DVDFab Platinum causes BSOD under XP

#1

I have a fully registered copy of DVDFab Platinum, and up until I attempted to update from version 3.1.0.8 I have had no problems whatsoever with this program. I am running it under Windows XP SP2.

There does not appear to be any pattern to the blue screen stop errors I am getting (IRQ_not_less_or equal) intermittently when backing the contents of my own DVDs to a folder on the hard disk to be later burnt using Nero 7 Ultra Enhanced Edition.

I am simply using the program to make a copy of the original DVD as a backup for my own use. Some DVDs do not give such an error (one that has caused problems recently is “There’s Something about Mary”). Since updating from version 3.1.0.8 it has become a game of hit or miss (mostly miss). When I downgrade once again to 3.1.0.8 the problem totally disappears until the next time (including the DVDs that previously caused the stop error). Even uninstalling the previous version, including the folder contents before updating has no impact.

To make matters much worse the error can appear when DVDFab Platinum is not itself running. Please note that I have already tried in pure desperation uninstalling pcouffin.sys via the device manager (as I do not require it to burn my DVDs using DVDFab itself) but unfortunately it does not make any difference to this very frustrating problem.

I have not updated either Nero or any other program which I believe could under certain circumstances conflict with DVDFab since this began happening, and I am now wondering whether I will ever be able to update your otherwise excellent program again, plus putting a stop to these errors once and for all.

Has anyone else encountered this same problem, or do any of you have some constructive suggestions as to what else I could try other than leaving version 3.1.0.8 in place indefinitely or trying an entirely different program in order to back up my own store bought DVDs to my computer HD?

I would only want to do the latter as a very last resort. :sad:

#2

Hi reeman and welcome to the forum. I am still reading and studying your post but I can tell you this is not a problem that has been common to other users. What was the last version to which you tried to update with unsuccessful results ? Did you have anything running in the background while DVDFab was installed? There have been 6 releases since 3.1.0.8; do/did any of them work? Any windows/javaVM/security updates installed since 3.1.0.8?

#3

Hey Signals since he stated
"[B]To make matters much worse the error can appear when DVDFab Platinum is not itself running.[/B]" can it be something that is running in the background :confused:
Can’t see DVDFab effecting a system when it is not running :frowning:

edit … just been reading
http://www.helpwithpcs.com/upgrading/change-irq-settings.htm
it seems to have something to do with hardware not software

#4

You’re right Tim I wondered about that myself, but I read his post to say that the non-Fab BSOD problem goes away when he goes back to 3.1.0.8. The only effect a non-running DVDFab could have would be through a registry entry (or change) of/by Fab or one of its components. This has not been a common problem so must be machine-environment specific. May have to sleep on this one. Too many contradictory symptoms. Perhaps one of your famous clean uninstalls would help (couldn’t hurt!).:slight_smile:

#5

May help may not, but I had trouble with BDOD’S in XP some time ago and was leaning toward DVDFAB at one stage. In desperation we changed motherboard, uncleboard, brother board and any other parts of the family you can think of, but they still persisted.
Finally started deleting other programs one by one and the culprit was PAINT SHOP PRO v8, v9, v10 or v11 all did it. Pissed it off altogether and no probs since.
paint shop pro says it is to do with compatability of graphics card etc, all i know is with it gone no problems with BSOD’S . Touch wood! . Was a very tiresome and long experience. :flower:

#6

Wow, that is a great tip, oogleman, and I suspect reeman has something similar: either a software or more likely driver conflict. I am still puzzled by the fact that his problem disappears with 3.1.0.8. Thanks for lending a hand on this strange problem:) .

@reeman50
Are your hard drives in good shape, defragmented, NTFS partitions and plenty (>10 GB) of free space?

#7

Just to let you good people know that I both greatly appreciate your efforts on my behalf, and that I am continuing to monitor this thread while I try some of your and my own ideas out.

IRQ_not_less_or_equal is often I understand related to bad RAM or a failing power supply (no problems with RAM and power supply recently upgraded).

In doing my own research it could as someone else suggested be equally related to an incompatible or corrupted device driver, so I am currently investigating the possibility that pcouffin.sys is itself the problem.

I have reverted back to version 3.1.0.8 and am seeing whether there is more to pcouffin.sys than it’s ability to enable DVDFab Platinum to write to recording media. From what I could discover on the internet it has other important functions related to gaining low level access to the DVD itself as well as of course recording to the hard disk folder itself.

