Need Troubleshooting Tip

[dexterdoo]

My problem is that now, when I play certain dvds and video files using Windows Media Player, it hangs or crashes the system. But my cloned drive (made 1 month ago) still works fine. I’ve reinstalled the video drivers and WMP 11 but the problem still persists.

Is there a way to troubleshoot this using the offending dvds and the “logs” or something to find out exactly what is causing this problem? I’m trying to avoid whacking the drive and doing a clean install.

 

[linney]

Are there any error messages?

To get further information about the error look in your Event viewer.

Look in the System or Application folder. You can get to the Event Viewer via right click My Computer icon and select Manage.

Any errors logged in the Event Viewer can be expanded by double clicking on the error line.

Take any event error I.D. number and search for it on this site.

http://www.eventid.net/events.asp

Have you looked at faulty codecs as a possible cause?

Have you tested as another user to see if they have the same problem?

Do these DVD's play on another machine?

Have you tried temporarily disabling other running programs, especially any DVD related software?

310353 - How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310353&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

316434 - HOW TO: Perform Advanced Clean-Boot Troubleshooting in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316434&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

310560 - How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560

Some general things to try.

See if System Restore will get you back to a restore point before your problem with WMP.

Try running ChkDsk to check your drive for errors. Right-click your Drive icon/ Properties/ Tools/ Error Checking. Try it first by not checking either box (this will run it in a Read-only mode) to see if it flags any hard drive or file problems. If it does, restart it by ticking both boxes, and rerun it to allow it to attempt to fix any found problems.


Run the System File Checker program from the Run Box by typing.....Sfc /Scannow in it and have your XP CD handy.

HOW TO: Verify Unsigned Device Drivers in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q308/5/14.asp

If they don't work you could try repairing windows by running it over itself. You will lose all your windows updates but your files will be untouched.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP (Q315341)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315341/en-us

 

[BadBigBen]

Cloned works, but original is choppy...

how was the cloned dvd copied? what comes to mind is either CSS or DRM is causing the hick-ups...

or where you referring to a Virtual CD/DVD drive as "cloned"?



Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[dexterdoo]

Great suggestions. Let me start with the last one. The clone I'm referring to was a second hard drive. They both had identical loads so I saved one and used the other.There are no error messages displayed. It either locks up or the video will be screwed up.I forgot to mention that I did reinstall the codecs also but that didn't help either.The dvds play fine on any other machine as well as this computer (with the other drive). Since I can duplicate the problem at will I was hoping I could isolate it but it sounds like I won't be able to easily find out what's causing the problem even though I may be able to "fix" it with one of the methods suggested. :-(

I'll try the Event Viewer for a clue.

 

[BadBigBen]

now that clears it up a bit, and it sounds like a corruption issue...

on the drive that messes up, run the manufacturers Diag tools...

once they pass the drive, then run

CHKDSK /R

on it, when that passes, then run

SFC /SCANNOW

and have your XP CD at hand...



Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[linney]

With cloned hard drives I wonder if some of the entries for WMP picked up in the registry of the loaded operating system are pointing to drive 2 instead of drive 1, if you get what I mean?

 

[tlcscousin]

What have you added in programs to the one disk that is not installed on the clone drive?

 

[CecilXavier]

Are you using an HP Laptop? Overheating?

 

[fisheromacse]

it seems real simple, but is the original drive a slower drive and the newer one faster (old 5400 vs new 7200)

is the old drive fragmented terribly?

run any drive utilities you have to see if the old drive is losing integrity and failing in bits and bytes instead of one large thwack.

 

[Lemon13]

Deinstall the drives in device-manager and then reboot, let windows reinstall the drives

M. Knorr

MCSE, MCTS, MCSA, CCNA

 

[rclarke250]

I don't know why if the cloned hdd works correctly, you just don't save the data from the data drive, swap them out, and use the close drive as the boot drive, then clone that one onto the original data drive, and it can now be the clone back up. by your own admission it was made 1 month ago, how much reinstall work would you have in 1 month?

 

[dexterdoo]

@rclarke250:
That's what I planned to do. I just wondered if there was a way to find out exactly where the software was corrupted on the drive with logs, error msgs etc. instead of taking the "shotgun" approach of trying this and trying that?

I'm sure this isn't a hardware issue. This has been caused by one of the many programs I added. I just don't know which one??

 

[linney]

You could try reproducing the fault and try monitoring the situation with this software.

Process Monitor v2.8

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-au/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx

Process Monitor Forum

http://forum.sysinternals.com/forum_topics.asp?FID=19

Need tutorial for Process Monitor

http://forum.sysinternals.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=13724

With my technical lack of knowledge I need the shotgun approach if I'm going to hit anything.