#1

SOLUTION: if crow is being weird and spooooooky go here and do this instead of trying to beg humans to fix your problems via increasingly extreme performative ‘attempts’ at fixing things.

Have a progressively-worsening problem with Crow / Druid. I was updating a script that was running in connection with 16n to instead run in connection with TxI. I accidentally left a Fader address on the script and ran it while only connected to TxI (this also means the TxI script was ‘incomplete’ – the line setting up the function was using a mix of TxI / Fader addresses accidentally).

No big deal – fix the script. Except Druid was running extremely slowly – would freeze up completely on each new command entered, and then sometimes eventually process the command and return to receiving responses. I tried the ^^C command in a moment when the program was lucid, and was also able to update the firmware. Now, though, when I try to load Druid from Powershell, I get this error:

Fatal error in launcher: Unable to create process using '"c:\users\willi\appdata\local\microsoft\windowsapps\pythonsoftwarefoundation.python.3.8_qbz5n2kfra8p0\python.exe"  "C:\Users\willi\AppData\Local\Packages\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.8_qbz5n2kfra8p0\LocalCache\local-packages\Python38\Scripts\druid.exe" ': The specified disk or diskette cannot be accessed.

I haven’t been able to find this error listed anywhere on lines or in the troubleshooting documentation. I’ve since edited the script in question (cuz I saw the error immediately, fixed it, and went to re-run when I got the first freeze-adjacent behavior), and so the offending material in it can’t be recovered. Currently five hours in on dealing with it and seem to only be getting further from a solution. In good news, though, I solved some really big sequencing puzzles in the five minutes before this freeze…

Where to from here?

#2

This is a real weird error. Can you still run python and import druid from there? I have next to no idea how something could get messed up with how running druid works after it was working fine.

#3

Sounds like your harddisk is having issues

#4

How might I confirm that it is indeed a hardware problem?

[My laptop is getting repaired so I borrowed one and want to explore every non-hardware possibility before I try to replace it]

Also remembered that in the endless “how to make this work?” quest I entered the following two commands in terminal without really having an idea what I was doing:

./erase_userscript.sh
./flash.sh

As well as performed the -pip update procedure (which, now that I’m a bit more activated about the whole thing, is the first post that comes up when I google the error here: https://github.com/pypa/pip/issues/5292

Going to try this uninstall / reinstall pip command pair later this morning

#5

@yams Keep in mind that in order to reflash or clear the scripts, you need to do the pin shorting thing described in the documentation. If you haven’t, that would prevent you from “cleaning the slate”.

#6

That operation was performed via druid back when it was still operational (I was able to enter bootloader mode with ^^b) – I’m hearing you say I should reflash the firmware using the manual bootloader entry method, even though the other way did appear to work, correct?

#7

If I just click the ‘druid’ command icon it opens up (without Crow connected to my computer). Of course, I can’t load scripts from here because I’m not CD’d to Bowery. Going to do the pip un/re-install and then try running druid this way, reflashing from there, and sacrificing a goat.

#8

completed these operations, was able to run druid from terminal, but am still experiencing the extreme slowness issue – when I type in a command and press enter the command just sits for 10 minutes before moving up and (presumably?) being executed. during this time the GUI is responsive (I can move the cursor around // highlight things), but I can’t interact meaningfully with the program. These seem like more mundane / solvable issues than the error with which I opened this thread. Also to note: Druid doesn’t freeze when I input just any text – specifically it freezes when I’m trying to interface with crow (although ^^b and ^^c seem to go off without a hitch).

#9

I can’t really account for this unless crow is not actually connected or the Lua environment is maybe somehow locked up – in the latter case ^^c should fix it. Do you get anything from using ^^p to get crow to tell you the current script?

