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I know I've posted this before, but I've sent so many e-mails to the tech support people that I've lost count and still no answer.

(Speaking of which, I started a thread asking who had gotten help from the tech support people and now it's gone....deleted?)

I'm having some SERIOUS problems with DBPro.

I've got two computers:

1)Athlon XP 1800+
256 Meg of Ram
Radeon 7000 Graphics Card
Win XP Home
DX 9

2)Pentium III 800 Mhz
128 Meg of Ram
Intel(r) 82810E Graphics Controller
Win ME
DX 8

On both computers, I'm having these problems:

1)After installing (or reinstalling after reinstalling Windows) DBPro, everything works fine. The editor loads up, projects load up, things run okay.
The second time I try to open DBPro using the CD, Shortcut, or the Program Files/Dark Basic Software/Dark Basic Professional/Launch.exe, Editor.exe, ...etc., I get the splash screen, and then the program cuts right there. The program isn't in the CTL + ALT + DEL Applications or processes sections.

2)After this has happened, the only way to open the editor is to double-click on a .dba or .dbpro file. This loads up a blank editor screen. I then have to use the open dialog to open the project that I just double-clicked on.

3)Several times later, DBPro stops working altogether and every time I try to open DBPro in any way I get the error message that:
"DBPro has caused an error and needs to close." on the Win XP computer and
"Dark Basic Professional has caused an error in DBPro.exe and must close." on the Win ME Computer.

4)When DBPro stops working, everything graphical stops working on the computers. I can't load up Jedi Knight 2, Heavy Gear II, Homeworld...etc. If it uses 3D or 2D graphics, it won't load up (with the exception of Windows Paint). Even scrolling around the visuals in Windows Media Player causes the program to crash.

5)Whatever it's doing, it's affecting my Video Cards. The drivers keep getting corrupted or made unusable for some reason, and the problem isn't fixed by reinstalling them and DBPro. I have to completely re-install Windows, my Video Drivers, and DBPro to run DBPro through this whole loop again.

6)After reinstalling Windows and the Drivers, I
And note this: NONE of these problems occurred before I installed DBPro. None. Everything ran absolutely fine.
Now it's permanently damaged something.....because:

After uninstalling DBPro, reinstalling Windows, my Video Card Drivers, and the Video Game itself (without installing or opening DBPro or DBC), I can play for a while unless these things happen:

1)I reset the computer
2)I change screen names
3)I leave the computer alone for more than 2 hours (a generalization. Just leave it alone for too long, and everything stops again) after reinstalling. I have to play within those two hours or it stops working again. Joy!


I believe we ordered the Dark Basic Classic Version, Dark Matter, and the Dark Archive CD in one bundle, and then ordered the Dark Basic Professional Upgrade....could this be the problem? I've been installing Dark Basic Classic before the Professional Version, so that hasn't caused any problems.

Could it just be a faulty CD? I've cleaned the DBC and DBPro CD multiple times and then reinstalled everything. It didn't work.

Or is there some system conflict I don't know about? I'm in the U.S., co chipsets might be different, but since DBP's sold here, I don't see how that works.

I've checked my harddrive numerous times for errors. None. I've defragmented the harddrive. Still nothing.

Could it be something with the BIOS chip? If so, how do I change the settings, and to what should I make sure they're set?

After 4 months now, I've gotten FED UP with DBPro. No one know's what's going on, I haven't gotten ANY help from the tech support people.....this has been a major disappointment and a waste of my time! I'd still love to use this product, and I've been programming for about 3 years so I know what I'm doing.....but it's done something to my computers to render it useless. -Sighs-

Rich, would you please have Mike and Lee take a look at this if it could help in ANY way? If not, could you at least tell me so please? I just need SOME feedback from SOMEWHERE.

A lot of thanks in advance if you can help me, guys.

Whats the gfx card in the other machine?

This is happening on two machines with different hardware and although your problem seems to point to graphics drivers the fact that the machines appear to be so different I do not suspect a hardware issue.

Instead we must look at what is the same on both of these machines. You might think DBPro, but I wonder if that is merely a co-incidence.

Have you kept DBPro off your system after a fresh install and after a similar period of time then run into problems too - I am thinking this is likely not to have been tested.

So other similarities between the machines:

They both run Windows set up by the same person, but that should not be the cause of this sort of problem.

On the surface of the details you've provided there are no other similarities that come to the fore.

So what common-denominators do we have that may not be apparant? We know the problem is software, because the machines are so different and exhibit the same fault - so a software fault that is not immediately obvious?... Have you run an up-to-date virus checker?

Although I rarely point the finger at virus for technical problems, the symptons you describe here - on the surface at least - do seem to point in that direction.

EDIT:
Failing that check for other programs which exist on both of the computers, there may be an incompatability. Also due to the nature of your problem's manifestation check your graphics card driver is the latest and reinstall directX 8.1 rather than 9 (even if just to test)

just get a new computer

PS: Your post is still here, it's just further down the list: http://www.darkbasicpro.com/apollo/view.php?t=8360&b=1

LOL. Thanx.

" "DBPro has caused an error and needs to close." on the Win XP computer"

I get the same bloody problem on windows xp and 98. I've sent loads of e-mails to rich and he is now sendin me a replacement cd to see if that works.

It's good to see it's not just me that's goin crackers!

Rich told me to do this: (Though It didn't work)

Delete the Dark Basic Software file from the program files.
Then delete all the files from the temp folder usually located at
C:\Documents and settings\"username"\Local settings\Temp.
(I think thats right)

then repair the installation and see if that works.

Try this, even though it probably won't help.

Oh, and instead of running launch.exe, run editor.exe that is located at (normally) C:\Program Files\Dark Basic Software\Dark Basic Professional\Editor\editor.exe.

Well Shady, I don't know WHY it works, I don't know WHY I didn't think of it earlier, but doing the repair after wiping the temp files worked!!!!!!!! YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Jumps for joy and hits head on the low ceiling*
*Passes out*
*Waits 3 seconds*
*Comes back*

What the heck was IN that temp file? Becuase now I can run all of my games again. This is really odd...........

Thanx guys!

P.S. Rich, why did that work?

*Realized the cruel reality that after he finally got the program working, it's too late to enter the Retro Gaming Competition*

Oh well, better than nothing, right?

Aw crud...It looks like I spoke too soon. After coming back today everything was fried again...and the temp files (which I had deleted after deleting the previous installation, wiping out the temp files, and reinstalling) were back this morning. What the heck?

So I'm back to square one. I can keep doing the above process posted by Shady Simpson, but now all my other games are damaged. And I got wierd temp files. (An entire folder filled with temp files that had odd types like .§+p, .£¦?, .qA? and other really wacky unrecognizable characters)


-Sigh-

So Mike, Lee, Rich, ANYONE....you have an answer for this? Or should I just contact Rich about a replacement CD?

Shady Simpson, let me know if the replacement CD helped you out. This is really frustrating.

You've either got a virus, bad clusters or your HD is about to go...
If I were you, I would do an immediate full virus scan, full scandisk and then defrag. And make sure you've got a firewall too...