Any profiling switches that will help resolve a hang/crash (no stack)

[Phil Barila]

I'm running into very repeatable crashes (Freezes while the "Building Tag File..." dialog is up, process doing absolutely nothing, keystrokes or click the dialog's close button results in "SlickEdit has stopped working" dialog.) trying to tag some Visual Basic code in a mixed C# & VB solution.  I'm sorry, I can't send the source code.  Is there any kind of profiling I can enable so I can send some data to SE support to attempt to sort this out remotely?
Update:  Added About: data from a run with a clean config.

Code: [Select]

SlickEdit Version 15.0.1.3

Serial number: WL460868
Licensed number of users: Single user
License file: C:\ProgramData\slickedit\15\slickedit.lic

Build Date: August 04, 2010
Emulation: CUA

OS: Windows 7 x64
OS Version: 6.01.7600  
Memory: 44% Load, 0MB/4194MB Physical, 151MB/2097MB Virtual
Shell Info: C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /q
Screen Size: 1680 x 1050

Project Type: No project open
Language: No file open

Installation Directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\SlickEditV15.0.1\ (non-removable drive,NTFS,10606MB free)
Configuration Directory: D:\Temp\vsConfig\15.0.1\ (non-removable drive,NTFS,43421MB free)
Spill File: D:\Users\phil.barila\AppData\Local\Temp\$slk.24 (non-removable drive,NTFS,43421MB free)


[ScottW, VP of Dev]

First, be sure you have loaded the available hot fixes: http://www.slickedit.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=260&Itemid=41

If that doesn't resolve your problem, you can run with the SlickEdit profiler on as follows:

• Start the profiler from the SlickEdit command line by typing the following: profile on. Then press Enter.
  
• Perform the operations to be measured. Try to include only the steps necessary to produce the problem.
  
• Stop the profiler. From the command line, type the following: profile save "<filename>", where <filename> is the name of the file to save to. For example, you could type: profile save "profile.txt".

[Phil Barila]

Oops, sorry Scott, in my eagerness to ensure that my own customization hadn't gotten in the way, I ran with a clean config, and forgot to apply the hotfixes.  I am actually running with today's v.18 in my regular config.  I reran the test by eradicating the temp config dir, launching SE again (vs +new -sc D:\Temp\vsConfig), installed both necessary hotfixes.  As an aside, the v.18 hotfix prompts to restart SE, but it didn't actually restart it, just exited when I gave it permission to restart.  After I restarted SE with the same command line again, typed profile on and hit enter, got the "Profiling Slick-C® functions" status, then attempted to load the .sln file again.  Of course there is no way to enter profile off, because it's hung now.  I attached to the process using Windbg, and collected a process dump with /ma, which the docs say collects as much info as is available in a process dump.  I can also use other tools to collect a process dump for you.

Code: [Select]

SlickEdit Version 15.0.1.3

Serial number: WL460868
Licensed number of users: Single user
License file: C:\ProgramData\slickedit\15\slickedit.lic

Build Date: August 04, 2010
Emulation: CUA

OS: Windows 7 x64
OS Version: 6.01.7600 
Memory: 44% Load, 0MB/4194MB Physical, 123MB/2097MB Virtual
Shell Info: C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /q
Screen Size: 1680 x 1050

Project Type: No project open
Language: No file open

Installation Directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\SlickEditV15.0.1\ (non-removable drive,NTFS,10568MB free)
Configuration Directory: D:\Temp\vsConfig\15.0.1\ (non-removable drive,NTFS,43100MB free)

Hotfixes:
D:\Temp\vsConfig\15.0.1\hotfixes\hotfix_loader_se15013_3.zip (Revision: 3)
D:\Temp\vsConfig\15.0.1\hotfixes\hotfix_se1501_18_cumulative.zip (Revision: 18)


[Ryan]

I don't know if the profiler is going to really work in this case because Phil is saying the application is unresponsive (or crashed).  Going to the command line and saving the profile data probably not going to work.

You can try the macro break command, in case it is hung in a Slick-C loop...with Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F2.  Assuming that doesn't work, can you create a dump file of the crash?  Lee posted some good links about doing this here: http://community.slickedit.com/index.php?topic=5946.msg24638#msg24638 .

- Ryan

[Ryan]

Beat me to it by 24 seconds...

[Phil Barila]

Two things: 
First, that link leads me to a page that says: The topic or board you are looking for appears to be either missing or off limits to you.
Second, I opened a support case through the Help -> "Contact Product Support" menu item.  It opened Internet Explorer instead of my default browser (Firefox 3.6).  Kind of annoying, but not a showstopper.

The support case number is: CAS-54490-MS17
Thanks

[Ryan]

Oh that forum must be archived and restricted access now, because it is old.  Here is the post:

For creating dump-files:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931673 for Windows 7 & Vista users
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/241215 for Windows XP, Server 2003, 2000

- Ryan

[Phil Barila]

Thanks.  Even those links are a bit stale, the latest "Debugging Tools for Windows" packages use adplus.exe, a complete rewrite in managed code (so it is claimed, anyway).
What now?

[Ryan]

You have dump files?  Can you send them to support via your support case?

[Phil Barila]

Yes, but they are way too big to e-mail.  As soon as someone provides me with an alternative means of sending you dump files, I'll give you what I have, and collect whatever you like.

[Phil Barila]

Ashley gave me FTP access, I sent 3 dumps, taken with 3 different tools (Windbg .dump, ADPlus, and the Dump item on the Task Manager context menu), and 4 days later, crickets.   

This is basically a showstopper for me at the moment, as the only workaround I've found means that there are basically no workspace tags ...  In case it's interesting, if I delete the .vpwhist and .vtg files, opening the .sln results in one crash that produces an empty tag file.  Since there is a workspace tag file newer than the .sln, it doesn't try to retag.  At all.  Ever, that I've observed, until the .sln or one of the referenced .vcproj, .vbproj, or .csproj files changes.
I'd be willing to try an alpha of v.16, I'm that desperate.  I don't say that lightly.

[Phil Barila]

Sheesh.  Right as posted the previous lament, I got a note from Ashley telling me how to get the fix to test.   

[Phil Barila]

  Very happy camper here!  Thanks!

[SlickEdit Support]

glad to hear that the fix worked for you!  Be sure the give Ryan a thumbs up!

[Ryan]

Thanks for the dump files...those helped immensely.

- Ryan