rkpc@mergvax (Rob Kedoin) (04/25/89)
I recently reinstalled a "slow boot" version of Windows 2.1 and SDK 2.0.
Now when I try to run some programs I get the system error, "Cannot write to
device AUX". The dialog box provided "Retry" and "Cancel" but neither seem
to let me exit the dialog box.
Can anyone guess at what's wrong ?
Thanks in advance,
-Rob Kedoin
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VOICE: (516) 434 - 2729ks26+@andrew.cmu.edu (Kenneth Sykes) (04/26/89)
> I recently reinstalled a "slow boot" version of Windows 2.1 and SDK 2.0. > Now when I try to run some programs I get the system error, "Cannot write to > device AUX". The dialog box provided "Retry" and "Cancel" but neither seem > to let me exit the dialog box. > Can anyone guess at what's wrong ? > > Thanks in advance, > -Rob Kedoin This problem stems from the differences in the retail and debug versions of Windows. The debug version contains additional runtime code that validates function input (For instance, making sure handles are not NULL). When a validation test fails, the kernel writes the appropriate fatal exit code and a stack trace to the COM port, which presumably is connected to a debugging terminal. At this point the person can "Abort, Break, or Ignore" the fatal error. If nothing is attached to the com port you get the dialog box that you mentioned, and you have no choice but to reboot. There is no *easy* way I know of to get Windows out of this loop. Perhaps a TSR could be written that would monitor COM output for the prompt and return an "abort" reply, but this would probably cost more than paying for a cheap terminal. The retail version of Windows does not contain any of the runtime checks, So it will do whatever it can with the input it is passed. This explains why some programs "work" in the retail version and "break" in the debug version. Deleting a NULL object, say, may not produce an adverse effect on the system, but the validation code will catch this and perform a fatal exit. Hope this helps. Sincerely, Ken Sykes
dick@venera.isi.edu (Richard Gillmann) (04/27/89)
In article <5809@mergvax> rkpc@mergvax (Rob Kedoin) writes: >I recently reinstalled a "slow boot" version of Windows 2.1 and SDK 2.0. >Now when I try to run some programs I get the system error, "Cannot write to >device AUX". Have you installed the OX.SYS device driver? I believe this handles problems of this sort.
pcb@usl.usl.edu (Peter C. Bahrs) (05/02/89)
In article <5809@mergvax>, rkpc@mergvax (Rob Kedoin) writes: > Now when I try to run some programs I get the system error, "Cannot write to > device AUX". The dialog box provided "Retry" and "Cancel" but neither seem It took me a while also to realize that the debugging version of windows writes diagnostic et.al. messages to COM?: Either install the non debugging version of windows or hook up a secondary monitor of graphics card as specified in one of the multitude of info files supplied with SDK.