Multiple GUI crashings within one 24-hr period

Years-long, in SCP v9 to SCP v12

It seems to happen when I'm using the Gripper and Ctrl+dragging objects. The objects can be curves or solids. The file can be heavy or kight, okd or new, even just minutes old with no new layers added, and fewer than 3 objects added to a blank default file. It used to be bewildering, then devastating, then more like Stockholm Syndrome or similar.

Images are of the GUI tearing spontaneously, no matter the file size, complexity of the drawing, or duration the file has been open. In the Win 7 environment, in 2014, it was on a a Gateway laptop running Win in VirtualBox. Lost a number of in-progress files because in a one-screen and two-screen environment, I often didn't think to switch between SFX and the Windows file explorer by mouse. When I did, I was treated to more, progressive, sprawling screen hijacking, tearing, and obfuscation that forced me to close Windows altogether. In cases where I couldn't frip back into Linux, I sometimes had to kill the whole session. That was quite perturbing ehn multiple other open apps had to be killed, multiple works not yet saved because VCP/SLT somehow alone or with windows 7 trapped me.

By 2016/17, with a 29" screen and bigger newer laptop 2/ 17" display, I concurrently got luck and figured out to be more aggressive at tabbing between the apps and not clicking on the SFX/SCP GUI or title bars. That tactic led to just hitting Ctrl+S, but, in earlier experiences, I'd save trash over a good in-RAM prior saved version.

So, with a generally reliable approach in hand, I took to getting into the file explorer, refreshing it if I didn't see my current file, copying and pasting it with an appended " Post-GUI- crash pre-save" ahead of the win-provided suffix COPY.

Then, in the SFX/SCP canvas (not the title bar, but the drawing area), I hit Ctrl+S, as by then, the GUI was trashed, and earlier 2014 attempts to use muscle memory menu steps often failed.

By 2023, with a better laptop (16" with lid closed (running Win natively because the laptop was so no that PCLinuxOS wouldn't install on it), but attached to it are the 29" screen and two 21" screens), I have more flexibility. But, I can't use the Navigator as one of or both of the graphics cards in my Victus go crazy. If I take longer than 20 seconds, I eisk SharkCAD blocking access to Windows itself. So, I take pains to avoid hitting the shortcut to the Navigator. Really lamentable because it is a useful feature I used in VCP6, SLT7, SFX, SCP up to v9.

This is the kind of fix that should be unrelated to license or support expiry. Especially when it happens across 3 different laptops, two different versions of windows, different quantities of RAM, whether the file is large or small in saved state or in RAM, the file months old or minutes old.

The images:

Also, to remove doubt, these GUI tears could occur even after a reboot, a log out snd log back in, whether the temp folder was junky or manually clean.

The common theme seems to be Ctrl+drag of objects, whether they are curves or solids. OS, graphics, laptop manufacturers, and session time or file size, old or new, no apparent bearing. Not at-will reproducible. I can go weeks without it happening, then, out of the blue, it strikes.

Occasionally, I get a sixth sense that I will happen within minutes, and 40% of the time it does. Sometimes, I'll CAD on for 6 hours without an incremental save, with no adverse events.

The saving grace of the GUI tear/collapse is that CTRL+S remains available. The catch is one MUST REMEMBER to get to the file explorer and make a pre-save copy before trying to dave or abandon the file. Why, you never know ehen your file is corrupted or by what, snd don't want to save a corrupted one over a good one.

It would be nice of instead ofusers having to remember to immediately save a new session file (fresh or revisited) as a new file before getting far along in edits, the app instead makes that an option, or at least aloends the parent file adjacent to the base file. Live archiving could help, but if bad files are archived or if innreal time a backup isn't made before a file is accessed, well, some will say that's a user problem. But, in the early windows days, some devs did do that on behalf of users. Then, MS laid down some edict on user expectations, I feel. I believe some devs donstill peovide that functionality for high-risk/high stakes app operations.

NOW...

Example of saving bad files over good files.

I in 2024 or late 2023 had several days and 20+ corrupted files across 3 to 5 different ship files I was hopping around in. One with geometry I wanted to use in several others was tainted, and because importing was the only way to get content with associativity and layer mames retained, I unknowingly imported corruption.

It was devastating and deeply deflating to every single file for hours of backtracking turning out "Unable to open file at location...(some cryptic numerical address)". Ultimately, I'd later be bitten again by the same taint, and it out me on a long session of hunting through thousands of files manually yo see just how far back the damage extended. It was a lot for some, nil for other files. Fortunately, I have a neurotic habit of doing File SaveAs to multiple names just frequently enough that a losss is not a total loss, especially if it is in the recent few minutes letting me recreate something.

Strangely, the root cause files that *could* be opened behaved fine until the contents of them were imported into and destroyed other files. The bad-donor files do remain usable, but I have to remember not to use their actual SharkCAD file type as...

It took a few months of restrospection and a chance hunch to try doing exports as Concepts Unlimited formatting of the.

The tainted files then seem to be stripped of some piggybacking mischief maker.

Nicely, the CU apparently doesn't strip attributes from even SFC 12.

I had trepidation saying this because I'm creating the eisk that the CU file time could be removed or without documentation be changed.

Regards,

ZLC



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Clarification: crawled through dozens of folders that contained 1,000s of files, and manually opened and closed dozens to up to 100, maybe as many as 200+. I didn't open and close 1,000s. But, it sure felt like it.

Edited by user Thursday, July 23, 2026 4:57:35 PM(UTC)  | Reason: See very last para under .....