ARGGG!! Can't render -- system resets

wildbill001 wrote on 1/11/2005, 6:25 PM

Using VMS 4.0a(build 48). I was able to render and create a DVD last week. Using the same project, I started over and did some serious editing to the file. Went to burn a DVD. The "render in progress box" (for lack of a better term) pops up and the estimated time starts ticking off. When it gets to about 00:04:45, the system crashes....no blue-screen-of-death...this is a "hard restart". Tried it several times and all with the same result.

Ok...I say to my self: "Let's save to the hard-drive". Tried that but this time it gets to about 00:05:29 before it resets.

So, I take the transitions out of the two clips (because the clips I rendered last week had none), thinking that they may somehow be the problem. No luck there....it does get further (00:09:20) before it resets but it still resets.

Should I just reload MS ? Should I rebuild my system from the ground up ? What? Any help would be appreciated.

Bill W

Comments

ScottW wrote on 1/12/2005, 5:03 AM

This sounds like a possible heat issue with your CPU. Encoding is usually a processor intensive task, and CPU chips with marginal cooling may work fine for most things yet fail when you really start to exercise them and things heat up.

My suggestion would be to go on a dust patrol. Take the side off the box (after powering down of course) and use some canned air to blow out any accumulated dust - pay close attention to the CPU heat sink/fan, the northbridge chip (especially if it has a fan) and the motherboard in general.

Also a lot of the newer machines usually have some PC environment monitoring software - if you have this, start it and observe during a render/encode - while the temp sensor for the CPU is frequently inaccurate what you'll be looking for is an increase just prior to reset.

--Scott

IanG wrote on 1/12/2005, 6:08 AM

While you've got the side off, have a quick look to see that all the fans are working. Have you changed your graphics card, by any chance? They can generate a lot of heat.

Ian G.

Clarke wrote on 1/12/2005, 6:11 AM

Yeah, I totally agree with the comment.

My CPU runs up to 50+ Cel. while rendering.
Luciky I got a fan controller which I always pump to the maximum while gaming or rendering. From your description probably is a CPU overheating issue. Probably can try to resit your CPU Heat Sink or re-apply the thermal paste.

From other forums on hardware, as I read, it is typical for people to re-apply the thermal paste every 6-9 months if they are driving their PCs hard.
So far *touch wood*.. Mine is running okay after one year.
If you are into gaming, try DOOM3D or something demanding and see if the system reboots. If so, you got an overheating problem

Mr_Christopher wrote on 1/12/2005, 7:23 AM

Also look in the event viewer to see if the problem is showing up there.

Chris

ChristerTX wrote on 1/12/2005, 7:55 AM

I would support this suggestion.
I had a PC that sounded like a Yeti and shut down as described.
As I opened the case, I found that the fan on the CPU was so dusty so it did not rotate correctly - hence the Yeti sound. After a couple of bursts of compressed air, the problem was fixed.

There are also freeware sofware that would read the CPU temp.

ChristerTX wrote on 1/12/2005, 7:56 AM

Event viewer?

ADinelt wrote on 1/12/2005, 9:07 AM

Ian:

Glad I read this post. My son just put in a new Radeon 128 MByte 8X AGP graphics card and his computer now runs 5 degrees celcius hotter when at idle than before the card.

Also, when I first rebuilt his computer, I did not have the heat sink properly seated and the computer would just shut down as soon as it was under any type of load.

Al

gogiants wrote on 1/12/2005, 10:40 AM

Start -> Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Event Viewer

It will sometimes show error message or other events that don't show up on the screen.

wildbill001 wrote on 1/12/2005, 11:53 AM

Well....Just last week I replaced the fan on the CPU. Come to think of it, the first DVD I did was with the old fan.

I'll check out the new fan, blow out everything and see what happens.

Thank you all for the suggestions and help.

Bill W

wildbill001 wrote on 1/18/2005, 8:22 PM

Just in case anyone is wondering the outcome....the motherboard "let out the smoke" apparently. Borrowed some diags and slowly but surely everything started failing. So, I bit the bullet, bought a new combo set (giga-byte mobo w/Sempron 2500+), new memory. Two days and a couple of hundred dollars later, everything is fine.

Bill W