Please explain this simple line...appreciate it!

[Naughty Lucy]

Crashing Again!!!

I thought I had fixed it earlier. It seemed to be running fine as I imported all of the data after switching it from ANSI to UTF-8. Then on the last file I imported it started crashing again (just like before) when I hit the Texas Hold'em tab then the tourney tab. No error is given. The MD5s say trust.

Every time I go into pgadmin my new database that was working fine all morning says disconnected. I connect it and close it and then reopen and it is disconnected again. This started happening after the last file that was imported.

Help!

Lucy (again)

[Naughty Lucy]

It's fixed!

It was one bad file taking down the database. I started creating database after database when I realized it crashed after some of the data was entered and that it had the same symptoms. I divided the data again and again and isolated the culprit. It has its own file now with a warning on it. Will look closer at it later.

Also found some strange duplicate file names but the files were completely different sizes!

Set up a File Check database to test data before putting it into my main database, and will of course start making regular backups!

Does anybody know how much data you can get from PokerStars and Pacific Poker. Someone had said he got a full year back. I assume that's not through the automatic requests in the PokerStars lobby. Also, I haven't been with Pacific Poker since they kicked us Americans out. Perhaps thats too long to get my data, and it might not be in a transferable form for Poker Tracker. And what about translating POker Office data to Poker Tracker?

Thanks!

Lucy

[Josh]

Please attach this file to a support ticket and I will take a look at it.

[Naughty Lucy]

I have just about had it now. I have been working on this all day long every day for a week now. Everything was running fine last night and I put all my info and results in, was about to start working with it (again) and it's not working again! I am starting to get very angry now, as nothing seems to work and no one seems to know why. I can't emphasize this strongly enough that I don't understand pgadmin and that there is a problem with the settings somewhere. I have read everything, tried everything, but the documentation is not written with the basics for newbies who are just trying to set it up.

I get it all connected and then it's disconnected when I go back - every time! There are red x's on the server and the databases. It gives me this warning:

Database encoding

The database PT3_2008_06_13_105925 is created to store data using the SQL_ASCII encoding. This encoding is defined for 7 bit characters only; the meaning of characters with the 8th bit set (non-ASCII characters 127-255) is not defined. Consequently, it is not possible for the server to convert the data to other encodings.

If you're storing non-ASCII data in the database, you're strongly encouraged to use a proper database encoding representing your locale character set to take benefit from the automatic conversion to different client encodings when needed. If you store non-ASCII data in an SQL_ASCII database, you may encounter weird characters written to or read from the database, caused by code conversion problems. This may cause you a lot of headache when accessing the database using different client programs and drivers.

For most installations, Unicode (UTF8) encoding will provide the most flexible capabilities.

But ALL of my data I'm importing is UTF8. I have checked repeatedly. I keep making new databases and starting all over again.

I am also sending this too support with a log.

I am beginning to believe it will never work and I have wasted my money. This has to work for somebody for more than a few hours!

Naughty Lucy

[Naughty Lucy]

Now I am figuring out that I am missing the ODBC whatever and that I can't get it to unicode because it is defaulting to that SQL whatever. I am going to try this next:

Re: missing ODBC Entry

New postby ptrack pat on 05 May 2008 09:57
I would suggest uninstalling PT and PostgeSQL using the Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs window.

Then delete the remnants of the c:\program files\postgesql\8.3 folder.

Download this version of PostgreSQL:
http://wwwmaster.postgresql.org/downloa ... .3.1-1.zip

Extract all the files out of the ZIP file into a separate folder.
Then double-click on the postgresql-8.3.msi file to install it.
The last part of the install is the Stack Builder application you can run.

Later, you can reinstall PT3 but when you do, you just need to do the install that doesn't include PostgreSQL because it's already installed.

I don't care about losing my databases, as I've created and filled them so many times I've become quite efficient at it!

Taking a lunch and poker break!

Naughty (and very irritated) Lucy

[Naughty Lucy]

Over one week now and PT/postgresql still not running, and it only gets worse. At one point it was running and I got all of my data and results in. Then the next morning it crashed. Now it won't work at all. I have yet to truly use this program for what I wanted it for and have wasted a week of my life.

It has something to do with ODBC, which I don't understand. Something failed called a "Microsoft Visual/Virtual (?) Studio Analyzer" and whatever is needed so that the encoding in Unicode doesn't work. I have been reading and reading and trying to fix this but have little computer experience and feel like no one wants to bother. I don't mean to be rude but I didn't have the week or the $ to waste. This is seriously impacting both my poker and my life. So far it is a very pretty program that does absolutely nothing for me but make me miserable. I realize a lot of people are having problems, but it seems most are getting some use out of the program and many have only minor problems to fix.

