Cumulus fails on start up

[nking]

The last two days Cumulus has failed during start up. I've just re-tried and it's fine so no real problem for me. I have attached bug report in case it's needed. I'm using the latest beta version build 925.

[steve]

Was this the first time that you were running a build with the new alltime.ini file? It's failing to write the file at start up, so it looks like that's the case. I assume that as you're not getting the error now, it's managed to create the alltime.ini file?

I don't know what caused the failure to write the file; this seems to happen to some people, with the ini files. I'm not doing anything unusual, it's a standard Delphi function for writing ini files.

[nking]

Hi Steve,

No it wasn't the first time since the new build. It was installed on the 6th and as I mentioned it failed then. The ini file is present so I'm sure all is OK but I'll advise if it recurs... many thanks

[steve]

No it wasn't the first time since the new build. It was installed on the 6th and as I mentioned it failed then.

Well, that's what I meant. It failed the first time you ran a build with the alltime.ini change, and then continued to fail each time you ran it (as it hadn't managed to create the alltime.ini file). But once it had run successfully, it didn't fail again after that?

[nking]

I first installed on the 6th it failed, I restarted Cumulus and it then ran fine all day (I shut it down overnight). I started it again on the 7th it failed (this time I decided to post the bug report), restarted and it's been fine. Hope this has clarified it. I will be sure to post a bug report if it recurs on Monday when it's started again.

[steve]

That's strange, then. It only saves the alltime.ini file at startup - which is what it appeared to be doing in the bug report you uploaded - if it didn't find one and had to create one from the old alltime.rec file. Once the new version had run successfully, it shouldn't need to do that again.

[nking]

It happened again this morning. Bug report attached. I closed Cumulus and re-started OK. It is odd - could it be linked to Cumulus being closed of a night , system is then hibernated. At 7.30 I have a scheduled task to start system and Cumulus but this is how it has been set all year.

[philcdav]

Hi Neil.

Have you tried the EasyWeather software ?

I would be interested to know if the unit runs OK with EW.

If it does it would negate the hardware side ! And point to a Cumulus issue ?

Its fine to run both softwares, just dont do it at the same time haha.

I have 2.5 years of data in both softwares !

[steve]

It happened again this morning. Bug report attached. I closed Cumulus and re-started OK. It is odd - could it be linked to Cumulus being closed of a night , system is then hibernated. At 7.30 I have a scheduled task to start system and Cumulus but this is how it has been set all year.

When started this way, it seems unable to find the alltime.ini file, so decides it has to create a new one, and fails. So it looks like something like a permissions problem, or somehow the working directory is set to the wrong place, so Cumulus is looking in the wrong place for the file. Could you zip up the diags folder and attach it, please?

[steve]

Have you tried the EasyWeather software ?

I would be interested to know if the unit runs OK with EW.

If it does it would negate the hardware side ! And point to a Cumulus issue ?

Phil, this is nothing to do with the station, it's not getting as far as trying to talk to the station. It's the new code which handles the alltime.ini file.

[steve]

I think I've found the problem. I set the path of the alltime.ini file just to "data\alltime.ini", but with all of the other files, I explicitly read the location of the cumulus.exe file from Windows, and set the file paths relative to that. I think that when you start Cumulus from your scehduled task, you're not setting the working directory, so the simple "data\alltime.ini" path isn't referencing the correct location - which is why it doesn't find the file, and writing the file then fails.

I'll change the code so it sets up the full file path; in the meantime you could check the working directory for your scheduled start up.

[nking]

Diags attached. I'm happy to uninstall and then do a fresh install as I know from experience that this can often fix inexplicable problems that defy logic. I'll await your prognosis.

[nking]

I think that when you start Cumulus from your scehduled task, you're not setting the working directory, so the simple "data\alltime.ini" path isn't referencing the correct location - which is why it doesn't find the file, and writing the file then fails.

I'll change the code so it sets up the full file path; in the meantime you could check the working directory for your scheduled start up.

Hi Steve,

You are correct. I sense I should have first mentioned that it failed when it started as a scheduled task. I didn't consider this as I hadn't made any change other than the new build - sorry

[bruce45]

hi Steve

just installed latest update and if i allow cumulus to start after running the install file it works without a problem.
but if i start it from normal icon it fails.

very strange

[steve]

just installed latest update and if i allow cumulus to start after running the install file it works without a problem.
but if i start it from normal icon it fails.

This is fixed in the latest build (927) that I uploaded yesterday.

Is the icon that you're using the one created by the Cumulus installer? I'm pretty sure the installer sets the working directory ("Start in") correctly, so this problem shouldn't arise anyway.