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DonationCoder.com Software => Mouser's Zone => UrlSnooper => Topic started by: jwba on September 20, 2006, 05:45 AM

Title: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: jwba on September 20, 2006, 05:45 AM: I installed urlsnooper having downloaded the latest version from the site.
Installed ok and worked well the first time I ran it. However the next time I attempted to run urlsnooper ether from the desktop link or from the executable directlly it would not start.
I removed the app and reinstalled, ran firdt time and the same suituation occurred.
I then thought that what I needed to do was to register and get a key which is what I did.
Because you need urlsnooper up and running to copy and paste in the key, I removed the app and reinstalled.
So far so good , up and running and applied the key and tried the app -worked well then when i finished closed urlsnooper.
Next time I tried to use the app it again refused to start and since I had previously removed and reinstalled I tried this again.
This time absolutely no go - error message to the effect that it could'nt locate -URLSnooper.ntv.lng - although the file is present in the installed folder.
I can only presume that this licensing arrangement has messed things up - sweet.
Anyway - how can I fix this and any ideas why urlsnooper refused to restart in the first place.

dell inspiron 9300 running xp sp2
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: mouser on September 20, 2006, 06:32 AM: none of our programs do anything crazy like this when they are not licensed.
when you say it wouldn't start can you be more specific? you can also mail me at [email protected].

when you say it worked, do you mean it actually found urls on the internet?
it sounds like it could be a problem with the winpcap driver.

next time it happens try mailing me a copy of the Settings.ini file in the url snooper directory and maybe i can see something wrong, and try deleting the Settings.ini file and see if that lets the program start up, maybe there is some problem with the ini file.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: kisakarina on October 02, 2006, 11:18 PM: I'm a new user and have the same problem. It started up the first time but could not auto detect an adapter. So I shut it down to check everything. When I started it back up, I got three error messages at startup, the first two the same "URLSnooper has caused an error in URLSnooper.exe" and the third is "URLSnooper has caused an error in Kernel32.DLL". I've uninstalled it, dowloaded the latest version, even uninstalled WinPcap and let it reinstall it. I still get the error messages.

I use Windows ME. I'll email you the settings.ini file.

Kisakarina
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: kisakarina on October 03, 2006, 01:30 PM: I tried the modification of the ini file Mouser recommended and it didn't work. However, renaming the folder did work, although an adapter was never found.

I installed it on my daughter's XP computer and it worked fine.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: kisakarina on November 03, 2006, 05:18 PM: Ha, I forgot I wrote this and posted to another part of this forum.

I'd like to use UrlSnooper and to make a donation, too. I just need to get it to work on my WinME machines.

I downloaded the latest version today. It still won't start the second time, with the error messages above.

I can rename the folder and get it to start up. However, it won't autofind the adapters. I uncheck autosearch and it acts like its working, but sniffs no URLS. The only adapters it finds are PPP and unknown.

With unknown checked, it gives a fail to initialize error message. With PPP checked, it gives no such message, but doesn't report URLs like my daughters XP machine does.

Is this enough info for you to figure how how to fix it? Thanks!

kisakarina
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: myu_tky on January 05, 2007, 11:16 PM: Please acknowledge the following sentences though it is not thought that the meaning is understood easily because it converted it with the translation software.

Two or more errors occur in my PC when starting now.
The result error variously tested as the state of PC was made beautiful was able to be evaded.
It succeeded in the start by deleting the following registries.
(It is necessary to delete it before it starts every time.)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Borland\Locales

It would be greatly appreciated if it serves as a reference.

OS: Windows98SE
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: mouser on January 06, 2007, 01:48 PM: kisakarina,

i will try to do some tests this weekend to try it on windows 98 and ME and report my findings - perhaps i can discover the problem.

myu_tky: It might be the same problem with Windows 98 that is causing your error. I report in the next day or two about my experiences with Windows 98.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: kisakarina on January 08, 2007, 03:35 PM: This will be appreciated, as I've been unable to get URLsnooper to run on my home computer.

Best wishes,

kisakarina
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: JonBoy on January 25, 2007, 09:31 AM: ... I got three error messages at startup, the first two the same "URLSnooper has caused an error in URLSnooper.exe" and the third is "URLSnooper has caused an error in Kernel32.DLL". ...

I use Windows ME.
-kisakarina (October 02, 2006, 11:18 PM)

Same sequence of error messages encountered on WinME using 2.14.02. Installation on WinXPSP2 machine is just fine.

