Basic Computer Troubleshooting Techniques

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sjj1805
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Posts: 1194
Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:45 am
operating_system: Windows 10 Pro
motherboard: Hewlett Packard 2AF7
system_drive: C
32bit or 64bit: 64 Bit
processor: 2-90 gigahertz Intel Core i5 4460S
ram: 8 GB
video card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 705
sound card: P40D100-4 NVIDIA High Definition Audio
Hard_Drive_Capacity: 8 TB
Location: Birmingham UK
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Basic Computer Troubleshooting Techniques

Post by sjj1805 » Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:37 am

Here is a reply I have recently submitted to a user who suffered problems following a Windows XP System crash:

The clue to your issue is that the Windows XP System crashed.
So far you have discovered you have a problem with VideoStudio,
Unfortunately I suspect that there is a good likelihood that you will also find other things on your computer, programs or DATA may have also been affected - you just don't know it yet.

Firstly a short lesson about Hard Drives, then a few steps you can follow to try and cure or alleviate the problem.

If you look at the front of your Computer you should see one or more steady green lights. There is one for each hard drive that is installed in your computer. The green light signifies that the hard drive has power and thus turned on.

Alongside that steady light will be another that is mostly turned OFF but every now and again blinks. When lit this signifies that the computer is either reading from or writing to the hard drive. It takes time to read/write the hard drive - firstly a directory has to be checked to establish where on the hard drive the information is (or is going to be) located, then the laser head has to be moved to that disc position for the read/write operation.

To speed things up you install RAM in your computer which retains a big chunk of DATA therefore when saving stuff to the hard drive it is not written immediately but kept in RAM and then moved over to the hard drive when the computer has something else that needs to be installed in RAM to carry out whatever task it is currently performing.

This is why you have to 'Shut Down' the computer and not simply press the 'OFF' button - this enables anything in RAM to be written to the hard drive - otherwise it will be lost forever.

If you have the misfortune of suffering a sudden mains electricity failure
you may be lucky in so far that nothing was at that time being written to the hard disc, or you could be unlucky and the partly written DATA will now effectively render your hard drive useless as it may have destroyed the hard drive directory or even rendered a hard drive cluster unusable.

So what can we do if we have suffered a catastrophe of this nature?
Firstly there isn't one single easy answer because the damage can range from NIL to you need a new hard drive.

All we can do is follow various repair procedures.
1. Sometimes simply rebooting your computer is all that is necessary.
2. Try System Restore to return the computer to a time before the error occurred.
3. Uninstall and Re-install the affected program(s)
4. Run the Windows System File Checker
5. Run the Disc Checking Utility built into Windows. Note the various switches available. The one most often used is the F (Fix) Option but if this fails to cure the problem then you need to use the more extensive R (Repair) Option.
6. Check the Windows Error Log
7. Run a Registry Checking Utility
I must warn users to be very careful when running a Registry Checking Utility. Whilst they are good at what they do, in the wrong hands they can also cause havoc to a good working system.
8. Sometimes it may be necessary to track down a faulty startup event/program by using MsConfig
9. Check your RAM for errors using one of the free RAM checking utilities available for download
10. If a piece of hardware is faulty try rolling back or re-installing the device drivers. Check the device manufacturers website for updated drivers.
11. If a piece of hardware is still faulty after step 10, try removing it and reinserting it in case it has become loose due to movement. Try changing any cables that may connect the device to the motherboard.
12. If a piece of hardware still remains faulty after step 11, check the device manufacturers website for updated firmware. CD and DVD drives especially – Firmware is software that resides inside the device and enables it to communicate with the computer. Think of it as the BIOS of the hardware.


Other options previously suggested by Forum Members include making a Drive Image

I am sure a few more members will jump in here with a few more suggestions.

(Any useful suggestions to that original post will be copied here for ease of future reference)
Last edited by sjj1805 on Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
sjj1805
Site Admin
Posts: 1194
Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:45 am
operating_system: Windows 10 Pro
motherboard: Hewlett Packard 2AF7
system_drive: C
32bit or 64bit: 64 Bit
processor: 2-90 gigahertz Intel Core i5 4460S
ram: 8 GB
video card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 705
sound card: P40D100-4 NVIDIA High Definition Audio
Hard_Drive_Capacity: 8 TB
Location: Birmingham UK
Contact:

Post by sjj1805 » Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:38 am

As a follow on to the above here is another link with useful suggestions to avoid or rectify problems -
courtesy of Kenneth Veal.

http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic. ... 6224#96224

Hi,
Could be one of many things, have a look through the following.
Check out the following to optimise your PC and Video Studio to hopefully avoid most of the problems that sometimes happen when working on your projects.:-

