Computer Lockups

[Daryl Hafele @ RPT Inc.]

We've been having increasing problems with our computers hanging for a couple of minutes while moving from one toolpath operation to another, or even task-switching to file manager or the like. I've tried changing display settings as well as memory settings to no avail. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[JAMMAN]

Daryl,

Need much more info. Computer configs including operating systems, processor/memory/video configs, info locally or from network drives, are you mapping if from networks, etc.

Jim

[Daryl Hafele @ RPT Inc.]

Okay, here goes.

1)Quantex PII 400 128MG STB Nitro 3D(Virge/GX)1024x768 256 colors

2)Gateway GP7-600 128MG NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 1280x1024 256 colors

3)Gateway PIII-800 256MG NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 1280x1024 256 colors

All of our systems are running NT 4.0 with SP6. We are using a TC/PIP network with mapped drives for various storage. There doesn't seem to be any relation here because they act the same whether we're on the network or not. I also have everyone work locally rather than tying up network resourses for generating toolpaths.

There are also others that have these symptoms, but this is a fair cross-section. All are configured with the standard MC8 config except database and toolpath allocations are bumped to take advantage of memory. Computer #2 has degraded to the point that it takes 5 or so minutes to actually display a toolpath backplot. A month ago it took a second or two. Computer #3 was having a problem with MC locking completely whenever another application was opened on top of it. Lowering the display settings to 256 colors seems to have fixed this for now.

[JAMMAN]

Daryl,

I can't get a Riva tnt2 to run anything with mastercm without crashes unless I turn video acceleration completely off. I don't know if a new driver has been released since I got rid of the Riva, but I don't think that is your entire problem either. See if Gateway will swap your cards out for a couple of anything with the GeForce256 chipset (stay away from the MX versions).

You can run your current cards on high color if you turn the hardware acceleration down to "none". As for the slow backplots, the only time I had a slow backplot problem my dealer told me to do a "save some/ all entitys" and name it something else. I re-chained the part and backplot was back to normal. Someone else on this forum might have an explanation for this, I don't. Hope it helps.........

Jim

[cadcam]

Three diffrent computer two of them have diffrent Vidio cards.

I am going to ask,How does any thing else beside mastercam run on them.

Are all these computer conntected to the Internet?

I am reaching with this thouhgt but if it just started to happen here is what i have for bad news.

"VIRUS"

[ 10-03-2001: Message edited by: cadcam ]

[JAMMAN]

You do have a point, Jay. I'm wiping out a computer tonight that even after norton repaired the infected files it still didn't work very well. It was an old win98 box and by morning it will be win2kpro, ntfs. I've tightened up virus security here substantially since I found over 200 infected files on the above mentioned computer, 5 different viruses.

Jim

[Daryl Hafele @ RPT Inc.]

None of these are on the internet. The virus theory has crossed my mind and I spent today re-installing MC8 on #3, which seems to have helped. I'm going to try #2 since it seems to be suffering the worst right now. I've used the "acceleration to none" trick, but it doesn't seem to be helping anymore(it was noticeable 6 months ago). Right now I'm operating on the corrupted/viral files theory and re-installing MC8. As far as cadcam's question about running anything else, it depends on the computer and again doesn't seem to make a difference either way(some have cadkey,word,excel,etc). Thanks for all input, I think that I'm just going to have to try virus scanning, fresh installations and hope for the best. I will keep watching and hoping for any other insight that may come along.

[JAMMAN]

You don't have to be on the internet to get a virus, but it does help!

Anyone else here had a problem with Nvidia's glorious riva TNT? I had nothing but problems. (I get a vision of a bat shaped projection on the clouds above- calling for Bullines!)

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Daryl,

One thing you may want to try as well (and it's a quickie) is to go to Screen, Configure, go to the Screen Tab. there is a check bos there that says "Enable Open GL Drawing". Make sure that it is unchecked.

What may be happening is that Mastercam may actually be drawing the toolpath instead of simply displaying it.

If the problem is simply getting worse over time, you may want to consider some routing system maintenance, like Defragging the HDD's. I know that NT does not come with e defrag tool but, you can download a free one that is almost as good as Norton. It's called Disk Keeper Lite.

Hope this helps.

[Bruce Gibson]

Daryl,

When was the last time that you ran defrag?

Click on my computer

Right click on your drive letter

Select properties

Select tools

Defragment now

This may take alot of time if it has not

been done on a regular basis.

Bruce.

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

Bruce,

He's running NT 4.0, no defrag available unless something like Norton Utilities, or Disk Keeper/Lite.

