Laptop issue, any suggestions?

At my gig tonight my lappy acted really weird...on 4-5 songs throughout the night it started clicking, sputtering a bit, almost sounded like it was skipping??????? I run VDJ out of two soundcards so lots of cords to be going bad (althought all pretty new).

Here's my question....can the quality of the power supply (even though I run HD and laptop power through a conditioner, or running near the capacity of the circuit affect the performance of a hard drive or lap top???? My laptop acted up one other time (touch pad wigged out) when I was in an old venue with questionable power.

Any experience with any of this?

Sounds like a resource issue to me...or possibly heat.....Some of the vdj skins have a resource meter on them...Watch that. Using a powered usb hub for your soundcards....might try that as well...

I'm with Steve here. Most likely heat is your issue. If it's a newer laptop search online for a temperature app. It will tell you how hot your processors are running. From there search for your processors model number and see what normal operating range is. I cannot see it being a resource issue as I assume you've been using this laptop for a while without problems. Generally cables are either good or bad.

Search around, Doug F had posted about a heat dissipating mat for laptops. Wal-mart has a platform for laptops with fans under neath to aid cooling. Also while you're at it check to make sure the vents on the sides and bottom aren't clogged.

Put a couple of spacers on the rear to raise the back of the laptop up a bit....will allow for better airflow/dissipation. As well, sometimes the heatsinks on the back will get full of dust and lint....

Sounds like a resource issue to me...or possibly heat.....Some of the vdj skins have a resource meter on them...Watch that. Using a powered usb hub for your soundcards....might try that as well...

I'm with Steve here. Most likely heat is your issue. If it's a newer laptop search online for a temperature app. It will tell you how hot your processors are running. From there search for your processors model number and see what normal operating range is. I cannot see it being a resource issue as I assume you've been using this laptop for a while without problems. Generally cables are either good or bad.

Search around, Doug F had posted about a heat dissipating mat for laptops. Wal-mart has a platform for laptops with fans under neath to aid cooling. Also while you're at it check to make sure the vents on the sides and bottom aren't clogged.

I'm with you both, ifs def. a system resources issue. What model laptop is it? If its relatively new, I doubt that its having heat issues. My laptop has an old Pentium 4 mobile, and those get hot enough to cook on, but thats never caused any lagging. Are there any other processes running while you are playing the music such as virus scan, or anything? Sometimes my virus scan (Mcafee) tends to just start scanning randomly which slows down the whole system and causes a similar thing to happen while music or video is playing.

Are you running anything else in the background while you're playing music? Don't let anything run that isn't necessary.

Sounds like a resource issue to me...or possibly heat.....Some of the vdj skins have a resource meter on them...Watch that. Using a powered usb hub for your soundcards....might try that as well...

That's what I thought immediately.

Okay, great ideas everyone. Here is what's up. It is a new Dell with all the bells and whistles, I baby it but do use it at home for internet stuff. I also have it on a citronic device tray - metal with a small lip all the way around, may be slowing down the air flow. Not sure what else is running, could you tell me how to check/turn off other applications during a show? The problem seemed to come and go last night...lasted a song or two then went away.

I'll go get my lappy from the trailer and see where the vents are located.

Never had a heat problem with a laptop...

Open Task Manager, and go to the Processes tab, and see how many you have running. A clean install of XP OEM should be <= 35.

BTW, the resource meter on VDJ, eats more resources than most background processes -- I find that funny, but then I'm a programmer... ;) :)

Back when I messed with iTunes and had both of them running VDJ would not work with iTunes pulled up, sounded similiar (but more severe) to what occured last night. I recall a program called "end it all" that would shut down everything running in the background, Rick, is there something I can do pre-gig to ensure things won't pop on in the background?

Yeah, get rid of all that junk on yer lappy :)


iTunes does not co-exist well with audio apps (QuickTime as well). They use direct hardware calls, which are a no-no in Window's programming since NT.

Even when iTunes or QT are not running, they are.

