From Newsgroup: comp.sys.acorn.apps

I run Martin Bazley's MBBack http://starfighter.acornarcade.com/mysite/downloads/mbbback.zip
with about 10,000 jpegs in it's list of backdrops. But recently, on a
Titanium, it has started throwing up an error:
Invalid controller/port ID
After this error disc reads seem to be OK, but attempting to write gives
"Bad Freespace Map" so it seems to be quite a serious bug!

Initially on the Titanium the error was that there was insufficient memory available. It would do this every few days, so not a huge problem. Then
the error changed, apparently without cause. I updated the OS to 5.30 (15-May-24) but this hasn't changed things.

The program is written in BASIC and has never given an error in several
years running on an ARMX6. Martin doesn't have a Titanium to investigate.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Torrens.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.acorn.apps

In article <5c2bbb8e52news@Torrens.org>,
Richard Torrens (News) <news@Torrens.org> wrote:

I run Martin Bazley's MBBack http://starfighter.acornarcade.com/mysite/downloads/mbbback.zip
with about 10,000 jpegs in it's list of backdrops. But recently, on
a Titanium, it has started throwing up an error:
Invalid controller/port ID

Any clues like the line number?
Does it happen on startup, or randomly while running?

After this error disc reads seem to be OK, but attempting to write
gives "Bad Freespace Map" so it seems to be quite a serious bug!

Nasty. Do you use DiscKnight to fix it?

Initially on the Titanium the error was that there was insufficient
memory available. It would do this every few days, so not a huge
problem. Then the error changed, apparently without cause. I
updated the OS to 5.30 (15-May-24) but this hasn't changed things.

The program is written in BASIC and has never given an error in
several years running on an ARMX6. Martin doesn't have a Titanium
to investigate.

I have a Titanium ... but have not run MBBack, but I would have hoped
it wrote little to a disc.

Martin
--
Martin Avison
Note that unfortunately this email address will become invalid
without notice if (when) any spam is received.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.acorn.apps

In article <5c2bc81f71News03@avisoft.f9.co.uk>,
Martin <News03@avisoft.f9.co.uk> wrote:

In article <5c2bbb8e52news@Torrens.org>,
Richard Torrens (News) <news@Torrens.org> wrote:

I run Martin Bazley's MBBack http://starfighter.acornarcade.com/mysite/downloads/mbbback.zip
with about 10,000 jpegs in it's list of backdrops. But recently, on
a Titanium, it has started throwing up an error:
Invalid controller/port ID

Any clues like the line number?

No: No line number quoted, so it looks like the error is not from Basic.
Once the error has been triggered it can sometimes survive over a reset,
so it looks like something is writing (a byte?) to wrong place.

Does it happen on startup, or randomly while running?

Yes! Either.
There are two programs: one is for editing the list of photos to be used
as backdrops. This also triggers the backdrop change.

The second displays the photo. It also deletes that line from the list to
be used. Hence the write to storage, which triggers the error response.
But it looks to me like the misplaced byte is caused by a graphic/display routine.

After this error disc reads seem to be OK, but attempting to write
gives "Bad Freespace Map" so it seems to be quite a serious bug!

Nasty. Do you use DiscKnight to fix it?

No: DiscKnight can't fix it! But the disc verifies OK. I'm aware of the differences.

Initially on the Titanium the error was that there was insufficient
memory available. It would do this every few days, so not a huge
problem. Then the error changed, apparently without cause. I
updated the OS to 5.30 (15-May-24) but this hasn't changed things.

The program is written in BASIC and has never given an error in
several years running on an ARMX6. Martin doesn't have a Titanium
to investigate.

I have a Titanium ... but have not run MBBack, but I would have hoped
it wrote little to a disc.

Martin

--
------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Torrens.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.acorn.apps

On 12 Jun 2025 as I do recall,
Martin wrote:

In article <5c2bbb8e52news@Torrens.org>,
Richard Torrens (News) <news@Torrens.org> wrote:

I run Martin Bazley's MBBack http://starfighter.acornarcade.com/mysite/downloads/mbbback.zip
with about 10,000 jpegs in it's list of backdrops. But recently, on
a Titanium, it has started throwing up an error:
Invalid controller/port ID

Any clues like the line number?
Does it happen on startup, or randomly while running?

After this error disc reads seem to be OK, but attempting to write
gives "Bad Freespace Map" so it seems to be quite a serious bug!

Nasty. Do you use DiscKnight to fix it?

Initially on the Titanium the error was that there was insufficient
memory available. It would do this every few days, so not a huge
problem. Then the error changed, apparently without cause. I
updated the OS to 5.30 (15-May-24) but this hasn't changed things.

The program is written in BASIC and has never given an error in
several years running on an ARMX6. Martin doesn't have a Titanium
to investigate.

I have a Titanium ... but have not run MBBack, but I would have hoped
it wrote little to a disc.

