Recoverable alert at boot, please help!

[meynaf]

This whole stuff smells like 3rd party software doing some unitialized memory read...

The first thing I would do in this situation, is to boot without startup-sequence and then type loadwb. This would then tell if the problem is located in the s-s or in the wbstartup folder.
Then it's about removing all programs one by one (or removing them all and add them back 1 by 1), to finally find the culprit.

[liviux76]

Originally Posted by meynaf

This whole stuff smells like 3rd party software doing some unitialized memory read...

The first thing I would do in this situation, is to boot without startup-sequence and then type loadwb. This would then tell if the problem is located in the s-s or in the wbstartup folder.
Then it's about removing all programs one by one (or removing them all and add them back 1 by 1), to finally find the culprit.

Unfortunately the fact that the error is "occasional" (I don't receive it for 3, 4 or even more times) doesn't help with the "debug"...

I'll try also to start without startup-sequence and to type "loadwb" and I'll let you know what happens... thanks for your hint.

[emufan]

Originally Posted by liviux76

I'll try also to start without startup-sequence and to type "loadwb" and I'll let you know what happens... thanks for your hint.

you have some system patches in your user-startup:

C:WildClick
C:BorderBlank
Run <NIL: >NIL: System:Tools/Executive/Executive
Run >NIL: C:RamSnap
Run >NIL: C:XpkMasterPrefs
Run >NIL: C:AutoUpdateWB
C:xfdPatch >NIL:

or you can disable user-startup in the ss:

  Execute S:User-Startup  --->   ;Execute S:User-Startup

some in startup-sequence:

C:FPPrefs
C:FBlit
C:FText

maybe one of those causing the problem.

disable one by one with a leading ";", eg:

; Run >NIL: C:RamSnap

as adviced by meynaf

you may also disable WBStartup items, temporarly:

rename sys:WBStartup sys:WBStartup-OFF

[liviux76]

@emufan

I've already disabled one by one the system patches in my startup-sequence ("C:FPPrefs", "C:FBlit", "C:FText", "C:VBRun", etc...) without finding the "cause" of the message. Disabling them I had different issues like bad colors in the icons (FPPrefs), high consumption of Fast RAM, etc...

I think that disabling the system patches in my user-startup will have similar consequences but I will try. I'll also try to rename my sys:WBStartup folder in sys:WBStartup-OFF to see if something in there is causing the issue.

I'll keep you informed, thanks!

[daxb]

You have several options to show/examine boot process. That you get error messages with "set echo on" is normal. You can`t redirect it because there is nothing to redirect. It sets (Set command) a local variable (called echo) to its value (on). You can also set it to "off". When in a Shell and set it to "on" and then start a DOS script it will output/trace the script.

I wrote you can use Wait command in S-S (temporary) because output is much to fast. Another possibility is to use Ask command (eg. ask "continue? (type Y or N)") to wait for user input. But OS3.9 has an interactive mode that could be a better use. Next is to mount a RAD: and do some "echo "information" >RAD:log.txt" at some useful points in S-S/U-S. If the RAD suvives the crash you can watch log.txt later. Overkill might be to install qboot. However, easier is to temporary disable U-S/WBStartup like meynef wrote to exclude possible causer.

Oh, my guess is Executive.

[nogginthenog]

Originally Posted by liviux76

Hi McTrinsic, I did put "set echo on" in my startup-sequence but, as I said a few posts ago, I wasn't able to read any messages:

Here's an idea. Rename startup-sequence (with set echo on) to startup-sequence2. Create a new startup-sequence with

execute s:startup-sequence2 > ram:log

If your Amiga is crashing I don't recommend redirecting to the hd. RAD: might work.

[liviux76]

Originally Posted by nogginthenog

Here's an idea. Rename startup-sequence (with set echo on) to startup-sequence2. Create a new startup-sequence with

execute s:startup-sequence2 > ram:log

If your Amiga is crashing I don't recommend redirecting to the hd. RAD: might work.

Hello, I will try your hint as well, thanks.

unfortunately yesterday I didn't have time to test any hints but I booted my system three times and I didn't get any error messages...

