"Blue screen" when trying to encode movies

[dagerousdave]

I have tried various sofware for ripping movies (nero, tmpgenc, cucusoft to name a few) but i get the same problem each time.

I think it started when i was having some other problems about a month ago. After tring a "norton" demo i decided to delete it after the trial period. In doing so, i think i deleted a few system files also. "Search" and "system restore" functions came up with blank screens. After trying a few fixes which didn't work, i decided to back up my HD and use the system restore disks. My backups didn't even work properly and i only ended up getting about 20% of my files from the disks.

After all that , my pc still "blue screens" when i try to rip movies. Although, i have just started using nero recode, which does not blue screen but crashes after a couple of mins reporting software or hardware driver errors on xp.

If anybody knows how i can resolve this i would be very grateful.

[jtoolman2000]

Re Format
Unless you have another machine set up the same way so you can replace some of the deleted files. On the other hand, you have to know which files you may have deleted.
Never install anything until you have performed a restore point. SOme programs will do this automatically but many do not. That way is you screw somthing up during an unistall, you can "Go Back" to the "Happy" time when everything was OK.

[sanjayk]

Nero Recode sucks ! Use DVD Shrink instead.

If you are getting "Blue Screen of Death" very frequently then a reformat is the best way out rather than patching up XP. Load only the essential tools you require - codecs etc. Loading too many codec packs may cause conflicts.

[Nelson37]

You say that you have already used the System Restore disks. Did you format during this process or just re-install? If you formatted, as you should have done, then all OS problems are out of the picture.

Test for blue screen errors while NOT using the DVD drive. Why? You state problems using your data backups, the 20% of files restored. Did you get read errors during this process?

Note that the two problems stated - 20% of backup files read, blue screen errors - have one common factor. The DVD drive is in use.

Why was the "norton demo" being tried? Was there some pre-existing problem?

As so often happens, I think you had one minor problem - the uninstall of the demo - masking another, major problem - some sort of issue with the DVD drive, or the MOBO IO channel.

Were the data backups data ONLY or were there drivers and software involved? 20% of a program or driver is far worse than nothing. If this was data only, AND the system restore included a format, AND you do not require any updated drivers from original system state, it sounds like the problem revolves around your DVD drive.

[dagerousdave]

Thanx for the advice guys!

You say that you have already used the System Restore disks. Did you format during this process or just re-install? If you formatted, as you should have done, then all OS problems are out of the picture.

I didn't format the drive. i thought the restore disks would do that automatically but i will definately try formatting and system restore again.

Test for blue screen errors while NOT using the DVD drive. Why? You state problems using your data backups, the 20% of files restored. Did you get read errors during this process?

On the backup issue, my pc could not read the first and third disks of 11. Because the first disk could not be read, the backup utility would not work. Hence, i tried extracting the files manually.

Note that the two problems stated - 20% of backup files read, blue screen errors - have one common factor. The DVD drive is in use.

The dvd drive itself is not in use when i'm encoding, only the HD.

Why was the "norton demo" being tried? Was there some pre-existing problem?

No pre-existing problem, Just tried it because a friend reccommended it.

As so often happens, I think you had one minor problem - the uninstall of the demo - masking another, major problem - some sort of issue with the DVD drive, or the MOBO IO channel.

Maybe.

Were the data backups data ONLY or were there drivers and software involved? 20% of a program or driver is far worse than nothing. If this was data only, AND the system restore included a format, AND you do not require any updated drivers from original system state, it sounds like the problem revolves around your DVD drive.

The files were music, video and software, but any software that i extracted from the disks was complete. But as i said, i will try formatting first and then using the restore disks this time. I suppose i have nothing to loose.

Anyway, thanx for ur assistance. I really am grateful that u would take the time to post ur help!

Cheers

[Nelson37]

Well, here's where precise descriptions are important. You stated the blue screen ocurred when "ripping". This is the process of copying DVD to the HD.

That one minor correction completely changes the diagnosis. Not ragging on you, I do this for a living and typically find I have to ask most questions at least 3 times, phrased in different ways, before getting all the info I need.

Many system restore sets have an OPTION to format, otherwise they just re-install. Re-install does not necessarily overwrite corrupt files, and definitely does not erase conflicting files. Format will certainly solve these problems.

After system restore, then re-install any drivers for new hardware or updated drivers for existing hardware that were obtained previously. Note that the "latest" driver is most definitely not necessarily the "best". Ideally, get the same ones you had before that worked. Sure, everybody writes down the complete version number, for every single driver, right?

Also re-install - do NOT restore from backup - any software installed that did not come with system.

I still think that the fact that 2 out of 11 disks were unreadable indicates a probable issue with the DVD drive.

