Protools unstable on Win 7 x64

[fson]

I am trying to learn to use protools on Windows 7 x64 with 11R, but am not very happy at this moment. Besides the extremely slow startup I have a range of other issues to report:

- regular error: Access violation occurred, unable to read location: 0x000000 at address: 0x0000000 in module: ProToolsLE.exe (seems like a C++ uninitialized pointer to me)

- Strange noise when recording or with playback, but not present when writing track to disk (I will post a separate thread on this).

- 11R output to phones / main out volumes are not properly set after quiting protools (no sound from 11R).

- Error messages that Protools is unable to create a backup-file, but disk is not write protected. Also memory access violation.

Any other users having similar issues? Thoughts on workarounds?

My system:

++ PC specs

SiSoftware Sandra

Computer
Workgroup : WORKGROUP
Host Name : Ichiban
User : Frank

Processor
Model : Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU 750 @ 2.67GHz
Speed : 2.8GHz
Cores per Processor : 4 Unit(s)
Threads per Core : 1 Unit(s)
Type : Quad-Core
Integrated Data Cache : 2x 32kB, Synchronous, Write-Thru, 8-way, 64 byte line size, 2 threads sharing
L2 On-board Cache : 2x 256kB, ECC, Synchronous, ATC, 8-way, 64 byte line size, 2 threads sharing
L3 On-board Cache : 8MB, ECC, Synchronous, ATC, 16-way, Exclusive, 64 byte line size, 4 threads sharing

Computer
Bus(es) : ISA X-Bus PCI PCIe IMB USB FireWire/1394 i2c/SMBus
Multi-Processor (MP) Support : No
Multi-Processor Advanced PIC (APIC) : Yes
Total Memory : 4GB DIMM DDR3

Chipset
Model : Giga-Byte Clarksfield/Lynnfield DMI
Front Side Bus Speed : 2x 2.4GHz (4.79GHz)

Chipset
Model : Giga-Byte Core Desktop (Lynnfield) UnCore
Front Side Bus Speed : 2x 2.4GHz (4.79GHz)
Total Memory : 4GB DIMM DDR3
Channels : 2
Memory Bus Speed : 2x 665MHz (1.33GHz)

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : Mushkin 991585 996585 2GB DIMM DDR3 PC3-10700U DDR3-1334 (9-9-9-24 4-33-10-5)
Memory Module : Mushkin 991585 996585 2GB DIMM DDR3 PC3-10700U DDR3-1334 (9-9-9-24 4-33-10-5)

Video System
Video Adapter : ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (800 SM4.1 650MHz, 1GB DDR3 2x1GHz, PCIe 2.00 x16)

Graphics Processor
STREAM Processor : ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (800SP 10C 650MHz, 1GB 2x1GHz)
Compute Shader Processor : ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (800SP 650MHz, 1017MB 2x1GHz)

Storage Devices
Hitachi HDS721616PLAT80 (160GB, ATA133, 3.5", 7200rpm, 7MB Cache) : 149GB
WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1 (1.5TB, SATA300, 3.5", NCQ) : 1TB (E:)
SAMSUNG HD103UJ (1TB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 32MB Cache) : 932GB (C:) (I:) (Q:)
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S223B (SATA150, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache) : 3GB (H:)
HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : N/A (J:)
HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : 4GB (G:)
HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : 4GB (K:)
HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : N/A (F:)
HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : N/A (D:)
HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : 3GB (L:)
HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : N/A (M:)
HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : N/A (N:)
HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : N/A (O:)
HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R) : N/A (P:)