This is still very much a work in progress, but precisely the reason why it only affects versions above 3.1.0.8 (and apparent only on my machine) presently escapes me as a self confessed non programmer.

Kindest regards to all, and I will keep you posted concerning any further developments concerning this problem. :o

#8

Hi reeman50

Sorry to hear of your troubles.
I see the gang has jumped in to help…as you’ve discovered, friendly and helpful folks… :iagree:

Jeepers, this is bizarre. When I started reading, initially I was thinking a failing/marginal psu and maybe the RAM, but in light of all that you’ve said, I just can’t connect the dots and I’m not sure how robust your system is. Like signals said, seems like a driver/software conflict.

I think I’d try this first…sorry if it’s a repeat, I’m not sure what you’ve done thus far.
Run a decent registry cleaner.
Regseeker is a good choice (link in my sig), safe, reliable, I’ve used and recommended it for years, never heard of a problem.

Uninstall your optical drives via device manager, reboot and let xp install and assign appropriate drivers.

It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to reseat your RAM…blow out the memory slots before reseating.
You may also want to test your RAM:

Memtest86

Hope this helps.

#9

Hi all,
If you have error massages IRQ_not_less_or equal, please take a look in your registry, if you have following updates from Microsoft:

KB900485, KB916595 and KB922582

Some mainboards need it really. I never seen a blue screen in any case with this MS-updates on my computer.
Hope this helps you too. :slight_smile:

#10

Amiga Freak, :confused:

I checked out those three Microsoft Updates you mentioned, and I do not have any of them currently installed under Windows XP Pro SP2.

I usually take the attitude that if it is not already broken then don’t attempt fixing it, and none of the error messages (stop errors) to which they are referring has ever shown up on my computer (I already have more than enough to cope with). :a

Microsoft includes a warning with their updates not to install them on a system which is not already displaying the symptoms they have described in their articles, as not only are they unlikely to correct your PC’s particular problem, but they could quite unintentionally create new ones.

The following article from the Lavasoft forums describes someone who did just this with Update KB916595 and suddenly encountered IRQ_not_less_or_equal errors when using DVD Shrink which he had not experienced up until then, in addition to his existing problems.

http://www.lavasoftsupport.com/index.php?showtopic=887

Thanks anyway for trying as I feel that I can use all the assistance I can get, and I will promise to keep everyone posted as to what is or is not happening as I sequentially apply the updates later than version 3.1.0.8. Presently I only have a backup of the installers for versions 3.1.1.2 and 3.1.1.6.

After each update I usually try things out for a week before installing the next version, while trying not to significantly alter the software or hardware configuration in the mean time (please wish me good luck with this).

:bow:

#11

Hi reeman50,
sorry, that i can’t help really. Shure, I wish you luck anytime. It’s sometimes a very hard job to find reasons of problems. I have installed all one of MS fixes and I can promised that no problems occured since this in any way on my PC. I’m wondering, that your error is never seen on my machine or others with the same version. There may be only a little mistake done and some proggies not work propperly…

GOOD LUCK !

#12

See my post under:

http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=216317

#13

I think my eyes need a checkup, I don’t know one font from another anymore, I hope this problem gets resolved.:rolleyes:

#14

Try reading this site for BSOD solutions:

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1647&page=1

On second page you will learn how to keep the computer from rebooting allowing you a chance to read the information.

#15

I downloaded and installed version 3.1.2.6 on June 1st, and so far everything seems to be going OK (although I am not yet ready to celebrate as this was always a highly intermittent problem). I even managed to copy the DVD files from the “There’s Something about Mary” DVD to my PC’s HD without a single problem this time (what a contrast this was to what happened before). :cool:

I do not know whether or not this is relevant, but versions 3.1.1.2 and 3.1.1.6 did not come up with an error dialogue when I foolishly forgot to set the output path for the DVD files to my computer’s hard disk folder.

I have two Pioneer DVD-RW DVR111D burners configured as the E and F drives on my system, and up until installing the latest version the program would allow me to copy the files either back to the read only DVD itself, or alternately to an empty drive. Of course nothing was actually copied at all, and at around 90% on the progress bar Windows came up with the same stop error BSOD screen I have already described above.

As to exactly what has happened that has made the BSOD error go away and the no suitable media in this drive error dialogue to equally suddenly reappear, or as to what I have done myself to make it work as it should (perhaps I am being too cynical but I have frequently suffered with intermittent problems which only seem to go away for a time, then return with a vengeance) I do not have any further clues to offer, other than what I have already told you.

