Galactic
02-02-2006, 10:53 AM
[ added 2006/02/05, abridged some material to stay within forum word length limit ] Read Jon's reply to this thread first. I suggest you do what he did first. Please report Nag Screen behavior on the Nag Screen thread: if you get them, when you started getting them, and if you get them from the start after a clean reload of FP2006 (final) . A change in Nag Screen behavior may relate to why the clean remove and reload solves problems.
[added 2006/02/04]] The suggestion below for what to try with a problem of a "hung splash screen" is to do a clean reload of FP2006. This post, http://developers.evrsoft.com/forum/showthread.php?postid=23614#poststop by ANDREW_H,. is an excellent write-up of an alternative solution that has helped some.
[added 2006/02/04]Some detail in this post are only provided to help the developers of FP2006 (final) identify the causes/sources of bugs.
My Experience with and Observations about FP2006 Problems
When I first loaded and started FP, it was FP2006 (final), the program crashed. It continued to crash at various times. I could reproduce the behavior by doing certain things after startup. At some point I also began getting the “splash screen hangs on FP2006 startup” problem, or something similar.
I first noticed that FP2006 had started working OK after I had made some configuration changes including browser preferences. Later on, I tried to duplicate my earlier problems by trying various methods of removal, installation, and initial variations in the way I started FP2006 (steps taken just after the program starts). The only things I could get to occur were some FP2006 crashes. Those seem to occur mainly when I close an open template and issue the program close command or I just issue the program close command, File/Exit. I could no longer get the splash screen hangs problem to occur.
When the splash screen hangs problem happened to me, it was not the first time I ran the program, After it started happening, I discovered that the template files in the FP2006 directory were gone. The Templates directory file was there but the template files were not. When I restored the files, from a backup of the FP2006 from a backup of the program directory the splash screen problem went away.
I tried a lot of things towards getting a poorly running FP2006 to work better, and some of those things seemed to help. Later, after I had done a clean remove and reload, the program continues to work OK. Posts by twp users in the same thread on the forums in mid-January say that leaving the initial program directory after removal prior to a new program load resulted in FP2006 continuing not to work. When they removed the prior directory, i.e., did a cleaner removal and reload, then the program worked.
In my experience once FP2006 (final) is working OK, after a clean removal and reloading the program it will continue to work OK. But what if the program had never gotten past the splash screen on earlier install? Why after a clean removal and reload would the program begin working? How could anything be changed from the first install, which was clean, and the next clean install?
Does FP2006 have a memory of prior installations?
Suppose that FP2006 loads differently in a new clean install then it did on a previous install, perhaps because someway the loader receives information of configuration steps, mode of running (basic, advanced, hardcore), and browser setup. The first time that I noticed that FP2006 (final) had started working OK was after I had just gone through many configuration and setup options including setting up the browsers. The program could have become more stable after these things were done than when first loaded.
Perhaps the influence of a prior load of FP2006 on a new clean reload is more subtle. At least some of us started getting a nag screen on startup only later on, not at first. For me, once the nag screen on startup had started appearing, it has always appeared since on every program start, even following a clean removal and reload of FP2006. It seems that the clean reloaded program is changed. For those with the problem with the hung splash screen on startup, could a change in the program configuration to begin showing the nag screen relate to the startup problem going away?
Perhaps the nag screen is always supposed to appear on program startup. Could getting a nag screen (from the start) be an indication that the program has loaded correctly?
Two Questions
Unless a clean reload of FP2006 changes something about the program from the first installation by the loader, why do some who have a problem with a hung splash screen on startup from the first time the program starts report that everything is fine when they do a cleaner reload of the program?
If following the initial load of FP2006, the program has problems, especially startup problems, is a cleaner uninstall and reload alone a sufficient action to get an FP2006 installation that works? [This is what Jon reports in the next post. His observation is important.]
Appendix
The appendix has my surmises, steps for a clean removal program removal, observations concerning the FP2006 Backup directory, and a description of my system,
Surmises
1) Most users of FP2006 do not have problems with the FP2006 (final) starting out.
2) Most of the problems reported are in two categories.
3) Many who report these problems (seeking help) do not report that they got it working.
