Problem with 64-bit Windows XP

Coyote_Hunter_ · Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2005 7:05 am Post subject: Problem with 64-bit Windows XP

Dallan â€“

Recently I built a new wonder machine using an Intel D955XBK motherboard (same board Dell uses in their new XPS Gen 5 gaming machine), an Intel 830 CPU (3.0GHz, 64-bit, dual-core, no Hyper-Threading), 1GB RAM and Windows XP 64-bit. On moving Point Blank from the old system to the new one I immediately noticed problems with the RELOADER.DAT load database. When I click on the â€œOpen Loadâ€ button the window pops up with the default .270 load but none of my other loads. I am able to create new loads, save them and open them. The RELOADER.DAT file size is 40KB on the new system, just like on the system I copied it from (several times, in fact).

In the past I have simply copied the â€œPoint Blankâ€ directory from one machine to another, but this time it doesnâ€™t seem to be working. Any ideas? Do you have an export/import utility or anything I could use? PLEASE HELP!!!

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

zip up your current PointBlank folder and email it to me at dallanc @ huntingnut.com ... it sounds like something is the problem with the database.

The version of windows, the OS, computer etc shouldnt have anything to do with how the program runs.

-DallanC

popgun

Nuther question....After your original downloading PB and unzipping did you unzip to the Unzipped folder?....and did you copy and move those files to Program Files? You may have moved the unzipped files with an un-updated .dat file and not moved the updated .dat file in the Program Files section. You probably still have 'your' updated .dat file. You can also try the file search feature to see if you have two different size files with the same .dat name. I'm sure it's there, ya just have to find it.
Chris

Coyote_Hunter_

Dallan -

I'll do that as soon as my home internet is back up. Took two lightning strikes last weekend. Qwest says they fixed their end of the problem but my DSL modem is still having a hard time. New modem on the way, hopefully there when I get home tonight.

Coyote_Hunter_

popgun wrote:

Nuther question....After your original downloading PB and unzipping did you unzip to the Unzipped folder?....and did you copy and move those files to Program Files? You may have moved the unzipped files with an un-updated .dat file and not moved the updated .dat file in the Program Files section. You probably still have 'your' updated .dat file. You can also try the file search feature to see if you have two different size files with the same .dat name. I'm sure it's there, ya just have to find it.
Chris

popgun -

I didn't download or unzip Point Blank this time, just copied my files over the network from the old machine to the new one. The reloader.dat file is there and I can add new loads to it, I just can't view the old ones. File size is about 40K.

popgun

Yep, but I bet on the old computer you have two reloader.dat files and mabe the program in two places. Try the search on the old computer and see if you don't have a larger file than the one you transfered. I had the same problem with a new computer and found the program was duplicated (my doing) and the file with my load data was in another location with the duplicate program on the old computer. Worth a look see to recover your loads. The .dat files are some that you might want to back up to flopy or cd from time to time to avoid huge rebuilds of the data. Been there and done that toooooo!

Coyote_Hunter_

Dallan -

Anything to report on the files I sent?

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Coyote_Hunter_ wrote:

Dallan -

Anything to report on the files I sent?

/blush I completely forgot about this until just now, Terribly sorry.

Anyway I just tried it and I can open the Dbase just fine, and access all the loads (geeze you have alot of .458!).

So now I am very curious to track down the cause of this. Honestly there should be ZERO reason why it would behave differently on a 64 bit machine than a 32 bit machine, but as you see a problem there has to be something different.

I do not have a 64bit machine at home, but i have access to one at work so I'll test it there tomorrow and see if that has problems... IF I can replicate it there, I should be able to track down a fix.

This is a head scratcher for sure as I just dont understand why it doesnt work under 64 bit machines (they emulate 32 bit applications where needed).

The next version of PointBlank will store all its info in clean text editor friendly INI files. I plan to put in some real time on PB2.0 after hunting season winds down.

In the mean time, the good news is I can access all of your load data so nothing is lost... we'll get it figured out!

Can you try downloading a clean version of it into a fresh folder and try creating and saving some junk test loads and see if they re-load or if the problem persists.

-DallanC

grimel · Member Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 160

Dallan,

You forget the first rule of dealing with Microslop changes - it'll screw up everything. Half the 16 bit programs didn't work right when MS rolled out the 32 bit systems. If you look hard you'll find some undocumented system calls.

BTW, anyone using a MS product before version 2 is paying to be a beta tester.

Coyote_Hunter_

DallanC wrote:

...
Can you try downloading a clean version of it into a fresh folder and try creating and saving some junk test loads and see if they re-load or if the problem persists.
-DallanC

No need to download a clean version to create and save loads - that works just fine. What I have not tried to do is take the existing load file, create a load on the 64-bit machine, then see what happens on the 32-bit machine. Might read all files fine, might not read any, or something inbetween. No time right now, maybe later this weekend.

Regards,

CH

Coyote_Hunter_

Stranger and stranger...

I took the old file and created a new laod on the 64-bit XP machine. Then I copied the file to the 32-bit machine. The 32-bit machine could open the old loads as well as the new load, but only the caliber displayed for the new load - even though I had filled in every field, the other fields were blank or zeros (0, 0.0, 0.00, or 0.000).

Then I moved the file back to the 64-bit machine. The data in all the fields displayed for the new load but it still couldn't see the other loads.

Its a puzzler. Looks to me like the database engine isn't happy...

grimel · Member Joined: Jan 28, 2005 Posts: 160

Nothing strange about it. It's a MS operating system running software from a previous bit size. SOP.

You might try exporting each load and importing them on the other machine.

I hate MS "upgrades".

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Coyote_Hunter_ wrote:

Stranger and stranger...

I took the old file and created a new laod on the 64-bit XP machine. Then I copied the file to the 32-bit machine. The 32-bit machine could open the old loads as well as the new load, but only the caliber displayed for the new load - even though I had filled in every field, the other fields were blank or zeros (0, 0.0, 0.00, or 0.000).

Then I moved the file back to the 64-bit machine. The data in all the fields displayed for the new load but it still couldn't see the other loads.

Its a puzzler. Looks to me like the database engine isn't happy...

I'll keep looking into it. I plan to build a 64bit machine this fall to replace my current one.

-DallanC

Coyote_Hunter_

Did you get a ghance to play with the problem at work? This is driving me nuts - I have my old computer on my desk just so I can run Point Blank. Would really like to load Linux or Solaris 10 x86 on it and get it off the desk.

Any way to export the data from the old system, then import it to the new one?

Thanks,

CH