Resetting process instances?

[snowdragonusa]

I have the new 1.2 commercial version and I can't seem to find the functionality to either reset or delete past processing instances. PI keeps opening a new instance each time I open the program. At this rate I will have opened all 256 possbile instances in no time.

[Juan Conejero]

Hi Adam,

Welcome to PixInsight Forum!

This is indeed strange. To start a second (or third...) instance of the PixInsight Core application, you must execute it while another (previous) instance is still running.

My question is: If you reboot your computer (or turn it off/on) and run PixInsight, which instance tells it you are running? You know the instance number because it is shown on the Processing Console upon startup. The instance number is also shown on the main window's title bar (e.g., "PixInsight 1.2 (2)" for a second instance).

Multiple instances are a new feature introduced in version 1.2. They allow you to run several independent PixInsight platforms simultaneously, which is a very powerful feature (for example, you can have different program configurations, or process several images concurrently).

If the first time you run PixInsight (after a reboot) it tells you that you're running instance #2 (for example), then that's because a previous instance crashed in a completely uncontrolled way. This is extremely unlikely to happen, since PixInsight uses a special launcher program that is virtually indestructible.

There is a way to reset all PixInsight settings. It's the "Reset PixInsight Settings" item, available in the PixInsight Platform menu, under Start > All Programs. Ultimately, there's an easy way to erase the entire PixInsight settings data by editing the Windows registry manually, which I can tell you, but I prefer to avoid these things as far as possible.

I am *very* interested in knowing what is happening with your installation to exhibit such an odd behavior. Please describe your operating system (Vista, XP / 32/64 bits) and your machine.

Thanks for your patience.

[snowdragonusa]

Hi Juan,

I have tried the reboot process but PI is currently starting with instance #8. Now that I know how to reset the instances I'll try that and keep a close eye on how the system closes each time and whether I see a new instance start on my next launch of the application.

Here is my system info:

OS Name                        Microsoft Windows XP Professional   
Version                        5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600   
OS Manufacturer   Microsoft Corporation   
System Manufacturer   Gateway   
System Model   GT5228   
System Type   X86-based PC   
Processor   x86 Family 15 Model 75 Stepping 2 AuthenticAMD ~2210 Mhz   
Processor   x86 Family 15 Model 75 Stepping 2 AuthenticAMD ~2210 Mhz   
BIOS Version/Date   Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG, 7/4/2006   
SMBIOS Version   2.4   
Windows Directory   C:\WINDOWS   
System Directory   C:\WINDOWS\system32   
Boot Device   \Device\HarddiskVolume1   
Hardware Abstraction Layer   Version = "5.1.2600.2765 (xpsp.050928-1517)"   
Total Physical Memory                 2,048.00 MB   
Available Physical Memory   1.02 GB   
Total Virtual Memory                        2.00 GB   
Available Virtual Memory   1.96 GB

Thanks!
Adam

[snowdragonusa]

Curious...

When I tried to 'Reset PixInsight Settings' I got the following error:



I checked both the running applications and processes in Task Manager and none of the PI processes are running. I wonder if this is where my original issues are coming from.

I am going to reboot and try resetting again.

[snowdragonusa]

Rebooting had no effect and I still get the same error message as abov when trying to reset. I think I might need to go through and reset via the registry at this point. Could you PM the instructions for that process to me please?

Thanks,
Adam

[Juan Conejero]

Hi Adam,

This is very strange. That message implies that one or more instances of the core application have crashed without control, which should never happen. The only way this can happen, is if you have rebooted or turned off your computer while PixInsight was running -- which is a bad idea!

To fix this problem you must edit the Windows registry manually. It is very easy, and if you follow my instructions, there are no risks. You just have to be very careful, that's all.

From your Start menu, select the "Run" option. Here is an example that shows you how to select this option:

http://commandwindows.com/runline.htm

In the Run window, type the following:

regedit

and click the OK button. This will launch the Registry Editor program. It will look similar to this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/Registry_Editor_Vista.png

Please expand the HKEY_CURRENT_USER section. Then look for a "Software" key, and under "Software", you'll find a "Pleiades Astrophoto" key, which in turn contains a "PixInsight" key. Here is how it looks on my Vista machine (it is exactly the same on Windows XP):



The screenshot above is in Spanish but I think you'll have no problems to identify the same thing on your system.

As you see, there is a separate key for each instance of PixInsight: "000", "001", and so on, up to "255". You may have up to "007" in your case; perhaps more.

