Videoguys' Top 10 Tech Tips for older machines 1.4Ghz or slower and Win 98/me/2000
The Desk Top Video Handbook On Line 13.1

Videoguys' Top 10 Tech Tips

1. 75% of tech support problems are IRQ related.
   Your computer has only 15 IRQs. Most video capture cards require an IRQ between 9 and 12. If you run into technical problems the FIRST thing you want to do is find out what devices you have on what IRQs. The fastest way to find this out in Win95/98 is to go into device manager. Right click on the my computer icon. Choose the Device Manager tab. (you can also get to device manager from Control Panel - System). The first item listed is Computer. Highlight this and click on properties. This will give you a list of all the hardware installed in your machine by IRQ. If you see IRQ holder for PCI steering listed with nothing else, then that IRQ is available for a PCI Plug & Play device. If you see your capture card listed along with IRQ holder for PCI steering on the same IRQ number this is OK. If you see your capture card and another device listed on the same IRQ, this could be your problem. By simply having this vital information available BEFORE you call tech support, your call will go that much smoother and have a much higher chance of success. Click here for more info on resolving IRQ conflicts.

2. If it's not an IRQ problem, then more times then not it has to do with your graphics card.
   Your graphics card must have an IRQ. Your graphics card must be run with the latest (or specifically recommended) drivers. Your graphics card must support direct draw overlay. With todays Windows technology it is vital that you use a graphics card that is recommended. Sure, there are bigger and badder cards out there, but they won't help you edit video and they may cause big problems. If your system crashes while editing or when scrubbing the timeline then it may be as simple to fix as changing your graphics cards settings. Right click anywhere on your wallpaper. Go into Display Properties. Select the Settings tab. We recommend 16 bit color depth and 1024x768 screen size.

3. Check out the video quality coming out of the card before you call.
   Many times what seems like a capture card problem isn't. Before you call tech support look at the video quality coming out of the capture card. If playback is smooth and looks good, then the capture card is functioning perfectly. The problem is with your graphics card. It is probably just a setting or need for new drivers. The VGA screen is a representaion of your video, it is not the actual video quality. The only way to see the real video quality of the card is to look at it's output.

4. If playback stutters, it's your storage.
   Today's cards do NOT drop frames. Jerky playback is most often caused by inadequate storage or improperly configured storage. If you are using a single UDMA drive, go into Device Manager. Hit the + sign next to disk drives to get a list of all your drives. Check out the properties of each one. Make sure the DMA box is checked for all hard drives. If you are using SCSI, make sure that you have proper termination and if you have external SCSI drives make sure you are not negotiating down. What this means is simple. Your external SCSI chain is only as fast as the slowest SCSI device on it. Putting a 50 pin Jazz drive or Scanner on your external SCSI chain can kill performance. Make sure that you do not have an IRQ conflict with your storage controller and another PCI device in your system. For best results your storage controller needs it's own IRQ. Click here for more info on video storage.

5. Use the capture card presets.
   Most of todays cards come with special 'hooks' that let it get optimized performance with the NLE software. If you do not use the vendors presets, then these 'hooks' are not utilized and your performance will suffer. In Premiere make sure you select the capture cards preset as your editing mode and that you load one of it's preset settings when you first open your project. This will automatically load all the correct compression settings for your project and clips. If you do not use the proper compression, then the capture card will NOT be able to output your project back to tape.
   
   Premiere 6 has a great new feature you can use to make sure you have all the right pre-sets. It is called the VIEW SETTINGS option. With this simple 1 click tool you can now check all your settings; project, capture, clip and export. This is a wonderful troubleshooting feature.

6. Read the Readme file.
   Yes I know it seems like a waste of time, but the absolute latest and greatest tech support tips for the product are in the Readme file. If you download new drivers, always read the readme BEFORE you install them. I have found that most of the tech tips I have, I first found in a readme file somewhere.

7. Optimize your operating system for video editing
   When you get your new computer, it is not necessarily optimized for top perfomance with our capture cards. We have put together the following tweaks for each operating system. Some of these tips are very simple, others require a bit more expertise. We advise you to fully read our tweaks guide for your particular operating system before you apply any of the recommended settings. We also urge you to fully back-up your system before you begin tweaking.

