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Hi there, I am using LcdWriter with a Moncaso 320 case running WMC7 (x64) and usually it works flawlessly. Occasionally though, when the HTPC boots up, the LCD/IR unit seems to not respond (remains blank) and an error pops up: "Error: Object reference not set to an instance of an object" with the only option being "OK". I click "OK" and then restart LdcWriter and all is fine. Again, it does not happen consistently, and is remedied by OK'ing the error and starting LcdWriter again. Any idea why this error might be popping up?

Thanks,

-Matt

It has to be a timing issue of some sort.  Will take a look when I get a chance.

 Thank you!

If you can get a log file w/ the error it would help.

babgvant:

If you can get a log file w/ the error it would help.

 

I didn't see any log files in the \LCDWriter folder, but I can certainly save off the app event log. There are several events with a source of either "LcdWriter" or "DVRMSToolbox". Just let me know where I can post it to and I will upload it.

 Thanks again for looking into it, it will certainly up the "spousal acceptance factor" of our HTPC...

 You need to turn it on in the config tool.  The log should get writen to %PUBLIC%\LcdWriter.

 Turned on logging. Will reply back once the issue occurs and I have it logged.

Here is the text of a log when the application fails to start and pops the error:

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/10/2011 9:03:06 AM : SageInfoForm_Load
2/10/2011 9:03:07 AM : Construct VFD - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : VFD Init - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : Initialize - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : StartRenderer - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : ReadSettings - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings()
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.ReadSettings() - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.ReadSettings()
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.StartRenderer() - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.StartRenderer()
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.Initialize() - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe

Tried to post this earlier, but I guess it didn't make it. Here the output of the log file when the error happened:

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/10/2011 9:03:06 AM : SageInfoForm_Load
2/10/2011 9:03:07 AM : Construct VFD - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : VFD Init - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : Initialize - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : StartRenderer - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : ReadSettings - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings()
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.ReadSettings() - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.ReadSettings()
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.StartRenderer() - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe
2/10/2011 9:03:36 AM : System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.StartRenderer()
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.Initialize() - 99445672-5d7b-4b34-b798-140c0e26c9fe

Hmm.  That unexpected.  Try this build, just added more logging to try to understand why it's blowing up there.

Well, it went quite a while without erroring out, but alas last night I got the error message again. Here is the text of the error log in question: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2/28/2011 8:22:26 PM : SageInfoForm_Load 2/28/2011 8:22:26 PM : Construct VFD - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd 2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : VFD Init - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd 2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : Initialize - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd 2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : StartRenderer - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd 2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : ReadSettings - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd 2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : WriteEvent: Error - System.ApplicationException: LoadSettings openSessions error ---> System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object. at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings() --- End of inner exception stack trace --- 2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : System.ApplicationException: LoadSettings openSessions error ---> System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object. at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings() --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings() at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.ReadSettings() - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd 2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : System.ApplicationException: LoadSettings openSessions error ---> System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object. at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings() --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.ReadSettings() at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.StartRenderer() - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd 2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : System.ApplicationException: LoadSettings openSessions error ---> System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object. at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings() --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.StartRenderer() at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.Initialize() - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd As before, once I acknowledged the error and restarted the LCD writer host process it all started working again.

Whew! Chrome murdered that post... here is the errorlog again formatted more readbly:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/28/2011 8:22:26 PM : SageInfoForm_Load
2/28/2011 8:22:26 PM : Construct VFD - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd
2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : VFD Init - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd
2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : Initialize - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd
2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : StartRenderer - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd
2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : ReadSettings - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd
2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : WriteEvent: Error - System.ApplicationException: LoadSettings openSessions error ---> System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings()
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : System.ApplicationException: LoadSettings openSessions error ---> System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings()
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings()
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.ReadSettings() - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd
2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : System.ApplicationException: LoadSettings openSessions error ---> System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings()
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.ReadSettings()
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.StartRenderer() - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd
2/28/2011 8:22:28 PM : System.ApplicationException: LoadSettings openSessions error ---> System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at LcdWriter.Shared.SessionTracker.LoadSettings()
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.StartRenderer()
   at LcdWriter.Shared.VacuumFluorescentDisplay.Initialize() - e6378969-3c5e-44f6-aaed-677e1bef02bd
 

That helped narrow it down.  This build has a potential fix, LMK if it happens again.