Pro Tools Bugs out the Kazoo

[facher83]

After spending $600 on hardware and software I can't begin to believe how unstable and how easily Pro Tools 8 corrupts itself to the point it won't start up.

I don't know, it's great to use for a few hours, but if it's working great, and you try and close it, it hangs, and the next time you start it up it says "Must reboot computer" to start again...? And what do you do when you restart, try and run it?

Of course it hangs on the plugin loads.

This has to be the only piece of software I know where I can only run ONCE before uninstalling and re-installing EVERY time I use it.

What a lousy job of coding - even if I get told solutions, why should I have to jimmy-rig everything left and right to use $600 worth of software?

Windows at least tell sme what's wrong most of the time, and it doesn't cost $600.


Rawr.

[facher83]

Add another to the list:

When I run setup, I get an error and it asks to look for a device driver file under "d:\(something or other)". I of course click on browse, and /there is is/! Right there... without even looking for it, the file is right there.

Huh. How weird.... it found it on it's own, yert couldn't do it without me clicking on the 'browse' button.

[tha]-[acksaw]

I've been running ProTools for several years now. Started out not knowing a single thing and now I seem to get around just fine. I've used all kinds of different computers over the years, and this by far is the biggest thing that messes up ProTools. Not having the right, or a good computer.

If you have a garbage computer, or the hardware inside your computer is not designed to work with ProTools, your in for it. Most people buy ProTools without even looking at what kind of computer and hardware you will need to make ProTools run well. They just figure, I have a computer and now i just need ProTools. This is not the case!! I know cause I never bothered to look, and I had several problems starting out. However, all of these problems were due to my laque of understanding, or my computer not being powerful or not being accessorized properly. THEY WERE NOT DUE TO PROTOOLS!!

If you really want help, you need to go hear and do EVERYTHING it says. And I do mean EVERYTHING!

http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=187759

And a little info on your computer, type, processor, chipsets, ram, motherboard, and added computer hardware will be a minimum to get any help. You better off getting a Sandra report. Download the software here.

www.sisoftware.co.uk

Good luck man!

[facher83]

In the age where it would have seemed that having to reboot to complete installations was behind most of us, Pro Tools 8 has the nag of, between an error on startup and needing to restart windows to start again...

1x reboot.

Only to find out it hangs during startup this time, so uninstalling...

wants 2x reboot,

So that I might install Pro Tools 8 again, which ends up wanting a:

3x reboot,

And running the update then wants a, yes, you guessed it:

4x reboot.


In the age where software and OS seems to NOT require reboots like crazy, my goodness does Pro Tools whine about reboots. I can't remember the last app to want a reboot other than maybe .NET large installations/updates.

[facher83]

Originally Posted by tha]-[acksaw

And a little info on your computer, type, procesor, chipsets, ram, motherboard, and added computer hardware will be a minimum to get any help.

6 gigs of RAM, but since 64-bit OS didn't like the REQUIRED/Approved M-Audio KeyStudio 49i I picked up I had to run a 32-bit OS instead.

So now I only see 3.3 gigs of Ram, DDR2, running at 750ish Mhz.

3 ghz Core 2 Duo.

SATA Hard Disks.


It's a fairly new, and beefy computer... Why I would need anything more when observing the resources during a successful run shows minimal processor/resource usage is beyond me. I can assure you, it's powerful enough to run.

Hanging on startup without an explanation is simply a loop/error/lack of error trapping problem.

Let me re-iterate:

It works ONCE. Quitting, waiting before starting for 10 minutes, and it hangs on startup.

To get around this problem, I've been uninstalling and re-installing each time I want to use it. That's quite convenient.


I thank the advice to look over documents and such, and I will this one again, but I've been through a few now with very broad explanations. In searching on google, it would seem the error handling is lousy at best - hanging on startup seems to be quite common. Having Pro Tools NOT tell you why it hanged is a little annoying.

-Uninstalled IE8, IE isn't even on the computer any more, and I can't run it. I have FireFox instead. IE doesn't show up in any search or program list.

-Quick Time is up to date.

-32 bit Windows to make sure Hardware/Software is successful.


Now it seems to hang on any random plugin it chooses.

[TOM@METRO]

I think you would be best served by posting a Sandra report and a complete plug-in list as suggested in the troubleshooting thread.

http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=133039

[jojo99]

Good grief guys, please ease up on the perverbial "sandra reports" necessity - it simply isn't one. What is this 1998? Besides I wouldn't install Sandra on my sys if you paid me.

