Ssnake, hope you can help. For no apparent reason I can think of, since my last MP session Monday a week ago, SBP won't run any longer. It sometimes gets to main menu but after several seconds, CTDs. After trying various minor fix attempts (check other programs - all run fine; roll back Windows to an earlier point...just to see; reinstall Codemeter software, etc) with no luck, I gave up and uninstalled everything:

1. Uninstall SBP
2. Uninstall Codemeter run time software
3. Reinstall latest Codemeter software (redownloaded 4.40b)
4. Reinstall 654 SBP from fresh download files (same version as I have been using)
5. Checked Codemeter to see whether dongle is showing up - yes, enabled.
6. Launch - same failure!

I couldn't update the firmware - only out of the ordinary event in the reinstall - checking for update: "Error WB5000 Connection to the update server failed. Please check the selected server name and your network connection". However, SBP ran just fine for many months - prior to and after the 654 update.

Only think I can think of is that the dongle is damaged in some way.

Here is the CodeMeter Event log from after the fresh install:
2012-05-14 21:05:30: CodeMeter for Windows (B4.40.698.501.32.150)
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Running on Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build 2600)
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Execution path: C:\Program Files\CodeMeter\Runtime\bin
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Found IPv4 address: 127.0.0.1 | 192.168.10.104
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Used Communication Mode: IPv4 SharedMemory
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Used IP address: default address
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Used IP port: 22350
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Multicast server search: not available
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Run as network server: no
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Run as system service: yes
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Box Access: use direct access mode
2012-05-14 21:05:30: A required service is not running.
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Removable Device state has been changed!
2012-05-14 21:05:30: Removable Device state has been changed!
2012-05-14 21:05:31: Access from 127.0.0.1 to SubSystem (Handle 16)
2012-05-14 21:05:31: Using security library version (US) 4.40.698.500
2012-05-14 21:05:31: Handle 16 released
2012-05-14 21:06:42: Removable Device has been plugged IN!
2012-05-14 21:06:43: Detecting CmContainer with Serial Number 1-1047390
2012-05-14 21:06:45: CmDongle has been plugged in (currently found 1)!
2012-05-14 21:06:45: Removable Device state has been changed!
2012-05-14 21:06:45: Found new entries: 2
2012-05-14 21:08:45: Access from 127.0.0.1 to FC:PC=100146:11081 with StationShare Mode (Handle 25)
2012-05-14 21:09:41: Handle 25 automatically released (not longer valid)
2012-05-14 21:10:28: Access from 127.0.0.1 to FC:PC=100146:11081 with StationShare Mode (Handle 27)
2012-05-14 21:10:44: Handle 27 automatically released (not longer valid)
2012-05-14 21:18:40: Access from 127.0.0.1 to IFI (Handle 32)
2012-05-14 21:18:40: Handle 32 released

Can you suggest a fix or should the dongle be replaced?

Thanks!

Eugene

At the moment, I have too litte relevant information to give specific advice. My recommendation therefore is to run the CmDUST utility first (in the CodeMeter program group, \Tools subdirectory) and to send the log file that this will create (it automatically opens the Windows Explorer in the directory that contains CmDustResults.log) to the following address: Support (at) CodeMeter.com.

They will give you advice, IF it is a CodeMeter related issue.

I am not convinced about that however. Since this morning my otherwise rock stable Windows has had a series of crashes. This is a clear indicator that some recent change is responsible - whether it was a deliberate change, some obscure automatic update, or the intrusion of malevolent code (e.g. a virus).

I have yet to hear of a single confirmed case that CodeMeter is responsible for a CRASH. It will stop the start or execution of the protected software if the license is missing. But even that happens in a regular process with descriptive error message. Steel Beasts crashing, that could be a graphics card driver issue (not yet known to me), it could be a hardware problem, or interference with some other software for a yet unknown reason.

Can you post your case along with some more info about your operating system, graphics card model, and driver version in the support forum at SteelBeast.com? I suppose that there may be more people reading the thread that may have had a similar experience, or which use the same graphics card and driver and have no problem at all, so we can rule out this possibility.

