PT 2020.12 Occasionally stopping playing - Windows update service?
 

Hey folks,

Wondering whether this is a new/known bug or not - tried googling but to no avail.

Occasionally, I'm finding Pro Tools will just stop playing. No idea why. Everything is running normally, CPU is barely ticking over, loads of RAM etc. Whenever it does, I check the event log and find it coincides with

"The start type of the Background Intelligent Transfer Service service was changed from demand start to auto start."

That's the Windows Update service iirc?

Anyone else finding Windows Update interfering with playback or is it generally accepted practice to turn updates off and only run update when necessary?

Running Windows 10 Home 20H2 on an i9-9900

Re: PT 2020.12 Occasionally stopping playing - Windows update service?
 

Hello,
I have not experienced this particular problem but certainly the Windows updates create havoc. I keep my computer in airplane mode to eliminate the Windows update disruptions.

Re: PT 2020.12 Occasionally stopping playing - Windows update service?
 

I'm working on AMD platform, Ryzen 7 2700X with 32GB Ram and since the update to Windows 10 Pro 20H2 my system is pretty unstable, BSOD etc.

So at first I started overclocking my RAM form 3200 to 3400 and up until the crashes got worse, so dropped back to 3400MHz. Still having the occasional BSOD or PT drop outs etc. So I created a big page-file on one of my SSD's and performance increased big time. Next move is to upgrade to 64GB and delete the page-file again, then see how it goes...

Maybe you could start with adding a page-file if yours is turned off!

Cheers

Re: PT 2020.12 Occasionally stopping playing - Windows update service?
 

Thanks for the advice.

I'm pinning it on the Windows update service tbh. The system is solid otherwise - no bsods or drop outs in 12 months of running PT pretty much daily. Haven't experienced it at all today but it could just be that I wasn't playing back when the update service tried to kick off..

Re: PT 2020.12 Occasionally stopping playing - Windows update service?
 

Never really thought about this, but occasionally my system will stop during playback. Usually the audio gets a little crackly just before, then I get an out of CPU error and PT stops. System is super stable otherwise.

So, when this happened yesterday, I looked at the Event Viewer and sure enough, Windows was installing an update in the background at the same time the error happened.

I'll have to check again when it happens again, but I think you are on to something!

Re: PT 2020.12 Occasionally stopping playing - Windows update service?
 

I generally go offline while running Pro Tools.

Re: PT 2020.12 Occasionally stopping playing - Windows update service?
 

Windows 10 Pro allows you to turn off Windows Update using Group Policy Editor. While I've turned Updates off, critical Updates, like a definition update for Windows Defender will be downloaded, a notification issued that it's available, but it's not installed until I tell it to install. Windows Defender can also be turned off using GPE. For Windows 10 Home, IIRC, Updates can be turned off using the Registry Editor.

Re: PT 2020.12 Occasionally stopping playing - Windows update service?
 

Avid Knowledge Base – Pro Tools System Requirements and Compatibility
https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...m-Requirements
System Requirements and Compatibility for Pro Tools & Pro Tools | Ultimate
ALERT: Windows 10, version 20H2 NOT supported with Pro Tools
Pro Tools is NOT currently supported with Windows 10 20H2.

Sound advice!
I’ve kept my Pro Tools computer offline since I read “Windows 10, version 20H2 NOT supported” – I’m staying on Windows 10, version 1909, until 20H2 is supported

To find what version of Windows 10 you have:
Hit Start, type “winver,” and then press Enter. You could also press Windows Key + R, type “winver” into the Run dialog, and press Enter. The second line in the “About Windows” box tells you which version and build of Windows 10 you have

Thanks Bruce - I certainly appreciate all your tips!

Re: PT 2020.12 Occasionally stopping playing - Windows update service?
 

"Thanks Bruce - I certainly appreciate all your tips!"

My pleasure, always glad I can help.

Happy New Year!

Re: PT 2020.12 Occasionally stopping playing - Windows update service?
 

I recommend keeping a shortcut to your network adapter on your desktop. Then just right click and "disable" when running Pro Tools (if possible for your needs) This eliminates a LOT of problems. Wireless network adapters create horrible dpc spikes and in this situation, would eliminate the background updates.