Any progress with testing?
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: mouser on January 25, 2007, 09:36 AM: Sorry i keep falling behind in this - always gets pushed back in the queue. I am putting it on my todo list again and should have a fix by monday if all goes well.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: JonBoy on February 04, 2007, 09:46 AM: Sorry i keep falling behind in this - always gets pushed back in the queue. I am putting it on my todo list again and should have a fix by monday if all goes well.
-mouser (January 25, 2007, 09:36 AM)

I know you didn't specify any particular Monday ;) but I thought I'd try to bump this up your ToDo list as a friend is also experiencing the same sequence of error messages on WinME.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: mouser on February 04, 2007, 11:24 AM: Thanks for being so nice about the delays.
Here is a new version to test:
https://www.donationcoder.com/Beta/URLSnooper.exe

I can't guarantee that winpcap will detect your adapter, but i have tried this on win9x and it installs and runs without trouble. I've added code to detect the operating system and install the proper version of WinPCap.

So.. Give it a try and let me know if it works (you may need to reboot after it installs if it doesn't detect your network adapter).
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: kisakarina on February 05, 2007, 07:46 AM: On my WinME computer, this new version won't start. A screen saying it won't start pops up immediately, and when I click close, it shows two more of the same screens.

Thanks for working on it. Hope you find a solution!

kisakarina
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: mouser on February 05, 2007, 09:25 AM: can you take a screenshot of the error message please?
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: kisakarina on February 05, 2007, 06:41 PM: I just realized that one error message is different. Here they are in the order they show up. When I click on "close," that's when the next error message pops up.

(http://www.beecavewoods.com/unpublished/Image1.jpg)
(http://www.beecavewoods.com/unpublished/Image2.jpg)
(http://www.beecavewoods.com/unpublished/Image3.jpg)

Does this help? Thanks.

kisakarina
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: mouser on February 05, 2007, 11:37 PM: Anyone else with WinMe could try this latest version - it's strange that it's working on my test win98 machine.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: JonBoy on February 08, 2007, 07:02 AM: Anyone else with WinMe could try this latest version - it's strange that it's working on my test win98 machine.
-mouser (February 05, 2007, 11:37 PM)

Don't have WinME myself but the person to whom I've recommended URLSnooper has the same symptoms after doing uninstall of both winpcap and program and then installing that beta after reboot. Can you confirm version numbers so we know we're all trying the same one?
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: JonBoy on February 20, 2007, 09:41 AM: Posting this info in case it's a possible diagnostic aid for WinME problem.

My friend decided to uninstall URLSnooper (the recent beta) but, when selecting the program in the WindowsME add/remove function, received an error message stating that the program did not exist!

Attempting to use URLSnooper's uninstall option on the Start menu gave the same message.

Apparently, a search of some sort for URL Snooper then produced 84 items.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: mouser on February 20, 2007, 09:55 AM: i'll have to try the uninstall in winme too and see if there are any issues.
in case your winme friend feels brave, see this post: https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=7503.0
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: rjam on April 02, 2007, 02:07 PM: Anyone else with WinMe could try this latest version - it's strange that it's working on my test win98 machine.
-mouser (February 05, 2007, 11:37 PM)

I have very similar experience as kisakarina.

WinMe OS
Broadband cable modem.
Running AVG firewall by Grisoft.
Network connection for my stand alone computer is:
SMC EZ Card 10/100 (SMC1211TX)

I installed URLsnooper latest version v2.17.01 (aka v2.18) yesterday.
It opened.
It could not find a network adapter.
Gave me some option to find one manually.
but I'm not familiar enough with URLsnooper to do that.
I closed URLsnooper and looked at my network settings and firewall settings.
When I tried to reopen URLsnooper,
I got the same 3 exact error msg's that kisakarina got.

eg
"Urlsnooper has caused an error in URLSNOOPER.EXE
Urlsnooper will now close."

I click on the "close" button.

same msg returns.

I click on the "close" button.

then same message returns except the error is now caused in kernel32.exe

I click on the "close" button.

This time msg does not return.

Since then, I've tried changing my firewall profile to allow URLsnooper,
then also to assign stand alone desktop profile to all network adapters.
I've tried uninstalls and reinstalls of both URLsnooper and winpcap,
then both the beta version and non beta of URL snooper.
No luck. Can't open the program.

I also made a donation and got a license key,
but can't even open the program to install the license key.

My uninformed guess, is that it would help to have a backup step
coded in at the point where a network adapter is not found.
If the user cannot find a network adapter either by autodetect, or by manual search,
the user should be able to close the window, look up solutions, and reopen URLsnooper later.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: rjam on April 03, 2007, 02:05 AM: I got my urlsnooper to run again, after it refused to open the next 10 times
after first open and close.

