PT7 stalls at actions like trim, record

[Theodor With]

My PT setup has worked adequatly since 6.4, but lately things has gone wrong - though I can't pinpoint upgrading s/w as the culprit. Only hardware change is adding a new harddisk (Samsung Spinpoint).

I have now gone through the General Troubleshooting Tread, to no avail. In addition I've tried to work towards different disks and different partitions, moving swap-space to different disks and different partitions, and I've upgraded from 7.0 to 7.1 - still the same problem.

(Let me move my conclusion up here:) So... What I try to point out, is that not everything stalls, certain functions are working as if there were no load - even if Task Manager says CPU usage is 100% (of which kernel time varies somewhere around 75%). PT-centric tasks hangs, but there seems to be some sort of a reset occuring when PT is minimized.

(Resume description:)
Just tried it again: After resetting everything as per the General Troubleshooting Tread I lauched ProTools, started a new session. As I add the first track, the CPU usage (according to Task Manager) bumps up to 100%, the text cursor flickers rapidly (becomes more or less like the marching ants of Photoshop) - but I can complete the dialog and have my track with no problems at all. As the dialog box closes, CPU usage falls down to nothing. Allright, I could live with this. But...

Windows handling is allright: getting the mix window - noprob. Then I try changing input: PT stalls, nothing happens - until I change to another program (like just now, to write this text). When I return to PT, it races again (but seems to have changed input). Now, i minimize PT using the window's upper right-hand icon. CPU usage down. Everything OK. But...

I try to arm the track. Uuups. 100% usage, PT stalled. Switching to another application: CPU usage down. Returning: 100% (but the R-button is red (should be blinking), the meter is frozen at a few millimeters). Minimizing fixes the problem, the R-button blinks allright, the meter reacts to sounds. But...

I start recording. Same procedure. PT seems stalled (but it actually does do the recording, without updating the screen). So I stop the recording, minimize... Ah, viola. But.. I try to trim the recording (smart tools cursor changes all right). Stalls - and trimming is randomly executed. Minimize de-stalls.

I am able to move the insertion point (by clicking in the track with the mousepointer) without any stalling, though. And I can open menus with no delay (even when PT is "stalled" and CPU usage reportedly is 100%)... It's always something ;-)

(Conclusion moved from here)

Hope some bright head has a clue - I can't use my PT any more!

Here is a slightly cropped output from Sandra:

-----------------------------
Processor
Model : Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 1.90GHz
Speed : 1.90GHz
Performance Rating : PR2088 (estimated)
Cores per Processor : 1 Unit(s)
Threads per Core : 1 Unit(s)
Internal Data Cache : 8kB Synchronous, Write-Thru, 4-way set, 64 byte line size, 2 lines per sector
L2 On-board Cache : 256kB ECC Synchronous, ATC, 8-way set, 64 byte line size, 2 lines per sector

Mainboard
Bus(es) : ISA AGP PCI IMB USB i2c/SMBus
MP Support : 1 Processor(s)
MP APIC : Yes
System BIOS : Award Software International, Inc. 6.00 PG
System : Fujitsu Siemens WB72SC
Mainboard : DFI WB72SC
Total Memory : 768MB SDRAM

Chipset 1
Model : Intel Corporation 82845 Brookdale Host-Hub Interface Bridge (A3-step)
Front Side Bus Speed : 4x 100MHz (400MHz data rate)
Total Memory : 768MB SDRAM
Memory Bus Speed : 1x 133MHz (133MHz data rate)

Video System
Monitor/Panel : SyncMaster 957MB/917MB/950MB SyncMaster Magic CD197D(P)
Adapter : Radeon 7500 / Radeon 7500LE
Imaging Device : Canon MP800

Physical Storage Devices
Removable Drive : Diskettstasjon
Hard Disk : SAMSUNG SP2514N (233GB)
Hard Disk : ST3120026A (112GB)
Hard Disk : Canon MP800Storage USB Device
Hard Disk : Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device
Hard Disk : Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device
Hard Disk : Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device
Hard Disk : Generic STORAGE DEVICE USB Device
CD-ROM/DVD : HL-DT-ST RW/DVD GCC-4521B (CD 52X Rd, 52X Wr) (DVD 7X Rd)

Operating System(s)
Windows System : Microsoft Windows XP/2002 Home 5.01.2600 (Service Pack 2)

Network Services
Adapter : NETGEAR FA311 Fast Ethernet-kort
--------------------------

Oh, yes: the network adapter is usually disabled in my ProToolsProfile, I just needed it to report accurately here.

Thanx in advance!

Pax,

Theodor

[spkguitar]

Only hardware change is adding a new harddisk (Samsung Spinpoint).

What happens when you take the drive out?

