DMC Writer Crashing

[^Shyone379]

I have Updated to latest DMC Writer and now find the following during burning to mp3.

The order that tracks are inserted for burning has no effect, (it comes out on disc alphabetical anyway, (very annoying)).

During loading of tracks at 192 bitrate, when a number of about 70 has been reached, the screen reloads them again to show overburn,,, and crashes.

On re starting burner, those reloads (duplicate listings) have gone, and loading can continue til disc shows almost full and ready for burning.

However during this process i have had the writer crash many times, which seems to happen after the writer has duplicated my entries (and I have removed them).

Also, when attemting to create an Auto-Run mp3 disc,,, only 4 tracks of the 129 were burned to disc.

I eventually got the Cd Written, not using the autorun, but continued to have many crashes of the writer during loading.

Are there any ways of fixing this problem?

[xoas]

The order that tracks are inserted for burning has no effect, (it comes out on disc alphabetical anyway, (very annoying)).
This IS annoying but you can create a different file hierarchy for your mp3 cd.
You basically have to set the file structure for the cd before you start adding tracks. To do this, open CD Writer, on the upper window where it reads Writing Audio, click on the button that reads New. From the screen that opens up click on the button that reads Create New CD. Select MP3/WMA aAudio CD. Select your format (MP*) and bitrate, etc). Where it reads File Naming, Click on the button that reads Set. In this window you can define the file structure you desire. I find I like the bottom of the pre-defined settings ([artist]\[album]\[track number xx] [artist] - [track]). Thiis creates a folder for each artist. Within that folder will be separate folders for each album and tracks will be arranged for each album by 2 digit track number). This is automatic based on filename and tag data, so make sure these are in good shape before you try this.
Also, you are not limited to the pre-defined settings, you can create your own. A little study and I'm sure you can figure it out.

Since my original posting, it has come to my attention that the CD Writer r2 has a slightly different interface than does the beta version I had been using. Click on the New CD button . The rest is essentially unchanged.

Now about that crash and burn business-
Can you give more specifics as to how you are trying to load the files and how many you are loading at once? I just burned an mp3 cd yesterday. Had no problem converting entire albums at once but it sounds like you are trying many more files than that. Perhaps if you limit yourself to trying to add 50 tracks at a time you might get better results.

Best wishes,
Bill

[^Shyone379]

thanx for the info on file structure Bill, I will slog thru that!

Re Burning: I was loading no more than 30 at a time to make the temp CD file, in most cases only 10-12,, then screen would go "click" and the screen would show that they had been double entered, (i was just using the arrow button to transfer/convert from my files to the temporary CD screen) when I selected to delete those double entries, the writer program would crash. re-starting the program would show the loading as originally done, until next time it decided to double enter and crash

hope i have explained this OK

PS, Is there a reason why we can't simply select track position on CD, as we do when making a Standard CD???? with the Up/Down Green arrow keys ?? or that they are burned in the order loaded ??

[ChristinaS]

An mp3 cd is not an audio cd, it is a data cd. Essentially it's a folder which just happens to sit on a CD. Data is stored alphabetically in a folder.

[xoas]

The duplication and/or crashing might come about if you try to convert files of different file types at the same time or it might come about if you get too many folders converting at once (possible if you are accessing through other than CD Writer).
I always open CD Writer first and load my files through there. Is that how you are doing it or are you using other means (Music Converter, File Selector, Windows Explorer)? I ask because it might help me see if I can duplicate the problem.
I take it the duplicate entries are not multiple copies from the hard drive but "hiccups" of certain files and I assume that these appear to occur randomly (although I would urge you to be alert to the possibility that some files may routinely produce this problem or at least be more liable to produce this problem-if you can locate such files it is often very helpful).

As to why you can't re-order mp3/wma discs, it is because these are treated as data files and organized according to data file ordering conventions. I also have Nero and Roxio CD burner programs (and I have used some others as well) and they all have the same issue with mp3 discs.

Best wishes,
Bill

[Spoon]

The crashing will either be:

Because of the over-burn
or, a 'bad' mp3 file that is just crashing it anyhow.

Are you sure it is not the 2nd possiblity?

[^Shyone379]

Bill, I was accessing tracks via the CD Writer ONLY, and from 1 folder Only, all mp3 and same bit rate ,,, the duplication occured at about 70 files loaded, which created the overburn notification, to try and manually delete duplicates caused it to crash... a restart of CD Writer showed screen loaded as it was supossed to be and further loadings could continue....... after this overburn/crash happened a couple of times, I eventually completed the loading by restarting each time..... mp3 disc burned Ok and played OK.
No files appeared to be faulty, and they were loaded randomly. there are no duplicate files in music collection Folder, this duplication appears to be caused by CD Writer and they are dropped from screen upon restart.

