Critical error in AC9

[Anonymous]

I have been working in AC for several months on the same project and all over sudden it crashed for the first time. Then it crashed 6 times in 15 minutes. The bug report was send, but should i hold my breath to get contacted by Graphisoft? One of the Bug Report Codes was:

2005-01-14-19-14-53-4149

Should i start a new file and merge the project? Any suggestions are welcome.

[Ben Odonnell]

Ha ha,
Are you tyring to get me into trouble Link ?

The method you described indeed works, I wouldn't say that it's out dated either. Good to see some ones switched on
Cheers.
Ben

[Anonymous]

Ben wrote:

woodster wrote:

Don't wait for Graphisoft to call and the number alone is meaningless.

I beg to differ.
This number can be in fact quiet helpful. If you get in contact with you local ArchiCAD support and give them the number, they can then contact GS give them the number and the can then go in and have a look at the bug report. If you are lucky they may even be able to tell you what the problem is.

I always request our customers to give me this number, it helps GS as well.

With all due respect, you could not have read what you quoted (the number alone is meaningless). When is the last time you called tech support for any software, gave them an error number and had them tell you exactly what the problem was... maybe a sunny December morning in Malmo

Like Tom Waltz said, the first series of 3 numbers is the date of the incident, the next 3, the time and the last 4 digits an error code which could cover a lot of things, depending on a wide variety of conditions.

You correctly point out that all clues to the problem are important. But ArchiCAD generated files (including the bug report) that may exist on your computer and any error messages received, while helpful, make up only part of the information that could lead to resolution of the problem. It is important for ArchiCAD users to keep in mind that they should stop when they encounter a problem and try to remember what they were doing immediately before they encountered the problem. For example, was I calling up a 3D view or did I load a new piece of software on my computer yesterday or an hour ago?

Second they should try some basic file recovery techniques; the first of which, would be to preserve the original problem file by saving it with a new name (sometimes this will even fix it), merging the problem file into a new and reset file or trying to open the file with no library parts loaded.

Let's keep of mind that using ArchiCAD is part of someone's livelihood and try to resolve things quickly.

Seeking local tech support from a dealer is a something one should do before they become frustrated and (in the US anyway) support escalates from there. Like I also said in what you quoted, don't wait for Graphisoft; take steps quickly; calling your local support can expedite resolution of your problem.

[Ben Odonnell]

Woody,

Like Tom Waltz said, the first series of 3 numbers is the date of the incident, the next 3, the time and the last 4 digits an error code which could cover a lot of things, depending on a wide variety of conditions.

This statement is simply not 100% correct. The first set of digits are indeed the date, but the last set of digits actually refers to a specific GSReport not an error number. A revamped version of GSRepoter was released with ArchiCAD 9, one can now send in the GSReports online, that's why I stated that the number is not meaningless. As you can see in the second diolog box in the attached image, it states "Please use the bug id below for any correspondence"

When is the last time you called tech support for any software, gave them an error number and had them tell you exactly what the problem was... maybe a sunny December morning in Malmo

Second they should try some basic file recovery techniques; the first of which, would be to preserve the original problem file by saving it with a new name (sometimes this will even fix it), merging the problem file into a new and reset file or trying to open the file with no library parts loaded.

Couldn't agree more.

Cheers.
Ben

[Djordje]

If I may chime in ...

ALWAYS Edit the Bug Report, don't just send it. Write what you were doing when ArchiCAD crashed, write what swearwords you used, write how low was the coffee in the mug, that you had your mobile and two land lines ringing at the same time. WRITE WHAT HAPPENED! That is of ultimate importance!

If you really want to be organized, note the number down.

Heh, I remember how it was five years ago ... 😉

[Ben Odonnell]

LOL
Couldn't agree with you more Djordje. It is really important that you write down every thing that happened just before the crash.
Makes things much easier for all concerned. I don't know how many problems I've received help with and fixed by Graphisoft because people have taken the time to fill in exactly what happened in the steps just before the crash.

I think the GSReporting system has always worked well, but even better now with the release of ArchiCAD 9. Good work Graphisoft.

Cheers.
Ben

[Anonymous]

I'll certainly chime in with agreement on this.

Woody

[Greg Kmethy]

I just want to agree with all that was said here. If you require feedback about a crash report submitted, send the ID to your local reseller who will contact us. It is very helpful for us if you edit the report before sending it, and include a full description of what you were doing before the crash happened.
But either way, the most important is that you do send in the crash report. With a single click you can contribute to making ArchiCAD more stable.

BTW, I wrote an ArchiGuide article on BugReport:
http://www.graphisoft.com/support/archicad/archiguide/CrashReport.html