A Quick Method of Understanding OS/2 Traps

The following is an excerpt from: http://www.os2voice.org/VNL/past_issues/VNL1000H/vnewsft.htm


 * Record CSLIM value !

August 22, 2000 - Here's some suggestions on analyzing TRAP problems from Roderick Klein on the eComStation at egroups.com mail list:

A general remark for everyboby who gets a trap!

Don't just hit the reset button and hope it won't come back, try and trace a trap! One of the most helpfull hints is this! When a trap occurs write down the CSLIM value. Is it FFFFFFFF? never mind then just hit reset... Is CLSIM != FFFFFFFF? then you can be lucky!

After a reboot (if possible) go onto the internet and download this tool:

ftp://hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/os2/util/disk/exeinfo.zip (only 22kB).

This is the manual:

Exeinfo searches your partitions for executable code (device drivers, file systems, EXEs, DLLs) that matches some criteria. To locate the module that caused a trap, write down the CSLIM value that is reported. Then run "exeinfo -f -lxxxx c:\*.*" where xxxx is the CSLIM value and C: should be replaced by each driver from which code may have been loaded.

If, for example, you get CSLIM=0000f113 and all your code is loaded from the D drive because you have multiboot, type

exeinfo -f -lf113 d:\*.*

Another hint for fixpak 13 users and higher, got a Teles ISDN card! Rem out this line: DEVICE=D:\CAPI\VCAPI.SYS D:\CAPI That driver is not that good with the WSeB kernel..... it's not a fault in the kernel; the device driver has been written badly....

Also when you have an application that causes a trap. Its useless to uninstall the app and reinstall. All apps are ring 3 code (they don't run on kernel level!) Usually its a sound driver or video driver. Switch to standard VGA or change resolution. Turn off sound, this way you can in many cases locate the problem!

Roderick Klein