Fast Load Format Can Cause "Binding..." Hang in QB.EXE Editor (42855)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.0
  • Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.0b
  • Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.5
This article was previously published under Q42855

SYMPTOMS

If your machine hangs in the QB.EXE environment (often with a "Binding..." message displayed on the bottom of the screen) when trying to run your program, one possible cause is QuickBasic's Fast Load and Save (that is, Binary) file format.

A workaround is to save in Text Format, reload the program, and run again. Other possible causes of a "Binding..." hang are described further below.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug with the Fast Load and Save format in QuickBasic versions 4.0, 4.0b, and 4.5, and with QB.EXE included with Microsoft Basic Compiler versions 6.0 and 6.0b (buglist6.00, buglist6.00b). This problem with Fast Load and Save format was corrected in the QBX.EXE environment shipped with Microsoft Basic Professional Development System (PDS) version 7.0 (fixlist7.00).

MORE INFORMATION

If QB.EXE hangs, and modules are saved in the Fast Load and Save format, try the following as a workaround:
  1. Save your source file(s) in Text format with Save As from the File menu in QB.EXE.
  2. Exit QuickBasic.
  3. If your program uses multiple modules, delete the file with the .MAK extension (which is created when you save a multiple-module program in QB.EXE 4.x). (Note: This .MAK file is unrelated to the .MAK files used by the Microsoft Program Maintenance Utility, MAKE.EXE.)
  4. Run QuickBasic again.
  5. Reopen (Open) the program from disk, manually Load any separate module source files (if any), then try to run your program again. The problem should disappear.
One customer reported that the QB /AH option caused one Fast Load and Save format file to cause the "Binding..." hang, and removing the /AH (huge array) option eliminated the "Binding..." hang for that particular program. Saving as Text also eliminates the problem.

Other possible causes of a "Binding..." hang are as follows:
  1. Memory-resident software, for example, terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs conflicting with QB.EXE.
  2. Nonstandard device drivers installed (.SYS and .COM files) and conflicting with QB.EXE.
To find out if your device drivers or TSRs are causing a problem, remove them from your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files, reboot, and then run QuickBasic with a "clean" machine. QuickBasic is sensitive to and incompatible with many TSR programs. For an explanation of why, query on the following words:

why and QuickBasic and TSR and incompatible

The following are other problems in QuickBasic that cause the "Binding..." machine hang, instead of generating an error:
  1. $INCLUDE with an unfindable file and line label with more than one space between the line label and the REM or ' (version 4.5 only)
  2. An IF THEN GOTO with an invalid line label (version 4.0 only)
  3. SWAP on fixed-length string fields of user-defined types (version 4.5 only)
For more information, query on the following words:

binding and hang and QuickBasic

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:1/8/2003
Keywords:KB42855
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