Cheers

[Spoon]

>to try and manually delete duplicates caused it to crash...

That is the key, I have seen this mentioned before but have not been able to track it down. How were the tracks duplicated?

[xoas]

This might not produce any results but can you (in addition to answering Spoon's question above), check and tell us if duplicated files are both the same file size. When duplicates occur, does only one file duplicate per crash or will multiple files duplicate during a crash? When duplicates occur, does the file or files involved create a single duplicate per file or multiple duplicates per file?
Are you playing files in dAP that might be in the group you are trying to convert in CD Writer? I have been able to crash CD Writer doing this but I don't think this has resulted in duplicate files in CD Writer as you describe.
If you click on the options button in CD Writer and click on the DSP Effects button, does the resulting screen show any active DSP effects? If so, which does it show?

Best wishes,
Bill

[^Shyone379]

dAP was NOT operating or playing any files, DSP settings clear (none in use).

I was loading from a single mp3 Folder, using Writer only to load files largest batch being 30, other wise 10-12 or singularly

When approx 70 had been loaded the screen flicked/clicked and those 70 files had been singularly duplicated identical to each original and in the order that they had been first loaded,, total now 140 files.

A crash occurred if you attempted to remove the dulicates manually.

Without attempting to manually remove the duplicates, if you closed and restarted the Writer,, the duplicates were no longer on the screen or loaded, normal loading could continue til next duplication, which would happen at random intervals thereafter causing Overburn Notifications.

The Writer restart rectified the fault on all occassions.

Thats the best info i can give you guys, hope it helps.

[Spoon]

How did you add the files? using the CD writer page and clicking the <<--- arrow?

[xoas]

^shyone-
I have been trying to replicate your problem. So far I have not had success (a few crashes but no duplications). Could you tell us what the settings for your source mp3 files might be and what settings you have set for your mp3 files to be burned at? Settings to check include bits, bitrate, frequency, and vbr/cbr/abr.

Best wishes,
Bill

[xoas]

Update:
I have been noticing more frequent crashes in dCW than desirable although I have not yet had a crash where track entries get duplicated temporarily. My crashes usually occur well into creating an mp3 cd and the left hand menu seems to go blank and a box pops up saying that dCW has encountered a problem and needs to shut down and asks me if I want to tell Microsoft about this problem. Once I respond yes or no the program shuts down.

I am trying to look at what factors may contribute to these crashes and I wanted to pass on this observation:
Although dCW seems to have successfully converted all the track(s) it was working on at the time of the crash, if I open up dCW right away after a crash and start loading more tracks, it looks like the program is more likely to crash with the very next track(s) I add unless I first delete the last track(s) I added.

I'll keep you posted on the status of any other findings.

Best wishes,
Bill

[Spoon]

If you can nail it down to being repeatable I should be able to sort it.

[^Shyone379]

Selecting files using the arrow<---- Key, from source 320kbps 44100hz cbr high encode, no preset mp3 files to same burn settings, no dsp

[Spoon]

>files to same burn settings

That is [send as is]?

[^Shyone379]

That is correct, burning at same settings as file source all at 320

[ChristinaS]

Are you using the Smart button in dCW? This will avoid conversions of files and they'll be copied as is.

[xoas]

I have not given up on this. I have found a means to replicate a crash on a fairly consistent basis but I have not yet been able to determine much as to what factors might be at play. But to help determine whether the crashes I am seeing are similar to ^shyone's, and to help determine which factors may be at work, I would like to ask the following regarding ^shyone's crashes:
Do these crashes ever occur in the middle of a batch of conversions or only at the end?
Within a batch, do these crashes ever seem to occur at the beginning or middle of a single file conversion or only at or toward the end?
Are you using the default file structure (single folder artist-track)?
Do you have files in your conversions that feature alternate upper/lower case attributes(e.g. Duke Ellington and duke ellington)?
If you were to convert say 100 tracks at once, would you still crash at around 70? Would you still crash near 100?
Ditto for a disc or more worth of tracks at once.

Will post more once I am more certain of what parameters seem to contribute.

Best wishes,
Bill

[savagcl]

I have had this happen several times and there is no set of conditions that i
can find to make this happen.. The number of songs does not make any
difference as far as i can tell (happened on 17 songs, 50 songs 99 songs).

