Error and program crash when running reports in v9

[chrisro]

I understand your problem and it may be able to be worked around in the program. I do not have a projected date for the update at this time.

In the interim, you sound savvy and may be able to undertake this. As checks may not need to be printed every day, is dual boot an option?

I didn't think about that option. It may work. I suppose i would have to keep two complete separate copies of powerchurch plus, or could the two os's share the same program?

[Tracy]

If the two OS's could see the install folder, the second OS would only need to run NetSetup9 to get the runtimes setup. You'll be able to use the same installation, installing a MR on one will make it available for both.

[lincolnda]

On my Win98SE machine since going to V9, I have always had a similar error the first time I try to view reports, but the error text is a bit different:

Crystal Report Viewer

Logon Failed
ADO Error Code: 0x80040e21
Source: Microsoft OLE DB Privider for Visual FoxPro
Description: Invalid path or file name
Native Error: 295

I've been hoping it gets cleared up as each maintenance release comes along but so far it has remained. Since I hadn't seen anyone else complain till now, I just kept quite and figured it was a quirk in just my machine, since our XP machines don't have the problem. The one this happens on is at home and not on a network. My printer is a Cannon BJC-5100. I have also a Epson L1000 dot matrix printer on LPT2. Making either one the default printer doesn't change the error message. I've just become resigned to the fact I'll need to ask for the report a second time before it works, then once past the first hurdle, all reports in all modules work OK. Now I see some of the answers in this post I'll try them and see if anything changes.

[Tracy]

I haven’t been able to understand why you and others see this “Invalid path or file name” message. As you, other users have been able to print after receiving this message once. Other users are able to print only after going to the computer that has PowerChurch directly installed to it, and bringing up a report to the screen. They can now go back to the computer having the problem and it works. (That without a doubt makes me scratch my head trying to understand this problem) And yet, other users get this message and can not print at all.

I have not been able to reproduce this problem in house either. Some users have HP printers, you have Cannon and Epson, and others have network copier / printer combos. I am working with some users toward solving this problem.

[lincolnda]

I've been doing some experimenting on this and found out the following:

1. If I select 'Send to Printer" the first time I use reports after restarting Powerchurch, the report will not print, but I also do not get the error if the next thing I do is screen preview. If I remain on send to printer, it will print the second time and all subsequent times.

2. Similar thing happens if I select 'Send to Disk File". The first time after a restart of the program, send to file seems to work right, (ie, no error messages pop up)., but if I have 'open file after saving' checked, what pops up in the application is actually the report I had previously sent to disk, (say if I had printed a report from contributions the last time I had printed to file, that is the one that will show up if I am trying to print to file from fund accounting this first time). If I send the same report to file again, now I will get the right report. If I do a screen preview after the inital send to file that brought the wrong report, it works OK without the logon error.

This looks like a one time only thing that happens after a restart of Powerchurch Plus. Is it possible that upon startup, Powerchurch v9 sets up some variables that Crystal reports will use later if it is used, and possibly some item is pointing at a wrong location for something Crystal reports will need, but after Crystal does it's first attempt and doesn't do it quite right, it self corrects where it will look for what it needs to continue working properly? If the correct item were't really there somewhere, one would get the error everytime, not just the first time. Don't know if I really explained what I'm getting at, but that is the impression I get from the way it is acting. Maybe in some systems, upon initial installation of v9, the initial setup of variables, or pointers to directories, etc. gets not quite set up just right for where certain Dll's or drivers exist on those certain machines, but is proper on most other machines. I did run netsetup9 again, but that didn't cure anything. Sorry you can't duplicate this in house as it is hard to figure something out like this if you can't get your hands on it. Maybe if this is happening to someone who is not located too far from you, one of your tech's could go there and try the hands on??? Would a ghost image file from a misbehaving computer help if it could be loaded there to try to duplicate it? I'd be willing to send a ghost of mine if you thought that would help.

[Tracy]

I've been doing some experimenting on this and found out the following:

I'm thankful. These are the findings of the others I have spoken with. And some insights I had not heard before.

Is it possible that upon startup, Powerchurch v9 sets up some variables that Crystal reports will use later if it is used, and possibly some item is pointing at a wrong location for something Crystal reports will need, but after Crystal does it's first attempt and doesn't do it quite right, it self corrects where it will look for what it needs to continue working properly?

The settings should be in the Windows Registry, if it didn't work the first time, it should not work the second time. If Crystal corrected itself, it should always run correctly from that point. This isn't happening.

