If your installation fails to operate correctly, check the error message received and refer to the relevant paragraph below.   For Topcat installed on Windows Server 2003 follow the link on the left.

Applies only to versions prior to 1.03 of Topcat.  This usually occurs when the 003 Router entry in the DHCP Manager (DHCP Options|Scope) has not been set up correctly. Check that you have entered the correct IP address of the server.

Most likely that the Citrix Metaframe has not been installed or has not been configured correctly. Check that the ica-tcp session is installed and enabled (use Terminal Server Connection Configuration in Administrative Tools). Check also that Logons are enabled (select the ica-tcp connection, then click on Connection|Edit… and then the Advanced… button).

This error can result from a number of factors. Check the following:

This error may be seen when trying to start a Windows session.      Assuming the clients and the Server are on the same LAN segment, this is usually caused by the client's subnet mask being different to that of the server. Check that the subnet mask of the client matches that of the server.   If they don't, then either the setting in DHCP manager for the appropriate scope needs changing, or the Terminal Server's TCP/IP settings in Control Panel/Network needs changing.

If the server is not on the same sub-network, but accessed via a Router for example, then the subnet masks may well be different.   In this case the simplest solution is to use the ip address of the server rather than the name in the Ntserver file.     Alternatively, place the IP address and name of the server into the "Hosts" file. This is found in: Armboot.!Boot.Resources.!Internet.Files. Then re-boot the client before testing.

For Topcat v2. if booting straight into Windows rather than via the RISC OS desktop, if a non-standard sub-net mask is being used, for example anything other than 255.255.255.0 for Class C addresses, then this error may be observed and you cannot connect to the Citrix server.   To resolve this problem, download and install Topcat Update 206 from the Downloads page.

Check the Share name entered in the DHCP Manager DHCP Options|Scope Bootfile Name is correct (see section Configuring the Server).

This will occur if the !tcboot folder does not exist in the client’s boot path (Armboot$), if the !run file does not exist in the !tcboot folder, or if the entry in the DCHP Manager DHCP Options|Scope Bootfile Name is incorrect – in this latter case the file name in the error message will change according to what has been entered (see section Configuring the Server).

Check that the client has not been configured for static ip addressing. On the Sprinter, this can be checked by holding down both Alt keys and re-booting the client.

This error can arise if the password for the ArmBoot user has expired, or has been set to "User Must Change Password at Next Logon". Use User Manager for Domains (in Administrative Tools) to check that the following settings are activated:

This error has also been seen when a SMC 1211 EZ Card 10/100 Ethernet card was in use on the server, installed using the driver found on the NT installation CD.    A cure was effected by using the driver from the SMC web site.

This error can occur if the required number of Client Access Licences (CALs) have not been configured when using 'per server' licensing.     Purchase the required number of CALS and use the Licensing Manager (in Administrative Tools) to add CALs to match or exceed the number of computers simultaneously accessing the server.   

This error can also occur if the share 'Armboot$' or 'Server' 'User Limit' has been set to a limited number, and the number of connections exceeds this.     Use 'Windows NT Explorer'  or 'My Computer' to set the allowed users to a higher value, or use the 'Maximum Allowed' option.   (Select the directory, then right-click and choose 'Sharing...'.)

This error can occur if the user ArmBoot has been deleted or is missing. Either re-install Topcat, or add the Armboot user using User Manager for Domains (in Administrative Tools) - see example above - the password should be set to the value given in the file:

Armboot\TCConfig\User

This error will occur if the user ArmBoot password is incorrect or missing. Either re-install Topcat, or edit the Armboot user using User Manager for Domains (in Administrative Tools) - see example above - the password should be set to the value given in the file:

Armboot\TCConfig\User

This error has also been seen when a SMC 1211 EZ Card 10/100 Ethernet card was in use on the server, installed using the driver found on the NT installation CD.    A cure was effected by using the driver from the SMC web site.

You may also get this error if trying to boot clients when Topcat is installed on Windows Server 2003.  Information on how to resolve this error please click here.

This error will occur if the user ArmBoot has been disabled. Edit the Armboot user using User Manager for Domains (in Administrative Tools) - see example above - and re-enable the account, by clearing the Account Disabled check box.

This error has been seen when the user ArmBoot has been set to "User Must Change Password at Next Logon" and "User Cannot Change Password". These two options are not compatible with each other, and it is not normally possible to set a user in this way. However, this situation can occur if the Armboot user’s password expires - so ensure you have set the "Password Never Expires" option. Use User Manager for Domains (in Administrative Tools) - see example above - to clear the "User Must Change Password at Next Logon" option check box.

This error has also been seen when the client device has an older version of the NTStartup module.   Topcat version 1.03 requires NTStartup versions 0.41 or later.   If you have versions earlier than this, contact your dealer for an upgrade.   To check the version, type "ROM." at the Supervisor * prompt.

