6086 Error - H/W Buffer [Sandra report included]
 

Hello all, I'm new here and new to Pro Tools overall. I've done a bit of research as to what my problem is but I wanted to post my Sandra report and let some keen eyes look at it to see if any other alarms go off.

I'm quite positive that I'm needing to get an additional internal drive. I've priced a WD 320GB Black SATA HD. Looks like that's what is recommended here. Anyhow, posting the report now.

====

SiSoftware Sandra

System
Host Name : PROMINENCE
User : laserfloyd
Workgroup : WORKGROUP

Processor
Model : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
Speed : 2.40GHz
Cores per Processor : 4 Unit(s)
Threads per Core : 1 Unit(s)
Type : Quad-Core
Internal Data Cache : 4x 32kB, Synchronous, Write-Thru, 8-way, Inclusive, 64 byte line size
L2 On-board Cache : 2x 4MB, ECC, Synchronous, ATC, 16-way, Inclusive, 64 byte line size, 2 threads sharing

System
System : GATEWAY FX542S
Mainboard : Gateway 680IT-GB
Bus(es) : ISA PCI PCIe IMB USB FireWire/1394 i2c/SMBus
Multi-Processor (MP) Support : 1 Processor(s)
Multi-Processor Advanced PIC (APIC) : Yes
System BIOS : American Megatrends Inc. 8.14
Total Memory : 8.00GB

Chipset 1
Model : ECS C55 Host Bridge
Front Side Bus Speed : 4x 267MHz (1.07GHz)

Video System
Monitor/Panel : SyncMaster 2232BW plus,SyncMaster Magic CX2232GW Plus(Digital)
Adapter : NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
Adapter : LogMeIn Mirror Driver
Imaging Device : Microsoft LifeCam HD-5000

Physical Storage Devices
NVIDIA STRIPE 596.17G 640GB (RAID, NCQ) : 596.17GB (C:) (D:)
Maxtor OneTouch 1000GB (FireWire/1394, NCQ) : 931.51GB (L:)
Generic USB SD Reader (USB) : N/A (G:)
Generic USB CF Reader (USB) : N/A (H:)
Generic USB SM Reader (USB) : N/A (I:)
Generic USB MS Reader (USB) : N/A (J:)
USB Flash Disk 2GB (USB) : 1.87GB (M:)
USB DISK 2.0 1GB (USB) : 956MB (K:)
ATAPI DVD A DH16A1P (ATAPI66, 94x CD-R, 48x CD-W, 12x DVD-R, 6x DVD-W, 2MB Cache) : 7.30GB (E:)
ATAPI DVD A DH16A1P (ATAPI66, 48x CD-R, 48x CD-W, 6x DVD-R, 6x DVD-W, 2MB Cache) : N/A (F:)

Logical Storage Devices
Prominence (C:) : 582.41GB (410.82GB, 71% Free Space) (NTFS) @ NVIDIA STRIPE 596.17G 640GB (RAID, NCQ)
OneTouch 4 (L:) : 931.51GB (813.31GB, 87% Free Space) (NTFS) @ Maxtor OneTouch 1000GB (FireWire/1394, NCQ)
Removable Drive (M:) : 1.87GB (1.57GB, 84% Free Space) (FAT) @ USB Flash Disk 2GB (USB)
Removable Drive (K:) : 955.72MB (896.56MB, 94% Free Space) (FAT) @ USB DISK 2.0 1GB (USB)
Recovery (D:) : 13.77GB (7.63GB, 55% Free Space) (NTFS) @ NVIDIA STRIPE 596.17G 640GB (RAID, NCQ)
Removable Drive (G:) : N/A @ Generic USB SD Reader (USB)
Removable Drive (H:) : N/A @ Generic USB CF Reader (USB)
Removable Drive (I:) : N/A @ Generic USB SM Reader (USB)
Removable Drive (J:) : N/A @ Generic USB MS Reader (USB)
Pro Tools LE (E:) : 7.30GB (CDFS) @ ATAPI DVD A DH16A1P (ATAPI66, 94x CD-R, 48x CD-W, 12x DVD-R, 6x DVD-W, 2MB Cache)
CD-ROM/DVD (F:) : N/A @ ATAPI DVD A DH16A1P (ATAPI66, 48x CD-R, 48x CD-W, 6x DVD-R, 6x DVD-W, 2MB Cache)

Peripherals
USB Controller/Hub : Standard OpenHCD USB Host Controller
USB Controller/Hub : Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller
USB Controller/Hub : USB Root Hub
USB Controller/Hub : USB Root Hub
USB Controller/Hub : USB Composite Device
USB Controller/Hub : USB Mass Storage Device
USB Controller/Hub : USB Mass Storage Device
USB Controller/Hub : USB Mass Storage Device
USB Controller/Hub : USB Composite Device
USB Controller/Hub : Digidesign Mbox 2 Firmware Updater
FireWire/1394 Controller/Hub : VIA 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller
Keyboard : Standard PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse : Microsoft PS/2 Mouse
Mouse : HID-compliant mouse
Human Interface : HID Non-User Input Data Filter (KB 911895)
Human Interface : Microsoft Hardware wireless mouse driver

