bryanstubbs Posted May 5, 2008 Report Share Posted May 5, 2008 I have just bought a new laptop and am having problems trying to run pte sequences I have run successfully on a lower spec desktop. I have bought a Dell Vostro 1510 with 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS graphics card.What happens is the sequence sometimes stops on an image. The soundtrack continues to the end with the same image displayed. At the end of the soundtrack it returns normally to the desktop. I am running XP Pro on the laptop.The only clue I have is that sequences seem to run normally when I run the laptop from the battery but not when I run it attached to the mains. However this could be a coincidence. I haven't done more than a half a dozen runs.The two sequences I have been trying were made on a 4 yr old Dell dimension 2400 with on board graphics and made using pte v4.48.Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Cox Posted May 5, 2008 Report Share Posted May 5, 2008 FOR STARTERS DOWNLOAD A FEW SHOWS FROM BEECHBROOK AND REPORT HOW THEY DO INCLUDE INFO OF THE SHOWShttp://beechbrook.com/pte/KEN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanstubbs Posted May 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2008 Can't do this yet Ken. Have to wait till my wireless router arrives later this week. However the sequences I have tried have run successfully on several other computers. I'll give Beechbrook a go later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Cox Posted May 5, 2008 Report Share Posted May 5, 2008 well try the other shows on the laptop that you know do workken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conflow Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 Bryan,You wrote:-..."I have bought a Dell Vostro 1510 with 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS Graphics Card"....Are you sure of your facts....Because the Dell Vostro 1510 comes complete with an inbuiltIntergrated Graphics Card (It is built into the Motherboard.) and can't be removed !You can't fit a GForce 8400GS into that Laptop ~ because its too big. See Photograpg below.Brian.Conflow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lin Evans Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 Hi Bryan,If you click on "Start" then "Run" and type in "dxdiag" and then click on "O.K" the computer will run a diagnostic. When it finishes click on the "Display" tab and report back on what it says...Best regards,LinCan't do this yet Ken. Have to wait till my wireless router arrives later this week. However the sequences I have tried have run successfully on several other computers. I'll give Beechbrook a go later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanstubbs Posted May 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 First of all let me thank you all for trying to help with this annoying and perplexing problem.I do definitely have a 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS (64 bit) Graphic card in a vostro 1510 laptop. I am reading GeForce 8400M GS from the nvidia control panel on the laptop at the moment. Now whether this is some cut down version of it, I can't tell or whether Dell have "sqeezed" it in and that is the problem!!I have run a few other of my sequences on the laptop all of which run quite happily on my Dell dimension 2400 desktop with integrated intel graphics. One old sequence from about 3 years ago has now run without fault 3 times on the laptop. In all the others the image stops in various places and the sound carries on to the end. I have noticed that the sound occasionally slows down slightly and then catches up or there is a slight glitch in the sound on the sequences that don't run properly.I have run the dxdiag software and that does not show a problem.That is where we are at present. I'm going out to cut the lawns! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stardealer Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 Hi Bryan,you may try the following.Remove music files from the pte-show and try again. In the past there have been many problems with integrated soundcards with miscellanious software, causing interruption or totally misfunctioning.When the show runs perfect without music, you may look at your sound settings or new drivers for your integrated soundcard.If it doesn't, try with starting TaskManager before starting the show and look at the used systemressources when you stop the show after it begins to loose transitioning. Maybe it's a bottleneck in memory, then inspect your pagefile for optimal performance (e.g. defragmentation) and stop other memory-consuming programm like virus-scan, etc. and try again.Hope something helps to solve the problem.Greetings, Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Cox Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 I have run the dxdiag software and that does not show a problem. -- Lin wanted you get the video card infoken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limey Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 