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Desktop doesn't launch. Also some programs.

Started by szdl, 2008.09.24, 01:31:00

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ddan

I'm pretty sure that xWP is entirely separate from and not included in any version of ECS, so RobertM was just hedging for a rather rare case.

Saijin_Naib

Not true Ddan, eWP is a derivative of the xWP codebase and is as such, xWP vis-a-vis eWP and is certainly included in eCS. I'd suggest that the OP follow Robert's advice as XFIX can (and has) saved many a WPS (myself included).

ddan

I stand informed if not corrected. Extrapolated beyond my data. I did hedge at the last second. Thanks for your input, Saijin_Naib.

Saijin_Naib

No problem. Granted, eWP is typically one release (or revision?) behind xWP but the major features are included including XFIX (which is the tool used to repair the INI files). Be warned that you can further destroy your ini files with XFIX if you delete the wrong handles so be VERY sure you know what you are doing.

szdl

I'm back again..

So, I have already run makeini.exe as the last chance to recreate the ini files, but I have bad news: it couldn't help..

I think, it's clear now, that not the ini files are the bad guys..

But what to do now??

RobertM

Quote from: szdl on 2008.09.29, 17:00:05
I'm back again..

So, I have already run makeini.exe as the last chance to recreate the ini files, but I have bad news: it couldn't help..

I think, it's clear now, that not the ini files are the bad guys..

But what to do now??

Hi szdl,

If:
(1) you have run makeini (for BOTH ini files... OS2.ini and OS2sys.ini, and from the correct location)
(2) you've tried xfix and found nothing wrong with the linkage for drive c (or whichever drive your desktop is on)
(3) your desktop directory does indeed exist (and if on FAT, the ea files do as well)


Then, I am wondering if some component of the WPS has been changed, damaged, superclassed with something broken (a WPS extender that failed to install correctly and replaced an original WPS component?) or modified?

Is there anything else leading up to this issue that might shed some light on it that you may not have already mentioned?

Robert



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Kirk's 5 Year Mission Continues at:
Star Trek New Voyages
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szdl

Quote from: RobertM on 2008.09.29, 20:23:49
Quote from: szdl on 2008.09.29, 17:00:05
I'm back again..

So, I have already run makeini.exe as the last chance to recreate the ini files, but I have bad news: it couldn't help..

I think, it's clear now, that not the ini files are the bad guys..

But what to do now??

Hi szdl,

If:
(1) you have run makeini (for BOTH ini files... OS2.ini and OS2sys.ini, and from the correct location)
(2) you've tried xfix and found nothing wrong with the linkage for drive c (or whichever drive your desktop is on)
(3) your desktop directory does indeed exist (and if on FAT, the ea files do as well)


Then, I am wondering if some component of the WPS has been changed, damaged, superclassed with something broken (a WPS extender that failed to install correctly and replaced an original WPS component?) or modified?

Is there anything else leading up to this issue that might shed some light on it that you may not have already mentioned?

Robert



1. I can run makeini (from the correct location), on botth files.

2. I can't run xfix. It doesn't start.

3. The desktop directory exists (at the correct location).

I mentioned that replacing the ini files (with older versions) has NO (!) effect, the desktop can't launch this way.
I tried dozens of ini file utilities (from hobbes, os2site..), but they couldn't start or couldn't fix the problem.

And (now I have to restart the system many times) I found that the system boot hangs sometimes (sometimes not). What's it??
(I checked the filesystem (chckdisk /F:2, DFSee) and no errors were found! No hardware has changed (so there are no new cards etc), everything is the same like before. Other OS (Linux, Windows) boots correctly on this machine. And OS/2 worked too - until last week..)




RobertM

The only other thing I can suggest (other than a reinstall) is to look for a bunch of "FOUND", "FOUND0", etc directories - if you find them, it is indicative of some pretty catastrophic file system error that occurred sometime in the past, which may be the culprit.

And, you can, from a commandline, try running SYSLEVEL and see if anything weird comes up (weird or incorrect version numbers/updates in the list it will generate).

Failing those, you can try booting to the Maintenance Desktop (but dont expect to ever be able to boot to your old desktop again - without even more issues in restoring it - so this is definitely a LAST CASE, DONT WANT TO REINSTALL option).

