System Freeze, I've tried all I can find.. Now I need serious help

[GrantJensen]

Alright,

So for weeks now I have not been able to do any work in Pro Tools 10.

I have tried everything I can find online, and no matter what less than 10 minutes in my whole system will freeze which i then have to do a hard boot.


I have a PC, its a HP Envy dv7-7373ca notbook, running Windows 8 (everything in compatibility mode)

Using Mbox Mini, latest drivers.

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SPECS

Microprocessor 2.4GHz 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3630QM Processor with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.4GHz

Memory 12GB DDR3 SDRAM (2 DIMM)

Memory Slots 2 user accessible
Video Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M switchable graphics with 2048MB gDDR5 and up to 1664MB total graphics memory

Display 17.3-inch diagonal HD+ BrightView LED-backlit display (1600 x 900)

Hard Drive 2TB dual hard drive (2 x 1TB 5400RPM) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

Multimedia Drive SuperMulti DVD Burner

Network Card 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)

Wireless Connectivity Intel 2x2 802.11b/g/n WLAN
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Sessions with no plugins or audio don't freeze (from what i've seen), but anything in a session will cause a system freeze usually around the 10 minute mark. Sometimes less, a couple of times almost instantly.

I am running 10.3.9, and I have not installed 11 back onto this machine yet.

All preferences and databases have been cleared, plugins have been checked, all none licensed plugins have been removed, and I have checked all settings, hardware, playback and such for problems. CPU usage stays down, and I have the allowable usage to 85% of my total processing power with the highest delay compensation.

When this problem started, I had been using this machine for almost two years without issue. I also had not made any significant changes, no new plugins or installations at the time.

What else can I try?

I have to be missing something simple..

[GrantJensen]

I have now gone through a problematic session.

Opened the session with all plugins inactive, it doesn't seem to freeze. At least, not as quickly as it did before.

I went through row by row activating certain plugins and waiting to see if it freezes. Everything seemed ok. Have some strange delay compensation readings though. My Print track delay display is in red, and changes from 0-96ms. I also read people were having issues when they had inactive inputs on tracks, so I have changed all inactive inputs to "no input". I slowly added plugins, once all (in a medium-large session) were active, my PC usage was still below 20%. But, then the system froze again.

I'm using all licensed plugins, waves, brainworx, SPL, avid, massey.. etc, all updated.

[albee1952]

Not sure its your problem, but are you recording to an approved hard drive? (hint; 5400 rpm drives are not approved)

[GrantJensen]

No recording done on this system, its for mix only.

Both drives are 5400rpm, but I have been using them succesfully for a long time.

[GrantJensen]

Thank god for forums.

[Rotundra]

how many processors are set in PT? There should be a total of 8 on an i7. If you have that set too high this can happen.

[sw rec]

Both drives are 5400rpm, but I have been using them succesfully for a long time.
That's the confounding thing about this...unsupported systems might appear to work just fine for awhile, then out of the blue cease to function. You MIGHT get by with a 5400 rpm system drive, but a 7200 for a secondary drive is a necessity (even if you're only playing back from it.) It's all about data transfer rates, and those 5400 rpm drives just aren't up to it, especially as your sessions get more intense.