But it's test of my 2 network adapers failed. (PPP & NDIS 5.0)
So I updated my Ethernet 10/100 driver.
Accton EN1207D/En2242A Series NDIS 5.0 driver
That showed up a bit more specifically in the detected network adapters.
However it too, failed URLsnooper's test.

I tried deactivating my firewall and accessing the Internet for 30 seconds.
Made no difference.

After another day of exploring most conceivable options on and off line
including list of supported network adapters, on WinPcap site,
I eventually struggled to the point of actually receiving (sniffing) packets.

To get urlsnooper to open on my Windows Millenium
I had to uninstall urlsnooper and winpcap,
then clean up manually in my registry any references to installed urlsnooper and winpcap
(left references to folders that simply stored the original download/setup file)
I also ran my Vcom Registry fixer.
Reboot, then reinstall urlsnooper and winpcap.
This time I let it default install in my c/program files partition,
instead of my preferred d/apps/program files partition.
Rebooted again.
Opened urlsnooper.
It's auto detect of my network adapters does acknowledge the one with new driver.
but still gives failed message after test.

However, when I entered an url near bottom, and clicked on "open browser" button,
the packet number began increasing.
So I''m able to get data.
But it was a huge pile of work to get urlsnooper running.
And I havent' gotten any useful urls from a multimedia site yet.

Packets stop coming when I turn on the option to "only scan this computer."
Packets start coming when I turn that option off.
This is opposite of the advice I read either on urlsnooper site or winpcap site.

I was going to see if I could reopen urlsnooper this time, after closing it.
Can't even close it now.
error message on attempted closing of urlsnooper =
"Access violation of address 004063D6 in module 'URLSNOOPER.EXE'. Read of address FFFFFFFF."

urlsnooper window will minimize, maximize and minimize to system tray. But it won't close.

One step forward and unknown number of steps backward.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: mouser on April 03, 2007, 02:22 AM: I'm most interested if the fix described here solves some of the winME/9x issues:
https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=7503.0

I will also try to locate an older version of url snooper before some of the localization code was added, to see if that really is the cause of these crashes (or if its a new issue with winpcap).

One thing that should be done by everyone having trouble with autodetecting the network adapter: turn off this function(!). The autodetection of the network adapter can fail if the firewall blocks url snooper, and it's a totally optional step. if in doubt, go to advanced mode and then to options and disable autodetection permanently, and just select your adapter manually.

if it's any consolation, url snooper is one of the most popular programs on our site and it's used by tens of thousands of people without error. I know that doesnt help you few who are getting these errors, i just want to emphasize that this is not the normal experience of people :( I also know this doesn't help you much but i'll say what you've probably heard before, which is that the move from win9x/ME to XP was a wonderful experience for many of us, and is definitely something worth considering. Having said that, i am still committed to making url snooper work well again on WinMe/9x.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: rjam on April 03, 2007, 02:28 AM: someone just posted on another forum a workaround they found for url snooper crashing on win98:

It involved deleting this registry entry:
[Select]
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Borland\Locales\C:\Program Files\URLSnooper2\URLSnooper.exe

If anyone with the win98/me crashes wants to try that and let us know if it works it would be nice..
meanwhile ill try to find out why and a more official fix.
-mouser (February 17, 2007, 05:09 AM)

I too, noticed that entry for Borland in my registry, when I was manually cleaning up before trying to reinstall urlsnooper.

I deleted one of the 2 entries. The 2nd one skipped out of view before I noticed.

I got back to it now & removed.

My urlsnooper in windows Me did reopen a second time in a row, without my having to uninstall, clean up, reboot and reinstall each time.

Thanks for the reminder/tip.

Uh-oh, but on the 3rd time in a row, it was back to not opening again, and giving same error messages.

Well, at least I'm not 100 % locked out of it's use.

I think it would be a really cool product if I could get it to work without the above probs.

Oh, while I was typing this, I got a msg saying there was another post.

This is a very impressive messageboard and info source.

I'm a bit surprised I'm having this much trouble with the urlsnooper program,
considering the unusually well organized and presented material otherewise here.
However I'm aware there is a declining compatibility with older equipment as time goes by.

I'll try to take a look at the newest reference site with possible fix.

Thanks for your support.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: rjam on April 03, 2007, 02:30 AM: Delayed browser update, led to double posting.
Can't find a delete button.
So simply editing duplcate material out.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: rjam on April 03, 2007, 03:22 AM: Your'e welcome.

