I keep having failures using various versions of VS (X5 and X6). A search of this forum suggests that I'm not the only one - I got 22 hits, of which about 3 were mine.
What happens is that suddenly the VS user interface just pales out, and any further action just puts up a crash message box that cites quartz.dll as the source. Searching for who owns quartz.dll and it turns out that MS does - its part of windows. See the following image
Clearly VS is interacting with windows, and specifically quartz.dll, somehow. The previous advisories I've had on this problem with MS related to Direct X - which I have the latest version/updates for installed. Simply re-installing Direct X doesn't solve the problem long-term , and short term, its far quicker to simply close VS and re-start it. That loses everything one has done in a project file since the last save, which is bloody irritating, but it gets back into business quickly enough.
Experience of repeat failures over several VS versions clearly suggests that the VS interaction with this windows runtime is unstable in some way.
Does anyone know why?
In the brave new world, Corel is supposed to be reviewing these forum posts regularly. Is Corel even interested in investing in effort to stabilise the interface between VS and the windows runtime stuff, and improve the look and feel of it's software? Either directly eg in a service pack for X5 or X6, and particularly on X7 (forthcoming)? It would be nice to have some feedback ....
I had issues with MPEG or VS MPA files crashing on me. It wasn't quartz. You actually need that. The issue was with a third part codec in my MPEG. Does windows media player work okay on the file? Mine didn't. Check to see what codecs you have by using Windows Media Player > Help > About Windows Media Player > Technical Support Information. I found in the MPEG section ArcSoft. This was the reason. For some reason Arcsoft had inserted itself as primary codec. I ended up editing my registry manual to finally deactivating the codec. You might be able to first go to Program Files (x86)>Common Files>ArcSoft and rename the offending file as a test. FYI, I have a 64 bit Windows 7 so you might not have the "(X86)".
I've looked in the area you suggested - and the codecs installed are listed in the attached image. I did have arcsoft installed once, but got rid of it long ago, and there's no arcsoft item in this list.
I acknowledge that quartz is needed - it's just that when the failure occurs, that is the program cited by windows as the failed item. And I've not been able to find out just what the quartz.dll library does. Queries to the MS answers board have always come back with 're-install the DirectX runtime'. Which I did for the first few times, but it became pretty clear that MS did not know what caused the issue and was taking the easy way out. And hence my remarks on that item in the first post.
To further clarify the issue, the failure occurs when I'm using VS to edit a project file. I haven't noted any particular pattern to it - eg always when using/doing a specific function. But it happens when I click to execute something - <click><VS UI screen pales out><windows error message box appears>. For a while, I thought that VS was the cause, but windows has never pointed a finger at VS, just at quartz. So clearly the calls to the DirectX functions occasionally break internally in DirectX.
I used a soft tool called GSpot when I was trying to fix a codec issue. Quartz is part of Direct-X install which is why when I was checking into my issue and gamers were in the discussion. On my Windows 7 machine when I used GSpot to render (play) quartz was always in the middle of it. It is the same for both a Windows 7 32 bit or 64 bit version. VS also asked to make sure I had the latest version of Direct-X. So, it makes sense they were asking you about it. I am using Direct-X 11 (run in Start search box "dxdiag" to check). To get a copy of GSpot use this web link "http://download.cnet.com/GSpot/3000-224 ... 81198.html". There is a lot junk that will come with it. Do a custom install to prevent it from landing on your computer. Nothing is really free any more. Also, what type of tasks are you doing. Sounds like it requires the video and/or audio play back.
You do seem to be having many issues in running Video Studio more than most I feel.
Out of interest I viewed the WMV Player Info.
I notice your list is not as large, especially the MPEG/DVD Filter section---- not that I have installed anything unusual.
I have to admit in installing K-Lite, Corel seem to advise users to install this where users are having HD video problems and I cannot advise this unless I have tried K-Lite.
Also I seem to have some Ulead codecs, Corel as far as I know still use some Ulead files, whether these are left over from installing earlier versions, but do not think so. Since upgrading my OP to W7 I do not think I have installed any VS earlier than X4.
As you can see I also have Arcsoft installed, I am not having any problems to date, that’s probably the kiss of death.
click image for larger view
Direct X—can be manually downloaded and installed http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download ... px?id=8109
The manual installation of Direct X has been known to cure some strange issues with Video Studio. Something that the auto updates do not address, no idea why?
After install the actual Direct X version number will not change.