The only way to get rid of them (and other apps that do not play well with others), is to completely remove them from your system. There's no magic button to make them disappear for a few hours...


An interesting note -- iTunes and QT actually work better with other apps on Vista, since Vista took the audio stack out of the kernel -- they still suck, but a little less on Vista ;)

Never had a heat problem with a laptop...

Open Task Manager, and go to the Processes tab, and see how many you have running. A clean install of XP OEM should be <= 35.

BTW, the resource meter on VDJ, eats more resources than most background processes -- I find that funny, but then I'm a programmer... ;) :)

$hit, I have 71 processes running CPU usage between 11 - 18%

The cute little green light that indicates the computer is "thinking" is always blinking.

What can I get rid of?

here is what's on the list:

avgcc.exe
avgw.exe
csrss.exe
DLG.exe
DSAagnt.exe
dwm.exe
explorer.exe
flashutil9b.exe
googledesktop.exe
googledesktopcrawl.exe
googledesktopindex.exe
ieuser.exe
iexplore.exe
issch.exe
iTuneshelper.exe
PCMservice.exe
quickset.exe
rundll32.exe
sidebar.exe
sprtcmd.exe
sttray.exe
synTPEnh.exe
taskeng.exe
taskmgr.exe
winlogon.exe
WLTRAY.exe

Seems like the biggest "users" memory wise are:

avgw.exe
dwm.exe
explorer.exe
iexplorer.exe
PCMServices.exe


OBVIOUSLY I know nothing about computers - please advise:sqembarrassed:

Well, one thing you do not want to get rid of:

explorer.exe -- that is your Desktop. The desktop is one big list control.


You can Google each one of those names, and you will find websites that will tell you what each one is.

dwm.exe is Desktop Window Manager -- it's a Vista thing -- I thought you had XP...?

No, I have Vista...

avg is my virus program (a freebie off the net, and second on the memory usage) do I keep it? It could be scanning at times?


the Biggest by far is described as cyberlink powercinema resident program



Should my green light be blinking all the time on the front of the laptop?

When I go to performance and check out the CPU usage history the CPU usage spikes to 50% at times!

Kris,

Also, get rid of all that Google junk. That stuff is running in the background, indexing all your drives/media, and wasting tons of resources. Every time something gets changed on your drive (or even accessed), it does it's thing, and does lots of I/O that can make things slow way down.

If you see lots of rundll32.exe, it means those are processes that were spawned by another process (program), and you don't have any clue what they are.


I just saw yer last post -- the green light is probably the Google stuff running and indexing.

PowerCinema? Do you need that to DJ...?

Kris,

Also, get rid of all that Google junk. That stuff is running in the background, indexing all your drives/media, and wasting tons of resources. Every time something gets changed on your drive (or even accessed), it does it's thing, and does lots of I/O that can make things slow way down.

If you see lots of rundll32.exe, it means those are processes that were spawned by another process (program), and you don't have any clue what they are.


I just saw yer last post -- the green light is probably the Google stuff running and indexing.

PowerCinema? Do you need that to DJ...?

I don't know what the F any of this stuff is, including powercinema? Never heard of it...it'll be gone along with google and iTunes...see if that helps. How do I go about getting them off my puter completely?

What's your address Rick? I'll send you some of KC's finest!

Unfortunately, Kris, Dell loads all kinds of crap (i.e., "bells and whistles") on their machines before they leave the factory. You really need to whittle down/uninstall most of that stuff to make your laptop as lean and mean as possible.

You can leave AVG on your machine, but turn it off at gigs. Also turn off file indexing on the Hard Drive.

Rick, I leave it in your hands since you're immersed in all this stuff.

Unfortunately, Kris, Dell loads all kinds of crap (i.e., "bells and whistles") on their machines before they leave the factory. You really need to whittle down/uninstall most of that stuff to make your laptop as lean and mean as possible.

You can leave AVG on your machine, but turn it off at gigs. Also turn off file indexing on the Hard Drive.

Rick, I leave it in your hands since you're immersed in all this stuff.

