Blue Screen crash on SmartSDR v3.1.7

Bill / VA3QB

Yesterday I installed V3.1.7  on a desktop computer of a fellow ham (This a new radio for this ham- Flex6300 - It came with version SmartSDR_v3.0.27). This was a first time ever install on this computer.  I did the install with remote software while on the phone with this ham. 
After installing the software it came up "Need to reboot Computer" , so I rebooted the computer and of course lost connection. When the computer restarted, the fellow ham said he got an error on the screen say that the computer would restart.  We restarted the computer and it did the same thing.  This happened at 3 times maybe 4 I lost count.  Then the computer came on with no error and I was able to login to the computer and log into Smartlink and run SmartSDR. Since this point he has had no problems.  I was using Anydesk for remote access and the fellow ham is a elderly senior with reasonable computer skills.  Anyone else had this happen. 
I have 4 computers that I need to upgrade for my own radio....   

I would have put in a ticket had this not resolved it's self.

73
Bill
VA3QB

William Osborne

Bill,
I had the same problem. I spent about 1 hour or more on line with Flex Support.  Mine would go to a blue screen that only gave options like "install your image backup" and other bad things. After 3 or 4 resets we tried removing the power from everything and then restarting.  This time one of the options the blue screen offered was "proceed to windows" I took that and all has been well since (about 10 days).  I am not sure. but I think it has to do with trying to go back to DAX 3.0  after 3.1 is installed. I did this once by mistake. After the install, when I started the first time SmartSDR was still at 3.0 but DAX was already at 3.1 (Using the M model and upgraded the front panel first) and it asked me if I wanted to reinstall, I was not thinking and said yes.  After that it started the rebooting mess.  Not sure this helps other than to say once you get past it all seems to be well again.

73  Bill--K5ZQ

ctate243

from the 3.1.7 release notes

During alpha testing, after an initial installation of the updated DAX drivers, a handful of users reported a Windows "stop error" (colloquially known as the Blue Screen of Death or BSoD). In most cases, the error occurred once and after a subsequent PC reboot, the error did not occur again or impact proper DAX operations. We are working to identify the cause and resolve the behavior.

Mike Webb KC0YHM

GM All.
I have homes in FL and MN...my radio station is in a 3rd location also in MN.
I operate remote all the time. Every win10 device re-started with the Blue screen and then recovered on its own. Its fair to say I've done the install 5 times. Its not ideal...but it seems to fix itself and stays fixed.
Mike KC0YHM

Konstantinos Vardakis

I had the same problem and in my case, it was the DAX drivers conflict to the standard sound engine of my machine...it can be fixed (in my case) by manually un- & reinstalling the DAX drivers, see this https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us/articles/204017069-How-to-Manually-Re-Install-DAX-Drivers.
Caution: do not try to run the smartSDR before do the job with the DAX drivers...

Hope it will help,
73 de SV9OFS

David

I had the same issue. I had uninstall all Flex software and rebooted before install fresh with the latest release. It is frustrating. Just glad that after a multiple reboots it comes back to life.

Dave - N6XVZ

same experience as Mike W with an upgrade.  Several reboots and it settled down as was fine after. Windows 10 (running Parallels on MacMini).  Really didn't see blue screen but forced reboots about 3 times.

Burt Fisher

Who releases software with the comment, "We are working to identify the cause and resolve the behavior?"
Boeing does with a lot worse results.

Pat N6PAT

As a systems designer and software developer for over 3 decades I have to say that I am very surprised that changes that cause the dreaded BSoD would be released without first identifying and correcting the cause of such a serious error.

If you don't know the cause of a problem then you don't know what other problems can manifest themselves due to the original problem.

I'm concerned that the complexity of SSDR is getting beyond the capabilities of FRS to properly debug. My case was a perfect example.

Clay N9IO

I've come to expect comments like this from you. That last paragraph was an insult my friend. Until time you're pitching with staff that work on this might be nice to refrain from such comments. Getting old.

Bill -VA3WTB

Two things
#1
Gerald said that in some cases a release could be released with a known problem depending on how critical the problem is. In this case while the BSoD seems critical, we can recover from it with a re boot and ussualy the problem does not happen again. So the problem is anoying but not critical. If we could not move on from it then it would be considered critical and the release would stop.
And, it is hit and miss. Most people have had no issues after installing the update, me for one. But some have had problems and soon the problem went away.

2nd
Because the Windows updates makes Dax stop working it was very important to release as soon as possible taking the huge strain off the Help Desk every time it happens.
Buy releasing this update it has made many people very happy.

Bill / VA3QB

Bill , while installing it on Harold's computer the BSOD was a little worry some as I was remote into his computer and he is 30 minute drive while the radio is an hour drive  away and he is in his late 70's.  

On an other note , I installed the update on two on my Windows 10 computers with no issues as well as on a friend of mines two computers whom I allow access to my radio due to HOA restrictions

73
Bill
VA3QB.

Burt Fisher

Clay did you know that the Boeing Max problem was rare and only affected a few planes? That said Boeing released the software thinking it was OK. The difference here (other than that was air safety is this is for those that play ham radio) is that Flex knew it was an issue (BSOD) and released the software anyway. I know if I tried to update and saw the BSOD I would be pooping in my pants that I was going to spend hours rebuilding my data. There is no need to put people through that, that's what you have Alpha testers for. Flex mantra has been no software released before its time, except this time.
Flex generally has been a company which others should try to equal. It looks like Elecraft may slay the king.

