From: Digest To: "OS/2GenAu Digest" Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 00:01:07 EST-10EDT,10,-1,0,7200,3,-1,0,7200,3600 Subject: [os2genau_digest] No. 872 Reply-To: X-List-Unsubscribe: www.os2site.com/list/ ************************************************** Monday 21 June 2004 Number 872 ************************************************** Subjects for today 1 Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions : voytek at sbt dot net dot au 2 Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions : Ian Manners" 3 Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions : Ian Manners" 4 Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions : Simon Coulter 5 Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions : brianb at kdfisher dot com dot au 6 Reminder : MelbPc Os2 SIG meeting Tuesday 22 June : Robert Traynor (BobT)" 7 Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions : Ed Durrant 8 Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions : voytek at sbt dot net dot au 9 Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions : Ed Durrant **= Email 1 ==========================** Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:24:01 +1000 (EST) From: voytek at sbt dot net dot au Subject: Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions > This almost looks like an OS/2 virus ! > > Very strange in deed ! Any Ideas ?? more like wps/ini problem, I think... Voytek ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **= Email 2 ==========================** Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 02:01:37 +1000 (EST) From: "Ian Manners" Subject: Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions Hmm, even wierder, I had to read Ed's email in a rejected email sent back to me from xxx at attglobal dot net, claiming it was a virus... And, I didnt get Ed's email itself, me thinks somethings not right with the latest MajorMajor. On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:24:01 +1000 (EST), voytek at sbt dot net dot au wrote: > > This almost looks like an OS/2 virus ! > > > > Very strange in deed ! Any Ideas ?? > > more like wps/ini problem, I think... > > Voytek > Cheers Ian Manners http://www.os2site dot com/ If Windows sucked it would be good for something. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **= Email 3 ==========================** Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 02:06:53 +1000 (EST) From: "Ian Manners" Subject: Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions To Answer my own Question :-) > And, I didnt get Ed's email itself, me thinks somethings not right > with the latest MajorMajor. Found it in the eCS mail folder :) So its just attglobal rejecting it. Cheers Ian Manners http://www.os2site dot com/ WARNING! Removal of this tagline prohibited by law! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **= Email 4 ==========================** Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 08:40:16 +1000 From: Simon Coulter Subject: Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions On 20/06/2004, at 8:42 PM, Ed Durrant wrote: > Desktop objects (icons) that have their working directory > set to a specific drive, when their properties are closed > and reopened have the drive letter replaced with a file > name. Hence I:\data in working directory becomes > SSMFILES.EXE\data and of course OS/2 complains when the > object is started. The file name inserted is different > depending upon the drive letter - for example D: is replace > with the name of a gif file ! The problem is consistant and > repeatable. I have run chkdsk on both drives in question > from a maintenance partition as I suspected the directory > structure but the problem hasn't gone away. Of my nine > partitions, only two are affected. > > This almost looks like an OS/2 virus ! > > Very strange in deed ! Any Ideas ?? Hello Ed, I have suffered this problem previously on Warp 4. I am fairly sure it is an OS/2 ini file problem but I could never solve it--even with the various ini file tools. I had to reinstall to fix it. I think it may have been related to a particular fix pack level. The system on which I experienced this problem is in a very sad state. The WPS is completely stuffed so I've been running it via PM and cmd files. I can't face the reinstall and rebuild exercise. I use it only for QuickBooks and PC5250--everything else I do on my PowerMac--so I can live with the clumsiness. .... and another soul drifts reluctantly from the OS/2 camp ... Regards, Simon Coulter. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FlyByNight Software AS/400 Technical Specialists http://www.flybynight dot com dot au/ Phone: +61 3 9419 0175 Mobile: +61 0411 091 400 /"\ Fax: +61 3 9419 0175 \ / X ASCII Ribbon campaign against HTML E-Mail / \ -------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **= Email 5 ==========================** Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 11:03:19 +1030 From: brianb at kdfisher dot com dot au Subject: Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions Ed, I have seen this a few times and have no idea what causes it. I have fixed it with checkini in WPTOOLS. Checkinn reports something about the first sector of the drive being corrupt or similar, it's been a while since I have seen it. ----------------------------------------- Brian Butler System Administrator brianb at kdfisher dot com dot au Ed Durrant cc: Subject: Weird Desktop Object corruptions 20/06/2004 20:12 Please respond to os2genau Has anyone ever seen the following. Desktop objects (icons) that have their working directory set to a specific drive, when their properties are closed and reopened have the drive letter replaced with a file name. Hence I:\data in working directory becomes SSMFILES.EXE\data and of course OS/2 complains when the object is started. The file name inserted is different depending upon the drive letter - for example D: is replace with the name of a gif file ! The problem is consistant and repeatable. I have run chkdsk on both drives in question from a maintenance partition as I suspected the directory structure but the problem hasn't gone away. Of my nine partitions, only two are affected. This almost looks like an OS/2 virus ! Very strange in deed ! Any Ideas ?? Cheers/2 Ed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **= Email 6 ==========================** Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 16:00:52 +1000 From: "Robert Traynor (BobT)" Subject: Reminder : MelbPc Os2 SIG meeting Tuesday 22 June Hi All, The subject says it all. Meeting starts from 6.30pm on to about 9.00pm. We have an IDE CDRW added to the club machine and so I think we will have a session on getting CDR and RW burning in os2 plus everything else that comes up. Hope to see you all there. PS. IAN, what has happened to the os2site Auto reminder notices. We seem to be out in the dark here. :-) Regards, Robert Traynor (BobT). 