Always follow the recommended procedures Go
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=20224
Delete unwanted and temporary files to help avoid possible conflicts,crashes
and free up space
It makes things a lot easier if your clips ,files and projects are stored in the Library Manager then they can be deleted in one swoop.To access the L.M either Go Tools Lib Man or select it from the list via the drop down arrow next to where you change the library type.Choose the media type then new-name it,select edit to amend name/description if required.You can then delete the named folders and their contents in one go when you want to.
If you did not use the L.M. a project file will have a .vsp extention.
To delete non consequtive files - Select the 1st file then hold down control as you highlight each file then click delete +shift to delete them all.
To del consequtive files Select 1st file, +select the last clip which will highlight all inbetween then press del. + shift which will remove all those clips from the library.In V.S. 9 + later confirm that you want the files deleted from the hard drive too.In V>S> 8 + earlier deleting and icon will also delete the original file whether image,audio or a video file.
Delete the contents of the Windows Prefetch folder (NOT the folder) Go
C:windows-prefetch
If you did not shift+click to del. in Windows empty the recycle bin.
After making a DVD Go my documents-ulead folders + delete folders
named convert(only those in my docs)
In preferences-create disc select clear cache to del. converted temp files on
leaving Video Studio
Go
C:documents and settings-user name-local settings-temp to del. those temp files if you can see them, if not you may need to show hidden files.in XP Go
Tools-folder options-view-show hidden files and folders
You can also Go
Tools-preview files manager to del. temp preview used project files
Delete all unwanted files on your hard drive, it can slow down as it fills up.
In XP Go to My Computer-right click C: (or your hard drive) properties-Disc Clean up, this can sometimes catch files you may have missed and will delete them for you.
Use a dedicated hard drive for your capture or failing that partition your H.D.Use Ultra/66 7200 rpm drives or faster with as much capacity as you canWhen you capture to your C: drive and the system your PC has to read files from +to it at the same time and large avi files could cause problems
Defragment your hard drive often for more efficient operation,( there are many programmes that will do this better than windows can )
This tidies up fragmented files on your hard drive. Go
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=9611
So, defrag after you have deleted all unwanted and temp files

Enable DMA (direct memory access.) for IDE discs capturing video.This moves info from system memory bypassing the CPU and helps to avoid dropped frames.In XP Go start-control panel-system-in system properties dialogue box-hardware-device manager,double click ata atapi controllers-
Choose ide channel-advanced settings-dma .
Disable write behind caching.In XP go
Control panel-system-hardware-device manager-double click disk drive-choose hard drive-double click policies.Set paging (swap File) size.Set min+max to twice your RAM (random access memory)
With write behind caching video is stored in your ram in the Ist instance and written to disc later.
-------------------------------------
Sometimes incorrect VS operation can be solved by Go add or remove programmes via control panel-select VideoStudio-change remove-repair.
------------------------------------
Titles:- if you do not keep them in the safe area ( a box in the preview window) you will not see all of them on your TV screen ) Go file- pref-gen tab-display title safe area.
Apply anti flicker filter in pref create disc to improve viewing menu pages on a TV .
-----------------------------
For best use of DV quick scan in DV to DVD Wizard (which scans a dv cam for scenes to import) and device control with a correct dv tape timecode:-
Record all of a blank tape without stopping with the lens cover on first. Recorded.scenes will be detected by date and time (as they will be under edit-split by scene).If you rewind to view a recorded scene on your cam, make sure you start recording exactly where you left off or the time code may zero again and may confuse VS or cause capture problems.
---------------------------
For inspiration view a sample project and practice on it.Go
C;\\programmefiles\\ulead systems\\ulead video studio 9\\samples\\sample-pal vsp/sample-ntsc.vsp
-------------------------
Instant playback will let you view your project without a temp preview file being created but it will not be100% smooth depending on your PC spec as well.
------------------------
Select non square pixel rendering to reduce distortion and maintain DV resolution when viewing on a TV.From the project properties dialogue box via project options and preferences select non sq pixel rendering .
------------------------------------
Don't forget those FAQs(frequently asked questions) Go
www.ulead.com/tech/faq.htm
------------------------------------ Before you capture from your cam (powered by an AC adapter) close other progs that may be running like a screen saver or anti virus software that will take up processor resource.
Forum Search to a known number post.Select the address at the top-press left arrow key-get flashing cursor on the right of the previous number then backspace out the old number and enter the one you want to get to.
Make sure that you have the latest version of video card drivers.
If you need to reinstall Video Studio have a look at
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic. ... 5773#55773

Also view
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=17953
re selective start up
and
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=18782
re Date Execution Prevention and VS not loading properly.

regards Ken

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