MA3 crashing
 

New member here. Thanks for the version 3 which I downloaded today to try out. The version is T603.3.0.1933. I am a long time registered user of 2.6 , and I installed the 3 beta with the installer , without removing 2.6. I am running Vista Home Premium SP1, 8800GTS 312MB video card, 3GB RAM and Q6600 CPU.

Whenever I right click the desktop and select personalize/screen saver, an error message pops up stating that MA3 screen saver has caused an error, check online or close program. If I close the erro window, the screen saver panel eventually opens where I can access the settings. If I however do a preview and escape I get back the same error message. Details of the error as follows:

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: 6.0.6002.2.2.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 2d10
Additional Information 2: ff7009378e1a67228b2dbb8b0b3e09f7
Additional Information 3: cba7
Additional Information 4: 21de4c78a50b916bac2705823ce70723

I did an F key window test and same error going from window back to full screen. If I let MA3 start normally and then use mouse to stop it seems ok. Its just the errors opening the program.

Hope I explained it well enough and TIA for any help
Bill

This is probably NOT the solution. However, SP2 has been available for Vista since May, and you should be running that SP plus the latest updates.

My bad Dale I do have Vista SP2, and its 32 bit, with all updates

Thanks

Are you running the 8800 GTS drivers from nVidia.com (or a hobbyist site), or the automatic drivers from Windows Update?

From Nvidia.com. Using 182.50 at present. Havn't seen any from windows update in a very long time

Thanks

Seen sometimes newest ver. ain't the best for certain apps.
Using v8.4.2.1 here (don't laugh) and it works good.

I think it is something other than drivers.

Possibly related:

https://www.feldoncentral.com/forums...ead.php?t=4924

That can be so true. The reason I havent moved to the 19s is because there are some problems with MS Flight Sim X. That is my main hobby and the 182.50 works for me. You know, if it aint broke

Hopefully it will work out because the MA3 looks really excellent on my two monitors

Thanks

Calusa - If you haven't re-installed DirectX and rebooted, that's always the first thing to try.

If you can access the Aquarium Settings panel, make sure that the resolution is set to something that you are absolutely sure your monitor can handle.

Hi Jim, both monitors are set to to auto for the resolutions. Will try the reboot later and report back

DXDIAG reports DX10 without problems. Should I re download and install it?

Thanks for the help

Bill

Downloading and reinstalling DX is always recommended after changing video drivers

Yes, we've noticed a phenomenon which I call "DirectX Drift" for lack of a better term. On some systems DirectX somehow gets a little "off" if it hasn't been re-installed for a few months. No one seems to know what causes this, whether some programs are monkeying with DirectX routines themselves, Registry values, or what.

Pardon my ignorance but is this the version to download? I dont see a specific reference to "DX10"

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/dow...a-9b6652cd92a3

That looks like the DL for 9c. I'm not sure there is a manual DL for 10. It's generally for Vista and might need to be gotten by running windows update from within your system.

I think there is now a DX10 available for XP, but it's in alpha stages or something. Try just doing a windows update and see if it lists dx 10 as an option.

Take your pick from the two methods on this page:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/directx/aa937788.aspx

Note: the "March 2009" actually currently points to an August 2009 version.

This is the last one that I downloaded, directx_mar2009_redist.exe, I use Win2000pro, but it also looks fine for Vista Home Premium.
Dxdiag lists it as, Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
There may be a later one, but this has shown no troubles so far.

It's the re-installing of DirectX (and re-booting), after any changes, - that is the important thing to do, - the very latest version available is not as important.

Just re-install the current one you have! - It may not make any difference, - but it often does. - When you have problems, you try anything! ;)

Thanks for the tips.

I will try the DX and reboot and report back. Maybe a few days when I get a chance as I do work at home on the same PC

Bill

EDIT: Sad to say I did the DX reinstall and reboot and same application crash error

c0000005
Is a memory access violation.

