FrameVue Freezing

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katie in burlingame

Grumbler in Training
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After I told my boss that I had posted on the Grumble, he asked me to pose a question to yous guys.

We recently got FrameVue and are having major problems with it freezing. It happens pretty much any time we use it (thesfore rendering it completely useless).

Has anyone else had this problem? Is there some way to avoid it?
 
I've been using FrameVue for years, and it does not have that sort of chronic problem. I occasionally crash the program by pushing the wrong buttons, but it works well if I don't misuse it.

Mike Labbe will probably be along soon to give you good advice, but I'd guess your computer may be the problem.
 
Hi Katie

First of all, welcome to The Picture Framer's Grumble!

I moved your question over to the computer/software forum.

Can you answer some questions for me, about your setup?

  • Which operating system? (XP?)
  • The type and speed of the CPU?
  • How much RAM (memory) does the PC have? (LS requires 1GB, FV also requires 1GB)
(you can right click MY COMPUTER and then click PROPERTIES, to get all this info)

  • Which anti virus software? (norton, kaspersky, mcafee, etc)
  • Which Canon camera is it? (S5 IS, etc)
  • Which version of FrameVue are you currently using? (Version or date)
  • At what point is the computer hanging, and how do you recover? (reset button?)
  • How exactly is the camera wired to the PC? (type of cables, and length of each)
Does it freeze mostly when you are operating the ZOOM feature of the camera, by any chance? If so, i'll need clarification about the wiring. (straight cable, # of feet, is it a 15 ft "active repeater cable" or a usb repeater that uses ethernet/category 5 wire, etc?)

When I hear freezing, I usually suspect a wiring problem. (especially if it is while zooming) The USB wire should be on a USB 2.0 type port (which any computer after 2001 or so would have), and can only go about 16.4 feet without being re-amplified. We use it daily and are not experiencing any freezes.

If you want to troubleshoot a possible wiring problem, try plugging the camera into the pc using ONLY the supplied 4 foot wire. If the problem vanishes, then we know you either are exceeding the max distance (requiring amplification), or there may be a defective active repeater cable. I have seen these go bad before.

Hopefully we can figure out exactly what the problem is, together, and resolve it.

Best regards,
Mike
Get The Picture
Resident computer geek, and framevue beta tester
 
Mike Labbe @ GTP said:
Hi Katie

First of all, welcome to The Picture Framer's Grumble!

I moved your question over to the computer/software forum.

Can you answer some questions for me, about your setup?

  • Which operating system? (XP?)
  • The type and speed of the CPU?
  • How much RAM (memory) does the PC have? (LS requires 1GB, FV also requires 1GB)
(you can right click MY COMPUTER and then click PROPERTIES, to get all this info)

  • Which anti virus software? (norton, kaspersky, mcafee, etc)
  • Which Canon camera is it? (S5 IS, etc)
  • Which version of FrameVue are you currently using? (Version or date)
  • At what point is the computer hanging, and how do you recover? (reset button?)
  • How exactly is the camera wired to the PC? (type of cables, and length of each)
Does it freeze mostly when you are operating the ZOOM feature of the camera, by any chance? If so, i'll need clarification about the wiring. (straight cable, # of feet, is it a 15 ft "active repeater cable" or a usb repeater that uses ethernet/category 5 wire, etc?)

When I hear freezing, I usually suspect a wiring problem. (especially if it is while zooming) The USB wire should be on a USB 2.0 type port (which any computer after 2001 or so would have), and can only go about 16.4 feet without being re-amplified. We use it daily and are not experiencing any freezes.

If you want to troubleshoot a possible wiring problem, try plugging the camera into the pc using ONLY the supplied 4 foot wire. If the problem vanishes, then we know you either are exceeding the max distance (requiring amplification), or there may be a defective active repeater cable. I have seen these go bad before.

Hopefully we can figure out exactly what the problem is, together, and resolve it.

Best regards,
Mike
Get The Picture
Resident computer geek, and framevue beta tester
Click to expand...

Mike,
you are a boat full of dreams! Thanks so much for the quick response and for putting me in the right place to ask my question. I passed this info straight onto my boss (Framevue is his baby) and will have him contact you to figure out what's wrong.

Thank you thank you thank you!
Katie
 
Maybe a USB 3 port would help instead of USB 2 which I use with a 16' USB cable for the Wizard IFVizualization
 
Why don't you have your Boss contact Framevue, Lifesaver direct? as that is one of the reasons you pay so much for it. No need for everybody to talk thru 3rd parties.
 
3rd party is what is available at times. I've left a message for Lifesaver/Framevue and still have not heard back.

Katie, we are having the exact same problem with freezing up. Happens when I get to about the third or fourth designed image prevue. Only way out is to restart the computer.

As others have said, I suspect it could be a computer problem. I was advised by Lifesaver and others to make sure we had at least 2G of RAM. I added to obtain this but think I should have added about 4G. Other than that I am lost.

This is why I have a call into Lifesaver.

But you are not alone in the boat.

Tom
 
I recently changed Framevue computers and experienced significant problems in the transition.

Turns out it is clearly related to my wireless USB system talking to the camera.

Lifesaver worked with me for days to isolate the problem.

