Help! TextPad not working!

General questions about using TextPad

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lee_rhodes
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2004 1:12 am

Help! TextPad not working!

Post by lee_rhodes »

I have been using TextPad for years and I consider it my right hand for innumerable tasks. All of a sudden it stops working! I have tried complete removal, reinstalling, installing 4.7.3, or the latest 5.3.1. I've tried the Windows Installer Clean Up utility, and run full scans with my anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Nothing! Zip! Using ProcessExplorer I can see the TextPad process flash on for a fraction of a second then it shuts down. No messages, warnings or events are generated. The only changes to my system have been routine security updates from Microsoft. I am running Windows XP Sp3.

Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Lee.
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talleyrand
Posts: 624
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2003 6:56 pm
Location: Kansas City, MO, USA
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Post by talleyrand »

XP sp3 here and I'm having no issues with it. Try running it from the command line and capture any text that might blip by into a file called start.txt. Type the bolded commands which assume you installed TP to the default location

Start -> run CMD
C:\Program Files\TextPad 5>cd \
C:\>cd "Program Files\TextPad 5"
C:\Program Files\TextPad 5>.\TextPad.exe > start.txt
C:\Program Files\TextPad 5>type start.txt


Is there anything listed in the start.txt file?
I choose to fight with a sack of angry cats.
lee_rhodes
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2004 1:12 am

Post by lee_rhodes »

Thanks for your reply. I tried your suggestion but the start.txt file contained nothing. So something is causing TextPad to abort very early on.

Is there any other tool you could suggest?
kitimat
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2004 5:44 pm

Post by kitimat »

What happens if you try to start Textpad in safe mode?
lee_rhodes
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2004 1:12 am

Post by lee_rhodes »

It still will not start even in safe mode. In safe mode I only have the following processes running (via Process Explorer):

System Idle Process
System
smss.exe
csrss.exe
winlogon.exe
lsass.exe
services.exe
svchost.exe #1
rpcss.dll (DCOM Server Process Luancher) (DcomLaunch)
svchost.exe #2
rpcss.dll (Remote Procedure Call (RPC) )
svchost.exe #3
cryptsvc.dll (Cryptographic Services)
dmserver.dll (Logical Disk Manger)
srsvc.dll (System Restore Service)
WMIsvc.dll (Windows Management instrumentation)
explorer.exe
taskmgr.exe
notepad.exe
procexp.exe (Process Explorer)

When trying to start TextPad and observing the Process Explorer window, I will see csrss.exe CPU util increase for a second then disappear. Occasionally I will see the TextPad process appear in the window initially green, then turn to red and disappear all within a second.

Attemping to re-install TextPad doesn't work in Safe mode because the Windows Installer isn't running.
kitimat
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Jul 20, 2004 5:44 pm

Post by kitimat »

It still looks to me like a corrupted file issue.

If you haven't already done so make sure that the textpad directory is gone and you have cleared all references to textpad out of the registry,
before reinstalling textpad. Please take all the usual precautions.

If that didn't help then you can try putting windows installer into logging mode and see what errors it throws. See:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223300

Good Luck
lee_rhodes
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2004 1:12 am

Post by lee_rhodes »

I cleared out the registry of all references to TextPad. Also tried the installer logging option. Nothing.

TextPad just won't start up.
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helios
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Location: Helios Software Solutions
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Post by helios »

Please try temporarily turning off your anti virus software, then download and install a fresh copy of TextPad from our web site.

If this doesn't work, you could always try System Restore, but maybe too much time has passed now for this to be a practical option.

I hope this helps.
Helios Software Solutions
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