Bu default it converts and then saves the current backdrop as a sprite
file before using it as a backdrop, so it will be writing large
image files to disc every time the backdrop changes.
--
Harriet Bazley == Loyaulte me lie ==

No man has a right to live - but every man has a duty to save him if he can
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.acorn.apps

On 12/06/2025 19:38, Richard Torrens (News) wrote:

In article <5c2bc81f71News03@avisoft.f9.co.uk>,
Martin <News03@avisoft.f9.co.uk> wrote:

In article <5c2bbb8e52news@Torrens.org>,
Richard Torrens (News) <news@Torrens.org> wrote:

After this error disc reads seem to be OK, but attempting to write
gives "Bad Freespace Map" so it seems to be quite a serious bug!

Nasty. Do you use DiscKnight to fix it?

No: DiscKnight can't fix it! But the disc verifies OK. I'm aware of the differences.

Not sure what you mean about differences.

I'm not familiar with this program, but is it writing directly to your
disc or is it using some sort of image filing system?

IIRC A "Bad Freespace map" is an old D format error. No one should be
using that format for primary storage, but it has been used as an image
filing system in one of the Font managers.

---druck
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.acorn.apps

In article <102ffrd$2tb6k$1@dont-email.me>,
druck <news@druck.org.uk> wrote:

Nasty. Do you use DiscKnight to fix it?

No: DiscKnight can't fix it! But the disc verifies OK. I'm aware of the differences.

Not sure what you mean about differences.

Between DiscKnight and Verify.

Aware of the possible disc corruption, I tried DiscKnight 1.55 amd got
errors it could not fix, so emailed discknight@armclub.org.uk on 5.6.2025

No response yet.

I'm not familiar with this program, but is it writing directly to your
disc or is it using some sort of image filing system?

Sorry, I don't know but see Hariet's rresponse.

IIRC A "Bad Freespace map" is an old D format error. No one should be
using that format for primary storage, but it has been used as an image filing system in one of the Font managers.

That only occurs after the Invalid controller/port ID error
--
------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Torrens.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.acorn.apps

On 13/06/2025 08:56, Richard Torrens (News) wrote:

In article <102ffrd$2tb6k$1@dont-email.me>,
druck <news@druck.org.uk> wrote:

Nasty. Do you use DiscKnight to fix it?

No: DiscKnight can't fix it! But the disc verifies OK. I'm aware of the
differences.

Not sure what you mean about differences.

Between DiscKnight and Verify.

Aware of the possible disc corruption, I tried DiscKnight 1.55 amd got
errors it could not fix, so emailed discknight@armclub.org.uk on 5.6.2025

No response yet.

Sorry I've not got anything in my armclub mail box, which was working as
of the end of May, but email servers are getting fussier and fussier
about security these days, and may object to our ageing infrastructure.

Please reply to this by email, and I'll check the news mailbox.

---druck
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.acorn.apps

On 12 Jun 2025 as I do recall,
Richard Torrens (News) wrote:

There are two programs: one is for editing the list of photos to be used
as backdrops. This also triggers the backdrop change.

The second displays the photo. It also deletes that line from the list to
be used. Hence the write to storage, which triggers the error response.
But it looks to me like the misplaced byte is caused by a graphic/display routine.

I tried running MBBCtrl (I normally just run MBBack on boot-up) for a
few hours, and after a while it started giving errors, albeit not of a
disc error or controller/portID variety. So there may be a lack of
tolerance of systems other than the author's own - is anyone else
routinely running this software with the changing backdrop after a fixed
period feature?
--
Harriet Bazley == Loyaulte me lie ==

It's clever, but is it art? - Rudyard Kipling
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.acorn.apps

In article <102i18f$3kt7t$1@dont-email.me>,
druck <news@druck.org.uk> wrote:

Aware of the possible disc corruption, I tried DiscKnight 1.55 amd got

errors it could not fix, so emailed discknight@armclub.org.uk on 5.6.2025

No response yet.

Sorry I've not got anything in my armclub mail box, which was working as
of the end of May, but email servers are getting fussier and fussier
about security these days, and may object to our ageing infrastructure.

Please reply to this by email, and I'll check the news mailbox.

---druck

Email sent from RISCOS@torrens.org
--
------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Torrens.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.acorn.apps

In article <0d8a8b2c5c.harriet@bazleyfamily.co.uk>,
Harriet Bazley <harriet@bazleyfamily.co.uk> wrote:

I tried running MBBCtrl (I normally just run MBBack on boot-up) for a
few hours, and after a while it started giving errors, albeit not of a
disc error or controller/portID variety. So there may be a lack of
tolerance of systems other than the author's own - is anyone else
routinely running this software with the changing backdrop after a fixed period feature?

The error iseems to be generated when MBBack runs. It was loaded at boot
and MBBCtrl calls it every 10 minutes. I have never noticed an error on
the ARMX6, only on the Titanium. Initially the error eported (no line
number) was a shortage of memory - then the error changed and became more frequent. Sometimes happening on Boot and even surviving a reset.

It looks like something is writing to a semi-random area of memory when
MBBack runs.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Torrens.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2