ATI TV Tuner Error

[gerberdude]

Hello all,

Here is the problem:

I am having a horrible time trying to get my ATI TV Wonder PCI to work correctly.

To begin, I could not get the program to even start without my computer crashing and rebooting immediately. I chalked it up to a number of other errors that I was having which I eventually tracked to a faulty hard drive (now replaced).

Recently I installed all new versions of the drivers for the card, and the most updated Direct X, but ATI Multimedia Center (ATIMMC) would not load the TV, prompting me to install the latest drivers and versions of Direct X.

The Card comes with 3 "drivers":

-ATIMMC

-The DAO/MDAC (I don't know what this file is, but it is big (40 MB) probably a program and not a driver.)

-The Actual device drivers.

I had already installed ATIMMC version 9.13, as well as "DAO/MDAC" identified as CATALYST 9.13, and the Driver for the TV Tuner ver 1.11.

I had also downloaded the most recent version of DX9, and installed that.

This error about updated drivers persisted, so I decided to roll back the ATIMMC to version 9.08

This version would allow me to watch the TV, as well as capture, but every time I closed the program it would crash and my system would immediately reboot.

Then I rolled back the DAO/MDAC to version 9.08, but now it would crash whenever I tried to start the ATIMMC.

Here is the error information from when it crashes on program startup:


Event Type: Error
Event Source: Application Error
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1000
Date: 3/1/2006
Time: 6:46:14 PM
User: N/A
Computer: COMPUTER
Description:
Faulting application atimmc.exe, version 9.8.0.0, faulting module atimmc.exe, version 9.8.0.0, fault address 0x00010d13.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 41 70 70 6c 69 63 61 74 Applicat
0008: 69 6f 6e 20 46 61 69 6c ion Fail
0010: 75 72 65 20 20 61 74 69 ure ati
0018: 6d 6d 63 2e 65 78 65 20 mmc.exe
0020: 39 2e 38 2e 30 2e 30 20 9.8.0.0
0028: 69 6e 20 61 74 69 6d 6d in atimm
0030: 63 2e 65 78 65 20 39 2e c.exe 9.
0038: 38 2e 30 2e 30 20 61 74 8.0.0 at
0040: 20 6f 66 66 73 65 74 20 offset
0048: 30 30 30 31 30 64 31 33 00010d13
0050: 0d 0a ..

Here is the error information about when it crashes on program close:


Event Type: Information
Event Source: Save Dump
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1001
Date: 3/1/2006
Time: 7:12:11 PM
User: N/A
Computer: COMPUTER
Description:
The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x10000050 (0x854e7849, 0x00000000, 0x8054b88f, 0x00000000). A dump was saved in: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\Mini030106-03.dmp.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

AND

Event Type: Error
Event Source: System Error
Event Category: (102)
Event ID: 1003
Date: 3/1/2006
Time: 7:12:21 PM
User: N/A
Computer: COMPUTER
Description:
Error code 10000050, parameter1 854e7849, parameter2 00000000, parameter3 8054b88f, parameter4 00000000.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 53 79 73 74 65 6d 20 45 System E
0008: 72 72 6f 72 20 20 45 72 rror Er
0010: 72 6f 72 20 63 6f 64 65 ror code
0018: 20 31 30 30 30 30 30 35 1000005
0020: 30 20 20 50 61 72 61 6d 0 Param
0028: 65 74 65 72 73 20 38 35 eters 85
0030: 34 65 37 38 34 39 2c 20 4e7849,
0038: 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 00000000
0040: 2c 20 38 30 35 34 62 38 , 8054b8
0048: 38 66 2c 20 30 30 30 30 8f, 0000
0050: 30 30 30 30 0000


Here is information about my system

MOBO: GA7DXR (BIOS version F10(Up to Date))
CPU: 1Ghz Athlon
MEM: 640MB DDR 2100
VID: Rage Fury 128
HDD: IDE Disk WDC_WD400BB (40GB WD HDD)
Two Optical Drives
PSU: 400W Antec SL400

Yes I know the Video Card is old, which brings me to my next idea, I was going to replace it with a GeForce 6600 GT, but a large reason I was going to do that was because I thought it would help speed up the TV Wonder and let me use my PC as a DVR. But I don't want to do that if this TV Wonder is buggy.

If the TV Wonder is buggy then I would just as soon invest in an All-in-wonder.

My gut tells me this a driver error, but as you can tell, I am having a dickens of a time getting a driver combination that doesn't result in a crash.

Please help, and thank you in advance.

Gerberdude

[gerberdude]

Maybe I should have been more concise.

I am just about ready to give up on this tuner, since I don't have any other significant problems with my build, and can't seem to solve this one.

Does anyone have any problems like this that they have experienced (e.g. with this tuner, or software)?

Could this be a software problem? If so, is there any other software out there that I could try to use on my Tuner Card?

If I decide that it is a hardware problem, do I get the All-In-Wonder, or go with the 6600 GT and another kind of Tuner?

Thanks for your opinions.

[ComputerNut]

I used to use the ATIMMC. I found it to be the most unstable peice of software ATi has to offer. I would stay away from using that program, and use something more stable, such as Beyond TV. You really only need the TV Tuner card drivers to use it.

HTH

[gerberdude]

Thanks Nut,

That's actually one of the steps that I am getting to.

I googled "ATIMMC errors" and found a host of tech forums like this one with nothing but terrible things to say about the MMC no matter what the version.

My next step is to download a free trial of whatever other TV Tuner software I can get my hands on, then go from there.

Gerberdude

BTW: You wouldn't happen to know if the TV Wonder PCI is a "Hardware" or "Software" Encoding card, would you?

[ComputerNut]

Mine is a TV Wonder VE PCI (The cheapest one from ATi), and that one definitely has no hardware encoding. not sure about the other TV Wonders. My guess is that they are the same.

HTH