:embarrassed: Thank you all, guys, for taking time to help out this computer/software illiterate muppet (me). I feel like a pensioner blocking the traffic lights in the middle of a rush hour traffic, because she doesn't know how to change a tire... If we can get Vue to play with me again, I promise I shall start saving for Infinite proper - I'm a convert, and I don't think I can live without it again. Shawn, I shall implement your suggestions as soon as I can - right now I'm finishing some work on Adobe and I cannot risk yet another power-down - when I started Vue this morning, it didn't even want to open - just hung there for ever 'initializing application, please wait'. However, there are a few things I think I can answer straight away. My motherboard came with an integrated 256 mb memory Nvidia GeForce 7025. Haven't used since I plugged in the 9500 GS, it will be about 6 months now. If I'm reading the thing correctly, my power supply is 350W. Vue will poodle on quite happily without any problems - as long as I don't render anything. I can have terrains, objects, full scenes, pose, modify, do whatever I like - but no render. Now it shuts down the computer on a simple sea/atmo scene, within 2 seconds of starting the smallest, 300 x 200 render. It cuts the power to computer instantly - I don't get to see any error messages, the death is instant and without warning. Last night I fired the Vue from my second HD, the one that runs Windows 7. I've ticked the 'software only' display option , rendered the smallest sea/atmo pic 'preview' style - it went OK. I moved to the next size up and ticked the 'fixed pipeline' display option - the computer turned off. (The CPU temperature was hitting 59 C - 65 C now - OK, I know that it could be lower, but my battered Carrara/Daz chug along with multi-hour renders - and with Photoshop in the background - at the same temperatures without any issues.) The NVidia GPU I'm using is capable of Open GL 3.3 and Open CL - should that be enough for Vue?. However - and this might have some significance in pointing out what the heck is going on, at least to those who have more knowledge than I do - unlike the XP that doesn't even recall Vue crashed it so badly it switched the machine off, Windows 7 seems to be able to remember something went badly wrong. And this is what the Event Log says regarding the last night's crash: - one critical event (telling me that the source was kernel-power, event ID 41, task category (63), user SYSTEM, level critical, keywords (2), Windows - 'The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first - this error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed or lost power unexpectedly) - yep, that describes it pretty accurately. It died. - then there are some other errors listed as 'Vue stopped interacting with Windows and was closed (source Application Hang) - then several of 'Some processor performance power management have been disabled due to a known firmware problem - check with the computer manufacturer for updated firmware." (source Kernel-Processor-Power), event ID 6, task category (6) By now I probably don't have to say that I don't have the foggiest idea what the above actually means... Some nice folks over at cornucopia's forum suggested to look for 'hidden folders' and delete those, uninstall PLE and re-instal again, run memory test, clear out the renders stack, but my grasp of anything more complex than opening an email is rather shaky
Not very confident there, I'm afraid. Until I sort this out, I'm left with my memories of how fabulous Vue can be - my last practice sunset before Vue decided it don't like me no more, cropped and blown up (PLE lets you save unmarked 800 x 600 renders for up to 30 days - I know - e-on is evil, I've got the bug now and I can do precious little about it at the moment :sigh:...)
