Hi, ok, we all hate this stupid URGEND stuff, but this time it''s really a bit more serious than out normal can''t solve coding problem xyz, honestly ;-) My VC++ goes mad. Sometimes (about every 5th time) I hit CTRL+S or save my file in another way, I got a message that my source "is opened by another program". You all know this message, you can''t edit a document with two programs at the same time. And after this message, VC++ deletes my source file !?!?! As you can imagine, this makes VC++ completely unusable. I''m using VC++ 6.0 on Win2K with SP1 installed. I tried plain VC++ and VC++ with the most recent service pack. I phoned my employer, we both had several years of experience using VC++. We both never saw this error before, and I don''t have the slightest idea how to fix it. Installing, repairing and updating the software was useless. Since I can''t get any work doen for my employer, my website and my other private stuff, this issue is *very* serious for me. Please share your ideas, maybe you already had this bug. It''s very importan for me ! Thanx

Weird, my school has VC++ 6 and Win2k also, and I''ve never run into this problem. Maybe a file is corrupted somewhere; see if re-installing VC++ helps. Is there another program that has access to your file? A versioning or collaboration system, or something like that? Maybe a Win2k file is corrupted, have you tried fixing or re-installing that? Other than that, I have no idea what your problem could be.


"Whoever performs only his duty is not doing his duty." --Bahya ibn Pakuda

Sorrym but I already said that I repair-installed the software and tried different service pack version. I am 100% sure that VC++ is the only program that accesses the files, and even if not so - thats no reason to delete them !? I can''t do anything before VC++ starts working, I just hate it to depend on those piece of shit from M$$$ ;-)

Any ideas, I really need help

Perhaps you should check what other programs you have up and running. Or perhaps some of the settings were changed (either by you or some program that was run) for the VC or maybe even the OS. Another possbility is a shared filed could have been changed.
Have you tried saving using the option under the menu bar and not the keyboard shortcut (Doubt it would matter much anyways since my guess is that something from the OS is interfering with VC6).

You should consider that it''s human error before you go blaming the software since you are the ONLY person who seems have run across this problem. No one else running VC6 seems to be having this problem. I agree that MS doesn''t always come out with the most stable software, but blaming the software or hardware should usually be the last thing you do, especially since you have no clue what''s wrong.

Does it happen only to VC? What you installed lately? Are you behind the firewall? Are the directory with the files is openly shared?

Ok, try this:

a) Get latest update for your antivirus and check your drive.
b) Uninstall VC. Reinstall OS. Install VC.
c) Consider formating disk and installing everything again. Do nor forget to backup

Fariz
WarriorMage.com

wow, I keep hearing all this bad stuff about VC++ 6, how its compiler sucks wind on certain statements, it has compatability issues, interface problems.... makes me glad I''m still using v4. Hellll yeah....

P.S - Sorry I can''t help you with your problem - sounds like a doozy

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"Need more eeenput..."

- #5, "Short Circuit"
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"Perhaps you should check what other programs you have up and running."

Yeah, I did this. There''s just nothing. No other tool fails, just VC++.

"Or perhaps some of the settings were changed (either by you or some program that was run) for the VC or maybe even the OS. "

I reinstalled VC++ and used all SP versions I have. I guess the bug simply occurs even in the basic installation...

"Another possbility is a shared filed could have been changed.
Have you tried saving using the option under the menu bar and not the keyboard shortcut (Doubt it would matter much anyways since my guess is that something from the OS is interfering with VC6)."

The VC++ setupt should reinstall all the common files. I hope a t least that it does ;-)

"You should consider that it''s human error before you go blaming the software since you are the ONLY person who seems have run across this problem. No one else running VC6 seems to be having this problem. I agree that MS doesn''t always come out with the most stable software, but blaming the software or hardware should usually be the last thing you do, especially since you have no clue what''s wrong. "

LOL ;-) I guess we can savely assume that this is just another stupid VC++ bug. I mean this program has LOTS of bugs. On various system asn Windows version I always encountered tons of bugs. Since the whole system is so damn unstable, it should be no suprise that new bugs appear every day...