In PGAdmin III, in the SQL Pane, the encoding for postgres says "Win1252" not "SQL..." I am supposed to be able to find a driver it appears but when I looked where it should be it wasn't there at all (just a bunch of other drivers). All of the freezing has been discussed in my many tickets, replies to tickets and this forum and a pile of logs have been sent. I attached the new one to my newest ticket.

Is there anyway someone can help me remotely. This problem has become too complex for me and I am totally confused and frustrated. If it was a physical thing I would have smashed it into little bits by now. When I had heard that this program was overly complex, I thought they were referring to its statistical capabilities, not its installation!

I really, really, really need some help! Please, please , please review this.

Lucy

[Naughty Lucy]

This looks like it might be my problem in the quote below since I have no drop down box to change the encoding in and I can’t find any of this below anywhere --Open the Utilities > PostgreSQL Settings window. What is the value you have selected in the "ODBC Entry To Use" field? -- (but I couldn't' find the specific version of postgresql to download):

LaidBackAl wrote:Ok...first off...you are pointing people to the wrong thread. The thread you referrence can confuse people and is incomplete. You should be pointing people to this thread: archives/PT2/viewtopic.php?t=24880

Second, this won't work for people that are already running PT3 and installed on their computer. The reason is because in order to "add" Stack Builder to your system it needs the original "postgresql-8.3.msi" file to do this. This file is compressed inside PT3's installation package so if you installed PostgreSQL through the PT installation, all these steps are completely useless to you. Pat was also completely wrong in, "using the Start menu > Programs > PostgreSQL 8.3 > Application Stack Builder" it doesn't exist. At least not in Beta 9 or 8. So he is giving people instructions that are a dead end. The "ONLY" way this will work is if you installed PostgreSQL yourself and then you go through control panel/add remove programs. Then you have the option to do this but again, you have to have the original *.msi file that you installed with handy. The work around for all of this is for you guys to fix it so that Stack Builder is an option installed during installation inside your PT3 w/PostgreSQL package. And if you think you can just go add/remove programs and point to another postgresql-8.3.msi file to do this you are wrong. Can't be done. I would make sure Pat sees this!

If you are already up and running, and originally installed postgresql with the PT3 install pack and need to fix this, you're screwed. You have to start all over from scratch. The only fix I could come up with was backing up my DB's, wiping everything out, and starting from scratch. Here is what I did:

* Start/programs/PostgreSQL 8.3/pgAdmin III
* Select servers/Databases/"Database name" Database name for the databases you want to backup. In my case I had 3 different DB's that needed to be backed up so I had to do them one at a time
* Right click on the DB/select backup - in the backup database window that pops up create a file name you want to back it up to and the location where you want to put the backup. I used all defaults in here and selected "OK". I did this 3 times for each database.
* Closed pgAdmin and went through add/remove programs to uninstall PostgreSQL completely.
* I then went out and downloaded PostgreSQL 8.3.1 from the link Pat provided http://wwwmaster.postgresql.org/downloa ... .3.1-1.zip
* In my case (I found out at a later step) I had a problem with PT3 beta 9 that was left on my pc connecting to the SQL server and it would open for a second with the splash screen for PT3 then crash. Kept doing it so I unistalled the version of PT3 beta 9 that originally came with PostgreSQL from my machine. So I would uninstall it here. Rebooted the machine for a fresh start after the two unistalls.
* Installed PostgreSQL 8.3.1.msi from the early download. Did all the defaults and made sure Stack Builder was being installed "during" installation. I also had a post in another thread about PostgreSQL 8.3.1 not being able to install on a different drive other than C: with the PT3 install, so I fixed this here. I put on the drive that I specifically built for this. I left everything as defaults during install.
* At the end of the install, Stack Builder popped up and I followed Pat's instructions:
On the window that opens, click the PostgreSQL Database Server 8.3 from the list and click the NEXT button.

On the next window, check the box next to "psqlODBC v08.03...." and click NEXT.

On the next window, select USA from the list of countries and select a mirror (I don't think it matters which) and click NEXT.

From this point, just keep clicking NEXT or FINISH leaving everything else set to the default values until the ODBC Drivers are installed.

* I then downloaded PT3 http://www.pokertracker.com/products/PT3/download.php "WITHOUT PostgreSQL" and installed it to the drive of my choice.
* I setup PT3 to point at the PostgreSQL server and created a new database.
* Start/programs/PostgreSQL 8.3/pgAdmin III again and just like the early steps to restore, the only difference is I right clicked on the DB that I created inside PT3 and selected "Restore". I pointed to the DB I backed up in earlier steps in the popup window, left all the defaults and selected OK. I think my data is back but I did get error messages during the restore that I will send to you guys because I don't know what they mean or if damage was done, but it "looks" like my data is there.

