Latency experienced -- Windows XP, Filemaker Pro version 4 1

[blackd77]

A client has Windows XP, and is experiencing the following problem.

1. He opens an FM Pro 4 database that has a relationship with another FM Pro 4 database.

2. When he clicks on the field that has the relationship defined, his Filemaker session times out.

3. Both database files are on his local drive.

4. The relationship is clearly defined as involving local files only, and the locations are correct.

5. When the action in step #4 above is taken, the Windows XP task manager shows two instances of Filemaker Pro, both "not responding". One of these instances is using "Filemaker Pro.exe" and the other is using "explorer.exe".

6. CPU utilization is not high during the time out period, nor are we experiencing "disk thrashing" on the local machines disk.

7. He has other databases that call the second FM Pro database (noted in step #1 above) and these databases do not experience the timeout.

8. I have changed the application preferences from TCP/IP to "none", restarted the application, and this tactic does not change the results.

9. If I disconnect this PCs network cable prior to the action taken above that normally results in a timeout, the response from the second database is instantaneous...no problem.

It appears that the action which results in timeout is prompting a search of some network asset...file, machine, folder, address, whatever. It appears that when this is made impossible, the Filemaker session does exactly what it is told to do, and opens the local files.

Normally, the customer will work off network files. The use of local files in these descriptive steps were part of my troubleshooting process. The effect is the same, for networked or locally held files.

My questions are these:

1. In lieu of anything obvious within the database relationships that specifies a non-local (network) asset, why is one attempting to be contacted (apparently). Do Filemaker Pro version 4 (I know this is several revisions back) record anything that cannot be viewed using the client tools?

2. Is there something about Windows XP itself that could be contributing to this problem? (The customer can run this process from a Windows 2000 PC without apparently problem).

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Regards,



Dan

 

[JeanW]

I had something similar.
Disabled all the plugins via Edit - Preferences - Application....

Found also to work completly problem free (in FM 3/4), Win 2000 is far better than XP.

 

[blackd77]

Thanks, Jean. I'm arranging for this workstation to be reconfigured with Windows 2000. Do you know what it is about Windows XP that may be a contributing factor in this, or where one can get more information on why this is?

Also, is there way for someone to view the command that is prompting the Filemaker database to search the network for "whatever it is that is it searching for"?

Thanks in advance,




Dan

 

[JeanW]

>> Do you know what it is about Windows XP that may be a contributing factor in this....

As far as I know, FM 3/4 was not made for XP, although there are no major problems to 'run' the program.
Some new feature, way down in XP, could be not totaly compatible with the engine from FM 3/4.
I think this understandable, FM 3/4 is from the pre XP period.
Win 2000 is far more 'receptive' for older programs.

As to view the commands: not sure about the engine level...
On the application level, you could check all the scripts and the relationships. As they can trigger whatever 'search'.

HTH

 

[blackd77]

Thanks again. The problem here is that there are no apparent references to networked assets. No relationship or script that points to a networked asset. In the absence of any apparent cause of this, or some directive in a database file, a registry setting, or a configuration file that is not mirrored within the Filemaker interface (not readily visible but known) -- how would one troubleshoot this?

 

[blackd77]

The other thing may be (of course) that I'm way off base in my diagnosis. Much of this has come to me from persons with quite a bit of Filemaker experience (as with the statement about Filemaker apparently storing preferences or directives in areas which cannot be viewed).

 

[JeanW]

Well Dan, no idea about that...

If I suspect a file to behave oddly, without apparent reason, I run a recover or save the file in compress form.

Usually that's enough to get the file back to good behaviour....

I have files still running on Win 3.11 without any problem (FM3).
The same files (application) running in FM5 (converted and new build from scratch) on Win 98/XP have now and then strange problems, although the 'use' is the same...
Like the problem with a space as last character in a file name, no problem for Win 3.11, days of searching on a Win XP machine.....
So, I suspect more the OS than FM....
No wonder when you see what's under the hood nowadays....

 

[Schlogg]

Regrettably, there is no way (?) to see what a FMP V4 db is looking for. This has been fixed in V7. There is a plugin to get this info and. if my next suggestion doesn't work, I'll see if I can find its name/location.
First thng to check is duplicate files on the network.


Cheers,
Paul J.