"Does it happen only to VC?"

Yep, only the single most important program on the planet doesn''t work. The other stuff runs suprisingly perfect...

"What you installed lately?"

Nothing, it''s a fresh system. I guess VC++ is the latest software I installed.

"Are you behind the firewall? Are the directory with the files is openly shared?"

Forget about the network problematic, problem isn''t affected by beeing connected to a network or the internet.

"Get latest update for your antivirus and check your drive"

Don''t have a virus.

"Uninstall VC. Reinstall OS. Install VC."

When I would reinstall my OS everytime I encounter a problem with some development tool, I would be reinstalling 24h a day. I mean the problem will probably appear again, I would rather like to see a solution, not a workaround...

"Consider formating disk and installing everything again. Do nor forget to backup"

Same reasons as above...

Thanx for your suggestions, but I already done this standard stuff. I can''t do anything general... I would like to hear from someone who really knows this problem

hey tcs, I don''t know this problem or have a solution. But I have a few questions. Does this happen with any filename, or is it the same file/files that have the problem? Where are the files its deleting located? Does the same thing happen if you build and have automatic saving?
Also this is stupid but are you absolutely sure it is deleting the files? Also were these files you just created or files you opened and were sure were there before?
Eh this could be a win2k thing too (never used it). You said you reinstalled VC++ over the old install. possibly you should try deleting vc++ completely and then installing it.

You''re the only one that "knows" this problem. Others are making suggestions based on the sparse information you have provided. I personally have installed and used VC++ 6.0 on at least ten different PCs. Many of these PCs were used for development of multi-million dollar commercial products containing large projects and millions of lines of code. I have never seen this problem on either my or my co-developer''s PCs.

Although the suggestions from others seem irritating because you feel you have addressed them. You really need to take a step back from the problem and re-examine everything from a different perspective. Make no assumptions, take nothing for granted. This is how you will solve it, even if it turns out to be outside the current suggestions. Let this be a lesson in problem solving. If you plan on (or are currently) producing computer software products for a living (or on a regular basis), you will be in this scenario many times. My experience is that stamina and elbow grease will eventually either solve or better define your problems (making them solvable).

Don''t get into a habit of blaming the tools. It''s a cop-out. Beat the crap out of the problem until it gives up. I remember when I started programming on an IBM 1130 computer in assembly language (~1972) I was convinced the instruction set of the computer was not working because my program did not work. As it turns out, the 1130 was a fine machine for its time.

One suggestion I have not seen yet:
- make sure none of your source files is corrupt
- save off all your source files (not MS project files)
- delete and re-create your project (delete the directories)
- try rebuilding from your saved source

Good luck,

TheViper

Sometimes the files MSVC uses seem to get corrupted. In your project''s main directory, delete everything except:
.c/.cpp files
.h files
.rc file(s)
.dsp file
Res directory

Usually, if I get funky problems like this, I can delete all the build directories (Debug, Release, etc.), and the project''s .dsw, .aps, .ncp, .opt, .plg files, and things will be back to normal. Admittedly, I haven''t had those kinds of problems since I''ve upgrade from 5.0 to 6.0.

If that doesn''t work, I assume there''s either some rogue macro or some library that''s been completely garbled. Try this sequence:
- uninstall visual studio completely
- delete all the directories it used to make sure nothing hung around (maybe a weird macro''s calling this?)
- make sure nothing''s running in the task list (ctrl-alt-del) except for explorer and systray before installing
- reinstall, immediately upgrade to SP4

And I hate to say it, but run a scandisk (full physical) and a virus scan. What you''re seeing is not a typical MSVC problem. I''ve use MSVC 6.0 for quite some time, and on at least 20 different machines between home and work--I''ve never seen this kind of a problem.