And even before he posted some of his specs I could tell he wasn't running a 486sx with 512k mem here. *btw, you're sys hardware sounds more than adequate (keep all apps/OS on 1 hdd, and varied other sata drives for project/record/temp work).

PT8's coding does need to take the brunt of the blame. I say this without malice only because I know the digi testing enviro isn't "ideal". You, the user, are the tester in many ways. Digi isn't the only one with this prob in the native DAW realm btw.

PT8's new, it's digi on windows (hello?)...but, I do believe it SHOULD get better, just like past versions of PT (hopefully BEFORE they charge people for an upgrade supporting fixes/streamlining).
The problems I read/hear about were expected, espec digi with windows. I myself won't come close to 8 until it's several revisions in (if that).
I need to get work done, that's all I have time for, so there's method to this madness.

However, facher83...
Along with early PT version growth pains...I would bet money you're having audio interface (and/or other midi/audio device) driver issues (whether it be driver version, or proper installation).

Also, installing, the uninstalling IE8 when it's been known to cause issues with PT8 - if it were me I know I'd start clean over, verifying no instance of IE8 installation (I'd sure like to know how and why IE8 and PT has issues btw - I think it's ridiculous and digi should be all over this one. Maybe they already have and it's fixed?).

I've worked in labs managing 300+ systems of many types, I build VES/DAWs for studios and musicians as well...and I can say this much, choosing hardware carefully for your DAW (focusing on compatiblity and function) is key, then it's time to research the best DRIVERS - for everything (note: this doesn't always mean 'the latest" driver btw, especially when it comes to audio/midi/etc. interfaces).
From Mobo chipset on...research carefully for red flags and the best driver for your usage.

Again, I know PT8 does and should take blame (newest version - this isn't anything new guys, you know that), but with your errors and description of what you did to rectify, I also have a feeling your setup might be at fault.

I'd highly suggest researching, then planning and starting over (full re-install from win32 on up). I bet you'll see different results.

good luck

[Greg M]

What MoBo chipset, FW chipset, Video card and driver version, additional hardware if any (mem card reader, camera, etc.), Bios version for whatever MoBo, any wireless networking, etc., etc.??? What version of Windows?

jojo99, if you can tell the above from what's been posted, please tell us. Otherwise, a Sandra Lite report (which can be removed right after the reoprt has been generated) from facher83 would sum it up nicely and allow us to help identify potentially known issues. Whether you think these things should matter or not, they do. We need the system to be adequately defined to provide any constructive advice.

BTW, the general "written for MAC ported to PC issues" really haven't been much of an issue in the last couple of years.

What is very important is what hardware and software is on that computer. We all would like a re-write of PT but that hasn't happened yet so we need to work with what we've got.

Greg

[facher83]

Originally Posted by Greg M

What MoBo chipset, FW chipset, Video card and driver version, additional hardware if any (mem card reader, camera, etc.), Bios version for whatever MoBo, any wireless networking, etc., etc.??? ...We need the system to be adequately defined to provide any constructive advice.

What is very important is what hardware and software is on that computer. We all would like a re-write of PT but that hasn't happened yet so we need to work with what we've got.

Maybe this seems completely silly to only me, but by version 8 wouldn't you think the above mentioned 'requirements of troubleshooting' shouldn't be an issue?

One of the reasons I got Pro Tools 8 is because it would have seemed like a stable product by now.

Just today, I opened Pro Tools several times to work on some templates, only to find the last one I closed out of to hang once again (has happened before). Pro Tools sits there. So, having to force a shutdown led to a Blue Screen Of Death error, and an uncontrolled immediate reboot.


Just sayin'. For having to spend $500 between Software and Hardware, Windows (unbelievably) is far more stable at the price tag of $130 where I can buy it.

Maybe I'm just venting, as -needing- spec techs to the kilobyte about your machine in order to come up with an 'idea' to solve it seems more like an invasion of privacy than actual necessity.

By Version 8, costing consumers, you should not have critical system errors (and I've read many similar issues online).

It's just lousy coding, period. Or lazy. I'm starting to regret spending the money.

[nod25]

Digi should just make a "box" that we can all use, flawlessly. I've said this a million times. Turn it on and it works. Period. Then we can all get back to making music and less time being software technicians—imagine that... Utopia, instead of insanity...