Tip: Is Your Computer Up to it?

[PapaJohn \(MVP\)]

What are the hardest things for your computer to do? Here's a few

- hard drive speed and condition is most critical when exporting a movie
from Movie Maker to your digital camcorder.... if it's fully tuned up, it
still might not transmit smoothly if it's a slow laptop drive that just
sufficient to do this task.

- CPU top speed limits how fast your project can be rendered to a saved
movie.... it runs along at top speed and heats up.... laptops especially can
overheat and automatically shut down.... my Toshiba laptop did it twice...
both at Barnes & Noble when I let it sit on a big cushy chair as it rendered
a movie. The fluff of the cushion cut off some of the air flow needed to
keep it cool.... newer faster CPU speeds often mean more heat.... blowing on
the computer with an external fan during rendering has gotten more than a
couple people past the issue.... turning down the priority of the task would
help too, taking longer to render is better than overheating

- the combo of installed memory (RAM), and your virtual swap drive setting
sets the maximum memory available. Rendering a complex timeline for a movie,
or a Photo Story, often pushes up to the total limit.... if it hits the
limit, you get unfinished rendering, corrupt files, or worse... it's a good
idea to, on a daily basis, open your Task Manager, go to the Performance
tab, and check the Peak memory number at the lower left - it tells you the
maximum memory that's available, and the most you needed since the computer
was last turned on (my laptop read 643MB last night when I closed it down
and I had rendered a 8 min 22 second movie yesterday in addition to all the
other normal stuff you do on a computer).... I just started it up for today
and it's reading 211MB, before opening Movie Maker)... and my physical RAM
is 512MB. My maximum memory 'limit' right now shows 1.28GB (but that will
automatically move upwards when it's needed - to the max of the RAM +
virtual swap drive setting).

--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 and Photo Story 3 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org
..

 

[John Kelly]

turning down the priority of the task would
help too, taking longer to render is better than overheating

Completely Wrong information...Come on Microsoft how long are you going to
allow this person the freedom to post messages that are so completely
wrong?? His understanding of what happens at this level is the same as his
knowledge on using basic programs...sadly lacking.

Why he is wrong....simply, turning down the priority for one program
increases the chances for other programs/procedures to use the CPU....the
CPU will still run at the same speed, WHY ??? Easy, if there are no other
process that want access then Movie Maker uses those spare slots
itself....the result is NO CHANGE IN CPU SPEED. I have no doubt that the
author of the above thought....So, lets suppose that Movie Maker would
normally require 100% of the CPU....That's the wrong approach.

The correct approach is....here is 100% of the slots (T States)...Movie
Maker has a normal priority....no other process's want the CPU...lets give
it all to Movie Maker...the comments by this mvp would have you
believe....."Here are 100% of the slots available....and Movie Maker has a
priority less than normal therefore I am only going to give it some number
less than all of them, AND as no other process wants those slots I am going
to sit idle" HAHAHAHAHA NO NO NO Computers do not work like that.

The CPU will ALWAYS be active if some process requires it no matter how low
the priority is for that process...it will ALWAYS give the next time slot
to the process with the highest priority....if that particular process is
waiting for something else to happen then the time slot is given to any
other process requiring it again using the hierarchy of highest priority
process first. Because of this.....the CPU will ALWAYS run at full speed
through the time period that Movie Maker would have run at full speed if no
changes had been made to its priority.

He is also wrong about the CPU limiting how fast a project can be
rendered....he is using the equivalent of several cliche's strung together
badly to make a self evident point....Laptop computers are NOT suitable for
this kind of job.....that's why Microsoft put barriers in the way with
laptops so that the laptop will not overheat...I don't have the link at
hand, but it is well documented at the Microsoft
website...unfortunately...Microsoft also tell you how to get around those
blocks. There is a lot more to why he is wrong on this point...to explain
it all would make for a VERY long message

The remarks about Memory, well people...its drivel, something to pad out
the message... 211MB in use and he has just started the machine...So
what??? what is his point? In what way does that information help? Does he
think it odd that the machine will use more and more memory as its needs
require is in some way strange?????

If you take the advice of going to the Performance indicator does he think
that you will catch the computer out and see that there is more or less
Real and Virtual memory than there really is???...would you make it go and
stand in the corner with its monitor turned down because it has been a bad
little computer????

The Truth, he has recently found those nice little graphs and stats when
you press CTRL-ALT-DEL and all those numbers and wiggly lines have become
addictive to him.....and without all that drivel...there would have been NO
TIP THIS DAY

--
Best Wishes.....John Kelly
www.the-kellys.org
www.the-kellys.co.uk
Check out free video hosting at www.the-kellys.org
----
\|||/
(oo)
----------ooO-(_)-Ooo-------------
All material gained from other sources is duly acknowledged. No Value is
obtained by publishing in any format other peoples work

 

[PapaJohn \(MVP\)]

John Kelly is right about lowering the priority not lowering the CPU usage
while rendering a movie..

My laptop is pegged at 100% right now, after lowering the priority of Movie
Maker to 'Low'.... but it helps me in doing other things like emailing and
posting in the foreground as the rendering goes along in the background.

--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 and Photo Story 3 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org
..

 

[John Kelly]

So, as I did not exactly make the point before....everything leading up to
your remark which was supposed to be mutually colaborative it NOT.,....some
tip of the day that was...got any more like that???

Here is my tip....go take some lessons in basic computer technology....then
do several years at the leading edge with computer and software
design....then consider giving some carefully worded tips!! I seem to
remember making the observation before....you REALLY do love leading with
the chin.....Mr MVP

--
John Kelly
www.the-kellys.org
www.the-kellys.co.uk
Check out free video hosting at www.the-kellys.org
----
\|||/
(oo)
----------ooO-(_)-Ooo-------------
All material gained from other sources is duly acknowledged. No Value is
obtained by publishing in any format other peoples work