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Random VersaWorks lockup?
- Thread starter signguy37
- Start date
Custom_Grafx
New Member
Sounds like an idea.
I'm in Australia so I don't know if I should be using that link for Roland support but I'll find the one for here.
This morning, I did the re-initialize procedure - I wonder how long till it locks up next... will be great if this has fixed the problem.
I'm in Australia so I don't know if I should be using that link for Roland support but I'll find the one for here.
This morning, I did the re-initialize procedure - I wonder how long till it locks up next... will be great if this has fixed the problem.
Custom_Grafx
New Member
Geez... that didn't last very long. Locked up just now.
Mike Paul
Super Active Member
Careful with those online updates, I did on online update last week and Versaworks wouldn't work at all. It would load a file 100% but I couldn't access the settings because the button was grayed out. This happened with all the files I tried, even ones that were previously ripped and printed. Anyhow, I removed the program and did a fresh install from the cd so I could work that day.
Back to the freeze issue:
After the above problem I called Roland and purchased the 4.1 cd and had it shipped to me thinking that maybe the freeze issue could be caused by all the online updates done over the years. I removed the old Versaworks and loaded the new 4.1 program from the cd. I loaded a few files in the queue and started clicking around with the settings and after about a minute the program locked up. Always and only when you click the OK button. I restarted the program, did the update to 4.2 and the issue is still there. Locks up when you hit the OK button.
Back to the freeze issue:
After the above problem I called Roland and purchased the 4.1 cd and had it shipped to me thinking that maybe the freeze issue could be caused by all the online updates done over the years. I removed the old Versaworks and loaded the new 4.1 program from the cd. I loaded a few files in the queue and started clicking around with the settings and after about a minute the program locked up. Always and only when you click the OK button. I restarted the program, did the update to 4.2 and the issue is still there. Locks up when you hit the OK button.
Custom_Grafx
New Member
For me it's always been there intermittently. Been using VW for about 3 years.
Custom_Grafx
New Member
To Roland;
There is one common factor here - so maybe this isn't so "random" after all.
All these lock ups happen directly after pressing the OK button. You basically hit ok... and instead of that settings screen closing, it stays there till you terminate VW manually via task manager.
One of my most important questions to the developers might be... what does VW try to access/read/write upon hitting the OK button that could cause possible conflict? This is always when it happens. I have never had VW lock up on me when I'm doing anything else with it - and thank God a job hasn't just suddenly stopped printing - touch wood.
There is one common factor here - so maybe this isn't so "random" after all.
All these lock ups happen directly after pressing the OK button. You basically hit ok... and instead of that settings screen closing, it stays there till you terminate VW manually via task manager.
One of my most important questions to the developers might be... what does VW try to access/read/write upon hitting the OK button that could cause possible conflict? This is always when it happens. I have never had VW lock up on me when I'm doing anything else with it - and thank God a job hasn't just suddenly stopped printing - touch wood.
Custom_Grafx
New Member
Go Roland! Got a call from Roland Australia about half an hour ago - thanks Mr Hawkes - that was quick!
After talking in detail about system specs and config and nature of problem - although not 100% definite reason, I was advised that it's highly likely, that the biggest possible reason for this is that I'm using the one PC for RIP and Design software.
He said that there are heaps of machines that they run on XP 32 bit and have never had a REPORTED problem like this, and it's the first time hearing about it.
My question to 101'ers, is;
Is there anyone out there who has experienced this lock up phenomena who only uses the RIP PC solely for RIPping.
After talking in detail about system specs and config and nature of problem - although not 100% definite reason, I was advised that it's highly likely, that the biggest possible reason for this is that I'm using the one PC for RIP and Design software.
He said that there are heaps of machines that they run on XP 32 bit and have never had a REPORTED problem like this, and it's the first time hearing about it.
My question to 101'ers, is;
Is there anyone out there who has experienced this lock up phenomena who only uses the RIP PC solely for RIPping.
jasonx
New Member
This is non sense. I love my Rolands but my RIP PC is a dedicated RIP computer. The only thing installed on it is windows and Versaworks.
We've had to split our RIP PC into two different machines because if your printing on one printer and you add something else in the queue of the other printer and Versawork crashes you loose your print.
Yep I'm running the latest Versaworks and firmware updates on my machines.
The only thing that might be causing it that seems consistent with other peoples comments in this threads are the amount of jobs in the queue.
Even if your changing the profile of a job that has a quantity of say 20 it will crash. You need to change your quantity back to 1 and then change your profile and then change the quantity back to 20.
Has to be a memory, buffer etc issue.
Custom_Grafx
New Member
Interesting Jason,
So comes back to VW again.
He said the chain of command is to report it to your dealer, and the dealer then reports it to Roland... and that we as end users have no direct channel to Roland in this case...
Wonder why it's never been reported before... talk about a pain in the bum - and what assurance is there that the dealer will pass on the info to Roland?
I don't see why Roland doesn't let an end user send at least an email directly about reporting bugs and crashes. If I was a dealer, I sure as hell wouldn't want to have to be the central contact point for little bug reporting... can you imagine?
So comes back to VW again.
He said the chain of command is to report it to your dealer, and the dealer then reports it to Roland... and that we as end users have no direct channel to Roland in this case...
Wonder why it's never been reported before... talk about a pain in the bum - and what assurance is there that the dealer will pass on the info to Roland?