Thanks, Ssnake. Posted over at Steel Beasts site.

Sofar as I can tell, I have no Windows problems, no other software problems,no new graphics driver installed since the last successful SBP session last week. No hardware changes. Nothing!

I do recall something about the dongle though. I have always simply removed the CodeMeter stick - dongle - when finished a SBP session. However I did notice when checking the CMS control center that it has an "eject all dongles" option. I hadn't used this prior to removing the dongle. When reinstalling the runtime software and SBP, I hastily pulled the dongle before the runtime software ran, and got an error message reporting a write error for drive O (the drive letter that my dongle shows up with) and warning that data may be or was lost.

Do you know whether this can be an issue for the dongles?

I have sent the Dust log to CodeMeter Support.

Since we don't issue CM sticks with integrated flash drives, I can't imagine that real data loss occurred. That being said, IF something's wrong with the stick, the CodeMeter support team will find out.

OK - I was hoping the warning didn't mean anything serious, although it is a new occurence. Got it again when removing the stick after running the Dust log. But I did click the "Eject All dongles" option in the Control Center menu. Had no response to that, such as "Safe to remove now." Same error warning about lost data.

Update - Dongle isn't the problem. kramer was able to remotely connect and runs his SBP using my license/stick.

Really baffled as to what could have changed and stopped SBP, but nothing (apparently) else.

CTDs are never a good sign and simply shouldn't happen with SB Pro, outside of eventual beta test experiences. Now that we have ruled out CodeMeter, the focus should be on other aspects.

First of all, you may not know it, but SB Pro writes certain log data with every scenario. That log file gets overwritten with each new scenario, so you should save it under a different name after each crash, but it might contain useful info for us. Find it in ..\My Documents\eSim Games\Steel Beasts\logs\debugLog.txt

Second, I recommend to run SB Pro in windowed mode for a while. Maybe there are error messages that don't show while you are in fullscreen mode (and which get closed during the crash, before you get to see the desktop).

If you have a tool to monitor the graphics card and CPU temperature, maybe the crashes coincide with certain temperature levels?

Try and see if the same scenarios result in a crash, or if it happens with just any scenario, or a certain group while the others work just nicely. Does it happen in single player mode, or in multiplayer, or both?

Check the Windows Event Log for entries. You may want to jot down the computer's system time after each crash, and see if there are coincidences in the event log with other things that happen shortly before, or after the moment of the application crash. Patterns like these may help to narrow it down.

Thanks Ssnake. I have sent the last log to Sean, earlier today. Doesn't seem to show much, and the only one is from the last time it ran successfully (apparently) on May 7th. I think it doesn't last long enough to generate a new one. The sim crashes almost immediately - long before I could ever start a scenario. I doubt more than 20 seconds, 30 at most pass prior to CTD.

Also, Sean already reviewed the Application event log - only one error and one warning there that he didn't think relevant.

Good thought re temps, but mine are very cool thanks to good circulation/fans/heatsink. Sadly, SBP crashes right after booting the machine (I keep trying...).

How can I run SBP windowed, without access to Options? Is there an external config file I can edit? In the shortcut properties, in "Run:" "Normal Window" is default/selected. As opposed to maximized or Minimized.

Ssnake - racing, I managed to get to Options/Display before SBP crashes. I could change from "Full" to "Windowed", and a couple times managed to see it switch to a near full screen window, hit "Exit" to main screen and then "Exit" again. But when restarting, still in Full screen mode. Listed that way in Options. Most of the time, it CTDs before I can get "Windowed" toggled and see the sim switch to windowed mode.

I could find a file I could edit to make SBP start windowed. Is that possible?

There's two ways. Try hitting Alt+W at start. That may do the trick.
The other is to locate and delete (=rename/back up) the options.dat file (see user manual, chapter 2, page 12 I think). That will force SB to create a new options file, and it will do so with default settings (which is windowed mode).