CCE crashes with an NForce 2 chipset MB

[MedicineMan]

I've been using CCE (version 2.5) since almost 2 years, in lots of different computers, without any problem at all related to CCE. It never crashed before due to any reason related to CCE.

The week before i changed my computer. I'm running a computer with an AMD Athlon XP processor; an motherboard based on an NForce2 chipset; and with the same operating system as before (Windows XP Professional, with Service Pack 1). And now it always crashes, precisely at the same moment. At the end of the creation of the VAF file (I'm not using CCE directly; I use it through either DoItFast4U or DVD2SVCD).

I've read and re-read the CCE FAQ. Read the CCE forum. Tried all the options i could think off. Applied all the hints of the CCE FAQ. And it still keeps crashing.

To summarize, i'll tell what i did and the configuration i'm using:

AMD Atlhon XP processor
NForce 2 chipset based motherboard (Asus A7N8X); running certified memory in dual-channel configuration (i've also tried in another computer, with the same chipset and a single channel memory configuration, and it crashed at the same point).
Windows XP Professional, with Service Pack 1, and all the updates up-to-date.
Checked for virus with 3 programs, all up-to-date (Norton Antivirus; AVG; Avast)
Used the latest drivers from ASUS.
I'm not overcloking.
Applied the patch to disable CRC check in CCE.
Tried to run CCE in compatibility mode (Windows 2000; Nt; even 98).
I've run Prime 95 and memtest86 without any problem.
Tried AVISynth 2.07; 2.08; and 2.5 (and made sure i was "adding audio" and "converting to YUY2")
Checked the memory usage. It's always at more or less 500Mb (i'm using 1Gb of RAM).


So, it seems to me that the only factor i can't control has to be the motherboard chipset. At least, that's one of the 2 differences between my previous working configuration and my actual configuration (the other being that i've updated this OS with all the updates available from Microsoft). Or at least i think so.

Has any of you had the same problem? Is there anything wrong with the way I'm thinking? What can I do to get my CCE working again?

Any help will be appreciated.



Sincerely


MM

[DDogg]

Hmm, well I use the biostar nforce mobo and have no problems.

This may be way off, but your post reminds me of a problem we used to see when the frame numbers were conflicted between what was specified in the ecl and true frame-count (i'm fuzzy on this as it was a long time ago). To test that you could go to the thread in the dvd2avi forum and download the new version of mpeg2dec and dvd2avi that Donald Graft is doing to correct frame miscount. Just use your existing avs script but create a new d2v file and adjust the name accordingly in your script. Also, load his version of mpeg2dec.

Also, you may want to actually create a new ecl by dragging your avs script into CCE and saving it after you have made the right settings.

A lot of people would be *very* interested to hear if this fixed this problem for you.

[MedicineMan]

I'm not an expert in CCE. As I told you i use it through either DoItFast4U or DVD2SVCD.

But if i got you correctly all i need to do is use the new versions of mpeg2dec and dvd2avi instead of the ones that come with the aformentioned progrmas. It should work.

I'm searching for the new versions. Will post back as soom as i get results.

Thank you


MM

[TerraForce1]

Hi,

I have the same system and for me it works perfect. Make sure that you check the two option in the patch for CCE. Then it must work perfectly because I have the same motherboard and chipset.

For your information.

[DDogg]

But if i got you correctly all i need to do is use the new versions of mpeg2dec and dvd2avi instead of the ones that come with the aformentioned progrmas. It should work. Well, I am saying it is something to try as a diagnostic. No program like Dvd2svcd is set up to actually use the DG's new dvd2avi because the command line version has not been done yet.

First thing to always do is try another dvd and see if it happens on that one also. If it does we have a replicatable and can work from there. Let me know and pm me if I miss your reply.

[MedicineMan]

Formated my HD; installed Win XP profissional again. Installed all from scratch.

The only thing i did different was that i didn't install Service Pack 1, neither the updates to Win XP.

And now it works perfectly. So my guess is that it has to do with some update in Windows. I don't know which. I do know that before it worked correctly with SP1 installed. So, that leaves the updates (obtained through windowsupdate.com) as the cause for my problems. or at least i think so.


Thank you for your help.