I don't see why Roland doesn't let an end user send at least an email directly about reporting bugs and crashes. If I was a dealer, I sure as hell wouldn't want to have to be the central contact point for little bug reporting... can you imagine?
jasonx
New Member
I don't bother. I've spoken to some of the Roland guys about it before.
But unless there is a proper error reporting log stating what the issues are then its pretty pointless to debug the problem.
Our issues are random so its pretty hard to replicate the problem.
We can try to add an EPS file only for versaworks to say the file is corrupt. You restart versaworks readd the same file and then its fine.
Things like that suggest its not the file after all.
CentralSigns
New Member
My crash today was, I had just started printing and was adding several other files to be printed next. The screen for adding a file would not even come up for me. Then it hung after printing and I had to Alt Cntl deleteto get task manager. I look in programs open and no versaworks. Then I have to close versaworks.exe in the process tab.
jasonx
New Member
The errors I've seen are usually:
- Your printing and and adding another file and it crashes.
- You add an EPS file and receive corrupt eps file. Restart versaworks readd and its fine.
- You have the quantity of items to print set to a higher number and you change the profile etc it will crash.
These happen randomly. You can add a 1GB file and its fine won't crash. You can add a 500KB PDF and it will crash so its not only attributed to large sized files. Just trying to illustrate that it doesn't only happen with large files.
I'm guessing its a memory issue of some sort. As other have said the problems seem to decrease if you keep the number of items in the rip low. It's a bit hard for us to do with the amount of jobs we do each day.
- Your printing and and adding another file and it crashes.
- You add an EPS file and receive corrupt eps file. Restart versaworks readd and its fine.
- You have the quantity of items to print set to a higher number and you change the profile etc it will crash.
These happen randomly. You can add a 1GB file and its fine won't crash. You can add a 500KB PDF and it will crash so its not only attributed to large sized files. Just trying to illustrate that it doesn't only happen with large files.
I'm guessing its a memory issue of some sort. As other have said the problems seem to decrease if you keep the number of items in the rip low. It's a bit hard for us to do with the amount of jobs we do each day.
Custom_Grafx
New Member
Jason, out of curiosity - what's your pagefile configuration? Just got some advice that making the PF a fixed size (rather than system managed) can ease things up. When it's on system managed, it changes it constantly.
If you run task manager while you have VW on, and have pagefile and physical memory columns on, you can see how much it's using. On mine, it seems to use a lot of PF mem and then you try changing things and updating and clicking OK, and you can see the PF size go up and down by around 30-40%?
I also just noticed that if I turn auto updates off in preference, the program loads up ALOT faster as well as closing down speed.
Just in case it's using more resources than necessary, I also turned preview to low quality and turned off monitor profiling.
Let's see how this goes...
If you run task manager while you have VW on, and have pagefile and physical memory columns on, you can see how much it's using. On mine, it seems to use a lot of PF mem and then you try changing things and updating and clicking OK, and you can see the PF size go up and down by around 30-40%?
I also just noticed that if I turn auto updates off in preference, the program loads up ALOT faster as well as closing down speed.
Just in case it's using more resources than necessary, I also turned preview to low quality and turned off monitor profiling.
Let's see how this goes...
Custom_Grafx
New Member
Something else to consider which I never thought about before...
Keep a log of whether or not this happens to files that are printed via the driver to "rolandVW" direct from an app.
Maybe it is only happening to files that are drag and dropped? I will check next time it hangs... I have suspicions.
Keep a log of whether or not this happens to files that are printed via the driver to "rolandVW" direct from an app.
Maybe it is only happening to files that are drag and dropped? I will check next time it hangs... I have suspicions.
jasonx
New Member
Here is my page file usage at the moment along with my page file settings in Windows. These are the two printers on the one machine. I'm just fixing the other RIP at the moment.
Attachments
Custom_Grafx
New Member
Interesting...
In preferences, set to high quality display, with monitor profile.
bring in a big bitmap - say 50-60mb.
open up settings for the item, increase the copies to say 8.
on my system, it takes a while... i thought it almost locked up... but it pulled through (eventually).
Now start again, this time with low quality for preview, and no monitor profile, and try exactly the same thing on the exact same file.
The layout screen updates almost instantly and doesn't lag/hang at all.
Could simply be the preview quality putting too much burden on the system?
In preferences, set to high quality display, with monitor profile.
bring in a big bitmap - say 50-60mb.
open up settings for the item, increase the copies to say 8.
on my system, it takes a while... i thought it almost locked up... but it pulled through (eventually).
Now start again, this time with low quality for preview, and no monitor profile, and try exactly the same thing on the exact same file.
The layout screen updates almost instantly and doesn't lag/hang at all.
Could simply be the preview quality putting too much burden on the system?
jasonx
New Member
I just changed it to low see what happens. Mine was set to standard with no monitor profile.
Custom_Grafx
New Member
Hey Jason, any lock ups since then mate?
I've been lock up free since the above changes.
In addition to the above, I also put my pagefile on a different drive, and fixed the size of it so that it isn't made bigger and smaller all the time by the system (apparently this can fragment it and slow things down too).
I've been dealing with some big files the last week or so as well so it's re-assuring that there haven't been any lock ups/hangs.
I've been lock up free since the above changes.
In addition to the above, I also put my pagefile on a different drive, and fixed the size of it so that it isn't made bigger and smaller all the time by the system (apparently this can fragment it and slow things down too).
I've been dealing with some big files the last week or so as well so it's re-assuring that there haven't been any lock ups/hangs.