I don’t know if this here is relevant, but just to share.
Thanks, I will look into it.
Ulf via Steinberg Forums schreef op 2024-11-26 14:40:
Hi!
I am the person Ulf referenced above who is also having this issue.
I have been a Dorico user since Version 1.0. This issue developed with the recent Dorico 5.1.6 update.
I have been using Dorico with no issues since it’s inception. At some point, and I can’t recall if it was the first or second Dorico 5 update, it started taking longer to launch Dorico, and I’d get a message saying that “the audio engine is taking longer than expected to respond” with an option to “continue to wait” or “terminate”. When I’d choose “continue to wait”, Dorico would launch and then work as expected.
After the Dorico 5.1.6 update, my computer began behaving oddly, just as described above by the OP. At some point after launching Dorico, my computer will partly freeze, no longer allowing me to open any files/programs. When this happens I am unable to move a file to the trash or from one folder to another in the Finder. However, any programs that were open before this “freeze” happens will continue to work. For example, if I have WhatsApp open, I will continue to be able to send/receive messages. If I quit WhatsApp at that point, though, I am unable to relaunch it.
I have been unable to determine what is causing this, other than it is definitely Dorico. But it doesn’t appear to be a specific action in Dorico that causes this, and it is hard to know when it is happening (time-wise) because I’ll only notice it once I try to open another program or move something in Finder. It is important to note that this issue only happens with Dorico. I recently avoided launching Dorico for about a week and the issue didn’t arise. Shortly after launching Dorico, it happened again. I have done a number of shorter “Dorico fasts” for 2-4 days and the same thing is true. The issue only occurs after Dorico has been launched.
To address the specific suggestions above:
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It is not possible to Force Quit the Finder when this happens, as the Finder is not responsive.
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I’m on a late 2015 iMac 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 with 16 GB RAM. OSX Monterey 12.7.6
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It is 100% reproducible in that it only happens once Dorico is launched, but it is not possible to identify precisely when it starts. I can launch Dorico and launch other programs after, until I can’t. The only way I can determine that the crash has happened is by when I try to launch a program and it doesn’t open.
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It doesn’t happen when Dorico quits, just begins at some random point after Dorico has been launched, even while Dorico is still open.
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I have a number of other audio VST’s and music programs on the ccompter, including Logic, various instrument libraries/plugins from companies like VSL/NI/UA and I’m running a UA Apollo Quad Core interface. All of this has been working fine until the Dorico 5.1.6 update.
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When the problem occurs, the mouse pointer works and I can switch to other apps that are already open. There are no alert windows popping up.
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I have a SSD, not a Fusion drive so that can’t be the issue. As well, I’d note again that this issue only occurs after I launch Dorico, so I find it highly unlikely that it is a drive issue at all.
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I don’t believe that this has anything to do with screenshots, as I don’t take a lot of screenshots, and it happens consistently, even when I am certain no screenshots have been taken.
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Hi,
This is a great summary of the exactly the same problems that I experience too, thanks for that. Your English is obviously much better than mine. I couldn’t have explained the issues better; and I don’t understand everything you are saying …
Hopefully Dorico recognizes it as an issue to be solved.
I’m not a very technical person, si I find it difficult to make all kinds of system changes so I must depend on what experts find to solve the problem.
As long as that lasts, we must cope with Dorico as it is now.
Groeten uit Nederland,
Joost
Binkeys via Steinberg Forums schreef op 2024-11-26 15:41:
I can tell you that Ulf has spent several hours sharing my screen as we tried to figure out what is causing this. (I think I should be an honorary member of the Dorico trouble-shooting team by now.) So far, no resolution, but we did somewhat determine which direction to look in, as Ulf describes above.
I will say that the last test we did was very easy to do, and if you could do it, it might well be helpful in identifying the source of the conflict. If you’re in touch with Ulf, he can tell you what to do, but it involves opening Terminal and pasting a command into it (the command presumably needs to be specific to open an app that you have. In my case, we did it with Kontakt, which you may not have.) Then, you simply wait until you see that the computer freezes, go to Terminal, and hit enter. In my case, Kontakt did launch that way, despite my being unable to launch it the way I usually would. This helped narrow down the issue, I believe.
In any event, I can definitively say that Dorico is taking this seriously and attempting to solve it.
Great work, mister Binkeys (or is it misses? I can’t tell)
Binkeys via Steinberg Forums schreef op 2024-11-26 17:36:
Hi @Binkeys and @webuplease,
let’s do some other test:
- Press Command-Option-Esc and a little window appears from where you can force quit applications.
- Leave that window open and start Dorico
- Bring your computer into that funny state
- Return to the little window, select Finder in the list and press the button to restart it
After doing that, how does your computer behave then?
Thanks Ulf,
The next time Dorico freezes (I can’t predict when that is going to happen) I will run the test that you propose and will come back to you with the results.
Regards,
Joost
Ulf via Steinberg Forums schreef op 2024-11-29 07:54:
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Today no problems. To be continued.
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Hello Ulf,
Today my computer froze again after working with Dorico. I tried to do the test you proposed. Unfortunately there was no positive result. The only unfreeze solution was (again) to restart the computer.
I hope that whit the release of un update of Dorico this problem will be solved.
To be continued, I guess.
Regards,
Joost
Hi Ulf,
Same here. Doing this made no difference. Hoping for good news soon; this is quite frustrating.
Hi guys, sorry but I’m really running out of steam.
Then let’s do another test then:
- First start the Activity Monitor app and then Dorico. In the Activity Monitor highlight the WindowServer process.
- Wait until your computer starts playing stupid again
- As soon as it does, turn to Activity Monitor and force quit the WindowServer process. In order to do so, at the top of the Activity Monitor is a round little icon with an X inside. Click on that and you will get prompted if you really want to do that, because it also requires a new logging in. But say yes and go ahead.
- Log in again and see how if feels
Many thanks as always for your collaboration. Really appreciated.
Finally some progress!
This just happened. When I force quite WindowServer, the computer returned me to the login window, and when I logged in, it opened all of the programs that had been open, including Dorico. It took significantly less time then restarting the computer from scratch does.
Since then, I have (so far) for the past few minutes only, been able to launch other programs. I will update you if/when it freezes again.
I spoke too soon. This restart only works partway. I am unable to move files from finder to trash and redoing the force quit hasn’t helped after the first one. I am now not able to open any other programs, even after force quitting WindowServer (I’ve tried several times).
Oh dear, and what if you quit Dorico? Does that heal the situation or do you need to do a reboot to get normal behaviour back?
Quiting Dorico doesn’t help. If you do so, Dorico doesn’t respond anymore via the Finder, so a restart is the only option.
Same here. If I quit Dorico, I can not relaunch it without a restart.
Is it possible to do Help > Create Diagnostic Report the next time this happens? If so could you post it here? I suspect the report won’t reveal anything obvious but it might rule out some possible explanations.
Hi Richard,
That is probably possible. I will try it. But (purely coincendence) I had no problems today…
Regards,
Joost
Richard Lanyon via Steinberg Forums schreef op 2024-12-03 16:59:
Hi @webuplease and @Binkeys,
I still have your issue in the back of my mind and also sometimes think about it, but to be honest, I’m really out of steam now and don’t know what to propose next. It really hurts me to leave you behind, but we are slowly entering into the silly season. I have only two working days left next week before entering into my well deserved Xmas vacation.
Of course you are not forgotten, but also not dealt with top priority. I hope for your understanding. Thanks, Ulf
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