Probem with Vista

[ALBERT BURROWS]

Albert,

Yes I have got the picture ~ this problem is intermittent and seems to happen in a random way

with each of the 8 Shows ~ No:8 Show being more effected that the others and you are running

the Shows from the CD-Disc solely.

At 1st. assumption it seems to be a dicey CD-Drive or the CD itself may be dirty or has a

small scratch on its playing surface, check carefully as "Combo CD Player/Burner Drives" are ultra

critical to CD defects more so than simple CD Player Drives. Now for some Tests.

1) Insert any Commercial Music CD -play this- and listen very carefully and see if there are any

"skipped" Tracks or "jumps" within the Music on any Track. If this happens the CD Drive is in trouble.

2) If all is O.K with the Music CD remove it and reinsert your PTE CD. Do not Play the CD simply

double-click on the "My Computer" Icon on your Desktop and find the CD-Drive in question.

3) Double click on the CD-Drive Icon and the CD-Disc will open up. Now you need to drag the Shows

from the Disc into My Documents with the RH.Mouse Key then select-->Copy-->them into My Documents.

4) When the job is done, play each Show individually from "My Documents"- you are now Playing these

off the Vista Hard Drive. Now check each in turn for defects -if any- take some Notes .

Let me know how you get on ?....

Brian.Conflow.

Hi Brian

I have followed your very clear instructions and played my shows from the hard drive on my laptop. I am afraid that the problem still arises. I played the shows a number of times with varying results. Some shows that closed properly would fail to close when repeated. Then when played again would close correctly and so it went on with other shows showing the same intermittent failure to close. No pattern too the problem emerged from what I observed.

I did learn from your instructions how to copy files, so some good came out of the exercise! So many thanks for that alone.

Regards

Albert

[Conflow]

Hi Albert,

I had a funny feeling that this might happen, the fault is now replicating itself even when the Shows are

played from the Vista Hard Drive ~ So that eliminates your CD-Disc Drive.

There is only one thing in common the CD-Disc itself, but you said thats plays O.K on your XP Computer?

Would you re-check that fact again because things are now getting serious.

Consideration.1

If it's true that the CD plays on your XP ~ I'm afraid you have a Vista problem or a Video Card problem.

Consideration.2

It may be that the new Video Card is not set-up properly or may be defective, but you had this problem with your old Video Card, its doubtful that both could be faulty running a plain simple PTE4.42 Show on a Vista unless Igor knows something that we don't.

Consideration.3

It could also be a Vista PC problem, in particular it could be a leaky RAM Memory, that is not uncommon.

If it was my PC I would buy a 1.Gb (USB) Memory Pen (about £10) from Argus or Maplin. Plug that into any free USB Socket on my XP. Start the XP and within a few moments it will recognise the Memory Pen.

You will find it when you double Clk "My Computer" ~ it has a square box Icon (lettered E~J) right click on it and from the drop-down Menu send a Shortcut to the Desktop.

Now go and select a Show that you know to be perfect. RH.Clk on the Show and "drag it" into the Memory Pen then select 'Copy' from the drop-down Menu and it wll record the Show to the M-Pen.

When finished RH.Clk the Pen and select "Eject" and remove it from the XP.

Go to your Vista PC and plug in the Pen, then open "My Computer" and find the Pen-Drive. Double-Clk to open it and then select your Recorded PTE Show.

** If the Vista PC is O.K that show should run perfectly from the Memory Pen.

** if it "fails" get down to the Shop and ask for your Money back or demand a New Vista PC.

** Under no circumstances agree to have the Vista PC repaired it will never be right.

Let me know how you get on...

Brian.Conflow.

[ALBERT BURROWS]

Hi Albert,

I had a funny feeling that this might happen, the fault is now replicating itself even when the Shows are

played from the Vista Hard Drive ~ So that eliminates your CD-Disc Drive.

There is only one thing in common the CD-Disc itself, but you said thats plays O.K on your XP Computer?

Would you re-check that fact again because things are now getting serious.

Consideration.1

If it's true that the CD plays on your XP ~ I'm afraid you have a Vista problem or a Video Card problem.

Consideration.2

It may be that the new Video Card is not set-up properly or may be defective, but you had this problem with your old Video Card, its doubtful that both could be faulty running a plain simple PTE4.42 Show on a Vista unless Igor knows something that we don't.

Consideration.3

It could also be a Vista PC problem, in particular it could be a leaky RAM Memory, that is not uncommon.

If it was my PC I would buy a 1.Gb (USB) Memory Pen (about £10) from Argus or Maplin. Plug that into any free USB Socket on my XP. Start the XP and within a few moments it will recognise the Memory Pen.

You will find it when you double Clk "My Computer" ~ it has a square box Icon (lettered E~J) right click on it and from the drop-down Menu send a Shortcut to the Desktop.