If you get this when using NTFiler, you must ensure that you have not set a home directory for the user ArmUser in User Manager for Domains (in Administrative Tools), otherwise this error will arise on statrup. 

When using Acorn machines with an NT server some changes need to be made to the NT server's configuration. This is to prevent or reduce the number of times clients will report the error 'Timeout error'. This is particularly important when using with NT 3.51 or Winframe 1.7. It involves editing the registry and you must be sure you know what you are doing before making any changes as it is possible to cause various other problems if you do the wrong thing. (You are recommended to back-up the registry before starting - and if you are unsure, ask someone who knows how to do this to help you).    The following values need to be added or changed in the registry:

They are all in the hive:

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services

in \LanmanServer\Parameters add the following Reg_DWord:

Autodisconnect 0xffffffff

in \NBF\Parameters change the following (all values are decimal)

LLCRetries 32
GeneralRetries 12
DefaultT1Timeout 60000000 (not to be confused with DefaultTiTimeout)

If this error is received whilst RISC OS is loading, then this probably means that the Client's LMTransport protocol is set to IP.   For version 1.03 onwards, this should be set to NetBEUI.   To configure this in the client machine, proceed as follows:

This error is caused by the system not being able to save files in the Scrap directory because of access  permissions.

Check that the Access Through Share Permissions for the Armboot directory has been set to Everyone: Full Control.  Use My Computer or Windows NT Explorer to find the Armboot directory; select it, then right-click and select Properties then the Sharing tab.   Click on the Permissions... button, and check and set the permissions for Everyone to Full Control.   (Note that this is not the same as the Security, Permissions setting.)   

Check also that you have granted Full Control to Everyone to the Armboot\!boot\Resource.~s\!Scrap\Scrapdir.~s directory and all sub-directories as per the Installation Guide or Release Note instructions.

Applies to Topcat version 1.03 only.    This is caused by the Armboot\!Boot\Mchconfi.~g\Local\www\Browse directory and sub-directories not having the correct permissions.   Please see the Installation Guide or Release Note for instructions on setting the permissions on this directory.

This is caused by the RISC OS screen mode being incompatible with the setting in the ICA configuration file, or the ICA default (640x480 in 256 colours).  

For machines running RISC OS 3.5 or later, set the screen mode in RISC OS to a VGA-compatible mode, eg 640x480 16 or 256 colours before launching the ICA client.    Also ensure that the configuration file (eg NTServer in Network.Metaframe) has settings compatible with the RISC OS mode.   For example, if the RISC OS screen mode only supports 16 colours, then the ICA client's configuration file should specify 16 colours not 256.  (ie DesiredColor=0x0001).

For machines running RISC OS 3.1x, best results can be obtained by using Mode 31 and setting the ICA configuration to 800x600 16 colours.     For other possible modes see the RISC OS User Guide Appendix F (in Manuals).

This can be caused by a number of factors.   First it is important to choose IP address ranges and sub-net masks which are compatible with AUN.   By default, AUN is mapped to:

1.0.128.0 with subnet masks of 255.0.0.0

However, other mappings can be applied by suitably modifying the configuration.     (Configuration details of AUN are outside the scope of this troubleshooting guide - please refer to the appropriate documentation.)

Secondly, if you are running Topcat Version 1.03 or earlier, you should upgrade to Version 1.4.

Thirdly, you should download and apply Patch2 or Patch3 and follow the instructions contained within the patch.

For Topcat v2.01 or earlier, update to version 2.02 or later by downloading the update from this web site and running the update.  Then see the Installation Guide provided with the Update for more information.

If you are running Topcat Version 1.03 or earlier, you should upgrade to Version 1.4 then download and apply Patch2 or Patch3 and follow the instructions contained within the patch.

For Topcat v2.01 or earlier, update to version 2.02 or later by downloading the update from this web site and running the update.  Then see the Installation Guide provided with the Update for more information.

If this is received whilst trying to run !Edit, !Draw or !Paint on a RISC OS 3.70 machine, this is caused by trying to load versions of these applications which are intended for use on RISC OS 3.60 machines.    These are incompatible with the later version of the operating system.   To resolve this issue,   download and apply Patch3 and follow the instructions contained within the patch.

This can be caused by a number of factors, but has been observed on machines fitted with an I/O Podule.    The boot sequence stops and the machine freezes (cursor stops flashing and Caps Lock or Num Lock keys have no effect) usually after the "New Network Stack Loaded" message appears.   Patch 4 has been created to resolve this issue.    If you have the I/O Podule fitted, and are running Topcat Version 1.4, then download and apply Patch4 and follow the instructions contained within the patch.

For v2, the boot sequence disables output to the screen, so error messages will not be visible.   Edit the files: Armboot.!TcBoot.!Run and/or Armboot.!Tcboot1.!Run to comment-out the lines (near the bottom of the file), by putting a pipe (|) character at the start of the lines:

set dot$char |F.|U
Echo |JStarting up, please wait|U

then re-boot the client.   The error message will then be visible and will allow the problem to be investigated further.