Printers and Faxes
Model : Microsoft XPS Document Writer
Model : Fax

Power Management
Mains (AC) Line Status : On-Line

Operating System(s)
Windows System : Microsoft Windows Vista Home Media Center 6.01.7600
Platform Compliance : Win64 x64

Windows Experience Index
Current System : 5.9

Network Services
Adapter : Realtek RTL8168B/8111B Family PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20)
Adapter : Realtek RTL8168B/8111B Family PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20) #2
SiSoftware Sandra

System
Host Name : PROMINENCE
User : laserfloyd
Workgroup : WORKGROUP

Processor
Model : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
Speed : 2.40GHz
Cores per Processor : 4 Unit(s)
Threads per Core : 1 Unit(s)
Type : Quad-Core
Internal Data Cache : 4x 32kB, Synchronous, Write-Thru, 8-way, Inclusive, 64 byte line size
L2 On-board Cache : 2x 4MB, ECC, Synchronous, ATC, 16-way, Inclusive, 64 byte line size, 2 threads sharing

System
System : GATEWAY FX542S
Mainboard : Gateway 680IT-GB
Bus(es) : ISA PCI PCIe IMB USB FireWire/1394 i2c/SMBus
Multi-Processor (MP) Support : 1 Processor(s)
Multi-Processor Advanced PIC (APIC) : Yes
System BIOS : American Megatrends Inc. 8.14
Total Memory : 8.00GB

Chipset 1
Model : ECS C55 Host Bridge
Front Side Bus Speed : 4x 267MHz (1.07GHz)

Video System
Monitor/Panel : SyncMaster 2232BW plus,SyncMaster Magic CX2232GW Plus(Digital)
Adapter : NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
Adapter : LogMeIn Mirror Driver
Imaging Device : Microsoft LifeCam HD-5000

Physical Storage Devices
NVIDIA STRIPE 596.17G 640GB (RAID, NCQ) : 596.17GB (C:) (D:)
Maxtor OneTouch 1000GB (FireWire/1394, NCQ) : 931.51GB (L:)
Generic USB SD Reader (USB) : N/A (G:)
Generic USB CF Reader (USB) : N/A (H:)
Generic USB SM Reader (USB) : N/A (I:)
Generic USB MS Reader (USB) : N/A (J:)
USB Flash Disk 2GB (USB) : 1.87GB (M:)
USB DISK 2.0 1GB (USB) : 956MB (K:)
ATAPI DVD A DH16A1P (ATAPI66, 94x CD-R, 48x CD-W, 12x DVD-R, 6x DVD-W, 2MB Cache) : 7.30GB (E:)
ATAPI DVD A DH16A1P (ATAPI66, 48x CD-R, 48x CD-W, 6x DVD-R, 6x DVD-W, 2MB Cache) : N/A (F:)

Logical Storage Devices
Prominence (C:) : 582.41GB (410.82GB, 71% Free Space) (NTFS) @ NVIDIA STRIPE 596.17G 640GB (RAID, NCQ)
OneTouch 4 (L:) : 931.51GB (813.31GB, 87% Free Space) (NTFS) @ Maxtor OneTouch 1000GB (FireWire/1394, NCQ)
Removable Drive (M:) : 1.87GB (1.57GB, 84% Free Space) (FAT) @ USB Flash Disk 2GB (USB)
Removable Drive (K:) : 955.72MB (896.56MB, 94% Free Space) (FAT) @ USB DISK 2.0 1GB (USB)
Recovery (D:) : 13.77GB (7.63GB, 55% Free Space) (NTFS) @ NVIDIA STRIPE 596.17G 640GB (RAID, NCQ)
Removable Drive (G:) : N/A @ Generic USB SD Reader (USB)
Removable Drive (H:) : N/A @ Generic USB CF Reader (USB)
Removable Drive (I:) : N/A @ Generic USB SM Reader (USB)
Removable Drive (J:) : N/A @ Generic USB MS Reader (USB)
Pro Tools LE (E:) : 7.30GB (CDFS) @ ATAPI DVD A DH16A1P (ATAPI66, 94x CD-R, 48x CD-W, 12x DVD-R, 6x DVD-W, 2MB Cache)
CD-ROM/DVD (F:) : N/A @ ATAPI DVD A DH16A1P (ATAPI66, 48x CD-R, 48x CD-W, 6x DVD-R, 6x DVD-W, 2MB Cache)

