feature packs, but that's far-future]

Hi Jay,

Just purchased - unlock worked fine - still crashes when closing Settings Panel

Looks great with all the fish!!

sca - The debugger is part of the Visual C++ suite, a very expensive package for programmers from Microsoft. With the C programming language, the source code (human readable) is compiled into an executable file (binary machine language), and that is what gets distributed to end users. In order for a debugger to work, it must be running in the development environment, with the source code available. When an error occurs, the program stops and the offending line of code is highlighted in the source.

Regarding time limits - there is no time limit on the version of MA3 which can be downloaded from SereneScreen.com. My test versions which I place on fish-byte.com typically have a 28-day time limit, but are usually replaced before that. A Key Code will work on either one and unlock all the fish, but the temp versions will still have a time limit.

HI Jim,

I bought the program and so the time issue went away - the other now-added fish look great. If some has the debugger, and want to send it to me I am happy to run and delete from my system afterward. No need nor interest in keeping it afterward.

As I have said, it activates and runs just fine, it's only when entering or exiting the Settings Panel that this occurs, which is not very often after the initial set-up.

Otherwise, I linked to the new release page - some of the beta updates....B, C, D....are SCR files, not exe files - how to I point or incorporate those?? Or do I need to wait until you release a new exe version to really use it as a screen saver....

Thanks...

Hi SCA

The "debugger" that Jim uses would only work on his system.

The EXE files are generally a composition of other files.. similar to the contents of a "ZIP" file and when you execute it the thing does what it is designed to do.. typically install or run itself. The SCR files are ready to run.. Jim keeps posting these as zipped "betas" and are ready to go as soon as they are un-zipped. Most (me anyway) have it download into any folder and I have a shortcut to that file on my desktop. When a new beta is available I download.. extract it.. say yes to overwriting the original.. and thus my desktop shortcut still works.

If.. you copy this "scr" file into the windows/system32 folder it will show in your screen saver selection that is available where you would find your other screen savers and can be used just like the rest... until it expires. Essentially this is what the "exe" does or when you right click and say install.

Let's clear up a few points.

1. The time issue was never an issue. The versions downloaded from SereneScreen.com will not expire. The versions downloaded from fish-byte.com will expire after 28 days, Key or no Key.

2. The debugger is part of the entire Visual C development suite. Even if someone sent you an illegal copy, installing it and setting it up would be a major job, and it wouldn't work without the MA3 source code, anyway. Thanks for your offer to help, but the problem would need to happen here on my machine within the development environment, while I try a thousand different things to fix it.

3. Screensavers are .scr files. You can put them anywhere you want on your computer and double-click them to run them, just like an .exe file. You can also put them in your Windows/System32 folder and have them come up automatically as screensavers. The installer is an .exe file which contains both the MarineAquarium3.scr file and some extra code to unpack it and place it in the proper directory. The .zip files on fish-byte.com are just a WinZipped copy of MA3, which you can unpack anywhere you wish on your computer.

(Note: Some of the weird new operating systems, like Vista64, use a different folder from the traditional Windows/System32 for screensavers.)

Using Vista Ultimate x64 and the newest beta of MA3 and have had no crashes at all. I used to have Vista Business x64 which is the same as Vista Ultimate minus a few extra things. No reason why it should work on Ultimate and not Business except for local configuration.

Are you using UAC on Vista?

Hi Mikey,

Yes,, definitely using UAC.. Will try turning off over the weekend and see if the App Crash goes away and let you know. It requires a reboot to turn off and to then turn on, and I have to much open right now....

Hi, Finally rebooted - turned off UAC but it did not seem to make a difference- got this App Crash going into the Windows Screen Saver link from the Personalize window..l

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: MarineAquarium3.scr
Application Version: 0.0.0.3
Application Timestamp: 4a275e53
Fault Module Name: MarineAquarium3.scr
Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.3
Fault Module Timestamp: 4a275e53
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 000068f6
OS Version: 6.0.6002.2.2.0.256.6
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 0d7e
Additional Information 2: a54b787cb67361c2346fdb00971f7f88
Additional Information 3: 3565
Additional Information 4: d8ded49561023649a045190de38734aa

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Very strange indeed. The only other thing I can think of is a software conflict going on. This is often caused by antivirus software or even driver software. Does this happen with any of the beta versions of MA3?

Try booting into safe mode and try accessing the settings panel (obviously the screensaver itself will run poorly if at all in this mode). This will tell us if it is possibly linked to either drivers or a software conflict.

Good luck!