F*ING IRRITATING!!!! (please help you video experts)

[drewson99]

I am capturing s-video and rca audio from my set-top to the HD with my AIW7500.

I am using Win2000, and I am NOT capturing to the same drive as my OS, but...

without fail, sometimes 1 minute into it, sometimes an hour (really annoying) the whole computer freezes (can't even hit ctrl-alt-del) and I have to restart my computer.

The totally sh*tty thing is that I can't use the file that was made, it is corrupt, so I have to satrt all over again, instead of just picking up where I left off and joining them.


Anybody know what is wrong or what I can do about this??

I have tried to clean up my computer with Norton Utilities Win Doctor, but that doesn't help. I defragged the HD too.

Andy)

[drewson99]

I'm trying another partition now, but I'm not optimistic.

Andy

[MrPhelps]

I don't know but my 2 cents will bump you up anyway, Try going to ATI site and get the latests drivers.

[drewson99]

ha thanks MrPhelps! I have been there, but it seems I have all the latest drivers. I thought like you, though, I figured maybe there would be a patch (I was having audio synch issues with Ulead dvd moviestudio, went to the site, the first patch on the list was "audio synch fix")

Thanks,

Andy

[DVantrease]

Any chance your system is running hot? I found this to be the cause of my lockups, both my cpu and my harddrive were running very hot. and it would lockup whenever I was running a long cpu/harddrive intensive thing like capturing. Added/upgraded some fans and my lockups went away.

[Spicuzza]

I would agree with DVantrease sounds like a system or HDD overheating problem. I recently installed HDD coolers and they lowered the operating temperature from about 130 degrees down to about 100 degrees.

Click here for link.

[vhelp]

drewson99,

I feel for you. I've ben their, and AM their. Anyways. . .

Here is a suggestion, since NO ONE has any answeres for ya.
Any chance on you just going to the STORE and buy a different
cheaper card?? example,
* buy the ATW (ati-tv wonder)
* install it
* work with it, etc. and see if you have the same symptoms.

The point I'm trying to make is, if the same problems crop
up in the NEWer capture card, then, at least you know that
it ain't your origonal AIW7500. But rather, it's something
to do w/ your system/hardware, and you can go futher.
Otherwise, you'll be here waiting for someone to fix it for
ya, and noone ain't gonna do it. No what I mean?

Try it out, can't loose but only $49, and even that, you can
return, ...so, you not loosing anything afterall, other than
time.

-vhelp

[drewson99]

that's a good idea vhelp -

In terms of heat - I don't know. I have two fans installed for exhaust plus the CPU fan. On top of this: I keep my case open, I leave the side panel off. I'm not sure if it can overheat in this state (any opinions on this?)

Maybe I'll set up a bax fan pointing at the computer, and if it still freezes, I'll try the tv-wonder.

BTW - Does the TV wonder have s-video in? I need s-video and the red and white rca for audio.

Andy

[vhelp]

drewson99,

you can expect pretty most of us power users to have their cases open
for one reason or another, but mostly because we power uses are doing
lots of capturing, which in short, creates lots of heat.
I for one, have BOTH my PCs open. It's 80+ degrees here in my apt
and even w/ the AC on, (though it helps to some degree) its not enough.
So, I have to keep my PCs open. But, that doesn't really matter to me
as I am always in it anyways for one reason or another. After a while,
you get tired of screwing and unscrewing your cabs open/shut.
But, I dare not close either one!! I know how hot they get!!

Yes, the ATW has S-Video. It has the purple breakout dong or
whatever they call it. You plug your RCA, Audio and S-Video into its
3' or 6' cord. - - very convenient.

-vhelp

[kinneera]

Guys, not intending to be rude here, but any real power user never leaves their case open. Cases are designed such that the airflow, in particular that generated by fans, moves in such a manner as to provide the best heat dispersion. Leaving the case off completely destroys this benefit and means that a lot of components will simply sit in a pool of increasingly hot air because it isn't getting moved anywhere. Leave the case on. Corollary to this is that you are also exposing your equipment to much more dust and other air impurities which isn't particularly good state of affairs.

