Return from QUIT -- XP Pro Versus XP Home 1

[Sware]

Our Clipper app runs in full-screen mode from a Desktop Icon. The "Close on Exit" box is checked on the Program Tab in the Icon Properties. On our XP Home system, when the app terminates via the Clipper QUIT Command the return is to the Windows Desktop, as desired. On an XP Pro system of one of our users, the return is to a blank black screen with no cursor. The system hangs; Ctrl/Alt/Del results in nothing; a power-off reboot is required. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[JockMullin]

I am unable to duplicate your problem here.

Normally I return from the program rather than using QUIT, but I tried using QUIT rather than RETURN and it closes the window fine.

When you get the black screen, does ALT-Enter to go to a window have any effect? How about CTRL-Shift-ESC to bring up task manager?

Anything in the error logs?

What version of clipper, which linker?

What is the cmd line you are using in the shortcut?

Are environment variables set up the same on the two machines? How about memory management?

Try running the program from a .bat file and add EXIT to the batch file as the last line, and remove the close on exit from the shortcut.

Jock

 

[Sware]

Jock,
Thank you for your input. To respond to your points:

-- QUIT supposedly returns to DOS (i.e. the Command Prompt in XP), so it should work. We use RETURN to exit procedures and functions. How can it be used to exit the program?

-- Don't know about Alt-Enter or Ctrl-Shift-Esc. I'll ask the end user. I'll also ask about error logs and environment variables. The memory settings (in Icon Properties) are the same on both computers.

-- Clipper 5.2, RTlink

-- Cmd line: C:\foldername\programname.exe

-- I'll see if the end user can handle a batch file execution with EXIT added.

 

[JockMullin]

Hi, Sware

Yes, quit returns to DOS from anywhere in the clipper program. AFAIK a return from the main() program is exactly the same.

I tried one of my progs with clipper 5.2e and RTLINK in full screen mode and quit instead of return from main and it works fine both under XP Pro and Home.

One thing that occurred to me while doing this - I have seen a couple of monitors which don't reliably change modes (most monitors make a click like a relay switch when they change from fullscreen to windowed). I have seen some monitors which won't do that reliably, and I had to train my users to alt-enter themselves back to windowed mode as many times as it took to get a windowed display and then exit the program. Otherwise they end up with a black display and an apparently hung machine, though in fact it is only a video problem.

We eventually swapped the monitors because of this issue, which solved the problem.

I agree with the respondent in the XP forum that this is not a Pro vs Home issue but more likely a workstation issue.

Jock

 

[Sware]

Thanks Jock,

Your input confirms my suspicion that it's a monitor mode change situation that may be causing the problem. Our app uses Clipper's SETSCRMODE(1) on entry to produce a 40-column screen (to produce larger characters) and then SETSCRMODE(3)on exit to return to 80-column mode.

For 15+ years we've never had a reported problem with any user monitors under any pre-XP system from W95 up, or any reported problems under XP except for this one user (with whom I'll explore his monitor situation).

 

[Benitez]

yes, indeed !
return (at the highest level, not inside functions or procedures) works the same way as quit.