[Skith]

When you reformat, I would highly recommend repartitioning your hard drive. Create a boot partition (large enough for windows + programs + 2GB for temp/swap file stuff), then create a second (extended) partition with the remaining drive space. Keep all data file on this second partition.

Using the above method, you can reformat/install windows without losing any data/documents.

A second option, is to put Windows on a partition (C: 8GB), Programs/games (D - I used 20GB, and a third partition for data (E: remaining drive space).


edit: A thought occurred to me, you might consider running Memtest86 as it could be stick of RAM gone bad.
In addition, say away from Norton utilities/AV. Not only do they hog resources, but they are also a pain to uninstall. For AntiVirus, I recommend NOD32 www.eset.com - fast, uses few resources, and one of the best AV products available. For a personal firewall, Kerio 2 (free) or Kerio 4 (full version, not free) are good choices.

[Stormin Norman]

If you download a program like Everest, it shows pretty much everything on, in your pc from Mobo info, hds, memory, OS, multimedia, any drivers, the whole works. Thats if you wanna know this stuff before you re-install. like Nelson said, you should know this info.

[dagerousdave]

MANY THANX GUYS FOR UR HELP, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

I did the format, but it blue screened the first time. Second time it formatted ok. Forgot about installing partitions but loaded up xp and had to install the drivers again. Tried encoding avi to mpeg again and it still blue screened. This time it reported a graphics card driver error.

Downloaded the proper driver but still it rebooted itself after a couple minutes encoding. Checked device manager and it showed problems with the WDM video driver.

Downloaded the wdm driver and it got about 99% then froze. When i rebooted it came up with no problems in device manager. So i tried some more encoding and now it seems to be working fine.

Only thing is when i'm copying from backups, the quality is a bit dodgey. Used nero recode and dvd shrink for same backup and both had same intermittant fuzziness (every 3-5 seconds). Watchable but not perfect. Haven't tried anymore backups yet, so i dont know if it was just that one, but i'm going to try one now.

Summary from EVEREST HOME EDITION
Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
Internet Explorer 6.0.2900.2180 (IE 6.0 SP2)
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Computer Name DAVID
User Name david harkin

Motherboard:
CPU Type AMD Athlon XP-A, 2166 MHz (13 x 167) 3000+
Motherboard Name Gigabyte GA-7N400-L (5 PCI, 1 AGP, 4 DDR DIMM, Audio, LAN)
Motherboard Chipset nVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400
System Memory 1024 MB (DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type Award Modular (09/23/03)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM2)
Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display:
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 (128 MB)
3D Accelerator nVIDIA GeForce FX 5600
Monitor Dell P790 [17" CRT] (8757RH9HTV80)

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter C-Media CMI8738/C3DX Audio Device

Storage:
IDE Controller NVIDIA NForce 2(tm) SPP/IGP ATA Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive ST3120022A (120 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Optical Drive JLMS XJ-HD166S (16x/48x DVD-ROM)
Optical Drive PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-107D (DVD+RW:8x/4x, DVD-RW:8x/4x, DVD-ROM:12x, CD:24x/24x/40x DVD+RW/DVD-RW)
SMART Hard Disks Status Unknown

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 114470 MB (92324 MB free)

Input:
Keyboard Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse PS/2 Compatible Mouse

Network:
Network Adapter Realtek RTL8139/810X Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC (81.98.59.46)
Modem Intel(R) 536EP Modem

Peripherals:
Printer Lexmark X1100 Series
USB1 Controller nVIDIA MCP2 - OHCI USB Controller
USB1 Controller nVIDIA MCP2 - OHCI USB Controller
USB2 Controller nVIDIA MCP2 - EHCI USB 2.0 Controller
USB Device Generic USB Hub
USB Device Lexmark X1100 Series
USB Device USB Printing Support

Anyway, once again i thank all who took the time to post and help me out. I am really very grateful!

[Soopafresh]

Two things to do:

Are you overclocking your processor by any chance? If so, scale it back, or get a better heat sink.

Run a RAM test with this http://www.memtest86.com/memtest86-3.2.iso.zip

Unzip the file, and you'll have to burn the ISO to a CD, then boot from the CD and run the test for a few hours.

[Nelson37]

Did you boot from the Restore disk or just run it as a program? If you booted from it and you BlueScreened, this indicates a serious problem.

I would start running some major league diagnostics and check your cooling.

[dagerousdave]

Did you boot from the Restore disk or just run it as a program? If you booted from it and you BlueScreened, this indicates a serious problem.

I would start running some major league diagnostics and check your cooling.

Yes, I formatted the drive using the windows xp disk.

If u think i have a serious problem, what could it be?

As always i am grateful for ur help.