I'm stumped. I have a user who cannot log in to Arev. She has previously been able to do so successfully. Our login procedure consists of the following steps.

* Log in to the network (she has the same home server as I do). Our home server is a Windows NT server, but we are still using IPX.

* Click on an icon which executes a batch file.

* The batch file first maps a drive letter to another file server on which Arev is located. Then it calls another batch file which calls LHIPXTSR with the /P option, followed by AREV.EXE, followed by LHIPXTSR with the /U option.

* User and password are entered and voila! We're logged in the Arev.

All the above steps work for the user except for the last step. She is prompted for both user name and password, but at that point, things go wrong. Instead of seeing the usual "Initialization in Process" for a few moments followed by some activity, what she actually sees is an abnormal "Initialization in Process" message followed by nothing. I say abnormal, because the message uses up more than just the status line. It acts as if a carriage return was included in the status line message, making the status line scroll up. Any subsequent keystroke makes this message scroll up another line.

A somewhat similar problem turned out to be the result of a corrupted PIF file on another workstation. That problem was resolved by deleting the shortcut and creating a new one from scratch. Thinking this might be the same situation, I tried that, but it made no difference.

The problem also happens equally if I log on at her workstation or if she does, so I don't think it's a network access issue. I've tried to set her workstation up like mine as much as possible and change things from there. Things we have tried include changing FILES in CONFIG.SYS (she originally did not have a CONFIG.SYS file. Adding/configuring a memory manager in CONFIG.SYS, changing the various PIF settings.

This last item resulted in something interesting. If the Conventional Memory field in the PIF file is set to AUTO, Arev attempts to log on. However, when I set it to something else (I tried a variety of values from 640 down to 200) it wouldn't work. At 640, Windows complained that there was not enough memory available. At 580 or less, the TSR appeared to load, but then Arev refused to even display the startup screen (the one you get prior to user name/password).

Attempting to log on from a DOS prompt resulted in the same thing. I was going to try to log on in DOS compatibility mode, but I will need to figure out how to connect to the network this way first. In any case, this will be an unacceptable solution.

We are running HR-1 5.5 (Arev 3.02) On Netware 3.11, which I'm told is patched up to 3.12. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Victor

I don't know if this is relevant, but I forgot to mention that she has a docking station.

Victor,

I know in our company, we often (unfortunately) see the situation where when you try to log into an AREV application, you get a black bar across the bottom of the screen, under the bitmap splash screen. Then, any key you press causes the screen to scroll up.

It has been my experience that this is a network shell error. The workstation has lost communication with the server. Now, in our environment, all of our workstations remote boot off of the server, and it is merely a matter of resetting the workstation, and then everything works normally. It is possible that her net card is going bad, or the batch file is not mapping the drive correctly. Unfortunately, I don't have any more experience with this than what I've related.

Matt Sorrell

M.G.A., Inc.

Victor,

Our setup is similar to yours. I assume from the description that you are running Windows 95 on the workstations?

You mentioned that she originally had no config.sys - in the shortcut, is expanded memory active/available? If not, you probably need to add the DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS & DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE lines to the begining of the config.sys file to activate it, then reboot. Set the conventional back to auto, the expanded to 4096 (or whatever you like), and no extended memory. I've seen some PC's that need this and others don't.

Can anyone else log into this particular copy of ARev from another workstation? If not, I would check the verbs file - possibly restore it from a backup, although the symptoms I've seen for that are usually more dramatic.

Let us know what happens . . .

Jeff

Our setup is similar to yours. I assume from the description that you are running Windows 95 on the workstations? Correct. You mentioned that she originally had no config.sys - in the shortcut, is expanded memory active/available? In fact, when you do a MEM/C from a DOS prompt, she has 16 Mb of free expanded (EMS) memory and about 48 Mb total If not, you probably need to add the DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS & DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE lines to the begining of the config.sys file to activate it, then reboot. We tried several permutations of this including this exact setup. Set the conventional back to auto, the expanded to 4096 (or whatever you like), and no extended memory. I've seen some PC's that need this and others don't. Me too. I think it's related to the build of Windows 95. Can anyone else log into this particular copy of ARev from another workstation? Yes, probably about 100 people. Furthermore, the same effect is seen on different copies of Arev. If not, I would check the verbs file - possibly restore it from a backup, although the symptoms I've seen for that are usually more dramatic.

Our setup is similar to yours. I assume from the description that you are running Windows 95 on the workstations? Correct. You mentioned that she originally had no config.sys - in the shortcut, is expanded memory active/available? In fact, when you do a MEM/C from a DOS prompt, she has 16 Mb of free expanded (EMS) memory and about 48 Mb total If not, you probably need to add the DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS & DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE lines to the begining of the config.sys file to activate it, then reboot. We tried several permutations of this including this exact setup. Set the conventional back to auto, the expanded to 4096 (or whatever you like), and no extended memory. I've seen some PC's that need this and others don't. Me too. I think it's related to the build of Windows 95. Can anyone else log into this particular copy of ARev from another workstation? Yes, probably about 100 people. Furthermore, the same effect is seen on different copies of Arev. If not, I would check the verbs file - possibly restore it from a backup, although the symptoms I've seen for that are usually more dramatic.