Bill -VA3WTB

If one took the time to read the release notes this problem was mentioned in the notes, that it may happen,,but it will also clear after the reboot. So no need to poop your pants, it was all explained.

They did a fine job releasing the update, it was badly needed.

Also, when Gerald said software will not be released till it's ready means that there are no critical bugs that will provent the radio from funtioning properly.
As I stated before, this bug is not considered critical because it will correct after a reboot, sounds like a reboot is needed on some computers to correct a registry problem.

Steve K9ZW

Schadenfreude Burtie - channeling Eeyore again.

The "Stop Event" is:

A) rare
part of MS Windows repairing its own mischief
C) appears to be caused by non-FRS controllable MS Windows issues
D) is being reported as self-healing   
E) is a warning and explained in the release notes (which few of us read)
F) affects only one MS Windows release family
G) has no other work around 

But more importantly hasn't affected you.

One occasionally has to take their medicine to get ahead in life.  

Time to get over it Blurt.

73

Steve
K9ZW

Blog:  http://k9zw.wordpress.com  

Burt Fisher

Nice comments, there was a reason you changed my name twice?
Flex and you seem to think Microsoft has to work with Flex, but it is the other way around.
You are correct few read the release notes so Flex need to understand that the typical user will poop in their pants.
I get no satisfaction on the suffering of others unless someone cuts me off in traffic and gets stopped by the police.
I like your Collins station and you own 3 Flex's? One at work? I am a teacher so playing ham radio at school would be frowned upon.

You have the Flex PGXL , fans an issue?
You have a blog, looks good.
I was interviewed on a blog.
http://qsotoday.libsyn.com/episode-267-burt-fisher-k1oik

Clay N9IO

Boeing Max really??? The man's comment was out of line, not going further with this. Enough.

Andy M5ZAP

Yet again the forums are reduced to insults by “Elmer” Steve K9ZW. Someone has a problem so they reach out to the forum and get insulted and ridiculed. Unfortunately flex chose to use the windows operating system so we have to live with it. The forums will by there nature have people who are frustrated and irritated with there flex. Surely the forums are there to help these people ?

Andy M5ZAP

Yet again the forums are reduced to insults by “Elmer” Steve K9ZW. Someone has a problem so they reach out to the forum and get insulted and ridiculed. Unfortunately flex chose to use the windows operating system so we have to live with it. The forums will by there nature have people who are frustrated and irritated with there flex. Surely the forums are there to help these people ?

Erik EI4KF

The Forum is not "reduced" to insults by K9ZW. His deplorable postings are just a pimple on otherwise unblemished skin. Give due respect to the 99.9% superb support on here, unparelled on any other similar Forum. There will always be the gutter snipes who somehow evade moderation, Just ignore.

Andy M5ZAP

Fair comment

Pat N6PAT

@Andy, I agree with you. I find comments that insult others of no value and a detriment to the purpose of a forum.

If you do not agree with a post then either engage the poster in a mutually beneficial exchange of viewpoints or just ignore it. Resorting to juvenile tactics serves no one.

John - K3MA

I had the same blue screen error on install in 4 of 5 installations.  Maybe not as rare as some would like to think.

None the less reboots cured the issue.

Burt Fisher

Wouldn't 4 out of 5 be 80%?

What is statistically rare?

Common affects between 1 in 100 and 1 in 10 people – 1% to 10%
Uncommon affects between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 100 people – 0.1% to 1% 
Rare affects between 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 1,000 people – 0.01% to 0.1%
Very rare affects less than 1 in 10,000 people – less than 0.01%

David

This happen on every system I have done the install on. Yes the notes do in the middle of the long document mention it in the know issues section. Most of the time the know issues section is something that at the beginning of the document or even called more clearly in other ways to avoid people missing them along with readiness steps and what the changes and new features. Making these documents actual web pages with links would also increase their being read instead of have to download and open another application.

Thankfully the multiple reboots does resolve the blue screen issue though curious what is causing it and why it takes several reboots.

Andy M5ZAP

What I found previously was that multiple reboots did somewhat stabilise the system. Unfortunately a change to the windows environment like installing another software package or a windows update would then destabilise it and the same blue screen returned. Sometimes stabilising quickly other times taking many reboots. This was on a windows 10 pro fresh install. My other system on windows 10 home was from a upgrade path and was always stable. I have no data to back this up but it feels like anything that’s makes a change to the registry (or similar) destabilised the system again.

Robert White

Same experience.  Sort of glad to see this here, as I did not know Flex was the culprit.  I purchased a new Surface Pro 7  for Christmas, 2019 and this happened right away - first software installed on my system.   Had to reboot 4-5 times and it seems to have settled. Thought it might have something to do with Surface Pros as it used to happen on my old Surface Pro 3 too.  Running the latest version 3 software.  73 Robert K0RCW

Burt Fisher

I got a Icom 7300, turned it on and it worked. Noise filter worked too.
The downside is the screen is smaller than the 6400M but it came on in 5 seconds.

John - K3MA

Installed on another 4 systems and blue screen on all 4.  So from my experience 8 of 9 system with the error.  Lucky multiple reboots seems to fix on all systems except one in which it seems to return every now and then.  I have a couple dozen different software packages installed on many of these systems and the issue only comes with the install of SmartSDR.  I have tried installing SmartSDR as the first program on a clean system and the problem still happens.