From Dell Canada site. NVidia GEforce 8400 is an option on Vostro 1510. LimeyVostro_1510.doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanstubbs Posted May 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 O.K. Ken and Lin I've run dxdiag again and hit the display button. The following is returned:Device:Name:NVIDIA GeForce 8400MManuf:NVIDIAChip Type: GeForce 8400M GSDAC Type: Integrated RAMDACApprox Total memory:512MBCurrent Display mode: 1280X800 (32bit) (60Hz)Monitor :Default monitorDrivers:Main driver:nv4_disp.dllversion:6.14.0011.7431 (English)Date: 04/03/2008WHQ Logo'd:YesMini VDD:nv4_mini.sysVDD:n/aDDI version:9(or higher)DirectX Features:DirectDraw Acceleration:enabledDirect3D Acceleration EnabledAGP Texture Acceleration EnabledNotes:No problems foundTo test DirectDraw functionality, click buttonTo test 3D functionality click buttonDoes this tell us anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conflow Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 Bryan,My apology ~ I was on to Nvidia and Dell about that Laptop Graphics "Card"~In fact its the Nvidia Chip-Set which now replaces the origional Chip-Set that usually comes pre-installed on the Laptop. I was beginning to wonder was I dreaming, because one can not install a "full-size" Graphics Card into a Laptop.It is indeed the Type:- Nvidia 8400/M/GS Graphics Chip-Set in the Laptop andI now wonder does it have the latest Graphic-Drivers installed.Brian.Conflow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lin Evans Posted May 6, 2008 Report Share Posted May 6, 2008 Hi Bryan,Yes, it gives you the driver version and date which can be referenced on the NVIDIA web site to see if there are any updates available. From the date (April 3, 2008) it would appear that this is a very new driver so if a check with NVIDIA shows it to be the latest version that can be perhaps ruled out as a possible issue.It may be worth while running the tests as described under "notes" (to test 3D functionality) just to be certain that everything operates normally. If no problems are detected with the tests then we can look elsewhere for the culprit.The suggestion to run on of the shows without sound is a good one. As strange as it may seem, sound drivers can often influence video so a quick way to test that possibility is as suggested to recompile one of your shows which malfunctions without background music or sound and run it. If it runs smoothly and doesn't stop then half the possibilities have just been eliminated.Best regards,Lin O.K. Ken and Lin I've run dxdiag again and hit the display button. The following is returned:Device:Name:NVIDIA GeForce 8400MManuf:NVIDIAChip Type: GeForce 8400M GSDAC Type: Integrated RAMDACApprox Total memory:512MBCurrent Display mode: 1280X800 (32bit) (60Hz)Monitor :Default monitorDrivers:Main driver:nv4_disp.dllversion:6.14.0011.7431 (English)Date: 04/03/2008WHQ Logo'd:YesMini VDD:nv4_mini.sysVDD:n/aDDI version:9(or higher)DirectX Features:DirectDraw Acceleration:enabledDirect3D Acceleration EnabledAGP Texture Acceleration EnabledNotes:No problems foundTo test DirectDraw functionality, click buttonTo test 3D functionality click buttonDoes this tell us anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanstubbs Posted May 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2008 The saga continues! I 've tried what you all recommended. The images still stop if no soundtrack. Running from task manager shows plenty of memory etc. Running from battery with no mains attached runs successfully with slight glitches on the sound.I've just transferred all the images and soundtrack for one sequence from my desktop to my laptop and built the exe file on the laptop with PTE v5.1. It runs smoothly even with the mains switched on! Any one know what's going on?I'm still suspicious of the sound though. There are very slight occasional glitches that are not on the original soundtrack built with audition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanstubbs Posted May 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Just for the sake of completeness and in case anyone else has similar problems here is the solution!As soon as I connected the laptop to the internet. Auto updates immediately loaded 39 updates. Immediatley the image behaved perfectly with no stopping on either battery or mains power. I don't know which of the 39 updates did the trick but one of them did. I had already checked I was using the latest drivers.However there were still problems with the sound occasionally slowing down particularly when there were rapid image transitions. My son got to the bottom of this for me. I had already switched off power management options on the laptop but unknown to me there is a "Powermizer" system with the nVidia graphics card. As soon as we swiched this off the sound was and is perfect.Maybe I can get back to making sequences now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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