SigQC shows the splash screen and then shuts down

This Knowledgebase article applies to:

• SigQC version(s) 2.00.00 on the following platforms: All Supported

Symptoms:

When starting SigQC, the splash screen is displayed and then it appears that nothing else happens and SigQC does not appear on the screen. In the Windows Task Manager, the SigQC.exe process is not running.

Cause:

The database engine used by SigQC uses transaction processing to try and prevent the loss of data when the application is unexpectedly shutdown. There is a certain case (as of yet undefined) where the transaction log is corrupted by the unexpected shutdown and so when the engine trys to restart, it cannot clear the transaction log and exits without warning.

Resolution:

The best fix to this problem is to try and prevent the unexpected shutdown altogether. This means using UPSs on the computer to help during power brown-outs and black-outs. Also making sure that the users know how to properly halt production and close SigQC.

The corrupt transaction log can be cleared by deleting some files, but you must realize that it is likely that some data loss will occur and possible database corruption. If a database backup is available then using it would ensure that the database has not been corrupted by the lost transactions. Below are the steps required to clear this issue:
— Backup the database that was in use when the system went down unexpectedly
— If using a previous backup, delete the database files for database that was in use and replace them with the files from the backup
— Locate the Catalog folder by looking and the Windows Environment variable CATPATH. Typically this folder is located in C:\Program Files\ Common Files\Signalysis\Catalog.
— Note that the Catalog folder has a brother folder called Syslog
— From the Catalog folder, delete the file RDM.CHI
— Do NOT delete the Syslog folder, but do delete the entire contents of the Syslog folder
— Run SigQC and it should now start properly.

More Information:

The next upgrade of the database engine (by a third party company) will likely fix the transaction log corruption.

Efforts have begun to make SigQC realize that the database engine was the cause of the last failed run of SigQC and prompt the user if he would like the offending transaction log cleared. This would then delete the necessary files.

Efforts are also underway to make SigQC easier to shutdown properly, and better at responding to Windows messages for shutdown.

There is still no way, and likely will never be a way, to handle the case for shutdowns caused by the user pressing the power button or loss of power to the computer.