Copy in empty table cell causes crash, data loss

[grahampositive06 0]

I have discovered a bug with a repeatable cause. This bug causes a crash consistently. I reported this bug to the evernote support team several weeks ago, but I never heard back. I was pretty surprised that a search of google/this forum didn't seem to return anyone else having this problem. Could be an issue with my system. 

 

System info: 
OS: Windows 7 Enterprise (SP1) 32 bit
computer: Dell Latitude E6410 (Intel i3 2.5 GHz)
Evernote: version 5.0.3.1614 (269614)

 

Actions to cause bug:
open a new note
insert a table
place cursor in an empty cell
use ctrl+C operation to copy the empty cell

Result: evernote crashes and unsynced changes are lost

This reliably happens whenever the steps above are followed, however in my experience this works in any empty cell in any note under any circumstances.

 

I can simply avoid this by not using the ctrl+c operation in an empty cell (i discovered this by mistake anyway). It is disturbing to me that it happens and I thought I should follow up on it. Does anyone else have this issue? 

[gazumped 11,664]

Well I'm running Win 8 and a different Dell,  and a quick test note just gave me: no response whatsoever

 

New note

New table

Ctrl-C in empty cell

...  nothing

Ctrl-V below table to see what happens - got me the content of a previous copy/ paste session.

 

So:  Possible fixes (after - don't use Ctrl-C) are.

• Do a full disk image or backup if you don't have a recent one.
• Make sure your system is A1 - clean the HD,  delete anything you can,  defrag and run a trusty registration checker.  Recheck for your error.
• Check the forums for posts on backups and Revo reinstalls - it's (the reinstall) a long(ish) process the first time but doable.
• Sync everything a couple of times.
• Exit Evernote completely
• Backup and delete your database,  and allow the server to rebuild it.  Recheck for your error.
• Remove and clean reinstall Evernote.  Another server rebuild.  Recheck your error.

(Feel free to stop at any time!)

 

Personally,  if the only problem you have is avoiding Ctrl-C,  I think I'd live with that for a while and see what happens.  But if you go ahead and check things out,  let us know what happens.

[Sand2Silicon 0]

I also have this issue, no tables required! @grahampositive06, Thank you for posting!

 

DESCRIPTION: Hitting CTRL+C in EN bodytext crashes the application with data loss. No tables or special formatting is required to reproduce. Issue is present in current version, as of Jan 26-31, 2014. Notice OP and I are both running Windows 7 Enterprise, with different EN-versions. However, my home computer (Win 7 Professional) does not reproduce the issue even though it has the same EN-version as OP reported. 

 

(Appears an update became available this morning, will test when able).

 

STEPS:

1. Open any note place the cursor on any normal whitespace (in body-text area).

2. Do not highlight anything.

3. Press CTRL+C

4. Application crashes 100% of the time.

5. Alternatively, CTRL+Del also reproduces issue, but less reliably.

 

RESULTS:

1. Without warning/error the application simply closes and the process is gone.

2. If text IS highlighted CTRL+C will copy to clipboard correctly.

 

SYSTEM:

Windows 7 Enterprise, SP1, 64-bit OS.

Intel Core i7-3770

16GB RAM

 

AFFECTED VERSIONS: Evernote for Windows 5.1.1.2334 (20334 public) GA 

NOT AFFECTED:  Evernote for Windows  5.0.3.1614 GA (on home PC, Win7 Professional, SP1).

 

WORKAROUNDS:

None acceptable known. Given Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V operations are very common and ease of hitting the wrong one; this is reasonably expected and critical user workflow. Personally, I hit this several times a day.

[Sand2Silicon 0]

I'm running Win 8 and a different Dell,  and a quick test note just gave me: no response whatsoever

... 

So:  Possible fixes (after - don't use Ctrl-C) are.

• Do a full disk image or backup if you don't have a recent one.
• Make sure your system is A1 - clean the HD,  delete anything you can,  defrag and run a trusty registration checker.  Recheck for your error.
• Check the forums for posts on backups and Revo reinstalls - it's (the reinstall) a long(ish) process the first time but doable.
• ...

.. if the only problem you have is avoiding Ctrl-C,  I think I'd live with that ... 

 

Wow @Gazumped! Your reply is shocking and the sarcasm entirely inappropriate. Grahampositive06 filed a well written bug report for a (new)MAJOR issue. 1) So it can get fixed and 2) for other users sanity as it appears undocumented.

