[texworks] Texworks quit working (on windows)

[K. Frank]

Hello Paul!

Thank you again.

On Sat, Oct 1, 2011 at 9:40 PM, Paul A Norman <paul.a.norman at gmail.com> wrote:
> Ok lets walk this through exhaustively so we can absolutely and
> consistently rule out certain matters.
>
> Please try setting your path in the previously described  dos shell to
>
> set path=

Okay, did that.

> It will probably then report as
>
>>path
>
> PATH=(null)

Yes, it does.

> Then try again to rerun texworks.exe

No go...

> We need to absolutely rule out all possible dll contamination. I just
> tried such a path statement and it worked for TeXworks to launch.
>
> I have known of portable python type applications where an alpha or
> beta or poorly designed application has actually, without warning,
> copied dlls around the place for the developer's convenience or
> absent-mindedness.
>
> The forward slashes in the ini should not be a problem at all. {They
> are however sometimes in TeXworks scripting (under Windows Xp at
> least) when using system(), sometimes there, if the rest are / the
> last has to be a \ especially for certain os dos commands to be
> executed.}
>
> If this does not help us, we'll use the Windows built in tools first
> in the real machine, to monitor what is happening.
>
> The first one is to check that your Virus software hasn't decided to
> list texworks.exe as an unfriendly, if that has happened often the
> virus checker will just quietly disable it from running whenever an
> attempt is made, and possibly with no further visual information.

This doesn't seem to be a problem.

TeXworks is not listed as quarantined or otherwise suspicious.

Also, just to be sure, I just scanned my TeX Live and TeXworks, and the
antivirus software reports no problems there.

> Check for any system security settings as well.  Windows automatic
> updates have been known to passively alter things as well.

I'm not sure what security settings you might have in mind.  If there is
anything specific you would like me to check, please let me know.

> Then please open up your system monitor, on Xp I would go crtl Alt Del once.
> And again watch processes, not applications. I realise from reading
> the transcript here that you may have done some of this already.
>
> First click on Image Name, and get them in alphabetical order.
>
> TeXworks is a "start once" application, but what we want to check that
> there is no other process (from all the installing and un-installing)
> somehow partially starting TeXworks at start-up as that also will stop
> you directly starting TeXworks directly. I know this will not seem
> likely or perhaps even  rational (but I have seen such things) so lets
> rule it out.
>
> Scan the list under Image name, and see if any form of TeXworks ( or
> TeXworks starter form TeXLive) is already launched.

Nope, no rogue texworks.exe or related are running.

> Assuming nothing was found there.. (if it was, select it, and End
> Process on it, and try to launch TeXworks in your dos prompt)
>
> Now Click on CPU column header and make things using the most CPU
> appear at the top.

Okay.

> Prime your dos prompt with TeXworks.exe to go,
> then dexterously hit enter in your dos prompt to start TeXworks.exe
> while carefully gazing intently at your process CPU column and see
> what kicks in just before, and after TeXworks flashes past.

Nothing.

One comment here.  If I launch the non-TeX Live TeXworks.exe, it does not
seem show up in windows task manager at all.  If I launch the TeX Live
"wrapper" texworks.exe, it does show up briefly (it looks like one refresh
cycle) in task manager (but then exits almost immediately).  If I launch
the TeX Live "real" texworks.exe, it also does not seem to show up in
task manager.

(By the way, I did this with both an "non-privileged" dos prompt, and with
a "run as administrator" dos prompt (both with path set to null).  Same
result, either way.

> If this does not help, we may have to look at installing some process
> monitoring tools, and others on the list may be able to chime in here
> perhaps.

Well, let me know if you (or anyone else) has some more ideas.

> (I don't want to unduly trouble you, but if you do have a virtual box
> with an Xp or other windows install running in it, please try a
> freshly downloaded TeXworks portable install there, confirm it runs,
> then try copying your TeXworks portable install from the real machine,
> into the virtual box, and trying the copied version again in the
> virtual box.)

Unfortunately, I don't have a virtual box.

> And of course consider running  Malwarebytes or similar if you have
> not done so already.
>
> Paul.

Thanks again for your time and effort.


K. Frank


> On 2 October 2011 13:26, K. Frank <kfrank29.c at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi Paul!
>>
>> Thanks for your suggestions.
>>
>> On Sat, Oct 1, 2011 at 6:42 PM, Paul A Norman <paul.a.norman at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> HI,
>>> ...