GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 726754
Constant freezing when selecting accounts while entering transactions
Last modified: 2018-06-29 23:28:37 UTC
I have been a happy GnuCash user for about a year and a half. I recently had to replace my Windows 7 laptop. I regularly backup important files, so my GnuCash file was safe and ready to be moved to a new computer. I purchased a Samsung laptop that runs Windows 8.1. I installed 2.6.1 and loaded my file. GnuCash freezes for 15-60+ seconds when I am trying to select accounts when entering transactions. It freezes regardless if I use the mouse, arrows, or the : shortcut to navigate through the selections. It doesn't happen every time, but enough to make the experience frustrating. I upgraded to version 2.6.2 but the problem still persists. I had no problems running the program on my old computer. My new computer is definitely an upgrade from a hardware standpoint. I love this program and would love to have it working properly. Any suggestions?
Yeah, upgrade to 2.6.2. Oddly, you marked the bug with that. See https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=722903#c13 for why.
(In reply to comment #1) > Yeah, upgrade to 2.6.2. Oddly, you marked the bug with that. > > See https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=722903#c13 for why. I did upgrade to 2.6.2. The freezing issue did not go away.
OK. Were you running 2.6.x on your old computer, too? You can try 2.4.15 to see if it's a 2.6-only issue. Since you're on Windows, another possibility to look at is your anti-virus software. If you have a "continuous scanning" feature enabled, try disabling it.
I am not sure what version I was running on my old computer. I can't recall the last time I updated GnuCash and I have no way of checking. I am home for my lunch break and tried a few things you suggested: I uninstalled 2.6.2 and installed 2.4.15. No luck. I disabled Avast and still had no luck with 2.4.15. I reinstalled 2.6.2 and still had the issue without Avast running. Also, I took a copy of my Gnu file to work this morning and installed 2.6.2 on the Windows 7 desktop I use. I was not able to replicate the issue.
By "no luck" with 2.4.15, I take it that you mean you had the same performance issue. None of the developers have Win8.1 available, nor are any of us Windows experts. It would appear that this is either an 8.1 issue or a problem with your machine. Could you ask on the user's list (gnucash-user@gnucash.org) if any other 8.1 users are experiencing the problem?
I did experience the same performance issue when I tried 2.4.15. I will send out an inquiry on the user's list shortly. Thanks for your help so far!
I have also noticed the freezing in other areas. GnuCash preferences and report preferences cause 15-60 seconds of freezing when trying to navigate through options.
Two more things to try: 1. Another user had reported similar problems. He reverted back to gnucash 2.4.15 *and* removed a .gtkrc-2.0 file from his home directory (On Windows 8.1, I presume this directory is c:\Users\<your-name>\). After that, the slowness was gone. 2. A variation of the above. Can you try and select a different theme using the "Select Theme" tool that gets installed together with gnucash. I have heard in Windows 8.1 the start menu is no longer grouped per program, so you will have to search for the tool.
So I tried your second suggestion first. The select theme tool was unusable. Any sort of input would cause freezing. I decided to half-ass your first suggestion cause I am ready for bed haha. I deleted the .gtkrc-2.0 file but did not downgrade to 2.4.15. IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYTHING IS BACK TO NORMAL!!!!!!! I tried to perform the tasks that were causing my issues: selecting accounts when entering transactions, program preferences, report settings. Everything ran without any issues. I went back to the select theme tool and changed the font that GnuCash was using. It created a new .gtkrc-2.0 file but everything still seems to be working fine. Should I delete the new file it created? Thanks for your help!
I'm glad this worked. I don't think you have to delete the new file it created. In fact I already regret I asked you to remove the .gtkrc-2.0 file instead of only moving it out of the way. I am very interested what was in that file exactly that causes gnucash to slow down. You don't happen to have a backup of this file somewhere ?
Created attachment 272837 [details] .gtkrc-2.0 file causing delays on Windows 8.1 The file was still in the recycle bin
Thanks. Can you also attach the newly generated file for comparison ? I have tried to set the theme on Sweet-Tangerine-Dream on my Windows XP box as well to check if that would allow me to replicate the freezes, but it doesn't.
That should have been "Smooth Tangerine Dream". The "Sweet..." theme doesn't exist.
Created attachment 272872 [details] .gtkrc-2.0 file that works fine
Just to give an update: I have been using Gnucash about every other day for the past few weeks and have had no issues. Thanks for all the help!!!!
I'm glad your issue is fixed. It's too bad we couldn't figure out why it started in the first place, especially since you're not the only one reporting this problem... I'll close this bug now as I don't see anything left to do.
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