New install of RoboHelp 8 crashes repeatedly

[DebTNS2009]

Hi,

We've recently purchased the Adobe Tech Comm Suite 2, which is upgrading us from RH 7 to RH 8. Unfortunately, at the same time we have undergone a computer and network migration as a result of being acquired by a new company.

RoboHelp 8 is working *somewhat* on my computer, which has 2 GB RAM and an Intel duo-core processor T7300 @ 2.00GHz. When I open a project, RH crashes when I first select a topic to open, and I click "Don't send error report". RH stays open, though, and then I can open other topics and it seems to be ok. 

The other writer cannot run RH 8 without immediately crashing upon opening a topic in a converted project (she was able to convert a project after renaming the .htt files and recreating the master page). The other computer has 2.00 GB RAM, and is an Intel T2500 processor2@ 2.00GHz.

We are both running Windows XP service pack 3.

We've gone through nearly everything (except reinstalling XP or reformatting the hard drive) in the tech note Adobe has about this: http://go.adobe.com/kb/ts_kb404181_en_us

Is there anything else we should try or look at? Anyone else experience trouble like this with RH 8?

Thanks for any info.

Debbie McDermott

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Are your projects on a local or network drive? Are you using any form of source control? There may be something related to these answers.

[DebTNS2009]

Hi,

The projects are on a local disk, and no source control has been used.

They are newly converted from RH 7, which required some trial-and-error to get to work. We ended up needing to remove the .htt files, then create a new master page after the project was open.

We do still see a problem with the master page, in that when you display a topic in view mode, the header is duplicated. However, we can't get the project to function long enough to fix that.

The program seems to be more stable when the rest of the Tech Comm suite is uninstalled and only RH 8 is running.

Debbie

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Are you trying to run all the other parts of the TCS at the same time? You only had 2GB of memory to play with from what I remember you saying. I'm running the TCS 2.0 with 3 GB and when I'm importing FM docs or generating WebHelp, my system is chugging and that's with closing everything else down (except FM of course)! I would invest in more memory.

[DebTNS2009]

No, not trying to run any of the other apps. In fact, we've tried running without anything else going, and still the same result.

I'm going to install it on my home computer, which is a more powerful system with more RAM but even if that works, it won't really answer my question. Obviously, the software runs on many other computers, we just have something funky going on that we haven't figured out yet.

Debbie

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

What about when you load up the sample Clownfish school project - still crashing? If not, then the issue is in the converted projects; if so, then something's pooched on the install of RH I'd wager.

[Guest]

Jeff and all,

I have experienced similar problems ever since installing RH8. I have been operating RH8 for about 6 months, and prior to that, used earlier versions of RoboHelp, for the past 7 years. RH8 is by far the least stable. I am using an Intel Core 2 CPU @ 1.86GHz with 2.75 GB RAM. At the same time that I upgraded the software, I also rebuilt the project files, subdividing one massive project into four smaller ones.

Stability is unpredictable, particularly when doing any of the following:

1. Opening the project. RoboHelp tends to freeze and quit. May require rebooting computer.

2. "Save all." It will either take 12-15 minutes to do this, or it will freeze in place, and eventually quit. Sometimes I have to force-quit and reboot the system.

3. Drag-and-drop baggage files. This is the WORST offender. Yes, I use the shift key and drag, but I always stand a 50-percent chance of getting a NULL symbol (circle with diagonal line). If this happens, the program will close and I will get the standard "RoboHelp has encountered an unknown error and has to close."

4. Drag-and-drop hyperlinks. Similar to above, but not quite as frequent.

5. Compiling. Takes longer in RH8, even though the projects are a fraction of the size of the major project previously managed in earlier versions of RoboHelp.

I would register this as a "bug" but there are so many bugs I hardly know where to begin.

Thanks.

Helen Schmidling

[DebTNS2009]

The sample project works, but in the process of testing that, I found that the other project is working fine now, too.

Maybe this is a new wrinkle: I am now working at home, accessing my work network via a VPN connection and I have direct access to the Internet. The RoboHelp project is working fine.

Is RH8 trying to do hit the Internet for something as it runs???

I wonder if it is being impeded over the company network.

- Debbie

[Peter Grainge]

DEBBIE

Have you tried renaming the CPD file and reopening the project?

You have confirmed that your project is on your local drive. Remote access to your office machine with RH and the project on the office machine is an OK way to work and in your case it is proving preferable. Given that you are effectively using that machine, I don't understand why it should be any different whether you are hitting the keyboard directly or via another machine. Maybe your IT guys have some thoughts on that, something must be different.

