Windows 7 abnormal termination

Walt - KZ1F

I am not ready to call this a FRS problem but it is a problem.

Has anyone else noticed abnormal shutdown occurrances with Windows 7? While this behavior seems new since running SSDR, SDRCat and DAX, I am not specifically willing to blame this on FRS software. The best I can tell it has something to do with SDRCat running without SSDR or it could be DAX running without SSDR. In either scenario it is after SSDR had been running but shut down. Effectively I will shut down SSDR then let the machine suspend with the other software running, especially as SDRCat runs as a function of the machine being booted and terminates when the machine is shut down (unless someone opens the app and shuts it down. It could also be a function of SDRCat running after the radio itself has been shut off.

At any rate,  rather than the machine waking up after being in a suspended state, it did get shut down requiring a reboot. Upon startup the b&w screen warning of an unsuccessful termination and does the user wish to boot normally or boot in safe mode appears. When Windows finishes booting and the dialog box stating Windows had recovered from an abnormal termination, "would you like to see a Microsoft determination of the cause", it finds nothing. So it is not a known Microsoft issue.

The abnormal shutdown is a function of something in ring 0 terminating. In layman speak that implies it was a failing in a device driver. Having typed that it may be more related to DAX than SDRCat as I doubt the later is a device driver where I suspect the former is one.

At any rate, has anyone seen this issue?

Thanks,

Walt - kz1f

Dale KB5VE

I have a r7260x amd card which I thought would work with smart sdr great. After laying down 140.00 I started to get a crash consisting of a bluest gray screen, about the same color as the background of the panadapter. Radio would continue to work but you could not pull up a screen it was hung with the bluest gray screen. Reboot and all worked great. This started after the 1.0 release. Worked with Tim with the only answer being it is a known problem with this series of cards and there is no answer to it. I am wondering is this similar to your issues.

Jim Gilliam

i have NEVER had an abnormal shut down with Windows 7 using Smart SDR. However, when my Windows became corrupted, for what ever unknown reasons, shut downs of other programs have occurred.

I have made a habit of making hard drive images when such unexplainable occurrences take place and just restore my hard drive to a time I know it was working properly.

It is a difficult issue and Windows is so complicated and convoluted, I would suggest you try using Smart SDR with a "****" computer with Windows 7 and see if the problem goes away.

Jim, K6QE

Walt - KZ1F

To be sure, Windows is, um, convoluted. If you've seen any of my other posts, you know I am not a fan. Until such time as my desire to use this radio drops below my desire to use Windows anything, I am forced to use it. Well, unless FRS is about to come out with a portable version of SSDR.

No, this is an interaction between FRS software and the Windows operating system. It may be related to recent Microsoft updates, which are notorious for breaking stuff.

If I am a good do bee and when finished with the radio, shut down SSDR, shut down Windows 7, then turn off the radio and reverse the process at next QRV alll is fine. I think the issue is a menifestation of leaving Cat and DAX running after SSDR and the radio are shut off. It is not immediate, it could take hours or, certainly, a lot of minutes.

Walt - kz1f

Walt - KZ1F

What you are describing is a BSOD (blue screen of death) which Microsoft operating systems are notorious for. I swear I have no clue how it is Windows became so popular but once they started running in what was then called 'protected' mode (the x86 architecture has basic mode and protected mode). It is based on a ring architecture where the protected software runs in ring 0, applications in ring 3. Applications can not break the operation of the OS. Except device drivers had to have part of themselves (Interrupt Service Routine) run in ring0. If somethng running in protected mode breaks it can take down the OS.  It's roughly equivalent to a *nix panic, where something really bad occurred in the kernel and it can not recover. In that case enough of the kernel is functional it can leave you breadcrumbs on what happened and give you an opportunity to dump 'core', although I believe now it automatically does that. It might be something bad happened after it went into suspended mode, which is my working hypothesis. If none of FRS is running I can very easily suspend Windows and 'wake' it back up a day, week, whatever, later. The issue is not suspending by itself. It could have something to do with suspending with Cat having sessions open to the radio and/or DAX doing whatever DAX does I can think of no reason for Cat to be running in ring 0, I can conceive of DAX, or part of DAX running there.

Walt - kz1f

Dudley-WA5QPZ

Walt, Suspending a real time system is never recommended. But if you must, after stopping SSDR, you can stop SmartCAT, close the icon, And exit DAX, right click the DAX icon in the low left System Tray, select exit. There should be a SmartCAT icon on your desktop to restart SmartCAT. The DAX icon is in the all programs -> FlexRadio Systems folder. You can create a desktop shortcut or a short startup file if you like for your desktop. Start these before starting SmartSDR.

Walt - KZ1F

Thank you Dudley,
   I'll consider that the 'solution'.
Thanks for explaining!

Walt - kz1f

Jim Gilliam

I am not a fan of Windows either. However, When I do an image restore, then do a Windows update, all my problems are solved. No one seems to adhere to the image backup and all I hear all the time is wine, wine, wine, theorize, theorize, theorize. I will do it my way with no problems and I will continue to enjoy all this perpetual complaining.

Jim, K6QE