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Q103223: Trapping System RIPs and Other Notification Messages

Article: Q103223
Product(s): Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.1
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbfile kbsample kb16bitonly kbOSWin310
Last Modified: 10-DEC-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.1 
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SUMMARY
=======

Ripwatch uses the TOOLHELP dynamic-link library (DLL) to trap system RIPs and
other notification messages, and displays them in a window.

When developing Microsoft Windows-based applications, you should always use the
debugging version of Windows. This special build of the system is distributed
with the Windows Software Development Kit (SDK). It tests for invalid parameters
to Windows function calls and reports other problems such as failing to free
graphics device interface (GDI) objects when an application exits. If you don't
know about the debugging version, you are not getting the most from your SDK;
worse still, you may be preparing to ship a potentially faulty product.

The default action for reporting detected errors is to send a message to a debug
terminal connected to COM1. This requires that you have a terminal attached to
the port to see these messages. This can be a waste of desktop space, a source
of annoying beeps, and may tie up an otherwise useful communications port. The
TOOLHELP.DLL included with the Windows SDK allows you to hook these messages
before they reach the communications port. The Ripwatch sample application
displays the messages in a window. The display includes a textual description of
the RIP error code. Ripwatch also allows you to copy the text to the Clipboard,
save it in a file, or print it.

There is a known problem when running Ripwatch with Microsoft CodeView(R) for
Windows. If you try to start CodeView while Ripwatch is running, CodeView
reports an out-of-memory condition. If you try to start Ripwatch after CodeView
has been started, CodeView will usually GP fault.

Ripwatch was built and tested under Microsoft Windows version 3.1 and the
Microsoft C/C++ version 7.0 compiler.

MORE INFORMATION
================

The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download
Center:

Ripwatch.exe

For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click
the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

Microsoft used the most current virus detection software available on the date of
posting to scan this file for viruses. Once posted, the file is housed on secure
servers that prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.


Additional query words: kbfile softlib RIPWATCH.EXE

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Keywords          : kbfile kbsample kb16bitonly kbOSWin310 
Technology        : kbAudDeveloper kbWin3xSearch kbSDKSearch kbWinSDKSearch kbWinSDK310
Version           : WINDOWS:3.1

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