PixInsight crash 1.8.6.1448

[wadeh237]

Hello,

I just installed 1.8.6.1448 and it crashed while working on my first project.

This happened pretty early on.  I'd opened the R, G and B fits files, channel combined them into an RGB, applied DBE and applied PhotometricColorCalibration.  It then crashed when I attempted to start the RGBWorkingSpace process.  The exception occurred in ucrtbase.dll.

I don't have private symbols, so I could not get a meaningful stack trace, but I did save a process dump.  If there is any interest in debugging it, and there is a place for me to upload it, I can share it.

Thanks,
-Wade

[wadeh237]

...and it crashed again when I started the project over.  This time, it happened while applying DBE.

In this instance, it reported that the heap had been corrupted.  I've saved the dump file from this one as well.

I'm 0 for 2 with 1.8.6 1448 now.

Thanks,
-Wade

[Juan Conejero]

This cannot be reproduced, and does not happen under normal working conditions, neither on Windows nor on any supported platform.

Please note that ucrtbase.dll is a Windows component, not part of PixInsight. I'd recommend checking your computer to see if you have installed the latest Windows updates available, including the latest version of your graphics driver. If you think this is a problem with PixInsight, please provide a data set and a sequence of operations to reproduce this problem consistently.

[wadeh237]

I realize that ucrtbase.dll is a Windows component, but PixInsight is in the call stack.  I can't tell you which PixInsight call led to the crash because I don't have private symbols for PI.

Regarding reproducibility, I understand that you want a simple repro, but the absence of a consistent repro does not absolve PixInsight of problems.  I've been running PixInsight for a few years and have *never* seen it crash or enter what appears to be a CPU-spinning loop, or throw API call dialog boxes when opening processes.  Yet I've seen all of these things since installing PixInsight 1.8.6.  I've never lost my work with previous versions of PixInsight, yet I've had it happen at least 5 times with version 1.8.6.

Windows and the myriad set of drivers that run on it are far from perfect, but I don't think that's what's going on here.   Granted, this is a guess, but it is a very educated one.  And this is not meant to criticize PixInsight or anyone involved with it in any way.  I just want to help.

Here is one more thing that I've noticed.  I think that I've only seen problems after installing PixInsight, but before rebooting the machine.  After two crashes in a row yesterday morning following the install of the latest PI version, I rebooted the machine.  Since then, I've used PixInsight with the same dataset and was able to get a few hours of work in without problems.  I'm trying to remember now, but it's possible that earlier problems that I mentioned (in another thread) also occurred after the initial install of the first release of 1.8.6, but ceased after a reboot.

Thanks,
-Wade

[Juan Conejero]

Hi Wade,

I realize that ucrtbase.dll is a Windows component, but PixInsight is in the call stack.

Obviously, or we wouldn't be talking about this

Seriously now, I understand that you want to help me find the root cause of these problems, and you can be sure I appreciate this attitude (which is uncommon, unfortunately). However, please put yourself in my position. The new version works fine on all of the Windows machines I have tested it. The persons (PTeam members) who have helped me test this version also say the same. Granted, all of the machines where I develop and test PixInsight are under strict control, perfectly updated, perfectly maintained, and all of them have clean operating system installations, absolutely free from bloatware, unnecessary utilities, etc. This is what we call normal working conditions. But, what else can I do to guarantee that everything works correctly? What else can I do to isolate the software's behavior from machine-specific issues?

PixInsight 1.8.6 is the most stable and reliable version of PixInsight ever on all platforms, including Windows. I have worked very hard and very systematically to achieve this goal. Sure, this version is not perfect and there are issues with some tools, but definitely, the kind of strange problems you have been describing here cannot be reproduced under normal working conditions. Or maybe I am wrong and this version, at least on Windows, has serious problems. In such case, I am the most interested person in the world to discover and fix all of these problems. To achieve that, please understand that I can only work on a (nontrivial) problem if I can reproduce it, under normal working conditions, of course.

I think that I've only seen problems after installing PixInsight, but before rebooting the machine.

Yes, sadly, this happens frequently on Windows. This is just a sign of how things are on Windows. Well, I don't want to start an operating systems war thread, so... I'll stop right here

[wadeh237]

However, please put yourself in my position.

I am in your place.  Every day. 

Yes, sadly, this happens frequently on Windows. This is just a sign of how things are on Windows. Well, I don't want to start an operating systems war thread, so... I'll stop right here

No worries.  I am no Windows apologist.

I mainly mentioned that rebooting helped, in case others are reading the thread an looking for something to try.

Thanks for your response,
-Wade