BTW, I did run sys:/system/fixfonts (and also sys:/system/cleanfonts) but I don't know if that was of any use.

[volvo_0ne]

I had a similar problem when I installed KCON , out of interest try removing it and any ref to it from
user-startup.

[liviux76]

Originally Posted by volvo_0ne

I had a similar problem when I installed KCON , out of interest try removing it and any ref to it from
user-startup.

I needed a few days in order to be sure of this because, as I said, the error message is occasional, but I can say with confidence that the problem is in my user-startup file.

In fact, after having commented its call on my startup-sequence file I have been able to boot without errors at least 20 times. When I removed the ";" before its call on my startup-sequence file, I started getting that error message again.

Now I need to find the fault inside the user-startup file... for now I commented some lines and I'm going to boot my system for a few days in the hope that everything will be fine so that I can start to remove the ";" one line at a time...

[DamienD]

...don't you love trying to fix Amiga / installed program issues? Fun, fun

[volvo_0ne]

Originally Posted by liviux76

I needed a few days in order to be sure of this because, as I said, the error message is occasional, but I can say with confidence that the problem is in my user-startup file.

In fact, after having commented its call on my startup-sequence file I have been able to boot without errors at least 20 times. When I removed the ";" before its call on my startup-sequence file, I started getting that error message again.

Now I need to find the fault inside the user-startup file... for now I commented some lines and I'm going to boot my system for a few days in the hope that everything will be fine so that I can start to remove the ";" one line at a time...

If it's of any consolation, I decided to do away with KCON altogether because it took longer trying to eliminate this problem than it was worth.

I hope you have better luck!

[liviux76]

Originally Posted by DamienD

...don't you love trying to fix Amiga / installed program issues? Fun, fun

oh my friend... as they say... I'm loving it!!!

[DamienD]

Yeah me too; have currently been fixing my *small* mistakes with "[AmigaCD] --> .HDFs" plus "[AmigaCD] --> .LHAs"

Takes ages to; update one file in the .HDF, then LHA up, and finally re-upload both etc... hours wasted

...and don't get me started on [AmigaCD] Wet - The Sexy Empire - .HDF; 4 hours of messing around until all was working correctly... there was a lot of "pulling my hair out" moments last night

[liviux76]

It seems that I've finally found the cause of the error:

Run >NIL: C:AutoUpdateWB

With that line in my user-startup commented I haven't had the recoverable error for the last 2 days...

It's weird since I have been using AutoUpdateWB for at least 2 years but for some reasons something changed...

[PeterK]

Why do you run AutoUpdateWB from the user-startup? I'm using it together with an icon from the WBStartup drawer and never had any problems yet.

[tygre]

Hi liviux76 and all!

Originally Posted by liviux76

It seems that I've finally found the cause of the error:

Run >NIL: C:AutoUpdateWB

With that line in my user-startup commented I haven't had the recoverable error for the last 2 days...

It's weird since I have been using AutoUpdateWB for at least 2 years but for some reasons something changed...

Sorry for resurrecting this thread but I wanted to say Thank you! because it helped me solve the exact same problem quickly

Also, I'm also puzzled about this problem because it started all of the sudden, without really any change to my config. Any idea what the root cause could be?

(I'm using the latest version from Aminet.)

Cheers!

[PeterK]

AutoUpdateWB patches the Dos functions Open(), Close(), DeleteFile(), Rename(), UnLock() and needs to access the workbench.library function UpdateWorkbench().

So, you can check with Scout whether there are any other programs patching the same Dos functions, which might cause a conflict if this is done in the wrong order.

Since AutoUpdateWB tries to call a workbench.library function whenever icons are created, changed or removed there could also be a race in opening Workbench if this already happens from the user-startup while LoadWB was not executed yet. I don't understand why the authors suggested to start it with Run from the user-startup, I wouldn't do that and prefer to put it together with an icon and "DONOTWAIT" tooltype into the WBStartup drawer. Of course, many other things can be responsible for problems too, depending on the system configuration.

Btw, which Alert is that? Did you already try tools like Enforcer, Sashimi, SmartCrash, NewAlertHook, AlertPatch and SegTracker to get more detailed information?