Almost empty pages in a few minutes

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Blackhole
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Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Blackhole »

When I open a pdf file in read-only mode, it remains completely visible (from the first to the last page) for a few minutes only; then, if I try to reduce it to an icon and reopen it after a few seconds or minutes, it appears with pages that are almost empty or with few signs of writing, as if almost all the words had been deleted. The problem does not arise if the document is first saved and then opened.
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate
Editor version: 7
Last edited by Blackhole on Thu Feb 15, 2018 5:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Willy Van Nuffel
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Re: Almost empty pages in read-only mode

Post by Willy Van Nuffel »

Can you specify the exact version of PDF-XChange Editor V7 that you are currently using (something like Build 324.x) ?

I suppose this issue only happens with one specific PDF ?

In that case, can you post a copy of that PDF to this forum ?

If the PDF is confidential, you can better send a copy (with a reference to this topic) to support@pdf-xchange.com

Best regards.
Blackhole
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Re: Almost empty pages in read-only mode

Post by Blackhole »

Willy Van Nuffel wrote:Can you specify the exact version of PDF-XChange Editor V7 that you are currently using (something like Build 324.x) ?
323.1
Willy Van Nuffel wrote:I suppose this issue only happens with one specific PDF ?
No, with all PDFs
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Re: Almost empty pages in read-only mode

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Hello Blackhole,

Thanks for the reply and providing those details.
Please do update to build 324.2 (the current latest), and let us know if the problem is still there.

Regards,
Stefan
Blackhole
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Re: Almost empty pages in read-only mode

Post by Blackhole »

Ok, I will update and monitor the behavior.
In the meantime I wanted to rectify: the anomaly is even if the file has been saved locally, just keep it reduced to an icon (or maybe even just open as a task) for it to occur.
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Patrick-Tracker Supp »

Hi Blackhole,

Do let us know if the update resolves this behaviour. Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Cheers!
If posting files to this forum, you must archive the files to a ZIP, RAR or 7z file or they will not be uploaded.
Thank you.

Cheers,

Patrick Charest
Tracker Support North America
Blackhole
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Blackhole »

Hello everyone,
although the problem seemed resolved (after the update) in the first weeks, today I realized that it persists. Parts of pages become empty and several lines change with random characters.
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TrackerSupp-Daniel
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by TrackerSupp-Daniel »

Hi blackhole,

We have released another update, and at now in 324.3, can you try that first, then, if it still does not work,
Could you please send us a copy of one of the documents, either in this thread, or if it contains sensitive information, directly to support@pdf-xchange.com
Thank you!
Dan McIntyre - Support Technician
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Blackhole
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Blackhole »

Hi Daniel,
I understand that updates often solve issues, but if the behavior is not reproduced with other machines and the cause of the problem is not found in the programming code the issue may persist for a long time. It's a bit frustrating. Regarding the files you asked to send, I can say that the problem persists with any pdf document.
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TrackerSupp-Daniel
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by TrackerSupp-Daniel »

I am sorry Blackhole,
I understand how frustrating these things can be, But in order to solve the issues we need to know that as many variables as possible are the same while testing. This is why I simply need to see any one of the documents this happens with. If it does not happen on my machine, I was planning to export my settings profile for you to test the issue with.
If it is simply a settings issue, that should solve it, however if I can reproduce it then I can pass this along to the development team with detailed instructions on how to reproduce it, and they can certainly identify and fix the issue for you.

As with any program, No fix is going to be applied until the program has been updated, no matter how it is implemented. Following that, could you send me a document that displays the issue, and possibly export your settings (and send them to me) incase I cannot reproduce it? You can do this by clicking file > Export settings.

Please send everything to our support email support@pdf-xchange.com
Dan McIntyre - Support Technician
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kowalski215
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by kowalski215 »

Had the same problem but solved in this way:
- File -> Preferences
Select "Performance" and then check "Use system memory in megabytes". Specify 250MB (this worked for me at least).
Leave everything else as automatic, click apply and then restard PDF Xchange editor.

Let me know whether it solved or not, so we can double-check
Cheers from italy as well ;)
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Tracker Supp-Stefan »

Hello kowalski215,

Many thanks for sharing your solution!
Hope it will be useful to others in this thread as well!

