Hi all !

@irelam

I have followed your suggestion and the test was ok. As for the backup procedure, I am using "unison" to perform the task. Too bad there is not such functionality already built into the program, but maybe there will be one day, who knows.

Cheers !

Hi all !

A few days ago and because of the high temperatures, my computer crashed so Pegasus was not closed properly. I rebooted the computer after it had cooled down and as usual I lauched Pegasus, but then it crashed with a "memory cannot be read" type of message. Because I used the Xclose extension, Pegasus was being minimized in the tray immediately after being started and then systematically crashed with the mentioned error message.

I tried several "fixes" : (1) I removed all the *.CNM files, but it changed nothing ; (2) I used a backup copy of the HIERARCH file, but no change ; (3) I deleted the HIERARCH file so that Pegasus will build a new one, but no change.

Then, I uninstalled the Xclose extension. Because of that, Pegasus did not minimized in the tray anymore, so I was being able to access it. I thought it was the end of it, but I was mistaken. Then the strangest thing happened. I could use Pegasus normally and do everything, but the second I clicked with the mouse "outside Pegasus" (for instance the windows startup button) or try to reduce it in the tray bar (near the clock), it simply crashed with the previously mentioned error message. What is even stranger is that if I do not click "outside" or do not tray to reduce its window, but simply close it with the X button or using the menu, then it closes without generating any errors (because there is no lock on the next launch) but still "crashes" because the previous error message appears. Apparently the problem is lying the winpm-32.exe according to the error message.

I then installed the Minidump extension and when I click on "PMDebug.exe", Pegasus seems to freeze that is the launching procedure does not end, the CPU usage is at 100% and after a few minutes, the computer crashes. So it seems, I cannot even get a crash dump.

Everything was working fine till then and I really do not understand what is causing this crashing behavior. I guess any help will be gladly welcomed.

Cheers !

[quote user="whiskyfizz"]I then installed the Minidump extension and when I click on "PMDebug.exe", Pegasus seems to freeze that is the launching procedure does not end, the CPU usage is at 100% and after a few minutes, the computer crashes. So it seems, I cannot even get a crash dump.[/quote]

It doesn't help with your version of PM anyway. IOW: Do a fresh install with the latest version of Pegasus Mail and do the migration like described in many threads all over this forum.

I think is is important to rule out any physical damage that might have occurred to the motherboard or memory.  You may have already done this but if not, run a ram testing utility to check the memory.  Be sure to check all portions of the memory (I remember memtest86 having an ALL option).  Run it through numerous passes.

Also check the Event Viewer to see if anything is logged at the time of the failures that provides any clues.

@idw

The problem is that I cannot upgrade my install because my operating system is Windows 2000 Professional. Also, changing the operating system would imply changing some physical parts of the whole computer which was built 15 years ago. I agree with you, it is extremely old. I really would like to use your extension to generalte a crash dump, so maybe you can tell which "legacy" version I could use.

[quote user="whiskyfizz"]The problem is that I cannot upgrade my install because my operating system is Windows 2000 Professional.[/quote]

I don't remember why it shouldn't work on W2K, did you try in the past?

[quote user="whiskyfizz"]I really would like to use your extension to generalte a crash dump, so maybe you can tell which "legacy" version I could use.[/quote]

It's not a legacy issue, but for extracting useful information from the dumps I need proper debug information files which simply don't exist since David Harris didn't create any for versions preceding 4.6 when I created the MiniDump tool (there might have been debug information files for v4.5 but then I don't have these ones anymore either).

@Brian Fluet

There's no physical damages because all my other (jurassic) programs have no problems so far and the computer  working fine. Following the suggestion of idw, I think the best course of action is to backup some important files (filters, identities, etc.), perform a clean install and copy them back in. Thanks to Hans and his listing, I isolated the files for my filters, but I still have to do the same for all the identity settings. In the Pmail.ini file, there are some sections dealing with the identities, but there is a particular point with which I am struggling : the passwords. Apparently, there are seeds used, but this implies some other which are yet to be identified.

It would still be a better solution to fix my problem though, so maybe making a clean install in another folder and copying the winpm-32.exe could be the solution ? What do you think ?

edit 01 : I checked the event viewer as you suggested and here is what's written there : "Application popup : winpm-32.exe - Application error". Does that make some sense to someone ?

@idw

Thanks for your reply. For W2K, I always thought version 4.41 was the last one supporting this operating system. Maybe I was wrong, so I think I better check it out. For your extension, too bad version 4.41 is too old. It has been running for almost 7 years without any major problems, the biggest one so far being the corruption of the HIERARCH file. However, it is really no big deal at all because I regularly make a backup of it. Really this strange crashing behavior has now become the biggest problem.

I hope with the help of the community that I will be able to solve this crashing mystery.

You would actually need to do a clean install, configure it including users and identities exactly as on the previous install, and then copy mail data, address books, dlists, filters, etc. from the old mailbox directories to the new ones.  A review of this whitepaper may help.

http://community.pmail.com/files/folders/whitepapers/entry41852.aspx

You definitely can not use any of the existing configuration files in the new installation.  I have found that a copy of the old pmail.ini files make a handy reference when configuring a new install.  This isn't as overwhelming as it sounds unless you have a lot of identities.

v4.41 is pretty old so expect some rocky moments.  Work slowly, test often, backup often.

IDW, do you know whether the -roam switch worked in v4.41?  I am wondering whether copying the current install to a usb device and then testing both on the current machine and on a different machine might be possible and/or worthwhile.