If your method is to have RH on your home PC and link to the project remotely, whilst that may be working now, it is not a method I would recommend.

VETEDITOR

What you are describing is not normal for RH8. Same question for you, have you tried renaming the CPD file and reopening the project?

Massive changes can corrupt that file so it seems a likely candidate. Forcing the recreation of the CPD could fix 1, 2 and 5. Not sure about 3 and 4 but they are not issues that have been causing problems with RH8 so see what happens with the new CPD.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[DebTNS2009]

Peter,

It seems I didn't make it very clear about the access from home. It's the same computer; I have a laptop that I bring home, and then connect to the company network over a VPN connection. Same project, same computer, just different network access.

We did delete the .cpd file and even rebuilt the project from scratch before we had realized that the problem occurs in other projects too. Many of the topics on your site were very helpful, so in the meantime we've gotten quite an education.  

Of all the things we have tried and checked and checked again, the most consistent outcomes were comparing being on the company network vs. direct access to the Internet, despite the fact that the RH project is on the local drive. It seems like RH is hitting the Internet for something.

Also, my co-worker has better results with just RoboHelp installed, not the rest of the TCS.

Thanks for everyone's input, I'm not sure we solved anything yet, but at least RH 8 is more stable.

- Debbie

[Peter Grainge]

OK so the laptop has both RH and the project on it, it works OK at home but not in the office if connected to the network. What if it is not connected at all? If it still works OK then, I think that would rule out RH trying to phone home.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[Guest]

Peter,

In answer to your question, yes, I've renamed and/or deleted the .cpd file in the past.

From time to time, I get the error to delete the .cpd file on some projects (but not others). In the past, I've deleted the .cpd, and the result was I could open the project, but half or more of the files came up missing, and I had to rebuild them. (they were in the project folders, just not showing up).

Just yesterday, (right after I wrote to the forum) I received the corrupt .cpd error on a project that would not open. RH prompted me to delete the cpd file. Before I did, I asked a co-worker to open the same file on a different computer, and the file opened for him, but it took about 40 minutes to open. My short-term solution was to go back to a version of the file from 10 days ago {I had been on vacation, so files were not opened on my computer during that time}. The file did not open in the 30 minutes remaining in my day here at work, so I left it trying to open, which it did at some point overnight. I've been in business meetings all morning (here on the West coast) so I have yet to explore the files for accuracy.

I don't know what you are referring to by "massive changes" in the files. These files are relatively new, all within the past 4 to 6 months, all rebuilt from a mega-file which we sub-divided. So, each project that I manage is 1/4 to 1/3 of the size of the previous large project. But, with RH8 on a newer, more powerful computer, and smaller individual project files, I am experiencing such performance variables as I never did running earlier versions of RH FROM A LAPTOP (which I did for 5 years). The laptop has since been retired because it's just not powerful enough.

I have tried un-installing and re-installing RH8, but no long-term benefit has been seen from that. The performance issues are so variable that I do not know, from one day to the next, how things are going to run. Some days, fabulous! Other days, icebergs move faster than RH.

It goes without saying that I am working on my native C drive, not over a network. That should not be an issue. I do transfer the compiled output files (.html) to the network for delivery throughout the company, but the working files are housed and compiled on the local drive.

So, here I sit, stumped in Stumptown. Any further ideas? All would be appreciated.

Thank you, thank you!

Helen Schmidling

[Peter Grainge]

By massive changes I was referring to the splitting of the project. When you delete the CPD, are you only deleting the CPD or are you also deleting the XPJ (don't)?

I would suggest doing some work on one of the samples but I am picking up on the fact that this problem is variable. You say some days it works just fine. That does not really fit with it being either RH or the project. If it was the environment, then you would expect it to affect other applications and you would have mentioned that. One possibility I have seen that would fit the scenario is virus checking. At one point our company installed some virus checking software that checked every file every time. Now that did not crash RH but it did slow it horribly. Have you tried disconnecting from the network and then working with virus checking turned off, with IT's agreement of course.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

[Guest]

NO I never delete the XPJ.

Helen Schmidling

Education Editor

Banfield, The Pet Hospital

P: 503-922-5547

F: 503-922-6547

www.banfield.net

"Treating Your Pet Like Family"

[Guest]

Yes!

I've experienced the same since upgrading to RH8, and no one has been able to come up with a solution. Some days, I experience as many as 20-25 crashes before the program stabilizes "somewhat." Often I have to restart my computer before anything will work.

Helen Schmidling

[Lina_ann]

Yes, I too have encountered RH 8 crashing suddenly and I have lost some of my work as a result. So I make sure I keep saving my stuff every 5mins just incase.

-Lina