Forum error showing 4294967295

[alanj]

I am not a programmer; I am a nothing. I am as a kindergartner watching NASA getting the shuttle ready to launch into orbit when I am in this realm.

I am here because of acute interest and frustration.

The number 4294967295.

Awhile back I didn't know it existed; I am a moderator in a small local Wisconsin area forum board and thence the awaking.

Out of nowhere while I was editing a post, my computer stalled. After a long wait, in the replies column, was the number 4294967295. All are baffled; this was a column that tells how many replies have been posted to that single post.

There are not that many people in the Midwest, let alone in our little group.

I have read all of the articles as to what, why, where and how, but none ever say what it is.

What is it? What is generating it in my computer only? There are 5 mods, and only my computer does this. I have replaced the whole computer and the new one does it also.

Can any please stoop down to the kindergarten level and enlighten me about this incident? I would be MOST appreciative.

Al.

[alanj]

Is anyone able to explain this to me?

[Frinavale]

My first thought was that it was the maximum limit of something...lik e an int16 (nope),int 32(nope), or int64(nope).... it's probably the maximum value of something (that is not an int?)

Edit: ahh it's the value of an unsigned 32 bit Integer!

-Frinny

[Atli]

Hey.

Unless my calculator is broken (which is unlikely... it's open-source xD), the number 4,294,967,295 is the upper limit for the value of an unsigned 32 bit integer.
(2^32 = 4294967296)

When this happens, what exactly happens to your computer? Does the entire computer stall or just the browser?

My first guess would be that some client-side script is bugging out. What exactly is bugging it, I wouldn't even know where to begin guessing. It could be any of a nearly infinite number of possibilities.

Which browser are you using? Try turning off JavaScript.

I recommend trying the NoScript addon for Firefox. If this is a scripting problem, that would stop it from happening. - It will probably also stop some of the site's functionality from working, but if this works we at least know the source of the problem.

[YarrOfDoom]

First search on Google also brings me to the largest possible value for a 4 byte unsigned integer. Which means that if it were a signed integer, it would have been -1, most definitely an error code of some sorts if you ask me.

Or otherwise, it is the upper limit after all, and whatever infinite loop your computer gets stuck in, it encounters an error when trying to go above that, thus stopping the loop.

[alanj]

Very interesting; I downloaded the no scripts from firefox and couldn't log into this site. I had to allow for this page; that is an interesting tool.

Now to the problem.
When I edit a post on the board there is a column for the number of replies that the post has received; that is when my computer will stall for awhile and the 4 bil. number appears. If I leave it there, the whole board has problems; everyone; with that forum only. The other forums act fine, but it seems that the computer must count to 4 bil to record the number of replies; which aren't there.

My computer is the only one that does this in a lot of 5 or 6 mod computers.

I notice other changes on the board with the scripts blocked; that is going to be interesting also.

I will try that for awhile to see if I get any more 4 bil numbers with scripts locked out.

Thanks loads for the help; The board admin is baffled as well.

Al.

[NeoPa]

4,294,967,295 is the largest unsigned number that can be held in a 32-bit word. Essentially 2^32 - 1.

I can only imagine that somehow the figure (replies count) is stored in an unsigned long variable (equivalent to a 32 bit integer) and somewhere along the line this value was miscalculated and reached the value -1. As the storage used is unsigned, -1 would appear as 4,294,967,295.

This isn't really a full answer, but my best guess is that it's along these lines somewhere.

Welcome to Bytes!

PS. I could have sworn there were no answers when I posted this but I saw the rest after I submitted. I hope I was able to add some understanding to the already pretty full answers before mine.

[NeoPa]

Given that there is an appreciable delay involved, I would lean towards the counter going up until it hit the ceiling and fell over, rather than the simpler and quicker subtracting 1 from 0 which could also give the same result.

[alanj]

So far everything is going as normal. If it continues, I think that the Java Script idea might be involved with the count in some way.

I wish I wasn't so ignorant of the computer stuff, I have all kinds of things in my programs list that I have no idea what they are.

Lots of people have various problems with this number, they know how to look for solutions; I don't. They talk about various language problems but no one that I have read about has a solid solution. If you google the number you will get pages of problems encountered in various ways with the number.

Maybe it HAS something to do with Java Script. It's a start.

Anyhow, thanks again all. Al.

[NeoPa]

The reason there are so many questions is because that number is so generic as a problem. It's not hard to think of a hundred and one different scenarios where it could represent. That means that the number alone (we have very little extra information here after all) is very little help to narrow down what is the fundamental cause of your problem. It's almost like reporting a problem that's indicated by receiving an (unspecified) error message, and trying to find what the cause is. If you have more information to work with then maybe we may be able to get closer, but with just that number the field is too wide even to get close I'm afraid.

[alanj]

2000 DRANGOj_jorgens en2003Apr-15-10 07:22 PM
by colby247
2001 dodge durango for saleasweninkApr-15-10 07:22 PM
by colby127
2006 CHEVY IMPALA LTZ...........B EAUTIFUL BLUE--PICTURE...5bird sApr-15-10 07:24 PM
by 5birds429496729 072
Plymouth Voyager Van -reduced !lunchladyApr-15-10 01:47 PM
by happyface171
WANTED. Cheap car or truck. ASAP.asdfghApr-15-10 11:56 AM
by klance581
2" receiver hitch for saleretiredApr-15-10 11:34 AM
by retired112

The above is the way the forum posts; except for the lines that divide the columns. These are 6 separate posts.
The name on the second line of each post is followed by the number of reply numbers in a separate column.

All are normal except the reply for 5birds; this has the large number occurance.

Don't know if this helps any in giving HOW the number occurs; you probably need the names of the program used etc. It is difficult for me to get that, it is not readily available. I am just moderator, not one of the top admin. people.

This occurance came about with all scripts shut off.

[NeoPa]

Not sure, but we had a situation here that presented in a very similar way. Some new admins came onboard who were not community related, but were looking at technical issues related to the site as a whole and the software. To indicate who they were, it was decided to set their post counts to the maximum possible number (This can be done by admins). I wonder if something very similar is hapenning there for you.

[alanj]

As far as I can figure out, the computer counts the replies to 4,294,967,295, largest unsigned number that can be held in a 32-bit word, for some reason. Perhaps the admin people don't set the reply count at some upper limit.

Why would it do that? There again I ask a question with no information of the operating software, which I don't know. I guess it is one of those unexplainable phenomena.

I appreciate all the answers.