[vhelp]

kinneera,

didn't take affense to rude

Anyways, yes, you are correct. leaving cabs open leads to MORE dust.
I failed to mention this important note. ie, I just noticed that my cpu's
chip fan is heavy w/ dust, and only had this for two months I think.
I'll have to clean it when I turn off. But, at the moment, I'm actually
in it again. I've ben it it all this weekend. You know how many times
I would have had to unscrew it?? Well, anyways, that's me.

Oh, I've finally got I/O Magic's PC PVR to work under Windows 98
and it costs at time of purchase 6 months I think, $39 at compusa.
Short skinny (as Im goin gto post in other thread) quality is very good.
Oh, drewson99, it also has S-Video and just finished hearing my enocding
bell go off. So, I'm off to check it out.

-vhelp

[drewson99]

kinneera, that does make some sense, but I gotta ask this: What is better, the fans I have with the case off, or the case open with a box fan pointing at the open machine?

Andy

[kinneera]

Yeah, I would imagine that would probably at least keep it cool. Still have that dust problem, though, not to mention all the extra power and the noise. A matter of personal preference I guess...

[drewson99]

i guess the difference for me is the "caking" of dust that occurs with the case closed. With the case open, the dust settles evenly and gets blown off from time to time. with the case shut, there are those points where the dust just cakes so thick, I'm not sure what is preferable for the system.

Andy

[Spicuzza]

I also leave the left side of my case open. I find this does lead to better heat dissipation. Also, it makes it incredibly easy to just blow out the dust every couple of weeks.

drewson99, you should be able to just reach in and touch the outside casing of your HDDs, if they're so hot that they're almost burning your fingers they're overheating.

In your first post you wrote:

without fail, sometimes 1 minute into it, sometimes an hour (really annoying) the whole computer freezes (can't even hit ctrl-alt-del) and I have to restart my computer.

When it freezes after one minute of capturing how long was the computer running before the lock up?

[kinneera]

I also leave the left side of my case open. I find this does lead to better heat dissipation. Also, it makes it incredibly easy to just blow out the dust every couple of weeks.

Just keep in mind that even though the overall ambient temperature in the case may appear to be lower, by disrupting the intended airflow dynamics you run the very real risk of creating extremely hot heat islands around certain components such as the the CPU.

[Spicuzza]

Kinneera, I will have to respectfully disagree with you. The "extremely hot heat islands" you speak of are exactly what happens in a closed case.

There is less ventilation in a closed case not more and your CPU and chip set fans are simply blowing hot air on the respective components and 7200 rpm HDDs add to the overall closed case heat problem.

Ambient heat simply does not build up with the side panel off.

[drewson99]

my computer is never "not running" so maybe it is overheating. the hard drives do almost burn me, so I'll have to do something serious, I thought that was normal.

Andy

[kinneera]

Kinneera, I will have to respectfully disagree with you. The "extremely hot heat islands" you speak of are exactly what happens in a closed case.

There is less ventilation in a closed case not more and your CPU and chip set fans are simply blowing hot air on the respective components and 7200 rpm HDDs add to the overall closed case heat problem.

Ambient heat simply does not build up with the side panel off.

You may respectfully disagree with me but then also keep in mind that you are respectfully disagreeing with every very smart mechanical and electrical engineer who ever put a computer together. Very complicated fluid dynamics are involved in designing cases that direct airflow optimally over components that need very good cooling characteristics. This is precisely what cases do. It's not only a matter of whether ambient heat is building up, but whether the rate of heat dissipation is sufficient to keep a component properly cooled. With the case off, it's quite possible and quite likely for air to be flowing over a heatsink, for example, at say 25% the rate it will if the case is on, and that most certainly will cause the CPU to run hotter even if the rest of the case appears to have a lower ambient temperature. The ventilation in a closed case absolutely will be much better if it is properly designed with a working fan. Ask yourself, does a hot room feel warmer or cooler in the summer when you turn a fan on? Why would a computer case be any different? And if you believe ambient heat doesn't build up just because its an open space, you're planet earth must be very cold indeed since apparently a heat source (the sun) can't raise the ambient temperature of a fluid (the atmosphere).

