OS2 World Community Forum

OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical => Setup & Installation => Topic started by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 05, 2017, 02:30:07 am

Title: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 05, 2017, 02:30:07 am
I powered up my laptop this morning, got the usual boot menu and, for the first time. got a CHKDSK message:

CHKDSK Block size in bytes 4096
CHKDSK Phase 0 Replay Journal Log
      ...@....
CHKDSK File System is clean

IFX is checking your INI files

I don't get a message that my INI files are clean as happened on the previous occasions when I've booted up.

The desktop appears and then ArcaOS reboots and I get the messages outlined above. It diid this several times and finally I'm left with a black screen with a cursor blinking in the top left hand corner of my screen.

Any ideas what's wrong and how to fix it?

Thanks
Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Greggory Shaw on June 05, 2017, 03:17:13 am
...

Any ideas what's wrong and how to fix it?

Thanks
Paul

Just wipe it and re-install ! Even if you get it to boot, the networking isn't working either.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Dave Yeo on June 05, 2017, 04:34:18 am
Almost sounds like a failing hard drive :(
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 05, 2017, 08:10:13 am
Dave

I've just done  Quick and Comprehensive BIOS Hard Disk Self Tests on my HP laptop. I get Quick - Pass, Comprehensive - Pass, and S.M.A.R.T. - Pass. Test Status - Pass.

So I guess the hard disk isn't failing.

So if the HD is fine what else could be causing the problem? Is there a bug in ArcaOS screwing up my INI files or CONFIG.SYS?  Last night everything was functioning perfectly.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Andi B. on June 05, 2017, 09:17:09 am
Do you have another bootable OS/2 version on this system? If not boot from the DVD and try "chkdsk /F" and see if it helps.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 05, 2017, 11:26:45 am
Andi

The only DVD I have is the ArcaOS installation disk. I don't think will do, will it?

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Roderick Klein on June 05, 2017, 01:02:41 pm
I powered up my laptop this morning, got the usual boot menu and, for the first time. got a CHKDSK message:

CHKDSK Block size in bytes 4096
CHKDSK Phase 0 Replay Journal Log
      ...@....
CHKDSK File System is clean

IFX is checking your INI files

I don't get a message that my INI files are clean as happened on the previous occasions when I've booted up.

The desktop appears and then ArcaOS reboots and I get the messages outlined above. It diid this several times and finally I'm left with a black screen with a cursor blinking in the top left hand corner of my screen.

Any ideas what's wrong and how to fix it?

Thanks
Paul

This is most likely a driver that is causing an issue. My first thought would be UNIAUD audio driver. Its not clear from you exactly when it reboots.

When ArcaOS starts before the boot logo hit ALT F4 skip UNIAUD16 and UNIAUD32.SYS and see if that prevents the crash.

The fact it boots up and runs the complete installation procedure is a hint the OS is able to boot the first time from hard disc. However its booting.

Other things that come to mind.

Have you turned off hyperthreading in your BIOS. If the above still does not make a difference boot the system with the option /MAXCPU=1 behind ACPI.PSD.

Here are just things you could try.  But I do not think this is a hard disc issue.


Roderick Klein
President OS/2 VOICE

Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Andi B. on June 05, 2017, 01:20:02 pm
The only DVD I have is the ArcaOS installation disk. I don't think will do, will it?
That's what I meant. There is a maintenance console (don't know exact wording sorry) early in the installation process which you can start. From there command lines (4os2, cmd) are available where you can type in 'chkdsk C: /F' (assuming your installation is on volume C:). I think there is also a disk checker button somewhere from where you can start chkdsk from the GUI.

For the experienced users like Roderick - I mention this cause once I had a similar problem on my T60. After a crash BlueLion could not start fully to the WPS. A chkdsk cured the problem. From that I guess the JFS autocheck does not work 100% reliable in all circumstances.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 06, 2017, 01:11:38 am
This is most likely a driver that is causing an issue. My first thought would be UNIAUD audio driver. Its not clear from you exactly when it reboots.

When ArcaOS starts before the boot logo hit ALT F4 skip UNIAUD16 and UNIAUD32.SYS and see if that prevents the crash.

Roderick - Thanks.

I booted without loading the UNIAUD drivers bit that did not solve the problem.

I've not done the MAXCCPU thing yet - see my reply to Andi B.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 06, 2017, 01:17:34 am
There is a maintenance console (don't know exact wording sorry) early in the installation process which you can start. From there command lines (4os2, cmd) are available where you can type in 'chkdsk C: /F' (assuming your installation is on volume C:).

Andi - Thanks.

Running CHKDSK C: (both without initially and then with /F) suggests my disk structures are in a mess :-(

Messages include...

Incorrect data detected in disk allocation structures
Incorrect data detected in disk allocation control structures
File system is dirty

As I said, running CHKDSK with /F did not repair the situation.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Greggory Shaw on June 06, 2017, 01:48:10 am
...

Running CHKDSK C: (both without initially and then with /F) suggests my disk structures are in a mess :-(

Messages include...

Incorrect data detected in disk allocation structures
Incorrect data detected in disk allocation control structures
File system is dirty

As I said, running CHKDSK with /F did not repair the situation.

