ATI AIW 9800 Pro TV Problem

[Bob Johnston]

I'm running the following:
WIN XP Pro with SP2
Latest Catalyst drivers
MMC 8.5
This is a new installation and I've had this problem from the beginning.
Everything on the Graphics side is fine, the problem is with MMC, as soon as
I try the TV, it goes through all of the set-up, TV screen comes on for
about 2 secs. and then I get Error " The Instruction at '0x73dd11c7'
referenced memory at '0x00000004'. The memory could not be read." I've tried
evrything ATI are not being very helpful!!. Memory is all seated OK, memory
all checks out OK. MMC 9.02 will not install, it just hangs the machine
forever with Idriver.exe eating 100% of CPU !!

Any help would be appreciated, I'm kind of tearing my hair out and not very
happy with ATI Support either

 

[Paul Murphy]

I'm running the following:
WIN XP Pro with SP2
Latest Catalyst drivers
MMC 8.5
This is a new installation and I've had this problem from the beginning.
Everything on the Graphics side is fine, the problem is with MMC, as soon
as I try the TV, it goes through all of the set-up, TV screen comes on for
about 2 secs. and then I get Error " The Instruction at '0x73dd11c7'
referenced memory at '0x00000004'. The memory could not be read." I've
tried evrything ATI are not being very helpful!!. Memory is all seated OK,
memory all checks out OK. MMC 9.02 will not install, it just hangs the
machine forever with Idriver.exe eating 100% of CPU !!

Any help would be appreciated, I'm kind of tearing my hair out and not
very happy with ATI Support either

The fact the TV comes on briefly for a couple of seconds is a bit of a
giveaway that the PSU may be struggling to meet the demands of the card
since when its in TV mode the power demanded is higher. This is also a
likely cause of those obscure messages your getting since you've ruled out
the memory as a cause. What PSU are using and what bits are in your machine?
Do you have another high power PSU that you could temporarily swap over just
for testing purposes? I've not seen the IDriver.exe problem before but that
IDriver file is associated with Installshield. You'll need to ensure all
traces of MMC 8.5 are off the system before installing MMC 9.02 as MMC
doesn't like being upgraded over the top of older installations. Its also
worth carefully reading all the prerequisite instructions etc on ATIs
website re all the bits and pieces that must be installed prior to MMC in
what order etc

Paul

 

[Beauchampy]

I have the EXACT same problem on my setup. Exact same card, built into a P4
system, Asus P4P800. Definitley not a PSU problem. I have a 550w Q-Tec which
is a bit of a beast and the problem is still there. Lets face it, ATI write
absolutely shit drivers.

 

[Bob Johnston]

After much struggling I've got it working. The main problem is,don't start
with the software disc supplied witht the card. As Paul said, it doesn't
like installing MMC over old installations. I cleared out evrything,
Installed the Latest Display driver, then MMC 9.01 which worked, then MMC
9.02, this time over MMC 9.01, and all is working. ( System Restore
immediately) This was two days of sweat. I've never seen such garbage
software in my life. It's a shame , the product is good, the software is
terrible and the support from ATI isn't much better.
Thanks to all, and I hope this helps a few others. Anyone with any other
9800 problems are welcome to contact me directly, I guess I'm an "expert"
now !!

 

[Paul Murphy]

Like anything, its easy when you know how! The (very common) problem with
ATIs Multimedia Centre, in my opinion, is not that the software itself is
poorly designed, but that it's not the most straightforward bit of software
to install. Part of the problem is that people jump in without reading all
the instructions before going ahead and as a consequence perform
installations either leaving bits out, attempting to upgrade the
"un-upgradeable" or installing things in the wrong order. Re ATIs tech
support - my view is that they are "inconsistent" in their standard of
service and its the luck of the draw whether you get the right tech on a
good day. I have received excellent customer service/tech support from them
in the past though so its not all bad.

Re Beauchampy's post on the PSU - the important thing is not just the stated
wattage of the PSU but the QUALITY of power that it will provide under load.
Anyone in the UK who's just read the latest edition of Custom PC magazine's
PSU review will know that PSU quality varies widely and the maximum wattage
number is far from the be-all and end-all. I have a Q-Tec PSU in one on my
PCs (came built into the Q-Tec case) and it was without a doubt the noisiest
PSU I've ever come across until I put a larger, slower turning fan (with a
slightly higher total airflow) into it. Just why the manufacturer didn't
design it this way to begin with is anybody's guess but I would say penny
pinching came into it (80 mm "screamer" fans with a stamped out grill from
the PSU case are allot cheaper to implement than 92 mm quality fans using a
chrome wire grill that's spaced further away from the fan blades). As a
result my faith in the Q-Tec brand isn't that high.

Paul