   Win XP Tips & Tweaks | Win2K | WinME | Win 98

8. Make a small test project.
   Open up a brand NEW project. Load up the correct presets. Capture three NEW video clips of various lengths. Put them in the timeline. Add a transition between each clip. Add a basic title. See how it plays. If you find that this simple test project works great then you now know that your hardware is functioning properly. It is a software problem with the NLE app. Many times the problem is just a corrupted project or project settings. If your test project worked, open a new project. Import your old project that was giving you problems. Many times it will know work fine. Save it under a new name.

   If Premiere starts acting funny, it could be the preferences file

   For Premeire 6
   The Prem60.prf file is used by Premiere to hold preference settings and certain instruction code with regards to settings used, plugina and real-time etc. Sometimes this file can become corrupt and will manifest in the strangest ways (slowdowns, faulty transitions / filters, sync or poor playback, etc.). If you have any features/ transitions / plug-ins that suddenly stop working or are no longer available, this fix works 9 out of 10 times!! Here is what you need to do: Close Premiere and all other applications. Go into the Adobe Premiere folder under Windows Explorer. Find and delete the Premiere "pref" file. If you have Adobe Premiere 6.5.0 this file is identified as Prem60 and for 5.1 it is Prem50. The Icon has a key. When Premiere is started (initialized) it will make a new file. You will know if this fix worked almost right away. The missing features should be back and Premiere should no longer be acting funny.

   For Premeire 6.5 (With the new Premiere 6.5, it's a little bit more effort to delete the preferences file)
   

   1. Using the Windows Search Utility on the menu, enter the name "Premiere 6.5 Prefs" (be sure to includethe quotation marks) and look in the C:\ drive.
   2. When the file appears in the search window, click once on its name and then press the key and send the file to the Recycle Bin.
   3. Premiere will automatically create a new Premiere 6.5 Prefs file using the original "factory" settings when you start the program.
   4. With this done, Premiere should become more stable and back to normal functionality.

9. If your OLD capture card is working fine, do not upgrade the OS or the computer.
   I can't tell you how many calls we get from frustrated users who had a working NLE system that no longer works properly because of a bad upgrade. If you've got a capture card that is no longer made by the manufacturer (ie AV Master, RT2000, DC30 etc) upgrading your system is a very risky proposition. These older cards were designed for the older machine you have it in - a system that was not designed for todays operating systems. In addition the capture card and many of the components (ie graphics card, sound card and mass storage controllers) in your computer probably do not have drivers for the latest OS.

   There are two upgrades that you can add to your older working computer that may improve your performance with very little risk.

   1. Add more RAM
   2. Add a bigger/ faster hard drive for your video
   
   If you really want a new computer for your video editing, we advise you to also get a new NLE solution that was designed for todays powerful new machines. It may end up costing you a bit more, but you will end up much happier. Not only will you avoid any upgrade headaches, you'll have all the new performance and features of the latest NLE products.

10. Even with these great tech tips, the time may come when you have to call tech support. If you follow these tips when you do, you should get the best possible service and support.

    1. When you do call tech support, get the guy (or gals) name. This is more important then you think. Even if you can't get back to that particular support person, the tech you get will be aware that you are working hard and he can consult with the original tech if he gets into trouble. Telephone (or email) tech support is often trial and error. We try to first isolate the problem, then fix it. This may take several calls. Some of our suggestions may seem odd or redundant, but there is often a method to the madness. If you follow the first 5 tips here before you call, you'll have the answers ready so more can get accomplished. The other reason to get the technicians name is simple. It creates a friendlier, more positive environment. Make sure he has yours as well. That way when you call back he'll recognize you and your problem faster.

    2. Listen carefully and give good answers.
       This is one of my most important tech tips. It is extremely frustrating from the techs point of view to have to repeat the same thing several times because you aren't really paying attention. If you can't give your tech call 100% of your concentration, make it later. If you don't understand a question, ask the tech to explain it better. Never bluff. If you give me a bad answer to question #3, by question #5 we may have made your tech problem much worse. Remember, the tech is trying to fix your problem, not cross-examine you. Do not be defensive. We all miss the obvious sometimes. If you made a bonehead mistake, just admit it. That way it can get fixed faster. Don't BLUFF!!!