Paul


Just re-install it since it's a new install anyways (15 min done) ???
(backup the boot partition immediately) 

Also, you may want to follow some best practices:

1) Separate volumes for Blue Lion, Yum/RPM,  and your progams/data.

http://os2notes.duckdns.org/os2installing.html


2) Backup your boot partition as soon it is installed (zip is the easiest way #2 on the list below)

http://os2notes.duckdns.org/os2backups.html


3) Backup all volumes:

http://www.os2world.com/forum/index.php/topic,1119.msg12443.html#msg12443

Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 06, 2017, 02:21:34 am
As I said, running CHKDSK with /F did not repair the situation.

It's just occurred to me that CHKDSK could only open my HD volume in read only mode so presumably it would not be able to write repairs to the disk anyway. It seems it can't check a mounted file system.

Paul

Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 06, 2017, 02:23:21 am
Just re-install it since it's a new install anyways (15 min done) ???

Except it's not - I've loaded a load of OS/2, Win and MS-DOS programs.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Greggory Shaw on June 06, 2017, 02:49:13 am
Just re-install it since it's a new install anyways (15 min done) ???

Except it's not - I've loaded a load of OS/2, Win and MS-DOS programs.

Paul

Restore from backup !
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Dave Yeo on June 06, 2017, 03:34:51 am
As I said, running CHKDSK with /F did not repair the situation.

It's just occurred to me that CHKDSK could only open my HD volume in read only mode so presumably it would not be able to write repairs to the disk anyway. It seems it can't check a mounted file system.

Paul

You should be able to boot from the ArcaOS install DVD and open a maintenance session and run chkdsk /f from there.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 06, 2017, 04:18:01 am
Dave

Thanks. Ran CHKDSK /F C: from the DVD Install. It rebuilt the File/Directory Allocation Map and the Disk Allocation Map, told me the file system is clean and LVM reported 0 bad blocks.

So I rebooted off the hard disk. I got the message that CHKDSK was replaying the Journal Log and that the file system was clean. The desktop showed with its icons for about 6 seconds then it bombed out to a black screen. Rebooted again, went through the same process, half-built the desktop icons and then totally froze. Had to pull the power plug.

Paul

Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 06, 2017, 04:39:50 am
Have you turned off hyperthreading in your BIOS. If the above still does not make a difference boot the system with the option /MAXCPU=1 behind ACPI.PSD.

Roderick

I've tried most things (see the thread!) There is no hyperthreading option in my BIOS. How do I boot with the MAXCPU option? Normally ArcaOS boots automatically and ACPI.PSD is the first thing that shows up on the screen so I'm not sure how to enter that option.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Dave Yeo on June 06, 2017, 04:49:46 am
You'll have to do it from the DVD's maintenance partition. Not sure what editor is available but there should be one.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 06, 2017, 04:52:50 am
Dave

Ive just discovered that. Edited CONFIG.SYS via a command prompt.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 06, 2017, 04:56:50 am
Ah well, the /MAXCPU option didn't solve the problem - I get the half-built desktop and a total freeze.

Do I have any more options? :-)

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Dave Yeo on June 06, 2017, 05:34:27 am
Press ALT-F1 at the boot blob at the beginning of the boot and restore an archive? Perhaps the oldest. You'll lose some of the stuff that you've done but hopefully it is just a corrupted ini file.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 06, 2017, 07:25:39 am
Dave

I went through all of the archives including the one created when I installed ArcaOS - no joy I'm afraid, boots to desktop and freezes.

I'm afraid I am losing confidence in an OS which screws up the way ArcaOS has.  One night everything works perfectly, next morning I'm stuffed. I don't think it's anything to do with my hardware, certainly not the hard disk, so I presume it must be the OS. Even if I had restored from a backup there seems to me no way of guaranteeing that that would have worked.  CHKDSK apparently repaired my file tables, it boots to the desktop (presumably having processed the INI files) and then just freezes.

Anyway thanks for your help (and thanks to everyone else who contributed.)

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: xynixme on June 06, 2017, 07:48:16 am
As I said, running CHKDSK with /F did not repair the situation.

CHKDSK /F:2
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Andi B. on June 06, 2017, 08:05:03 am
Quote
One night everything works perfectly, next morning I'm stuffed.
As even your older archives do not work anymore this is very strange. Usually you install new stuff or change some drivers and problems start arising. But when even the oldest archive do not work config.sys and os2x.ini entries do not trigger the problem. Even more basic things are only bios settings and hardware changes which I can think of. AHCI/IDE settings, overclocking, broken PSU (yes I've that one time in the past where most of the time the system works but sometimes the WPS came not up fully), ....
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 06, 2017, 08:17:17 am
CHKDSK /F:2

Andre

No change, I'm afraid

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 06, 2017, 08:21:55 am
Quote
One night everything works perfectly, next morning I'm stuffed.
As even your older archives do not work anymore this is very strange. Usually you install new stuff or change some drivers and problems start arising. But when even the oldest archive do not work config.sys and os2x.ini entries do not trigger the problem. Even more basic things are only bios settings and hardware changes which I can think of. AHCI/IDE settings, overclocking, broken PSU (yes I've that one time in the past where most of the time the system works but sometimes the WPS came not up fully), ....

Andi

I didn't change any drivers. I installed a lot of applications but apart from one issue which I solved with Dave's help I wasn't having any problems. No hardware changes.

So if you're puzzled imagine how I feel  :(

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Pete on June 06, 2017, 04:06:45 pm
Hi

I am not using the cutdown version of xwp that ArcaOS installs so cannot test this myself but the full xwp has a Panic mode.