 

"Customer: Application reliably crashes with loss of data; due to extremely common and critical workflow. Did not happen in previous versions".

 

"GAZUMPED: Works for me! Just avoid using the copy+paste keyboard shortcuts. Alternatively re-format and re-install your computer." .. Dramatic, unprofessional and uncalled for.

[gazumped 11,664]

 

I'm running Win 8 and a different Dell,  and a quick test note just gave me: no response whatsoever

... 

So:  Possible fixes (after - don't use Ctrl-C) are.

• Do a full disk image or backup if you don't have a recent one.
• Make sure your system is A1 - clean the HD,  delete anything you can,  defrag and run a trusty registration checker.  Recheck for your error.
• Check the forums for posts on backups and Revo reinstalls - it's (the reinstall) a long(ish) process the first time but doable.
• ...

.. if the only problem you have is avoiding Ctrl-C,  I think I'd live with that ... 

 

Wow @Gazumped! Your reply is shocking and the sarcasm entirely inappropriate. Grahampositive06 filed a well written bug report for a (new)MAJOR issue. 1) So it can get fixed and 2) for other users sanity as it appears undocumented.

 

"Customer: Application reliably crashes with loss of data; due to extremely common and critical workflow. Did not happen in previous versions".

 

"GAZUMPED: Works for me! Just avoid using the copy+paste keyboard shortcuts. Alternatively re-format and re-install your computer." .. Dramatic, unprofessional and uncalled for.

 

 

<sigh> If you disagree with me it's a lot more helpful to post a polite correction or a constructive comment rather than a rant.  Just for the record:

1. That was me being factual.  Sarcasm requires too much effort.  If you do actually read my post and think about it,  knowing that something that doesn't work for you does work for someone else is just as valuable as a fix.  See http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/ as example.
2. A disk image would protect the OP's interests in case this was a system fault not a database issue.
3. I provided several steps of a possible fix around reinstalling the database not "re-formatting and re-installing your computer" (which technically incorrect in several ways) and please don't misquote me.
4. And since that's a reasonably complicated process I pragmatically pointed out that not poking the app with a stick is possibly liveable with,  given that the next update or even the next sync might help fix things.  Then it was up to the OP to take the thread further if required.

Now - can we get back to the tech?

 

If you're also having problems,  then if you haven't already done so I'd suggest a support ticket (see below).  If anyone else with W7 Enterprise is having the same issue no doubt we'll hear more,  and having several detailed reports will help Evernote track down exactly what is going on here.

[jefito 5,589]

 

I'm running Win 8 and a different Dell,  and a quick test note just gave me: no response whatsoever

... 

So:  Possible fixes (after - don't use Ctrl-C) are.

• Do a full disk image or backup if you don't have a recent one.
• Make sure your system is A1 - clean the HD,  delete anything you can,  defrag and run a trusty registration checker.  Recheck for your error.
• Check the forums for posts on backups and Revo reinstalls - it's (the reinstall) a long(ish) process the first time but doable.
• ...

.. if the only problem you have is avoiding Ctrl-C,  I think I'd live with that ... 

 

Wow @Gazumped! Your reply is shocking and the sarcasm entirely inappropriate. Grahampositive06 filed a well written bug report for a (new)MAJOR issue. 1) So it can get fixed and 2) for other users sanity as it appears undocumented.

 

"Customer: Application reliably crashes with loss of data; due to extremely common and critical workflow. Did not happen in previous versions".

 

"GAZUMPED: Works for me! Just avoid using the copy+paste keyboard shortcuts. Alternatively re-format and re-install your computer." .. Dramatic, unprofessional and uncalled for.

 

Gazumped is a fellow user of Evernote, just like you or me. He took his own, unpaid, time to try to replicate the problem (he couldn't) and then offered some remedies to possible outcomes of the problem, though no way to avoid it for the OP, unfortunately. In point of fact, he's helped hundreds of people in these forums, and is a valuable part of this community. Frankly, to go off on him in your second post here, without knowing thing one about these forums itself seems, well, "dramatic, unprofessional and uncalled for". Congratulations on winning the Jumping to Unwarranted Conclusions award for 2/1/14.

[Sand2Silicon 0]

As of this morning the issue appears resolved in: 5.2.0.2946 (270946) Public.

Thank you very much! Only ran a few tests but hopefully that's it.

