STELLAR FAQs

STELLAR Support: let1@cdc.gov
Phone: (770) 488-4944
Fax: (770) 488-3635

What operating systems has STELLAR been tested with?
STELLAR has been tested with and will run under Microsoft Windows XP, 2000, NT 4.0, 98 and 95.  The program has not been tested with Windows VISTA.

Where can I find the latest version of STELLAR?
You can download the latest version of STELLAR from the CDC FTP site at the following link: ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Software/STELLAR/STELLAR3/

How do I determine which file(s) to download from the STELLAR ftp download directory?
Download and read the file readme.txt. It explains each of the files in the download directory. If you still have trouble determining which file(s) to download, contact STELLAR Support.

Two types of error message(s) "record not available (33)" or "record not found (35)" can be corrected as follows:
If you are sure there was not a data entry error, the most likely cause of this behavior is a corrupt key file. To rebuild or correct a corrupt key file in STELLAR, go to File>Rebuild. Check the appropriate file on the rebuild screen, then click the [Begin Rebuilding] button. If you don’t know which file needs rebuilding, you can select all the files to rebuild. This will not cause any problems. If the problem still exists after rebuilding, you must delete your key files (*.k0*) and rebuild your files with the DOS utility CSRT.EXE. This utility is located in the folder where STELLAR is installed. NOTE: If you have never used the CSRT.EXE utility, contact STELLAR Support for instructions before deleting your key files (*.k0*).

What causes corrupt key files?
The most common cause is an abnormal shutdown of STELLAR due to a server crash, a STELLAR crash, a computer system crash, or a power spike. When this happens, the key files are not updated and they can point to wrong or nonexistent data. You should immediately perform a file rebuild of all files the first time you enter STELLAR after an abnormal shutdown.

I just received one of the following messages: "Error message (36)", or "Invalid Data File" or "Unable to Read from file."
This is an indication that your data file is corrupt. The only way to recover from this situation is to restore your files from a backup. Because STELLAR is a relational database, when you restore data you must restore your entire database, not just the corrupt file. If you encounter this error and have questions, contact STELLAR Support.

What network rights does STELLAR require to operate?
Make sure that anyone who runs STELLAR has full rights to the directory where STELLAR and the data directory are located. This includes Read, Write, Create, Modify, and Delete Rights for Novell and Full Control for Windows NT,  2000, and XP. If rights are not set correctly, STELLAR will not work correctly.

How do you set up STELLAR to operate on a peer-to-peer network?
When STELLAR is installed on a peer-to-peer network, the computer on which STELLAR is installed sees the directory as C:\STELLAR3\Maindata. Due to mapping, the other workstations see the directory as G:\STELLAR3\Maindata (or some other drive letter). This causes a problem, because the actual datapath is stored in the Sitelist.dat file. This will result in a cycle of "misplaced" or "lost" datafiles as workstations try to find the data on the wrong drive.

NOTE: You can encounter the same problem on a network with a dedicated server if the workstations using STELLAR map the network server to different drive letters. To fix the problem, either make sure that all workstations map the server to the same drive letter or follow the procedure outlined below.

Solution:
Create a subdirectory on the computer with the actual database. For example C:\STELLAR3\loc1

Copy the following files into the C:\STELLAR3\loc1 directory:

Sitelist.dat
Sitelist.k01
Sitelist.k02
Users.tps

For the workstations that see the shared drive as G: (or some other letter), right click on the desktop icon used to start STELLAR and make sure that the 'Start in' Properties has this common drive and directory designation, e.g. G:\STELLAR3\loc1.

Those computers will then look in the ...\loc1 directory for the location of the STELLAR database. The first time after this is implemented, STELLAR won't be able to find the database and you will have to browse to locate the database. However, STELLAR will be able to locate the database automatically thereafter.

I just received an Access denied, Error (5) message. What should I do?
There are generally 5 reasons for this error:

1. STELLAR doesn't have the proper access rights to the directory where the file is being read. See "What network rights does STELLAR need to operate?"
2. A required directory does not exist. For example, if you do not have a STELLAR Import subdirectory and try to import a Solar Lab file you will get an "Access denied" error. Creating the required directory will eliminate the problem.
3. There is a *.log file in the data directory. *.log files are temporary copies of *.dat files that STELLAR sometimes creates and normally deletes automatically. Occasionally the files are not automatically deleted and STELLAR will generate an "Access denied" error when the program attempts to open a *.dat file that has a *.log file. Use Windows Explorer to delete the *.log files. After deleting the *.log file, rebuild the *.dat file.
4. The file is "Read only". Check file attributes using Explorer and uncheck "Read-only" if applicable. Some E-mail systems will make a file Read only. If a file is copied from a CD-ROM, it will have the "Read only" attribute.
5. The disk is full.

How do you print a report to a text file?
Select the report you want to print. Select the Preview to screen option. After the report previews on the screen, select the printer icon on the toolbar to print the report. You will see a report destination dialog with three tabs: General, Options, and Export. On the General tab, you will see a Print file option and button. DO NOT select these options on the General tab. They will not create a text file. To create a text file of the report, select the Export tab. On the Export tab, click the File button. Enter a name for the report and click the OK button.

I received the following message: "Error 48 - Unable to log transaction."
Check the STELLAR directory for any files ending with the extension "log." These are temporary files that STELLAR should normally delete. Use Windows Explorer and delete all files with the "log" extension. Rebuild all your data files using the File/Rebuild procedure (choose File from the STELLAR menu and click on Rebuild).

If you don't see any log files or the problem reoccurs, then STELLAR does not have the proper access rights. Have your network administrator grant the proper access rights. Refer to the question about access rights.

I received the following message: "Error: 4 - Too many files open." What does that mean?
In the config.sys file (Start>Run>then type "sysedit" then hit Enter), change the "files" line to read FILES=99. If the line already reads FILES=99, then increase the number of files by 20. If using Windows NT, 2000, or XP, make the change in the config.nt file, which is located in the C:\winnt\system32 folder.