Why does Pro Tools in Windows NEVER work for me??

[puntercam]

I mean, I assume it works for someone, somewhere?!

I've been using Pro Tools for a good decade now, but always on mac. It doesn't matter what system I run on mac - a mac mini, a mac pro, HD, HDX, Native - it always works. There are no (major) quirks in the software. Sure, sometimes you get a crash, but it's a once a week kind of thing... Still unacceptable, but almost tolerable.

Now I was slightly disappointed last week when Apple didn't announce a nice new mac mini... I don't need the Pro (which is out of date anyway) - a nice i7 mini replacement is all I want. Anyway, the chat is now they might just not be replacing it... So I'm in the market for a new system - and it's either a macbook pro (great, but expensive) or (I thought) a PC. I've always had PCs as well - never for music, but for general rubbish.. Design work, internet, occasional games.. So I formatted my new PC for a(nother) go with Pro Tools...

I hadn't had much success with PC Pro Tools in the past - my 001 worked well many moons ago, but that was about it. My core2quad machine I'd had kicking around threw up errors (that turned out to be ilok related), and was unusable (despite working completely solidly with every other piece of software on it). But it was an old system, and I thought maybe something had gotten corrupted along the way... That was my hope..

My new PC is a 6 core i7 5820k @ 3.3ghz with 16GB of ram, with windows 10 on an SSD. I'm using an RME Babyface (but I've tried the onboard sound too). Fresh install, nothing else on it, and all the drivers are the latest. So how does Pro Tools run? Well, it loads in a flash, and then tells me "Pro Tools Application has stopped working" whenever I open some sessions. Others open fine, but not always... This happened with Pro Tools 11, and it now happens with 12 (12.2).

And I'm immediately at my wits end. Is there something wrong with my computer(s)? It didn't run properly on a 2010 core2quad with windows 7. It doesn't run properly on a new windows 10 pc. Why? What is happening? What can I do? I must [I]surely[I] be doing something wrong, but I can't for the life of me work out what it is. EVERY other program I run works flawlessly - this is what I can't stand!! Nuendo (which I rarely use now) runs flawlessly and with utter stability..

So yeah, this is a bit of ramble I know, but I'm fed up. I would LOVE to stop buying Macs and save some money, but it's just not possible. Unless I'm making an obvious mistake. Please help!

[philgrab]

Well......what midi devices, plugins i.e VST emulators, or other connections are part of the equation? Could be your sound drivers but a lot of other things load in the initial part of the startup. Have you run a memory test?

[albee1952]

It might be worth posting a Sandra report to see if any hardware is a known non-compatible piece Having said that, there are some other things to watch for, such as;
BIOS settings(many can make or break how a PC works with PT).
Disable Floppy in BIOS(even if the computer doesn't have one).
Make sure there is no disk in the optical drive while running PT.
Perform all the Windows tweaks, especially killing un-needed services that run "behind the scenes", like the AVG antivirus that was killing my partner's machine(same build as mine listed below).
Remember that nVidia graphics is recommended, and check for the latest driver(and remove the excess graphic optional crap that you don't need).

Beyond that stuff, I have run PC since Pro Tools 6 and feel like I have all the power I need with my current 6 core i7 machine(which is "ancient" by today's standards). Stability has mostly been excellent, and when its not, its usually my fault, or some plugin or update that has hurt performance(like; I just installed KeyScape, and ever since, I have had several temporary freezes and CPU spikes).

You could also consider building a "hackintosh" that would match most any Mac Pro, at around the $2K mark

[Brandonx1]

I am going to guess you have an incorrect or invalid playback engine selected. Try the rme.

[puntercam]

Thanks all,

I guess I'll just start the laborious process of finding the culprit.. I've just gotten used to things working I guess (imagine that!). Hopefully I find whatever the problem is.

I actually did have this very PC running as a Hackintosh for a few months - it was crap. It was probably because of the lack of official support for the chipset/processor from apple, but it didn't have any more power than my 2012 macbook air i7. It was, however, very stable. Maybe I'll revisit it if Apple move to x99 at any point.

