First step with the actual Trial Version - not successful (problems solved)

[aki-bs]

I have to migrate from 3.6 to the actual version and made therefore some tests with the actual Trial Version - but I have not been successful.

I liked to import pictures from my Pentax K5 camera (*.jpg and *.dng) and get this message:
"IMatch has encountered a problem and needs to close".

For me it seems, that IMatch 5.x has problems with the Pentax .dng format. With IMatch 3.6 I never had problems with this format.
Is this a known problem with IMatch 5.x and do you have already a solution for it?

[Mario]

IMatch 5 is now on the market for almost 3 years.
It is a very robust and stable software.

It you report a problem, please attach the IMatch log file (see log file in the IMatch help). This will give us detailed info to work with.
IMatch produces a DUMP file when it crashes and displays a message to you. This DUMP file is very helpful in diagnosing where exactly IMatch has crashed.
Did IMatch produce a DUMP file and inform you? If not, the crash is caused by some 'external' component, e.g., a WIC codec or the Microsoft runtime.

If you have problems processing a specific RAW format (DNG in your case), make sure that you have a working WIC codec for DNG installed and that it can handle
Which WIC codec do you have installed?
You can test by selecting one of your DNG files in the IMatch file window and then go to Help > Support > WIC diagnosis.

If IMatch does not find a DNG WIC codec and falls back to internal routines, it uses the same routines as IMatch 3 has used.

[aki-bs]

I haven´t installed a WIC codec by myself. Should I do this for Windows 10 and from where I get a valid one?

In the diagnostic I get the following information:
List of installed codecs:
   Codec 'BMP Decoder' for extensions .bmp,.dib,.rle
   Codec 'GIF Decoder' for extensions .gif
   Codec 'ICO Decoder' for extensions .ico,.icon
   Codec 'JPEG Decoder' for extensions .jpeg,.jpe,.jpg,.jfif,.exif
   Codec 'PNG Decoder' for extensions .png
   Codec 'TIFF Decoder' for extensions .tiff,.tif
   Codec 'DNG Decoder' for extensions .dng
   Codec 'WMPhoto Decoder' for extensions .wdp,.jxr
   Codec 'DDS Decoder' for extensions .dds
   Codec 'Microsoft Camera Raw Decoder' for extensions .ARW,.CR2,.CRW,.ERF,.KDC,.MRW,.NEF,.NRW,.ORF,.PEF,.RAF,.RAW,.RW2,.RWL,.SR2,.SRW,.DNG
   Codec 'PENTAX .PEF Raw File Decoder' for extensions .pef


Testing file 'J:\10_Photos aktuelle\00_IMATCH5 Test\Pentax K5 mit RAW\IMGP8490.DNG'
   Thumbnail: Codec 'DNG Decoder'
      (GetThumbnail failed (88982F44 Der Bitmapcodec unterstützt keine Miniaturansicht.).) 0x0 pixel in 0 ms.
   Preview: Codec 'DNG Decoder'
      (GetPreview failed (88982F81 Der Vorgang wird nicht unterstützt.).) 0x0 pixel in 0 ms.
   Full resolution: Codec 'DNG Decoder'
      () 4928x3264 pixel in 0 ms.

[Mario]

The DNG codec included in Windows 10 supports your DNG format. IMatch will use it automatically.

Without the log file and the DUMP file I cannot tell more about the potential source of the problem.
There are literally dozens of reasons IMatch may crash. And it may have crashed processing a totally different file than you think (IMatch always processes files in batches, utilizing all processors in yoru system).

Usually when IMatch crashes during indexing, the reason is badly corrupted file which crashes ExifTool, the WIC codec, one of the image libraries utilized by IMatch. The log file will tell us more, e.g. which files where processed when the crash happened.

If you have secured the DUMP file, please upload to your cloud space and sent us a link.

[aki-bs]

I will send the Bug Report to you.

In the processed directory there were only 4 files - two .jpg and the corresponding .dng files

[Mario]

If you send me an email, please include a link to this topic.
I handle between 30 and 50 emails per day and this makes it easier to tell what is what.

[pajaro]

For me it seems, that IMatch 5.x has problems with the Pentax .dng format. With IMatch 3.6 I never had problems with this format.
Is this a known problem with IMatch 5.x and do you have already a solution for it?

I work with Pentax .dng files (from K-01) without problems - IMatch 5.7.2.

[Mario]

I will send the Bug Report to you.

