Anyone have this weird freezing issue...

BeigeAlert

For as long as I can remember, I've been having this really bizarre issue that occurs every so often when I close out of some spark application (ns2... editor... etc). At first glance it would appear to be a freeze except that my mouse cursor still moves AND it still reacts to what is underneath it (eg changing to the hour glass if something is busy, or the resize cursor if I'm hovering over the edge of a window (even if the window isn't visible! More on that in a second.)

It's as though nothing is redrawing on the screen except the mouse cursor, but everything is still running smoothly underneath. If I hit Ctrl+Shift+Esc to bring up task manager... nothing happens, or seems to happen, but I can tell the window DID appear, because my mouse will turn into the resize-window mouse at certain areas where it's likely that window was set to pop up.

As far as I can tell, it'll continue to behave like this indefinitely, never snapping itself out of it. If I do Win+L to lock my computer, or if I do Ctrl+Alt+Delete, the mouse cursor freezes, and doesn't ever start moving again. Have to hold the power button in to reset my computer.

Anyways, it's rare, and only pops up every once in a while... though at the same time it's "rarity" seems to vary over long periods of time. (Ie Got it for the first time in several months last week, and have been getting it at least once every 3-4 days.) It's done this before where it's suddenly very frequent... then just as suddenly is gone for a long time.

Not really holding out much hope in diagnosing this... no idea how to repro this, and it's rare. Just curious if anybody has ever had this happen before.

DC_Darkling

before you close stuff, open process monitor and start taking process captures?

BeigeAlert

Getting really sick of this happening. Happened just now, and happened last night.

Uploaded a video I took with my phone, RIGHT after it happened. It seems to be ns2-related every time (not always the game, sometimes the editor), but random. Happened to me last night as well.

@DC_Darkling I have no idea what those are.

DC_Darkling

Mate, its 2 months ago since you posted this.. :P

Does alt tab work? Because ns2 has a habit at times to crash on exit. And obviously if you didn't click away the crash report menu, ns2 is still open and 'frozen'.


As the system hangs according to your description, it may not save but we can try anyway.
Go to MS technet (www.sysinternals.com) and grab Process Monitor.
Set it to start at system boot. Reboot, then start ns2.. reproduce error.
Reboot the system when you hang and hope it pops up to save the log when you are rebooted.. (it should normally)

Save without any filters. Then either dig through the log yourself or supply it to us/me.
Note that process monitor shows EVERYTHING your computer does & run.

Obviously you are looking for something which freezes your pc or occupies cpu time, so keep a eye on the clock to know in which area to dig. Procmon makes a LOT of information you need to filer.

krOoze

You have too many monitors! Just kidding. But are you using any special software for multi-monitoring? Do you have multiple GPUs(do you use some special software for that?)? Are your GPU drivers updated? Do you overclock your GPU or have too much dust. This does look like recoverable driver crash. Have you tried waiting ~5 mins?
I guess you can try win+D or simply alt-tab or win-tab, but I guess if reliable ctrl-alt-del doesn't work, those wont neither. You can try win+P (that should mess with your multi-monitor mode and force refresh)
You can try to post techsupport.exe zip (even after you reboot) here.
You can also try looking in Windows Event Viewer for events in critical, error and warning categories that occured around the time of the freeze.

BeigeAlert

DC_Darkling wrote: »

Mate, its 2 months ago since you posted this.. :P

Haha yea, only just happened again recently, so I necro'd the thread.

Alt+tab doesn't do anything.... er maybe it does, but I can't see it. I've got procmon running now, so I guess we just wait.

krOoze wrote: »

You have too many monitors! Just kidding. But are you using any special software for multi-monitoring? Do you have multiple GPUs(do you use some special software for that?)? Are your GPU drivers updated? Do you overclock your GPU or have too much dust. This does look like recoverable driver crash. Have you tried waiting ~5 mins?
I guess you can try win+D or simply alt-tab or win-tab, but I guess if reliable ctrl-alt-del doesn't work, those wont neither. You can try win+P (that should mess with your multi-monitor mode and force refresh)
You can try to post techsupport.exe zip (even after you reboot) here.
You can also try looking in Windows Event Viewer for events in critical, error and warning categories that occured around the time of the freeze.

No special software for multi monitors. I've got one GTX 780 graphics card, and I'm using both DVI connections plus the HDMI connection on it. This... thing... has happened for a looonnnggg time, regardless of drivers, and regardless of the number of monitors I have installed. Also, there's no way for me to run techsupport.exe as the game has locked up my computer at that point. It'd be sheer luck if I manage to double-click the icon, as I'm just feeling around blindly at that point.

I looked in Windows Event Viewer, but wasn't able to find anything out of the ordinary, except the ones that indicated I cut the power.

BeigeAlert

Okay, it just happened again, but I managed to get it to snap out of it. Not sure what it was I did that fixed it, as I did a few things @krOoze suggested. Win+D or Win+M may have done it. I guess we'll just wait and see.

krOoze

Just run techsupport.exe even after the pc restart(That at least gives us a log.txt to look at).
You theoreticaly can make a dump during the freeze via mouse/keyboard macro (assign some program to a key), if the need arise.

BeigeAlert

krOoze wrote: »

You theoreticaly can make a dump during the freeze via mouse/keyboard macro (assign some program to a key), if the need arise.

Ooh yea... I could have an auto mouse clicker running in the background. I may just try that.

DC_Darkling

Also you can initiate a manual bluescreen which makes a dump. Sadly analyse will show manual dump so it will be harder to track the real fault.