I mentioned previously re-installing Direct X, as MS suggested. To clarify - that meant getting the latest version from their website and manually installing it, after uninstalling the version then resident on the machine AND running a registry cleaner, all aimed at getting to clean platform for the new install. I do it that way because - burnt fingers, much cursing over quite a few years of software upgrades - I noted that installing over the top of a prior version does not always fix a problem. Tools, like disk burners, have worked properly. Applications, even ones that are quasi tools, like virus scanners, periodically have not. Usually, because the prior version has a config item in a file that the new version does not update, and the result is weird incompatibility. Despite 3 or 4 cycles of that with DirectX, this quartz thing keeps coming back. I've been seeing it for at least 2 years.
The current version I have installed is directX 11, and all the checks that can be done via the tabs on the window panel - which is presented when dxdiag is entered in the win7 search box and the 'found' program is executed - have come up clean. Win 7 has all the critical and otherwise relevant (eg for the monitor) patches applied, and the video drivers for my HD screen are also the latest available. But this quartz thing still happens - enough to be both noticeable and irritating.
Trevor's comment about me having more issues than most - might just be because I was once an IT professional and boosting this sort of thing to the support forum is the only way to find out what happened and if there's a fix. Most users have no idea - or cannot remember - those sort of help mechanisms are available and just 'live with it', without reporting it to anyone, which is not to say they don't have an adverse opinion. My movie class using VS is pretty much in that category: I have told them many times about the forum and demonstrated it several times - but it leaks away until a problem occurs and after the memory cannot recall the detail, they ask me because its easier. I try not to have the 'I told you about this' reaction, but sometimes its hard. Also note my opening remark about forum searches on quartz.dll - the hit count I got from that clearly suggested that others had reported this.
The fact that X5 and X6 have experienced the same thing suggests that whatever the cause is, it is in several versions of program. Or, over time in the same version of support libraries/drivers that several consecutive versions of an application use. The circumstances suggest the latter. I also tend to think it's a timing issue in Direct X - either a timeout or something is unexpectedly busy when quartz calls it. One of the hardest things to prove. And thus my remarks in various posts on this issue about what quartz does. If one knew that perhaps a solution might suggest itself.
The error message when presented (and expanded) has detail like the memory location the error existed in, but unless one knows a) the detail of the compiled code; and b) the starting memory location for the program, then identifying the causal condition is impossible. Those are the sort of things only the code developers have the information and tools to use. Alternatively, try installing or updating parts that are contributors to the total effect. Like video drivers. None of that has worked. And because the effect is an intermittent problem, it takes time to determine whether or not something has in fact worked - or not.
The only other option is to broaden the data base, and that's what I'm doing.
As a contributor to this, the impact of dual or multi-core processors that share common facilities like RAM and the screen might also be a factor.
So, for Trevor and Normridg, who haven't apparently encountered this, do your machines:
1) have motherboards using multi-core cpu's,
2) if so, what brand/type (mine are AMD Athlon 5600+ running at 2.7Ghz) and
3) do they run windows 7(x32)?
Have a AMD 645 quad core. Windows 7 with both 32 bit and 64 bit. 64 bit main machine. Once before I had editing issues on another machine. Turned off hardware acceleration and performance improvement. Fixed the occasional program issues. Have tried working without them turned on?
Thanks for the suggestion. But, no. I'm not even sure what hardware acceleration you are addressing. For example, a video card is often marketed with 'hardware acceleration'. But motherboards these days are generally equipped with video hardware in chip - as mine is - and the need for a separate souped up video card really doesn't exist anymore, unless you are a 'push the limits' gamer with all the fastest and latest hardware, which I am not. The chip and monitor drivers are supposed to cater for any of this on a normal machine configuration, and the feedback I get is that they are all up to date. So, if there is acceleration enabled on my machine, it is the default setting and I have no idea which one or how much of it is in force.
Can you be a bit more specific? For example, the sort of issues you had with the 'other' machine that turning off acceleration fixed? And what sort of acceleration and how to turn it off?
I had a dual core Vista machine in past. I was using VS X4. Under your Settings > Preferences click the Performance tab to change what accelerators. In my class I ended up turning off the accelerators. Both my current machines, they are all turned on. I've not tied to ticker with them to see if a change with limited memory machine (4 gig and Windows 7 32 bit) would change its performance.
Handy stuff. I'd expected it to be somewhere in windows, and I'd not thought to look in VS itself . . . .
But, in X6, my install default settings in the Preferences, performance tab for acceleration was: editing 'set' (1 item), file creation 'not set' (2 items), and Performance optimization 'not set' (1 item).
I've unchecked the editing acceleration item, saved and exited. A re-start confirmed that it was maintained. So, now to wait and see if the issue recurs on usage . . .
Also, what type of tasks are you doing. Sounds like it requires the video and/or audio play back.