Programs freezing during copying to clipboard

[Anonymous]

I have a trouble with my computer. Anyone does have the same problem?
When copying something to the clipboard, ArchiCAD gets freezing until I copy another thing from any other opened program to the clipboard. Than switching back to ArchiCAD everything is fine. I can use copy/paste from ArchiCAD again. BUT: the program gets freezing after every SECOUND copy command. Interesting... I have to restart ArchiCAD to avoid the bug.
Inside of ArchiCAD in the Story setting dialog I can copy and paste everything without any trouble, it means that the problem is between ArchiCAD and Windows or the graphic card. It is independent of the size of copied items, the same happens even in case of a single line.
The problem occurs at: AC 8.0/8.1/9.0 with Win XP, Matrox G 550 and NVidia GeForce4 MX 460. (Two different PCs.) Sometimes the same thing happens in other programs as well.
I contacted my ArchiCAD distributor and Microsoft Helpdesk but they couldn't help me.
I downloaded the latest drivers, even a modified one, suggested in this forum but nothing changed. It is really annoying...
Does anyone have the same problem?
THX
Zoltán

[Anonymous]

I have the same thing happening since upgrading to the latest AC 9.0 build. This happens when running two sessions of AC and copying from one session to another. Doesn't happen all the time, but often enough.

Grant

[Barry Kelly]

Happens in our office too - but not all the time.
I find having Windows Explorer open in the background helps.
When ever Archicad locks up, switch to Explorer and select any file on your C-drive that is not already selected - don't do anything with it, just select it.
Return to Archicad and all should be well.
Next time it locks up go and select another file and return to Archicad again.

Don't know why this works, but it does for us.

I find it happens most when I have 2 Archicads open as well.

To me it seems the clipboard is getting stuck (technical term!) and not giving control back to the program.
I have had success a couple of times when I have copied and pasted from another program, then Archicad will copy and paste fine.
But I can't remember exactly what I did as I was not trying to fix the problem - just noticed that it went away afterwards.

I'll have a play next time it locks up.

Barry.

[David Collins]

Just to chime in with a "me too" on this, ArchiCAD locks up for me sometimes when I do clipboard copy while in the GDL object editor. Its always after I've been working for a while and have done several successful cut-and-pastes. I just figured I had used up all the available memory. I'll keep the Windows Explorer tip handy for the next time this happens and report back.

[Karl Ottenstein]

ArchiCAD has had this problem on Windows since at least version 7.0, perhaps even 6.5 (can't remember). On the old escribe chat list, Alex Schemanick (sp?) - posted the tip that opening MS Word or Excel would free the clipboard 'lock'.

In the old days, it seemed the problem happend if you copy/pasted to quickly. I've only had it happen to me a few times since 9 was released. Opening Word always fixes it.

I'll have to try Barry's trick with Explorer the next time it happens...

[Anonymous]

I encounter this problem from time to time. I have found that if I follow the steps below, ArchiCAD unfreezes, but the problem persists for the whole session, so it may be better to restart the computer and try again.
1: Minimize the ArchiCAD window. Sometimes this in itself can be tricky, so select another program from the task bar, and activate it.
2: If you have opened another program in step 1, above, minimize its window. Then minimize the ArchiCAD window, because you should now be able to do this.
3: Open a folder from your desktop.
4: Close the folder.
5: Return to the minimized ArchiCAd window and restore it. ArchiCAD should work fine until you copy, whereupon you will have to repeat the process.

[Jefferson]

And I thought this was just my problem!!!

I have spent countless hours dealing with this demon . The aforementioned clicking on the parent folder in windows explorer would remedy. ArchiCAD was freezing constantly every time I copied, either using ctrl c or the contextual menu, or even the paste icon. Eventually it would deliver on the copy command but it would take forever, I was going crazy! I went so far as to call Microsoft! Now, I have played with hi-po video drivers quite a bit and figured that was it, [ you play with fire, you get burned], but even uninstalling those and returning to "stock" drivers still resulted in freeze-ups.

Evetually with help and direction from microsoft's SP2 help line, [FREE], I solved the riddle. Here's my resolve, which by the way has worked for me, consistently! I really hope it helps someone else;

I went into my startup registry, deactivated QuickTime, and the Nvidia Nview [Nvidia Mctray], that ran from startup in my system tray, along with some other worhtless items, [ office, HP junk, etc. ]. I would reccomend evaluating all of the startup programs that run in the startup registry and eliminate, with due caution of course, anything you deem unnesessary. There is a ton of "crap" that loads itself and runs, often without our "consent" and eats precious available memory. [ for example, check out your father's or daughter's startup registry sometime......] At least this is my understanding and I have had, as earlier stated, finally success with this method.

BTW: The Microsft beta Antispyware tool allows easy editing of your startup registry without going through the start>run>msconfig route along with the added bounus of enhacing your spyware protection and to the best of my knowledge it runs harmoniuosly with Norton and Mcaffe.
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

I would most definitley defer to Karl on this and in fact hope he could add some further insight into how to proceed, and how all of this really works, if you are tempted to test my theory.

Good Luck!!

[Jefferson]

Zoltán,

Any luck with controlling your freeze-ups?

[Anonymous]

Well, I checked the Startup items. It contains only items necessary for me, eg. keyboard, mouse, graphic card helper applications, but there are some that I don't know. Eg. do I need "ptlsinst" or "ctfmon"?
This week I have been working only in ArchiCAD 7.0 in teamwork with my workmates (they hate newer versions since 8.0 and although they have AC 9 as well, they don't want to use it.), it didn't lock up at copying (but often in 3D window). Next week I'll work on a solo project in 9, so I'll let you know my experiences.
Actually, I'm thinking of installing a Clipboard manager program (ArsClip 2.6.9, similar to Office clipboard) which saves not only the last copied items. Maybe it will solve the problem - or make it even worse... Anyway I'll try it.

Zoltán

[Rick Taron]

Next time you lock up try going to your explorer window and generally click to open different folders.
This activity will almost always wake up the Archicad freeze right away.