I find that with new PCs, completely reinstalling everything as soon as you get it saves alot of headache.

Or do a low-level format and reinstall the OS!!

Or do a low-level format and reinstall the OS!!

Okay Bry(i)an's you're getting over my head already :sqembarrassed:

How do I:

1. Turn off AVG at gigs
2. Know which stuff is not necessary to the well being of my computer and can be uninstalled?

Problem with reinstalling the OS, with a factory machine, is that the OS disc has all the same crap on it (or the disc they tell you to make for a backup).

I find it's actually easier to go through and uninstall the offending junk, and tweak the system to your needs.

It takes time, but then you have a system optimized for you. I took my off the shelf ACER Vista combo, and tweaked it the way I wanted, and it runs smooth as a baby's ass :)

If you have a few hours, you can generally get it tweaked just the way you want. All the info is available on the web, just take yer time.


BTW, don't go switching to Classic mode, and lose Aero. It is very cool, and uses minimal resources. It is probably the most cool part of Vista, and has no bad effects on audio/video programs. That's the dwm.exe, that runs Aero and the new desktop overlay.

I love these posts.

Makes me so glad that i don't put my Business 'puter on the net.

It runs great, and no problems.
taking all the crap you don't use will help a ton.
Good luck getting it all set up the way you need it.

Okay Bry(i)an's you're getting over my head already :sqembarrassed:

How do I:

1. Turn off AVG at gigs
2. Know which stuff is not necessary to the well being of my computer and can be uninstalled?
1. The easiest way to turn off AVG is to right-click the icon in the task tray and select "Quit AVG Free Control Center" from the popup menu.

2. That's the part I want Rick to help you through. I'm not Vista-savvy at all.

I've used HijackThis to easily remove old apps and hidden stuff they plant in the registry. It's free and works well. The Win Uninstall feature doesn't always remove everything associated with a utility.

The YIM program is notorious for planting weeds. OEM Win often comes bundled with AO Hell and a lot of other useless crap, too. When you get your machine cleaned up the way you want it, run a defrag.

That being said, take care when removing things. If you don't know what it is and what it does, don't remove it 'til you do. Some apps borrow from others when they run ~ remove the wrong thing and a needed app may freeze or not work at all. So please, be careful with it.

Rick and Dan are puter-savvy. They can tell you more. :)

When you get your machine cleaned up the way you want it, run a defrag.
I consider that Job #1 before a gig. Defragment your Hard Drive before you leave home!

I consider that Job #1 before a gig. Defragment your Hard Drive before you leave home!

What exactly are you doing when your defrag your hard drive? And how do you do it?


Also, I'm trying to remove three google files listed on task manager, but they are not listed when I go to windows uninstall....I right click to the file location and see about 10 google files but it won't let me delete them - says I don't have authority to move them to another location or something.

What exactly are you doing when your defrag your hard drive? And how do you do it?
Instead of my writing it out, I've cut-and-pasted the defragging info (http://www.answers.com/topic/defragmentation?cat=technology) from www.answers.com (which I love!):

To reorganize the disk by putting files into contiguous order. Because the operating system stores new data in whatever free space is available, data files become spread out across the disk as they are updated. Large files may be broken into thousands of fragments, causing the read/write head to move back and forth numerous extra times to read the data. A "defragger" or "optimizer program" rewrites all the files and stores them in adjacent sectors.

Windows comes with the DEFRAG.EXE utility, which can be activated by the Run dialog from the Start menu. Other popular defraggers such as Executive Software's Diskeeper, offer enhanced capabilities.

Users Run the Gamut

Some users are fanatical about defragging their disks on a regular basis. Others rarely do it, if ever. After defragmenting, performance increases are most noticeable on very large databases that had been heavily fragmented. Because today's computers are so fast, users may not notice any increase in speed with routine applications such as word processing and spreadsheets, especially if the files are small.

