Need immediate help - hardware errors -4 and -9003 on PT HD

[Eric Spaceship]

I'm experiencing this same problem, on a previously stable OSX10.5.5 MacPro 8core, 7.4.2 system.

History: Protools got stuck in a DSP reallocation (deactivating. reactivating, not enough DSP) loop --after 15min, I was obliged to force quit. Now, the errors listed above prevent Toolz from opening at all. NO PHYSICAL CHANGE TO SETUP AT ALL. If something went bad, it was a stationary electronic occurrence.

Digitest crashes (checking Bus Mastering) on all cards in the HD3 system... which might to suggest that Digitest is unreliable?!? This system has been solid...

Tried trashing prefs with Digi utility: No change.

Going to try reinstall of 7.4.2. Will keep you posted. Suggestions welcome.

[DigiTechSupt]

Unlikely that a reinstall will change anything, but you can try.

I'd reseat all cards and even start with the core card and see if the errors still occur, adding a card as indicated until you can determine where the problem lies. You may also want to test your flex cables, as a bad flex cable could cause something like this.

Unfortunately these types of errors usually mean a bad card. If Digitest is crashing, that's even more of an indicator.

[Eric Spaceship]

I will look into this shortly. But this is somewhat troubling...

Can a software event cause a card to "go bad"?

What's the repair process for a "bad card"?

[DigiTechSupt]

I doubt software could cause a card to go bad. Most likely it was a hardware failure which, of course, is more likely to occur when you're using the cards.

Repair process is for you to contact tech support by phone and they can set you up with a standard or expedited repair. Your costs may vary depending on if it's in warrantee or not and how fast you need the replacement.

[SoundMoves]

Sure seems to a lot of these -4 errors popping up.

[Eric Spaceship]

So, the "resolution" to my issue was... Do nothing. It went away overnight with no changes made. How ya like 'dem apples?

Seriously, here was my timeline:

0. Late Wednesday, maxed session gets stuck in DSP reallocation loop.
1. 15 minutes later... Force Quit ProTools
2. Subsequent attempts to restart PT meet with above error. Toolz won't load. Restart mac. *
3. Digitest crashes on DMA Bus Mastering test on any card. Restarted Mac. *
4. Trashed Preferences. Restarted Mac. *
5. Reinstalled ProTools. Restarted Mac. *
6. * Still getting the -4 & -9003 errors on ProTools startup.
7. Starting to worry... Decide to deal with it in the AM. Power down & leave.
8. Return the next morning... Everything works fine.

So, if it was a "hardware failure", it was really just more of a "hardware slump".

With my meager technical background (BSEE), I can't really summon a good explanation, unless it was heat related, or the card DSP & RAM doesn't fully reset when cycling the power. Any other thoughts on that? This is exactly the kind of spookiness I am paying top dollar to avoid...

[[email protected]]

Hi,
Since I have now having your problem ...I wanted to know what your final outcome was.
Thanks,
Katherine

[innesireinar]

I had the same problem last year. It gone away by removing and reinstalling the cards. The PCIe connector is shorten and seems less physically stable than previous PCI.