* The last part was a little tricky for me because there was an 'open' DB name left inside PTO that it kept looking for when you open PTO. So I went to "PostgreSQL" settings and added the new server information. Port:5432, User Name:postgres, Password:******, ODBC Entry to Use: PostgreSQL Unicode (AND YES THERE WAS A DROP DOWN BOX NOW), Encoding: Unicode. I went to say "OK" and I got an error message. This was due to it still looking for the "old" database.

* I then went to "File/Maintain Database Names" and created a new database and set as default. Exited and then had to "open" the database (since you always have to have one db open) and close the database that didn't exist anymore. Back into "Maintain Database Names" and now I could delete the database that didn't exist anymore that PTO was still looking for. Now PTO was fully functional again for me.

* The last step in my case is that I went back into page admin, followed the steps above to restore a database, and imported my Omaha information back into the DB I created in the PTO section.

From working with you guys all week, this just seemed to be the only way to fix everything. I am going to send the error logs during my restores and maybe you guys could take a look at them for me. Please make sure your team and Pat knows that the instructions he is given won't work unless Stack Builder was "originally" installed at time of PostgreSQL install. If not, and they installed through the PT3 package, it can't be done any other way then this way. Obviously not all these steps are for everyone, but if you already have preexisting DB's running, I don't know another way. This is probably a lot more information than you wanted...but just incase someone is ripping their hair out like I have, this should help them. I think you should give me a job at the end of all this

Thanks!

[WhiteRider]

Lucy, I'm really sorry I'm not able to help you with this, but I know very little about postgres myself.

When I originally installed PT3 during the early alpha test I just installed the 'with postgres' version and everything worked.

I then decided that I wanted postgres installed on another drive, and to get it to work with PT2 so I could convert my PT2 DBs to PT3.
I used the 'how to completely uninstall postgres' instructions (which I guess you've got nailed by now..) and the instructions in the post you quote here to install.

When you say you couldn't find the specified version of postgres to download, do you mean when you click that link in the quote:
http://wwwmaster.postgresql.org/downloa ... .3.1-1.zip
it doesn't work?
I've just clicked it again and it takes me to the download page I used (it even tells me I downloaded from it before).

[Naughty Lucy]

The postgres download site now works and says at the top what I will be downloading. Before it either didn't work or it gave me a whole pile of options that didn't look like anything I'd seen before. Since I couldn't find the exact program to be sure I was downloading the right one, I just reinstalled the PT3 with postgres, but that doesn't seem to work.

I will try it again separately now that I know where it is. Thanks!

I also got a remote assistance offer, which excites me. I can't even imagine just having the program work normally now. I was so very close, about to review my info the next morning, and it had all gone away again. The poker gods can be abusive. At least I got into the $ on the two tourneys I played yesterday. I can't wait to start seeing my performance comparisons...

Lucy

[Naughty Lucy]

Message left on Jun 15, 2008 01:36PM:

Below is the reply sent to support after the remote assistance after Poker Tracker 3 appeared not to get fixed. Late last night I figured out that it was likely a combination of a bad install of Postgres and a corrupted file sent by PokerStars that I imported twice or more (because I wasn't sure the data was still intact or uncorrupted by the process). The time line of difficulties became much clearer and I tried importing the data, again without the corrupted file, after the installation fix and it worked normally for once.

I will send you the corrupted file. It makes sense now that I think about it. The difficulties started around June 6th when I upgraded to the registered version on my birthday. I thought that was the problem but I received the corrupted file on June 3rd by email form PokerStars and likely didn't import it until few days later.

Then the problem came up again when I imported the entire history of hands I requested from PokerStars because I couldn't access the data after the numerous crashes or didn't trust that it hadn't become messed up. I assumed the problem had just come up again.

It was difficult to ascertain because of the additional problem of the messed up install of Postgres. Your install had several more steps I wasn't provided before, perhaps because I checked a wrong box. At one point I wasn't sure what to pick, I remember now after I saw you do it. I wish I had remembered that before!

Anyway it seems to be running normally for once. Very happy with that. Playing with my data again today. I have attached the corrupted file. Please let me know what you figure out about it. Very curious.

Thanks Again!

Rebecca (Naughty Lucy the plant that eats people)

And thanks for the forum support! It is much appreciated to untangle this mess.