It would be better to delete only the data item whose name is the urlsnooper path.
To do this you have to know to double up the backslashes.

However, having stumbled upon this at lingobit (http://www.lingobit.com/solutions/delphi/resource_only_delphi.html) I tried changing the value instead.

Replacing "EXE with "" had no effect; it gets reinstated.

But replacing "EXE" with "DLL" provokes an error message on startup:
title: 'Localizer Error' text: 'Language "German" is not found' button: 'OK'
On pressing 'OK' the normal url snooper window appears (using English).
The registry entry retains the "DLL" value, so this modification doesn't need repeating.

It probably imagines I want "German" because my LCID in ControlPanel/International is 807.
But my win98SE is 409 and I expect English.
-dotdot (March 01, 2007, 03:41 PM)
Well, I didn't understand the undiscerning Regedit file in dotdot's earlier post.

However I was able to guess at what she/he was indicating in this post, re. replacement of "EXE" with "DLL".

I did not understand the issue of the double backslashes. But didn't need to, I guess.

The DLL replacement for EXE in the Data field modifyer worked so nice, I can't help smiling, at a solution after about 30 hours of intermittent and mostly unsuccessful work. I LOVE clicking on the button to tell the machine "English is not found." A human confusing a computer program into doing a mistake, that results in what the human needs, is a very pleasing role reversal.

So now urlsnooper opens and closes reliably on my windows millenium machine, thanks to
this rube goldberg misdirect of a dysfunction.

Now I have to figure out how to get urlsnooper to find anything useful in it's packet sniffing.

Thousands of packets eventually mount up, but nothing shows, except for a partial url the very first time packets were sniffed. Now no urls or even partial urls, even from multimedia sites, with streaming audio-video.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: mouser on April 03, 2007, 03:40 AM: try a test, while it is sniffing go to a site like http://www.c-span.org/
you should get quite a few found urls.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: onerudyard on May 23, 2007, 01:02 PM: A new workaround for Win98 and WinME users.

I am using URLSnooper under Win98SE and finding the same problems as other earlier posters. Whilst the workaround described previously will get URLSnooper working, it generates a Localiser Error message each time the program is started. This new workaround avoids this problem and gives an error-free startup each time.

The problem only arises when the program starts using the "native" english language. If the Translation Pack is downloaded and, say, the french or german language files are placed in the URLSnooper2 directory, then the program will start correctly, albeit in either french or german, provided one of these additional languages is selected from the Languages menu (which will appear automatically when a language file is present).

To get the program to start correctly in english it is neccessary, then, to create an english "translation" file. Download the Translator Kit (link is on URLSnooper homepage) and use this to create a new language file. I chose English(United States) but you could choose any that are on the list. DO NOT simply select English as this will produce confusion with the "native" (english) language file. It it probably not neccessary to actually edit anything (although being a pedant who needs to get a life, I did correct a few typos), simply save the new language file, URLSnooper.ENU.lng, to the URLSnooper2 directory.

Next use REGEDIT to delete the value
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Borland\Locales\"C:\Program Files\URLSnooper2\URLSnooper.exe"

Now start URLSnooper. A new menu item - Languages will be present. There should be two options on the drop down menu. English (which will have been automatically selected) and English(United States), the new language. Select this. The registry key will now be set to "enu" and when URLSnooper is started on any subsequent occasion it will automatically start with English(United States) as the language.

I would be glad to post the file "URLSnooper.ENU.lng" on this forum to save you all the bother of going through the above, but as it is a binary file and I am new to boards like this, I have no idea how to do that or even whether it is feasible.

I will also make a separate posting that will detail a series of observations on what is happening when the program starts/refuses to start that may prove useful in diagnosing the cause of the problem and aid in resolving it.
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: mouser on May 23, 2007, 01:21 PM: sounds great onerudyard -- i did discover it was localizer issue but had trouble rebuilding it with fixes, so any discoveries you found would be very welcome indeed. you can email me (the author of url snooper) at [email protected] directly if you like.

oh, and welcome to the site :up:

-mouser
Title: Re: URLsnooper refuses to start!
Post by: onerudyard on May 24, 2007, 12:20 PM: Now that I have figured out how to add attachments to my postings (people like me should not be let loose on a site until they have learnt how to use it properly - sorry), here is a zip of the file URLSnooper.ENU.lng that should solve the "won't start under Win98/WinMe" problem. (See my posting of 23 May 2007).