Computer shut off

[jacob]

When on the road, the computer shut off right in the middle of a trip log.
Since I started using the portable computer, it is only during a trip log that it reboot itself for no reasons. It doesn't seem to have a pattern, only that the computer does it when on the road and that TSPP is recording a trip log. I also have trouble with the mouse if the USB adapter is connected too fast. We don't have any other serial port than the USB connection to connect the GPS, which is a Garmin eTrex Legend. Do you have an idea of what might be causing the rebooting? Thanks a lot.

[bullock]

Oh, dear! I hope I can help. I'm glad you mentioned the trouble with the mouse, because oddly enough, I believe that might be related to the rebooting.

Rule #1: I believe the solution is to always let the computer boot entirely before plugging the GPS receiver into the USB port.

If you plug in the GPS receiver too early in the boot process, or definitely if it's already plugged in when you start the computer, then during boot up, the computer tries to identify what device is connected to the serial port and the identification is likely to go wrong. It turns out that some NMEA-style GPS messages actually look a lot like mouse messages, and some are actually valid mouse commands, with the result that the computer could think that's a mouse you've got plugged in. In this case, it will start interpreting the GPS messages as mouse commands, where possible, and you'll see some erratic mouse behavior. Rule #2: If this happens, unplug the GPS immediately!

Here's where I think it's related to the rebooting. As long as the computer is interpreting the GPS messages as mouse commands, it's pretty unpredictable just what the mouse is going to do, moving here, jumping over there, clicking in one spot, clicking there, dragging here, etc. If you leave that going long enough, eventually some random message is going to be interpreted to actually click on the wrong button forcing a reboot. For example, some random set of messages might click the Start button and then the Shut Off icon.

As I mentioned, when you see the computer interpreting the GPS messages as mouse commands, unplug the GPS immediately! This is a dangerous situation because you have no control over what it's going to do. It might delete files, force a reformat of your hard disk, or otherwise wreak havoc with your system. Moreover, to recover, you may actually have to reboot at that point. You can try plugging the GPS back in, but if that continues to affect the mouse at that point, then unplug and reboot.

With these rules in mind, please let me know what you notice from here on out. Although I regret the bad experiences you have, reporting them can actually help others avoid the same problems. In particular, I'd be very interested to hear whether the rebooting stops while you're following these rules or whether it continues to happen from time to time despite following the rules. More specifically, if the rebooting ever occurs when there's no erratic mouse behavior, I'd be most interested to hear that, too.

Regards.
Greg

[jacob]

Actually, the USB port is never connected when I boot the computer and I always open the GPS Tracking window before plugging the USB transformer. After, I wait a couple of seconds before plugging the GPS. And then, I start the GPS Tracking. Also, I didn't notice a mouse problem before the computer reboot. It just reboot by itself, with no sign in advance that something is wrong and it only happens when I'm on the road doing log trips. Also, it is not the computer, because I changed it for another one and it still does the same thing. Thanks for the help

[bullock]

This is certainly more serious than I hoped.

Please check whether there's an updated driver for the USB-to-serial adaptor. The manufacturer's web site might serve downloads of the latest drivers.

Regards.
Greg

[bullock]

Another suggestion: Look in the Device Manager for any superfluous mouse devices -- in particular, look for a serial mouse on the Belkin port. If you find one, then delete it. You may have to reboot after that to do a full test.

Regards.
Greg

[bullock]

Here are some additional questions/suggestions that may help:

Please confirm that you're using the latest version of the software. If you're using 6.0, then the final version is 6.0.0.46.

Does the reboot ever occur while the GPS is just tracking, without recording a trip log?

Try turning off Auto Save (View: GPS Receiver: Options: Auto Save). Does that make a difference?

In Device Manager, try deleting the Belkin adaptor and letting the system recognized it anew and start fresh. Also try updating the driver for the Belkin adaptor.

Regards.
Greg