    3. Call at the right time!
       Techs are people just like you. They have good days and bad days. They have families they want to go home to and bosses making them crazy. No matter how frustrated and angry you are, try to stay positive and calm. If you both get irritating and start bickering or name calling, then neither of you is getting the results you need. You both want the same thing: For your card to work!!

       The worst times to call (based on the techs time zone) tech support are: Friday after 4PM Monday after 12 noon Any day during lunch (between noon and 1:30PM)

       The best times to call tech support are: 9:30 AM on Tuesday 9:30 AM on Wednesday 9:30 AM on Thursday

       ---

    Older Computer Models to Avoid

    Unfortunately we have found that certain computer models and brands are simply not a good choice for our products. We are not saying that these machines are bad, or that they absolutely will not work. We're just letting you know that we've had problems with them in the past and we do not recommend them.

    • Dell Dimensions 8100/8200
      We ran into very big technical issues with the Dell 8100/8200 machines running under WinXP with the Nvidia graphics card originally offered from Dell. These very same machines are working great if we substitute the graphics card with an ATI Radeon and run Win2K. We are not sure what is going on here, but we suspect it is an XP driver issue.
      For this reason we do not recommend runing a Dell 8200 with XP and any of our hardware accelerator cards. Thankfully Dell has corrected these issues and we do recommend the 8250 series and beyond.
    • Older Compaq Presario
      If you have an older Presario with built in FireWire (pre-2001), be warned, the editing is very limited and many users report frustrating results. We do recommend Pinnacle Studio software for those Presario owners looking to edit video. Studio is a nice editing package and Pinnacle and Compaq have worked together to insure that it runs great on Presarios. These older Presarios have PCI bus bottlenecks that prevent most NLE solutions from running well.
      We don't recommend any of our hardware accelerators be used in a Presario, even a new one. Proprietary PCI bus makes these machines very difficult to optimize. Most users can get them to work - audio sync and jitters become a problem. Even adding UltraWide SCSI drives can't get over this bottleneck.

      Note: We do recommend Compaq/HP workstations for all our NLE products including our real-time capture cards and new software solutions such as Pinnacle Liquid Edition, Avid Xpress DV & Pro, Premeire Pro and Vegas 4!!

    • Older Sony VAIO
      VAIOs now ship with OHCI compliant FireWire hardware. This means you will have no problem running NLE software titles that support OHCI such as Media Studio Pro 6.x, Vegas Video 3.x and Premiere 6.x
      We do recommend VAIOs for use with our software based real-time solutions like Vegas, Edition and even Xpress DV. YOu may need to do a little tweaking and update some drivers, but you should end up with good results.
      Note: We are still getting reports of end users running into difficulties trying to get our real-time cards to function correctly in these systems. So we do not recommend VAIOs for use with these hardware based solutions. We do recommend VAIOs for software based solutions such as Vegas4, Liquid Edition, Xpress DV & Pro, Media Studio pro & Premeire Pro.
    • Dell Optiplex Systems
      Most of these systems have a PCI riser card. When you add a PCI card it plugs into the riser card. It is not plugged directly into the motherboard. We are sorry to report that we are unable to get any of our real-time cards to function properly in one of these systems. The riser card interferes with the overall PCI bus performance.
      
    • Hewlett Packard home/ business computers
      We have experienced compatibility issues with HP machines with integrated AGP video cards. This is not just an HP problem. Computers with integrated video graphics have always been a big problem for desk top video. While many systems will work fine, tech supporting and fixing a problem related to integrated graphics is very difficult. If you have a computer with integrated graphics on the motherboard, you must download the latest drivers from the computer/motherboard vendor, not the graphics card vendor.
      Note: We HIGHLY RECOMMEND HP Workstations for all our NLE products including our real-time capture cards and software based solutions like Avid Xpress DV, Vegas4, Edition and more!!

