DAW start up problem-Firewire interface

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Dr Wobble

New member
I have a desktop PC,namely a HP Compaq dc5100 MT. It has a Pentium 4 CPU,2.80GHz Speed,3 GB of RAM and fitted with XP Professional Service Pk 3. It is used as our main PC for the usual everyday stuff,but no gaming.

My problem is that when I try to start my DAW - Protools 7.1 with a Digidesign 002 Firewire Interface- the PC either "sticks" or reboots. By this I mean I click the Protools shortcut icon,the DAW window appears,with a sub window that informs me of its progress in opening other software- with a little meter bar at the bottom, but then the whole PC "freezes/sticks" at DAE objects initialized. So I cant use the mouse,or keyboard or even the on/off button on the PC itself to turn the PC off or get into the Start menu ;I have to turn the power off at the mains,to be able to re-boot.

The other symptom is similar;at the same place IE DAE Objects etc,the PC goes blank,and then starts the boot up process by itself.

This might have to do with this problem,not sure. Ocassionally when I boot up in the morning the PC freezes too-IE no key or button will turn the PC off.. That's before I've started any programs. The first program I click on is usually Firefox, I always wait for about 30 seconds for the PC to wake up - IE the HD to settle and stop making noise. This "sticking" on booting up is rare though,say about once a month if that.

The interface is connected to the PC through a PCI Firewire Card. I've cleaned the contacts with a brass brush and have checked for dodgy caps on the motherboard as well as making sure all cables, the CPU,etc are seated properly. I run Ccleaner regularly as well as Malwarebytes and have Avast anti virus running.I've used Linux to check that the PC is recognising the interface. Someone suggested a re-install of the OS. I'm wary of doing this.

Any help would be much appreciated,I'm not very knowledgeable about PC's. Forgive my dire spelling,Andy
 
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ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
As mitchell65 says this forum is owned by PCS and used for supporting their builds. But were nice guys and girls here so lets see if we can help...

I assume DAW in this context is "digital audio workstation"? What is connected via the Firewire interface? I assume it's audio hardware?

When did this start happening? Presumably this used to work normally and it started playing up recently? So, what changed between then and now? Have you installed Windows updates, especially driver updates via Windows Update? If so, see whether you can restore your system to a time before these updates, better still see whether you can restore it to a time before you started to get these problems.

It sounds on the face of it like a driver problem - they are usually the culprit in situations like this - so a system restore may get you back to a more stable driver.

If system restore doesn't work (or you can't do a system restore at all) then your friend's suggestion of doing a clean reinstall of Windows is your best bet. It's really not that hard but you need to make sure that you have everything you need to hand before you start. So you'll need a copy of the installation files for all of the user applications you have installed (like your DAW). Many of these (Firefox, Skype ect.) can be downloaded from the web but it's handy to have them already downloaded and written to a CD or USB stick so you can reinstall them quickly. Make sure you have any unlock codes to enable the software to hand as well.

Most production PCs and laptops come with a hidden partition containing all the files necessary to return your PC into the state it was in when you bought it. If you have one of these hidden partitions you need to Google how to boot into it, it's usually spacial key combination at boot (Ctrl + F11 is a favourite). Follow the instructions on there to restore your PC to it's factory installed state.

If you don't have a recovery partition then you'll need a Windows XP installation disk and the original product key on a sticker on your PC somwehere. You'll also need all the drivers for your hardware, this should be on a disk that will have been supplied with the PC. Failing that you need to open Device Manager and note down the manufacturer and model of all of your hardware, you'll then need to visit the manufacturers websites for the latest XP drivers for these devices. Write these to a CD or USB stick before starting a reinstall so you have them to hand.

Also backup all of your user data - do it to two separate locations if you can (external hard drives are best) to be sure you have a good backup.

Then boot from the Windows XP install disk and install Windows, tell the installation routine to format the existing Windows partition and install Windows into the newly formatted partition. When Windows is installed, insert your CD or USB stick containing the drivers and install all those, you may have to reboot after many of them, so if it tells you to reboot do so. Then run Windows update and install all of the High Priority updates (but do not install any Optional updates nor any Driver updates). You'll need to re-run Windows Update many times to be sure you have all the updates.

Once Windows is up to date you can install your user applications from the install files on CD or USB stick that you saved earlier.

You probably know that support for Windows XP ends next April so it might be worth planning to upgrade both your PC and Windows in the next year. You'll get the best bangs for your buck by buying from PCS. Check them out on the link mitchell65 gave you. You get great after sales service from PCS too, and lots of help from the great people on here of course. :)
 
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Dr Wobble

New member
Thanks for your reply's,especially as your not as I thought a general PC forum. I bought the PC for the sole use of running Protools in my bedroom recording studio. At first it ran well,but I had this problem about once in every five startups of the DAW. A re-boot fixed the problem.

I,ll try your recommendations ubuysa but am really wary of a re install as I havn't much of a clue what I'm doing. I'm from the "click anything till it works" school of PC users. Guess I need to do some homework/research.

It seems though in your opinion its a software problem rather than a glitch with the PC or hardware. Can you recommend,if it exists any Freeware that will check out a PC's performance . I,ve run Memtest86 for 24 hours (which AFAIK checks a PC's logic circuits). All ok.Is there a similar test that checks out drivers for instance? Thanks,Andy.
 
vanthus

vanthus

Member Resting in Peace
It's okay to try and help someone out with a technical problem (not with building your own though),after all,they could still be potential customers,and a solution could also help someone else out.
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Memtest only checks you RAM, though it's very good at that. I would check to see whether HP/Compaq have any diagnostic software (I know Dell do). Other than that there isn't really any general purpose hardware diagnostic software.

I do think this sounds more like a software problem, though I could be wrong. I've been wrong before. :)

A reinstall is your best option at this stage, especially if you're a "click it until it works" kind of user. That's not always wise. ;)

Reinstalling is not that hard. Just be sure you have a couple of backups of all your data before you start. If you have a hidden factory restore partition (and you probably do) it's really a breeze. It's also a good learning experience.
 
ubuysa

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
PokerFace said:
As pantomime season is fast approaching, I find it my duty to say "Oh no you haven't!" :)

well not that I can remember anyway ;)
Click to expand...

My dad used to say that "a man who never made a mistake never made anything". :)

Sorry, "oh yes I have!" seemed too obvious a response..... ;)
 
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