resource pool corruption (MS Project 2000(with SR-1) and Project central)

[sumit9909]

Hello there ,

We are using MS Project to manage our projects.
Currently all projects share their resources from a central resource pool(around 75 projects and approx. 150 resources).
Time and again , we get this problem of the resource pool getting corrupted(winproj.exe error !). When this happen , we just have to log out from our machine and re-log in. If we do not open the resource pool then other .mpp files can be used in the normal way , but opening a res.pool is necessary as our organization policy makes using res.pool mandatory.
regards resource pool , we just have to restore it from the previour day's back up(sometimes results in loss of a day's data !).

Can anybody please tell as to why this happens ?
and what things/precautions one has to do to avoid/prevent such corruptions?

Please help.
Sumit

[GARYPSWANSON]

Could you please post exactly what error message you are receiving.


Thanks.

[sumit9909]

Hi Gary ,
Please find attached the error we get whenever the resource pool goes down...

Thanks ,
Sumit

[GARYPSWANSON]

... attachment, What attachment? <img src=/S/scratch.gif border=0 alt=scratch width=25 height=29> Please re-post the attachment. Thanks

[sumit9909]

Hi Gary ,
Please find attached the error we get whenever the resource pool goes down...

Thanks ,
Sumit

[sumit9909]

oops...the attachment was more than 100k.
well , the error msg. says...

Microsoft Project - DCRCI_STAFF.mpp[Read Only]:WINPROJ.EXE - Application Error
The instruction at "ox3052ddd6" referenced memory at "0x00080102" . The memory could not be "read".

after this , we have to terminate the application.

Please help,
Thanks ,
Sumit

[GARYPSWANSON]

Suggest going to the Microsoft Knowledgebase and try looking around there. I found the following which may help.


The following is from the Microsoft Knowledgebase:

PRJ2000: "Instruction at 0x3021a206 Referenced Memory 0xff81db33" Error Message When You Start Microsoft Project
The information in this article applies to:
Microsoft Project 2000

This article was previously published under Q329855
SYMPTOMS
When you start Microsoft Project, you may receive an error message similar to the following:

The instruction at 0x3021a206 referenced memory 0xff81db33. The memory could not be read.
CAUSE
This issue may occur if all of the following conditions are true:
The computer uses a video adapter based on the NVIDIA GeForce graphics chipset.

-and-
The NVIDIA video adapter driver uses the NVIDIA nView Desktop Manager program. This program is used to manage multiple displays on the computer.

-and-
The driver for the video adapter is outdated.

-or-

The nView Desktop Manager program is not configured for compatibility with Microsoft Project.
RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, follow these steps:
Make sure that the latest driver that is available for your video adapter is installed on your computer. Contact your video adapter manufacturer for more information about how to obtain and install the latest drivers for your video adapter.
Start Microsoft Project.

If the issue is resolved, you do not have to follow the remaining steps in this article. If the issue is not resolved, go to step 3.
Configure nView Desktop Manager for compatibility with Microsoft Project. To do this, follow these steps.

NOTE: For more information about how to perform this procedure, contact your video adapter manufacturer.
Right-click an empty area on the desktop, and then click Properties.
Click the Settings tab, and then click Advanced.
Click the tab for your video adapter, and then click Additional Properties.
Click the Desktop Utilities tab.
Click Desktop Manager Configuration.
Click the Application Management tab.
Click Add, click Winproj.exe, and then click OK.
MORE INFORMATION
To contact NVIDIA, visit the following NVIDIA Corporation Web site:
http://www.nvidia.com

For information about how to contact your video adapter manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

[GARYPSWANSON]

I have been thinking about your problem and am curious as to the following:

1. How many people are updating the resource pool? Creation and update of the resource pool should be limited to very few people to avoid corruption.

2. Are your projects that are using the pool being run on a network Lan or Wan. Any dissruptions in the network while projects are open can cause havoc with the pools. We sometimes have a "hiccup" and lose connectivity for a brief moment on our Lan, however, these "hiccups" cause all kinds of strange things to happen.

3. *** One other item to check. Ensure the sharer files are connected to the pool with the Pool Takes Precedence option turned on. You should make it a practice that resource changes are only made at the resource pool file. Odds are the corruption is occuring by someone changing the definition of a resource in a file and the changes are not being written back to the resource pool.

Good Luck.

[GARYPSWANSON]

... forgot one last item.

Check to see if perhaps the resource pool has been updated and someone has set a project to read only. Thus, project may have problems writing the updates to the pool. (although in theory this should be ok.)

[sumit9909]

Hi Gary ,

thanks a lot for your help.
I'll go through all these checks abd come back.

Thanks and regards
Sumit