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GX Developer 8.25B "Cannot Allocate Share Memory"

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I am trying to install GX Developer 8.25B on a computer running Windows XP Professional. I also am trying to install the GX Converter that is on the CD. I can manage to install GX Developer, but if I try to install GX Converter in the same C:\ Melsec folder (which is the default), my GX Developer stops working properly. I have repeated "Unable to Allocate Share Memory" errors. Closing and restarting GX Developer does not eliminate this. Rebooting the computer does not eliminate this. I can uninstall both GX Developer and GX Converter. When I reinstall only the GX Developer, it seems to work fine. The GX Converter included on the CD is version 1.10. If anyone else finds an answer to this, let me know. The manual refers to closing GX Developer and restarting it. This does not work for me.

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As a matter of interest, what are you using gx converter for?

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I am remembering a similar problem, but its been a while since I installed GX-dev I seem to remember that I had also to install somthing like 'melsec enviroment' (not sure of the exact wording) it was also on the CD. It was for XP and then I never got those memory messages again

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I have no idea what Shared Memory is in the Melsec World, but it often gives me a problem in IEC Developer. When some changes have been made in a POU, clicking on the "test POU" icon will often cause the application to "hang", requiring a CTR ALT DEL to stop the application. Luckily, it always recovers the file OK, but when re-starting IEC Developer, I get the message "Unable to allocate shared memory" ..... but it seems to work OK. Only way to get rid of this message and get a normal start, is to re-boot. This has done this on every version of IEC (up to 7.2) and previous versions of MM Plus, on loads of different PCs and every operating system I've tried (NT, 98, XP Pro). Strangely I don't get the error if I "build" the project, rather than "test" the POU, so that's what I now tend to do. Problem is that the "test POU" command is a key part of online modifications, which is great when IEC "hangs" halfway through an online mod. Now, how far exactly did that operation get? ....... hmmmmm.

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Try the following: First uninstall both GX Developer and GX Converter. Next Install Melsec Environment, the one delivered with GX-Developer Next install GX Converter. Do not install the Melsec environment delivered with GX Converter.

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The GX Developer 8.25B I received is on a CD ROM from Mitsubishi. The CD contains the Melsec Environment, GX Developer and GX Converter. The order of install has always been: 1) Melsec Env 2) GX Developer 8.25B 3) GX Converter You mentioned not installing the Melsec Environment delivered with GX Converter. I am installing the Env that is supplied with the CD. I am not sure that I understand your suggestion. I require GX Converter, because I must export text files of the ladder list that I later compile for use in a machine tool PLC. Loading a machine tool ladder program is typically not done with a download cable, but by loading a compiled ladder file (.LDX) directly off of a floppy disk or a USB portable drive. The GX Developer seems to work fine until I install the GX Converter from the CD. This somehow is corrupting GX Developer. When I try to open a project in GX Developer after I have installed GX Converter, Windows XP reports a that there is an error and that GPPW.EXE must shut down. The problem seems to be coming from a file called PARAM.DLL. I have contacted the Applications Support Group at MEAU, and they are looking into it, but do not have an answer for me yet. If anyone has run into this problem before and found a solution, I would like to know how you were able to load both software packages.

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I run both software packages besides each other, together with all other software from Mitsubishi without any problems. Each software package on the CD has its own melsec environment, only install those from GX Developer. Try to install the GX Converter in a different folder in Windows.

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Good luck with trying to get Mitsubishi in admitting they got something wrong. They never admit to problems - with anything. Have you ever sent a faulty PLC back? I have had 2 in 12 years. Both were replaced without a quibble but when I asked what they found I was told that they were perfectly ok (They were not) A person fron Mitsi told me (in confidence) that it is something to do with Japanese policy that they never admit anything is faulty or wrong.

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I have been hoping that I am simply installing in the wrong order. The documentation is not very clear when it comes to installing GX Developer and GX Converter. There is no clear explanation of the procedure. It does appear that GX Developer has to be installed first. When I install the CD, the menu option for installing software lists the following choices: 1) INSTALL MELSEC ENV 2) INSTALL GX DEVELOPER 3) INSTALL GX CONVERTER 4) INSTALL GX EXPLORER I have tried installing in this order: 1) 2) 3) I have tried not loading the MELSEC ENV, and only installing in this order: 2) 3) I have even tried installing GX Developer in C:\MELSEC, and then installing GX Converter in a different folder. When I do this, GX Developer still crashes. What is interesting, is that I can open one of the Sample projects that is provided when I install GX Developer. When I open the Sample1 project, GX Developer does not crash. If I open a project I created under GX Developer using version 8.25B (I can create a project as long as I never install GX Converter), the GX Developer crashes. I sure hate spending over $1000 for a piece of software that I cannot even install properly.