Sorry I'm out of suggestions... hopefully someone else has some better ones...
Rob


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Kirk's 5 Year Mission Continues at:
Star Trek New Voyages
|
|


Andi

I did noticed a little script some time ago regarding desktop problems -

/* REXX */
call RxFuncAdd 'SysSetObjectData', 'RexxUtil', 'SysSetObjectData'
rc = SysSetObjectData('C:\Arbeitsoberfläche', 'OBJECTID=<WP_DESKTOP>')
EXIT


No clue if it can change things for you. Or course you have to change C:\Arbeitsoberfläche to your desktop directory.

By the way, do you have more than on Desktop tree? f. i. \Desktop1, \Desktop2...

szdl

Quote from: RobertM on 2008.09.30, 04:08:42
The only other thing I can suggest (other than a reinstall) is to look for a bunch of "FOUND", "FOUND0", etc directories - if you find them, it is indicative of some pretty catastrophic file system error that occurred sometime in the past, which may be the culprit.

And, you can, from a commandline, try running SYSLEVEL and see if anything weird comes up (weird or incorrect version numbers/updates in the list it will generate).

Failing those, you can try booting to the Maintenance Desktop (but dont expect to ever be able to boot to your old desktop again - without even more issues in restoring it - so this is definitely a LAST CASE, DONT WANT TO REINSTALL option).

Sorry I'm out of suggestions... hopefully someone else has some better ones...
Rob


There are "Found" directories, but they are old (eg. 1 year old date etc). Why should it influance the system, the desktop startup now? Why not earlier?

I run syslevel, but I didn't find any strange think in the output.

But thank you for your advices again!


szdl

#25
Quote from: Andi on 2008.09.30, 14:09:13
I did noticed a little script some time ago regarding desktop problems -

/* REXX */
call RxFuncAdd 'SysSetObjectData', 'RexxUtil', 'SysSetObjectData'
rc = SysSetObjectData('C:\Arbeitsoberfläche', 'OBJECTID=<WP_DESKTOP>')
EXIT


No clue if it can change things for you. Or course you have to change C:\Arbeitsoberfläche to your desktop directory.

By the way, do you have more than on Desktop tree? f. i. \Desktop1, \Desktop2...

Thanks, but this script does nothing here (or can't start the REXX subsystem perhaps).

(yes: the REXX subsystem doesn't work.. :-( )



RobertM

Go to a command prompt and type:

dir nowhere* /ah

See what it says...




Also, as for the found directories, if they are older than when this started, they are probably irrelevant. If one or more of them coincide with when this started, it is possible that you will find a damaged OS/2 system component in one of them.

Robert


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Kirk's 5 Year Mission Continues at:
Star Trek New Voyages
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|


szdl

Quote from: RobertM on 2008.10.01, 04:11:17
Go to a command prompt and type:

dir nowhere* /ah

See what it says...




Also, as for the found directories, if they are older than when this started, they are probably irrelevant. If one or more of them coincide with when this started, it is possible that you will find a damaged OS/2 system component in one of them.

Robert

Here are the outputs:

[D:\]dir nowhere* /ah

The volume label in drive D is ECS.
The Volume Serial Number is 2925:1414.
Directory of D:\

05-03-20  2:59          <DIR>    381 -sh-  Nowhere
        1 file(s)           0 bytes used
                    2.430.460 K bytes free

[D:\]dir found* /ah

The volume label in drive D is ECS.
The Volume Serial Number is 2925:1414.
Directory of D:\


SYS0002: The system cannot find the file specified.

[D:\]dir found*

The volume label in drive D is ECS.
The Volume Serial Number is 2925:1414.
Directory of D:\

07-11-25  0:49          <DIR>      0 ----  FOUND0
08-07-17 21:07          <DIR>      0 ----  FOUND1
        2 file(s)           0 bytes used
                    2.422.415 K bytes free



szdl


Now I changed the hardware under the OS. I put the harddisk into another similar machine.
But no effect. The error is the same.

But this way some hardware dependent errorrs are filtered (motherboard, cpu, memory, hdd controller etc.).

The other thing, I did: I compared the content of the \os2\dll directory with another installed eCS system, and it seems to be OK.

What to do now?

Why don't start some programs? (eg. DOS session, old Mozilla, ODIN things, Rexx system, printing..)


Fahrvenugen

I agree that it sounds like something messed up on the hard disk and / or an ini issue, but one other thing to try:

Revert back to VGA mode.

A while back I ran into an issue on one of my machines where SNAP got messed up and my desktop never came up (the system would hang on a black screen).  By doing the ALT-F1 upon boot trick and selecting the VGA option, I was able to get the system back up and running.   I then ran the uninstall of SNAP, then reinstalled SNAP, and it worked.

I don't know if this will help, but with everything else you've tried, it is worth a try.