How to generate a manual memory dump file by using the keyboard

If you are using a PS/2 keyboard, you have to create the
CrashOnCtrlScroll
registry entry. For more information about how to generate a memory dump file by using the keyboard, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
244139 Windows feature lets you generate a memory dump file by using the keyboard
If you are using a USB keyboard, this feature is not supported in Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 1 until you install hotfix KB 971284. For more information about using the hotfix, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
971284 A hotfix is available to enable crash on CTRL-SCROLL support on Vista S about using the hotfix and Windows Server 2008 on a USB keyboard
However, it is supported in Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 or later versions. You must create the CrashOnCtrlScroll registry entry on the Windows Server 2008-based computer for this feature to work. To enable the feature on a computer that uses a USB keyboard, follow these steps:
Start Registry Editor.
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\kbdhid\Parameters
On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry entry.

Name : CrashOnCtrlScroll
Data Type : REG_DWORD
Value : 1

Exit Registry Editor.
Restart the computer. (On a computer that uses a USB keyboard, you do not have to restart the computer. Unplugging the keyboard and plugging it back again is sufficient. After that, the Memory dump file can be generated.)
Note The keyboard operation will generate a memory dump file and a "Stop E2" error.
This hotfix is included in Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

It says Win 2008 but no worries. It works perfectly fine on Win7.
Note that as described above, USB keyboards give lesser results if the kernel hangs. You may want to consider plugging in a ps/2 keyboard if possible. You may notice that next time you may suddenly be able to use ctrl+alt+del or similar commands.
This is due to the ps/2 working on interrupts while usb works on a refresh, much more dependant on the kernel.

If the bluescreen manual crash works, and ctrlaltdel or winkey L does not, I would strongly suspect a kernel problem. (meaning bad hardware or driver, or virus or antivirus)
(again mainly ps/2)

You may consider making a techsupport.exe when you did not crash. It usually pulls up some weird stuff of the event viewer.

In my own experience, often when the kernel fails to respons, bluescreen or write a dump, its usualy disk or disk controller related.

krOoze

BeigeAlert wrote: »

Ooh yea... I could have an auto mouse clicker running in the background. I may just try that.

Assign "run techsupport.exe" to a key then(my mouse software can do this). Normaly you have to click save in it, but for your case: wait a few minutes(for techsupport.exe to complete), then restart(as you can't do anything else), then you will find the techsupport zip in your %TEMP% folder and post. If it does not catch a dump file inside you can also try assigning ProcDump to it. These nice support people will finaly have something to chew on.

BTW Does soft shutdown work for you during that freeze (that is short clicking PC power button and waiting untill Windows shuts down normaly)?

BeigeAlert

Alt+Tab then Win+D seems to fix it every time.

krOoze

Told ya! It's weird that it blocks ctrl+alt+del though...
Consider making the techsupport zip during the freeze anyway - for science!

BeigeAlert

krOoze wrote: »

Told ya! It's weird that it blocks ctrl+alt+del though...
Consider making the techsupport zip during the freeze anyway - for science!

Yea it is really weird. I'll try to get a techsupport zip made. I thought of an even better way than using an auto mouse clicker, or a macro or w/e. Just move the icon for techsupport.exe into one of the corners of my desktop on one of the other monitors. I won't be able to see it, but I won't need to: just a corner after all!

krOoze

Seemed simple and reliable to me, but whatever works for you...

DC_Darkling

If winkey D works then do you have that ns2 crash menu popped up?

Its not odd that another windows hotkey works. I dont think its a kernel problem if it reacts, so thats the good news.
Probably ns2 not granting full control back to windows.. application and fullscreen...
Seems ns2 just freezes and crashes.

BeigeAlert

DC_Darkling wrote: »

If winkey D works then do you have that ns2 crash menu popped up?

Its not odd that another windows hotkey works. I dont think its a kernel problem if it reacts, so thats the good news.
Probably ns2 not granting full control back to windows.. application and fullscreen...
Seems ns2 just freezes and crashes.

No crash popup. Just sort of freezes there, I hit win+D, wait a few seconds, and the desktop pops back up, business as usual.

DC_Darkling

so how does ns2 close then?

BeigeAlert

DC_Darkling wrote: »

so how does ns2 close then?

It just disappears, as if I had exited normally... except of course with the whole freezing issue.

DC_Darkling

I will urge again me wanting a process monitor capture, especially if you can 'close' ns2 like this.
No need to make it preboot even. Just start/stop it before and after.

BeigeAlert

DC_Darkling wrote: »

I will urge again me wanting a process monitor capture, especially if you can 'close' ns2 like this.
No need to make it preboot even. Just start/stop it before and after.

I tried that, but it ended up eating all my ram in about an hour.

krOoze

BeigeAlert wrote: »

DC_Darkling wrote: »

I will urge again me wanting a process monitor capture, especially if you can 'close' ns2 like this.
No need to make it preboot even. Just start/stop it before and after.

I tried that, but it ended up eating all my ram in about an hour.

Just start it before you exit (and get the freeze) and end it as soon after. That thing is not ment to run for hours.

Also don't forget about the techsupport.exe zip You can make it even after you successfuly exit after the freeze for now. We keep discussing and inventing nonsense, while there might very well be all we need in the log.txt contained therein. We should do a (mini)dump later during the freeze using techsupport.exe or by any other method. That will tell us where in the game program things froze and official support here can find the cause of your problem easily if they find time to dig thru it.

BTW One thing that has not been mentioned, which likes to create such a freezing troubles is a antivirus (and firewall) software.

DC_Darkling

What krOoze said.