Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

Well, I think I mentioned a while back that I wasn't able to do much recording until I got some memory for the computer, about half the time I click Stop after recording a track and it reboots the computer. Best I could figure was low on RAM, and since it only had 256MB that made sense.

A friend recently gave me some RAM and the motherboard from an identical computer, Dell with Rambus memory, and it had 512MB so I added that and now have 768MB. COOL!

So this morning I had a little quiet, cool enough to shut off the noisy ceiling fan, neighbor's dog even decided to shut the hell up for a little while, so I thought I'd try an acoustic cover of "Rollin and Tumblin". I got a decent basic acoustic slide track done, figured out why it was recording that AND the second track (basically because I'm a dummy, wrong input source) and recorded a vocal track. Thought it might be a decent one, clicked stop and there I sit watching the damn computer reboot...and the track is long gone...fortunately I did save the root acoustic track...

This is really frustrating, now soon as I have time I have to scour through the Internet for days trying to find out if this is a known issue with Audacity or it's just another idiosyncrasy of my machine.

I'm about ready to bite the bullet and install XP on the Compuke in the back room, (I hate XP even mnore than I hate Compuke but that's what the product key sticker is for) and now I've misplaced my only XP installation CD somewhere here in packrat palace...GRRRRR....

And how was YOUR day?

If the new 512 ram sticks are not compatible with your system, the new sticks won't work.

Ram shouldn't mind what the system is in general i.e. parts, however the Mobo (motherboard) will, but I suspect Pete knows that. Pete what OS are you running? I noticed you said install XP again?

What the hell are ya'll even talking about ???

I must be the ANTIGEEK !!

Almost every time my wife fets on this 'puter, it goes all whacko on me.

I think it's cuz she goes to those flooking game sites that dump all that crap into my machine...you know - pop-ups offering anything under the sun. I'm sure that's where this "about:blank" came from.

She keeps clicking on the "slap Buddah's belly"? lol

Paleo, We are dinosaurs. Stop playing with that thing and do what you do so well, just PLAY!!!!!
If you need further help just contact Chippy CAUSE>>>>> he's still trying to get stuff from 4000 years ago to work.
Can't teach a new dog old tricks

OK, first of all, the RAM is definitely compatible, it came from an identical computer and this thing will not recognize the wrong stuff, tried that already. It's the 1066 speed rambus, tried the other speed and it only recognized 64 MB of 512 and ran like crap. It runs great with this memory, everything else works perfect, and I've had no other problems except that now and then the power management stops shutting down the monitor. That's a video driver glitch and I've been too lazy to install another driver, it's easy enough to reset power management and it will work great again for another month or so.

2nd, I'm a computer tech, been building and repairing these stupid machines for 10 years, I'm not completely in the dark here, just frustrated. Just downloaded what I hope is a newer version of audacity to try since I Know it's that software, nothing else has any problems.

OS is win 2000, best one they ever made. I might be forced to try XP on another machine though, and I hate XP...but it's the only choice since that machine (faster one too) has a XP product key sticker on it. I'll just have to "dumb it down" some so it will run decent, XP is a serious resource hog. I'm hoping the different version of audacity will do the trick. The machine is already set up and ready to go, just have to find a XP installation CD. Should be decent, 3GHz CPU, at least 512MBM DDR, good sound and video, around 180GB drive space including the secondary drive in use now, which will swap over with all files still intact. That's the number one reason I never save pictures, music and so forth on the main C drive. With a second hard drive I can simply pull it and drop it into the new machine, nothing to it. All files are still right where I put them originally.

I don't know why you like win2000 so much.

I generally use winxp pro and de-ball the endless extra services that slow it down.

You just bring up the task manager and compare your processes with those listed on the internet and one can easily decide what can be turned off and what can't be, as long as your machine doesn't have to do everything like print and be an internet rig and effects processor and etc...

I do have some Rambus lying around somewhere (if I can find it?) Please note that the Audacity web site does not really rate a minimum but DO suggest that other progs be closed if using for extended periods. (Sounds like Ram to me).

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/windows#sysreq

I have several (dated) comps. 1 for recording. (NO ONE TOUCHES IT!) One for Web Work, (NO ONE TOUCHES IT!)

Linux for everything else. (At the moment).

I suggest you get 1 machine and make that YOUR machine. Been doing it a long time too. They say Dentists have the worst teeth.

Will look for Rambus this week.

I don't know why you like win2000 so much.

Because I've built so many XP machines. Put 2000 on a P-II 500with 128MB RAM and it will run circles around a 1GHz P-III with 512 RAM. Stable as hell, very little bells and whistles XP doesn't have, and most of those I don't want, and you don't have to call MS and beg them to let you reinstall it if your hard drive crashes. The activation nonsense is a slap in the face to computer users and does almost nothing to slow down software piracy.

When I first started building XP machines in a computer shop our server was a win 2000 machine. 350MHz AMD K62 CPU and 128MB RAM. It would keep up with a brand new 1GHz P-III with 512RAM all day long. Install a few programs and XP bogs down like crazy, it takes 128MB RAM just to run the OS by itself, while 2000 will run on 64. I refuse to install XP on anything less than 512 MB RAM. Twice that if it's a multimedia machine. That's crazy. I don't even allow Vista in my house, it's an even worse resource hog. 3GHz machine and 1GB RAM just to run the OS...ridiculous. The version of Linux released at the same time as XP would still run on a P 233MMX with 64MB RAM. That's what my first Linux machine was. XP wouldn't even install...but 2000 would run fine on the same machine, even better with 128 MB RAM. One other problem with XP, the more RAM you give it, the more it hogs it. You can't make XP use less memory, add more and it just uses more. I hate it.

Why would I want XP if I have an OS that runs great on less than half the system XP will? I've been running win 2000 on the present machine for 3 years with no problems whatsoever except for Audacity, and it runs great. But it's useless for recording if Audacity reboots the machine every time I stop a recording, so I have to either get a copy of audacity that works right or build another machine. Only problem is I don't have the product key for 2000 for the machine I'm planning to use, so I'll dumb XP down enough it will run decent and bite the bullet...but I won't like it...

Current machine is a 2.6GHz P-IV, 768MB RAM and win 2000, fast as hell, runs perfect except for the Audacity glitch. audacity opens in about one second, twice as fast as my old win 98 machine, and I have a picture editor I use that opens before I get my finger off the mouse button. XP wouldn't touch it. Half the RAM would be used up just running the OS.

I for one was not insulting your intelligence.

There is a huge article here that SHOULD have been made a sticky long ago.
http://forum.bandmix.com/viewtopic.php? ... t=audacity

Might not clear your woes but if you need the Rambus and it is compatible? It is yours, you are welcome.

I'm not a windows man. I'm working on getting linux to work for me, sod em.

Well I am not, for once, being insulting. That was a valid question.

I guess the moral of the story is "if you are running an older OS and it's working for you, then do not fix it".

(kind of like if it isn't broken, do not attempt to fix it)

Solution

Piper - for some reason I was expecting a vid of someone taking a hammer to a computer...LOL

This thing looks really cool! I'll tell my drummer about it.

Thanks.