How to Install & Use Process Monitor (ProcMon) - to gather data about loading CTD's

[Tellos Athenaios]

A guide to installing and using Process Monitor, a very helpful tool in tracking down the files (or lack thereof) that cause loading CTD's. This program collects data about programs which can be filtered to include or exclude certain sources.

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Part one, or "how to install Process Monitor":

Step 1) Downloading.
Use this link: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sys...ssmonitor.mspx

Scroll down till you see:

Left click it, and select save:

Step 2) 'Installing' it.
Easy, really easy. You don't have to; you can run it straight from the pack. To do so, run the application (the .exe file) you find in the compressed folder (the .zip file) you just downloaded:

You may receive some warnings:

&

If so, select "Run" every time.

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Part two, or "your first attempt at running Process Monitor":

Process Monitor collects the data of ALL running programs on your PC. The key to turning loads of meaningless pieces of text on your screen into an error log that makes sense, is to apply filters. This section will guide you through the process of setting up a filter - and a filter you can use for tracking down EB bugs at that!

Step 1) Defining a filter.
The first thing Process Monitor does when you start it, is to prompt you with a window to apply filters:

Convenient, isn't it?

First, select the type of 'tag' you wish to filter by. Do you want to filter by path, process name or...?
In this case you should select "Process Name":

Next, select the desired relationship.
In this case you should select "is not".

Next, insert the name of the 'tag' you are filtering by.
In this case you are filtering by Process Name. You should enter "RomeTW.exe".

Now it should look like:

Click "Add".

Now it should look like:

Left click "Apply" and next left click "OK".

Step 2) The Registry Activity Button.

In the case of testing things for EB; you would want this to be turned off. In most other cases you would want so too.
To turn it off left click this button (the left-most of the three):

Now it should look like:

Step 3) Save your filter set-up

Left click "Filter", and select "Save":

Enter a name for your filter, for example:

Left click "OK".

Step 4) Run EB

Run EB, and recreate the loading CTD you experienced, while keeping Process Monitor running in the background. Needs no further explanation, I'd say.

Step 5) After recreating the CTD

Wait a bit, 'till you've seen some entries which state that the proces was closed. Then, press Ctrl+E. This will make the program quit capturing new events.

Next, copy paste the last few lines before the lines which say that the Process RTW.exe was closed; and post them with your bugreport!

Should you wish to reload EB: press Ctrl+X in Process Monitor, to clear the screen; and press Ctrl+E to resume capturing new events.

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Part three, or "next time":

The next time you run Process Monitor you'll see the filter window again:

This time you don't have to bother with setting up a filter: simply left click "OK" and you are on your way.

(Note: Minor typo edits by Kull)

[mrdun]

Is it as complicated as it looks?

[Tellos Athenaios]

No. But I've written a guide, you know.

Btw, added another screenie - which sadly got left out yesterday at 01:23 (GMT +1).

[Tellos Athenaios]

Update!

[muzz]

Thanks for going through the trouble, T. because I've been having CTD's after battles and that is really too frustrating to describe. But the big thing is that after some battles, instead of a CTD, it actually reboots Windows. I don't know how to capture the info on ProcMon. How do I capture the information since I am restarting the program? Thanks.

[Tellos Athenaios]

I'd have no idea. Unless the program "recovers" the lost data - it's pretty much gone. (That is the report is gone.) But a reboot hints at something more sinister than anything you are expected to find with ProcMon => That's more like your GFX card quit working altogether or some such thing.

[muzz]

Well, between the Blue Screen of Death I've enabled and the ProcMon, hopefully I will be able to figure it out and post some info that will help other people get sorted out. Guess I'll be on the lookout for a new graphics card, even though my Radeon card is only 6 months old.

[Hound of Ulster]

I've only had two CTDs when loading and the first hasn't occured since (Loading Campaign map after starting campaign with Casse) with the most recent was while loading the battle map for a single-unit engagement with the Samourtae. I went around the crash by reloading the campaign autosave and disbanding the unit in question, then saving the named campaign file. It strikes me that most loading CTDs occur because of cranky hardware more than the mod itself. My computer does get squirrelly if I've played Rome and its mods for an extended period of time. EB's one problem for me (and a potential cause of loading CTDs) is how large and detailed the campaign map is. It takes at least 10 minutes for my computer(a fairly new Dell laptop) to load the campaign map for the first time going into the game.

[Malik of Sindh]

It takes at least 10 minutes for my computer(a fairly new Dell laptop) to load the campaign map for the first time going into the game.

It takes 15 minutes for my crappy old computer with NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 (128 MB) to load the campaign map,and I still think EB is worth the these 15 minutes.

[Hound of Ulster]

It most defiently is worth the wait.

[Sygrod]

Can ProcMon capture problems caused during battles? That's where I have a world of problems.

[Tellos Athenaios]

During? I wouldn't count on it. Mostly because by the time you are actually in-battle you do not have to load very much (for you've just done that to get in-battle), do you?

[bovi]

I think Tellos is right, but it sure can't harm to run it.

[oz_wwjd]

Would Process Monitor work for MTW2 as well? I've been having some problems with CTD's when I try to play a battle myself instead of autoresolving and I've been unable to track down exactly why it's doing it.

[bovi]

I seem to recall that M2TW's DRM refuses you to run the game if you are running FileMon, possibly Process Monitor too.