[Trevor Bailey]

I run the TNT2 32 meg card on my Gateway 700 proc w/WIN 98 with absolutely no problems. I have a Dell 800 proc w/NT Ser Pac 6 with a Matrox G450 card at work. My Gateway with the TNT2 card is far better than the Matrox. I have tried every setting with the Matrox, and it still gives me nothing but problems. It was a hugh waste of money for me. I actually brouhgt in my home system and set it up next to my work station to prove the problem to my superiors at work. To make a long story short, I will be getting another Gateway very soon. This will be the 4th Gateway that I will have been able to set up with MC. Up until now, I have only had problems of any kind on Dell PC's running MC. Every Gateway computer that I have set up with the TNT2 card has always worked great. The only other card I would suggest looking at would be an Oxygen .....

The above statement is my own opinion based on personnal experience.

[JAMMAN]

The oxygen cards have always been a good cad card. As for a gateway- From personal experience also I put them in front of compaq and compaq in front of the now defunct in america packard bell. I do know I have set up 2 seperate Nvidias riva tnt2's on an Abit bp6,an abit va6 and a supermicro p3dme motherbord and with win 98 and the old nt4 sp4 I couldn't run anything with mastercam without it crashing. I tried the va6 with win98 to rule out smp as a problem and even yanked one of the celerons from the bp6- same results. Pay for shipping and I will send you a tnt2.

Jim on a bad day

[Bruce Gibson]

I forgot to add the url.Diskeeper Homepage

Do a search for diskeeper lite.

Bruce.

[Bob]

Do you have a VIRUS killer program on your system? If so is it updated to kill the "nimda" virus because you can reinstall your MC program with no or minimal results as the virus attacks the OS .EXE files and this is what slows the system and or locks it up. To remove it, if you have it, you have to shut down the entire network start each machine run it "unpluged" from the network and clean them one by one this way and with luck you can rid your network of this virus. But if you have it in any form on any of your PC's be it only one line, start all over. This is some real bad stuff some of the nastiest I have ever seen!!!

[ 10-04-2001: Message edited by: Bob ]

[Trevor Bailey]

JAMMAN,

I am curious as to why your system crashes with the TNT card. Can you duplicate the "crash" every single time? On my system, I have MC loaded with 3 different versions, I have tons of games, including UNREAL which is my favorite, and I have tons of "office" stuff. I never have problems crashing.

The reason I ask, is that if I am going to be purchasing a new Gateway, I would like to bring it to their attention that there is a problem. I bought my home system two years ago. When did you buy yours that is giving you the problems? Gateway may have changed or implemented something new that does not serve the CAD/CAM community well anymore. My system is one of their "Performance" class PC's. What is yours?

Even though Gateway has proven to me to be a great system, if there are problems with them that are inconsistent with other users, I may look elsewhere.

Any feed-back you have will be most appreciated.

[Bullines]

An easier way to remove Nimda is to use Symantec's removal tool.

[ 10-04-2001: Message edited by: Bullines ]

[Bob]

Bullines

And read the instructions

[Bullines]

But of course I guess the MacOS, BeOS, Linux and Unix folks are havin' a good chuckle at the holes in the Windows platform

[Camdude®]

it sounds to me like you may have memory leaks. what kind of RAM do you have on your system and does the mother board support it.

also i had problems with mastercam and service pack 6 when i uninstalled service pack 6 and went back to sp5 it solved my problems

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

I use SP 6 at work and I've seen nothing out of the ordinary. NY 4.0 is slower than Win2k though.

[JAMMAN]

Mastercam for Linux............ Hmmm.....

Trevor-

Mastercam ran just ducky as a stand alone app with those tnt cards. I could close mastercam and open up 20 other apps- no problem. If mastercam was open, I couldn't even open word without the screen hanging. (no bsod, just a lockup requiring reboot). Once hardware acceleration was off- the problem went away.

Remember though- I haven't tried it with V8, only 7.x. I have one of the TNT's left and if you want it send me a box with a couple stamps.

Jim

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

.

quote:

---

Mastercam for Linux............ Hmmm.....

---

I think this was posed before but there was not much response.

How many people would want it?

As for me, I'm sticking with a Windows Platform for now but who knows later down the road.

[Bullines]

I would think that Mastercam for Linux would be a great idea somewhere down the road. Mastercam is already a money saving wonder thanks to less pricy Windows machines (compared to Unix workstations). Now imagine how much cheaper the cost of using Mastercam would be when it's running on a very inexpensive (read: FREE) OS I've tried running Mastercam through WINE (Windows emulator) on Linux; trying to make it use the HASP drivers for Linux through WINE kills that dream, for the moment

And don't get me started on a Windows VS [insert another OS here] discussion

[Daryl Hafele @ RPT Inc.]

Thanks everyone for the excellent suggestions. I am definitely pursuing the virus option since I believe that is the source of the problem. We had virus software running on all of our systems, but it interfered with mastercam so I was informed to "disable" it. I think it was a short-sighted solution and perhaps our company should have looked for a more "cooperative" solution for protection. Thanks again everyone.