Cheers,
Stefan
Blackhole
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Blackhole »

kowalski215 wrote:Had the same problem but solved in this way:
- File -> Preferences
Select "Performance" and then check "Use system memory in megabytes". Specify 250MB (this worked for me at least).
Leave everything else as automatic, click apply and then restard PDF Xchange editor.

Let me know whether it solved or not, so we can double-check
Cheers from italy as well ;)
Hello, thank you very much for your post, I also thought it was a ram problem; unfortunately this solution does not work for me. The problem persists.
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TrackerSupp-Daniel
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by TrackerSupp-Daniel »

Hello Blackhole,
Have you sent us what I've requested yet? I cannot seem to find it in our email archives or anywhere else.
Dan McIntyre - Support Technician
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kowalski215
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by kowalski215 »

Blackhole wrote:
kowalski215 wrote:Had the same problem but solved in this way:
- File -> Preferences
Select "Performance" and then check "Use system memory in megabytes". Specify 250MB (this worked for me at least).
Leave everything else as automatic, click apply and then restard PDF Xchange editor.

Let me know whether it solved or not, so we can double-check
Cheers from italy as well ;)
Hello, thank you very much for your post, I also thought it was a ram problem; unfortunately this solution does not work for me. The problem persists.
I see. It worked almost two hours for me then it started doing the same thing. Actually, I'd like to try the x86 (32 bit) version to see whether it still gives the same problem.
kowalski215
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by kowalski215 »

Blackhole wrote:
kowalski215 wrote:Had the same problem but solved in this way:
- File -> Preferences
Select "Performance" and then check "Use system memory in megabytes". Specify 250MB (this worked for me at least).
Leave everything else as automatic, click apply and then restard PDF Xchange editor.

Let me know whether it solved or not, so we can double-check
Cheers from italy as well ;)
Hello, thank you very much for your post, I also thought it was a ram problem; unfortunately this solution does not work for me. The problem persists.
Just another feedback: with the x86 version it seems to work. I don't know whether it's just a case or it is definitely solved. As soon as I'll have some more updates, I'll post here.
have a nice evening
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TrackerSupp-Daniel
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by TrackerSupp-Daniel »

I may have skimmed over an important statement in the initial post as well. As you said
Blackhole wrote: ...with few signs of writing, as if almost all the words had been deleted. The problem does not arise if the document is first saved and then opened....
If it only happens when the document is not saved, does this happen shortly after closing the application which you opened the document from? For example, using IE to open the document and then closing it while the document it open?
I want to say thsi could be the cause, but i need confirmation.
Dan McIntyre - Support Technician
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kowalski215
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by kowalski215 »

TrackerSupp-Daniel wrote:I may have skimmed over an important statement in the initial post as well. As you said
Blackhole wrote: ...with few signs of writing, as if almost all the words had been deleted. The problem does not arise if the document is first saved and then opened....
If it only happens when the document is not saved, does this happen shortly after closing the application which you opened the document from? For example, using IE to open the document and then closing it while the document it open?
I want to say thsi could be the cause, but i need confirmation.
As for me, I can simply says it happens whenever I open a document. After a few minutes everything disappears - btw please note that I usually highlight files, so the document is always "unsaved". I don't know about blackhole issue though, if it's the same thing or not.
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TrackerSupp-Daniel
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by TrackerSupp-Daniel »

Kowalski, I want to verify, are you also using Windows 7?
If so can you send me a screenshot of the system screen, I would like to know which update of Win7 is having this issue as it doesn't seem to occur in my windows 10 environment.
I'm going to setup a VM with that exact package and try it there.
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by kowalski215 »

Dear Daniel,
Nope, I'm actually using Win10 build 1709, latest one available.
It seems there's some problem with either RAM or Cache management. Or something similar. Cause the application actually does not stop working, it's just the text that disappears.
I've been using 32 bit version fora few hours now and the problem seems to have disappeared.
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TrackerSupp-Daniel
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by TrackerSupp-Daniel »

hmmm, How much system ram do you have kowalski?
And do you know your HDD cache size?
I feel like this could be a cache clearing issue, or something of the like, but that should only happen if the document is multiple gigabytes in size,
or it could happen if you have less RAM than windows 10 requires to run, but i doubt that.
Dan McIntyre - Support Technician
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by kowalski215 »

