Urs, I get the freeze if I boot the system from a USB memory stick
with the QLE distribution, but only with SMSQmulator (as if I use
QPC2, it takes its configuration from my installed configuration.)
However, if I use my own QPC2 installation (4.02, w SMSQ/E 3.24) and
boot from QLE.win, the freeze doesnt occur. The same if I use my own
SMSQmulator installation and boot from QLE.win: No freeze.
Per
On 20/03/2016 12:54, Urs Koenig (QL) wrote:
<>
As it may be known I'm maintaining QL/E - a pre-configured and ready to go
QL environment (applications, desktops, games, tools, utilities) using the
latest versions of the virtual QL machines (aka emulators) QPC2 and
SMSQmulator and the Operating System SMSQ/E - since 2002. Since 2014 QL/E is
part of THE DISTRIBUTION. Core of QL/E is a "QXL.WIN" file named QLE.win (a
virtual WINchester hard-drives in QXL format). Last public release is v3.11
from Nov 2nd 2015. This version is fine-tuned for use with QPC2, SMSQmulator
and QXL. Download link:
http://www.sinclairql.net/repository.html#QLE
For a couple of months now (the winter) I was busy adapting QL/E for other
QL compatible platforms running under QDOS/Minerva, such as systems which
include the emulators Q-emuLator, uQLx (Raspberry Pi) plus also real
hardware like MIST (QL core with QL-SD support) and the original Sinclair QL
with QL-SD. I'm almost ready with this and shall release QL/E v3.13 in the
coming weeks if not days.
While testing QL/E on various systems and with various scenarios and use
cases I experienced several FREEZEs of the OS (the QL side, not the host
when running the QL as an emulation). After such freezes the only
possibility to bring the QL/E system back to life was to "power it off" and
restart it. In terms of QPC2 a restart was only successful after a remaining
but invisible QPC2 task has been terminated using the Windows Task manager.
At around the 2016 ZX-TEAM meeting which took place last weekend in Germany
I experienced multiple freezes of QL/E. OK, I was QLing many many hours
recently. The more hours you run QL(/E) environments the greater is the
chance you experience something. The good thing was that I got the
impression that there's a common pattern to the freezes. I got the
impression that it always was when QPAC2 Files was used.
Because we have a Windows Freeze case at work which is very hard to trace
and analyse (visitors of the ZX-TEAM meeting will know) I wanted to at least
catch the QL/E Freeze case.
Last Thursday I was repeatedly able to reproduce the freeze using my QL/E
v3.13 wip (work-in-progress). I then reduced the steps needed to get the
freeze. In the end I can say you can get the freeze when doing this
scenario:
1. Start QL/E (e.g. start QPC2.exe).
2. From now on do not use the mouse, do not use the mouse pointer.
3. After the BOOT sequence of QL/E is completed (SBASIC job 0 is minimised
as "System" in the button frame, wait until Photo QL has completed
displaying the QL collection photo) press <ALT>+<\> to pick "System".
4. Now that you see the BOOT process windows in the middle of the screen
press <ALT>+<F> to pick QPAC2 "Files".
5. Once QPAC2 "Files" is on screen press <F2> then <W> followed by <ENTER>
to choose the drive "WIN1_" as the Source Directory.
6. Now the QL/E system freezes!
What I did to isolate the problem relies on QPAC2 or at least is caused by
QPAC2 is:
- Running QL/E with SMSQmulator does also freeze. > It's not a QPC2 problem.
- Running QL/E with other version of SMSQ/E does also freeze. > If it's a
SMSQ/E problem then it's there for some time already.
- Executing DRVCHK and DRVLINK does not find anything wrong with the
QLE.win.
- Copying the entire content of the QLE.win to a freshly formatted QLE.win
and the running QL/E. with this does also freeze. > It's not a problem of
the content/structure of the "QXL.WIN" file
- Using the BOOT file of previous versions of QL/E does not help; such a
modified system does also freeze.
- After inspecting and comparing various QLE.wins (some which have been used
and new files have been created or files have been deleted) I found out that
some of those do not freeze. I then found an easy workaround for the Freeze
case. Perform one time a simple SAVE WIN1_boot_bak (e.g. between steps 3 and
4) and you never get the freeze.
My feeling is that QPAC2 Files has a problem when displaying the content of
the chosen Source Directory WIN1_ at exactly the position where QPAC2 Files
is positioned in above mentioned scenario.
Enjoy the sunny Sunday!
QL forever!
Urs
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