So first queston is do any other programs ever crash with this code or is it limited to just MA3?

Limited to MA3. None of my other programs have crashed

Thanks

That exception code is referenced in SIX different topics on this forum.

As a diagnostic, try setting MA3 to start in Windowed mode. Then, when you do your "test" (right-click on desktop, etc.), try "Preview", etc. Press "F" several times with MA3 running....

[For a topic related to "F", see https://www.feldoncentral.com/forums...ead.php?t=4426 ]

Same crash when accessing from the desktop/personalize/screensaver

When I access MA3 direct from the start menu there is no crash. Its only from the desktop/personalize etc etc
Thanks

OK, from this description, I'm guessing that you have never seen the "animated" contents of the "monitor" in the Screen Saver panel.

When I do what you are describing, the "monitor" within the Screen Saver panel first shows the MA3 logo, and then the fish appear and start swimming around (a miniature version of the simulation). You may not have seen either of those things. What (if anything) is shown on that "monitor"?

I'm also guessing that if you have your Screen Saver set to something else, and go to that panel, and then change it to MA3 (without clicking "apply"), that you get the same crash.

If those things are true, there might be enough "clue" for Jim to fix it.

Yes you are correct. All of the above is true. I never see anything but a black screen in the "monitor" section of the screen saver panel.

Thanks
Bill

OK (for Jim): Problem description: Simulation runs OK, but MA3 crashes when trying to display the miniature version on the "monitor" section of the Screen Saver panel.

Getting the Aquarium to preview in that window has always had roughly the same priority as adding a bright pink talking fish. For the first 7 years that Marine Aquarium was sold, that preview window was blank. Didn't hurt sales much.

Absolutely agreed - but I don't understand your point.

This topic appears to be about getting MA3 to not crash! on anybody's computer.

I simply don't have a clue as to why it would be incompatible with the Windows screensaver routines on that machine. In order to diagnose it, the problem would have to occur on my machine while I'm using the debugger. The two problems with that are the fact that my machine doesn't crash, and his machine only experiences the problem when Windows attempts to use the screensaver system to launch it (so I assume it wouldn't happen if launched by a debugger).

Jim, are you generating linker maps of your commercially released builds? If so, you can use that map, along with the crash exception info's crash address, to at least locate the routine in which the crash occurs.

There's several other simple things you can do to help track down these types of problems without the problem actually occuring on your machine while you're running the app in debug mode, which normally only uncovers the most obvious bugs as it has a tendency to mask or hide the really tough to find bugs.

You did notice that MA3 works correctly when the Screen Saver launches it (based on time). But the "miniature" version in the "monitor" is what causes the crash. (Display Properties is what is running).

Thr program does not have any diagnostc links built in.

This crash seems to be isolated to the part of the code that runs in /p mode.

If you had the time to build a special copy without the /p mode code, and provide it to Calusa, this could be verified. That wouldn't FIX it, but would at least isolate it.

Alternatively, you could post that snippet of code on this forum, and some of the experts (not I) could maybe see a problem.

If I thought there was a chance that spending a lot of time coding, recoding, and otherwise troubleshooting code would actually be effective, I'd probably do it. But the fact that the code is directly from Microsoft examples, and works on virtually every PC out there except this one (literally hundreds of millions to one), leads me to believe that the problem is in that computer, not in the code.

This is the very reason that we insist that people download and try the Aquarium for free, to make sure that it works on their computer. If it doesn't, we have all you smart and helpful Forum members to offer suggestions. Have you noticed how many times a problem which has stumped all of us turns out to be something we couldn't have possibly guessed? Sometimes several months later the poor victim will come back to the Forum and report, "Hey - I just thought I'd let you guys know that my computer had a Planaria Worm!", or somesuch.

Fair enough.

Footnote: The isolated "only on one of my PCs" problem that I reported a few months ago, has mysteriously gone away. Of course, there have been several updates to my computer since then.

Thanks for the note.