Logical Storage Devices
Backup (E:) : 1TB (NTFS) @ WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1 (1.5TB, SATA300, 3.5", NCQ)
System Reserved : 100MB (NTFS)
Download (Q:) : 98GB (NTFS) @ SAMSUNG HD103UJ (1TB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 32MB Cache)
Data (I:) : 443GB (NTFS) @ SAMSUNG HD103UJ (1TB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 32MB Cache)
Windows (C:) : 391GB (NTFS) @ SAMSUNG HD103UJ (1TB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm, NCQ, 32MB Cache)
Sims2 (H:) : 3GB (UDF) @ TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S223B (SATA150, DVD+-RW, CD-RW, 2MB Cache)
Optical Drive (J:) : N/A @ HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)
INSTRUMENTALS DISC 2 (G:) : 4GB (UDF) @ HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)
INSTRUMENTALS DISC 2 (K:) : 4GB (UDF) @ HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)
Optical Drive (F:) : N/A @ HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)
Optical Drive (D:) : N/A @ HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)
INSTRUMENTALS DISC 1 (L:) : 3GB (UDF) @ HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)
Optical Drive (M:) : N/A @ HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)
Optical Drive (N:) : N/A @ HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)
Optical Drive (O:) : N/A @ HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)
Optical Drive (P:) : N/A @ HKR 9Y7W1M3WXEB (SCSI, BD-R, HD-DVD-R, DVD+-R-DL, CD-R)

Peripherals
LPC Hub Controller 1 : Giga-Byte P55 LPC Interface Controller
LPC Legacy Controller 1 : ITE IT8720F
Audio Device : Giga-Byte P55/PM55/3400 High Definition Audio
Audio Device : PC Partner Sapphire HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E Dual Slot Fansink
Audio Codec : ATI (AMD) HDMI Audio
Disk Controller : Giga-Byte P55/PM55/3400 6 port SATA AHCI Controller
Disk Controller : Giga-Byte JMB36X PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller
Disk Controller : Giga-Byte JMB36X PCIE-to-SATAII/IDE RAID Controller
USB Controller 1 : Giga-Byte P55/PM55/3400 USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 2 : Giga-Byte P55/PM55/3400 USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 3 : Giga-Byte P55/PM55/3400 USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 4 : Giga-Byte P55/PM55/3400 USB2 Enhanced Host Controller
USB Controller 5 : Giga-Byte P55/PM55/3400 USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 6 : Giga-Byte P55/PM55/3400 USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 7 : Giga-Byte P55/PM55/3400 USB Universal Host Controller
USB Controller 8 : Giga-Byte P55/PM55/3400 USB Universal Host Controller
FireWire/1394 Controller 1 : TI TSB43AB23 1394a-2000 OHCI PHY/link-layer Controller
SMBus/i2c Controller 1 : Intel 801xx/63xx SMBus

Printers and Faxes
Printer : Send To Microsoft OneNote 2010 Driver (1200x1200, Colour)
Printer : Popfax Printer (600x600, Colour)
Printer : PDF-XChange 3.0 (2400x2400, Colour)
Printer : novaPDF Server OEM 6 Printer Driver (2400x2400, Colour)
Printer : Microsoft XPS Document Writer (600x600, Colour)
Printer : HP DeskJet 1220C (1200x1200, USB, Colour)
Fax : Microsoft Shared Fax Driver (200x200)
Printer : CutePDF Writer (4000x4000, Colour)

Network Services
Network Adapter : Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (Ethernet, 100Mbps)
Network Adapter : VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapter for VMnet1 (Ethernet, 100Mbps)
Network Adapter : VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapter for VMnet8 (Ethernet, 100Mbps)

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

Operating System
Windows System : Microsoft Windows 7 Home 6.01.7600
Platform Compliance : x64

[remis]

Are you by any chance trying to record to your system drive? Or have I read your Sandra wrong? Lots of optical drives

[DigiTechSupt]

Have you done any of the troubleshooting or optimizations from the General Troubleshooting thread?

What about right-clicking on Pro Tools and using 'Run As Administrator'?

[fson]

I'm not recording to my system drive. But the 2nd drive is a WD green series, which is maybe not ideal. However I would be surprised if it caused stability problems.

In terms of optimization, the only one I did is disable DEP for protools.exe. It is however active for all other programs. Having said that I did have the same issues before making this optimization.

With respect to the optical drives, they are virtual and mostly not in use. The PC is not dedicated to recording, so it runs the G-Data Internet security suite (which I usually do not disable, except to check if it would improve the protools slow startup time).

