EQ shutting down unexpectedly
 

This is a copy of the email I sent to EQTech support....their only suggestion was to upgrade to EQ 7. Anyone have any other ideas? Firewall interfering? (Lol...whatever thar means....I am truly computer challenged and old!!!) I
Am I able to save an image that I am tracing as I draw a few lines? Help! ;)


I recently installed EQ5 on my PC which has windows Xp. I just spent 2
hours converting a JPEG to bmp, imported it to the trace function, and
was happily cropping and tracing the block. A window popped up that said
a problem was encountered and the program closed-no option to save my
work was evident, so I am now back to square one. This has occurred
before, but luckily, I had already saved a version of the quilt I was
working on.....any suggestions?
I am fairly computer challenged, and I was so proud of myself for
getting so far in the tracing process! ;) Thank you!

Have you tried rebooting? If that doesn't work, reinstalling EQ5? Both of those are short of upgrading.

I hate to tell you this, but you really will be happier if you upgrade to a newer computer, operating system, and EQ7. The problem is that as a computer ages, the world around it changes (kind of like life in general I guess). New versions of this, that and the other get pushed onto the old computer over the internet, and eventually it can't keep up, the new stuff overwhelms it, and you start to get weird errors. At least that is my experience with our older XP system (and by "old" I don't mean ancient - just about 8 years or so). The only reason we keep the XP system is because it's a backup to the newer computer, and has a couple of programs that don't run on the newer one.

I re-installed EQ5 on my newer computer a few years ago. Forget what operating system is on that computer but it is newer than Vista. The only issue I have is that I frequently can't see blocks I've saved in the sketchbook unless I close down/restart the program. When I did the re-install EQ5 said the graphics would not work and initially they did not. Restarting the computer fixed that issue.

I would think you could save your tracing in your sketchbook midway through the project. I do that frequently if I make a change to the quilt or block I'm working on.

Windows XP is no longer supported with operating updates or drivers. That could be a problem. My favorite laptop is running Vista and I've found some of the newer software will give me a problem on it but not on a newer laptop running Window 8.

My first thought is you have a memory problem. Go to control panel and find system to see the details of the computer.No not your brain the computer. If it is old and you have low memory to hold the open programs and to run EQ. Which uses a ton of memory when you are designing. Add malware to the mix and it will continue to shut down on you! First find out how much memory you have on the computer. Second find Super Anti Spyware free program and run it several times. Also keep your anti virus updated. I can get hubby to give me the free ones he uses. Then if all else fails invest in a new computer.

Just now I received a newsletter from EQ

"
[h=6]EQ5 Upgrade Discount going away...[/h] Do you own EQ5, or know someone who does? EQ5 owners have only until the end of this month to take advantage of a special discount on EQ7. Offer ends January 31, 2014. Call 800-356-4219 (M-F, 9-5 EST) for more information. "

So, if you've thought about upgrading, this would be the time to do it.

i talked to linda at eq and she said it is not tecnically an upgrade... it is a full new eq7. what is ending is the $60 discount for previously buying eq5. so the price until the end of the month is about $129, after that it is about $180

I think anyone who's ever used a computer for any reason has experienced what you experienced.

When the EQ folks tell you to upgrade to EQ7, they are not too subtly telling you that they no longer support EQ5.
The memory problem mentioned by one of the other responders to your post could be the culprit. I doubt that XP is the problem, unless you haven't kept it up to date with fixes, etc for a long time before Microsoft ended support for it. (We have an xp that hasn't been updated since 2003. You can reach the internet with it, but when you try to open a web page, there's nothing but a mess in front of you because the software is so out of date. We can't even get the microsoft updates because it is so outdated. It still runs cds/dvds etc that were created when XP was king, so we let kids play games on dvds from before that time on it, and it's still good for using Word and Excel.

If the problem is inadequate memory on the xp or the xp hasn't been updated for a long time, an update from EQ5 to EQ7 may help, but my guess is that you will have the same problem again and again until your xp dies.

If you can't afford both a new computer and updating to EQ7, then:

a) run the "defrag" program on your xp computer. It will remove old files and unnecessary .tmp files. That will help with the memory. The operant word is "help", not fix completely. Do this on a regular basis. (You can schedule it for times you are not usually on the pc.) Note that old .tmp files will slow your pc down significantly and eventually kill it completely. Unfortunately, I learned that the hard way - it happened to me!

b) To reduce competition for memory, schedule automatic updates for a time when you know you will not be using the computer.

c) Only use EQ5 after you have exited other applications like web browsers or word/excel on your pc. Again, that reduces the competition for memory.

d) When using EQ5 save your work frequently.

If/when you upgrade to Windows 8 and EQ7, this is still very important to do. Failures can happen anytime, no matter how new/old the pc is.

(We bought a Window 7 pc about a year ago, brought it home, did all the stuff you have to do with a new pc - and then it failed over and over until we decided it simply didn't work. We returned it for another and have had no trouble with it.)

e) Save a copy of ALL your important files on a thumb drive. Save files you are using to the thumb drive every time you update them. That way even if your pc fails, you have your work saved. I am a bit paranoid about this and save to two different thumb drives because one of my thumb drives failed.

I hope this helps you. Good luck.