Try pressing the Shift key during Desktop startup (press just as the screen changes from black to colour) and run xfix from the displayed menu. Hopefully that will resolve the problem.


Regards

Pete
 
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Rich Walsh on June 06, 2017, 06:51:33 pm
Now that you've tried all these random suggestions (some germane, some just W-A-G's), it's time to attack the problem systematically. Initially, the goal is to determine if the issue lies in the WPS, PM, some hardware driver(s), or the base OS.

If you haven't done so already, it would be a good idea to make a backup of your unmodified config.sys.  Post a copy here as well for future reference. Also, if you see a file named popuplog.os2 in the root directory of your boot drive, please post it - it may identify the cause.

The first step is the WPS: yea or nay. In config.sys, locate "SET RUNWORKPLACE=C:\OS2\PMSHELL.EXE" and 'rem' it out. Now enter "SET RUNWORKPLACE=C:\OS2\CMD.EXE". Save the file then reboot.

The system will come up with a blue screen and an OS/2 command prompt window. Let it sit there a while. If the system does not reboot, then something in the WPS is triggering the problem. Confirm this by starting the WPS: at the command prompt, enter "PMSHELL". What happens next? If it reboots, we know the general location of the problem and I can help you zero-in on it in a subsequent post. (If it runs OK then it's going to be a lot harder to figure out what's wrong.)

Note: if the WPS simply crashes rather than causing the system to reboot, you should be returned to the command prompt. However, on my system that doesn't happen. Instead the window (labeled "Workplace Shell") remains minimized in the lower left corner of the screen. If so, dbl-click to restore it, then press Ctrl-C to kill the still-running WPS process. (You can ignore the various messages you may see in the window.) If you're lucky enough to get to this point, try running PMSHELL again to see what happens.

Next... if the system reboots while sitting at the initial command prompt, then we have to see if PM is the cause. In config.sys, locate "PROTSHELL=C:\OS2\PMSHELL.EXE". Again, 'rem' it out and replace it with "PROTSHELL=C:\OS2\CMD.EXE". Save and reboot. The system will come up to a full screen command prompt. Hold your breath and see what happens  :)  If it still restarts then we'll have to start disabling drivers (we may need to do so, regardless).

I'll leave it at that for now. Please try these relatively simple steps and report back when you can.

I am not using the cutdown version of xwp that ArcaOS installs so cannot test this myself but the full xwp has a Panic mode. Try pressing the Shift key during Desktop startup (press just as the screen changes from black to colour) and run xfix from the displayed menu. Hopefully that will resolve the problem.

Honestly, I think this is fairly misguided advice. What would a newbie know about editing the file-handles table? In any case, if IFX ran and reported no errors, it's highly unlikely this is the source of the problem.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 07, 2017, 04:52:57 am
Rich

Thank you very much.

First weirdo - I booted up this morning and ArcaOS loaded perfectly - apparently, all my original icons and apps on the desktop. Anyway I backed up CONFIG.SYS - attached along with POPUPLOG.OS2. Note I realised I hadn't copied the original CONFIG.SYS to my USB drive and tried later - see below.

Made the changes you suggested, rebooted, got the blue screen and command prompt. Waited about 10 seconds and there was no reboot. Entered PMSHELL. The desktop and icons came up but the mouse completely froze. I couldn't get to the Workplace Shell icon, obviously, so pulled the power plug (equivalent to killing the WPS process I presume.)

At this stage I've stopped. I changed CONFIG.SYS back and rebooted. Mouse didn't freeze this time. Tried to copy my backup CONFIG.SYS to my USB drive and I got a black screen:

"
The system detected an internal processing error at location ##0168:fff68389 - 000f:00067389.
60004, 4038

0f8606f6
Internal revision 14.200_SMP

The system is stopped...
"
 I don''t know how far forward this takes us - I'm not an expert which should be patently obvious by now  :)

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 07, 2017, 04:56:52 am
Sorry

Don't think POPUPLOG.OS2 uploaded properly.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Rich Walsh on June 07, 2017, 08:41:37 pm
Your 'popuplog.os2' confirmed that the problem does lie in the WPS process but little else. The fact that the problem is now intermittent leaves me less certain than I was before as to its cause. Given that, I'd like to eliminate the most likely suspects first. Based on the results, we can either start reenabling stuff until it goes bad again or just eliminate more things and hope that dumb luck is on our side.

The first things to go are: your Startup folder, FAT32, and all of XWP (my initial suspicion was that some widget on the XCenter was the culprit).

For the first two, open config.sys. Locate "SET RESTARTOBJECTS=STARTUPFOLDERSONLY,REBOOTONLY" and 'rem' it out, then add "SET RESTARTOBJECTS=NO". Next, find "IFS=C:\OS2\BOOT\fat32.ifs" and "call=C:\OS2\cachef32.exe" and 'rem' them out. (Note that both lines have additional parameters that I've left out to make this easier to read.) Save and close config.sys.

For XWP, we'll use brute force: rename 'C:\sys\apps\xwps' to, say, 'C:\sys\apps\xwps-hide'.

Now reboot and see what happens. If we're lucky and the system is stable, play with it for a few minutes. Be aware that your internet connection may not work, and if you've set any folders to use Xview, they won't open by dbl-clicking - you'll have to use their "Open as" menu (I have to fix that...). Since these crashes are intermittent, you may want to shut down and restart to confirm the problem has been eliminated.