Maybe if this is happening to someone who is not located too far from you, one of your tech's could go there and try the hands on???

I haven't heard of one close by.

Would a ghost image file from a misbehaving computer help if it could be loaded there to try to duplicate it? I'd be willing to send a ghost of mine if you thought that would help.

I'm willing to have a go at it. Could you send it on a CD?

One possible reason it might happen this way, but it doesn't account for all the users having the problem; The system is allocating memory and needs to use the Windows memory swap space on the hard drive. This slows an expected response from happening quickly enough and an incorrect error is reported instead of the correct "timeout occurred" response. This information is coming from the Crystal Reports objects and I can only pass along the error. The Crystal Reports DLL's are not flushed from the memory space for PowerChurch until PowerChurch is closed.

[lincolnda]

One possible reason it might happen this way, but it doesn't account for all the users having the problem; The system is allocating memory and needs to use the Windows memory swap space on the hard drive. This slows an expected response from happening quickly enough and an incorrect error is reported instead of the correct "timeout occurred" response.

That's interesting. The machine I have this problem with is only a 233 Mhz Pentium II. Could it just be a matter of being too slow? If that's so, a ghost image in a faster machine might not show the problem. Wonder if this could be something common with others having the problem??

[Tracy]

It has been reported on a new system shipped with Windows XP service pack 2. Unless that system has a lot of processes forcing things to get slow, I don't believe this covers every system.

It's up to you if you want to send me a ghost image. I do have a test system here that is in that speed range.

We still have some things to workout and test. Bear with us.

[lincolnda]

It's up to you if you want to send me a ghost image. I do have a test system here that is in that speed range.

We still have some things to workout and test. Bear with us.

Upon second thought, I'm wondering if the ghost image idea may not work right. We have had problems at work if we ghosted a hard drive from one computer to another that doesn't have the same mother board and hardware setup as the original, since it is trying to impose an exact copy of all settings to a machine for which the hardware for those settings might not exist. The Ghost for my C: drive will take about 8 CD-R's since it has 6 GB in use. I don't think my version of Ghost can leave out directories we don't really need to send for what we would be trying to do, namely to just keep system files, Windows directory and Program files directory and Powerchurch directory. What are your thoughts on that?

[Tracy]

Having an idea of what is installed might give me some clues. But I see your point, that's a lot of CD's. If you make a full ghost onto a second partition or harddrive (hdd), then on a spare hdd load that ghost, then delete things from there, leaving the original hdd intact. Then you can make a new ghost for shipping.

As for the hardware, I'll deal with it. If you choose to do this.

[lincolnda]

If you make a full ghost onto a second partition or harddrive (hdd), then on a spare hdd load that ghost, then delete things from there, leaving the original hdd intact. Then you can make a new ghost for shipping.

As for the hardware, I'll deal with it. If you choose to do this.

That is a good idea. I have an extra HD I could use to do that. Just need an address to ship the image CD to. Would that be same as return address on shipping package I got Ver 9 in, and to your attention?

[Tracy]

That should be the address. If you want to verify, Check under CONTACT at www.powerchurch.com. Send it to the attention of the Data department with an explaination of what it is and why it is being sent. Also please include your Registration # with the mailing.

Thanks!

Tracy

[lincolnda]

Thanks Tracy,

Here is another weird observation I ran into while preparing my extra drive to make the ghost image to send you. I have this drive connected as the slave drive on my primary ide channel. After I made a mirror copy of my main drive to this drive, I went into CMOS setup, disabled the master drive so I would boot on the slave one to test if I still got the error on that drive. The error did not appear when I first went to PCPlus 9 on that second drive, but it did later after a second reboot on that drive. Then when I returned CMOS to normal to boot on the original drive, the first time I went to reports on PCPLus 9 I did not get the error there also, but the error came back again after I did a second reboot on that main drive. Now, I have been deleting items on the second drive to be able to send a smaller ghost, booting on that drive, and testing to see if the error still remains, and it always seems to take a second boot on that drive to make the error reappear. I've got that drive down to 3Gb, with the error still showing (after booting twice after changing CMOS settings). It's going to take me awhile from this point on, since all I have left to reduce from is to take items out of Programs Files and Windows directories, and I need to test after each deletion to make sure the error still comes up. If I happen to delete something that causes the error to really go away, though, that may also help figure this out.

[Tracy]

I agree, these are unexpected results. I'm glad you are pointing out these observations and going through this process. Hopefully the image will produce the same problems here.

[lincolnda]

The ghost image is on it's way Tracy. Also a printout of my computer system resources, in case that would be of any help.