#10

^^P works. Here’s the ouput:

function init()
    input[1].mode('change',1.0,0.1,'rising')
    ii.jf.mode(1)
    ii.jf.transpose(-4)
end

ii.faders.event = function (e, data, id)
  if math.random() * 12.5 < data then n = 1 else n = 0 end
  end

input[1].change = function()
  delay( note, .05)
  ii.faders[1].get(4)
end

function note ()
    rand = math.random() * 5
    volt = input[2].volts
    if n > .5 then ii.jf.play_voice (1, volt, 7) end
    if n < .5 then output[1].volts = volt end
  end

when I type ^^c there’s no print in Crow (this may be normal – I’m in week two of this stuff).

after typing ^^c I attempted to upload another script so:

u boids.lua

and I’m now in the same stuck-state (it’s yet to go through, but I’m going to leave it up to see what happens).

(obligatory ‘I know my script is bad’)

I’m not having any other issues w/ my machine more broadly (although I only use it for internets currently)

Going to uninstall and re-install Druid and Python, then reflash the firmware this evening.

#11

reinstalled Python, started getting the ‘disk or diskette’ error again, and got a popup from antivirus software flagging Druid. Disabled antivirus – got a permissions error. Ran powershell as administrator, cd’d to bowery, and tried to run druid. Totally froze. At the time, Crow was connected and powered up, so I powered down my case, and in that exact moment druid came up all

<crow disconnected>

okay… attempt firmware update.

Had these lines that aren’t listed on the update page as normal things for it to say (‘can’t detach’ seems like the point of interest, and the other stuff is provided for context).

Download done.
File downloaded successfully
can't detach
Resetting USB to switch back to runtime mode
Update successful!
Press any key to continue . . .

cd’d to bowery, opened crow, typed r booleanlogic.lua

and now I’m back in the unresponsive muck. Powered crow off and suddenly I get:

> r booleanlogic.lua
running booleanlogic.lua

> r booleanlogic.lua
running booleanlogic.lua
 <crow disconnected>

Powered my case back up and now it’s running the old JF script pasted above (and JF accepted the .mode command) and I got the standard start up Running: message. The text box in Druid is working, too.

typed

^^c
u booleanlogic.lua

waited a few, and then power cycled my case.

u booleanlogic.lua
uploading booleanlogic.lua
<crow disconnected>
<crow connected>
Running: Convert Gates....

Disconnected and tried with a different cable – no dice

Also attempted this with crow in force bootloader mode as suggested by @grey – no dice. This script is stuck in my Crow and making it non-responsive. I’m really not sure where to go from here – uninstalling all associated software, reinstalling it, and reflashing the firmware feel like the most drastic actions one might take and yet…

Sorry for the length / detail of this post; I was typing it up as I went to make sure I gave the most detailed account possible, and that power-cycling bit feels like an epiphany that might help narrow things down // inform further strategies.

#12

This is quite weird, you’re saying that right after an upload crow disconnects/reconnects? It doesn’t appear that this correctly overwrote the existing script, what script did you have previously uploaded that starts with a comment “Convert Gates…”?

It seems like you maybe should try entering the bootloader (via ^^b should be fine since it sounds like that’s working, rather than having to force the bootloader) and run the erase_userscript script included with the firmware release files – having some unruly script stored in flash is a common cause of weird behavior.

Reinstalling druid also shouldn’t be necessary, there’s not much you can do with crow that would cause druid’s files to get corrupted. The recurring “disk or diskette cannot be accessed” error and the weird behavior does make me concerned as Simon suggests that your machine / hard disk is having issues, it might be worth doing a disk check or something.

Looks perfectly fine and reasonable to me! I can’t really speak from any experience about possible faderbank-related issues but definitely nothing here seems like it should cause lockups.

#13

Not quite. Rather, when I attempt to upload or run a script Druid locks up, and then, when I turn my case off, all that text pops up.

The script printed above.

Gonna try that clear in the firmware files now.

#14

GOT IT GOT IT GOT IT GOT IT GOT IT GOT IT RAINBOWS UNICORNS PUPPIES AND CANDY CORN GOT IT GOT IT GOT IT GOT IT YAYYYYYYYY

In hindsight the oddness of the specific error got me tripping too hard to look for more general solutions. through a Dan Derks post I found this

which would likely have fixed me up if not for the specifically terrifying concern re diskettes.

thanks thanks thanks thanks

ok no more internet for me for another week.

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