 

The issue as I described above did persist in:

Version: 5.1.2.2387 (270387) Public

Windows 7 Enterprise, SP1

NOTES:   After crash, the notification icon (near clock) remains active; however any unsaved/synced data for the last several seconds to few minutes is lost.

 

Did not occur on:

Version: 5.0.3.1614 (269614) public

Windows 7 Professional

 

 

---

 

<sigh> If you disagree with me it's a lot more helpful to post a polite correction or a constructive comment rather than a rant.  

 

 

Gazumped, 

This has been bothering me for a while; not one of my better posts. I do apologize for misquoting you; that was not what you said but how it came across to me. I agree more data points are always better. However your followup suggestions read like "... therefore the problem must be with your environment". Maybe that is not what you intended.

 

The reported symptoms pointed to a functionality bug or configuration error not a data-integrity issue. I don't see how your suggestions were tailored to, or would gain us more knowledge about this issue.

 

Generally I would focus on the smallest scope and work outwards. I would look for more test-cases, check Evernote log-data or ask about hidden-configuration options. Is there a crash-dump file or way to generate one? What specific system-configurations might impact EverNote keybindings? Exporting a EN-DB backup is smart and I already had.

 

In comparison, several of your action-items (while generally good)are routine-maintenance oriented or otherwise global operations introducing a great deal of change. Given good preventative maintenance, this is not how I would troubleshoot a specific issue. Cleaning the registry and rebuilding the database are both data-destructive operations with the former carrying risk to other applications. To me these were "dramatic actions" to consider so early on.

 

Regards,

[grahampositive06 0]

Yikes! I did not expect this thread to have developed into a little flame war. Just checking back in to respond to Sand2Silicon that indeed, this problem seems resolved. Nothing has changed since my initial bug report except that I've updated Evernote. Thanks all.

[gazumped 11,664]

@Sand2Silicon:  apology accepted - I do appreciate that use of IT is often the fastest way to shorten fuses,  mine has been known to suffer from erosion too..  

 

You may have a point that registry cleaning is a chancy operation (though I did say "trusty registry checker..") and perhaps there should have been a health warning in there too.  Rebuilding the database is something that Evernote Support will suggest at some point,  and it came at the end of a list of other possible fixes any one of which might have worked..  although I see updating works too...

 

[jefito 5,589]

Yikes! I did not expect this thread to have developed into a little flame war. Just checking back in to respond to Sand2Silicon that indeed, this problem seems resolved. Nothing has changed since my initial bug report except that I've updated Evernote. Thanks all.

In the realm of flame wars, this one was pretty small, and I think that everyone's accepted that there's good will all around, plus the issue appears to be fixed, so hopefully this will all be forgotten bump in the road (unlike the current crop of frost heaves that have sprung up in my neck of the woods).

[Sand2Silicon 0]

This bug has resurfaced, first noticed about 2-weeks ago. Just opened support ticket #579129. (Referenced this post and forgot to include link...)

 

When hitting the 'copy' keyboard shortcut and no text is selected, then all open Evernote Windows unceremoniously close. Unsaved content may be lost. The Evernote Task-Tray process is not killed. To add new detail - I tested in existing and new notes with [Ctrl+C] and also [Win+A], since the later is defined in Evernote Hotkeys. The results are the same except when using [Win+A], after all windows close, an error dialogue pops-up, but I can't seem to attach screenshot here.

 

"Clipboard capture failed: "Shell_TrayWnd" did not copy any data to clipboard or there is no selection."

 

Evernote Version: 5.4.0.3698 (271698) Public

System (As in First my Post):
Windows 7 Enterprise, SP1, 64-bit OS.
Intel Core i7-3770
16GB RAM
 

[grahampositive06 0]

This bug has resurfaced, first noticed about 2-weeks ago. Just opened support ticket #579129. (Referenced this post and forgot to include link...)

 

When hitting the 'copy' keyboard shortcut and no text is selected, then all open Evernote Windows unceremoniously close. Unsaved content may be lost. The Evernote Task-Tray process is not killed. To add new detail - I tested in existing and new notes with [Ctrl+C] and also [Win+A], since the later is defined in Evernote Hotkeys. The results are the same except when using [Win+A], after all windows close, an error dialogue pops-up, but I can't seem to attach screenshot here.

 

"Clipboard capture failed: "Shell_TrayWnd" did not copy any data to clipboard or there is no selection."

