Pack causing intermittant fatal error VFP7 SP1

I originally posted a message about this problem on 12th May. I am beginning to think it may be a problem with the user's PC. As the crash happens during a pack and the file has actually disappeared from it's original place, the fatal error must be happening at the point where VFP deletes the original table from disk and renames the temporary table with the original table name. Where on the user's machine would this temporary table be located? We do not use any Config file. Is it the Windows temporary directory? Could there be a problem with that user's windows temporary directory or permissions to that directory?

Note - the file that is being packed is not particularly big.

Any help would be appreciated.

Bernie.

Andrew
Wed Aug 04 07:30:16 CDT 2004

Bernie Beattie wrote:
> I originally posted a message about this problem on 12th May. I am
> beginning to think it may be a problem with the user's PC. As the
> crash happens during a pack and the file has actually disappeared
> from it's original place, the fatal error must be happening at the
> point where VFP deletes the original table from disk and renames the
> temporary table with the original table name. Where on the user's
> machine would this temporary table be located? We do not use any
> Config file. Is it the Windows temporary directory?

Possibly the "default" directory in the Foxpro application at the time of
creation (ie SYS(2003))

You can specify it in the config.fpw with
SORTWORK=c:\some\directory

there is also PROGWORK and EDITWORK for program file cache and text editing
cache; alternatively you can set them all with

TMPFILES=c:\some\directory

I'd recommend that since it covers everything. But check your help file -
things may have changed since FPW2.6 which I use! I don't know about later
helpfile versions but all this is described under the inconspicuous entry of
"Configuring Foxpro" in my helpfile (and nowhere else.)

--
HTH
Andrew Howell

Andrew
Wed Aug 04 07:36:36 CDT 2004

Bernie Beattie wrote:
> I originally posted a message about this problem on 12th May. I am
> beginning to think it may be a problem with the user's PC. As the
> crash happens during a pack and the file has actually disappeared
> from it's original place, the fatal error must be happening at the
> point where VFP deletes the original table from disk and renames the
> temporary table with the original table name. Where on the user's
> machine would this temporary table be located? We do not use any
> Config file. Is it the Windows temporary directory? Could there be a
> problem with that user's windows temporary directory or permissions
> to that directory?

Another thing to try; if you want to hack around a bit to see the file
activity then download and run filemon from here
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/source/filemon.shtml

It is just a small executable; no installation or other files are necessary
and you can monitor exactly what happens when you do a pack.

--
HTH
Andrew Howell

Leemi
Wed Aug 04 08:54:58 CDT 2004

Hi Bernie:

Use the SYS(2023) function to determine where the temp files are written.

You may also want to check to make sure the temp folder does not have they
system attribute set.

308215 PRB: VFP ODBC Driver Causes Various Errors in Microsoft Products
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308215

306113 PRB: Temp Folder with System Attribute Causes Errors in Visual FoxPro
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=306113


I hope this helps.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Sincerely,
Microsoft FoxPro Technical Support
Lee Mitchell

*-- VFP9 Public Beta Now Available!! --*
Download the VFP9 beta here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro/

*-- VFP8 HAS ARRIVED!! --*
Read about all the new features of VFP8 here:
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Purchase VFP8 here:
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Keep an eye on the product lifecycle for Visual FoxPro here:
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- VFP5 Mainstream Support retired June 30th, 2003
- VFP6 Mainstream Support retired Sept. 30th, 2003

>Bernie Beattie wrote:
> I originally posted a message about this problem on 12th May. I am
> beginning to think it may be a problem with the user's PC. As the
> crash happens during a pack and the file has actually disappeared
> from it's original place, the fatal error must be happening at the
> point where VFP deletes the original table from disk and renames the
> temporary table with the original table name. Where on the user's
> machine would this temporary table be located? We do not use any
> Config file. Is it the Windows temporary directory? Could there be a
> problem with that user's windows temporary directory or permissions
> to that directory?

>Another thing to try; if you want to hack around a bit to see the file
>activity then download and run filemon from here
>http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/source/filemon.shtml

>It is just a small executable; no installation or other files are necessary
>and you can monitor exactly what happens when you do a pack.

--
>HTH
>Andrew Howell

Ook
Wed Aug 04 10:08:34 CDT 2004

During a pack, the table is renamed and there is a short interval during
which the table will not exist by it's correct name. I have seen one Novel
network where they had transactions turned on that caused the pack to fail
at this point. Everytime they packed the file, it would vanish. This was
about 10 years ago, and it's the only time I've seen this happen.

"Bernie Beattie" <BernieBeattie@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:CC6AAF25-6953-4649-86E0-FB546FDB68E3@microsoft.com...
> I originally posted a message about this problem on 12th May. I am
beginning to think it may be a problem with the user's PC. As the crash
happens during a pack and the file has actually disappeared from it's
original place, the fatal error must be happening at the point where VFP
deletes the original table from disk and renames the temporary table with
the original table name. Where on the user's machine would this temporary
table be located? We do not use any Config file. Is it the Windows
temporary directory? Could there be a problem with that user's windows
temporary directory or permissions to that directory?
>
> Note - the file that is being packed is not particularly big.
>
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Bernie.