C

[Flakca]

(the message goes on to say) A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Windows will close the program and notify you if a solution is available.

I've done every fix I could find on this message in the AVID Community and online. Nothing fixes it.

Here is my Sandra Report - Any help would be appreciated.


***** Start of Report *****
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<<< Status >>>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

< SiSoftware Sandra >
Name: SiSoftware Sandra Lite (Eval)
Version: 2016.03.22.20
Platform Compliance: x64
URL: http://support.sisoftware.co.uk
E-Mail: [email protected]
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sisoftwareuk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SiSoftware

< SiSoftware Sandra >
Copyright: Copyright © SiSoftware 1995-Present. All
Rights Reserved. Moral Rights Asserted.
Registered Owner: Studio
Registered Organisation: Unknown
Licence Status: Free strictly for personal/educational use;
21 days trial for any other use.
Licence Extra: You are on day %d of your trial period.
Please see 'Help - Get More' for purchase
details.

< Environment >
Host Name: Studio-PC
User: Studio
Computer ID: {47EB10D1-4E4E-4CE7-8732-23D7EFD0951E}
Result ID: {7A18EE1E-A825-4C7C-8987-BCD11C3D34A7}
Date: Friday, January 06, 2017 @ 10:41:42 AM

<<< Comments >>>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


<<< Computer Overview >>>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

< ID >
Host Name: Studio-PC
Workgroup: WORKGROUP

< Computer >
Model: Lenovo IdeaCentre K330
Serial Number: ES07027488
Chassis: Desktop
Mainboard: Lenovo To be filled by O.E.M.
Serial Number: ES07027488
BIOS: Lenovo DKKT18AUS 02/15/2011
Total Memory: 16GB DIMM DDR3

< Processors >
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz (4C
8T 3.39GHz, 3.4GHz IMC, 4x 256kB L2, 8MB L3)
Socket/Slot: FC LGA1155

< Chipset >
Memory Controller: Lenovo Core (Sandy Bridge) DRAM Controller
100MHz, 2x 8GB DIMM DDR3 1.33GHz 128-bit

< Memory Module(s) >
Memory Module: Hynix (Hyundai) HMT351U6BFR8C-H9 4GB DIMM
DDR3 PC3-10700U DDR3-1334 (9-9-9-25 4-34-10-
5)
Memory Module: Hynix (Hyundai) HMT351U6BFR8C-H9 4GB DIMM
DDR3 PC3-10700U DDR3-1334 (9-9-9-25 4-34-10-
5)
Memory Module: Crucial CT51264BD160BJC8F 4GB DIMM DDR3 PC3-
12800U DDR3-1600 (11-11-11-29 5-40-13-6)
Memory Module: Crucial CT51264BD160BJC8F 4GB DIMM DDR3 PC3-
12800U DDR3-1600 (11-11-11-29 5-40-13-6)

< Video System >
Monitor/Panel: LG 27MP65
(1920x1080, 27.2")
Video Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GT 420 (1CU 48SP SM5.0 1.4GHz,
128kB L2, 1GB 1.59GHz 128-bit, PCIe 2.00 x16)

< Graphics Processor >
CUDA GP Processor: NVIDIA GeForce GT 420 (48SP 1C 1.4GHz, 128kB
L2, 1GB 1.59GHz 128-bit)
Compute Shader Processor: NVIDIA GeForce GT 420 (48SP 1C 1.4GHz, 128kB
L2, 1GB 1.59GHz 128-bit)
OpenGL Processor: GeForce GT 420/PCIe/SSE2 (1GB)

< Storage Devices >
HGST Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 (:932GB (C:)
Seagate ST3000DM008-2DM166 (3T:3TB (G:)
TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-H653J (SATA:N/A (F:)

< Logical Storage Devices >
SYSTEM RESERVED: 100MB (NTFS, 4kB) @ HGST Hitachi
HDS721010CLA332 (1TB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm,
29MB Cache)
Pro Tools Files (G:): 2TB (NTFS, 4kB) @ Seagate ST3000DM008-2DM166
(3TB, SATA600, 3.5", 7200rpm)
Hard Disk (C:): 906GB (NTFS, 4kB) @ HGST Hitachi
HDS721010CLA332 (1TB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm,
29MB Cache)
Hard Disk: 450MB (NTFS, 4kB) @ HGST Hitachi
HDS721010CLA332 (1TB, SATA300, 3.5", 7200rpm,
29MB Cache)
Optical Drive (F:): N/A @ TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-H653J (SATA150, DVD+-
RW, CD-RW)