    Potential compatibility Issues

    The following list has been compiled from our own tech support experiences and direct communications with tech support from our manufacturers. This list in no way claims that the hardware listed is inferior or poor performers. In fact most of these machines are excellent computers, with proprietary subsystems that make using our cards difficult. Not every version of the machines listed is a problem. Yours may work just fine with our cards. This is more a guideline for users planning on buying a new machine for DTV.
    • VIA Chipsets
      We don't really recommend these chipsets, because of PCI bottlenecks. If your motherboard uses the VIA chipset, it is important that you download and install the latest 4-in-1 driver, version 4.23 or later. You can download this from your motherboard vendor's sight. Note: Installing the latest 4-in-1 driver will improve your system performance, but it may not solve your NLE compatibility issues. If you have a choice, do not get a VIA chipset.
    • Windows ME
      This was the most difficult operating system for us to support. The plug & play was a mess and all too often Win ME would override the drivers for our cards. WinME also had some then new multi-media technology which also caused compatibility issues for our products. Worst of all systems that were working fine would become unstable over time; if your WinME system became unstable, the only reliable fix was to completely reformat the hard drive and re-install the OS and all hardware and software from scratch. Win 98 was actually much more stable and reliable for video editing.
    • Integrated Graphics
      Computers with integrated video graphics have always been a big problem for desk top video. If you have an integrated PCI graphics adapter then adding a new PCI graphics card will usually disable the integrated card and fix the problem. Integrated AGP video cards are a bigger problem. While many systems will work fine, tech supporting and fixing a problem related to integrated AGP graphics is very difficult. If you have a computer with integrated AGP graphics on the motherboard, you must download the latest drivers from the computer/motherboard vendor, not the graphics card vendor.
    • Integrated EIDE RAID controllers on the motherboard
      Our customers have had many tech issues with built on raid controllers. Most times it is a driver or bios issue. But with some mobo / chipsets, the on board raid controllers gobble up resources and can actually slow down system performance and throughput for NLE. That's why Videgoguys don't give them a strong recommendation. We aren't saying they don't work, it's just that too often they are troublesome.

    The following old computer systems/ components from the 1990s are not recommended for desk top video

    • Ultra66/100 controller cards
      Do not buy a computer with a PCI Ultra66/100 controller card and Windows 98/ME. These controllers waste an IRQ and can create all kinds of set up and configuration problems. We recommend Ultra66, but only if it is built onto the motherboard. Note1: This is for your boot drive. We do recommend a Promise FastTrack100 RAID as a video storage solution.
    • Hardware DVD playback cards
      As long as you have a software DVD player or DVD playback integrated into your graphics card, DVD is not an issue. If your computer uses a PCI card for DVD playback, then you will most likely run into resource conflicts and compatibility issues. You may have to uninstall or disable the DVD playback hardware in order to get your DTV systems running.
    • Packard Bell
      Very frustrating to tech support. Either works great on first try or a nightmare. Sloppy IRQ resource use and poor Plug & Play configuration often results in a complete reformat and install of Win95 and all hardware before DTV card will work correctly. Once these steps have been done, the machines are actually very good for DTV. This problem was much worse a few years ago. Many new PB machines are more carefully configured and easier to get working.
    • Pentium Pro Systems
      The Pentium Pro was designed for NT servers and multitasking. Under Win95 we have found that many of our cards run into conflicts with various different versions of the Pentium Pro chipset. Our best recommendation is to get either a PentiumMMX or PentII system.
    • AMD K5
      The AMD K5 was a big problem for all our cards. Systems would lock up or crash constantly. Fortunately the new K6 is not only a burner, but so far no known conflicts with our boards.
    • We had good success with the AMD K6 systems
      While many of our vendors will not comment or recommend these systems, we have had no major reported problems. In fact we have had many users swear by them. Just make sure you don't skimp on RAM or storage!
    • Cyrix P120/P150 systems
      Systems built around the Cyrix processors running at a multiple of 30 MHz clock speeds are not recommended for our cards. Poor playback and system crashes were reported by many users. Fortunately Cyrix P133/166/200 systems work great.
    • OverDrive processors for Pentium60/66/75/90/100 systems
      Unfortunately, the promise of upgrading these older machines to today's screaming processor speeds is to good to be true for DTV. These systems are built on older motherboards with slower PCI transfer rates and overall system throughput. If you want to upgrade your older machine, you need to replace the motherboard and CPU.
    • Matrox Millennium
      Not the new Matrox G450/550 cards, but the older Millenium versions. In order to get incredible benchmarks, the Millennium would steal PCI and memory resources. As a result many user got poor playback. Disabling some of the Millennium acceleration and features resolves this problem for most users.

    OK, I've read the Top 10 tips, now show me the rest of the Desk Top Video Handbook Tech Support materials!!

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