Similar to this archived (and unsolved) post: http://forums.esri.com/Thread.asp?t=301100&c=93&f=1149 , I experience a total application freeze of ArcCatalog 9.3.1 SP1 or SP2 when attempting to export an XML Workspace Document. My File Geodatabase is miniscule in size -- less than 5MB -- and the hang occurs instantly, before the Export dialog even appears (from which I wanted to only export the Schema anyway.)
Reproduce: 1. Start ArcCatalog 9.3.1 2. Right click on a File Geodatabase for the context menu. 3. choose Export > XML Workspace Document... OBSERVE1: a Windows hourglass. ArcCatalog freezes and never returns. OBSERVE2: Only a forced "End Program" will terminate ArcCatalog.
Has this been observed by others? [UPDATE: this problem persists for me after upgrading to 9.3.1 Service Pack 2.]