21 June 2004 16:00 ,-._|\ Robert Traynor (BobT) / Oz \ email rtraynor at removeme.optusnet dot com dot au \_,--.x/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **= Email 7 ==========================** Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 19:48:51 +1000 From: Ed Durrant Subject: Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions Simon Coulter wrote: > On 20/06/2004, at 8:42 PM, Ed Durrant wrote: > > > Desktop objects (icons) that have their working directory > > set to a specific drive, when their properties are closed > > and reopened have the drive letter replaced with a file > > name. Hence I:\data in working directory becomes > > SSMFILES.EXE\data and of course OS/2 complains when the > > object is started. The file name inserted is different > > depending upon the drive letter - for example D: is replace > > with the name of a gif file ! The problem is consistant and > > repeatable. I have run chkdsk on both drives in question > > from a maintenance partition as I suspected the directory > > structure but the problem hasn't gone away. Of my nine > > partitions, only two are affected. > > > > This almost looks like an OS/2 virus ! > > > > Very strange in deed ! Any Ideas ?? > > Hello Ed, > > I have suffered this problem previously on Warp 4. I am fairly sure it > is an OS/2 ini file problem but I could never solve it--even with the > various ini file tools. I had to reinstall to fix it. I think it may > have been related to a particular fix pack level. > > The system on which I experienced this problem is in a very sad state. > The WPS is completely stuffed so I've been running it via PM and cmd > files. I can't face the reinstall and rebuild exercise. I use it only > for QuickBooks and PC5250--everything else I do on my PowerMac--so I > can live with the clumsiness. > > ... and another soul drifts reluctantly from the OS/2 camp ... > > Regards, > Simon Coulter. > Voytek's call was correct it was a WPS corruption - here's what i did I copied, reformatted and returned data to the D: drive to see if it was some sort of corruption there, however the problem stayed. I booted to one of my other os2 boot partitions and tried to recreate the problem there. No success, so it's probably not the hard disk that is housing the problem. On re-booting to the main partition, Lotus Smartsuite insists on loading everytime I start the system, even though it isn't in any startup folder or startup cmd type files. I also checked to see if any WPS enhancer type programs are running - nothing there. Another restart and some objects, althought retaining their icons, lost their property settings. So at this point I concluded that the actual OS2 desktop was corrupted. I have archiving turned on, but of course now all of my normal backups are corrupt. Luckily back in April of this year I backed up an achive into the "original Install" directory, so i have been able to restore from that and now all is back to normal, albeit i have now lost all objects for programs installed since April and objects exist for programs I have since de-installed. Oh well at least I have a usable system again, but I can't think what caused the problem. The only things different that I have done recently is install the latest version of SVista, Install IBM Web Browser v 2.0.3 and to use Lotus Wordpro for the first time in ages. Whether any of these caused the problem, I suspect I will never know ! The moral of this story is to do regular backups of your desktop and store them away ! Cheers/2 Ed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **= Email 8 ==========================** Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 21:14:27 +1000 (EST) From: voytek at sbt dot net dot au Subject: Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions > The moral of this story is to do regular backups of your desktop and store > them away ! of course that's always a 'good idea'... for a while now, I only make a (Info)zip up of my boot drive, howver, to restore an entire drive to fix a ini problem is a bit of a sledge hammer approach... some month ago, when I had a 'lost desktop' problem, I was at a verge of unzipping the whole drive... but, then I thought... what if I only unzip desktop and INIs.... I did, and, it worked. I was quite pleased. on a related subject, the PC I'm on now, has a dual (triple, actually) boot, with w98 and OS/2 (I use win98 for Palm Desktop, and, as a form of unusual and cruel self punishement), on fairly regular ocassions, when booting OS/2, X-Workplace panic dialog comes up with 'corrupt handles'. got me really worried 1st time it came up (yes, I should have INI and desktop backup.... to reduce worry) anyhow, when it comes up, I just 'DEL ALL INVALIDs'. but, yes, it's probably one of the most dreaded mssg in OS/2: your desktop has stuffed up... Voytek ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **= Email 9 ==========================** Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 21:34:07 +1000 From: Ed Durrant Subject: Re: Weird Desktop Object corruptions voytek at sbt dot net dot au wrote: > > The moral of this story is to do regular backups of your desktop and store > > them away ! > > of course that's always a 'good idea'... > > for a while now, I only make a (Info)zip up of my boot drive, howver, to > restore an entire drive to fix a ini problem is a bit of a sledge hammer > approach... some month ago, when I had a 'lost desktop' problem, I was at > a verge of unzipping the whole drive... but, then I thought... what if I > only unzip desktop and INIs.... I did, and, it worked. > I was quite pleased. > > Voytek > > =========================================== Well, I think I may have found the culprit (strangely enough, it is what I first suspected). Now that I have a clean desktop and have rebooted a couple of times to get multiple backups (there's a utility to overwrite the install backup with the current (good) desktop and INIs, that I must find and run again) - I decided to try to install SVista Beta3 again - this time I paid more attention to what was happening in the WarpIN procedure and again I saw corruption taking place when I changed from the defualt install directories. "I:\svista" became "M" when I did a Next, followed by a back. I have just re-downloaded the SVista Beta 3 package and I will now unpack it and try again. If this problem is still there, it suggests Serenity have a corrupt package, if not it would suggest a corruption of the earlier file, perhaps during download from Mensys. Cheers/2 Ed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------