Lets be optimistic and assume this worked, so the next step is reenabling things. First open your Startup folder (in the desktop Computer folder). Dbl-click on each icon and see what happens. No problem? Next, we'll reenable XWP but leave the XCenter plugins disabled. Remove the '-hide' from the xwps folder, then drill down to its plugins directory and rename 'C:\sys\apps\xwps\plugins\xcenter' to 'C:\sys\apps\xwps\plugins\xcenter-hide'. Finally, open config.sys and restore the "SET RESTARTOBJECTS=" line (but not the FAT32 stuff), then reboot.

Still OK? If so, you should have XCenter at the bottom of the screen but it will be missing the window list and time widgets. Now for the big test! Right-click on XCenter and select "Close" from it menu. Next, remove the '-hide' from 'C:\sys\apps\xwps\plugins\xcenter-hide'. Finally, open 'Programs->Utilities'. Therein you'll find an XCenter icon - dbl-click on it and hope for the best. If the system blows up, the culprit is an XCenter widget. If not, it's FAT32. If it seems to be FAT32, feel free to reenable it in config.sys to confirm the diagnosis.

Of course, if you never get this far, we'll just have to keep trying. In that case, posting your config.sys will make it easier to identify what needs to be done next.

Good luck!
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Doug Clark on June 08, 2017, 12:57:58 am
I have to ask the question: are you running SNAP or Panorama? (I am guessing you are not since you are on a laptop.)

My experience with SNAP was that it freezes during when starting the desktop - at various times, a problem I never have with Panorama. If I can get the desktop populated and not frozen the machine would run pretty well for hours. But getting past the startup was painful.

Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 08, 2017, 05:33:46 am
Rich
Quote
The first things to go are: your Startup folder, FAT32, and all of XWP (my initial suspicion was that some widget on the XCenter was the culprit).

For the first two, open config.sys. Locate "SET RESTARTOBJECTS=STARTUPFOLDERSONLY,REBOOTONLY" and 'rem' it out, then add "SET RESTARTOBJECTS=NO". Next, find "IFS=C:\OS2\BOOT\fat32.ifs" and "call=C:\OS2\cachef32.exe" and 'rem' them out. (Note that both lines have additional parameters that I've left out to make this easier to read.) Save and close config.sys.

For XWP, we'll use brute force: rename 'C:\sys\apps\xwps' to, say, 'C:\sys\apps\xwps-hide'.

Did this and ArcaOS booted OK. All my apps (for which I have desktop folders) loaded. (One question - I thought I'd lose all these when I was going through the ARCHIVE procedure earlier so why are they still available?)

Quote
First open your Startup folder (in the desktop Computer folder). Dbl-click on each icon and see what happens. No problem?

Not sure - I double clicked on all the icons in the Startup folder. CAD-Popup opens after a couple of tries.
CUPS Daemon, TCP/IP Startup and USBPRT Automonitor double clicking apparently did nothing - certainly nothing visible appeared.

Also attached CONFIG.SYS renamed to CONFIG.BAK.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 08, 2017, 05:35:49 am
Doug

No. I am not running SNAP or Panorama. I chose the defaults suggested during installation.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Rich Walsh on June 08, 2017, 09:33:59 am
Quote
The first things to go are: your Startup folder, FAT32, and all of XWP (my initial suspicion was that some widget on the XCenter was the culprit).

Did this and ArcaOS booted OK. All my apps (for which I have desktop folders) loaded. (One question - I thought I'd lose all these when I was going through the ARCHIVE procedure earlier so why are they still available?)

I'm glad to hear we're getting somewhere  :)  I'd encourage you to move to the next step and reenable your Startup folder and all of XWP except the widget plugins as I described. Which reminds me... did you install any new XCenter plugins and/or did you enable the XWLan widget? If not, then finish up by reenabling the XCenter widgets since it's looking like FAT32 is the culprit (if so, there's an older version you can try).

I can't answer your archive question any too authoritatively because I've never restored one. However, I do know that any program objects or shadows that your installed apps created should be gone because they're stored in 'os2.ini' and that definitely gets replaced by the archived version. I'm not sure how physical files and folders that weren't in the archive are handled.

Quote
Quote
First open your Startup folder (in the desktop Computer folder). Dbl-click on each icon and see what happens. No problem?

Not sure - I double clicked on all the icons in the Startup folder. CAD-Popup opens after a couple of tries.
CUPS Daemon, TCP/IP Startup and USBPRT Automonitor double clicking apparently did nothing - certainly nothing visible appeared.

Most items in the Startup folder either terminate as soon as they've done whatever, or they launch background programs that you wouldn't see, so your results are to be expected.

BTW... Kudos to Doug Clark for mentioning SNAP - it should definitely be on any short-list of potential culprits. As it happens, Paul, you are running Panorama - it's the default (plus it's in the config.sys you posted).
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 08, 2017, 11:55:23 am
Rich

Quote
"SET RESTARTOBJECTS=STARTUPFOLDERSONLY,REBOOTONLY" and 'rem' it out, then add "SET RESTARTOBJECTS=NO". Next, find "IFS=C:\OS2\BOOT\fat32.ifs" and "call=C:\OS2\cachef32.exe" and 'rem' them out

I reversed the SET RESTARTOBJECTS line but left the IFS+ and CALL= lines.