In the processed directory there were only 4 files - two .jpg and the corresponding .dng files

Unfortunately I could not see anything useful in the DUMP file. I can see that IMatch is processing the files

  IMGP8490.DNG
  IMGP8490.JPG
  IMGP8491.DNG
  IMGP8491.JPG

but then the log file ends. The DUMP indicates a crash somewhere inside the Microsoft runtime system or a Windows DLL. I cannot tell more, sorry.
The call stack is full of other applications and components. Maybe one of the other applications you were running at he time was the culprit. Try to close other applications and run IMatch alone. Maybe this solves the issue (we had something like this a few years back, with a HP printer software).

[aki-bs]

Try to close other applications and run IMatch alone. Maybe this solves the issue (we had something like this a few years back, with a HP printer software).

This is a really hard work to do.

I have an other "naked" Windows Version (WinToGo on an USB Stick) and I installed IMatch also on this stick. There I had no crash, but some of the *.dng files have the wrong orientation (see attached file).

[Mario]

IMatch uses the rotation information in the EXIF record to automatically rotate images.

If the orientation is not correct, there are several typical problems to check for:

Is the EXIF orientation in the file correct? You can see the orientation in the Metadata Panel in IMatch, when you switch to the "Browser" layout (which shows all data in the file).
Does the EXIF orientation match the image orientation (sometimes cameras store it wrong).
Does the EXIF orientation match the physical pixel data? Sometimes application store the image rotated to normal but don't update the EXIF orientation.
...

[aki-bs]

IMatch uses the rotation information in the EXIF record to automatically rotate images.

If the orientation is not correct, there are several typical problems to check for:

I will check this. I only wonder, that I had not such Problems under IMatch3.6. There everything works fine.



With my raw files I made also tests in my Win7 enviroment. There I have the same problems as under Win10.
I also test *.pef raw-files.
I get a crash with files *.dng and *.pef, out of the Pentax K5 and Pentax K7 cameras.

[Mario]

IMatch 5 uses Windows WIC codecs and DirectX to display files in the Viewer, the Slide Show and the Quick View panel. And to produce thumbnails and cache images for RAW formats.
Since you are, to my knowledge, the only user having problems with DNG files, or Pentax files, there must be something special on your system or with your files. You can upload one of your files somewhere but I'm pretty sure that they will work.

The Microsoft WIC codecs included in Windows 10 for free are known to have problems with some RAW formats. I recommend asking your camera vendor for a WIC codec that handles your RAW files better. If Pentax does not supply WIC codecs for their RAW formats, you may want to look into alternative codec packs, e.g. the excellent and cheap FastPictureViewer codec pack. There is a demo if IÄm not mistaken.

I cant tell if the problem that causes the crash on your system is caused by the WIC codec you use. I can only see the symptoms in your log file, but not the reason for the crash. There were so many other (background) applications running at the time IMatch crashed that it is pretty hard to see anything at all in the DUMP file.

[aki-bs]

Now I have deactivated all autostart processes and installed the FastPictureViewer codec pack. But nothing changed . IMatch crashes, if I want to read the *.dng or *.pef file. 
I am really helpless.

[Aubrey]

Having installed the new codec you should re-read your files into the database.

To do this either select the folder on left side of IMatch, or select the files you want to re-read.
Then press CRTL  & SHIFT F5 and select "Force Update".

Then try again to open the files.

Aubrey.

[Mario]

Now I have deactivated all autostart processes and installed the FastPictureViewer codec pack. But nothing changed . IMatch crashes, if I want to read the *.dng or *.pef file. 
I am really helpless.

Does it again crash when reading the first DNG file, or in another place?

Please do this: Go to Help > Support and enable "debug logging". This adds more data to the log file.
Then repeat whatever causes the crash. Before re-starting IMatch after the crash, ZIP and attach the log file to your reply here.

DNG and JPG are usually the file formats which makes the least problems. Even if there are problems (e.g., DNG variant not supported by the WIC codec) IMatch may report the image as failed, but it will not crash. This is all very mysterious. Maybe the debug log file provides more information.

[aki-bs]

Having installed the new codec you should re-read your files into the database.

To do this either select the folder on left side of IMatch, or select the files you want to re-read.
Then press CRTL  & SHIFT F5 and select "Force Update".

Then try again to open the files.

Aubrey.

for my tests I always start with an empty database and I read only two *.dng file from one directory. That´s enough, to see if it works or not.

@Mario; I have sent an email to you with a link to all files. Thanks a lot for your support - that´s extremly good!!!

