computer Hangs up

Discussion in 'Audio' started by nickcunit, Apr 23, 2002.

  1. nickcunit

    nickcunit Member

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    After months and months of searching for info maybe someone can help me out, my problem is my cdrom/dvd drive Toshiba sd-c2402 always hangs the system when i am using recording software, for eg after extracting the tracks to wave if i leave the cd in the cdrom drive and then open the recording software Easy creator 3.5c or cd copier using the drive as source and the recorder as destination the system hangs, the same in EAC the EAC program has no problems in recognising both drives and i can extract using the cdrecorder drive no prob, the internal toshiba will give track info if a cd is inserted however when i click to extract to wave or mp3 the system locks up I know that the toshiba can extract to wave using digital extraction for if i use the cd drive to extract to wave or mp3 in realjuke box there is no problem,
    My system is a dell inspiron 7000 notebook 128mb with
    freecon traveller cdr/RW external . windows 98SE
    Many Thanks

    Nick.
     
  2. andavari

    andavari Member

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    You may want to start off by doing the following:

    1. Call Dell customer support, have your Express Service Code and Service Tag handy or they won't help you at all, and talk to a live technician. Dell Live Tech Support in the USA (1-800-624-9896).

    2. Go to http://www.dell.com/ click on support, and download new software versions, or drivers that are valid for you particular Dell system. You may need a BIOS update but that can be dangerous and wreck your system. You'll of course need your Express Service Code, or Service Tag to make the search simplified.

    3. Visit Microsoft's Windows Update website http://www.windowsupdate.com/ and see if there are any updates that may remedy some Win98SE problems.

    4. Visit Toshiba's website and look for an update to your drive - good luck I couldn't find anything on their site previously.

    5. Run MSCONFIG by clicking Start, Run and typing in MSCONFIG. Now you'll want to disable any unnecessary programs in the Startup tab that start with your computer and could be causing problems, don't disable ScanRegistry. Keep in mind that you must run MSCONFIG again to re-enable any program you disable.

    6. Download Lavasoft's Ad-aware http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ http://www.lavasoft.de/ and check your system for any spyware. Spyware running in the background is more or less like a trojan horse stealing your vital resources.
     
  3. nickcunit

    nickcunit Member

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    Thanks for the advice but all these i have already done, any more offers please.
     
  4. nickcunit

    nickcunit Member

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    ok i have just run a test with the internal cdrom using cdex instead of eac and it works fine so i presume the prob is a config one with eac any ideas please
     
  5. cd-rw.org

    cd-rw.org Active member

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    Always start eliminating problems by removing all Adaptec/Roxio crap from your machine.
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2002
  6. nickcunit

    nickcunit Member

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    ok , but what do you recommend i start using i am mostly interested in making audio copies straight back up copies as well as compilations, also from time to time the adaptec direct cd comes in handy so if your advice is to get rid of the adaptic / roxio "crap" maybe you could suggest replacements. Remember one of my original problems was extracting from the internal drive with eac something i can do with cdex so i still have no idea what the real problem is.

    Regards

    nick.
     
  7. andavari

    andavari Member

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    I still use Adaptec/Roxio "Crap" for creating DATA only backup copies to CD-RW discs, that's all it is good for in my opinion, and I think it should never be used to create audio CD's.

    For the creation of audio and data CD-R's I use Sony HotBurn (old 1.3 version) by Asimware (now owned by Iomega) http://www.asimware.com/ which is the easiest non-confusing CD writing software I've encountered - it's completely fool proof if using the Wizard, actually finalizes/closes the discs when I tell it to (which any version of Nero never would do on my Win98 system). The only drawback to HotBurn is that it completely sucks for updating CD-RW backups.

    For the creation of audio cd's only I'd recommend Feurio:
    (Deutsch) http://www.feurio.com/index_german.shtml
    (English) http://www.feurio.com/English/index.shtml

    Nero is also very good for creating data and audio cd's (just make sure it finalizes the discs sometimes it doesn't):
    http://www.ahead.de/
     
  8. nickcunit

    nickcunit Member

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    ok , we seem to be getting a little sidetracked here , but i admit i have never had any quality prods with the roxio software and have never produced one single coaster in nearly 3 years, my original problem was that of the internal cdpom that i could not extract from it in eac although the prog recognises the drive and also that it contains a cd as it lists all the tracks but as soon as i start to rip the prog hangs, although the cdex prog rips without any probs, strange eh. I would like to improve on the software i am using but i dont want to end up with my system totally messed up , a nother comment is that several people have told me to check or uncheck the DMa flag for both cdroms in device manager , prop, settings however this option is not available it is not shown anywhere on the settings tab. Another thing is that after doing a system check with feurio software it stated that both cdroms were under scsi control is that a bit unusual or what, the external recorder connects through the pmcia slot. Any advice welcome.

    Nick
     
  9. andavari

    andavari Member

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  10. nickcunit

    nickcunit Member

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    THE ADAPTEC APSI LAYER I HAVE UPDATED RECENTLY ALTHOUGH WHEN I CHECK IT IT SAYS THE DATE I UPDATED USING THE 4.70 BUT IT GIVES MY VERSION AS 4.60 BUT NAMES THE FILE AS THE ONE I DOWNLOADED AS 4.70 I PRESUME THIS IS BECAUSE I AM USING 98 AND NOT XP . THANKS FOR YOUR HELP . i WILL KEEP LOOKING FOR ANSWERS.

