VLC freezes Whole computer

[steveg]

i have used vlc for many years, but in the last few months with .86 i have also been getting complete system freeze that requires hard reboot to clear - i notice that it only occurs when i vlc is exited - i don't notice much else, except that it will ALWAYS freeze when it finishes playing any emule partfile that i manually load - whereas it only OFTEN freezes while playing normal (non-partfile) files

mpc never freezes on the same (or any) files and earlier versions of vlc didn't freeze either - guess i will have to revert back to .83 or .82 or stop using vlc until this issue is formally addressed - too bad because vlc has always been the swiss army knife of players - opening files that other players couldn't - but when it freezes and emule is concurrently running, partfiles are often irretrievably corrupted

ps the only external codec pack i use are the klmcodec defaults

[DJ]

VLC 0.8.6 will not use (properly) the old e-mule plug-in for partial downloads. Libraries can not be exchanged between versions or at least not yet. Each version requires a new plug-in. Starting with 0.8.5 (I think) VLC supports partial AVI files without a third party plug-in except for Torrent based programs.

[steveg]

VLC 0.8.6 will not use (properly) the old e-mule plug-in for partial downloads. Libraries can not be exchanged between versions or at least not yet. Each version requires a new plug-in. Starting with 0.8.5 (I think) VLC supports partial AVI files without a third party plug-in except for Torrent based programs.

for more than a year now i have been able to just directly load a partfile (that i know is a media file) directly into VLC and have it play - and with better control than using mpc or the older vlc with emule plugins - this never elicited the complete lockup before VLC .86, but now it locks up every time (while still first successfully playing the file)

but besides that attempted "off label" use, vlc .86 still freeze locks in normal usage (on normal files) more often than 50% of the time for me - so its back to .82 (from what i read here) until VLC formally addresses the issue (if in fact they decide to)

[DJ]

I'm not quit sure why e-mule people are so stubborn??? Perhaps it has something to do with the program, the name or perhaps even the loyalty?

1. Starting with 0.8.4 the DirectX module was rebuilt thus forcing Microsoft's recommendation to update your audio and video drivers. The drivers MUST carry a date later than Oct. 04

Keeping up with DirectX runtime is also suggested. Microsoft updates every few months but these are not automatic

Trough the years there are a few exceptions to seeing that your drivers are current. One is Realtec and the other for some is the Creative Audigy. Windows Vista is presently at issue with video drivers from most manufactures, but hopefully this should be resolved soon (DirectX 10).

2. You can NOT re-use a e-mule plug-in they are specific for each version of VLC. Re-using a plug-in will create problems and VLC does NOT support third party plug-ins.

[steveg]

I'm not quit sure why e-mule people are so stubborn??? Perhaps it has something to do with the program, the name or perhaps even the loyalty?

1. Starting with 0.8.4 the DirectX module was rebuilt thus forcing Microsoft's recommendation to update your audio and video drivers. The drivers MUST carry a date later than Oct. 04

Keeping up with DirectX runtime is also suggested. Microsoft updates every few months but these are not automatic

Trough the years there are a few exceptions to seeing that your drivers are current. One is Realtec and the other for some is the Creative Audigy. Windows Vista is presently at issue with video drivers from most manufactures, but hopefully this should be resolved soon (DirectX 10).

2. You can NOT re-use a e-mule plug-in they are specific for each version of VLC. Re-using a plug-in will create problems and VLC does NOT support third party plug-ins.

Thanks for your response

I will clarify again, i do not use or re-use any emule VLC plugin to get the reported VLC-caused system freeze - I was directly opening the emule partfile with VLC .86 - when i do this, the file plays, but then when it is done, or if i manually exit it, it freezes my whole system - every time - it started doing this a number of months ago when i began using VLC .86 - it never did that before

I have and keep current the most updated DirectX, audio and video drivers

But more importantly, I also get that same complete system freeze (that can only be hard rebooted from) more than 50% of the time that i use VLC .86 to play normal media files, but this occurs only when either the file is finished playing or if i attempt to exit VLC .86

I never had this problem (or any problem) before - I see from what you say that i likely need to go back further than VLC .84 (which would be to VLC .82) to avoid this treacherous problem - and as others have reported, i don't have this problem with any other player (divx, mpc, bsplayer, etc) only in VLC .86 (and from what you say, i presume down to and including .84)

Hopefully VLC will address this problem (that many have been reporting here and elsewhere) in the near future - let me know if i can provide any more relevant details to help in that effort - fwiw, drwatson freezes as well or else i could send those logs

Thanks

[DJ]

There is no problem to address. The issue is with your audio drivers. Shutting off DirectX in preferences for the audio and using "Win32 waveOut extension output" may resolve the issue but the real problem is still the drivers.

