Recover files when nx5 crashes

[RobijnD]

Nx5 is a very stable program, but sometime it will crash like every program.
Some (3D) programs can reopen the latest temporary file.
Is there a way to work further with the data just before the crash?

Thanks,
Robijn
_____________________________
NX 5.0.6.3 MP9 windows xp 32bit
(end November nx7.5)

 

[JohnRBaker]

The best that you can do is to attempt to use the 'NX Log File' as a Macro which can be edited and played back starting after opening your last saved part.

With the advent of virtual memory based systems, the idea of a 'warm start' or 'recover last session' is virtually impossible to implement in any realiable manner.

Our best advice is the same advice which we've been giving for over 35 years:

FILE early and FILE often!

Note that you can help this along by enabling the 'Save File' reminder in...

Customer Defaults -> Gateway -> General -> Part

...and set a non-zero time interval for the 'Interval for Save Changes Reminder'.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[ugiismart]

John ,

Would you please explain the method of converting a log file into a macro , briefly , I think that recovering a model till the point of crash will save so many hours of re-working ...

thanks in advance ...

 

[JohnRBaker]

You don't actually 'convert' the syslog into a Macro as much as you let the system 'playback' the syslog AS IF IT WERE a Macro.

First thing to understand is that if you session truly CRASHED, then that NX session's syslog will be found in the System temp folder, usually located at something like:

C:\Temp

Now if you have not started any other sessions since the crach, it should be the LAST (i.e. newest) file in the \Temp folder with the files extension of .syslog .

Now while the procedure to 'play' the syslog is pretty simple, there are a few caveats. For one, if during the session where NX crashed you had performed any File -> Save or File -> Save As operations, you will need to isolate that portion of the syslog which was recorded AFTER those Save operations. basicaly what we're looking for is only the stuff that came after the last Save and before whatever you were doing when the crash occured. Of course if you didn't perform a Save operation, then you will need the entire file.

Now there are a couple of ground rules. You must start a new session and open the part you were working on when the crash occured and if this part was part of an assembly and any changes in the Work or Displayed part occured (after the last File Save operation) during your session then you will need to open the complete assembly as it was when the crash occured.

OK, lets say that there were no Save or Save-As operations in your session, then start a new session, open the part you were working on and if your session originally started in Modeling go to Modeling, if it was Drafting go to Drafting. Anyway, once your where you need to be, go to...

Tools -> Macro -> Playback...

...and when the file selection dialog comes up navigate to the \Temp folder and in the 'File Name' entry box enter...

*.syslog

...which assures that only .syslog files will be shown. Select the appropriate .syslog file and hit OK and the system should replay your session up to where the crash occurred. Now you may have to be careful here since it IS possible that the system will just crash again (it's supposed to halt just before that, but...) and so if it does crash once more, you'll have to make some changes to the .syslog file.

Open the .syslog file and go to the end and try to find the entries for the command that's causing the problem and delete those lines of &MACRO code. Usually just the last few lines will be enough.

Now go back and replay the .syslog once more.

OK, now if there are any Save or Save-As operations you are going to have to remove the portion of the &MACRO section of the .syslog before you can use it. So open the .syslog life and find the LAST Save or Save-As operation (use the text editors 'find' tool looking for something like 'UG_FILE_SAVE'. So starting there look ahead a few dozens lines are so until you get to something which says something like:

Part::SaveManager saved 1 parts successfully.

Now you will need to delete that line and everything which came before it back to a line which reads:

&MACRO *****************

Now do NOT delete this line as it the actual FIRST line in that part of the .syslog file which will be played-back as a macro and the system will be looking for that line so that it knows where to start.

Anyway, that's a bit complex and remember, there is no guarantee that this will work as there are many things that could have occurred (and which was recorded) which may causet the playback to fail or to end-up giving you the incorrect results so use this with caution knowing that it's only here to cover emergencies.

That being said, good luck and if you ever have to do this let us know how it turned out, OK?



John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.