Quote
Remove the '-hide' from the xwps folder, then drill down to its plugins directory and rename 'C:\sys\apps\xwps\plugins\xcenter' to 'C:\sys\apps\xwps\plugins\xcenter-hide'.

Did this, rebooted and the system froze - no mouse movement, had to pull the power plug again.

Paul

Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Rich Walsh on June 09, 2017, 04:50:47 am
Quote
Remove the '-hide' from the xwps folder, then drill down to its plugins directory and rename 'C:\sys\apps\xwps\plugins\xcenter' to 'C:\sys\apps\xwps\plugins\xcenter-hide'.

Did this, rebooted and the system froze - no mouse movement, had to pull the power plug again.

That's not at all what I expected. Just to confirm: after un-hiding the 'xwps' directory, you did hide 'plugins\xcenter' before rebooting?

I can't recall anyone ever having this sort of problem with XWP exclusive of some of its questionable plugins. The kind of errors I saw in your 'popuplog.os2' strongly suggested that a device driver was the root cause - an app would be unable to trash the CPU's registers so badly. XWP itself generally doesn't try "talking" to them directly but some of the plugins do which is why I suspected them.

At this point I imagine you've hidden the XWP directory again to get your system back. You might as well reenable FAT32 if you haven't already. The only other thing I can think of right now is to disable the XWP components that support the XPager (virtual desktop) and hotkeys. To do so, you'd open 'C:\sys\apps\xwps\bin' and rename 'xwpdaemn.exe' and 'xwphook.dll'.

Ir would be a shame if you lost access to some of XWP's many conveniences. If you're interested, once your system is stable, I can walk you thru uninstalling the AN version and installing the full-featured version which gives you greater control over which of its many components are enabled.

Let us know how it goes.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 09, 2017, 06:00:46 am
Rich

Quote
you did hide 'plugins\xcenter' before rebooting?

I've just gone through this procedure twice - UNHIDE-ing x-center. It appears that with all the HIDEs removed (from xwps, plugins, x-center) the system is loading normally - sorry if I misled you, I must have got confused as to what I was and wasn't hiding  :(

So I have desktop and full mouse function. What I haven't got is the XWP - there is nothing in the bottom left hand corner of the screen.

Paul

Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 09, 2017, 06:10:18 am
Just to clarify - I rebooted with x-center-hide and then with out -hide.  There are now no -hides on the xwps/plugins/x-center folders

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 09, 2017, 07:16:06 am
Rich

OK, I've recreated my steps

With x-center-hide the desktop freezes - power plug out

With everything UNHIDDEN (xwps/plugins/x-center) I get the desktop and XWP but the desktop freezes - power plug out

I renamed xwpdaemn.exe and xwphook.dll and rebooted - that got me to the desktop as before but the system froze again - power plug out

I have now hidden xwps - no problem, boots OK
... and am now going to restore FAT32 - no problem boots OK.

So where to from here?

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 10, 2017, 04:29:14 am
Rich

I have decided to reinstall ArcaOS. Apart from the issues around xwps I am finding other things which are not right like programs which do not load when I double-click on their icons or icons on the desktop which don't retain their position between reboots. So I'll see if a completely fresh install helps.

I know I'll lose all my previously installed applications but I'll just have to go through the process of reinstallation with them as well.

I appreciate your efforts on my behalf but maybe a restart might be better.  I'll give ArcaOS one more try - if that doesn't work I'll have to regretfully depart the ArcaOS fraternity.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Greggory Shaw on June 10, 2017, 05:38:15 am
Rich

I have decided to reinstall ArcaOS. Apart from the issues around xwps I am finding other things which are not right like programs which do not load when I double-click on their icons or icons on the desktop which don't retain their position between reboots. So I'll see if a completely fresh install helps.

I know I'll lose all my previously installed applications but I'll just have to go through the process of reinstallation with them as well.

I appreciate your efforts on my behalf but maybe a restart might be better.  I'll give ArcaOS one more try - if that doesn't work I'll have to regretfully depart the ArcaOS fraternity.

Paul

Use the advanced install option, maybe SNAP this time and zip(backup) the new install as soon as it completes the install.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Rich Walsh on June 10, 2017, 10:08:17 am
I have decided to reinstall ArcaOS.

On the whole, I think that's a very good idea. As I mentioned previously, I've never heard of XWP causing the kind of problems you've encountered, so something in the installation must be really messed up. Since I'm the one who would probably have to fix whatever might actually be wrong with XWP, I have a vested interest in you having a successful install  :)

Just two bits of advice if you haven't reinstalled already:

* if you choose the Advanced option which lets you choose what will be installed and where, avoid using the "Back" button. I installed AOS many times and the only failed installations I encountered were those where I paged back and forth. Indeed, I'd suggest going all the way through, paging back and forth as much as you want to get a good idea of your choices, then cancelling the whole thing on the last page. Do this a couple of times if need be. By the third time thru you'll know exactly what's available and which options you want and will be able make your choices without hesitation - and without going back. The install will almost certainly be successful.

* I have to strongly disagree with Greggory as to choice of video. Unless you have a fairly ancient video chipset that it supports, SNAP is semi-useless: it's far slower than Panorama and in many cases is unable to support resolutions that weren't common 10+ years ago.

