System Crash with PP CS3 - aaarrrghhh!!!!
 

Hopefully someone can help me. I have CS3 Production Studio installed on my custom built computer - I'm running 2.4GHz intel quad core, 4GB RAM, XP Pro (I know it doesn't recognise 4GB RAM, but bought system with vista 64 bit, foolish am I), 250GB Hard-drive for software etc, 500GB scratch disk, NVIDIA GeForce 7300 video card. This is a dedicated computer for editing only, so no internet or anti-virus, firewall to speak of....yet I am constantly getting both "sorry for the inconvenience" Adobe errors and total system reboot errors. What's more annoying is that more times than not when it does a total system drop-out and reboot my project files are damaged and cannot be retrieved. I have learnt to do back up copies of project files on removable flash drive as interim back-up but why is this happening to me!!!!!!

I have checked performance settings to "adjust for best performance" for both processor scheduling and memory usage.

Please help....it is driving me crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards
DS

Hi Darren:

Your issues do not sound like common software errors. I suspect you have a hardware problem, like RAM or CPU cooling, etc. Are you running overclocked CPU or just RAM timings? You might try knocking-down the RAM timings to SPD or "normal" levels. You also might try removing a gig or two of RAM and see what happens. Also check your drivers, esp. video card and hard drive controllers, and make sure that CS3 is running the most current versions of software (Help>Updates).

FWIW, I'm running Vista 64-bit on a quad-core Intel (Q6600) and 8GB of RAM and it works great with CS3... rock stable and fast. After Effects just flies with that extra RAM, opening up FOUR 32-bit instances of AE, one for each processor. One of the reasons Vista 64-bit is so stable is that it won't let you load unsigned drivers for critical hardware (video, chipset, controllers, etc.). I've kept a 50GB chunk of my system drive un-formatted in case I need to dual-boot XP Pro SP2... but after being up for almost a month now, I'm about to expand Vista to take the entire partition.

HTH and good luck,
Brian Brown
BrownCow Productions
http://www.browncowvideo.com

Check your drives, you might have a bad disk.

You didn't specify your project settings, i.e. HDV, DV or cineform? Is it just your current project, or all of them?

Check your windows updates, did you install/update just prior to this? Do you have a reference point to when things were running ok? You might want to run system restore a point prior to the events.

Thanks Brian, Peter for your replies

Brian - The system is virtually brand new (less than 2 month old), I have not made any mods in relation to overclocking or RAM timings, in fact I would not know where to even begin with that, I'm an absolute newbie, previously on pinnacle consumer product & handycam, so please forgive my ignorance on these topics. I have checked for latest drivers etc as suggested, updated video card driver, have also run updates on CS3. Will so how this goes, thanks again.

Peter - projects are HDV, have done 2 other projects and similar problems, more so on this one I think perhaps more content ???? I will rerun windows updates, and see what happens. I have taken it back to where I bought it and funnily enough they could not find fault with the hardware.

Regards
DS

I'd guess that you have some piece of software on your machine that PPro doesn't like.

Candiadates:

Nero - All versions, if installed, uninstall
AntiVirus SW
Codec pack(ffdshow or klite) Uninstall

If you have any of the above, uninstall them - if problem persist, reinstall Adobe so that it re-registers its components and codecs.

Good luck!

// Lazze

I have the same problems with a two year old system that was rock solid with 1.5.

I did just install Nero 8.

I will have to uninstall and recheck.

Uninstalled Nero 8 and it did not help.

This reminds me of the days of Premiere 5.1

CS3 is much more unstable on my system than 1.5.

Graphics drivers
 

Go to Nvidia and get the latest graphics drivers. This did wonders for me on my HP workstation. It finally allowed me to be able to open "Ultra" without crashes, and allowed me to go from "Compatable" playback mode in PProCS3 to "GPU accelarated".

I'm still getting the odd crash (mainly dynamic link caused), so I guess we'll still be waiting for more "updates" to iron those out.

I would start by removing a gig of ram and updating to the newest drivers. I have never had a problem with Premier conflicting with other apps other then with FilmFX; so I don't think Nero is a problem; but i could be wrong.

Brian, reading your post totally made my day. I was going to go the dual boot option as well to be safe. Going to take the plunge!!!!