I am running my application with Windows 7 and it works fine. I've also used it on Vista and XP without a problem. I have even run it successfully using Ubuntu with Wine. Almost everyone who installs the application does not have a problem. However, there are a few users who encounter a crash each time a section of the program is loaded to display a modal window used for data entry. For them the crash happens all the time but I don't experience the crashes at all.
The section of the program where they experience the problem has window with a number of controls and a MLG spreadsheet. To load the data in the spreadsheet, a random access file is opened. That file is not closed until the data entry window is closed. I do check for file read and write errors. If an error is detected, a message is given to the user. According to the users with the problem, the data entry window is never displayed. They just get a message that the program has stopped working.
In some cases I have asked the user to install the program on another computer they have access to. For many people this solves the problem but not for all.
I suspect that there is some program running on their system, such as an antivirus program, that is interfering with operation of my program but it is sure hard to work with your average user to diagnose this.
Any suggestions on how I might diagnose and correct the problem without being able to experience the problem on my system? Does Windows create some type of crash report that could be used in tracking down the problem?
Richard,
If it's not too proprietary, you could post the install program here. If enough people try it for you, you might get a better handle on what's actually going on. The people who would be downloading it here would be, by nature, much better suited at describing their system in the even it doesn't work for them.
That is assuming that you don't have a user base of thousands with only a couple that are experience the crashing. In that case, you probably wouldn't find this idea useful.
You could also incorporate a 'info tool' that you would write and put in your Help - About screen. When ever you get a support call, from a user that is crashing as well as ones that aren't, you could ask them to (if they are OK with it) to hit the 'email info to Tech Support' button. It should have the usual info about OS, Service pack, versions of key DLL's, Available memory, HD space, etc. You would keep a database of these to compare on future calls.
This, of course, won't pan out until you have had sufficient numbers of the new version out there. I have seen a number of commercial programs use this technique.
Good luck,
David
If it is an AV program, try to make a test app for them that populates with dummy data without opening a file, then it will further prove it is a file issue. Then have them try setting an ignore rule for that file or folder...perhaps even excluding it from scan and see if that helps. I had to do that on a few machines at my last job where the AV would take over and mess with file access too much.
Some AV apps allow you to exclude processes. You might want to exclude the app.exe.
If you could find out what AV the clients with trouble are using you could test it as well.
Maybe you could add some logging and determine where the failure occurs.
Maybe one of your clients will allow you to connect with gotomypc or copilot so you can test on a failing system.