Sincerely


MM

[MedicineMan]

Ok, back to work.

It seems i didn't test my configuration in a perfect way. I mean, i tested it once with DVD2SVCD adn once with DoItFast4U, and as i've said before, it worked.

And now it crashed again. In the same spot. And keeps crashing if i insist. I was using DoCCE4U, with a job list of 5 files. The first file worked perfectly, and then the second failed. And keeps failing if i try it again.

The problem is at the very end of the first pass (i'm using ROBA method). The VAF file gets created. If i try the same encode again, CCE begins working (remember, i'm using DoCCE4U to control it, so maybe it thinks CCE finished the first pass correctly), and then fails somewhere in the middle of the MPV file. So maybe the VAF file isn't that correct.

And my guess now is that the problem isn't Windows afterall. What should i do to test it? Does anyone have more ideias?


MM

[DDogg]

I kinda wish you could get dvd2svcd, DoCCE4U and RoBa out of the equation. Post the script you are using and we can modify it so you can just drag it into CCE and run some tests manually with standard mulitipass. You can just use a few chapters or we can just use a trim statement if you already have the full files ready as prepared by dvd2svcd.

[MedicineMan]

I'll do that as soon as i can. Gonna use your previous PM to know how to test it. Will get back with the results as soon as i can.

Thank you for your interest.


MM

[MedicineMan]

Well, it isn't a NForce 2 problem afterall. I tried my software configuration in an Intel system (chipset SIS 948) and it failed at the same spot. So now i'm very confused.

I did managed to get CCE running. And have just finished an encode with DVD2DVD-R without problems (with EclCCE 1.6 and CCE 2.67.00.10). But i try to run CCE through DoCCE or BatchCCE it still fails at the same spot.

I've tried using the new versions of DVD2AVI and mpeg2dec.dll, and it still fails. So maybe it isn't a problem of lost frames.


Does anyone have any ideia of what's happening?


Thank you for your help


MM

[digitalman]

I don't remember the post too well, but someone before had a problem where CCE was crashing on a scene change. Or where some snow or static came into the picture. Maybe it has something to do with a certain frame.

[DDogg]

Yeah, I remember that too... I think he changed his resizing filter to bilinear, which would have smoothed it a little, and he no longer had the crash.

Here it it, but sounds like something different. http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53876

[MedicineMan]

Read the above thread. I'm not applying any filters in AviSynth, so I think that shouldn't be the problem.

I'll try the latest beta of CCE and will tell you the results as soon as i can.


By the way, I noticed that some times, with short encodings (less than 10.000 frames), it works. Is there an issue with the size of the file (maybe memory usage)?


Thank you for your help.


MM

[MedicineMan]

Tried the last CCE version (2.67.00.13).

And i noticed a strange behaviour. CCE works alone. Works if i start it with EclCCE. Works like a charm if I start it with DVD2DVD-R, which uses EclCCE and CCE. But it doesn't work if i start it with DoCCE4U or BatchCCEWS. BatchCCEWS just uses 99% of my CPU, and nothing happens. In onother computer it encodes small movies, but crashes in the end of the creation of the VAF file (the crash is a CCE crash) with long movies.

So now I think the problem has to do with DO or BatchCCE. So i think it would be better to stop this thread and find for help in the Big3 forum.

Thank you very much for your help.


MM

[hoozdapimp]

im having similar problems (nforce2 also)...i have been using CCE for a long time now, and know all the tricks of getting the program to not crash, but i am stumped with my new system (im using the same MB as your with a XP2800 system) and 1GB of Corsair ram....i've stress tested the system to death, but to no avail, no problems were found.

My problem is that it crashes randomly though, not at the same place everytime.

Im using CCE2.5, do you think I should try to upgrade??

[hoozdapimp]

well I finally got a successful encode done by switching back to bicubic resize from bilinear. I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but I guess we'll know after I do another encoding job.

[MedicineMan]

How do i change from bilinear resize to bicubic?

I'm encoding at DVD resolution. So i think there's no need to resize, or I'm wrong?

[hoozdapimp]

yes you need to use one of the filters...it's in the frameserver tab under avisynth setup (at the very top)...good luck to you, and let use know how it comes out.