Fatal Error - Can't open any Creo files or save any new ones.

[Corrdav]

I am using Creo Parametric - Release 7.0 (connected) 7.0 7.0.5.0

As of today, Im unable to open any files or save any new files. There were no issues yesterday or before.
I keep getting 'Fatal error encountered. A traceback has been written to..'
I have tried without config file and wiht config settings:
enable_opengl_fbo no
graphics win32_gdi

I have installed the latest graphics driver.
All to no effect.

Here are the errors that I faced
'Fatal error encountered. A traceback has been written to.. traceback.log. Please send it to Technical Support'

[StephenW]

Hard drive space?

Write access to your working folder?

[Corrdav]

Plenty of space.. Dell Precision laptop 2 months old

multiple working and start up directories tested, including my documents folder so i dont think write access is the issue.

[MartinHanak]

Maybe Windows update ... uninstall yesterdays updates.

[Corrdav]

thanks Martin.

so far as i can tell there were not recent updates to the OS.. or any other software installs.

[MartinHanak]

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@Corrdav wrote:

thanks Martin.

so far as i can tell there were not recent updates to the OS.. or any other software installs.

---

Hi,

last idea ... go to %APPDATA% directory and rename PTC subdirectory ... then test 7.0.5.0.

Note: I set PTC_WF_ROOT variable in parametric.psf file in every Creo installation and set its value to separate directory.

[jchelle]

Hi ptc-1192973

Thank you for reporting this issue with Creo 7.0 connected to Windchill.

Similar issue is documented in article CS321513.

Please check this solution and let us know if this resolves your issue as well

BR

Jean-Claude

[Corrdav]

Thanks Jean-Claude,

Im not using Windchill or any PDM so the resolution is unrelated.

[Corrdav]

Update:

Tried fresh install of 7.0.5.0 as well as 7.0.6.0

Same result.

Tried with a colleagues windows login profile.. same result

[Corrdav]

OK.. im back!

Fresh install of 7.0.4.0 is working for me.

very odd altogether.. 7.0.5.0 was working away fine for over a month until wed evening.

thanks everyone

[jchelle]

Hi,

As such issue occurred after a period of normal behavior with Creo Parametric, can you check if Creo is not using MS OneDrive synchronized folder .

For example Creo installation creates the buw folder for AFX-IFX  under the user documents folder by default.

Using folder synchronized in OneDrive is not supported. Article CS354275 

BR

Jean-Claude

[magnus.salomons]

We have been getting these issues as well. Upgraded to Creo 8.0.2.0 In end of Nov last year. Has been working fine until a couple of weeks ago when the first user got this problem. Then it has happened to four other users and today it happened to me.

So far upgrading to Creo 8.0.3.0 has solved the problem for all users. We're around 20 users. Never had a similar issue before and we have been using ProE/Creo since 2003.

[sacquarone · Accepted solution]

Hello @magnus.salomons & @Corrdav 

It's always difficult, even for us in PTC Technical Support, to provide a generic answer to this kind of questions, because a lot of different causes can lead into this unexpected behavior. Providing therefore here a useful technique to troubleshoot this kind of issues, when they occur.

IMPORTANT:

1. Techniques proposed later are dedicated to investigate the given issue in the scope of standalone Creo sessions
2. For more complex environments (example: occurs only when linked to PDMLink/ Occurs only when using a specific toolkit application / occurs only in scope of virtualized environments), please open a new post
3. Remember to restore intiail conditions after tests below to avoid any data loss or differences in term of congiruation used in your environment later on.

Step 1: User Profile Corrupted?

• Create an empty folder in a local drive
• Configure following environment variables to point to the above folder: PTC_WF_ROOT & CREO_AGENT_HOME
• Change "Start in" location of shrotcut to point also to the above folder
• Lanuch Creo Parametric and check if issue persists
  • If yes:
    • probable root cause: Windows User Profiles corrupted
    • Probable short term solution: Recreate User Profile
    • Probable long term solution: Investigate with help of local IT Department what causes the corruption of windows user profiles
  • If not, proceed with step 2

Step 2 : System/Network protections?

• Disable antivirus and firewall
• Lanuch Creo Parametric and check if issue persists
  • if yes:
    • Probable root cause: and antivirus or some prots blocked by firewall
    • Possible investigation: Opn Windows Event Viewer and check for abnormal activities (ERRORS related to the xtop.exe of Creo Parametric)
    • probable resolution: follow guidance of article 110511 to ensure all ports/executables called by Creo parametric are open in firewall/excluded from antivirus protections
  • if not, proceed with step 3

Step 3: Unsupported Configuration?

• Ensure starting using a config.pro wontaining a unique option graphics win32_gdi (written in a text editor)
• Lanuch Creo Parametric and check if issue persists
  • If yes: proceed with step 3
  • If not:
    • Probable root cause: Unsupported configuration
    • Check Hardware Support page (browse by partner) if current configuration is supported (expecially graphic card for the given model type)
    • Short term solution : stay in win32_gdi mode (with degrade graphical performance)
    • Long term solution: consider updating hardware (or potentially only graphic card) to a supported configuration

Step 4 : None of above suggestion helped?

1. Open a case to PTC Technical Support
2. Upload traceback.log file + trail file generated (leading in the exit) upon case creation process (PTC TS has tools to gather more information in the code starting from the traceback file, like the signature of exits, and trail may contain useful information of why issue occurred)

Regards,

Serge

[magnus.salomons]

Hi Serge,

Thank you for such a thoroughly detailed answer!

I have seen that you seem to answer almost all the posts in this forum and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that someone from PTC is adding their technical expertise into the problems we have. When I talk about problems I also have to mention that in general the software that we mainly use, Creo and Windchill, are really robust with very few problems and are much better than it was back in the Wildfire days.

Just wanted to mention that as I realize that my comment that we never had an issue like this before sounded like I was really dissatisfied with Creo 8.0. What I meant by this was the surprise that a new release worked without any major issues, slightly more crashes than previous 6.0 release, and then all of a sudden becoming unusable.

The tests I did was having a fresh new cache with an empty config but it didn't help plus also disconnected to Windchill. Since the upgrade to 8.0.3.0 solved the problem I'm ok with that although we couldn't find the root cause.

If the problem will come back again on this release I will definitely follow your step by step technique.

Again huge kudos for your support!