MS VC++ 2003 debugger keeps on crashing

[lmc]

Is the integration of IVF into the Visual C++ 2003 very stable ?

I am having the debugger crash just about every 2nd time that I use it without recompiling my c or f77 code which forces a relink. This causes the whole MSDEV environment to crash and I lose all my latest breakpoints, etc...

I am using IVF version 8.1.2279.2003. I am using Visual C++ 69462-335-0000007-18853.

Thanks,
Lynn

[Steven_L_Intel1]

I'm sorry to hear that - it is not at all typical. I'd wonder if you have a corrupted DLL or something else on your system that causes this. As an experiment, boot into "safe mode" and see if the problem is reproducible. If it is, please contact us at Premier Support and we'll try to help.

[Intel_C_Intel]

It's happened often for me over all releases of 8.1; sometimes when just starting debug, but usually just restarted itself after losing the session. I just kept restarting; it wasn't often enough to hold me up too much. SInce it's not reproducible, I never submitted a problem report, but did send in responses to MS after crashes. My feeling is that MS would just say it's my code...(of course they never responded) but like I said, it happened sometimes at starting debug before any executable statement. I always thought the debugger should be pretty bulletproof, but it doesn't seem to be.

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Is this a new behavior in 8.1? You didn't see it with 8.0?

[lmc]

It is a repeatable behavior for me. The first time I debug my app after linking, all is OK. The 2nd time I debug my app after linking , down we go ! If I relink, all is OK for one debug run. Kinda painfull !

Thanks,
Lynn

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Lynn,

If possible, please report this to Premier Support and attach a ZIP archive of your project with the executable built. Ask that it be assigned to Steve Lionel - I'd like to see it.

Does deleting the .suo file allow you to start the debugger again? (You will lose your breakpoints.)

[Intel_C_Intel]

Sorry, I see I mis-wrote in my previous reply--it happened to me in all releases, but wasn't repeatable--too erratic. Since Lynn's is repeatable, there's a chance it can be found.

[send_to_alan]

Sorry to barge in.

The IFC compiler though fast is seriously buggy. the Debugger is a joke, even without any optimisation it fails to load symbols. which in essence means you can't debug. This is not a daily occurance but, occurs say ever 10 debugging operation. Who will debug the debugger?????

Right now I resorted to using the CVF compiler/debugger on windows, as my main deployment machine is a linux machine with v8 of the compiler. this seems to have a better bug fix than v8 for windows.

I wasted a whole day thinking there is a problem in my code when IFC V8 for windows computed values wrongly only to realise that CVF 6.6computed correctly, so does IFORT V8 for linux. IFORT V6 for linux also computes wrongly!

This is a bug in the integer math, and apparently the fix has been applied to v8 for linux but not windows. I start the debugger and poffff goes the debugger like a bugger. I simply can't believe that a huge company like intel can't bother to fix known problems on its products!

[Steven_L_Intel1]

I'm sorry to hear that you're unhappy with the compiler. However, it is certainly not true that problems get fixed on one platfotrm only. Bugs are fixed on all platforms affected. If you have a reference to the "integer math" problem (such as a case number), I'd like to see it.

[lmc]

UH, what suo file ? I looked in the project / solution directory and in the debug directory, none there.

Sorry, my exe's and code are proprietary so I cannot forward them onto you.

Thanks,
Lynn

[Steven_L_Intel1]

There should be a .suo file along side the solution's .sln file.

[lmc]

Nope. I have a designii.sln file and a designii.ncb file. No other files. Are you thinking of an older MS VC++ ?

Thanks,
Lynn

[Jugoslav_Dujic]

.suo files are by default hidden -- enable hidden files in Explorer.

Jugoslav

[lmc]

Ah, neat little piece of information about the .suo file being hidden. I work in my development directory from a command prompt so dir does not normally pick this up. It's there:

C:diidesignii>ls.exe -F -al designii.suo
-rw-h-a 13312 9-29-2004 10:35a designii.suo?

Thanks,
Lynn

[Steven_L_Intel1]

I didn't know they were hidden - I always run with "show hidden files".

[hallr]

Steve/Lynn,

We're seeing exactly the same problem. I submitted the issue to Intel Tech support about two weeks ago (issue number 267590). Unfortunately, Intel Tech hasn't been able to reproduce the problem so we haven't been making much progress.

Symptoms:

- crashes inconsistantly/randomly when I hit F5 (debug)

- crashes within first 10 times of hitting F5

- crashes immediately though I can finish the debug session (!)

I took our (semi) large application and stripped it down to a very simple test project that can be used to repeat the crash (on many machines around here but not at Intel).

Observations:

- crashes when there are two or more Fortran dependencies in the project (even though the dependencies are not required to link)

- crashes on XP(SP2) & Win2K boxes

- does not seem to depend on whether break points are set or not

We have a machine at another site where the crash does not occur. People are looking into why this machine is stable.

We are using Fortran version 8.1.021 ...

I will test debugging in safe mode and report back.

Other ideas & suggestions welcome!

Rich

[hallr]

Forgot to mention. Deleting the .suo does not help.

Rich

[Steven_L_Intel1]

As an experiment, reboot Windows into "Safe Mode" (usually by pressing F8 during the boot process and selecting Safe Mode), and then see if the problem is reproducible. Safe Mode disables loading of optional drivers and background programs - it could be that one of them is interfering with VS.NET. If debugging works ok in this mode, then it is a process of elimination to determine which driver or program is the culprit.

[hallr]

Steve,

The debugger crashes in safe mode too but there's more...

When I hit F5 in safe mode I get a message saying that the debugger is not properly installed and you cannot install/repair in safe mode. I hit OK on the message, then hit F5 again and .NET crashed. The symptoms of the crash appear to be the same in safe mode even though the debugger cannot be run. I repeated the crash in safe mode several times.

I'm running in normalmode now and the debugger starts but crashes randomly after several attempts.

Rich

[nigel-b-nunn]

After trying to get IFV 8.1 integrated with VStudio 2003 (non-default install location, as discussed elsewhere), I found that the Fortan debugger was active when debugging C++ code (!).Without a debugger, VStudio is of no use to us. Thinking that things may go better with default installation locations, I uninstalled IVF 8.1 and VStudio 2003, then reinstalled VStudio (to default locations). But have decided to wait for a bugfix before trying to load IVF 8.1 again. Intel, what went wrong?

Looking forward to trying again,

Nigel

[Steven_L_Intel1]

Nigel,

I don't understand your problem description. There is not a separate debugger for C++ and Fortran in VS. What exactlty are you seeing?