All the music is MP3 @192/44000 so i dont think its the music. More like a wild
random bit was loose in the program and every now and then, it would
perform the "Add All" function again......

:confused:

savagcl

[savagcl]

I have had this happen several times and there is no set of conditions that i
can find to make this happen.. The number of songs does not make any
difference as far as i can tell (happened on 17 songs, 50 songs 99 songs).

All the music is MP3 @192/44000 so i dont think its the music. More like a wild
random bit was loose in the program and every now and then, it would
perform the "Add All" function again......

:confused:

savagcl

[dhyre]

This all sounds like the same error I was getting while running the demo; crash at ~*70 & duplicate files (I only got one duplicate for each small batch added). Some of this is discuess in my thread "CD space error, crashing during relisting". I was adding & converting in a similar way to ^shyone, except the source was WMA lossless A(16b/44.1k/2ch) to the default MP3 @ 192kbps. My batches were each added one small group at a time from the same folder, using the << button, and the crash & duplication would come at the end of conversion of the last file of each batch, after the converter paused ever so briefly at 99%. Can't say about larger batch conversions, as the demo has ended and I did not buy (still considering, watching if this gets fixed), but I tried one long playlist-based conversion WMA=>MP3 that went without a hitch, with the files residing in multiple places and a few files being MP3 already. Hope that helps!

[Spoon]

Might just help.

[Bob J024]

Similar problem with crashes & "auto-duplicating" of file sets. I have already uninstalled & reinstalled the CDwriter twice--I figured I messed up a setting. I just tried to duplicate the error:

selected 8 files as a block to add using the "<<" button. Appeared to work fine, then 2 of 8 files appeared in left screen with only 0.10 length (should have been 3-4 minute length).

Then got Application Error that stated: the instruction "0x0040ea12" referenced memory at "0x000000000". The memory could not be "written". The dialog allowed for "OK" and "Cancel to Debug" Chose Debug---crashed to desktop.

Initialized program again and all 8 files were listed, but all at 0.10 length--not the 3-5 minutes they actually are. Cleared CD & tried again loading a single track at a time--same result.

Note: Nero/Roxio/ and HP Burning software work fine----But i want to use DB!!!!

Specs: AMD Athalon 2600/512 Ram/WinXP fully updated.

This is a great program, but have had this problem for a month at least and can not figure it out. Perhaps a "full uninstall"???(i.e. editing registry/etc.?)

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Spoon]

In the folder where the cd tempory files are written delete all the files (alltracks.bin and any wav files). The folder is called TempCreateCD in the root of your biggest drive.

[Bob J024]

Thanks Spoon--that file is now empty. Unfortunately the problem still exists. I just tried it again.

Any further suggestions?

Thanks again for your help.

[Spoon]

When you clear the folder ans start cd writer it still shows tracks?

[Bob J024]

Sorry for the delay--was on vacation.

Yes, after a crash to desktop with the error message noted previously, DB Writer starts with a listing of the tracks loaded----only with incorrect size/length. Very odd, huh?

Since I purchased the full PowerPack I have no problem uninstalling & reinstalling again (Microsoft has gotten me used to that). So let me lay this on the table: If I uninstall all DB related programs (Writer, converter, and Audio input) will ALL DB related files be deleated? I ask this becasue I know that some programs get way into the registry (i.e. McAfee, Norton, etc.) and need a manual unistall. In any event, would this uninstall allow for a "clean" install of the DB Powerpack?

Secondly: I recall reading that the demo's of the related programs need to be installed first, THEN the registered programs are installed "over" them. Is this accurate? Or do I just download a "fresh" copy of my registered software?

Any thoughts on these courses of action? Thanks in advance for your help. Feel free to ask me for amy specs you might want/need.

[LtData]

See total uninstall here: http://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread.php?t=6828

And no, if you have a registered version, install that instead of the demo as long as they are the same version.

[Bob J024]

Real good! Thanks LT. I think this will clear up the issue on two levels: first, potential registry problems and second, demo versions/registered versions/and mixed entries...thanks in advance for your help.

[Bob J024]

UPDATE
The "full" unistall worked great. Db CD Writer runs fine now--no glitches at all.

One note on my previous problem of 10 second files...uh, confession time, i turned on the "maximum length" feature but did not set it---so it was set at 10 second maximum length....so I set it for 80 mins and it works great.

Thanks for all the help