PTLE 5.0.1 won't fully launch... WHY?

[vici]

PTLE 5.0.1 won't fully launch... WHY?

Digi001
G4 Sawtooth, 450mhz
9.0.4
896mb ram
80mb to PTLE 5.0.1
80mb to DAE
PTLE on it's own partition of my startup drive
Media on 2nd ATA drive

My PTLE 5.0.1 had been working fine until today.

The behavior is: upon attempting to launch application (from app icon or from session icon) the process starts, I see the ProTools LE bar across the top of the desktop, and it stops there. I can back out by force quitting PTLE... and sometimes this freezes the MAC... usually it just quits PTLE and all is ok.

Recent significant changes which preceded this failure:
I replaced my 2nd ATA drive. A failing Maxtor 30 gig was replaced with an IBM 60 gig. The drive has been performing normally with all other apps.
I had my Digi001 cable connection disconnected from the back of my 001 interface for a few days (I usually leave it connected, and therefore powered up, all the time. The unit is about 18 months old).
No other significant recent changes.

THINGS I'VE ATTEMPTED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OR ELIMINATE POSSIBLE CAUSES:
Checked ram allocation.
Threw out DAE and PT prefs and restarted.
Checked extensions and extension sets... I have the following extensions and control panels present:
Digidesign® Direct I/O
Digidesign® DSP Manager
DigiSystem™ INIT
Open Music System
DAE Prefs Folder
Digidesign® Control Panel
OMS Preferred Device Control Panel
Deleted all PTLE & DAE related files and re-installed PTLE 5.0.1
Removed and re-seated the Digi Sound Card
Ran DigiTest

AN INTERESTING THING I NOTICED (might be a red herring, but here it is anyway):
I was in Sound Manager Control Panel, to check to see if my sound output was set to Digi001. It was. But when I clicked back and forth between the "Digi001" & "Built In" options, and I heard the short, quiet, momentary drive reading sound from my drive that occurs as you change a setting, I noticed that when clicking back to the "Digi001" setting the "drive reading noise" would go on & on... it wouldn't stop... almost as if it were writing a large file or searching unsuccesfully or something. My un-educated guess was that it wasn't finding the device or the preference or whatEVER it's doing as it makes that quiet drive sound.

Any hunches? Software, hardware, prefs, settings?

If I can't solve this my next instinct is to swap out the board and the interface box with a friend's Digi001 hardware. In addition to your ideas about what's causing the problem, I'm also wondering if there are any hardware fingerprints or keys that will prevent me from using my friends card or interface with my software or prefs? Will my software "see" and use the swapped out card and box?

Please send help!

Many thanks,
Victor http://homepage.mac.com/victoringrassia/

[marilyn manson and the spooky kids]

what is a g4 sawtooth?

how much CPU power?

[marilyn manson and the spooky kids]

also if you have so much ram, then why did you only put 80 for dae, and PT?
why not 100? you have alot, but i guess you must be using alot of other additional applications. can you put more than 100?

[marilyn manson and the spooky kids]

would upgrading to at least PTLE 5.1 help?

[vici]

Thanks Spookies,
My G4 is a 450 (sawtooth was the 2nd incarnation of the G4... about 2 years old).
80mb of ram has always been fine, as has 5.0.1.

I understand your instincts to upgrade this stuff... but all was fine before. I don't want to add too many variables at this time. I find that that can confuse things (I already feel bad that I may have muddied up the waters with the re-install of 5.0.1).

Thanks and keep the ideas coming....

anybody?

~Victor

http://homepage.mac.com/victoringrassia/

[jjmush]

vici, hope this might help.

Use "Built in" in Sound control Panel, not digidesign.
Trush Sound Preferences and delete,restart Mac. If you can't delete it, trush and restart and delete it.
Select Built in after that to make new sound preference.

You might have more chance to do this if you keep using digi in Sound control Panel.
Hook up the stereo mini jack of Mac to your outboard mixer same as digi001.
Use digi's audio driver for your PTLE, Logic, DP MasterList CD etc..
And use Built in sound manager for iTune,SoundJam Plus, Sound APP, QuickTime Pro,MVP,iMovie,all other applications.

Good thing about this way, even though the sound quality of Mac's output is not good as 001, you can raunch LE and SoundJAM, QT,iTune at the same time.

After you bounced to disc your final Mix, use soundJam or QT to play back imdtly.
This is another way to check your master mix file's sound. Imagine most of people are listenning to your music like that.
If you always choose digi in sound control panel, I think you can't raunch many audio and sound applications at the same time. I wanna say " just leave 001 for your pro audio applications.

[Kling3]

How long is "working fine till lately?" Digi says to put the app on the system folder hard drive(partition) and create a separate extension set, but starting with Mac base extentions then adding the Digi inits and saving that set. I'm guessing your system is working to hard to look for LE on another partition. It needs QT and other resources found in the system folder of the same partition. Food for thought, I'm fish'in.

[jjmush]

AND

I think Mac G4 450,PT5.0.1, OS9.0.4 must work fine.

Add more memory to DAE like 160MB.
Try it.

[vici]

SOLVED IT!!

Got it working by letting the "hang up" remain for a long time. I mean... I went out to dinner and came back to find it launched.

I remember that when I first installed PTLE about 2 years ago, that many people on the user group (as well as DIGI) were talking about a looooong wait necessary after entering the authorization code. I never had that problem at the time. But I remember DIGI saying to literally go out for coffee if it seems to be "frozen' but still has an unfrozen cursor. That's what I did. After this, it launches perfectly every time again. Just as it has for 2 years.

Weird mojo!

Thanks to you all for your help! If you got some time on your hands take a look at some animation loops I'm working on... on my website (url below).

~Victor http://homepage.mac.com/victoringrassia/

[Kling3]

Vic,

They fixed that bug in 5.1. I had the same problem with my B&W G3/400. Launching was always hit or miss. If it happens again I'd do the upgrade. I havn't had a miss fire since.