[Theodor With]

Thanks a lot for you interest, spkguitar!

I was hoping moving swap-space and session files to the old disk would suffice, because I moved my "My Documents"-folder to this new drive, and this folder is far too big to be retrofitted into the old partition. The two harddrives are on their own bus (the new My Documents being slave on the secondary bus, shared with the DVD drive).

I'm afraid there will be all kinds of problems just eliminating this drive (and the mount-volume for "My Documents" along with it), and moving it windows-wise isn't possible (XP asks politely if I want to move my files to the new My Documents mountpoint - where it won't fit).

Sure, if it's really worth the bother I would try, but I can hardly imagine adding a separate drive should cause interface problems in PT? But disk access is fine, as far as transferring data is concerned, it plays back if it's started properly (using the new understanding of the term "proper", now also convering minimizing of the window), and records allright as far as I can hear.

Why do you think removing the drive would help?

Pax,

Theodor

[spkguitar]

Why do you think removing the drive would help?

Only hardware change is adding a new harddisk

I thought it was the only thing that changed, and technically it is, but you've actually altered/moved some system files, so you've done much more than just add the drive.

I really don't understand your setup at all. Why did you move the My Documents folder? Which drive is your system drive? The 233GB or the 112GB? (this is where a full sandra report may have been helpful)

I think your problems may stem from your weird setup.

[Theodor With]

But sure thing - here is a link to the complete report: http://kontor.bellenett.no/~theo/san...tem_report.txt

It's nothing really special about my setup. I had only one hard drive and a bad sound card. Wanting to do some music, I bought ProTools and an MBox. Upgraded from 6.4 to 6.9, working out some optimizations and getting to know how things worked and what I could do. As time went on, the small harddrive got filled up (especially my darlings from ProTools took their toll... ;-)) and I bought a new hard drive. Coming from the Mac/Linux world I took the opportunity to separate my home mount from the system (though not the too hard-core way, obeying the WinXP way of doing things I left my home folder in the "Documents and Settings" folder, and simply used the system function for moving the "My Documents" folder to a partition of the new hard drive). I also added a partition for swap space, so that I didn't need to use the system drive for that. There are no system files in "My Documents" as far as I know (though there are some one level towards root, which is why I left those in place) - except for thumbnail databases and things like that. Changing swap space is indeed a system file, but I can't see why this change should cause interface trouble in PT (and only there) - still, I have tried moving it back where it originally was - no luck.

Somewhere along the h/w upgrade I also upgraded to PT7.0 - and I did some converting from the old to the new file format, and worked with these files, so I do not think this caused any problems. But then one day, when I tried to make a recording, it didn't quite work out - so I just left it for later. This "later" was a few days ago (I've been very busy with different other things recently), and I detected and identified this problem. Tried to upgrade to 7.1 - to no avail.

As far as I can see, there shouldn't be anything too special about this setup - on the contrary, the PT documentation even recommends using such a two-disk setup, if I'm not completely at a loss.

I might try to reconstruct the exact temporal unfolding of these activities, maybe I can say for sure if it has worked with the new harddisk at all. But then again: why would this cause interface problems?

So - in short: I moved the "My Documents" folder because it was no more room on the old disk. The small drive is the system drive and the big one is swap and home. There are no hacks involved (I avoided that, following the MS pre-trodden path). I'm pretty sure the s/w upgrade is not the reason, and as it's a no-brainer to say that of the identified changes the new harddrive could be the cause of the problems, I guess I'll need to investigate a little more there. But why, O why, should it be a problem to do "the right thing", that is to separate ProTools and system drives? And where is doing PT actions (engaging the interface) connected to HD activity? And why does minimizing the PT window solve the problem?

Hmm. Formulating this in short words is not easy, I see... But I still haven't lost hope that there is an unidentified change along here somewhere.

Thanks again for your interest, at any rate it helps me formulate the problems anew. Now, if only PT would appreciate it as much as I do....

Pax,

Theodor

[Theodor With]

Now I've rearranged my "My Documents" folder, BIOS-removed the secondary hard drive, but it's still the same problem. Of course, I'm glad I'll be able to use my bigger Home mount, but still I'm sad because now I don't know what to try.

Why does ProTools stall when I try to arm a track for recording? Or record? Or trim?

Anyone?

Thanks in advance!

Pax,

Theodor

[Theodor With]

I now have found kind of a workaround for the problem of PT stalling whenever I try to do anything. Maximizing the application window does the trick.

This makes kind of sense, as to me it appeared to be the engaging of the user interface that was in some way broken. It also explains why the problem didn't appear in connection with any s/w or h/w upgrade, as I might very well have used the application with the window maxed out until I for some reason didn't.

Pax,

Theodor