Ynot Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 We had a purpose built PC about 12/13 months back with a decent sound card (M-Audio Delta 10-10, the same as I have in my desktop here at home). Fairly decent spec of PC with Win 7 for the sort of stuff we usually run - mainly audio tracks and SFX, plus occasional VT where needed. However, we've been plagued with intermittent issues where the machine either locks up and has to be hard-rebooted or crashes and self-boots. Not too often at crucial points in productions, but that has been known. Software used varies, but one of the more regular SFX playbacks these days is either Multiplay or a bespoke one written for us a few years back which is called SoundStage. For VT we usually use Screen Monkey. We also have a dual screen VGA card to output the video elements. Now, I don't claim to be a PC whizz by any stretch, but others have investigated and every time we THINK we've solved it, we get another show in (like today) where the thing crashes too regularly for use. Codecs have been checked and updated where found, the PC is not connected to the web (or ANY other network at all) except under controlled circumstances where Codecs ARE downloaded etc, so I'm not thinking it's going to be viral. I believe there is a basic AV program installed, though that should be turned off when not connected to the web (though not at the machine now so can't check that). The guy who built the PC for us (one of my regular LX techs who works in IT) is picking it up tomorrow for another check and clean-up, but in the meantime, does anyone have any thoughts? Anyone else had similar issues running Multiplay and/or Screen Monkey?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peza2010 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Hi Ynot. Will the machine lock up when not being used, or does it happen when you interact with it in some way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Pearce Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Open it up, reseat all ram/PCI cards etc. Check hard drive connections. Change peripherals (keyboard/mouse etc). Remove soundcard and run with an alternative usb card.Beyond that, swap PSU out, wipe and rebuild windows, change motherboard.Beyond that, buy a different computer and drink to forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 Hi Ynot. Will the machine lock up when not being used, or does it happen when you interact with it in some way? It just locks up/crashes when in use for sound based stuff. Open it up, reseat all ram/PCI cards etc. Check hard drive connections. Change peripherals (keyboard/mouse etc). All of which have been done in the past Remove soundcard and run with an alternative usb card. We have a couple of basic USB interfaces that we can try, but I'm a little circumspect about the card being an issue as it is (I'm told) a model that the BBC stick in many of their own machines as a default/standard quality option. It is however also on the list to try.Beyond that, swap PSU out, wipe and rebuild windows, change motherboard. Again - on the list, though slightly more drastic measures....drink to forget. WAY ahead of you there!!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djw1981 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 can you retro install XP? Anecdotally Windows 7/8 PCs I use seem to crash more often than XP machines, despite the xp machines being older in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Do a long memory test Check the CPU fan. Try different video card and sound card if possible. It’s a process of elimination. Check that the PSU is up to the job. There are plenty of free applications for monitoring CPU temperatures - maybe try one of them? But I must admit I’ve had a couple of PCs like that, and in the end I junked them and started again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldradiohand Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 You'll need some Holy Water, a bell, a book and a candle...... The only thing I can suggest is a total rebuild from Windows up. Soak test the machine before adding the next application and see when it starts to crash. It's also worth making sure all your device drivers are up to date and remove any drivers you're not using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I have to say my daily work computers run Windows 7 and 8, and frankly, XP is no longer an option for the latest software and updates to older software. I now have an old XP machine relegated to the backup, and the damn thing cannot act as a backup for my music, or video systems as the latest audio samplers won't run and Adobe cc laughs at it! If you have older software that works fine on XP, then fine - leave it alone, but for a new machine, it's just far too old, and of course, not supported any longer. My audio machine did actually do this quite recently. It runs a Tascam multichannel interface for audio, but sometimes just stopped - and it would clear itself if left it while I made a cup of tea. I tracked it down to the old Maya 4 channel card it still has inside - some kind of conflict with Cubase 8, that didn't happen on 7. Removing the Maya drivers seems to have cured it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.spoons Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 You could just buy a Mac.... It won't actually help but you will have spent a reassuringly large sum of money http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif OTOH, Macs are a little less capricious than Windows machines if only because the hardware is generally better integrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 OK - At the moment, investing in a Mac is simply not an option. After just having spent quite a few grand on the new Midas Pro2 desk, my committee are being understandably tetchy about ANY additional spend on 'tech toys' - regardless of how essential they may be to the prime purpose of our business. :( I'm not 100% convinced that it's mechanical, although yes, we will be trying to isolate the issue where we can by process of elimination. IF it's software based (and I believe I have heard some talk of Screen Monkey seeming to cause crashes from others here) it could be some conflict between two or more programs we have on there. If that's the case, then it may be feasible to look at alternative sound cue software - SCS is one I've been considering, and I've just downloaded the demo version. (Can't find a UK site to buy from if we go that far - anyone have a local link??) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelgrian Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 However, we've been plagued with intermittent issues where the machine either locks up and has to be hard-rebooted or crashes and self-boots. Firstly turn off the autoreboot feature in the system control panel see: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2621246/en-us You should then see the blue screen of death when the thing crashes. Note down what the error is and if it tells you which module it is in. Are you on 32 or 64 but Windows 7? You say it 'locks up' what exactly do you mean? Is it merely very slow? Can you move the mouse pointer? Does the caps lock light on the keyboard still react to the caps lock key being pressed? The M-Audio delta is old, it's considered legacy by m-audio and the drivers were last updated in 2012. The primary causes of BSODs in Windows 7 are PCI audio drivers and Graphics drivers. The very first thing I would try is eliminating the M-Audio and replacing it with a class compliant USB interface which therefore uses MS's own drivers. It's very unlikely that any program running under the OS could cause this it's going to be a driver issue or a hardware issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electrolytic Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 The M-Audio delta is not a good sound card. Check you have the ramm in the right slots and not running dual channel mode in the bios.change the bios to safest setting for compatibility.format the computer and reinstall windows. only put on what you need to get through the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 The Delta 1010 is considered a legacy device by M Audio. It WAS a good interface in its day but I just checked the M Audio site and it's several years since there's been a driver update (during which time Windows has been played with lots by MS. My hunch is that, if not something hardware related, it's driver related. I assume you've done so but, if not, I'd make sure you have the latest (even if not very new driver) from M Audio and reinstall it even if you do. If that doesn't fix it, I'd try running ASIO4ALL instead of the M Audio native. This is far from ideal but would at least let you see if ditching the drivers helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 If that's the case, then it may be feasible to look at alternative sound cue software - SCS is one I've been considering, and I've just downloaded the demo version. (Can't find a UK site to buy from if we go that far - anyone have a local link??)The only place you can buy it from is direct from their website. If memory serves, you can pay in sterling though. There's no physical component so it makes no odds that they're in Aus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelgrian Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Check you have the ramm in the right slots and not running dual channel mode in the bios. Anything designed in nearly the last 10 years is designed to run in dual channel mode and will cripple the performance of the PC if it's not configured like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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