Windows Guide - Windows XP Optimizations and Troubleshooting.



Windows XP Optimizations and Troubleshooting:



Listed below are a few things you can do to optimize your Windows XP system for use with Pro Tools. Only Microsoft Windows XP Home and Professional Editions are supported. For additional details, see the following page:

Media Center, Professional 64, and Tablet PC versions remain untested by Digidesign, and we cannot guarantee these versions will work with Pro Tools. If you are using these versions, we recommend you upgrade to one of the supported platforms mentioned previously. There have been rare cases reported where unresolvable issues on Media Center Edition have been fixed by upgrading to Home or Professional.

Items in red are recommended for most laptops, and are required for those supported models with Intel Core Duo processors. Note: Not all Intel Core Duo laptops can be reconfigured with these options, and therefore may report constant buffer errors [-6086, -6087, -9093, -9125, -9129] when recording. Please contact your computer manufacturer if you need assistance disabling some of the listed options, but realize that we can only fully support the models we have tested.

Also, we strongly recommend that you use a secondary physical hard drive for saving your sessions, audio, and sample libraries to. If you only have one internal system drive (C:), then you can purchase an external drive. The drive will need to meet the following specifications:
  • FireWire 400 or 800
  • Oxford 911, 912, or 924 chipset
  • 7200RPM
  • Less than 10 milliseconds of Seek Time

You’ll find the most common brands meet these requirements, such as Lacie, Glyph, and Maxtor.
Note: this may lead to an unsupported configuration when using a laptop with only one FireWire port and a FireWire audio interface, such as the Digi 002 or 003. You may need to purchase a PCMCIA (PC) or Cardbus (Mac) expansion FireWire card for an extra FireWire port to run the drive from to attain maximum track count (although connecting the drive to the secondary port on the Digi 002 or 003 may work, it is not supported for maximum track count. Also, though the manual states that the Digi 002 or 003 should be connected to the FireWire port on the back of your drive, this is suggested only to prevent data loss - having the drive connected to the Digi 002 or 003 will have slightly better performance, but you MUST properly remove the drive and turn it off before powering down the 002). We currently only support one model, found here.

Creating a new hardware profile:



  • Right-click on My Computer and select 'Properties.'
  • Click on the Hardware tab and select Hardware Profiles - you should see a list with your computer's default profile. This profile will become the Pro Tools optimized profile, so you can rename it accordingly.
  • Click Copy to create a duplicate profile before the changes we'll make - this will be your computer's access to the internet and other applications, so name it accordingly as well (i.e. Pro Tools (Current) and Default).
  • Then make sure that 'Wait until I select a hardware profile' is checked. Close the Hardware Profiles dialog.

Disabling non-essential devices:



  • You should be back in the Hardware tab of System Properties - click on Device Manager.
  • Click on the '+' symbol next to Network Adapters.
  • Double-click on the first device listed and select the 'Do not use this device in the current hardware profile (disable)' option under Device Usage.
  • Close that device's properties dialog and repeat the last step for the next device listed.
  • All items under Network Adapters, Ports, and any default or built-in soundcard listed under Sound, Video, and Game Controllers should follow suit (disabling your network adapters will prevent you from using the internet).

  • Open the Universal Serial Bus controllers, and for any USB Root Hub, do the following:
  • Right-click and select 'Properties.'
  • Click on the Power Management tab and uncheck the 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' option.
  • Click 'Okay' to go back to the Device Manager.
  • If you have any external FireWire drives, open the Disk Drives list and right-click on the icon of that drive to select 'Properties.'
  • Go to the Policies tab and make sure the device is set to 'Optimize for Quick Removal.'
  • Click 'Okay' to go back to the Device Manager.
  • You can now close the Device Manager and go back to the System Properties dialog.

Note: Combined with the previous step, you will now have two Hardware Profiles to choose from during boot. The 'Pro Tools' profile will now have these devices already disabled, whereas the 'Default' profile will not (i.e. your internet will still work on your "Default" profile).

Disabling non-essential startup tasks and services:



  • Click on the Start menu and select 'Run.'
  • Type "msconfig" in the prompt and click 'OK.' This will bring up the System Configuration Utility.
  • In the General tab, click the 'Selective Startup' radio button.
  • Uncheck everything but 'Load System Services.'
  • Click on the Services tab, and you'll see a 'Hide all Microsoft services' checkbox at the bottom - ensure this box is CHECKED, then select 'Disable All.'
  • Now uncheck the 'Hide all Microsoft services' box, and you should see the list of services refresh with some default services and a green check in their box.
  • Click 'OK' on the System Configuration Utility window to close. It will ask you to restart - do so.
  • Note: If you want to go back to your normal startup, simply run 'msconfig' again and select 'Normal Startup.' Also, this step will disable most anti-virus software (this is a good thing when running Pro Tools).

Now that you've optimized your computer for running Pro Tools, it's important to check for anything that might be causing a conflict. The next steps can be advanced, so if you are unsure, please e-mail or call Tech Support before continuing.

Entering the BIOS:



The BIOS is the core of your computer. It tells the system how to communicate to all of its hardware; so it's important to not change something if you're unsure of what it does. That being said, there are several ways to enter the system BIOS, and you can only do so for a short period of time before Windows launches and you have to restart and try again. Some manufacturers like to set the BIOS entrance key to 'delete' on the keyboard, others use different function keys (i.e. F9, F4, and F2 are common). Most often, the motherboard will have a "splash-screen" upon boot that will tell you which key to press to enter the BIOS (often only referred to as 'Setup') - others, you either have to read the motherboard manual, or guess. In any case, BIOS manufacturers have their own way of doing things, as should be noted in the general descriptions that will be given for navigating the BIOS itself - without a manual of your specific motherboard handy, I'm limited to a very general framework. It might be necessary to contact your computer/motherboard manufacturer to complete the steps below.

