Author Topic: When using new/open - the program ceases to react  (Read 8869 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Bitmap

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5
    • View Profile
When using new/open - the program ceases to react
« on: October 05, 2009, 04:46:19 pm »
I've run into a problem which I first noticed when trying to open a poster from a folder - the program stops to react. The same happens when I try to start a new database or try to open another file.
I am running version 0.9.9.14.
I can create new posts and get data via the plugins but not my own picture eg of movies that are not found by the plugins. Do you have any idea what can cause a problem like this.
I have also tried to totally uninstall the program, but the problem continues.

Best regards
Bitmap

Offline rick.ca

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 3241
  • "I'm willing to shoot you!"
    • View Profile
Re: When using new/open - the program ceases to react
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2009, 10:56:46 am »
Welcome to the forum, Bitmap.

It sounds like a common element in what you describe is the file open dialog. When the program becomes unresponsive, is the file open dialog visible? Is it behind the main window? If it's not visible, does it appear when you click on the program in the taskbar? What version of Windows are you running?

Offline Bitmap

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5
    • View Profile
Re: When using new/open - the program ceases to react
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2009, 07:07:47 pm »
I'm running Vista Home Premium SP2

When trying to open a file via the file menu - after clicking on open the menu disappears and the program locks. When I try to press anything I just hear a pling (typical fail signal). I can not even close the program down without using windows task manager. Where the program however is reported to still run - no message like "not responding".

The same happens when I try to "load image from file" when trying to add a poster via a folder on my harddrive.

Formerly this has always worked perfectly and I must admit that I can not think of new software or other things that I have installed.

Best regards
Bitmap

Offline Anson

  • User
  • ***
  • Posts: 46
    • View Profile
Re: When using new/open - the program ceases to react
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2009, 12:47:45 am »
When trying to open a file via the file menu - after clicking on open the menu disappears and the program locks. When I try to press anything I just hear a pling (typical fail signal). I can not even close the program down without using windows task manager. Where the program however is reported to still run - no message like "not responding".

some general hints,
independent of PVD and how this situation happened in your case ...

This looks like a typical situation on my system when using some other programs:
during the operation (in this case opening the selected file) some error happened and there is a notification in a new small window which takes precedence before the program window (a "modal window"), but because of some cicumstances it appears behind the program window or outside of the screen. Thus you are in some deadlock situation: you can't operate the program while the small window is active (which results in a "pling" when you try anyway), and you can't properly operate the small window without seeing it. Since the system sees the program as "waiting for action on the modal window", it is reported as "running".

what i try to do in similar cases:
  • look whether the main program is active (colored title bar)
  • push ESC or RETURN to confirm/abort whatever the modal window tries to tell you (without seeing it; before clicking the main window)
  • do this series of actions to move the window: ALT+space (this opens the system menu on most windows), ENTER (to activate the first menu option), move the mouse (the modal window should now be glued to the mouse and you can move it around to someplece where you can see it.
  • if this didn't work try again with ALT+space, Cursordown, ENTER (in case the system menu has move as second option instead of as first option)
  • most of the time, modal windows are opened in the center of the screen. thus i resize or move the main window before doing the critical action so that the center of the screen is not obscured by the main program window.

Offline rick.ca

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 3241
  • "I'm willing to shoot you!"
    • View Profile
Re: When using new/open - the program ceases to react
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2009, 02:29:35 am »
Quote
...but because of some circumstances it appears behind the program...

This is exactly what I suspect is happening. It happens randomly but regularly to me, but I've never been able to find any pattern to it. The hard part is recognizing this is what has happened. When I do, the fix is to simply click on the program in the titlebar. This brings the dialog to the top. Attempting to do anything with the main window is futile—it doesn't have focus.

I don't know if the minimize to tray feature has anything to do with this, but it does interfere with what I'm asking you to do. So please remove pvdtotray.dll from your plugins directory until this is resolved.

It the same thing is happening consistently (rather than randomly), I would assume something else is going on.

Offline Bitmap

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5
    • View Profile
Re: When using new/open - the program ceases to react
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2009, 07:20:53 pm »
Thanks for the input - problem solved. The tip about the modal program got me going - in practical terms it was actually me being stupid.

I have a second screen, which I do only use on rare occassions. Appearantly the dialog open box was moved to that screen. Probably something I did a some time and forgot about it. So when I tried to open a file the dialog box popped up on the other screen - but because I did not turn it on I did not see it (how stupid can you be).

Sorry for bothering you with this issue, which wasn't anything at all and thanks for the help.

Great program - I really enjoy using it.

Best regards
Bitmap.