Let us know how the new install works for you.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Lars on June 10, 2017, 11:30:59 am
This is an interesting discussion:
I have sudden system reboots every now and then as soon as XCenter bar has completely built up. I don't have AN installed but I do have the latest XWP installed.
I have now removed the Window list widget. Let's see if that helps. Possibly need to remove additional widgets.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: xynixme on June 10, 2017, 11:56:38 am
I don't have AN installed but I do have the latest XWP installed.

For the record: which version? There are two versions per release. Which version is AN's?
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 10, 2017, 02:48:11 pm
Rich

On the whole, I think that's a very good idea. As I mentioned previously, I've never heard of XWP causing the kind of problems you've encountered, so something in the installation must be really messed up. Since I'm the one who would probably have to fix whatever might actually be wrong with XWP, I have a vested interest in you having a successful install  :)

I am convinced that my original install was less than optimum  ;D. Anyway I have reinstalled ArcaOS and all of my OS/2 apps. Will do the MS-DOS ones tomorrow.

So far no problems. One difference with this install is that I just accepted the default XWP i.e. I haven't added any other widgets.

One issue: not that I am particularly interested in Games but none of the apps (Klondike, Solitaire, Mahjongg) will open after I double click their icons. So far this seems the only problem.

I'll keep you posted on progress.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: TeLLie on June 10, 2017, 03:49:45 pm
Hi Paul,
What happens if you go to cmd line and start mahjongg there...?
c:\os2\apps\mahjongg.exe
Something in popuplog maybe ?
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Lars on June 10, 2017, 04:35:16 pm
I don't have AN installed but I do have the latest XWP installed.

For the record: which version? There are two versions per release. Which version is AN's?

I am using XWP "full" version (that is,not the lite version) 1.0.11 available on Hobbes. I would think that is about the version that AN delivers.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Doug Bissett on June 10, 2017, 05:47:36 pm
Quote
I am using XWP "full" version (that is,not the lite version) 1.0.11 available on Hobbes. I would think that is about the version that AN delivers.

Actually, ArcaOS delivers the Lite version, modified to have Arca Noae branding, and it includes the new Arca Noae USB widget. I don't think there are any other changes from the Lite version that is at HOBBES.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Rich Walsh on June 10, 2017, 06:20:02 pm
One issue: not that I am particularly interested in Games but none of the apps (Klondike, Solitaire, Mahjongg) will open after I double click their icons. So far this seems the only problem.

TeLLie's suggestion that you run the app from the command line is a good one since you might get an error message that some needed dll couldn't be loaded. However, there's something else you should look at: what file is each program object pointing at.

Clearly, "Mahjongg" should be starting 'C:\OS2\APPS\MAHJONGG.EXE'. If you open the program object's Properties and it shows, say, 'C:\MPTN\ETC', you have a big problem because your file handles table is corrupt. This particular type of corruption is something that no ini cleaner (whether "IFX", "checkini", or whatever) could possibly identify or resolve. In this case, LosePete's earlier suggestion to run "XFix" would be spot-on. However, you'd need a fair amount of assistance to resolve the issue. Let's hope it doesn't come to that...

I am using XWP "full" version (that is,not the lite version) 1.0.11 available on Hobbes. I would think that is about the version that AN delivers.

ANXWP is at version ..umm.. 1.0.11++. I've made about 10 changes since 1.0.11 and checked them in to the Netlabs repo but I haven't built a new generic version yet because all the NLS files need updating. I'll try to get that moving.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 11, 2017, 02:21:28 am
Rich

TeLLie's suggestion that you run the app from the command line is a good one since you might get an error message that some needed dll couldn't be loaded. However, there's something else you should look at: what file is each program object pointing at.

Clearly, "Mahjongg" should be starting 'C:\OS2\APPS\MAHJONGG.EXE'.

All the program objects point to the relevant .EXE file in C:\OS2\APPS. Ref TeLLie's suggestion I tried running from the Command Line - the command window just closes when I type in the relevant command.

Quote
ANXWP is at version ..umm.. 1.0.11++. I've made about 10 changes since 1.0.11 and checked them in to the Netlabs repo but I haven't built a new generic version yet because all the NLS files need updating. I'll try to get that moving.

I don't really know anything about different versions. What I meant about accepting the defaults was that I have the virtual desk rectangle in the lower left corner of the screen and the bar at the bottom of the screen with the shutdown button, drives, system setup and command prompts icons. I didn't add any other widgets to this bar. I wouldn't be able to upgrade versions because I don't have internet access - that''s something I've got figure out. Someone suggested DHCP.

Other issues: (a) I have no sound. The UNIAUD driver was installed.

(b) USB problem - if I insert a USB stick it appears as drive D when I open the Drives icon but if I dbl-click on Drive D an empty drive D folder opens with a message 'No objects were found that matched the specified find criteria' followed by 'The drive or diskette is not formatted correctly'. (I formatted the USB as eFAT since this format can be read in both Windows and ArcaOS and I'm using the USB to transfer MS-DOS programs to ArcaOS.) I also get a popup message saying 'Chkdsk failed for drive D:'. I can access the USB stick if I open a DOS session. If I try to access it via a Command Prompt I get 'SYS0026: The specified disk or diskette cannot be accessed'.

I didn't use Advanced Install - I didn't know there was such an option or I didn't notice it.

Installed my MS-DOS programs. No problems so far. Ah, the nostalgia  ;D

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Greggory Shaw on June 11, 2017, 03:12:28 am

I didn't use Advanced Install - I didn't know there was such an option or I didn't notice it.

...