@Brian Fluet

Thanks for your reply. The problem is that I do not remember all the passwords for my various identities (more than 10) which were created more than 10 years ago. At that time, I was not as organized as today and fashion was to have lots of email addresses. Therefore, couldn't I use an old pmail.ini file, do some testing and then copy back all the relevant files from my current install ?

As for the -roam option, I tried it on a usb stick and it didn't work for me, but that doesn't mean it won't with you. You'll have to write a small script to take into account the change of drive letters for your usb stick.

Files with the extension PND contain your server settings and can be transferred to the new instal.

They can be viewed with Notepad or similar.

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you associate identities with passwords.  The only passwords I am aware of are associated with the POP3 and SMTP host configurations.  In recent versions, those configurations are stored in .PND files.  I don't know if v4.41 used .PND files but it is worth looking into.   Still, I don't know whether those .PND files would be compatible with the current version.  That would have to be tested.

Keep in mind that if you ever get it working you can turn on session logging and recover the authentication credentials from the log files.  They are Base64 encoded which is easy enough to decode.

As for the pmail.ini file, the only condition under which it might be used is if the new install of both the programs and the mailboxes are to the exact same paths as the install from which the pmail.ini is taken.  Even then, with such a version difference I don't think it is worth the risk to try using an old one.  My concern is that invalid entries in pmail.ini could cause other problems which would then be difficult to troubleshoot.

In a previous post you mentioned winpm-32.exe.  I didn't understand your train of thought but am wondering if you were thinking about restoring the original file.  I think that would be harmless but would make a backup first, just in case.

A couple of other things to try...

Rename FOLSTATE.PM and STATE.PMJ and let them be rebuilt. 

In the OS GUI (with Pegasus Mail running) cascade windows to make them all visible in case you have one opening off screen.

[quote user="Brian Fluet"]

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you associate identities with passwords.  The only passwords I am aware of are associated with the POP3 and SMTP host configurations.  In recent versions, those configurations are stored in .PND files.  I don't know if v4.41 used .PND files but it is worth looking into.   Still, I don't know whether those .PND files would be compatible with the current version.  That would have to be tested.

[/quote]

V4.2+ according to Han's page and i am not aware of any reason why they would not work.

[quote user="Brian Fluet"]IDW, do you know whether the -roam switch worked in v4.41?[/quote]

I don't know, maybe it's somewhere in the online help or manual.

The v4.41 manual available on this site includes mention of the -roam switch so I assume it does.

[quote user="whiskyfizz"]

Hi all !

A few days ago and because of the high temperatures, my computer crashed so Pegasus was not closed properly. I rebooted the computer after it had cooled down and as usual I lauched Pegasus, but then it crashed with a "memory cannot be read" type of message. Because I used the Xclose extension, Pegasus was being minimized in the tray immediately after being started and then systematically crashed with the mentioned error message.

[/quote]

Performing a "System Restore" would seem to be the logical way to go if that option is available to you.

Hi all !

@Brian Fluet

For the passwords, I checked and there are .PND files. The problem or the thing I do not understand is that when you read this .PND file, the password is somewhat "encrypted" which is fine and there is a "seed" used, but where is the decoding key ? Indeed, if I do a clean install and copy my old files, I need to put back there the file containing this decoding key. I do not know if I am clear enough, but I hope I am.

Also, I will try with the pmail.ini file and let you know guys what happened. I tried the FOLSTATE.PM and STATE.PMJ methods, but it didn't work.

@caisson

To the best of my knowledge, there is not a system restore option on windows 2K.

@all

As usual, when I launch pegasus, it is okay, but the second I click "outside of the program", it crashes. If I close it, then it crashes after closing. I noticed however that there was an error message at launch. Here it is : "Spamhalter Error : Could not retrieve data "SELECT count(*) FROM words;" : SQL logic error or missing database.". I thought maybe this way the source of the weird crashing. I have to say though that I do not understand what this message means. What do you think and how can this error be fixed ?

Thanks for your answers. Cheers !

> For the passwords, I checked and there are .PND files. The problem or the
> thing I do not understand is that when you read this .PND file, the
> password is somewhat "encrypted" which is fine and there is a "seed" used,
> but where is the decoding key ? Indeed, if I do a clean install and copy
> my old files, I need to put back there the file containing this decoding
> key. I do not know if I am clear enough, but I hope I am.

I do not know of a way to decode the entries in the .PND files.  The only way I know of is to turn on internet session logging then send a message.  The resulting log file contains the credentials that can be decoded.  It is the content below the entry containing "AUTH LOGIN".  Read the help file for more info on internet session logging.  Note: The help file has not been updated to indicate that in v4.70 the log files are now written to a subdirectory named TCPLogs located in you home mailbox directory.

Sorry that I can not help with the Spamhalter error.

[quote user="whiskyfizz"]

Hi all !

To the best of my knowledge, there is not a system restore option on windows 2K.

 [/quote]

? Directory Services Restore.

You don't have to know what the passwords are to reset the definitions, they are set in the PND files and will be carried over with them.

Hi all !

I solved my problem, but I do not understand why what I did worked ! I simply renamed the file "words4.db3" into "words4.db3.bak01". Then I launched Pegasus and it all worked fine. The file has been recreated. I suppose I have lost all the training of my spamhalter filter. The new file is only 40 Ko whereas the ancient one was 70 Mo.

Does someone understand what the problem was and why the solution was in removing or renaming "words4.db3" ? Also, the error message that I mentioned in an earlier post of this thread is not mentioned anymore in the system messages window. Is there a way for me to "save" my training spamhalter file (it's almost 6 years of training) ?

Thanks in advance !

Cheers !