#PAR no-run
19 messages in this thread
I've just installed a PAR unit this evening, and am having a bit of a problem.
I'm using a 1gig Micropolis 2210A, and a 486-66VLB system. The autoexec files
run ok, as does PARTEST.EXE. Everything seems to check out fine, but when I
then try to run PAR.EXE, it locks up. It says something like – drive ready,
drives 3 (??), on other line then just locks up there.
I'm perusing the manual now and can't find anything that relates to this, so I
thought I'd try here!
Thanks for any help. BTW, I load a generic config (w/DOS6.2) with only
HIMEM.SYS and a mouse driver. Still no go.
Go ahead and format the drive *first*, Oral. I've seen a few cases
where PAR.exe won't run 'cause of a drive problem. I recently lost a
notebook with all my PAR dos commands on it, but GusG knows 'em. Gus?
To format the PAR drive, you must switch to the PAR directory in your
drive C: (or wherever you copied your PAR files) and run PARINIT.
After PARINIT is done, run PARDRV /FORMAT. This should help a problem
similar to that one you had. I'm not sure, however, this is what is
going on with Oral's PAR.
Well Gus, I finally did something to upset the PAR. I tried deleting a file
across the network. Ouch! Took everything with it, including the my Still
subdirectories. Fortuneately most everything was backed up. I'm still not sure
how it happened. But after I deleted the file, the PAR locked up. I rebooted
and everything seemed fine. Then this morning I went to check and everything
was gone except a file I had tried to copy over before I left for the evening.
Got any ideas or insights in terms of what can happen. I still don't understand
why the subdirectories would go as well.
-JE
If everything was gone, the "root" dir was probably wiped out. That's sort of
where everything is kept. I have done that a couple of times while "testing"
new software. I haven't never seen that under "normal" use. If you ever get to
reproduce the problem, try to see if you can give me a "step by step guide to
hell" in order for me to trace it. The driver itself is pretty robust given the
amount of hacking I have to go through in order to fool dos into thinking that
thing is a dos drive (one of the great virtues of dos – the most "hackable"
OS!).
The only way I know that can happen is if someone directly access the PAR drive
and doesn't notify PARDRV. I doubt that was your case as I don't think you have
any "tools" to do that. Other than that I would only be guessing.
Keep me posted!
Gus
Gus, I wish I could tell you how it happened. I tried using UNDEL from PC-TOOLS
to no avail and UNDELETE from MS-DOS but unfortuneately I did not know about
its NETWORK feature and it wasn't installed before the "deletion". Apparently
it has some kind of mirroring which is transparent. It is now installed so
we'll see how well it works.
One curious thing however is that after I tried what I could to recover, I
decided to go ahead and reformat the drive. I did this several times from
within the PAR menu. At one point I was clicking on a test animation and I got
a scrambled screen in the directory part and low and behold a submenu with some
stills of the SMPTE bars etc. that I had put on the drive. I was suprised
because of the format. Then I did a format from the DPS directory with FORMAT
/M: and it cleared up the problem. This is all secondary, but I thought you
might like to know. I take it the format in the menu is a high level format,
and the FORMAT /M: is a low level format of sorts.
Anyway if I can duplicate the scenario I'll be sure to let you know. The PAR
has exceeded my best hopes and has otherwise been very robust.
-JE
>>PAR Drive Network problem<<
I had the same thing happen when we first started testing the PAR drive. I
just chalked it up to inexperience. So we stopped using the PAR drive over the
network. We just renderr to targa then convert.
Jay Savill
Cyber Simulations, Inc.
Jay,
The PAR works really great over the network. Seriously, I couldn't do it any
other way. But I have a tendency to push things to the limit so that I know
what the limits are. I reached it, but it took a month and a half of pounding
to do it. I think its actually a very robust system, not nearly as delicate as
one might expect, especially over a network. FWIW
-JE
What can you do over the network with the PAR DRIVE? All I have been able to
do is to render to it from 3D Studio. But what if I want to look at a still
that I put on there? I have been having to go to the computer with the PAR
DRIVE installed and look at it there. Thanks for the info!
Jay Savill
Cyber Simulations, Inc.
Jay,
I have my PAR set up on File server (though not dedicated, although that maybe
the next phase). I do not have 3DS installed on this server. What I have is a
small network of 3 '66 "Workstations" (Lan Servers) linked to the File server.
The output of the PAR goes to a component monitor. I have a switch box that
toggles between each system and provides access through one keyboad, one VGA
monitor, and one mouse. What I do is setup the PAR in STILL mode with the PAR
menu. Then set the out-mode to TGA. With your 3DS.SET file you can setup the
IMAGE directory to point to the PAR drive, in my case H. Then when I render
NULL and to disk the image shows up on the component monitor. If I'm running
Windows on another system I can pull the image off the PAR and paint on it,
just like pulling it out of a regular directory, and can save it back again to
the PAR or to another "Workstation" directory.
Also you can specify the PAR drive and a directory as a MAP path. By setting up
the appropriate commands (PARDRV /I:FILENAME) you can also pull animation
sequences off for rotoscoping or texture mapping. I don't typically use it for
still images for mapping as I prefer to have the primary IDE on the File server
as the shared MAP directory, and also prefer to render to the PAR when possible
as it is much faster than doing the conversion after the fact. Sometimes
however compositing is necessary and using the PAR as a layer, the compositited
frames can be stored on one of the "Workstation" hard drives, then fed back to
the PAR afterward.
-JE
John,
I get it now! Thanks for the help.
Jay Savill
Cyber Simulations, Inc.
Sure thing Jay, have fun and generate lots of animation! 🙂
-JE
>>HD network fatality<<
Urgggghhhh!!! I can relate, big time! I've finally recovered from my recent
crash-ola (I hope…). Good thing you were backed up!
John Tissavary (La Luna cie)
Yeah, I haven't had a crash in a loooong while. It was odd. But like I
mentioned to Gus I've really been putting the PAR through its paces, and over a
network no less. Something was bound to happen. Thanks for the well wishes. I
thought it ironic because a day or so I ago I was making a point to someone
else about backing up the PAR and sure enough, my backup saved me. (That'll
teach me to avoid that topic. <g>)
-JE
Gus, it sounds like the same problem I had. Were you aware that the PARTEST
program has been updated to include this procedure in the GUI?
>> Were you aware that the PARTEST program has been updated to include
>> this procedure in the GUI?
Nop. Embarrassing but no. In fact, I'm still using a pre-beta version of the
software that came from DPS. I mostly use only my own stuff that's why I
haven't bothered downloading the new version.
Oral:
>> PAR locks up
Your dealer should have told you to format the drive first.
Greg Pyros
—>>> format the drive first.
Do you mean a normal DOS format?
Assuming your autoexec.bat has been modified by the PAR installation you, next
should run the latest version of PARTEST. start at the top of the menu and run
each test in sequence. If all is OK then the last step is to "FORMAT" the
drive, the last box on the list. Do the format and then you should be able to
load the PAR.exe. I had the same problem but back then the PARTEST didn't have
the formatter and needed to be done from the dos prompt. If your PARTEST is an
old version you may want to download the latest software from the DPS BBS. I
don't recall right now how I did it from the dos prompt but is was something
like "PARDRV FORMAT" but best to use PARTEST. Let us know if this doesn't
work.