Really, I said a quick re-install was the easiest way and use the advanced install option 3 times ;)

I had to install eCS 2.1 four times for the best results !


Also, why re-install all of your programs when you don't even have a stable system yet and did you back it up before you changed things ?  Just unzip your backup if you mess things up (30 seconds).
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 11, 2017, 05:57:33 am
Greggory

The reinstallation seems to very stable so far, so I'm feeling reasonably confident.

I reinstalled a lot of applications because I wanted to tidy up the directory structure that I had originally used.

And yes, I have zipped up the key applications that I use.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Greggory Shaw on June 11, 2017, 06:04:57 am
Greggory

The reinstallation seems to very stable so far, so I'm feeling reasonably confident.

...

No internet, sound or USB isn't really stable.

You better get internet figured out before anything ??? using the adv install option would have given better control over the nic driver probably.  DHCP should just work, unless the wrong driver was installed. Also, why did you re-install it using the same option and expect different results ?

I wasn't talking about your programs, backup the boot partition too. And your first order of business should be on a working Internet connection.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Lars on June 11, 2017, 10:48:57 am
"formatted as eFAT"
What is eFAT? I can say that exFAT is not supported. Only FAT16 and FAT32.

I know it's not the cure for every problem but regarding USB you could try my driver set.
Go to Hobbes.nmsu.edu and search for "usbdrv".
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Lars on June 11, 2017, 04:32:24 pm


I am using XWP "full" version (that is,not the lite version) 1.0.11 available on Hobbes. I would think that is about the version that AN delivers.

ANXWP is at version ..umm.. 1.0.11++. I've made about 10 changes since 1.0.11 and checked them in to the Netlabs repo but I haven't built a new generic version yet because all the NLS files need updating. I'll try to get that moving.(

I could help with the German translation if you'd send me the files to translate.
Or Andreas Buchinger would potentially volunteer.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 12, 2017, 07:30:00 am
Lars

"formatted as eFAT"

Sorry, that was a typo. Should have been FAT.

Quote
I know it's not the cure for every problem but regarding USB you could try my driver set.
Go to Hobbes.nmsu.edu and search for "usbdrv".

I downloaded usbdrv217.zip.  Most of the files (except the ones in the os2\trace folder) are already in my C:\ drive so how do they differ?
The files in mmos2 are zip files. What am I supposed to do with these?
Do I need to make any changes to CONFIG.SYS?

Sorry for the dumb questions but I am unused to making these sort of changes, being new to ArcaOS.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Rich Walsh on June 12, 2017, 09:41:56 am
I know it's not the cure for every problem but regarding USB you could try my driver set.
Go to Hobbes.nmsu.edu and search for "usbdrv".

I downloaded usbdrv217.zip.  Most of the files (except the ones in the os2\trace folder) are already in my C:\ drive so how do they differ?

Except in one particular circumstance, these drivers aren't going to resolve your issues (sorry, Lars).

If your USB media are partitioned, they are being rejected by OS/2 because they lack LVM info. This is data that OS/2's disk subsystem writes at the beginning of a partition that tells it (among other things) what drive letter you'd like to assign to the disk. You probably encountered this the first time you tried to install AOS on your hard disk: the installer's Disk Utility came up and advised LVM info was missing. It offered to add it and you said OK - end of problem.

The stock answer for fixing this is to use the program "DFSee" to add it (www.dfsee.com (http://www.dfsee.com)). DFSee is a great program and can fix disk problems that nothing else can. But, it can be extremely daunting to use, and frankly, it's just overkill for what should be a fairly simple operation. Why no one has ever seen fit to write an easy-to-use utility to address this fairly common issue is beyond me.

The one situation where Lars' driver can be helpful is if your media is formatted as a "large floppy", i.e. it doesn't have a partition table and is layed-out the way a diskette would be. This is the way Windows traditionally handled USB storage media and most USB sticks were formatted that way (though the last few I bought were, in fact, partitioned). IIUC, Lars' mass-storage driver detects that the system is looking for LVM info and generates it on-the-fly to keep the system happy. Be aware that you can't do a mix-and-match combining some of his drivers with AN's: it's all or nothing.

The one exception to the all-or-nothing rule (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) are the files you mentioned in MMOS2. These provide USB audio support and have enhancements that the AN version lacks. If you're having problems with Uniaud and you have a USB audio adapter, you may want to try installing them. I'll have to leave it to someone more knowledgeable than I to fill in the details.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Lars on June 12, 2017, 05:29:20 pm
And then there is an updated USBMSD.ADD. It's not only updated to support "large floppy".
I also spent considerable time in making it work more reliably with USB mass storage devices. That includes USB floppy drives/CD-ROMs/memory sticks/hard drives. If you  need to use a floppy  drive it's the only driver that will work with more than just a few devices. I also improved copy performance and I fixed problems with data integrity.
It can be used with the AN stack without any problem or restrictions.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Lars on June 12, 2017, 06:08:42 pm
Forgot to answer the other statement: the reason why nobody has yet written a utility for writing the DLAT sector is twofold: there are people who would jump into your face if say USBMSD.ADD would write something to their media without them knowing (large floppy support creates a fake  DLAT in memory therefore this is not a prob in this case) .And secondly it's damn difficult to say where the DLAT sector is supposed to go on the medium. I just say " disk geometry" and you will understand the problem.
The latter is also not easy for DFSEE to know reliably and I had quite a few email exchanges with Jan van Wijk about this problem. That's why DFSEE is a tool for people who know what they are doing.
It's not lack of skill.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Rich Walsh on June 12, 2017, 10:03:27 pm
And then there is an updated USBMSD.ADD. It's not only updated to support "large floppy".
I also spent considerable time in making it work more reliably with USB mass storage devices.
I'm well aware of your efforts to get "problematic" USB devices to mount reliably since we've discussed this privately. Others may not be aware of this, so it's good that you have provided a more thorough description of your driver's benefits. However, I don't have any problematic devices so I place more value on the stock driver's 3-second mount time vs the 10+ seconds it takes your driver.