All that said, I don't really have any vested interest whether or not you want to burn out your electrical components 5 years sooner. But it does irritate me when its posed as a suggestion to someone (as previous in this thread) when another or simply a better fan will probably solve the problem much more effectively if it is even a heat problem to begin with.

[Spicuzza]

Kinneera, may I ask you a personal question?

Are you a woman?

Your use of language suggests to me that you are a woman. For example the opening statement of , "Guys, not intending to be rude here....." "Guys,"?? that's definitely female speak. Second example would be... "Corollary to this is..." "Corollary"!? That is absolutely not a "guy" word!!

Your absolutely correct though!! When your A/C breaks down on a very hot summer day just open two windows in your house, I'll open every window and door in my house including the garage door and I'm confident your house will be cooler than mine.

This issue isn't rocket science, it's common sense. But, it’s fun none the less bantering binary digits back and forth with these amazing machines!

[kinneera]

Are you a woman?

Your use of language suggests to me that you are a woman. For example the opening statement of , "Guys, not intending to be rude here....." "Guys,"?? that's definitely female speak. Second example would be... "Corollary to this is..." "Corollary"!? That is absolutely not a "guy" word!!

I must say that's the most creative non-substantive response I've ever seen. The concept that "guys" is a gendered expression is the most bizarre thing I've ever heard, as I think I've heard everyone I've ever met say that. And corollary is "female speak"!?! Perhaps you've not heard of the Roosevelt Corollary...yeah that guy was a real lady. And I guess since the term is common in both disciplines, every scientist and mathemetician must be a women then, huh? Regardless of my gender, I'm not sure whether women should be flattered or offended by your conclusions about the english language. Whatever, its good for a laugh.

Your absolutely correct though!! When your A/C breaks down on a very hot summer day just open two windows in your house, I'll open every window and door in my house including the garage door and I'm confident your house will be cooler than mine.

Funny you should mention an air conditioner. I don't suppose you have any idea why it makes your house coolest of all? And suppose I put fans in front of most of the open windows and doors (and if you understand what's going on, you'll understand why not all of them), whose house do you think is going to be cooler? Now consider if you rip the whole side of your house off...you think that will win the "chilling contest"?

This issue isn't rocket science, it's common sense. But, it’s fun none the less bantering binary digits back and forth with these amazing machines!

You're absolutely right, it's common sense, so use it! Your attempted analogy didn't really change the argument, since you stuck with the house, which is essentially still a contained environment and ignored the very simple and common-sense solar radiation argument. But just for kicks I'll add another easy one: does a heat lamp raise the ambient temperature of a room? Sure seems like it to me... Oh, and since you seem fascinated with analyzing language, just thought you might like to know 'nonetheless' is one word.

[Spicuzza]

Kinneera is this you?



You're correct, nonetheless, IS one word from the phrase none the less.

You are definitely a chick....no regular guy would write such a lengthy reply to a "nobody cares" post. But do write back this is fun!

[kinneera]

Wow, nice pic, she's hot...not available by any chance? Angela any relation to you?

You are definitely a chick....no regular guy would write such a lengthy reply to a "nobody cares" post. But do write back this is fun!

You don't seem to have much exposure to the human race, especially the working portion of it on monday nights. I responded because I thought it was friggin funny. Seems kinda arrogant to assume no one cares about the proper way to cool their computer anyway...

[Spicuzza]

Kinneera, you have posted six (6) replies to this thread and not one of them offer any ideas or solutions to the original poster's problem issue.

I believe I've told you before that I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts on this board more than anyone else’s because you are so pedantic.

You're wrong on this issue. The computer will run cooler with the side panel removed. So called, "proper" cooling or not, unrestricted free flowing air does a great job of dissipating heat!

I would totally agree with.…“Wow, nice pic, she's hot“..., and you are correct, "not available by any chance."

[drewson99]

I opened my case and put a lakewood box fan blowing dead into it and it still froze, so I guess we know that ain't it.

looks like it's going to be the ole' standby - reinstall the OS and everything else.

Damn I gotta learn how to use Norton Ghost.

Andy

[kinneera]

You're wrong on this issue. The computer will run cooler with the side panel removed. So called, "proper" cooling or not, unrestricted free flowing air does a great job of dissipating heat!