Will keep you posted only if the problem does return, but I wanted to show my sincere appreciation for all of the useful advice and support that I have received as a new member of these forums (and as a relatively new registered user of an otherwise great programme in the form of DVDFab Platinum).

From a very appreciative Aussie to all who were kind enough to respond to my urgent request for assistance,

Cheers everyone!!! :bow: :flower: :clap:

#16

Unfortunately I have to report that I have had to revert back to version 3.1.0.8, and unless I can find the reasons for these highly intermittent IRQ_not_less_or_equal BSODs then this will sadly be the end of the road for my purchased software.

It is my opinion that the end of being able to make copies of our legally bought DVDs is drawing ever nearer, independent of any other software or hardware configuration. The only other thing I now have to check out in addition to the advice which has been so kindly offered on these forums is to uninstall Nero (but leave InCD), and try an alternative burner suite instead in the mean time.

It is significant that I am getting the identical error with the heavier copy protection being employed these days, including with DVD copying rival software from other companies. Once DVD Shrink gave me this same error on occasions with the newer discs, but almost all I have purchased now cause the same BSOD. Older DVDs still work fine with both the free programs and DVDFab Platinum, at least up until version 3.1.0.8.

Sorry to spoil the celebration party everyone, but I am running out of ideas as to how I will ever be able to update DVDFab Platinum in the future, that is until I make the switch to Vista sometime later (if at all).

:sad: :confused: :doh:

#17

Hello reeman50
Just want you to know that we are still working on your issue, in post #7 you stated that you upgraded your RAM was this before you started having this problem :confused: if so just because it is new does not mean it can’t be bad or have a conflict with your system and when you installed the new RAM did you make sure it snaped in good :confused: .
Also I would dump INCD it has been known to have some issues with DVDFab :frowning: , as far as the RAM goes try putting your old RAM back in and upgrade DVDFab to version 3.1.2.9 beta just to see if it could be a bad RAM it would only take a few minutes of your time and will eliminate that possibility.
One more thing in your last post you wrote

Are you having the issue with these programs even with version 3.1.0.8 installed :confused:

#18

Yeah Tim, I agree. I think it’s ok to keep nero , but I’d dump InCD for sure…frequently causes conflicts with other burn apps.
Still not sure about the RAM, you replaced the psu, but said no problem with your RAM. Did you replace it? pull it out, clean the mobo sockets and reseat it? memtest it?
Also not sure if you ever ran a registry cleaner?..Regseeker is a good one (my sig)
A clean uninstall of Fab? (SJ’s sig)
Sorry if I missed this stuff, this getting old stuff is not pretty… :bigsmile:

#19

StormJumper & Maineman, :cop:

At no time have I upgraded my PC’s RAM (512 MB), although once this began happening I have since removed, exchanged, dusted and reseated the memory modules as well as the slots on the motherboard. I have used memtest and a host of other memory diagnostic utilities (including those which came with the board), but this does not appear to be the source of these problems.

These what I increasingly believe are copy protection removal problems are increasingly happening with both the free programmes and DVD copying software from other companies since the beginning of this year, even if DVDFab Platinum has been previously uninstalled. Several other such programmes also use different versions of pcouffin.sys, and it is therefore not a good idea to have two of them installed at the same time.

The BSOD errors were happening every now and then with both DVDShrink and DVD Decrypter (both now discontinued) and such shareware programmes as SlySoft’s AnyDVD, but never on such a frequent basis before the beginning this year, and definitely nowhere near as often as since I upgraded DVDFab Platinum beyond version 3.1.0.8.

I have used InCD since version 3.x and we are now up to 5.5.2.8 with very few problems of which I am aware. I do suspect that the entire Nero burning suite upgrade to version 7.x was right around the same time that I attempted to update DVDFab Platinum to 3.1.1.2, but InCD has been on my computer for at least three years (when I was forced to dump Roxio’s DirectCD due to incompatibilities with Windows XP (especially SP2).

I regularly use Registry Mechanic as my registry cleaner. I have already tried a clean uninstall of DVDFab, but no luck yet! An alternative DVD/CD burning suite which could be worth looking at is Ashampoo Burning Studio version 7.

Thanks guys, but I will persevere with both DVDFab Platinum v3.1.0.8 for the immediate future, and try out an alternative DVD/CD burning suite to see whether this helps before dumping InCD as well.

Kindest regards to everyone who has responded!!! :bow:

#20

So this from post # 7

was an incorrect statement from you :confused: