UCCNC shuts down unexpectedly

[A_Camera]

I still think it's a Windows installation problem. It's a good idea to start with the windows repair tool, but beware ONLY use repair tools which are issued by Microsoft. DON`T go for any other versions. Next step, if the Microsoft tool doesn't find any errors is to reinstall Windows.

Actually, if you have a known date before the problem then you could go back to that date (minus a few days) and try a Windows recovery from there. Windows will uninstall everything installed after that date. Note that only drivers and updates of Windows will be uninstalled. Software you have installed after that date will still be there, but if it needs any interaction with Windows it may no work and must also be reinstalled / repaired.

BTW, during all the years with W10 I have never ever had an ntdll.dll error. I don't understand why you say it's a known case. It can however be the result of unintentionally having removed something which is necessary for windows. Admittedly, I am not using any other UCCNC plugin than the Modbus master, but I think that the X-Box pendant is so popular and widely used, so it should have been quite intensely tested. Also, that plugin is very old, it is still the same version as from the start. This can of course be a problem in some cases, if Windows or UCCNC requires that, but it should be known in that case. Have you checked on CNC Drive forum?

[Kitwn]

Thanks A_Camera, I will look at the Windows repair tool from Microsoft.
i said 'it's a known cause' only because my searching suggested that there have been many instances of programs crashing in general due to problems with this file, not that it's known for UCCNC. The CNCdrive forum has only one reference to a crash due to that .dll file and it relates to using later versions of the software (1.2112 and 1.2113).
I think I have a clone HDD for this laptop from about 18 months ago but I will have to search for it (I've moved house since then!) which might be an interesting test. I certainly have a spare mechanical drive I can load a new installation of W10 onto. I'm not going to trash the current installation if I can avoid it.

Kit

[dazp1976]

Thanks A_Camera, I will look at the Windows repair tool from Microsoft.
i said 'it's a known cause' only because my searching suggested that there have been many instances of programs crashing in general due to problems with this file, not that it's known for UCCNC. The CNCdrive forum has only one reference to a crash due to that .dll file and it relates to using later versions of the software (1.2112 and 1.2113).
I think I have a clone HDD for this laptop from about 18 months ago but I will have to search for it (I've moved house since then!) which might be an interesting test. I certainly have a spare mechanical drive I can load a new installation of W10 onto. I'm not going to trash the current installation if I can avoid it.

Kit

How big is your current hard disk?.
If there is enough space you could create a new partition on it. Load a new os and uccnc on there. (This will basically make it dual boot so you can choose which os to boot to at the start). Test new setup out without wrecking the existing install. If it all works out then you can either:
Move all your docs etc over to new os partition and delete the old os partition when done. Or.
Use new os for machine until you find a fix for the existing os and then delete the newer one.

I still use xp for Mach via parallel and am in the process of putting uccnc on there. It's basic and not bloated to death like w10.
I'm also setting up win7 on a seperate partition with both programs.
I'll assess which is the better and go with it.
Not a fan of w10 update forcing regime, even if you get it disabled.

[A_Camera]

In my opinion, a separate HD is better than dual boot. Hard disks are cheap and is safer, since if one partition crash, it may kill the other also, which can't happen if you have physically removed the hard disk you are not booting from.

You can't disable W10 updates, you can only postpone if (if you have a pro version). The only way to disable it is if you prevent Internet connection, or through some sort of third party "fix". Also, why would you prevent W10 updates? It is better to keep the computer in shape, just like you do with a car or any other machinery, than let it slowly degrade because of no bug fixes and other things which may cause issues. The only thing I don't let Windows to decide is when to install the updates and when restart is allowed (if necessary).

If you are still running XP and not even tested W7 then you are WAAAAAAY behind and outdated. Of course, if you run Mach3 on PP then you are forced to use these outdated systems, since Windows stopped supporting PP with W7 64-bits. W10 is the best Windows ever made, it NEVER crash unless you do something or use some buggy software, or if you try to "improve" it's performance through different third party "fixes".

BTW, don't ever buy a modern car if you are afraid of software / firmware updates... Tesla doesn't even ask you anything, just updates. BMW asks, but eventually updates automatically and I don't know for how long you are allowed to postpone, but the maximum is to the next service, where they ALWAYS start with updates. Other cars get updated automatically, like Tesla, or like BMW, or if the updates are never pushed out through the network then it is done when the car is in for a service. So in the end, all modern enough cars get new firmware now and then for the last 5-10 years. The only thing I hate when my BMW gets an update is that I have to go through all the settings I made to make sure that the car is configured as I want it to be, not as the BMW engineer thought it should be. Some times they change things, but that's all, never experienced anything negative which came from an update.

[dazp1976]

If you are still running XP and not even tested W7 then you are WAAAAAAY behind and outdated. Of course, if you run Mach3 on PP then you are forced to use these outdated systems, since Windows stopped supporting PP with W7 64-bits. W10 is the best Windows ever made, it NEVER crash unless you do something or use some buggy software, or if you try to "improve" it's performance through different third party "fixes".

Well xp works FAULTLESS with Mach3. The machine is dedicated to it's cnc purpose so if it isn't broke don't fix it.
Have you ever had a win update destroy your pc?.
I have and it's a b*******d.
It's only Microsoft that cocks things like updates up. They generally don't test them properly before release.

[Kitwn]

One of the things I like about this 'old' HP laptop is the ability to easily swop the hard drive. I have a spare SS drive and a couple of old mechanical drives and I also have a dual external drive holder that can clone a drive to provide that "I wish I could go back in time to yesterday" option and avoid the tears that can sometimes result from upgrades and changes. A version of UCCNC for Linux would be a welcome addition though.

We have started a few days of blue sky and sunshine here in the middle of a Tasmanian winter so I'm working outdoors under instruction from The Head Gardener. I may go quiet for a few days on this thread but will be back in the workshop when the rain returns.

As always, I've already learned some very useful stuff from everybody's input so far.

Kit

[A_Camera]

Well xp works FAULTLESS with Mach3. The machine is dedicated to it's cnc purpose so if it isn't broke don't fix it.

Of course, I never said you should change anything you are happy with. That was not the subject at all.

Have you ever had a win update destroy your pc?.
I have and it's a b*******d.

Never had any PC destroyed because of an update. I think your conclusion of blaming Microsoft for that is not based on facts, but something else.

It's only Microsoft that cocks things like updates up. They generally don't test them properly before release.

That's just pure nonsense. Microsoft is more serious than you can ever imagine. They don't release ANYTHING which is not tested. It is clear however that you don't work in software development business area and hate Microsoft, but I could not care less. In every camp (Linux, Ios and Windows) there are some haters, but none are fact based, just emotions. Some people are like that and there is nothing to do about them, other than feeling sorry for them.

[A_Camera]

One of the things I like about this 'old' HP laptop is the ability to easily swap the hard drive. I have a spare SS drive and a couple of old mechanical drives and I also have a dual external drive holder that can clone a drive to provide that "I wish I could go back in time to yesterday" option and avoid the tears that can sometimes result from upgrades and changes.

I understand exactly what you are saying. I have an Evo N610c which has the same feature. That was my last one which had this easy swapping possibility. Mi later Probook 6470b was still fairly easy to swap HD in, but not as simple as the Evo. On the other hand, the Evo runs on XP only, while the Probook is fine with W10 pro 64-bits. That one is also old, but with enough memory and an SSD it is really fast.

A version of UCCNC for Linux would be a welcome addition though.

That won't ever happen.

We have started a few days of blue sky and sunshine here in the middle of a Tasmanian winter so I'm working outdoors under instruction from The Head Gardener. I may go quiet for a few days on this thread but will be back in the workshop when the rain returns.

As always, I've already learned some very useful stuff from everybody's input so far.

Kit

Yes, I know exactly what you mean. Even my Head Gardener wants me to be out more. We have summer here, so our body must harvest the sun...

[Kitwn]

I found the clone of my laptop drive from two years ago and allowed W10 to update itself overnight. Installed UCCNC, loaded the saved config files and connected it to the router. It sat idle for several hours with no problem so I'm hoping all will be well.

A_Camera,
The disk cloning feature was one I made good use of when using LinuxCNC on a desktop machine. It saved me more than once.

Your winter's will be a lot colder than we have here. This is our first year in Tasmania and we're finding the winter much milder than we were led to believe.

Kit

[A_Camera]

I found the clone of my laptop drive from two years ago and allowed W10 to update itself overnight. Installed UCCNC, loaded the saved config files and connected it to the router. It sat idle for several hours with no problem so I'm hoping all will be well.

Good news. Holding my thumb for you...

If it works, don't forget to clone the working disk.

A_Camera,
The disk cloning feature was one I made good use of when using LinuxCNC on a desktop machine. It saved me more than once.

Cloning is good practice, but unless you clone every day, or on a regular basis, you still need to take regular backups. I am using Acronis for both cloning and backup. It runs automatically and I check the backup now and then, just to make sure that the software is running and nothing is damaged. After all, normally you don't know if the backup disk is usable before you need it, so it's a good idea to perform regular checks while the system is working normally.

Your winter's will be a lot colder than we have here. This is our first year in Tasmania and we're finding the winter much milder than we were led to believe.

Kit

Yes, maybe a bit cooler here, but I live in the southern part of Sweden, so the winters are not that cold, normally around +5 to 10C° during the day, and while occasionally we do get some arctic chilly days with -20C°, but those are rare. Yes, every year we get a few weeks of isy cold, but those days aren't many. Of course, up north it's a bit different and is much colder, but that's about 1600km from my home.