tech. issue driving me insane

bewillia

bewillia

Well-known member
hopefully this is posted in the correct place.

my computer has been crashing consistently whenever i try exporting an mpeg-2 file from quicktime, fcp, or compressor. it never crashes when exporting any other type of file. most of the time after a crash, the screen looks like this:

crashScreen.jpg


here are the stats of my computer:
g4 dual 1.3 (upgraded processor)
1gig of ram (have switched out all ram to no avail)
os 10.3.9
quicktime 7.1.3
ati rage 1280 pro graphics card (tried switching it out, didn't fix problem)

as you might imagine, this is a pretty nasty problem for someone who makes a living exporting mpeg-2 files, so there is a prize for whoever can help me to fix it. yes, she's a dinosaur, but she's been giving me so much love, i just can't let her go.

thanks,
blake
 
hmm, macs not my domain, sounds like some kinda codec clash, quicktime as you already know is just a wrapper, so when transcoding from QT to MPEG, your machine/ OS has to use the right codecs to decompress the streams and hand it over to your transcoding app,

normally in this situation on a PC i use a handly little app called "Codec Sniper", this lists all codecs on your machine and also if they are broken.

But I do not know if such a software exists for macs, you will have to search around, sorry.

I suggest you do a fresh install of QT or even do a fresh install of your OS if need be.

Anhar
 
thank you anhar. i'm going to do a fresh install of quicktime. going to use one of apple's "reinstallers" to uninstall and install a previous version of qt, then upgrade. will post results.
 
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so, what did you do before this started happening? did you run software update? what about going back to quicktime 7.1.2(or whenever the last time it worked) or upgrading to OSX 10.4?
 
Yeah I that is wiered are you running a licensed copy of FCP? sounds to me like you have a bug. try and reinstall FCP and also run your disk utilitys to restore your preferences.
 
i do have a licensed version of fcp. i have repaired permissions. the problem started in quicktime 6. thanks for your replies. keep em' coming...
 
for those of you on the edge of your seats...
uninstalled quicktime and installed quicktime. tried to output mpeg-2 file. crash.

now i'm going to wipe my system drive and start from scratch.

you know it's true, this is the most exciting thread you've ever read. and if there are any tech heads out there that know exactly what the problem is, please don't hold your tongue.

cheers.
 
Then it is settled once and for all!...A Mac has crashed on this 28th day of September 2006.....Just being an Asshat and rubbing it in. I wish I knew the solution for ya, but a clean install will either work or get you one small step closer to the solution. Good Luck!:)
 
well, after a clean install, she crashed on me again.
so it must be a hardware issue.
i'm starting to think it's the processor.

sink - i have a g4 550 Mhz powerbook that i've been outputting mpegs on overnight. it's a real pain when you've got a lot of media and need to do two-pass stuff.

anyone selling an old quad G5?
 
before you pitch your gear I'd roll back quicktime to whenever it last worked! just to see! whats the powerbook running?
 
yeah, unfortunately i did that with the clean install. may take her somewhere. i don't know. if anyone else has suggestions, i'll try anything.

thanks,
blake
 
ok, this is gonna sound weird but how old is your Mac? (how long have you had it)

I think, JUST possibley since its not a software problem that I had initially thought, then the other possibility is that your CPU is overheating and thus crashing, It happens to PC's when they start aging a bit, make sure that the Thermal Paste between the CPU and fan sink is not dried up (as it happens on aging PC's) then make sure that Air flow is clean i.e Clean out all **DUST** this causes air flow problems and ineffecient cooling, and when your CPU is stressed under CPU intense cycles (rendering, Transcoding) it dies (thermal shutdown)

I have had this problem lately (my PC is very old 5 years) and I installed "Speed Fan" on the PC it tells you the core Temps of your HDD and CPU, consult your manual to find the optimal operating temps and compare the readings.

Find a temp monitoring software for your mac (maybe your OS comes with one, I dont know)



Anhar
 
ha!

good idea anhar. i'll look into that. as stated above, i'm suspecting an upset processor. my computer is indeed OLD. seven years old actually. but i'm going to use it until it explodes.

anyone have suggestions for temp monitoring software for the mac?

one word for capt quirck: NEVER!

cheers,
blake
 
anhar - you can send me the bill now.

she's humming along, outputting mpeg-2's like it's going out of style.

i gave the power source and processor a good cleaning and zapped the pram, and wouldn't you know it, everything works. hopefully it will continue working.

thanks everyone (anhar).
blake
 
Your Welcome :)

Its good to hear that your Mac is back, its possibly a sign that now would be a good time to be thinking about buying a new computer if possible (remember always back up your work, you can replace Computers just not your work !)

Anhar
 
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