Need help with a problem.

[Kidan]

I built a small application that took export files from a sales
application, and transformed them into the format necessary for
importing by an accounting application. Both the Sales and the
accounting application are server applications.

I built the conversion tool using .NET 1.1 on a WindowsXP box.

It was deployed to a Win2k box.

And for a while, it worked perfectly fine.

Then the client upgraded to a XP box and upgraded the accounting
application. Well when this happened, the accounting application
suddenly stopped being able to import the files. Whenever it was
attempted they no longer balanced.

Yet if we ran the application on the Win2k box - everything worked
fine.

My first thought was that the problem was due to upgrading the
accounting application - but that can't be it, as the software runs on
the server - so the conversion tool on both the win2k and winxp boxes
were hitting the same application.

And unfortunately, I've yet to have a second thought.

The files being generated by the conversion tool look the same, and
look correct according to the accounting application's import API.

Has anyone else had similar problems? Or know if there's a fundamental
difference in how Win2k and WinXP handles files which could possibly
account for this?
Thanks!

[Miro]

I would try to create the file on the Win2k box,
copy it over to the WindowsXP box and try to import it there.

An exe should not change the way its "exporting" just cause of win2k or XP.

Perhaps there is a character like an "enter" key or something that you
cannot see when you pull it up in notepad that is causeing the problems?

Miro

"Kidan" <ss********@techsoft.comwrote in message
news:11**********************@h3g2000cwc.googlegro ups.com...

>I built a small application that took export files from a sales
application, and transformed them into the format necessary for
importing by an accounting application. Both the Sales and the
accounting application are server applications.

I built the conversion tool using .NET 1.1 on a WindowsXP box.

It was deployed to a Win2k box.

And for a while, it worked perfectly fine.

Then the client upgraded to a XP box and upgraded the accounting
application. Well when this happened, the accounting application
suddenly stopped being able to import the files. Whenever it was
attempted they no longer balanced.

Yet if we ran the application on the Win2k box - everything worked
fine.

My first thought was that the problem was due to upgrading the
accounting application - but that can't be it, as the software runs on
the server - so the conversion tool on both the win2k and winxp boxes
were hitting the same application.

And unfortunately, I've yet to have a second thought.

The files being generated by the conversion tool look the same, and
look correct according to the accounting application's import API.

Has anyone else had similar problems? Or know if there's a fundamental
difference in how Win2k and WinXP handles files which could possibly
account for this?
Thanks!

[Nick Malik [Microsoft]]

when you say the files "look" the same, are you "looking" using a
hexadecimal editor? There may be some very big differences. For one, XP
puts unicode in more places than win2K does. It is possible that the new
version of the app EXPECTS unicode now.

Test 0: open a working file in a hex editor. open a non-working file in a
hex editor. look for differences. I'll bet there is one.

Test 1: take one of the old files, produced before the upgrade, and see if
it can be imported into the new application. If not, the application
upgrade DEFINITELY changed something, because you will have removed all
other variables.

Test 2: if you can install the old version of the accounting app on a test
W2K server, do so. Then take one of your newest converted files and attempt
to load it into the old version. If it fails, then you have a definite
effect from XP (unlikely, but who knows).

--
--- Nick Malik [Microsoft]
MCSD, CFPS, Certified Scrummaster
http://blogs.msdn.com/nickmalik

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this forum are my own, and not
representative of my employer.
I do not answer questions on behalf of my employer. I'm just a
programmer helping programmers.
--
"Kidan" <ss********@techsoft.comwrote in message
news:11**********************@h3g2000cwc.googlegro ups.com...

>I built a small application that took export files from a sales
application, and transformed them into the format necessary for
importing by an accounting application. Both the Sales and the
accounting application are server applications.

I built the conversion tool using .NET 1.1 on a WindowsXP box.

It was deployed to a Win2k box.

And for a while, it worked perfectly fine.

Then the client upgraded to a XP box and upgraded the accounting
application. Well when this happened, the accounting application
suddenly stopped being able to import the files. Whenever it was
attempted they no longer balanced.

Yet if we ran the application on the Win2k box - everything worked
fine.

My first thought was that the problem was due to upgrading the
accounting application - but that can't be it, as the software runs on
the server - so the conversion tool on both the win2k and winxp boxes
were hitting the same application.

And unfortunately, I've yet to have a second thought.

The files being generated by the conversion tool look the same, and
look correct according to the accounting application's import API.

Has anyone else had similar problems? Or know if there's a fundamental
difference in how Win2k and WinXP handles files which could possibly
account for this?
Thanks!