WideFS hangs after startup

[compilot]

I've just installed WideFS 6.47 for the first time on a Client PC with Win2K and dual screens using an ATI Radeon 9250 dual head AGP card.

As a benchmark I've also installed WFS Client on a generic single screen PC which uses Win2k and another on W98 single screen. All are configured with IPX protocol.

When I run WFS on the single screen Win2k or Win 98, it connects instantly and the cursor goes from the "Hourglass" to "Pointer" in less than 1 second.

When I run WFS on any of the 2 PC's with dual screen Win2k, it connects instantly and the cursor stays on the "Hourglass" until the PC freezes up. I am able to stop WFS via the Task Manager and I noticed that the Log file closes at the same time. It looks like WFS is waiting for something to happen... forever if possible!

Does anyone know how to fix this?

Cheers!

[compilot]

I've spent some time trying to figure this out with limited success.

However, I can say that it has nothing to do with the number of screens connected to the PC. That was just a coincidence.

The only fix to the problem was to Re-install the operating system (Win2K). It now works properly.

I still have one PC with the same problem. I'll just wait for Peter D to get back. He may need some additional info, so I'll hold off Re-installing Windows 2K.

[Pete Dowson]

The only fix to the problem was to Re-install the operating system (Win2K). It now works properly.

I still have one PC with the same problem. I'll just wait for Peter D to get back. He may need some additional info, so I'll hold off Re-installing Windows 2K.

I'm back but I'm afraid I am not much help here. There's nothing WideFS ever loops and waits for, and it never changes the mouse pointer. It sounds very much like a Network driver or configuration problem. Rather than re-installing the complete operating system, try just uninstalling and re-installing the etwork hardware and software.

Regards,

Pete

[compilot]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the reply.

Interestingly enough, I did un-install and re-install all the network components and finally removed the network adapter and re-installed it and its driver. I also upgraded the network adapter's driver. No luck.

As a further test, I swapped the existing network card with a brand new one of a different brand. I spent the better part of an entire day trying to figure out which component was hanging WideFS up. All this, to report that WideFS Client is still hung up.

What I should add is that the log reported that WideFS was connected and running. Even Task Manager showed that it was running. But the "Hour Glass" cursor was still running.

My final test was to re-install Win2K, which as you know, fixed it for good. I might add that I have another computer which has the same problem. This computer has a different MB and Net card so I can't say if its really a hardware problem. I haven't re-installed Win2K since I don't need to run WideFS Client on it. I just tried it for testing purposes. The problem still exists on this 2nd PC.

Best Regards...

[Pete Dowson]

My final test was to re-install Win2K, which as you know, fixed it for good.

Well, really that either indicates that the Networking components of Windows were not truly re-installed when you tried that, or, possibly more likely, that some other process had got into your system and was somehow interfering.

The only example of such a thing I can remember occurring was a Kensington mouse driver which also affected FS installations.

It will probably be another process or service doing it on the other PC. If it mattered to you you could probably find it by a process of elimination, using the "Kill Process" option in the Task Manager. Some processes when killed may affect the system, but it isn't a permanent problem as a re-boot would get them all back. Once the process is identified in this way, it's then a matter of finding why it is loaded and what product it is associated with.

Regards,

Pete

[compilot]

Thanks for the insight Peter.

I'll give it try and I'll report back with my findings.

Best regards...