Some questions on a WinXP home/protools setup

[maximus]

Hi, I am a IT specialist by trade who has offered to help my (technically disinclined) friend get his home PC recording studio working again. He has had this gear for close to a year, but soon after he started using it he ran into technical hangups that pretty much made it unusable.

I suggested that he start from the ground up and rebuild the computer and now he's asked me to oversee that for him. My question is, before I rebuild this thing with XP Home, is there anything inherently wrong with the combination of hardware/software he's doing this with? Is windows xp home okay or should I try to convince him to upgrade to pro? Here is the gear he has bought for this purpose and if anybody knows about any issues with any of it, please give us some advice!

Dell inspiron 9300 notebook (shipped with XP media center but later changed to XP home SP2), intel pentium M processor, 2ghz, 1 gb RAM

Protools 6.9

Digidesign Digi 002 Rack (factory edition)
http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?langid=100&navid=103&itemid=4944

Glyph 050 professional hard drive
http://www.glyphtech.com/site/products/gt050.html

Korg Micro Kontrol
http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?a_prod_no=microkontrol&category_id=1

[dpd]

1st thing to do is to check the Digidesign web site to ensure the Dell chipset is compatible with ProTools - if not, it's new computer time.

XP Home, SP2 is fine - less services running than XP Pro (although XP Pro works great, too; however, I'd only recommend it if you need the domain networking oc XP Pro). Search the Sweetwater site (and others) and you'll find a bunch of tweaks for XP for DAW use. If possible, keep the PC off the internet and don't load up a bunch of other stuff. IMO, the cleaner the PC, the better it works. Wipe off the hard disc and start with a totally scratch install of XP.

Keep the audio off the system drive - so, the Glyph should be good. I have really poor performance with a Firewire GT Key (80 GB) on my PT rig - the Glyph SATA drive performs much better (more tracks, plugs, edits). I use the GT Key drive to sneakernet sessions back and forth between locations and for backup.

[Justin]

I basically second everything DPD said. He beat me too it. :)

Pro and Home are equivalent for audio. The only big difference are the networking features. If you don't need to be on a Windows Domain network, or to administrate a bunch of machines, just go with XP Home.

Stay way from Media Center Edition. The extra services in it can cause problems for audio systems.

[maximus]

Thanks for all the help guys. So it looks like there shouldn't be anything wrong with his setup right off the bat. His computer is compatible with protools and everything else seems to jive.

Another question I have for you guys is what kind of antivirus do you run on a computer like this? His came with McAffee but I've never been a fan of that program, especially for a computer that will hardly ever be going online. I would use Symantec AV if I had my way. But what do you guys do in terms of antivirus, spyware and adware defense? And do you leave it on, off, or what?

Thanks again
Max

[dpd]

Thanks for all the help guys. So it looks like there shouldn't be anything wrong with his setup right off the bat. His computer is compatible with protools and everything else seems to jive.

Another question I have for you guys is what kind of antivirus do you run on a computer like this? His came with McAffee but I've never been a fan of that program, especially for a computer that will hardly ever be going online. I would use Symantec AV if I had my way. But what do you guys do in terms of antivirus, spyware and adware defense? And do you leave it on, off, or what?

Thanks again
Max

NO Anti-virus, NO Firewall, NO anti-spyware installed. NO Outlook or Outlook express. NO MSN Messenger, AIM, IRC, etc. Clear out as many things in the system tray (via msconfig) as possible. This is why it needs to be off the 'net.

BTW, I run Open Office (it's free from Sun) if I need a quick spreadsheet or word processor in the studio. I get my downloads from another PC and sneakernet with a Lexar USB memory stick.

[maximus]

Alright, so I have installed a fresh OS. Turned off the firewall, didn't install any antivirus or antispyware or anything and turned off the pesky notification balloons. Still have to run some driver updates but that shouldn't be nuthin but a thing.

As it turns out, my buddy's getting another 'online' computer so this one won't be going on the net, ever.

What about windows update? Do you still run update on a DAW? Is there a way to deliver the update without going online to get it?

Thanks!

[Justin]

As long as you're not running into stability problems, you probably don't need to update. Most of the Windows update fixes are either to patch network & internet explorer exploits, or to fix compatiblity issues with new products.

Unless it directly affects the DAW, I wouldn't apply them.

The trick is to get the system stable and how you like it, then keep it that way. If you have the ability to create a system image, do it, then you can always put it back the way you started.

[dpd]

^^^ I haven't updated my CS Rack for 10 months, probably. No OS stability worries. The only trouble I have is pushing its performance envelope - gotta go dual-core soon

[maximus]

Well, we tried installing ProTools and it didn't go so hot. Installation appeared to work OK but when we tried to format the Glyph, we got a "delayed write failure" error and were not able to format.

Tried his other hard drive, Seadisk, which formatted okay. Then tried to open protools, and nothing. The ProToolsLE process started, but no window or application would open.

Went back to the Glyph and finally figured out how to format it. Now, ProTools opens, but the same "delayed write failure" message appears.

What to do next? Uninstall/Reinstall of ProTools?

Does this sound like a faulty drive? UGGGh!

Please share with us your valued insight. Thanks folks.

[dpd]

Just some quick reads online tend to indicate a 1394 (firewire) driver issue. I know there are some XP settings dealing with delayed writing. Perhaps a call to Glyph? I had issues with this error only when I tried to hot-swap the Glyph early on.

BTW, I don't use my Glyph firewire drive for audio in Protools - it won't provide the peformance of the SATA drive in my system. I just use it to sneakernet sessions between home and the studio at the station. Funny, I use Glyph drives at the station for recording. Must be something with the Firewire interface - i just never really dug into it.

[n0ther1]

just got mbox 2 mini and tring to install pro tools but the computer i have now will not install. so im out to get a new computer which i will not be using online (thanks to tip from site). can anyone suggest a processor i should have. read that i should have Intel core duo 2-64 class chip. with XP home (SP2). just wanted to make sure before i did go with anything.

[tech1]

Our Creation Stations use Pentum D's and Pentium 4's. Check 'em out: http://www.sweetwater.com/creation_station/chart.php

Plus, they come pre-configured, and we can even do an install for you, so you just have to plug in and go.

[dpd]

^^^ Matt - when is Sweetwater going to offer dual-core upgrades for their original CS machines? (Heck, even and upgrade kit - you guys can get the hardware in volume for less than I can buy it...)

[Justin]

We can do some levels of upgrades via our service department.

If we're talking about the first wave of Creation Station based on Socket 478 motherboards, we haven't offered an upgrade kit because changing the original single core machines over into a dual core is a very extensive upgrade. It typically requires a new motherboard, CPU, RAM, video card, and sometimes a power supply. It's almost a whole new machine. Changing the motherboard also will require a full reinstall of Windows. If someone is going to undertake this and wants to maintain their warranty, we'd prefer to handle the install here to make sure we can test everything and apply all our tweaks to the system.

When you consider the number of components involved and the time it takes, this is usually not a cheap upgrade.

More recent Creation Stations that are based on Socket 775 motherboards are easier to upgrade. It's not as hard to change the single core CPU's out for a Dual Core as long it's a model with a motherboard that supports Pentium D. You'd want to call your sales engineer or our service department to get a quote on the upgrade.