I've made it work again, mostly.

I'd support Mike's theory that it's probably wiring. Or, a weak computer. There's a lot of data moving around.
Something's choking.
Try changing the camera configuration to use the lowest possible resolution.

This is still sufficient for the functionality of the program and let's the system chew on smaller bites.
 
Katie,

How did you make out? Did eliminating the cable resolve the problem? If so, was it a case where the existing cabling was exceeding the 16 foot (pre-amplification) limit?

Mike
 
Hey Mike

When mine freezes up I get a "system out of memory" window popping up. The only way to get out of this is to shutdown the computer. Very frustrating.

Could I possibly need more RAM?
 
Tommy P said:
Hey Mike

When mine freezes up I get a "system out of memory" window popping up. The only way to get out of this is to shutdown the computer. Very frustrating.

Could I possibly need more RAM?
Click to expand...

You need AT LEAST 1 gig? how much you got?
 
Cliff

2G is what I have. I upgraded from one. Maybe I should have added more but this was recommended.
 
I've been running with 1 and it seems to work if I'm not doing "too much" else.
I'm looking at going to 4.

It kinda depends what else you're running.

2 should be fine if that's pretty much what you're doing, but if you've got a bunch of things running (POS for example) then you might want even more.
 
Tommy,

Most POS require at least 1, and visualization bumps that up to about 2.

If there are other programs running such as antivirus, web browser, cmc, itunes, im programs, remote access software, printer monitors, etc - they each have overhead/requirements too. In most cases a shortage of memory would result in considerably slower system performance, but not necessarily an error. (swapping out to slower hard drive storage, instead of fast memory chips)

I suggest running a free (full) scan with the free tool at www.malwarebytes.org, to get a second opinion about security. It could be some kind of undetected parasite or program with a memory leak.

I have never experienced that error, even on a machine that only had 1gb.

When you right click MY COMPUTER -> properties, is it reporting that it sees the entire 2gb?

The first step is to make sure the computer is clean, then we can look at other options. (getting newest beta, making sure the virtual memory settings are correct on the pc, etc)

Mike
 
Mike

I did the malware thing and everything is good and clean. It found NO problems. Yes, it is showing 2G of RAM.

Man, this tech stuff drives me crazy!

Could you send me your brain for a few days. I promise I won't hurt it !!!!
 
Mike Labbe @ GTP said:
Katie,

How did you make out? Did eliminating the cable resolve the problem? If so, was it a case where the existing cabling was exceeding the 16 foot (pre-amplification) limit?

Mike
Click to expand...
Thanks for your help. It appears that our excessive cable length, 46', must have been the problem. When using only the 16' cable everything is working fine. And yes, it was freezing while zooming. Now we have to reroute cables for the shorter length or add an amplifier. Where do you get an amplifier?

-Katie
 
Thanks for your help. It appears that our excessive cable length, 46', must have been the problem. When using only the 16' cable everything is working fine. And yes, it was freezing while zooming. Now we have to reroute cables for the shorter length or add an amplifier. Where do you get an amplifier?
Click to expand...
Thank you for the follow-up. I have seen this issue several times before, and am glad that we were able to identify it, together.

You can chain several "active repeater cables" together, to get that kind of length. They will re-amplify the signal every 16 feet. They're very inexpensive and will give a reliable connection to the camera. You'll find a source and part # on the final page of the LifeSaver Tips and Tricks booklet. www.getthepictureframing.com/gfaq/

example: 3 repeaters would give you: 16+16+16+4(small cable included with camera)= 52 feet

USB active extension cables: Avail in 16' (max 80' w/5 chained together), or 32' (max 96' w/3 chained together)
Sources: www.usbgear.com USBG-2U16 (16') $13.98, USBG-36FTAB (32') $23.98 www.amazon.com 16' $8.49, 32' $15.96

Best regards again,
Mike
Get The Picture
 
Hey Mike,

Thanks for the tips. We shortened the USB cable from 46' to 16' and everything is working fine. They are active USB cables and it was freezing while zooming.

Thanks,
Katie
 
We were using 2 active cables, 16 ft. and 40 ft, and FV was freezing while zooming. With the 16 ft. alone it works beautifully. However, the 40 ft. alone still freezes. Do you think that multiple 16 ft. repeaters would work better than the 40? I might get a couple cables from the local Radio Shack and give it a try.

-Katie.
 
katie in burlingame said:
We were using 2 active cables, 16 ft. and 40 ft, and FV was freezing while zooming. With the 16 ft. alone it works beautifully. However, the 40 ft. alone still freezes. Do you think that multiple 16 ft. repeaters would work better than the 40? I might get a couple cables from the local Radio Shack and give it a try.

-Katie.
Click to expand...

I am only aware of them being available in 16 or 32 feet. (the 32 foot version is new, and I haven't personally used one).

If it's a straight 40 ft cable without electronics to amplify it, that exceeds the specification by a lot - and will fail or be unreliable.

I suggest getting a couple more of the 16's, and chaining them all together. This will be a reliable and affordable solution. ($14 each) http://www.usbgear.com/USBG-2U16.html

I would be surprised if Radio Shack has these, and if they are affordable there.

Mike
 
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