With that said, let's enter the BIOS now...

Disabling RAID:
RAID is a type of array configuration for your hard drives that can save files between discs or mirror the file to a backup. Unfortunately, this causes erratic and often catastrophic errors with Pro Tools. To disable this feature, find the RAID controller option - it's usually found under the 'Advanced' menu. Even if RAID is not being utilized, it's important to disable this option.

Disabling Speed-stepping:
This option is referred to as AMD Cool n' Quiet in AMD processor motherboards, and can show up as various things in Intel-based boards. Sometimes it simply shows up as 'speed-stepping.' If your motherboard has this option, disable it, as it can cause major conflicts with the processor scheduling of Pro Tools and the USB bus. It's usually found under the 'Advanced' tab.

This option is usually disabled by following the steps in the ‘Getting Started Guide’ that’s supplied with your product by setting your Power Options to the ‘Always On’ scheme (found in the Control Panel - for some Dell laptops, this can also be called Dell Quick-Set Performance Mode). Some manufacturers supply their own power management system - please confer with those manufacturers to find the correct option, or follow the step above to bypass their management and turn this off directly from the BIOS. Also, sometimes the manufacturers limit your access to the BIOS and you cannot disable speed-stepping - if you cannot set Power Scheme to ‘Always On’ or disable speed-stepping on a laptop,YOUR LAPTOP MAY BE INCOMPATIBLE WITH PRO TOOLS.

Note: Disabling Speed Stepping in the BIOS is NOT necessary to make Pro Tools work on a Core Duo, but may solve otherwise irresolvable issues. Disabling this feature may increase stability, but will cut your processors clock speed almost in half (to prevent over-heating).

Disabling C-State Transition and Optimizing Integrated USB Hub:
This option is specific to Core Duo laptops. If you see C-State Transition anywhere in the BIOS, be sure to disable it. Also, find the Integrated USB Hub and set it to High Speed. Note that not all computers or BIOS will have these options.

That’s the last of the optimizations specific to Core Duo laptops; however, if you’re still encountering buffer errors and are on an unsupported model, you can try to disable one of the processor cores in the BIOS as a last-ditch effort. If that doesn’t fix the problem, then you may need to run Pro Tools on another computer altogether.

Disabling on-board audio:



This option simply activates or disables the audio card that's built-in on some motherboards. Disabling the on-board audio can free up resources and prevent IRQ or resource allocation conflicts. It's usually found near the 'PCI' or 'On-Board' options. Many users will want to use their built-in soundcard for playback of Windows sounds or programs other than Pro Tools; these users should bypass this step.

Other optimizations:



Aside from the steps above, here are some optional settings to get maximum performance from Pro Tools.

Display Performance:
Another way to free up resources is to minimize the amount of processing Windows needs for display. This can be done in a few ways.
  • First, right-click on My Computer and select 'Properties.'
  • Go to the Advanced tab and select 'Settings' under the Performance section.
  • In the Visual Effects tab, select 'Adjust for best performance' - this will change the way that Windows looks somewhat (to that nice 'classic' feel).
  • Then click on the Advanced tab and set both Processor Scheduling and Memory Usage to 'Programs.'
  • Close the Performance Options and System Properties windows by clicking 'OK.'

  • Now, right-click on a blank space on the desktop and select 'Properties.'
  • In the Display Properties dialog box, select the Appearance tab.
  • Click Effects to bring up the Effects dialog box and disable the check-boxes next to the font-smoothing and shadows options.
  • Click 'OK' and go to the Settings tab of Display Properties.
  • Set the 'Color-Quality' to 16-bit, then open the 'Advanced' dialog.
  • Under the Troubleshoot tab, set the 'Hardware Acceleration' to None.

While it won't be the prettiest OS, it should be running like a cheetah. More importantly, you have just maximized the performance of Pro Tools - now it's time to create!

DEP Fix:
This option disables execution prevention, a feature of Windows Service Packs that can sometimes cause errors. This won’t harm anything, but also isn’t always necessary. To do this:
  • Right-click on My Computer and select Properties.
  • Click on the Advanced tab and select ‘Settings’ under Startup and Recovery.
  • In the Startup and Recovery window, click on the ‘Edit’ button. This will display a text document with system execution parameters - we want to find the part of the text that reads: “ /NoExecute=OptIn “ and change the “OptIn” to reflect “ /NoExecute=AlwaysOff “ - note that the ‘A’ and ‘O’ are capitalized and there are no spaces.
  • Then go to the file menu and Save the document.
  • Close the document and click ‘Okay’ in Startup and Recovery.

Even more troubleshooting:



If you have any questions or are still running into errors, there might be deeper conflicts with the system. Check your RAM - Pro Tools needs at least 512Mb to operate - 1GB or more is recommended (note that Windows XP can only allocate about 2GB of RAM to an application).

Some chipsets can also cause Pro Tools to stop in its tracks - to determine your chipset, download PC Wizard. Check your listed chipset against the compatible / incompatible chipsets listed here - namely, make sure you're not running an Intel 915G, 915P, or 925X on Intel-based computers; SiS and ATI Radeon chipsets (on the motherboard, not graphics card) have also been reported to cause conflicts with AMD-based machines.

Both AMD and Intel have released updated drivers and processor accelerators that can fix some irresolvable buffer errors and generally improve Pro Tools performance.

And last but not least, contact Tech Support if you're still having difficulty.
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