Re: Hints on causes of crashes?

From: Jo Even Skarstein <jo-even.skarstein_at_stryn.online.no>
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 13:40:09 +0100 (CET)

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> Well as far as I can tell the blitter is off.
> It is off in XBOOT.
> NVDI .CPX seems to have no control for it.

What about SI.CPX?

> Gembench reports 47% as blitter speed relative to a Falcon (and there is no
> problem carrying out the test).
> [No doubt dependent on Nova screen resolution and depth]

As long as you're using the Nova you don't have to worry about the blitter at all, as Nova-VDI never touch it. If the crashes occur in normal GEM-apps under Nova-VDI it's almost certainly not the blitter that's the problem.

> The hang symptoms and mouse jumping did sound to me as if they could be the
> blitter. With AB040 and Nemesis fitting, would the

Have you enabled copyback-mode? Is the Nova-interface set to "serialized" (in TK-Config)? Do you use the "superstack in fastRAM" (or whatever it's called) under MiNT or MagiC? Have you upgraded HD-Driver lately? Do you run MiNT with memory-protection?

blitter have been definitely
> physically disabled or is there a risk it is sitting

The blitter can't be physically disabled...

there and interfering with
> blitting by 'waking-up' every now and then?

...but as long you're using the Nova this is nothing to worry about. Only the built-in VDI or NVDI's Videl-drivers will use the blitter.

> > >Leaving the mouse in 1 place is ok but if I keep moving it slightly (say in
> > >small circles) then every now and then the cursor jumps randomly about 1cm.

This sounds like a hardware-problem to me, but it's possible that there's something wrong with the VDI. Have you tried disabling Nova-VDI and just run NVDI (blitter disabled!) on the Videl?

> > >I think I used to get this when the AB040 was first fitted but not much
> > >since.

Hmmm, it definitely sounds hardware-related, possibly a damaged oscillator or something. Do you have a Nemesis installed?

> > >When I drag windows around the screen by the menu bar sooner or later they
> > >start to leave window frame 'droppings' and all window updates cease.

If this happens on the Nova you probably haven't set the Nova-interface to "serialized" in the toolkit-driver.

> > >When I launch applications (e.g. Imagecopy) I fairly often get a bus error.

Copyback-cache enabled??

I wish I had my Falcon here so I could double-check my own setup...

Jo Even Skarstein
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Received on to. april 13 2000 - 15:26:29 CEST