This is a known problem with early versions.   Contact Longman Logotron (01223 425558) for an upgrade to version 4.05.

This is a known problem with early versions.   Contact Longman Logotron (01223 425558) for an upgrade to version 1.10.

This error is caused by the machine's configuration being locked by FSLock when the machine is booted using Topcat.   Either unlock the machine using the  FSLock_Unlock command, or download and apply Patch5, and follow the instructions included with the patch.

If you have followed the advice given in Microsoft's KnowledgeBase Article: Q232476 - Terminal Server Connections and Logon Limited by MaxWorkItems, then you may encounter this problem as a consequence.    

When a user is trying to log on, Windows 98-based computers may display the Creating User Profiles - Loading System Policies dialog box, and then hang.   If you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, you see that Mprexe.exe is not responding.

Cause:

This is caused by the setting for MaxMpxct in the registry, which the above article recommends you set to 1024 (decimal) which Windows 95 and Windows 98 clients cannot process correctly:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanManServer\Parameters\MaxMpxCt

The maximum permitted value is 0x1FE for Windows 95 and Windows 98 Clients to log onto the domain.

To Resolve:

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may
require you to reinstall your operating system. Microlynx cannot guarantee that
problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use
Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and
Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete
Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in
Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If
you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk
(ERD).

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) on the Windows NT 4.0 server Domain Controller where the original changes were made in accordance with article Q232476.

2. Locate the REG_DWORD under the following key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanManServer\Parameters\MaxMpxCt

3. On the Edit menu, click DWORD, type "1FE" (without the quotation marks),
click Hex, and then click OK.

4. Quit Registry Editor.

This error will be issued when a machine has been locked and the correct password has not been entered into the file:

Armboot.TcConfig.FSUnlock

To resolve, log on to the system as the user Topcat and edit this file inserting the appropriate password in the line:

FSLock_Unlock <password>

replacing <password> with the correct password.   Note that all machines which boot from the Topcat server must use the same password.

This error may be encountered when a machine starts, when using Topcat v2, and may be followed by the "No Such Connection" error.    A fix for this error is available and is included in Update 2.02.    Visit our download pages to download this update.

This error can occur using the ICA Client version 0.45 with sound enabled but with the Client Audio Quality set to Medium or Low.    The Client Audio Quality needs to be set to High.   To set this, log on to the Citrix server as an administrator and start Citrix Connection Configuration (in Start | Programs | Metaframe Tools).   Double-click the ica-tcp connection and then the ICA Settings... button.

If you have machines fitted with Ant or Atomwide network cards and you upgrade them to Topcat v2 you may find that the machine freezes on booting.    Check the module fitted in the network card - by entering *rommodules and examine the list for the podule where the card is fitted.  If it includes any of the modules:  Ether3, EtherM or EtherB then you need to apply the Update 203 or later.   Visit our Downloads page and download the latest update.   If you are already running Topcat v2.02 Update 203 or later then you already have support for these cards.

Scenario: The client machine has booted successfully from Topcat v2 and is idle at the Risc OS desktop.   After 5 minutes or so the machine freezes or you receive the above error message.   If you check the client clock you find that it is incorrect and does not match the server's time.   The probable cause of this is that the Simple TCP/IP Services is not running on the server.   By default Topcat will use the same server as the DHCP server for setting the client machine's clocks using Simple TCP/IP Services.    If this is running on another server, then you can place the following line in the file: Armboot.!Boot.TCConfig.Local.Settings:

    If "<Inet$TimeServer>" = "" Then Set Inte$TimeServer <ip address of time server>

where ip address of time server is the ip address of the server running Simple TCP/IP Services.

If Simple TCP/IP Services is not installed anywhere in your location, then install this on the server running the DHCP Server service using the appropriate operating system CD.

If you have a Netstation NC fitted with an Atomwide network card (Ether3-net module), and you are experiencing freezing of the NC at random intervals and general loss of network connectivity then check the following:

You should receive a response which tells you the ip address, subnet mask (in the form 0xffffff00) and the broadcast address.   Check that these are correct.   If not follow the steps below.

This is caused by the drivers in the network card not retrieving the information from the DHCP server correctly.   You should contact your supplier for updated software in your network card to correct this problem.    In the meantime, you can work around this by following the relevant procedure below:

If Subnet Mask is incorrect:

If "<Inet$EtherIPMask>"="" Then Set Inet$EtherIPMask <subnet_mask>

where <subnet_mask> is the subnet mask in dotted decimal form, eg: 255.255.255.0

If Default Gateway is incorrect:

If "<Inet$Gateway>"="" Then Set Inet$Gateway <Router>

where <Router> is the default gateway address in dotted decimal form, eg: 192.168.10.1

Then, when the clients are next restarted, they should get the correct values for the above, and normal operation should be resumed. 

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Last modified: October 21, 2009