    NICK
     
  11. cd-rw.org

    cd-rw.org Active member

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    Nickunit,

    Why the SHOUTING?

    DirectCD is known to conflict with other softwares, so that's why I suggested trying removing in case it would solve your problems. I don't use packet writing software, so I can't give you 1st person suggestions.
     
  12. nickcunit

    nickcunit Member

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    Sorry about the shouting is was an accident!!! If i deinstall the roxio stuff what are the best alternatives, i am willing to try feurio for the audio cd's, is it as good as you say? as i have checked and my freecom trav rwdrive is supported, but what are the best alternatives for data, to replace direct cd and such, also i still would like to know why i can rip in cdex but not in eac with my internal drive

    Thanks

    Nick
     
  13. andavari

    andavari Member

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    CD-RW.org is correct! DirectCD can cause major headaches, but I wouldn't know if it would effect your drive, however it does cause problems with the operating system in general such as random lockups - oops I'm off the subject again...

    The reason I stated to update the ASPI Layer is because just like any other file on a system it can go corrupt, and not get install correctly - it did on my system. And yes, the 4.70 version will actually install v4.60 on Windows 98, it states that in the docs.

    I don't know why CDex can read from your drive whereas EAC cannot (perhaps step back a version on EAC), thus that is why I suggested the ASPI Layer to begin with. You may even need to go into the Device Manager and reinstall the drivers for your drive if it uses any, or more drastic you may have to reset your hardware so that Windows will redetect everything, but if you go that route you had better have the OS install disc.

    Heck it could even be a problem with the system registry, who knows. You'll see many suggestions - and some of them may not be valid solutions - it's called troubleshooting for a reason.
     
  14. nickcunit

    nickcunit Member

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    Really appreciate your help, before i start getting to deep into reinstalling everything, i can in fact carry on and use cdex for extraction with my internal drive or eac for extraction from my cdrw drive (which one is the best option of the 2?). I have read that many external rwdrives dont extract very well is this true?. Also just for my own info why does everybody not recommend easy creator for audio cd's, I am willing to give feurio a try but i just wondered what the advantages are. I have asked dell again if they have any ideas on my internal cdrom problem but i am still waiting for a reply , however i am not to hopeful as because the question involves cdrw software i am sure they will shift the blame to the software manufacturer, ah well i can always hope they come through.

    Nick
     
  15. nickcunit

    nickcunit Member

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    ok i have unistalled all the adeptec roxio stuff and guess what , i stiil cant extract from the internal drive in eac, if anything every thing seems a bit more unstable than before but maybe it is my imagination. I will try a few things with feurio and check out the quality. One thing nobody has told me is why i have no dma flag under my device manager settings for my cd roms nearly all the help sites mention this as a potential problem solver but the option just does not exist on my system. sorry i go on a bit but i am attempting to learn all this stuff as i go along as you have probably gathered i am no expert in this stuff.
    Nick
     
  16. andavari

    andavari Member

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    I don't know about problems using EAC and external CD-RW drives. I've had the best luck using my external Sony drive with EAC, in fact it rips better than my internal Toshiba (junk), but it is 2.5x slower. The problem I see with using a CD-RW drive only for extraction is that it "may" reduce the life expectancy of the drive sooner, thus I only use my CD-RW drive to grab read-error, and sync-error tracks (typically 3 to 4 tracks per disc).

    The reason I don't recommend Easy CD Creator for audio cd's is that I've noticed way too many CD's that do not playback correctly on all of the equipment I've played them in. The cd's work fine audio cd players for home theater that natively have error correction, but in some DVD players that support cd audio but lack proper error correction the problems are very serious, such as the last part of the disc not being able to playback correctly. Also you must use a quality brand name disc!

    If you're going to solely use CDex I suggest turning on for the extraction method Paranoia Full, it is much slower on extraction but it is "considered secure ripping." I still must use CDex when EAC refuses to grab a track error free from a really bad cd, therefore I believe you need to have both programs to properly grab your CD's error free.

    You still can't extract from the internal drive in EAC. Maybe trying to manually configure it by not using the Configuration Wizard will help. The DMA flags I really don't know that much about (maybe a question to ask Dell support), except that it will be unselectable if the particular drive doesn't support the option.
     
  17. cd-rw.org

    cd-rw.org Active member

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    Andavari,

    I think some of your statements are incorrect.

    -DVD players do have a "proper error correction" for CD audio. However, they are often more sensitive to CD-R media but I think that is due to the optics.

    -Software layer has VERY LITTLE effect the quality of the burn. It all comes down to whether power calibration is enabled by software or not. Otherwise, if the softawre can write audio CDs, there is no quality difference in between software A and software B.
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2002
  18. andavari

    andavari Member

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    Well thanks for correcting me :)
     
  19. nickcunit

    nickcunit Member

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    still having no luck with the extraction in eac after trying the various options people have suggested , also i still dont know why i have no dma options inder my internal cdrom drive i contacted dell over 3 weeks ago and still have had no replies so any advice would be welcome.
    Thanks.

    Nick. Ps is it possible that it could be a busmaster problem i have read this can sometimes cause problems.
     
  20. andavari

    andavari Member

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