TrackerSupp-Daniel wrote:hmmm, How much system ram do you have kowalski?
And do you know your HDD cache size?
I feel like this could be a cache clearing issue, or something of the like, but that should only happen if the document is multiple gigabytes in size,
or it could happen if you have less RAM than windows 10 requires to run, but i doubt that.
No, definetely not my problem as I have 8GB of RAM and the documents I work on usually do not exceed 100MB.
Another detail I notice: sometimes the problem starts when you zoom it or zoom out. It seems that when he re-renders the page something goes wrong.

Please note that I Dont know anything about the actual development of pdf xchange so these are all hypotheses that I figure out based on my experience,but honestly there's little evidence I can point out the real problem. ;)
Thanks for your help

PS Solid state drive, no problem with actual hard disk cache. I was referring to how the software actually manages system RAM or cache, not limits in the ram or in the cache themselves
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TrackerSupp-Daniel
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by TrackerSupp-Daniel »

Yes, this is what I meant by "a cache clearing issue"
And I wont dismiss your hypotheses, at least not until I replicate the issue on my end and show it to the dev team, then they can answer the questions we are all asking.

Could you send me a document this happens with on your end? I still have not found anything that causes the issue on my end. so a sample file would help!
Dan McIntyre - Support Technician
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kowalski215
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by kowalski215 »

TrackerSupp-Daniel wrote:Yes, this is what I meant by "a cache clearing issue"
And I wont dismiss your hypotheses, at least not until I replicate the issue on my end and show it to the dev team, then they can answer the questions we are all asking.

Could you send me a document this happens with on your end? I still have not found anything that causes the issue on my end. so a sample file would help!
Sure
Link: https://www.solidfiles.com
Sharecode: /v/p862RjgGayAvv

May I please ask you to remove the link as soon as you have downloaded the file?
As it's actually a copy of a textbook. Thanks

There are actually other files that gives me the same problem however, not just that specific one
Blackhole
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Blackhole »

TrackerSupp-Daniel wrote:I may have skimmed over an important statement in the initial post as well. As you said
Blackhole wrote: ...with few signs of writing, as if almost all the words had been deleted. The problem does not arise if the document is first saved and then opened....
If it only happens when the document is not saved, does this happen shortly after closing the application which you opened the document from? For example, using IE to open the document and then closing it while the document it open?
I want to say thsi could be the cause, but i need confirmation.
As I specified in a subsequent post:
Blackhole wrote:Ok, I will update and monitor the behavior.
In the meantime I wanted to rectify: the anomaly is even if the file has been saved locally, just keep it reduced to an icon (or maybe even just open as a task) for it to occur.
kowalski215 wrote: Just another feedback: with the x86 version it seems to work. I don't know whether it's just a case or it is definitely solved. As soon as I'll have some more updates, I'll post here.
I have x86 architecture.. so I think that's not the reason.

Summary of the technical features of my (dated) system:
  • OS: Windows 7 Ultimate x86
  • RAM: 1Gb (DDR2-533)
  • Processor: Intel Pentium 4 630, 3000 MHz (15 x 200)
  • SPCC Solid State Disk ATA Device (52GB free / 111GB total)
Output of error:
Image

Output of normal display:
Image
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by kowalski215 »

Blackhole wrote:
TrackerSupp-Daniel wrote:I may have skimmed over an important statement in the initial post as well. As you said
Blackhole wrote: ...with few signs of writing, as if almost all the words had been deleted. The problem does not arise if the document is first saved and then opened....
If it only happens when the document is not saved, does this happen shortly after closing the application which you opened the document from? For example, using IE to open the document and then closing it while the document it open?
I want to say thsi could be the cause, but i need confirmation.
As I specified in a subsequent post:
Blackhole wrote:Ok, I will update and monitor the behavior.
In the meantime I wanted to rectify: the anomaly is even if the file has been saved locally, just keep it reduced to an icon (or maybe even just open as a task) for it to occur.
kowalski215 wrote: Just another feedback: with the x86 version it seems to work. I don't know whether it's just a case or it is definitely solved. As soon as I'll have some more updates, I'll post here.
I have x86 architecture.. so I think that's not the reason.