A Good Habit

Nevertheless, defragmenting disks regularly is good practice because it reduces wear and tear on the drive mechanism. In addition, should the hard disk ever crash and you did not back up important files, data recovery experts will tell you that a defragged disk is much easier to restore.
I'm not sure what you have to do in Vista, but in XP, you open "My Computer", right-click on the HD you want to defrag, select "Properties", click on the "Tools" tab, and click the "Defragment Now..." button.

What exactly are you doing when your defrag your hard drive? And how do you do it?


Also, I'm trying to remove three google files listed on task manager, but they are not listed when I go to windows uninstall....I right click to the file location and see about 10 google files but it won't let me delete them - says I don't have authority to move them to another location or something.
That's what HijackThis is for. ;)

What a defrag does (if memory serves) is clean up and organize your filing cabinet. If files are scattered all over the HDD, it takes longer to find them. Defragmenting puts 'em all back together and empty space is at the end of the drive where it belongs.

I think that's how it works anyhow. :)

Is it okay to defrag my external hard drive that stores all my music? It won't affect programs like VDJ finding the file locations will it?

I'm just about done with questions by the way :sqwink:

That's exactly the most important drive to defrag! Your songs are much better off when stored in contiguous (http://www.answers.com/contiguous?cat=biz-fin) sectors on the HD. The easier you make it for VDJ--or any playback software--to find all the song data, the better.

That's exactly the most important drive to defrag! Your songs are much better off when stored in contiguous (http://www.answers.com/contiguous?cat=biz-fin) sectors on the HD. The easier you make it for VDJ--or any playback software--to find all the song data, the better.

Awesome, always heard about the process, never knew what it did for you. I'll give it a shot...thanks Bryan.

One more thing you have to do is service configurations!
Learn more here:

www.blackviper.com

I recently discovered a better defragging program than the Windows defragger: Auslogics Disk Defrag (http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag)

It's faster than the Windows defragger and it gives you better information during the entire process.

Give it a try!

That's exactly the most important drive to defrag!


You been drinking some of my brain death beer, eh Bry :sqlaugh:

Actually, unless you delete tracks, a strictly music drive never needs to be defragged, because the songs always go in in a contiguous manner, unless there are bad sectors -- and a defrag won't help that.

If you've never deleted a file, there will be no fragmented space.

I only defrag my OS drives, as that's where I store all everyday data, that gets moved, saved, deleted, etc. I use Diskeeper Pro, which runs in the background all the time. My computers are never shut down, so it uses any idle time it can grab, to keep everything in order -- doesn't even burp the music playing, when it runs :)

If you never do anything but copy new files to a drive, you're right--there would be little benefit from defragging the drive.

I continually tweak my music files, thereby causing fragmentation. That's why I do a defrag before a gig. :thumbsup:

I recently discovered a better defragging program than the Windows defragger: Auslogics Disk Defrag (http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag)

It's faster than the Windows defragger and it gives you better information during the entire process.

Give it a try!

Good to know, it took 3 hours using the onboard defrag, I'll give this one a try next time. By the way, I've eliminated all the junk I could and turned off some stuff and seems to be running at a much "lower" level. Thanks a ton to everyone for their help, I learned a lot!

Kris best to get a LAPTOP Cooler for under the laptop (I keeps them a lot cooler than you think

plus here grab this HDD temp guage
when you copy the Hard.Disk.Sentinel program portable
there is no install and it starts in Spanish so you will need to change languages
so its a RAR and if you cant open it then sorry you best use winrar its the better software that opens all rar/zip files

http://rapidshare.com/files/103751840/Hard.Disk.Sentinel.2.10.rar

if anyone else wants a copy just grab its portable :)

i'll post a sceen shot soon - see below

I recently discovered a better defragging program than the Windows defragger: Auslogics Disk Defrag (http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag)

It's faster than the Windows defragger and it gives you better information during the entire process.

Give it a try!

you may want a better one called Ultimate Defrag >> http://www.disktrix.com/UDIntroduction.htm <<<
if you want a portable version let me know (Great for laptops)

Here is the screen shot

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a335/djdennis/HardDiskSentinel210.jpg