 

Evernote Version: 5.4.0.3698 (271698) Public

System (As in First my Post):

Windows 7 Enterprise, SP1, 64-bit OS.

Intel Core i7-3770

16GB RAM

 

 

Confirming that I am experiencing the same bug again, just as you describe. Do you suppose this is a Windows Enterprise issue? 

 

System info: 

OS: Windows 7 Enterprise (SP1) 32 bit

computer: Dell Latitude E6410 (Intel i3 2.5 GHz)

Evernote: version 5.0.3.1614 (269614)

[dconnet 529]

 

This bug has resurfaced, first noticed about 2-weeks ago. Just opened support ticket #579129. (Referenced this post and forgot to include link...)

 

When hitting the 'copy' keyboard shortcut and no text is selected, then all open Evernote Windows unceremoniously close. Unsaved content may be lost. The Evernote Task-Tray process is not killed. To add new detail - I tested in existing and new notes with [Ctrl+C] and also [Win+A], since the later is defined in Evernote Hotkeys. The results are the same except when using [Win+A], after all windows close, an error dialogue pops-up, but I can't seem to attach screenshot here.

 

"Clipboard capture failed: "Shell_TrayWnd" did not copy any data to clipboard or there is no selection."

 

Evernote Version: 5.4.0.3698 (271698) Public

System (As in First my Post):

Windows 7 Enterprise, SP1, 64-bit OS.

Intel Core i7-3770

16GB RAM

 

 

Confirming that I am experiencing the same bug again, just as you describe. Do you suppose this is a Windows Enterprise issue? 

 

System info: 

OS: Windows 7 Enterprise (SP1) 32 bit

computer: Dell Latitude E6410 (Intel i3 2.5 GHz)

Evernote: version 5.0.3.1614 (269614)

 

 

I don't believe Enterprise is the issue. That's what I'm on.

 

I'm the Win developer who currently owns this bug. I've tried reproducing this on multiple (released) EN versions, and in various VMs (Win7Pro, Win8.1). All without success. The only thing that happens is I get my default system 'ding'. (The Shell_TrayWnd message is not surprising - the tray icon is a separate program (it handled the Win+A) - it's just saying "I tried to send a copy command, but evernote.exe didn't do what I expected" [yeah, crashing's definitely not expected!])

 

I'm honestly at a loss for now... Maybe there's a common piece of software on the failing systems? Like virus protection?

[Sand2Silicon 0]

grahampositive06, Can you please re-verify your current EverNote version and OS Version? You repeated the same EN version as our original bug report. 

 

dconnet, Thank you for responding directly to this thread. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you move this forward. Question: When the application crashes but the task-tray clipper remains - are they independent processes? [edit: you answered above]

 

All, Below is some CSV text of all the reported versions from this thread-to-date. Please correct me if you find a mistake but I think it's accurate. 

Date, User, OS, bit-level, Evernote Version, Status, Note2013-12-05, grahampositive06, Windows 7 Enterprise SP1, 32 bit, EN 5.0.3.1614 (269614), FAIL2014-02-01, Sand2Silicon, Windows 7 Professional SP1, 64 bit, EN 5.0.3.1614 (269614), SUCCESS, Not Impacted2014-02-01, Sand2Silicon, Windows 7 Enterprise SP1, 64 bit, EN 5.1.1.2334 (20334) Public GA, FAIL2014-03-10, Sand2Silicon, Windows 7 Enterprise SP1, 64 bit, EN 5.1.2.2387 (270387) Public GA, FAIL2014-03-10, Sand2Silicon, Windows 7 Enterprise SP1, 64 bit, EN 5.2.0.2946 (270946) Public, SUCCESS, Resolved2014-03-10, grahampositive06, Windows 7 Enterprise SP1, 32 bit, "Most Recent" (unspecified), SUCCESS, Resolved2014-06-13, Sand2Silicon, Windows 7 Enterprise SP1, 64 bit, EN 5.4.0.3698 (271698) Public, FAIL, Regression2014-06-13, grahampositive06, Windows 7 Enterprise SP1, 32 bit, EN 5.0.3.1614 (269614), FAIL, Regression - Check version number???2014-06-14, Sand2Silicon, Windows 7 Professional SP1, 64 bit, EN 5.4.0.3698 (271698) Public, SUCCESS, Not Impacted