< Peripherals >
LPC Hub Controller 1: Lenovo P67 LPC Controller
Audio Device: Lenovo Cougar Point High Definition Audio
Controller
Audio Codec: Realtek Semi High Definition Audio
Audio Device: Bitland GF108 High Definition Audio
Controller
Audio Codec: nVidia 0014
Audio Codec: nVidia 0014
Audio Codec: nVidia 0014
Serial Port(s): 1
Disk Controller: Lenovo Cougar Point 6 port SATA AHCI
Controller
USB Controller 1: Lenovo Cougar Point USB Enhanced Host
Controller #2
USB Controller 2: Lenovo Cougar Point USB Enhanced Host
Controller #1
SMBus/i2c Controller 1: Intel ICH SMBus

< Printers and Faxes >
Printer: Send To Microsoft OneNote 2010 Driver
(1200x1200, Colour)
Printer: Microsoft XPS Document Writer v4 (600x600,
Colour)
Printer: Microsoft Print To PDF (600x600, Colour)
Fax: Microsoft Shared Fax Driver (200x200)
Printer: CutePDF Writer (4000x4000, Colour)
Printer: Canon MX920 series Printer (Colour)
Printer: Canon MX920 series FAX (200x200)

< Scanners and Cameras >
Scanner: Microsoft MX920 series _2BFCE5ED7C12 (Scanner,
USB)

< Network Services >
Network Adapter: Intel(R) 82579V Gigabit Network Connection #2
(Ethernet, 1Gbps)

< Operating System >
Windows System: Microsoft Windows 10 Personal 10.00.14393
Platform Compliance: x64

<<< Processor Arithmetic >>>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<< Multi-Threaded (MT) >>
< Benchmark Results >
Aggregate Native Performance: 87.34GOPS
Dhrystone Integer Native SSE4.:106.88GIPS
Dhrystone Long Native SSE4.2: 107.56GIPS
Whetstone Single-float Native :79.84GFLOPS
Whetstone Double-float Native :63.78GFLOPS

< Aggregate Native Performance >
Dhrystone Aggregated-int Nativ:107.22GFLOPS
Whetstone Aggregated-float Nat:71.36GFLOPS
Results Interpretation: Higher Scores mean Better Performance.
Decimal Numeral System (base 1:1GOPS = 1000MOPS, 1MOPS = 1000kOPS, 1kOPS =
1000OPS, etc.

< Performance per Thread >
Aggregate Native Performance: 10.92GOPS
Dhrystone Integer Native: 13.36GIPS
Dhrystone Long Native: 13.44GIPS
Whetstone Single-float Native: 10GFLOPS
Whetstone Double-float Native: 8GFLOPS
No. Threads: 8
Results Interpretation: Higher Scores mean Better Performance.
Decimal Numeral System (base 1:1GOPS = 1000MOPS, 1MOPS = 1000kOPS, 1kOPS =
1000OPS, etc.

< Performance vs. Power >
Processor(s) Power: 95.000W
Aggregate Native Performance: 919.33MOPS/W
Dhrystone Integer Native: 1125.09MIPS/W
Dhrystone Long Native: 1132.16MIPS/W
Whetstone Single-float Native: 840.46MFLOPS/W
Whetstone Double-float Native: 671.40MFLOPS/W
Results Interpretation: Higher Scores mean Better Performance.

< Performance vs. Speed >
Aggregate Native Performance: 25.75MOPS/MHz
Dhrystone Integer Native: 31.51MIPS/MHz
Dhrystone Long Native: 31.71MIPS/MHz
Whetstone Single-float Native: 23.54MFLOPS/MHz
Whetstone Double-float Native: 18.80MFLOPS/MHz
Results Interpretation: Higher Scores mean Better Performance.