[Mario]

Your DNG files load without any problem here.

I tried with an existing and a freshly created database.
I tried on a computer with FastPicture Viewer codecs installed and on a W10 computer with the default Microsoft WIC codecs.

By looking at the latest DUMP file you have provided I think that the error is somehow caused by the DLL

C:\Windows\WICCodecs\{A6D092A4-081A-4F0E-9356-DA167E87D922}\Raster Formats\JPEG\x86\JPGCodec.dll

which is part of the Microsoft WIC codecs pack. This DLL would be used when IMatch tries to load a cache file created earlier to render it in the Quick View Panel or the Viewer.
Can you please repeat your test, but make sure that the Quick View Panel is closed (View menu > Panels > ...). In theory IMatch should then not access this DLL and maybe this changes something.

[aki-bs]

By looking at the latest DUMP file you have provided I think that the error is somehow caused by the DLL

C:\Windows\WICCodecs\{A6D092A4-081A-4F0E-9356-DA167E87D922}\Raster Formats\JPEG\x86\JPGCodec.dll

which is part of the Microsoft WIC codecs pack. This DLL would be used when IMatch tries to load a cache file created earlier to render it in the Quick View Panel or the Viewer.

Can you please repeat your test, but make sure that the Quick View Panel is closed (View menu > Panels > ...). In theory IMatch should then not access this DLL and maybe this changes something.

The codec above is part of the FastPictureViewer codec pack.
I closed the Quick View Panel. But this had no effect. The problem still remain.

[Mario]

Then I'm at a loss, sorry.

Such an obscure crash which happens only on one PC and which cannot be reproduced elsewhere is almost impossible to find. It may be some software or service interfering, a broken WIC registry or whatnot. The DUMP file does point at an error location 'outside' of IMatch (in a Windows core DLL) and the call stack does not show anything usable. The log file just shows that DNG and JPEG files are processed (IMatch processes JPEG files with an internal library and DNG via WIC).

[aki-bs]

I use a lot of tools for work on photos like Photoshop, Irfanview, Exifer, Exiftool, Geosetter... and I have no problems with these tools under Win7 and Win10 - only with IMatch 5.x under WIN7 and Win10 and with IMatch 3.6 under Win10.


So I can no longer use IMatch and must look for another photo management software. Which is hard after almost 10 years, during which I was very satisfied with IMatch.
With Imatch I archived about 80'000 photos in an efficient way - and now all this work is lost!

[Mario]

If you have the same software installed on both your computers, there is a good chance that the same obscure problem happens on both machines.
I tried two and it worked without failure, using your files. I'm sure when other users try out your image files, it will also work. This is typical for an isolated case where a specific 3rd party driver or software or service is interfering in strange ways with a software.

If you can setup a clean Windows version somewhere, it is very likely that IMatch will run nicely. And when you then install the other applications you use one-by-one until IMatch breaks, we'll know what software, driver or service is causing the issue. I recall a user who had similar problems (with IMatch 3) until we figured out that it was the scanner driver that came with his HP scanner. Updating the scanner driver the latest version fixed the problem immediately. But that was many years ago and I don't recall a similar case since then.

[aki-bs]

If I have not installed the FastPictureViewer codec pack, which DLL out of which directory IMatch will use for *.dng files?

[Mario]

If no WIC codec is installed, IMatch will try to pull the preview with another 3rd party image library. If this fails, there will be no thumbnail.

[Jingo]

You could try to load a virtual Win7 machine on your PC to verify things work ok as well.  If you do not run into issues - then you know for sure it is something loaded on your PC.  I would try to remove codec, reinstall codecs, etc before giving up on Imatch... heck, I'd even just build a new PC to stick with it.. hope this idea may help!

[aki-bs]

Now I could solve my problems. 

First Problem: IMatch crashes if I want to read my *.dng files: the problem was the Pentax RAW-Codec (pefcodec.dll), distributed by Pentax Digital Camera Utility Software;
Second Problem: All *.dng in portrait orientation will be displayed in landscape orientation; after installing the original Adobe DNG Codec (DNGCodec_2_0_Installer.exe) this problem was also solved

So now I can go on with my migration tests.

[Mario]

Very good.        Excellent findings!

[Aubrey]

Great news...
you had us racking our brains!

I think you'll like IMatch5. There is a learning curve, but there is a lot of knowledge on this forum and in the help files.

If you have questions, don't hesitate to post. We're a friendly bunch!


Aubrey.