Summary of the technical features of my (dated) system:
  • OS: Windows 7 Ultimate x86
  • RAM: 1Gb (DDR2-533)
  • Processor: Intel Pentium 4 630, 3000 MHz (15 x 200)
  • SPCC Solid State Disk ATA Device (52GB free / 111GB total)
Output of error:
Image

Output of normal display:
Image
Ok, problem is the same but of course the solution is not the one provided (using x86)... don't know, let's wait for technical support then
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Patrick-Tracker Supp »

Hello All,

Thank you for your kind and persistent cooperation. There is a lot of information here, and it would seem we are not much closer to a solution. We are preparing to release a new build in a month or so. As such, I would like to see this issue extinguished with that release. It is a statutory holiday here in Canada so the Development is not available at this time. I would like to have them see this issue first-hand. Would either Blackhole or kowalski215 be willing to provide us access via TeamViewer to investigate this issue sometime next week?

Given the sensitive nature or remote sessions, please contact us via support@pdf-xchange.com to arrange a time next week to connect. We will post any findings here for the public to see.

Thank you all - let's get to the bottom of this!
If posting files to this forum, you must archive the files to a ZIP, RAR or 7z file or they will not be uploaded.
Thank you.

Cheers,

Patrick Charest
Tracker Support North America
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by kowalski215 »

Patrick-Tracker Supp wrote:Hello All,

Thank you for your kind and persistent cooperation. There is a lot of information here, and it would seem we are not much closer to a solution. We are preparing to release a new build in a month or so. As such, I would like to see this issue extinguished with that release. It is a statutory holiday here in Canada so the Development is not available at this time. I would like to have them see this issue first-hand. Would either Blackhole or kowalski215 be willing to provide us access via TeamViewer to investigate this issue sometime next week?

Given the sensitive nature or remote sessions, please contact us via support@pdf-xchange.com to arrange a time next week to connect. We will post any findings here for the public to see.

Thank you all - let's get to the bottom of this!
Well, It seems that on my computer the issue was actually solved with the x86 and I'll have no spare time in the next days as I'm actually preparing for my graduation.
Sorry for that, but that's quite important right now ;)
Hope blackhole will be able to contribute
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Patrick-Tracker Supp »

No worries kowalski215,

Thank you for following up! I am glad to know the 32 bit version solved your issue.

Cheers!
If posting files to this forum, you must archive the files to a ZIP, RAR or 7z file or they will not be uploaded.
Thank you.

Cheers,

Patrick Charest
Tracker Support North America
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Roman - Tracker Supp
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Roman - Tracker Supp »

Hello Blackhole,
Please send us a memory dump of the Editor process when you experience this issue next time.
To do this open Windows Task Manager (press Ctrl+Shift+Esc), locate PDFXEdit.exe process (Processes tab), right-click the process and select "Create Dump File".
Then send us the resulting .dmp file (zipped).
As the file could be very large consider uploading it to an online storage service (Google Drive, DropBox, etc) - then you can send us just a link to the uploaded file.
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Blackhole »

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Roman - Tracker Supp
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Roman - Tracker Supp »

Hello Blackhole,
Thanks for the dump.
We need mode detailed information about the Editor faulted state.
Please unpack the attached pxe_dump.zip into an empty folder. You will get 2 files:
  • procdump.exe (an utility to make advanced memory dumps, it is certified and signed by Microsoft)
  • pxe_dump.cmd - a batch script file to run this utility.
When you see this issue with the Editor next time, please run pxe_dump.cmd script. When it finishes work (a console window will close), you should get PDFXEdit.exe.dmp file in the script folder.
Please send us this file (zipped).

Note: The created dump file will contain contents of the PDF documents opened in the Editor.
If you are concerned about privacy please try to reproduce the issue with non-confidential PDF documents.
Attachments
pxe_dump.zip
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Blackhole
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Blackhole »

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Roman - Tracker Supp
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Re: Almost empty pages in a few minutes

Post by Roman - Tracker Supp »

Hello Blackhole,
Please install the latest release of PDF-XChange Editor (build 324.3).
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