The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[caromar]

After 10 minutes or so of attempting to solve a puzzle, the puzzle disappears. I have tried de-installing and re-installing but still have the same problem. What should I do?

[Pappocom]

Obviously this is not normal! otherwise the program would have a bad reputation by now.

What is it that disappears? The whole program? The whole puzzle but not the window? Just the numbers in the grid?

Does it happen with every puzzle, or just sometimes?

Is the puzzle replaced with a new puzzle (or something else) or does the window stay blank?

Is it always exactly the same time after starting (that the puzzle disappears), or does the time vary. If it varies, over what range of times?

What happens if you switch to, say, Letters - does the puzzle reappear? What happens if you re-size the window: does the puzzle reappear?

You could have a video problem. You could try downloading and installing the latest video card driver for your make and model of video card.

You could have a heating problem. Does your computer have adequate ventilation, and (especially if you have Sudoku installed on a laptop) does your computer have an adequate fan?

Is your computer free of viruses, spyware and other malware? Such programs can have side-effects in surprising ways.

If you can answer some of the questions (above), I might have some other ideas.

- Wayne

[caromar]

The whole program disappears after about 10 minutes of working a puzzle. If you try to run anything else after that, a message says there is no memory left, then everything hangs and I have to shut down. If I leave an unworked puzzle on the screen, it does not disappear. This did not happen when I was using the trial program for 21 days - only after I paid and put in the key. I run Norton Internet Security 2004.

[Pappocom]

Buying the program does not change the program. Buying just lets the program run for more than 28 days. It's much the same as a key to a (real) door (in your house, say). When you open the door with a key, the door does not change. The door's relationship with its door-way changes, but the door itself is exactly the same door. It's the same with the Sudoku program - the program does not change.

So I don't think there's anything in the idea that buying the program has caused the problem. And the program was working before.

It sounds to me as if you have been struck by some virus that is deliberately consuming system resources, to the point that you are so low on resources that the computer cannot continue.

If not a virus, perhaps there is something else that happened on your computer, coincidentally, at about the time you paid for Sudoku? Did you install any other program at about that time? Did you install any new hardware? Did you receive any emails with attachments? Did you visit any new websites?

If it were the Sudoku program that was consuming memory, then this would happen to everybody's installation - and clearly, it doesn't. In fact, I don't recall hearing of a problem like this from anyone else.

Can you tell me something about your system. What memory do you have? What chip? Which version of Windows are you running?

If anybody else has any theories on this, please pitch in.

- Wayne

[Pappocom]

Here's an idea you could try.

Some people have a problem in that the download of the SudokuSetup file (from www.sudoku.com/download.htm) is not complete. Perhaps there was a transmission glitch, or perhaps the ISP (Internet Service Provider) caps the size of files you can download, or perhaps the file got corrupted somehow. Anyway, could you check the length of your SudokuSetup file? It should be somewhere in the range 1.96 MB to 2.04 MB (the exact size depends on the date on which you originally downloaded it).

Normally, an under-sized download would prevent the installation from proceeding, but maybe in your case it passed by, somehow.

You could try downloading the SudokuSetup file again, but before doing so, you need to wipe your computer clean of most traces of past downloads - so that the re-install will be from the new download, and not bits of the old one.

Please look for this directory on your computer:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\MimarSinan\Installation Information\{FB5055E4-9BE1-425F-B40A-33E43E9460DA

Please delete the entire "{FB5055E4-9BE1-425F-B40A-33E43E9460DA}" directory and all of its contents. You will then have a clean slate. Then you can try downloading the SudokuSetup file again.

Note that this process does not change the start date of the 28-day free trial. The 28 days is always measured from the date of first installation.

Please let me know how you get on.

[caromar]

Well, here I am again. I wiped off the previous sudoku program in the Add/Remove programs. I ran the routine maintenance program to tidy everything up, also Spybot Search and Destroy. Then I switched off and waited an hour. Then I switched on and downloaded Sudoku again. The Install wizard said it was successful and setup.exe was 2099.kb. I successfully completed a very easy puzzle and it did not disappear. I thought everything was OK. Switched off the computer and went to bed.
Next day I switched on again and tried a harder puzzle. 10 minutes into it, it disappeared. I went into Installaware and it said "runtime error in install. invalid stream format". I went back into Sudoku and it hung. I tried a photo program and that hung. I tried to shut down and could not. After ctr, alt, del, the screen finally showed a badge which said "runtime error 216 at 00002B34" and the screen froze. I switched off and waited a while. Then switched on and wrote this.
My system is Windows Millenium, Intel P4 1, 4GHZ with 2 x 128 MB RDRam PC800. I checked the memory space and it said Required disk space 1138 KB, Disk Space Remaining 22,713 MB.
I am not aware that I have a virus. I have Norton on a live update basis. I have not installed any other programs recently or downloaded anything except Sudoku, nor have I installed any new hardware.
So what do you think is the problem?

[Pappocom]

So what do I think is the problem? ... I wish I knew.

I went into Installaware and it said "runtime error in install. invalid stream format".

I'm interested in this comment. How did you do that? If the program has been installed, InstallAware is out of the picture. Are you saying that the InstallAware error message came up after the 10-minute old Hard puzzle disappeared? or did that message come up when you were installing Sudoku on your computer?

If you can clarify that point for me, I'll write to MimarSinan (makers of InstallAware) and see if they can shed any light on this.

Thank you for giving my program a thorough work-out, and at least giving it the chance to behave. I'm sorry it hasn't performed well enough, however.

- Wayne.

[caromar]

Yes, the Installaware message came after the puzzle disappeared. I went into Programs, Pappacom, Sudoku, Uninstal Sudoku. I can't remember whether I chose repair or uninstal. But after reading your message I did the same again and chose Maintenance Mode. It said that everything was OK so I tried another puzzle. Medium star. Which I am glad to say that I completed after 35 minutes and entered the Hall of Fame. The puzzle did not disappear as usual after 10 minutes.
Do you think I am cured?

[Pappocom]

I don't know if you are cured, since I don't know what caused the illness ... but let's hope so!

- Wayne

[flyingfysh]

I had the same thing happen to me. It is very frustrating to spend 5 minutes on a puzzle, simply to have it vanish. It makes me not very inclined to buy the program.

I would suggest some elementary programming precautions, such as: double-check your internal buffer sizes. A puzzle should be able to tolerate every blank square containing 9 pencil marks. A buffer overflow that wipes out stack variables can cause this. Also, use the elementary C++ technique of try/catch blocks, so you are able to at least report a crash. Also, consider the technique of allowing programs to report their own crashes (see the book "Joel on Software" by Joel Spolsky for an explanation).

[Pappocom]

Thanks for being elementary, flyingfysh.

There have been over 200,000 downloads of the Sudoku program and who knows how many millions of puzzles created and played on the program. The actual code has had a good workout.

Your report of a vanishing puzzle brings to 3 the total number of such reports. I think the problem is more likely to be -
(a) a virus or other malware;
(b) a video card issue; or
(c) a heat problem.

But I don't know for sure, so I would be pleased for any input to help resolve this issue.

- Wayne

[angusj]

Thanks for being elementary, flyingfysh.

LOL. I shudder when I remember the "advice" I gave to people when I was younger. My only fear is I still underestimate how little I really know.