Ripwatch: Traps System RIPs and Other Notification
Messages

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(R) Windows(TM)-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.

KEYWORDS: CD4