The posts are relevant to the original question because a proposed solution (as proven by the most recent post by the author of the thread) is completely and absolutely wrong. And as usual you have provided no technical or even logical evidence to support your claims whereas I have. Talk to a mechanical engineer. Talk to a materials engineer. Talk to an electrical engineer. Read a book about electronic components. Hell, read a book about physics for christ's sake - in particular focus on the thermodynamics section. You're attempting to undermine the very basis of the existence of fans, the effects of convection, the relation of temperature to pressure, the radiation of heat, I could go on and on but all it seems to prove is that you don't seem to have anything better than a middle-school education... The only reason I appear pedantic to you (and you don't understand the real meaning of that word anyway, as was established the last time you tried to use it) is because I actually have to go into details to refute fallacious and misleading claims by people who would spread their ignorance to the unsuspecting. A computer absolutely will not ever cool better with the case off unless someone like you designed the case to begin with (with the possible and very limited exception of the box fan solution). I have known and been directly instructed by electrical engineers who have said exactly the same thing, and physicists who have verified the reality of relevant physical laws. I'm out of this one because repeating myself six times to a brick wall certainly does make me look as stupid as the wall...

[Nelson37]

Spicuzza, Kineera is correct. Computer cases are designed with airflow in mind, removing side panel destroys air flow pattern. It doesn't matter that inside temp will rise somewhat, the important factor is that airflow is directed to all internal components. There will be no stagnant areas.

Cooler ambient air will tend to offset this effect so that it is probably not critical, but several lab tests have born out that various hot spots will build up if case is left open.

Do not rely on opinions, analogies, or mechanical engineers. Talk to the guys who design the cases, learn that most major manufacturers will void your warranty if unit is run with the case off. Perhaps you may want to review the relevant operating temperatures of various components to help this make sense to you.

FOR Drewson99 - Will the PC run for two or more hours, with NO task, without locking up? How about while defragging or downloading, or some other task running? If it's only during capture, try a different codec, no audio, AND drastically smaller resolution (one change at a time). This will help isolate the problem.

What's the typical size of the file when it crashes? Are you using NTFS?

[kinneera]

Oh, and since I'm being so "pedantic", here's some suggestions I would make to the original poster:

1. Uninstall and reinstall whatever capture software you're using
2. Check any available event logs (such as under Computer Management in the Control Panel on NT systems). They might clue you in to particular application, driver, or hardware warnings or failures.
3. Check device manager for hardware with driver problems
4. Run msinfo32 (Win98+) and check for problem devices and IRQ conflicts
5. Uninstall and reinstall the driver for your capture card (and any other drivers reported as having problems for that matter)
6. In addition to defragging the HD, run a disk check on it to eliminate the possibility of bad sectors or other disc errors
7. Uninstall and reinstall your operating system
8. Check for bad RAM
9. Run diagnostics on your motherboard (8-9 are both problems that can cause total failure without any indication in the OS because they are low-level)
10. Finally, check for cooling or other physical hardware problems. Most systems are designed to be run indefinitely without cooling problems (when used as recommended: case on), so unless you're doing something unusual like overclocking or adding extremely high performance hardware that wasn't originally in the system you will rarely have cooling problems.

And this time I really am out...

[drewson99]

win 2000, NTFS

yes, it will run forever (I never turn it off) without freezing and I have all the most recent patches etc.

i'll be damned if I'm going to reinstall everything though. If only I could use the partially captured files. when I click on the part that I got before the system froze, it wont load properly. do you know how to fix these things?

Andy

[Spicuzza]

Kinneera, you're WRONG and I know you will reply to this because you just can't stand for anyone to tell you you're wrong.

Based on your twisted logic, one is to conclude that leaving the side panel off the computer will increase the temperature and will cause catastrophic "extremely hot heat islands." That is simply anecdotal bullsht!

Yes, cases are designed to maximize air flow with what they have to work with and there are practical concerns as to why you shouldn't leave the case exposed such pets or small children.

I will repeat myself,.....So called, "proper" cooling or not, unrestricted free flowing air does a great job of dissipating heat!

Try it Kinneera you'll like it. If fact once you get used to having your machine open like that you'll never go back to leaving it closed.