6.0

Table Of Contents

Troubleshooting

Possible Symptoms

They may be rare, but every computer user inevitably ex-

periences seemingly severe computer problems at some

point, whether they be crashes where the mouse freezes,

the screen locks up, or the display becomes plastered with

error messages. Even mature, well written operating sys-

tems cannot protect you completely from hardware con-

flicts, bugs , or other problems.

Experience has shown that such system problems are

rarely caused by a defect in our programs or hardware

products, since they are rigorously tested by a diverse

range of musicians and studio users in a variety of appli-

cations, looking for any faults or problems.

This does not mean that the possibility of errors can be

completely ruled out; problems can crop up especially as

the various applications, operating systems and drivers

are all developed and improved in parallel by unrelated

teams, leading to occasional compatibility problems. We

do, however provide fixes in the form of software updates,

as soon as we become aware of such problems, and are

grateful to any users who make us aware of them.

If you suffer from system crashes or errors, you may well

find the tips in this chapter helpful, even if the problems

are ultimately unrelated to our products. In most cases,

these problems, once identified, can be rectified with a

minimum of effort, although tracing the cause of such

problems can be time consuming. You will be able to over-

come most of these problems without needing to consult

an expert—this chapter will guide you on how to proceed.

It is best to eliminate the classic causes of problems before

you suspect a hardware defect, or another fault, especially

before you send your machine for repair, or your software

for a refund! Take care, though: some of these suggestions

may only cure the symptoms, and could therefore compli-

cate the identification of the actual cause of the problem.

Persistent problems will require the advice of an expert.

If you have bought the computer together with the sound

card and other hardware, it is a good idea to test that the

computer is functioning as expected, with just a mouse,

keyboard, and display attached, before installing the card

and additional hardware (hard disks, printers etc.). Most

new computers come with pre-installed software, which

should allow you to test to see that everything is working

correctly. Once you have switched off everything, you can

proceed to install any hard disks, modems, scanners etc.