Now you can fix the problem in two ways:

- The easiest way is to delete the whole "PixInsight" key. Right-click on it on the left panel, then choose "Delete". After deleting the "PixInsight" key, the next time you run PixInsight it will regenerate its registry information from scratch, as if it was the first time you run it. Disadvantage: if you have customized PixInsight (fonts, colors, etc.), you'll lose all of your custom settings.

- The other way is a bit more complicated. Select a key for a given instance, for example "000", on the left panel. Then double click on the "Active" word, on the right panel. Then replace "true" by "false". In this way the instance will be deactivated, as if it was not running. Do the same for all of the instances that you have ("001", "002", ...), and that's all.

Irrespective of the way you choose, after doing the steps explained above, close the Registry Editor program, and that's all.

Let me know how it goes. I hope you'll have no further problems with this issue.

I'll think on adding a mechanism to check for situations where a previous instance has been aborted due to a system reboot or shutdown, in order to prevent these problems.

[snowdragonusa]

Thanks Juan! That did the trick! I was also able to 'Reset' as well. Windows being what it is I have had times when the system locks up and a hard boot is required. I don't recall that happening in the last few weeks but then again I have a hard time remembering what happened yesterday sometimes!

Thanks again!

Adam

[snowdragonusa]

Well, I am still having the problem... and no uncontrolled program closing.

When I have used PI to modify a file in any way it will, of course, ask if I want to save before closing. I do and then it warns that I have a non-empty processwing session open (but with no option to save it). At that point I acknowledge the closeout and exit the program. No other issues.

The next time I open PI it starts on another instance. I can figure out no way to 'save' my last instance, nor can I figure out how to recall my last instance.

I understand the inablility at the moment to supply a full and complete manual, but unfortunately I am lost.  :? I feel like a 6 year old lost in a Physics lab.  :lol:

Thanks for the help!

Adam

[Juan Conejero]

Hi Adam,

This is very odd. The only thing I can figure out as the cause of this problem is some firewall or anti-virus program that is blocking PixInsight's attempt to write to the Windows registry. Even in such case, the situation is very strange, since you are getting no warning messages, which should be shown.

Your hardware and software list are perfectly normal. It seems you're running a dual-processor system with two AMD processors installed and 32-bit Windows XP SP2. There's nothing unusual here; your machine is fully supported by our software.

Let's apply the first law of practical Informatics: if it doesn't work, turn it off/on. Please try the following:

1. Uninstall PixInsight. You have a specific option in the Start > PixInsight Platform menu.

2. Open the Registry Editor and remove the following key:

Code: [Select]

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Pleiades Astrophoto\PixInsight

This step shouldn't be necessary normally, but in your case I want to be sure. Needless to say that you must be very careful when doing this: delete only the key above; nothing more.

3. Install PixInsight again using the installation archive for version 1.2. You always can download it from the Software Distribution interface, if necessary.

Now some clarification about the "unsaved processing history" message. This warning message tells you that you are about to close an image that you have processed in some way. Either it has been saved in its current state, or all applied processing steps have been undone. What PixInsight is telling you is that even if your image has been saved, you still can lose invaluable data, consisting of the processing history with all applied processes and their parameters. It's just a remainder to make sure that you know what you're doing. Of course you can disable these messages by checking the "Don't ask anymore" thing.

You can save a processing history very easily, using the History Explorer and ProcessContainer tools. This has been discussed recently in this thread (along with other interesting things regarding process icons and processing histories):

http://pixinsight.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3579

I feel like a 6 year old lost in a Physics lab.

I am very sorry about the lack of documentation. I know how this problem is hurting us, and I try to get it fixed, but as we have discussed recently, I am overwhelmed since I am completely alone to do everything. I hope this situation will improve after releasing the next version 1.2.1. Hopefully, I'll be able to dedicate time to write documentation then, since 1.2.1 will be sufficiently stable and feature-complete as to give me some "free time" (for me, "free time" means "work more, but on something else").

As always, I ask for patience. Of course, feel free to ask about anything you need on this forum.

[snowdragonusa]

Hi  Juan,

I uninstalled and redownloaded the installation file. I ran into a problem reinstalling though. The installer could not write some of the .dll files into C:\PCL\BIN. I think this may have been leeft over from my LE version of PI.exe... not sure. I renamed the folder to BINOLD and reinstalled. So far so good. I'll keep you posted if I start noticing the instances racking up again.

Cheers!
Adam