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XP Home crashes often with Vegas Video and 3d Studio Max and some Games

I have a new Dell XPS with 2.2ghz, 500mb ram, ati 9800. Its on a LAN with cable. I installed 3d studio max and usually in about mid-way rendering an animation, the computer crashes. I try a network render using Vegas Video, and mid-way, the computer crashes. Some simple OpenGL games crash the computer. I get no messages; just a reboot.

When this started happening, I upgraded all the device drivers I could. I disconnected the network and still, 3d studio max crashes. I have applied all the software patches.

I am still using Service Pack 1.

I can run the same rendering on two W2k machines and the work fine. I tried running a memory test on the computer and everything tested successful. I dont know if the problem is hardware or software. Perhaps upgrading to SP2 would help, but everything I have heard says SP2 is not such a good idea for solving problems like this.

Can anyone suggest how I can narrow down what is causing the crash? I need any and all help. I have no more ideas for what to do, except to start buying new hardware until it fixes the problem... if it fixes the problem.

thanks
bryan

jayca

SP2 would not hurt. Give it a try, then post back.

It could also be a memory module going bad, since renduring is a mem hog, that would be another place to check. Maybe try removing 1 stick of mem and test with each of them.

Callandor

Because the crash only happens with rendering, I suspect the video driver. Did you try a different version of the Catalyst drivers?

bryanwells

ASKER

I tried the latest one; can I "down grade" back to an earlier version? Do you have any ideas for a stable version I could try if I can down grade?

thanks

Callandor

Yes, you can "downgrade" your video driver - just uninstall the current one and install the new one. I know that Catalyst 4.3 worked for me for the longest time, so start there.

bryanwells

ASKER

I have tried all the different driver versions and had no luck. I put a new page file on a second disk and I have put a temperature monitor on but I dont think the temperature is the culprit.

I am now thinking it is an IRQ confilct. I noticed that the USB is sharing IRQ 16 with my graphics card. I can imagine this might cause problems.

Can anyone suggest how I can force the USB to use a different IRQ? Does this seem like it could be a problem?

Callandor

I don't think it's an IRQ sharing problem, because the new standards allow for that, as well as additional IRQs out to 23. The card itself may have a problem; try a different video card, or try this video card in the Win2K machine.

bryanwells

ASKER

I noticed someone suggested installing the lattest Omega drivers for the Radeon card. Have you heard of this as a solution for crashes? I dont know about the driver but a news form had it there.

http://www.omegadrivers.net/

Callandor

I have tried the Omega drivers with my 9500 Pro, but it gave me artifacts in games. I reverted back to Catalyst 4.8 (wxp-w2k-catalyst-8-042-040803a-016701c.exe).

bryanwells

ASKER

I have tried everything and the system still crashes. So no one answered my question so that I was able to fix the problem.

Callandor

Did you test the card in another system, as suggested?

bryanwells

ASKER

The only thing I have left to do is to put a different card into the PC that crashes. I have not done that yet. I dont think thiis is a "solution", but it is a good way to narrow down what might be wrong. I am sure if I spend money and swap out hardware, I will eventually fix the problem but I dont want to replace the system, I want to fix the one I have.

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Callandor

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