Now go and select a Show that you know to be perfect. RH.Clk on the Show and "drag it" into the Memory Pen then select 'Copy' from the drop-down Menu and it wll record the Show to the M-Pen.

When finished RH.Clk the Pen and select "Eject" and remove it from the XP.

Go to your Vista PC and plug in the Pen, then open "My Computer" and find the Pen-Drive. Double-Clk to open it and then select your Recorded PTE Show.

** If the Vista PC is O.K that show should run perfectly from the Memory Pen.

** if it "fails" get down to the Shop and ask for your Money back or demand a New Vista PC.

** Under no circumstances agree to have the Vista PC repaired it will never be right.

Let me know how you get on...

Brian.Conflow.

[Conflow]

Hi Albert,

I just spotted a duplication of my last Post, you may have been trying to reply to it

but your reply was not Posted.

To prevent 'duplication' of source Posts see the "Attachment" below, simply click on it.

Brian.Conflow.

[ALBERT BURROWS]

Hi Brian

Sorry I got my reply too your last post all wrong. I hope with the help of the attachment I will get it right this time. I have just returned from town with a 1gb memory stick. Whether it resolves the problem or not I will have a very useful gadget for future use. It is a glorious day here in Greenock and I enjoyed my walk into town we have not had many this year too enjoy. So I am now getting my camera out and heading for our nature trail which is close by. On return I will set about the trying out the memory stick

[ALBERT BURROWS]

Hi Brian

You have cracked it! I followed your instructions with the memory stick and everything I played from it was fine. I copied six shows from my pc that had never been copied to a CD previously onto the memory stick and all ran without any problem. I then copied from the hard drive on the laptop the shows that had caused me problems.Again no problem.

So very many thanks for all your help. I had noticed when reading the forum topics previously how helpful the members were, so willing too share their knowledge with each other.

You are the proof of all that.

I just hope I get this reply off properly this time!

Best wishes.

Albert

[Conflow]

Albert,

Yep, you got it right with the "Reply Button" ~ its saves so much space !

Back to the Vista, I very much appreciate your elation in getting that Vista

to behave itself at last ~ and your Shows are now O.K ~ congrats on that one.

I knew if the Memory-Pen didn't work you had a serious problem, thankfully

it does work and you can get ahead with your Photography and PTE Shows.

Now back to this "CD Problem" ~ We proved that the CD-Drive is O.K and

the Vista P.C is O.K and the Video Card is O.K so its back to this damn CD.

Questions

** Did you Burn the Shows on to a "ReWritable CD" or on to a "DVD" ?

** When you Burnt the CD-Disc what writing speed were you using ?

I would very much like to get answers to the above questions as they may throw

some light on this 'mystery problem' and they may circumvent future problems

when you decide to Burn another CD in the future.

Regards,

Brian.

[ALBERT BURROWS]

Hello Brian

The suggestions that you make regarding the CD had crossed my mind, now you have confirmed what I thought may be a worthwhile exercise. I will now go ahead and do it. At present all I can confirm is the CD is not a rewritable one, though it may be of dubious quality (Tesco) I had only ever used them for recording music before this time. Anything to stretch the pension further!I intend to get some new discs of superior quality for the trial. Should they prove to run ok I will repeat it using the original discs to see if the problem arises again with them. Whatever the outcome I will pass on the information too you in the hope that it will be of some value in future. It may be a few days before I get back too you. In the meantime it's a walk into town for some discs.

Regards

Albert

[Conflow]

Albert,

Thanks for the reply, its appreciated and I would really appreciate that "Test" because a

few things have come to light about Vista Memory Leaks....more later on.

Tesco Discs are not the best, they also sell them here in Ireland but I have never been

happy with the product ~ they are O.K for General & Music use but for anything else ???

The best CD-Discs are:- Imation ~ Memorex ~ Traxdata ~ Verbatim and TDK.

700Meg Size/80Minutes Play..

Max Recording Speed:- 52X ~ but best results are achieved at 24X Burning Speed.

May I suggest (to save a few bob) that you get on line to www.maplin.co.uk and

look at their On-Line Catalogue. They usually have the best Prices for the best products

and they have Stores through out the UK, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.

Example: 50 CD-Discs (Make:-TDK)- for £15 thats 30.Cent each and lots more.

Here below is a "Link" to Maplin, just click on it, and then enter CD-Discs in Search Window.

http://www.maplin.co.uk

Brian.Conflow.

[ALBERT BURROWS]

Hello Brian

Since I last reported I bought some new CD's (Memorex) with which to conduct some more tests.

On Saturday I recorded the shows that I still had stored on my pen drive on the desk top with XP installed. All ran correctly on the desktop however on playing them on the Laptop running Vista intermittent errors occurred. Shows which closed correctly would fail when repeated. I then recorded the shows on the laptop running Vista again from those stored on the pen drive. The results where much the same as previous. In all I played both discs around five or six times. That's an awful lot of repetition of the same ten shows.

