Author: Alam Khan
Date: 09:01:11 01/09/00
Hello Folks,
In Mid-December I started this thread about problems with Fritz 6.0 and its
installation and running with Windows 2000/NT. I also had emailed the problem
to Chessbase. I finally heard from them after a long pause. Below please find
their response, and at the end you will find the message I sent them. They
acknowledge the problems, and have suggested a fix. They also claim to be
working on the other problem, which may be the uninstallation problem. They
will issue a revised version sometime in the future.
RECENT RESPONSE FROM CHESSBASE:
Dear Mr. Khan,
You wrote:
> I received your Fritz6.0 yesterday, and since then I have made multiple
>attempts to install it on Windows 2000/NT. It seems to install fine and
>plays okay for the first time after reboot. But then it does not
relaunch.
>Each launch after the first one generates a Windows error message.: "
>Fritz6.exe has generated errors. Windows will close it down. You may have
>to restart the program" . Are you aware of any such errors, or I am
having
>bad luck. I have Windows 2000 beta 3, and I have not had any problems with
>any other program that claims to be 2000/nt compatible. Any help would be
>appreciated.
We could finally locate the problem. The material display crashes under NT.
Win95/98 works fine. Also the material display will always turned on when
you leave
Fritz6. We solved the crash and work now on the second problem.
If you have registered your Fritz6 version you will soon
get more information how you can get an update.
Till then you can do the following:
1. delete the file f6.ini
2. restart Fritz6 and turn on your default settings
3. leave Fritz6.
4. load the f6.ini file with any editor.
5. search for the line MatDispl= and set the value from 2 to 1
6. save the file
7. leave the editor and write protect the file f6.ini
Now it should work.
Kind regards
Lutz Nebe ( lutznebe@chessbase.com )
Chessbase GmbH
MY ORIGINAL LETTER TO CHESSBASE DEFINING THE PROBLEM:
Hello Chessbase,
I sent you an email yesterday. I now have more information that is reviewed
below.
System: Dell PII/350, with 128MB RAM. Windows 2000 beta3 version
(successor to NT). Since I have not heard any problems on NG with
windows98, it is possible that mine is a 2000/NT related problem.
Additionally, it may actually relate to 2000 beta3 specifically. I must say
that I have not had any problems with Windows 2000 so far, it has never
crashed (like Win98 used to). After the Fritz6 crash W2000 is able to deal
with it: it generates the error message, claims it is producing an error
log, and them returns my desktop to me intact. I am then able to perform
all my tasks as I could before the crash. The system behaves just fine. I
can choose to double click the Fritz6 icon and repeat the same crash again.
Installation:
I put the Fritz6 CD in my DVDrom drive. A gray square with a chess
piece appears on the screen, with choices of START, INSTALL, CANCEL. I
choose install, and follow the instructions. I use the default directories
suggested by Fritz6. Let me say here that during the latest of my attempts
to install and reinstall this program, I have followed Mr. Lopez's
Electonic T-notes of December 5, 1999. I have dutifully made a hard copy of
these useful notes. After the STANDARD or CUSTOM installation I REBOOT my
system, because the installation program asks me to.
[Incidentally, when the installation program is ready to install after asking
the relevant questions, it presents a screen that says "Fritz will be installed
on. . . ." I assume it is supposed to tell you drive paths, but the rest is
blank]
[Additionally, if after installation you want to remove the program and go to
"add/remove" utility of Windows2000, it fails to list it as an installed entity
that it could remove. I have had to remove all the files manually several
times]
After this first reboot of Win2000, I double click the desktop icon of
Fritz6.0, and the program launches fine. I am able to play games, etc.
Then following Fritz6 instructions (same as Mr. Lopez's) I install the TALK,
DATABASE, BOOKS, etc onto my hard drive. After installation of these files,
I am able to access them from the hard drive. (I am still in my first
launch). {Incidentally, when installing TALK files, the program help
instructs you to copy TALK and ECO files. But there are no ECO files on the
CD. Either the help people are ahead or they have removed ECO files}.
I close the program, and double click the Fritz6 icon on the desktop.
The gray square with a chess piece appears. Message "initializing engine"
appears. Then a windows ERROR message appears. "Fritz6.exe has generated
errors. Windows will close the program. You may have to restart the
program. An error log is being created". After a lot of whirring, etc.,
Windows returns my desktop intact, and I am able to launch other programs
normally, as if nothing had happened. I can even relaunch Fritz6, and
re-experience the crash. In other words Win2000 does an excellent job of
confining the crash and returning my system back to me. I have tried
relaunching Frit6 with and without a CD in the drive, and it crashes none
the same.
Rebooting the Windows the second time does not avoid the crash either. I was
rebooting windows again on the assumption that may be Fritz6 leaves some clutter
when it is closed, and rebooting the Windows would clear that clutter up.
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