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At the momnet I am using GX developer 7.11M, installed in order 1-2-3-4 as you wrote. Don't have problems like shared memory etc. I remember having lots of such problems before when using older laptop with very little RAM (only 256Mb). Usually everything would be ok after fresh boot but as you work with other applications they seam to leave clutter in system RAM (cached by OS in case you are about to reopen same program). The way I see it, this software doesn't rely on Windows to provide required amount of memory for it during loading, it seam to do it's own check to see if there is enough free ram or not. It also seams that cached applications or anything else that is still in RAM but not used is detected as reserved and program simply shuts down with an error message. I might be wrong about this but I know that upgrading to 512Mb didn't cure problem but it did make it appear much less frequent. One of the colegues who also had only 256Mb at the time had even more problems - his machine was sharing system RAM as video memory so he had even less for applications. Later as I was upgrading to new machine, I got 1Gb and never saw any of this - period. I would like to get even more but I have to find good way to tell my boss that I should get new machine every year.

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I'm using a Panasonic Toughbook with 512 MB and dedicated graphics card, running XP Pro and I'm pretty sure that the "Cannot allocate share memory" message when checking a POU is caused by a bug in IEC Developer. Whenever it arises, everything else is fine, the PC still operates fine, it just says that IEC Developer has "stopped responding". Have contacted Mitsubishi (limited help) and have failed to find any mention anywhere about what "share memory" actually is ...... XP doesn't seem to know and nor do the Mitsubishi support guys. Anyone know?

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I agree that problem is with GX Developer but given options, I would suggest to try upgrading RAM. I've seen same problem on a 512Mb PC (also with dedicated graphic card and with classic GX Developer). IEC version is bigger, supports more languages and probably asks for more RAM. After all RAM is so cheap and more is better... and if it cures the problem (it did for couple guys here including myself) what's the worst that can happen?

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I am running a pretty solid Dell Latitude D800 with 512MB of RAM. I have recently discovered another link to the problem with GX Developer crashing that I did not originally think of as being a possible issue. The problem with GX Developer crashing seems to be related to the processor that I choose when I create a project. I am trying to write a program for an FX3U. If I try to create a new project for an FX3U, or change an existing project to a FX3U processor, GX Developer will crash. I was able to create a project for an FX3U as long as I never install GX Converter. If I select any other type of processor, I do not have a problem. The GX Developer seems to work fine for me as long as I never install GX Converter (that is supplied on the same CD as GX Developer 8.25B). I can create an FX3U project without any problem as long as I have not installed GX Converter. When I install GX Converter, I am no longer able to open an application that has been created using an FX3U processor. I am also no longer able to change a processor in a project to an FX3U without GX Developer crashing. It seems to me that there is something with GX Converter that is not supporting the selection of an FX3U PLC. I have used GX Converter and GX Developer 7.01B for quite some time and never had any issues on this computer. Since I must now create a project for an FX3U, I upgraded to GX Developer 8.25B. I have sent this information to MEAU, and I am hoping they can find a cause. I have noticed that GX Converter is a much older piece of software than GX Developer. I don't know what it is installing that is corrupting GX Developer, but the problem seems to be centered around an unhandled exception in the PARAM.DLL file.

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If you're trying to use GX-Converter to bring an old project forward, try only telling it FX2N. Then in GX-Developer, try changing PLC type to FX3U. In 5 years working with Mitsu products, I've never had to use GX-Converter for anything. You can import old projects from Medoc from within GX-Dev. And it will directly open older GPPWin and GX-Developer files. I know you have emailed the problem with GX-Conv and GX-Dev to tech support, and I know they are actively working on the issue. I've not ever had any problems with the two on one machine, and I've installed all of them on numerous machines. Reproducing the error to figure out what causes it is a tech support nightmare. As for the 'Mitsu won't admit product failures' line... that's B.S. I used to work for a distributor, and if we sent a VFD in for service, we could ask for a root failure cause report and we'd get a detailed report from the repair guys.

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I wish I did not need GX converter. But unfortunately, the way that ladder programs are updated on a CNC machine is by exporting the text file of a ladder, so that it may be compiled by a special utility program (that most people have never seen before). The comments and ladder list must be exported into separate text files, and then the utility generates a compiled ladder file for use on the CNC machine. The compiled (.LDX) file is then loaded to the machine from a floppy or USB drive. You do not download ladders to the machine directly from GX Developer. I must have Converter and Developer, and I am probably one of the few that needs both.

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You are in a different country and talking about VFD's. I was told from a good source (and I have links with mitsiubishi) and I have never seen anything to contradict it yet. My enquiries have always met with - the product was perfectly ok. I know this might make you think its me - but I have been in this game a long while and I know when something does not work right. I admit I havnt had a faulty one in some years - but that is how it was.

