Re: Warning: Infinite Loop While Walking Icon List

[nathan@cco.caltech.edu (Nathan Mates)]

In article <4bulcl$ciq@news.wizard.com>,
Phaedrus <phaedrus@snark.wizard.com> wrote:
>I have been getting this message quite often lately and the the system
>crashes when I hit the return key. 
>Could someone please enlighten me as to the meaning of this message and 
>what causes it and how I might make a correction so that it doesn't 
>happen again.

   Memory corruption in one form or another. What would be helpful to
know is if you 1) _Always_ get this on loading the finder, or 2) Get
this error message more often when the computer's been on for a while,
doing a lot of finder operations, and such. If it's the first, it's
either a hardware memory fault (run one of the GS ram checkers-- AWGS
1.1 had one with it), or a corrupted icon file.

    Try moving all ICN (Icon) files from the "Icons" folder of each
hard drive or volume (you may have these hidden, so turn on the 'show
hidden files') to another folder so they won't be loaded. If the
problem disappears, put them back slowly until it reappears. This way,
you can isolate the bad ICN file and delete it.

   Next possibility is a damaged 'Desktop' file in the Icons folder.
You can try and delete it (or move it of, as before), and see if the
problem still persists. By deleting or removing it, you'll lose the
icons and attached filetypes for all programs that support rBundles
(GSHK, Foundation, and a bunch of Softdisk G-S things are the only
things I can list off the top of my head that have rBundles) until you
double-click on them to launch them. rBundles are a part of System 6
that's not fully implemented, definitely not really supported except
by the finder, and I'd bet there are some lurking bugs in it.

   Finally, and equally probable, is a program in memory that's
corrupting other program's memory. To test this out, try shift-booting
and see if the error message still reappears. If your system's better,
try disabling third party inits, control pabels, finder extensions,
and New/Classic Desk Accs until the problem disappears. Sometimes,
changing the order in which things are loaded at boot will mask or
uncover latent problems in these addons. 

   I wrote a program, MessageChecker, that monitors another critical
part of your system, the Message List, and notifies you immediately if
there's any problems with that. You might want to grab a copy from
ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu, pub/nathan and try it on your system.

Nathan Mates

-- 
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~nathan/      <*>
# And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the
# Kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in 
# parables" Mark 4:11, NRSV