Quote
It can be used with the AN stack without any problem or restrictions.
That's good to know. I was under the mistaken impression that USBMSD was subject to the same restrictions as the other USB components. I'll certainly give it another try to see if I can get it to recognize a big-floppy - try as I might, I couldn't using one of your betas from several months ago (operator error, perhaps).

Quote
the reason why nobody has yet written a utility for writing the DLAT sector is twofold: there are people who would jump into your face if say USBMSD.ADD would write something to their media without them knowing (large floppy support creates a fake  DLAT in memory therefore this is not a prob in this case).

And with good reason! However, that's not what I was whining about. I was bemoaning the lack of a simple utility to handle this common-enough problem without having to jump through hoops. I can't help but suspect that Jan could significantly enhance his revenue stream if he were to offer a $5 app whose sole purpose was to "condition" flash drives to work with OS/2.
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 13, 2017, 02:21:29 am
Rich

Except in one particular circumstance, these drivers aren't going to resolve your issues (sorry, Lars).

Thanks once again for taking the time to explain the issues that I have been facing with using a USB stick. I (think) I now understand why I couldn't 'see' my USB drive via the Drives icon or via a Command prompt but was able to access it via a DOS prompt.

As I was using the USB (4 GB) to transfer files to and from my Windows laptop the 'non-visbility' is not a big issue as I have made all of the transfers that I need. The question now is whether I will be able to print using my USB HP printer.

My other priority is to get access to the internet. I need to spend some time trying to understand DHCP - it's the required IP addresses that confuse me.

Thanks also to Lars. I am not sufficiently confident in my own technical ability to replace AN's drivers with his.

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Greggory Shaw on June 13, 2017, 04:10:16 am
...

My other priority is to get access to the internet. I need to spend some time trying to understand DHCP - it's the required IP addresses that confuse me.

Thanks also to Lars. I am not sufficiently confident in my own technical ability to replace AN's drivers with his.

Paul

That should have been your number one priority from the beginning ???  Now you installed all your programs again on a broken system.

Since you used the easy option, DHCP should just work. Or the router isn't setup up for it (should be default) or the wrong nic driver was installed.  Now you probably need to identify your card and see if it is supported.  Then, uninstall the current setup if it's incorrect and install the right driver.

You should probably post the specs of your system first before anything.

It would be alot easier to just zip your boot partition.  Wipe it again and install using the advance option.  Take 45-60 minutes to do instead of 6 days.  If not just unzip your backup, you tried it twice and got the same results, you should have been working on the Internet from the start ???

Better yet add a maintenance partition (M:) (use adv option) you should have one anyways. For example installing Lars drivers just unzip them to the maintenance/test partition and test the drivers out before installing on your main system, simple - You could use it to as practice too (just create a backup image first).
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 13, 2017, 05:42:06 am
Greggory

Here is an edited version of my system specs:

Model: HP DV6000z
CPU: AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile TL-56 (1.8GHz/512×2 L2)
Memory: 2GB PC5300 DDR2 2 DIMMs 0 Open
Hard Drive: 120GB 5400RPM Seagate ST9120821AS
Motherboard: Quanta 30B8
Screen: 15.4? WXGA Glossy
Optical Drive: LG GSA-4084N

GPU: 256MB Nvidia 7200 Go(64MB On Board & 192MB Shared)

Wireless: Broadcomm A/B/G with Bluetooth
(ArcaOS identifies an Intel Pro/1000 MultiMac32-E100008 network adapter under Network Adapters and Protocols)

Inputs: 86 Key Keyboard, Two Button Touchpad with Left Side Scroll Device
Buttons: Power, QuickPlay, Play/Pause, Stop, FastFoward, Reverse, Mute, Volume Slider and TouchPad On/Off
Ports:

    3 USB 2.0, Two Left-Side and One Right-Side
    5-in-1 Card Reader
    Ethernet
    Modem
    VGA
    S-Video
    Microphone
    2 Headphone Jacks, 1 S/PDIF
    Expansion Port 3
    IR Port
    AC Connector
    Security Lock

Slots: ExpressCard54 Slot
Other: 1.3 Megapixel Webcam and Microphone
Speakers: Altec Lansing

Paul
Title: Re: ArcaOS keeps rebooting
Post by: Paolo_Ricardo on June 14, 2017, 11:57:27 pm
Just an aside from my earlier comment about the Games not working. I think there might be a conflict with UNIAUD.

Although UNIAUD is installed I have no sound and dbl-clicking, say, Klondike Solitaire provokes no reaction.

REMming out UNIAUD16.SYS and UNIAUD32.SYS in CONFIG.SYS, when I dbl-click a game it starts up with a dialog box saying no sound driver (obviously) but I can then proceed with the game.

Paul