Are you 'sure' that LHIPXTSR is loading properly? Is the path correct?

Just a thought . . .

Every time I've seem the scrolling message thing is when the system's waiting for an Abort Retry Fail type message. Try hitting A or F (maybe I for Ignore) and see if that logs you in.

If so, it's just a matter of which part of the network is dropping off. I'd bet this station has a slightly different netwrok driver setting than the rest of them, or the user might have different rights. Can she logon from any other station and can anyone login to hers?

Your ARev server is Novell, right? Frame types are set correctly, caching is disbaled and all the other usual suspects? Are limiting EMS with /X /M4096?

[email protected]

Sprezzatura, Inc.

You're not referring to this poem, are you?

Once upon a midnight dreary, fingers cramped and vision bleary,

system manuals piled high and wasted paper on the floor.

Longing for the warmth of bedsheets, still I sat there, doing spreadsheets.

Having reached the bottom line, I took a floppy from the drawer.

Typing with a steady hand, I then invoked the SAVE command

and waited for the disk to store,

Only this and nothing more.

Deep into the monitor peering, long I sat there wond'ring, fearing,

Doubting, while the disk kept churning, turning yet to churn some more.

"Save!" I said, "You cursed mother! Save my data from before!"

One thing did the phosphors answer, only this and nothing more,

Just, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"

Was this some occult illusion? Some maniacal intrusion?

These were choices undesired, ones I'd never faced before.

Carefully, I weighed the choices as the disk made impish noises.

The cursor flashed, insistent, waiting, baiting me to type some more.

Clearly I must press a key, choosing one and nothing more,

From "Choose Abort, Retry, Ignore?"

With my fingers pale and trembling, slowly toward the keyboard bending,

Longing for a happy ending, hoping all would be restored,

Praying for some guarantee, timidly I pressed a key.

But on the screen there still persisted words appearing as before.

Ghastly grim they blinked and taunted, haunted, as my patience wore,

Saying "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"

I tried to catch the chips off-guard – I pressed again, but twice as hard.

I pleaded with the cursed machine: I begged and cried and then I swore.

Now in desperation, trying random combinations,

Still there came the incantation, just as senseless as before.

Cursor blinking, angrily winking, blinking nonsense as before.

Reading, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"

There I sat, distraught, exhausted by my own machine accosted.

Getting up I turned away and paced across the office floor.

And then I saw dreadful sight: a lightning bolt cut through the night.

A gasp of horror overtook me, shook me to my core.

The lightning zapped my previous data, lost and gone forevermore.

Not even, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"

To this day I do not know the place to which lost data goes.

What demonic nether world is wrought where data will be stored,

Beyond the reach of mortal souls, beyond the ether, into black holes?

But sure as there's C, Pascal, Lotus, Ashton-Tate and more,

You will one day be left to wander, lost on some Plutonian shore,

Pleading, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"

My colleague is now gone on a business trip and took her notebook. I'll try your suggestion when she gets back. The same thing happens when I log on to her workstation. It does NOT happen when she logs on to a different workstation.

I forgot to credit the author of the poem. As far as I can tell, it was written by the world famous author, Anonymous, and is available in various versions on the internet.

I'm impressed. You pegged it. She has to press the "f" key a couple of times, but that does it. So what sort of network issue am I looking for?

Yes, I meant to read his Primary Colors, but I never got around to it.

Reminds me of the time I crashed at a friends house. That morning three of us got into a huge argument about primary colors. Brad was insistant that in pigments, yellow and green make blue. So, to prove it, he decided to put green food coloring into the yellow eggs. We tried explaining that even if he was correct, he wasn't dealing with pigments, but a dye. Needless to say, when we had green eggs, he thought they were too disgusting to eat.

He's a lawyer now.

[email protected]

Sprezzatura, Inc.

I actually got the message to display somewhere, somehow once. I can't remember if I removed the REVLOMSG file, used the (S option to supress it, changed the REVLOMSG file to something in B&W to hide the colors, or used ] error.txt to output it.

Since we've determined it's machine specific, the best thing to do is go through all the settings, see which is different. It's probably something with a connect option or a protocol which is causing some sort of timeout.

Or, it could be something related to SHARE and violations opening up the printer ports.

[email protected]

Sprezzatura, Inc.

You mentioned yourself and Brad. I gather from the context that the other person was Dr. Seuss. Or perhaps Sam?

Actually, it was Ed.

[email protected]

Sprezzatura, Inc.

This might be way off beam, but she isn't using a virus checker that differs in setup etc from everyone else?

We have frequently had users locked out by virus checker that are misconfigured.

[email protected]

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