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We have purchased 5 licensed copies of GX Developer and GX Converter, so I hope to have information shortly on how the installation has progressed on several other computers. If there is a pattern with this problem, then I would have to say it is not a problem in my Windows registry, etc.

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The question I would like answered is "What exactly is share memory?" I accept that upgrading the ram may "cure" the problem, but on a laptop that shows 300 Mb of spare memory (when all is loaded up and working), how much more does IEC need to work on a file that is about 3 Mb in size? Also, when it locks up on me, I close IEC, then restart it, I get the message "Cannot allocate share memory" ..... but it still works, so if it can't allocate share memory, what memory is it now using to work with? And if it quite happily works when it can't allocate share memory, what does it need share memory for in the first place? Almost get the impression that the error message is not actually related to memory at all ........ just happens to use that error message when it can't think of anything else.

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I have confirmed another case of GX Converter 1.10L causing GX Developer 8.25B to crash when an FX3U processor is selected in a project. There is a problem with GX Converter, and now I am just waiting on a response from MEAU to get a fix for this. If you do not need GX Converter (....I do), you will never see the problem.

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Unfortunately my frustration level with Mitsubishi's support is growing. The latest response today is that they think there is a problem with the different computers that I have installed GX Developer and GX Converter on. I spent several years as an applications engineer, and I know when someone has at least attempted to repeat a problem and when they have not. Some problems may be hard to duplicate, but my problem would not be difficult for anyone to repeat, provided that they have the GX Developer 8.25B installation CD which includes GX Converter 1.10L. After installing both, you would simply need to try to create a project for an FX3U PLC and watch the GX developer crash (or not). I am probably one of the few that requires the use of both GX Developer and GX Converter, and my problem is not a high enough of a priority. I have not had anyone attempt to repeat this problem at Mitsubishi. I certainly hope someone does, as it has been several days that I have had to deal with this issue. I would challenge anyone who has the GX Developer 8.25B installation CD to try to install GX Developer, and then GX Converter. Then try to create a dummy project with an FX3U processor. If it works great or not, I would love to know. P.S. My laptop has 1MB RAM. I forgot that I had updated it recently...... RAM is not the issue.

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I have done it with my classroom laptops (Toshiba) and my personal laptop. I've created several projects for FX3U after having both softwares installed. I've never seen the problems you are seeing. I assure you the guys are working on it. But we need to try to reproduce the problem, and no PC here is working to do it. We've asked the product managers for another build of the software to test, and are waiting for a response from him and his Japanese counterparts. Perhaps he will ask you to try a new currently unreleased version, if one exists. I've also been on the engineering side for years, and I assure you, it is incredibly difficult to troubleshoot a problem we cannot reproduce. I would think you would understand that, being you said you have also been an engineer. We've been troubleshooting a printing font size problem for a couple months and finally found a way to reproduce it. We've forwarded the info to Japan and are awaiting a response.

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Yes it is hard to fix a problem that cannot be reproduced My original problem with the support I got was that no one attempted to reproduce it with the same software versions. Fortunately I did find someone who did try to reproduce the problem, and he was not able to reproduce the problem. I still don't know what the issue is, but at least someone did try to reproduce it. That was all I wanted. I have so far reproduced the problem on three different computers. I used two different WIN XP Pro computers with different CD ROMS used for install, and a Windows 95 laptop. I will forward my Win 95 crash results and hope that a reason can be found. This seems to be more complicated of a problem than I originally thought, since I seem to be the only person able to reproduce the problem consistently. I was starting to lean toward a problem with the Win XP base installations on the two Dell laptops, but with the same crash occuring on a Win 95 laptop, I am no longer so sure. I am going to try another machine with Win 98, and a third desktop running Win XP.

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Has anyone at Mitsubishi Tech Support been able to tell you exactly what "share memory" is and what it is used for? I tried and tried and have yet to come across anyone who actually knows .............. Google seems to think that usually it's memory shared between multiple processors, but I'm sure that's not what it is in this case.

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To be honest, I have not asked about the shared memory issue, since this seems to be the most minor symptom of my problem. When I get a chance, I will ask. I have just received info from Mitsubishi that they were able to duplicate my problem, and they are sending me a newer version of GX Converter to test. I will try this out and post my results later. Hopefully, there is an end to this issue soon. It was hard for them to duplicate at first, but now that they have been able to do it, perhaps they can see the cause as well.

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Well, this issue has been resolved. A new update to GX Converter has solved the problem. It looks like Converter version 1.17T allows the selection of an FX3U processor. Thanks to the help from MEAU, they were able to discover the problem once it could be duplicated.

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