< Benchmark Status >
Result ID: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz (4C
8T 3.39GHz, 3.4GHz IMC, 4x 256kB L2, 8MB L3)
Computer: Lenovo IdeaCentre K330
Platform Compliance: x64
NUMA Support: No
No. Threads: 8
Processor Affinity: U0-C0T0 U2-C1T0 U4-C2T0 U6-C3T0 U1-C0T1 U3-
C1T1 U5-C2T1 U7-C3T1
System Timer: 3.31MHz
No. Runs: 64000 / 640

< Processor >
Model: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz
Speed: 3.39GHz (100%)
Min/Max/Turbo Speed: 1.6GHz - 3.39GHz
Maximum Power: 95.000W
Cores per Processor: 4 Unit(s)
Threads per Core: 2 Unit(s)
Front Side Bus Speed: 100MHz
Revision/Stepping: 2A / 7
Microcode: MU062A0729
L1D (1st Level) Data Cache: 4x 32kB, 8-Way, 64bytes Line Size, 2
Thread(s)
L1I (1st Level) Code Cache: 4x 32kB, 8-Way, 64bytes Line Size, 2
Thread(s)
L2 (2nd Level) Data/Unified Ca:4x 256kB, ECC, 8-Way, 64bytes Line Size, 2
Thread(s)
L3 (3rd Level) Data/Unified Ca:8MB, ECC, 16-Way, Fully Inclusive, 64bytes
Line Size, 16 Thread(s)

< Memory Controller >
Integrated in Processor: Yes
Speed: 3.4GHz

[bcwiz]

I would look at sorting out the mismatched memory modules for starters...

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by bcwiz

I would look at sorting out the mismatched memory modules for starters...

Indeed^^^ Pull out the Hynix RAM and do some testing. I always recommend against mixing RAM, and your Hynix RAM is slower and has different timing. I ALWAYS make every stick of RAM the exact same brand and part number

[Neil H]

Unfortunately things are not quite so "automatic" as you would hope and there are a lot of considerations to be taken into account when choosing a Windows PC for Pro Tools, This is not because "PC's are Crap" its because PC's vary massively in options and components equally vary in quality, compatibility and price accordingly.

For example you can get a $200 machine from your local costco/best buy/(insert other generic retailer here) and its still "a PC" but you really couldn't compare it to a $4000 machine designed for purpose or expect it to handle the same tasks.

Ok, so you don't need the lecture but I'm just trying to lay down some rationale to the subject of why people struggle with "PC's".

Sadly to compound this situation Pro Tools just happens to be one of the most fussy applications known to modern man so the machine and its setup makes a HUGE difference to your experience.

After some time of experience, help from people such as DUC users and perseverance you get to learn what would and wouldn't be suitable choices to buy and additionally you learn what the requirements are to set it up right based on the choices you have made with your hardware, this is why there is no fast definitive answer as there are many variables and why many issues go unresolved because few people have the exact same system as you to compare to.

I have no experience with Lenovo machines such as yours and Pro Tools but I do have a lot of experience with Pro Tools on Windows, to the point where i decided enough is enough with this "variables" problem and created The Pro Tools PC where all of these problems are taken care of for our customers by us, we set a known quantity that we know works and we set up the machines with our known working configurations that we can wholeheartedly support for use with Pro Tools.
Maybe you might feel like this info is useless to you and what i'm saying is a giant sales pitch but when i see these kind of posts i feel like i've just got to say this is the exact reason why our product exists, especially for folks looking to move from Mac's over to Windows but are daunted by horror stories such as yours.
Lots of people choose to self build which certainly encourage if you want to be the master of your machine and know/be in control of exactly how it ticks and there is plenty of info right here on the DUC to enable you to do that but i suspect you like many of our customers just want a machine that works so they can get on with using Pro Tools and leave the geeky stuff to the geeks and for whats its worth we very, very rarely get any tech support requests even though we offer totally Free support for both the machine and Pro Tools with every system.

Anyway sorry for the huge essay/sales pitch maybe what i've written will be of some help and consideration to you or anyone else who reads it.