4) Some report that a good clean reinstall of FP2006 is necessary and that it works
Two Categories of Difficulties
1) Splash screen hangs on FP2006 startup
2) FP2006 crashes
[added 2006/02/05 ] Jon reports in the next post that doing all steps described below solved his problems. Doing only the first two cleaning steps did not work. I recommend going to his post, reading it, and then do what he did. I thank Jon for providing a great report.
Clean Program Removal
1) Run the Windows program remove tool for FP
2) Use Windows Explorer to delete the FP program directory.
3) Use RegSeeker to find and remove all unnecessary, unused, and invalid registry entries. Among these were several entries that referred to FP.
4) Run a PC clean program that removes temporary files, and empties the recycle bin
The steps above are the cleanest way I know how to remove a program.
[added 2006/02/05 ]Jon in next post reports that not until he used all 4 steps for a clean remove did the reload of FP2006 (final) work. If you have more then one FP version installed on your PC, do the remove program tool for each version first. Then do step 2 for each of those directories. Then do steps 3 and 4 last. After all versions of FP have had clean removal, you may then run the loader that installs FP2006 (final).
The FP2006 Program’s Backup Directory
FP2006 program files includes a Backup directory. The Backup directory may have three files. The names of the files there (meaning that they are different kinds of files) have varied. I do not know when or why these files are put in the Directory.
List of files in one instance: preference.ini, default.lay, history.ini
List of files in present instance: fontlist.ini, toolbar.dat, toolbar.pos
When FP2006 is removed, three files, perhaps these, are the only files left in the FP2006 files directory.
Early on when I did Remove Program for FP2006, I got an Information Window that some files were not removed. At those times more then just the three files mentioned above were still present. I no longer get that message, but as mentioned, the removal is not complete.
PC System and Environment
Dell Dimension 9100
2.5 GB RAM
Pentium D 2.8 GHz
Windows XP (home)
Zone Alarm (personal)
Webroot SpySweeper with subscription updates
DSL connection via a router and modem to a phone line
Firefox browser
The programs and Window are up to date.
Changes in my system from my first use of FP2006 (final) to when it started behaving better:
1) Grisoft anti-virus program, AVG updated.
2) Webroot SpySweeper program updated
I have no reason to think those updates made any difference.
Between when FP2006 was first working OK for me and when I did the most recent clean removal and fresh install, following occurred:
1) Newest version of Firefox browser, just out, installed
2) Newest version of Thunderbird mail, installed
[added 2006/02/04]] The suggestion below for what to try with a problem of a "hung splash screen" is to do a clean reload of FP2006. This post, http://developers.evrsoft.com/forum/showthread.php?postid=23614#poststop by ANDREW_H,. is an excellent write-up of an alternative solution that has helped some.
[added 2006/02/04]Some detail in this post are only provided to help the developers of FP2006 (final) identify the causes/sources of bugs.
My Experience with and Observations about FP2006 Problems
When I first loaded and started FP, it was FP2006 (final), the program crashed. It continued to crash at various times. I could reproduce the behavior by doing certain things after startup. At some point I also began getting the “splash screen hangs on FP2006 startup” problem, or something similar.
I first noticed that FP2006 had started working OK after I had made some configuration changes including browser preferences. Later on, I tried to duplicate my earlier problems by trying various methods of removal, installation, and initial variations in the way I started FP2006 (steps taken just after the program starts). The only things I could get to occur were some FP2006 crashes. Those seem to occur mainly when I close an open template and issue the program close command or I just issue the program close command, File/Exit. I could no longer get the splash screen hangs problem to occur.
When the splash screen hangs problem happened to me, it was not the first time I ran the program, After it started happening, I discovered that the template files in the FP2006 directory were gone. The Templates directory file was there but the template files were not. When I restored the files, from a backup of the FP2006 from a backup of the program directory the splash screen problem went away.
I tried a lot of things towards getting a poorly running FP2006 to work better, and some of those things seemed to help. Later, after I had done a clean remove and reload, the program continues to work OK. Posts by twp users in the same thread on the forums in mid-January say that leaving the initial program directory after removal prior to a new program load resulted in FP2006 continuing not to work. When they removed the prior directory, i.e., did a cleaner removal and reload, then the program worked.
In my experience once FP2006 (final) is working OK, after a clean removal and reloading the program it will continue to work OK. But what if the program had never gotten past the splash screen on earlier install? Why after a clean removal and reload would the program begin working? How could anything be changed from the first install, which was clean, and the next clean install?