On Sunday I decided to record the same shows onto a DVD and in addition included another five shows which I stored on my desktop and had never been recorded before. So now I had fifteen shows on the disc with which to try to find a solution.

After eleven shows ran successfully I was beginning to feel optimistic. Things went steadily downhill from there as show after show failed to respond on closing Several playings of the DVD displayed the same intermittent problem.

Today I decided I would have one more try. But before trying the disc I decided to play the show from the pen drive which had played correctly previously as I told you. I could hardly believe what I was seeing when those shows also played with intermittent errors. How can something that had previously played properly start to show the same problem that had caused the problem in the first place?

A phone call to my daughter asking for a loan of her laptop which has XP installed was a last resort. So tonight I have been playing all the CD's,DVD, and pen drive and all ran successfully. Where it leaves me I don't know other than as you suggested previously I have faulty computer. You did mention Vista having problems with memory leak which is not something that I know anything about.

To think that all I wanted was something to be able to make my shows portable. It's enough to make me get out my slide av kit again. If only it wasn't so heavy to cart around.

Regards

Albert

,

[Conflow]

Albert,

I'm so sorry to hear your 'bad news' ~ I did warn you about Vista Memory Leaks ~ and it is one of

the primary reasons that the PC Technology World has "major" issues with Microsoft Vista and I am

afraid their new SP-1 (Service-Pak.1) does not correct this issue and the 'cure' is now promised for

Service-Pak.2).

Unfortunately this problem affects a number of Laptops on the Market and if your Laptop has

a slow Hard-Drive it makes the problem become 'intermittent' and so frustrating. The problem starts

when the Laptop has processed so many Files in one session, then when it is closed-down and given

a fresh 'Start-up' it seems to disappear until it processes a number of new Files usually less than a

1000 Files ~ it your case it seems to be much less than that. This is a genuine Memory problem or

that related to the Graphic Card Accelerator setting, again a Memory problem, but I cant help

you there as I dont' know what Graphics Card is used ~ anyhow that would not be intermittent !

You can read all about this problem from a ZD-Net Report which was published last week. I enclose

a "Link" below, simply click on the Link-Text and it will open for you. PRINT THIS OUT and bring it

to your Retailer and demand a replacement or your Cash back.

Microsoft have a "HOTFIX" for this with a Link to it in the Report ~ but better your Retailer attend to this.

The Link:- http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=829

I hope this has been helpful, but at this stage I'm out of suggestions and ideas, but please let me know

how you get on.

Brian.Conflow.

[ALBERT BURROWS]

Brian

Thank you very much for all the information you have supplied. I am not looking forward too having to deal with Dell who supplied the laptop. I am now wishing I had gone too to a retailer with whom I could have had face to face discussion.

I will gather all the information you have given me with regard too memory leak problem before I contact them.

Best wishes

Albert

[Conflow]

Albert,

I have sent you a Personal EMail "Off-Forum" concerning Dell.

Brian.Conflow.

[cjdnzl]

Brian

Thank you very much for all the information you have supplied. I am not looking forward too having to deal with Dell who supplied the laptop. I am now wishing I had gone too to a retailer with whom I could have had face to face discussion.

I will gather all the information you have given me with regard too memory leak problem before I contact them.

Best wishes

Albert

I have had the experience of buying a laptop from a retail store, an Alienware M5550 that fried its graphics card about three weeks after I bought it. The retailer seemed to equate the service of a laptop computer with that required for a washing machine or a toaster, i.e. any service shop could fix it. The whole story is in another thread in this forum so I won't repeat it all now, suffice to say I returned the machine for a refund.

Once bitten, I then researched the service facilities for several well-known brands like HP/Compaq and Sony, etc. HP didn't let on anything about their service, Sony quoted two service facilities in my area - a retailer with a a general electrical service department, and a specialist camera store. Call me picky, but none of those options appealed to me at all, so I eventually ordered a Dell on-line. In contrast to an off-the-shelf-take-it-or-leave-it machine from a retailer, Dell allowed me to specify exactly how I wanted the computer built. After sales service is handled by Dell, with access to a Dell technician via a free phone. Depending on the fault and your ability to replace a component, they will either ship you a new part, or request the return of the machine to Dell. None of this corner-store back-bench 'servicing'.

I have heard horror stories about Dell, but they have a lot of computers out there, so some problems are to be expected, I guess. Time will tell.

Colin

[ALBERT BURROWS]

Colin

Interesting to read your comment on HP/COMPAQ service. I can only add that they have a factory ten miles from where I stay. So perhaps I may have been able to camp on their doorstep in the event of a fault developing!

Albert