There is also the Realtek HD Audio manager active which may be suspect.

What I may want to do is disable all the startup applications and see if that improves stability. However my latest tests were done after manually disabling all the background applications and disabling the virus scanner (but not the firewall) and in that case I still got a memory access to 0x0000000 error.

What would be helpful is a list of applications (types) that are known to cause stability issues and/or performance issues. However I assume that performance issues should not lead to stability problems.

Regards,

Frank

[fson]

BTW I forgot to mention that I also disabled power management on the USB root hubs as per the troubleshooting and optimization guide.

[remis]

Originally Posted by fson

I'm not recording to my system drive. But the 2nd drive is a WD green series, which is maybe not ideal. However I would be surprised if it caused stability problems.

In terms of optimization, the only one I did is disable DEP for protools.exe. It is however active for all other programs. Having said that I did have the same issues before making this optimization.

With respect to the optical drives, they are virtual and mostly not in use. The PC is not dedicated to recording, so it runs the G-Data Internet security suite (which I usually do not disable, except to check if it would improve the protools slow startup time).

There is also the Realtek HD Audio manager active which may be suspect.

What I may want to do is disable all the startup applications and see if that improves stability. However my latest tests were done after manually disabling all the background applications and disabling the virus scanner (but not the firewall) and in that case I still got a memory access to 0x0000000 error.

What would be helpful is a list of applications (types) that are known to cause stability issues and/or performance issues. However I assume that performance issues should not lead to stability problems.

Regards,

Frank

Ok well firstly, get that green drive outa here Avid's requirements for Pro Tools is AT LEAST a 7,200rpm drive for audio. The green series drives are at best 5,400rpm but have energy saving features that slows that right down most of the time...so yes, you'd be surprised how much potential difference this could make. Something like a Caviar Black should do the trick. As long as it is a 7,200rpm drive without energy saving stuff. Higher cache is best. Again, the current caviar black drives you can get have a 64mb cache and are also sata3 6Gb/s (which will only matter if your motherboard supports sata3, otherwise the large cache is still helpful for performance)

I would also suggest creating an extra partition on your OS drive and run a dual boot setup, and on the new partition create an OS optimized for Pro Tools doing ALL the optimizations listed by Avid for Windows 7. This way it doesn't matter about disabling wireless or other startup items etc as you don't need them on the Pro Tools partition, you just need Pro Tools to run properly You'd actually be again surprised at how much difference this can make!

This would be my starting point. I would try both of those things, and then if you're still having issues we would have at least gotten rid of a couple of hugely obvious issues.

[fson]

I may use my third hd which boots in to linux to setup a second windows 7 system, allowing me to use the faster Samsung 1TB drive (current windows drive) to record to. At least this will show me the level of performance PT gives on a virgin system and decide whether it is worth keeping or moving to the slightly inferior line 6 pod 500 HD. It also would allow adding services to see when it brakes.

Having to use a secondary windows system is NOT a long term solution for me. I use protools 50% of the time just as a gui for 11R. Having to reboot my computer just to play a bit of guitar would be highly annoying.

My other use is recording guitar practice and sending it to a friend for review. Having to boot into another windows, do my recording and boot back in my main windows is just painful.

As a competent programmer I seriously doubt that the slow drive should cause stability problems. It may cause latency and some sound artefact's (if the 11R does not do any buffering), but should not cause illegal memory access errors.

Any other trouble shooting tips are appreciated.

[Jasconito]

Hey FSON,

Just wondering what version of PTLE you're running...From everything I've read, WINDOWS 7 users need to run version 8.0.4 or higher (PT9). I'm thinking this could be the reason why you're getting noise during recording & playback. Could also be the reason for your other issues, though I'm not a 100%.

I actually just did an upgrade to WINDOWS 7 the other night and will be reinstalling PT's later...I plan to do some troubeshooting and will advise if I run into the same problems.

Later...

[fson]

I'm running 8.04. Just ordered a large harddrive to setup a second windows partition to do some debugging.