Does FP2006 have a memory of prior installations?
Suppose that FP2006 loads differently in a new clean install then it did on a previous install, perhaps because someway the loader receives information of configuration steps, mode of running (basic, advanced, hardcore), and browser setup. The first time that I noticed that FP2006 (final) had started working OK was after I had just gone through many configuration and setup options including setting up the browsers. The program could have become more stable after these things were done than when first loaded.
Perhaps the influence of a prior load of FP2006 on a new clean reload is more subtle. At least some of us started getting a nag screen on startup only later on, not at first. For me, once the nag screen on startup had started appearing, it has always appeared since on every program start, even following a clean removal and reload of FP2006. It seems that the clean reloaded program is changed. For those with the problem with the hung splash screen on startup, could a change in the program configuration to begin showing the nag screen relate to the startup problem going away?
Perhaps the nag screen is always supposed to appear on program startup. Could getting a nag screen (from the start) be an indication that the program has loaded correctly?
Two Questions
Unless a clean reload of FP2006 changes something about the program from the first installation by the loader, why do some who have a problem with a hung splash screen on startup from the first time the program starts report that everything is fine when they do a cleaner reload of the program?
If following the initial load of FP2006, the program has problems, especially startup problems, is a cleaner uninstall and reload alone a sufficient action to get an FP2006 installation that works? [This is what Jon reports in the next post. His observation is important.]
Appendix
The appendix has my surmises, steps for a clean removal program removal, observations concerning the FP2006 Backup directory, and a description of my system,
Surmises
1) Most users of FP2006 do not have problems with the FP2006 (final) starting out.
2) Most of the problems reported are in two categories.
3) Many who report these problems (seeking help) do not report that they got it working.
4) Some report that a good clean reinstall of FP2006 is necessary and that it works
Two Categories of Difficulties
1) Splash screen hangs on FP2006 startup
2) FP2006 crashes
[added 2006/02/05 ] Jon reports in the next post that doing all steps described below solved his problems. Doing only the first two cleaning steps did not work. I recommend going to his post, reading it, and then do what he did. I thank Jon for providing a great report.
Clean Program Removal
1) Run the Windows program remove tool for FP
2) Use Windows Explorer to delete the FP program directory.
3) Use RegSeeker to find and remove all unnecessary, unused, and invalid registry entries. Among these were several entries that referred to FP.
4) Run a PC clean program that removes temporary files, and empties the recycle bin
The steps above are the cleanest way I know how to remove a program.
[added 2006/02/05 ]Jon in next post reports that not until he used all 4 steps for a clean remove did the reload of FP2006 (final) work. If you have more then one FP version installed on your PC, do the remove program tool for each version first. Then do step 2 for each of those directories. Then do steps 3 and 4 last. After all versions of FP have had clean removal, you may then run the loader that installs FP2006 (final).
The FP2006 Program’s Backup Directory
FP2006 program files includes a Backup directory. The Backup directory may have three files. The names of the files there (meaning that they are different kinds of files) have varied. I do not know when or why these files are put in the Directory.
List of files in one instance: preference.ini, default.lay, history.ini
List of files in present instance: fontlist.ini, toolbar.dat, toolbar.pos
When FP2006 is removed, three files, perhaps these, are the only files left in the FP2006 files directory.
Early on when I did Remove Program for FP2006, I got an Information Window that some files were not removed. At those times more then just the three files mentioned above were still present. I no longer get that message, but as mentioned, the removal is not complete.
PC System and Environment
Dell Dimension 9100
2.5 GB RAM
Pentium D 2.8 GHz
Windows XP (home)
Zone Alarm (personal)
Webroot SpySweeper with subscription updates
DSL connection via a router and modem to a phone line
Firefox browser
The programs and Window are up to date.
Changes in my system from my first use of FP2006 (final) to when it started behaving better:
1) Grisoft anti-virus program, AVG updated.
2) Webroot SpySweeper program updated
I have no reason to think those updates made any difference.
Between when FP2006 was first working OK for me and when I did the most recent clean removal and fresh install, following occurred:
1) Newest version of Firefox browser, just out, installed
2) Newest version of Thunderbird mail, installed