Thanks for clarification in your last post!

[steveg]

There is no problem to address. The issue is with your audio drivers. Shutting off DirectX in preferences for the audio and using "Win32 waveOut extension output" may resolve the issue but the real problem is still the drivers.

Thanks for clarification in your last post!

OK - i see this is a "not our problem" perspective - and that's certainly VLC's prerogative for their free (and otherwise previously wonderful) player

but again note that this problem is not found in any other players that i (or others here) have used, and also that this feature/problem wasn't found in earlier versions of VLC


so what you are saying is if VLC .86 causes your system to completely freeze, then either try:

1) ensuring that your directx drivers are the most current
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... laylang=en

(mine are current and the problem is still there)


and if that doesn't work, then try

2) the above kludge fix which disables directx audio

3) reverting to an earlier version of VLC (.82 or lower - which apparently don't have this problem/feature)

4) using instead one of the other players (such as MPC, DIVX, BSPlayer, etc) which don't exhibit this feature/problem

5) troubleshooting the VLC-exclusive system freeze problem, which is possibly caused by various other unknown audio and/or video drivers on your system, by uninstalling each of them


That's fine - i'll check out these potential solutions to see which one works best for me

thanks for the update DJ

[DJ]

In your 1. that is the DirectX update but not your drivers. Drivers are no longer distributed with DirectX. Haven't been for some time.

[steveg]

In your 1. that is the DirectX update but not your drivers. Drivers are no longer distributed with DirectX. Haven't been for some time.

hmm, well i also keep regularly updated with windows update - as well as with my motherboard (asus) manufacturer for my onboard sound chip and with nvidia for my video card

so what specific approach do you suggest?

if you are saying that there are or can be conflicts between someone's standard & established current audio or video drivers and VLC (from .84 forward), how about troubleshooting the most commons ones on your (VLC's) end, and/or maybe working with KLMcodecs and/or with sherlock / codec tweak / gspot tools to help resolve the conflict issues that are there with the new VLC, but not with the old VLC (pre .84) or with anyone else's current player?

[DJ]

If there were a problem on this end there would be millions of people here complaining and the website would close down because it couldn't handle the people. Instead there is just you and a few others who come here randomly and complain with out researching their problem.

If you have the latest drivers and this is the case with realtec ac97. You will need to move back a few versions to one that works.

viewtopic.php?t=30965&postdays=0&postor ... 7&start=15

[steveg]

If there were a problem on this end there would be millions of people here complaining and the website would close down because it couldn't handle the people. Instead there is just you and a few others who come here randomly and complain with out researching their problem.

If you have the latest drivers and this is the case with realtec ac97. You will need to move back a few versions to one that works.

viewtopic.php?t=30965&postdays=0&postor ... 7&start=15

ok, so far, looks like this driver revision to realtec 3.92 finally fixed it

but realtec is not some small time vendor - seems that you would benefit from making your latest VLC versions compatible with the latest realtec drivers - anyway, there was no roll back for me and this earlier 3.92 version is not easily available (its not live at any of the links from your link above, or most elsewhere on the net)


so i got it off of emule by the filename:
"Realtek AC97 ALC650 Audio Codecs 3.92.exe"

but then also finally found it - in 3 rar parts - at this working (for now anyway) link:
http://www.inetbridge.net/forum/post1333.html

anyway, seems like you would want to play nice (as all the other media players do) with the most recent established drivers instead of having to use an inferior audio driver or an earlier VLC version

thanks for the pointers and discussion - definitely better than nothing, but may not be worth some people's effort to deal with all this just to get the recent version of VLC to work - i guess there is little incentive for VLC to address problems in smaller numbers - and its not like you just need the most RECENT version, but have to find a substantiably lower realtec version

...maybe one day, thanks to all these posts, enough new ones will come in and it will finally hit your radar as a valid fix needed for future versions of VLC

and fwiw, i thought your attitude about taking all reported problem more seriously could be a little better here, instead of dismissing others as you seem to kind of do whenever this problem has gotten reported here, by people who care enough to want your program to be better

btw DJ, are you the developer?