Peripherals
USB Controller/Hub : Standard OpenHCD USB Host Controller
USB Controller/Hub : Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller
USB Controller/Hub : USB Root Hub
USB Controller/Hub : USB Root Hub
USB Controller/Hub : USB Composite Device
USB Controller/Hub : USB Mass Storage Device
USB Controller/Hub : USB Mass Storage Device
USB Controller/Hub : USB Mass Storage Device
USB Controller/Hub : USB Composite Device
USB Controller/Hub : Digidesign Mbox 2 Firmware Updater
FireWire/1394 Controller/Hub : VIA 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller
Keyboard : Standard PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse : Microsoft PS/2 Mouse
Mouse : HID-compliant mouse
Human Interface : HID Non-User Input Data Filter (KB 911895)
Human Interface : Microsoft Hardware wireless mouse driver

Printers and Faxes
Model : Microsoft XPS Document Writer
Model : Fax

Power Management
Mains (AC) Line Status : On-Line

Operating System(s)
Windows System : Microsoft Windows Vista Home Media Center 6.01.7600 (This isn't correct, I bought and installed Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - not sure why the report says I have vista)
Platform Compliance : Win64 x64

Windows Experience Index
Current System : 5.9

Network Services
Adapter : Realtek RTL8168B/8111B Family PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20)
Adapter : Realtek RTL8168B/8111B Family PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20) #2

===

Let me know if anything stands out or is a red flag.

Thanks in advance all! :D

Re: 6086 Error - H/W Buffer [Sandra report included]
 

First of all, i think the first thing people will say is that raid is not supported. However, if RAID is enabled at the hardware level (aka through bios) then it WILL work (iv done it). But i don't recommend it, as obviously it doubles your chance of losing data. Also, vista sucks. straight up. W7 and all the optimizations posted on the forum will get you going in no time. Lastly, i don't think media center edition is supported at all.

PS try not to partition your drives. i know its convenient to break up storage, but it will reduce performance if you happen to be doing operations to both partitions on the same physical drive. Like you said, the WD Caviar Black drives are your best bet. a 500 gig was 70 bucks CAD. good luck!

Nick

Re: 6086 Error - H/W Buffer [Sandra report included]
 

The report wasn't accurate on the OS. It's Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium. Not sure why it came up as Vista Media Center edition.

That small partition is some kind of recovery drive. It was left over from the initial install of Vista. I left it there when I upgraded to Win 7. I also don't use the RAID at all.

Definitely going to get a WD HD. Thanks for the feedback! Going to update the post to clarify the OS.

Re: 6086 Error - H/W Buffer [Sandra report included]
 

Turn off RAID. Did you do a CLEAN install of Windows 7 or did you Upgrade Vista? You need to do a clean install.

Re: 6086 Error - H/W Buffer [Sandra report included]
 

It was a clean install. I ran Win7 RC for a while but when the retail version came out you were forced to do a full install; no option to turn RC into retail.

I'll check the RAID now...

Re: 6086 Error - H/W Buffer [Sandra report included]
 

I'm a bit confused on the RAID thing. I've worked with them in the past. There is only one physical drive in the machine though. RAID requires at least two or more. So, I don't know how the RAID can even be enabled. I'm going to look in the BIOS. When I went into the RAID config screen it had one disk listed.

I'm supposing if I install a second internal drive, it's going to try and add it as part of the RAID.

I should also note that I tried an external firewire drive but according to the specs, it didn't have the correct chipset. I continued to get the same error with that drive.

Re: 6086 Error - H/W Buffer [Sandra report included]
 

Your motherboard (even though it isn't clearly listed that way) has an NVidia chipset. Digidesign/Avid has stated several times that using Intel processors with non-Intel chipsets has proven to be problematic.

You honestly may be out of luck with that motherboard. Sorry.

Re: 6086 Error - H/W Buffer [Sandra report included]
 

Yeah, I noticed the Nvidia chipset as well. Wasn't aware of the problems. DOH! I should have done more research before the purchase.

Live and learn I suppose. ;)

Re: 6086 Error - H/W Buffer [Sandra report included]
 

I tried every practical solution. All to no avail. The Nvidia chipset seems to be the major culprit. I'm SOL on that one. Then there are the other seemingly countless quirks that would keep Pro Tools from working correctly (i.e. disabling unused ports, turning off services, turning off wifi, etc).

It's not worth it to me right now; I'm a simple hobbyist. All I want is to get a good clean signal from an instrument/mic to the computer. It's not rocket science. :p

I appreciate your help though because I'd otherwise have been banging my head a lot longer. Next time I look into Pro Tools, I'm going to buy a system that has it PRE-installed AND tested. ;)

Thanks again. :)

Re: 6086 Error - H/W Buffer [Sandra report included]
 

well check out Presonus Studio One or Reaper. They should work just fine with your setup and PT interface. Did you ever mention what interface you have?