[DJ]

VLC is not a direct Show player as most other players are. Also it is a packet based player and this makes it unique. All players use DirectX differently and yet VLC shows the lowest CPU usage of all the players. Also please note that when you used the older (most proven) method of addressing your audio card it din NOT resolve the issue. This is a DRIVER issue and needs to be addressed by the manufacture of your device and NOT the other way around.

[DJ]

In your 1. that is the DirectX update but not your drivers. Drivers are no longer distributed with DirectX. Haven't been for some time.

hmm, well i also keep regularly updated with windows update - as well as with my motherboard (asus) manufacturer for my onboard sound chip and with nvidia for my video card

so what specific approach do you suggest?

if you are saying that there are or can be conflicts between someone's standard & established current audio or video drivers and VLC (from .84 forward), how about troubleshooting the most commons ones on your (VLC's) end, and/or maybe working with KLMcodecs and/or with sherlock / codec tweak / gspot tools to help resolve the conflict issues that are there with the new VLC, but not with the old VLC (pre .84) or with anyone else's current player?

Keeping current with Microsoft updates is nice, but for most people means pushing the button to install the updates. This does NOT generally include drivers and never includes DirectX runtime.

Microsoft recommended updating your audio and video drivers at the advent of DirectX 9c that was Oct 04 VLC started forcing the issue in version 0.8.4 but no one ever said anything about conflicts. VLC is not a Direct Show player. The issues are support for DirectX 9c. If you don't like this take it up with Microsoft. Of coarse you have waited so long now, we will all need to deal with DirectX 10 and this should be some real fun.

Most motherboard manufactures stop updating the drivers after the first year or when the warantee runs out but in most cases updates can still be obtained from the manufactuer of the chipset or card.

If the chipset happens to be realtec ac97 you will need older drivers as the newest drivers do NOT work properly.

[steveg]

If the chipset happens to be realtec ac97 you will need older drivers as the newest drivers do NOT work properly.

This seems to be the main source of the problem that many here have found, and the solution has been to either revert to an older version of VLC (.82 or lower), or to an almost impossible to find older version of Realtek drivers (Realtek AC97 ALC650 Audio Codecs 3.92.exe).

Realtek is a major IC design house (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realtek) - wouldn't it benefit VLC to be in touch with Realtek to try and work out the bugs to get their most updated respective software combinations to play nice with each other? Just a thought.

And thanks for your response and clarifications DJ.

[DJ]

For what ever reason there have been issues with this vendor in all the versions. For example S/PDIF, but the Developers have always come back and said: "Cheap Audio Cards". At least I tried pointing you in a direction to get it up and sorta working. But there still may be issues with jitter and (for some reason) the device still has issues either accepting control or controlling the video properly in a sync situation.

[steveg]

For what ever reason there have been issues with this vendor in all the versions. For example S/PDIF, but the Developers have always come back and said: "Cheap Audio Cards". At least I tried pointing you in a direction to get it up and sorta working. But there still may be issues with jitter and (for some reason) the device still has issues either accepting control or controlling the video properly in a sync situation.

thanks DJ - there had been no previous issues or problems that i experienced or am aware of using VLC and the realtek drivers until recently when i upgraded to the newer versions of VLC - and certainly NOTHING that caused the complete system freeze as has recently been happening

and further, i understood that the source of computer freeze that occurs when using VLC was due to a conflict between the recent VLC versions and realtek audio drivers - my nvidia video drivers didn't seem to have anything to do with it

[eXelion]

Install DivX Codec (6.6) http://www.divx.com/divx/windows/ it`s help to me... !

[Odinh]

Solution for realtek driver users... install ffdshow and run your favorite movies on windows media player classic