This Has Really Got Me Angry, Someone Help

For the last 3 months I've thought I could find a solution to this eventually...

but I can't, and it's getting me pissed off. I've read all posts on design technika, here, but nothing helps.

OK my system is run very clean, no additional stuff, a registry you could cook an egg off, etc. So a real clean system, 320 Ram, a slow graphics card in this laptop (Ati Rage Mobility 8mb) but a clean system.

Now, when I start my pc (with NO additional things running, yes none, no Yz toolbar, no dock, no shadow, NOTHING, just the explorer and shell32)

... and then run Y'z Dock 0.83,... the dock FPS is 15.5 FPS. On that session it will never increase, no matter how many times I close the dock and restart it.

BUT.

When I start my PC, connect to the internet, OPEN a few explorer windows, then close them again, and THEN load Y'z Dock 0.83, the FPS is a constant 39 FPS.

Ok so you say then why doesn't Three Drives always load his dock that way?

The Problem is it doesn't always work! I haven't found exactly what the correct ordering is, sometimes I need to have Y's Shadow enabled for the dock to start at 39 FPS, and sometimes when I do everything I think it wants it still starts at 15.5, nothing short of a reboot and a "try it again" will help.

I suspected the weather docklets (because they auto dial an internt connection) so I removed them and all other docklets (even the 'bin), but nothing changed, still the same game of cat and mouse.

Someone, anyone, help me out.

EDIT:// I even ried what that chinese guy said on improving dock performance when your pc has many open apps, i.e. create a .bat file with this in it:

start /HIGH YzDock.exe

And run that file when you want to start your Y'z Dock. It really helped me when my pc was really crunchin with 20 open apps, the dock smooth (well constant) as ever.

Or instead of "HIGH" using "REALTIME" but he didn't reccomend that, he said anything above HIGH would unstabilise the system.

But nevertheless this hasn't helped with my initial problem, Y'z dock still starts at 15.5 or 39 FPS, at will, and I can't make out how it decides.

#49017

Does this problem happen with older builds of Y'zdock?

If it does, it's not a problem on your end.

If your system is 'clean' and you are sure nothing else is running in the background or at startup (msconfig), y'zdock should be constant in it's fps...

You said you removed all docklets. Try removing all links except 1. (ie: linked to C:\). See if the problem still occurs. In theory removing all links shouldn't do anything but you video card might have to struggle to show higher fps.

I've had similar problems to you in y'zdock fps consistancy. Y'zdock would only have decent fps if I gave it an absolute flogging. I'd set both zoom states to max and run my mouse back and forward across it. I'd then set it back to my desired, useable size and it would run great.

It was really weird.

It was either my videocards problem (8meg card - ewwww) or Y'zdock's problem. Nothing else running in the background.

I've even tried disabling *every* unessesary xp background service and this process didn't change y'zdock's behavior too much aswell. I got a few more fps but I've put that down to the fact that my video card didn't have to draw anything remotelly complex to 'draw' besides y'zdock.

Creating a *.bat file with 'start /HIGH YzDock.exe' and running Y'zdock like that would overcome bad fps over multitasking. But wouldn't really do much concerning startup in conjunction with no other apps running. I wish i could give you a defininate answer. Plainly put, I don't know how to fix the problem. Try older build of Y'zdock. That's prolly where the problem lies.

Goodluck.

keep us informed.

#49039

tried version 0.8.2?

#49040

Sone: No I haven't got other builds.

I'm starting to think my Dell Inspiron 7500, starts up sluggish, and the cpu speeds up as it gets used. (even though it's not a SpeedStep cpu), bu y'z never changes it's first detected cpu power. If I'm lucky to start it when my cpu gets going =39 fps, If I start it first thing after a reboot = 15 fps, even if I close it down, then wait for my cpu to speed up, and start it again = still 15 fps.

It's always either one (39) or the other (15),... never both in one session.

Only a reboot breaks the fps lock, does that make sense?

I don't know maybe I'm crazy,... I cant actually "tell" when my cpu is "slow" or "fast" I'm just taking potshots at what it might be.

Once I open y'z dock whichever (high or low) fps it starts at, thats it, it will not change it, to matter how much I select higher quality settings then revert, open/close programs, etc. It will stay like that until a reboot.

If I'm lucky to have it start at 39 FPS, that's good, it will not drop no matter what. But if it starts at 15 fps, it will stay like that.

How can it randomly start at 2 distinctly different (but always the same valued) FPS levels? ---> on a clean system.

If I had *any* other junk running I could understand that something might interfere, but on a totally slate msconfig?

#49042

i daresay you have the latest drivers for your graphics card? that you have tried changing display settings? that you have increased your monitors refresh rate?

just some stuff off the top of my head. you may have a disfunctional graphics card (extremely likely) especially if this is an old laptop you have had for a while...

AH

ok, just remembered something

go into your display properties thing (right click on desk, properties, etc etc etc)

in the settings tab, in the main display properties window, click advanced. you should see some stuff about your graphics card ( for me on an Nvidia mx 420 there is general, adapeter, moniter etc)

Step 1

since i have never used an ATi rage mobile card or any ATi card for that matter, i do not know what you will see. look around the different tabs until you come across something with which you can change performance, antialiasing etc. make sure the Image setting is at high performance NOT high quality. apply the new settings if you need to change them

Step 2

there should be a tab or something that says OpenGL( after more looking around.)this next step will drastically improve your FPS in games and on the desktop, so i recomend it to everyone. there shold be something that says Vertical Sync. pull down the menu and change it to Always off. there may also be something called buffer-flipping mode. change that to auto-select.

i hope this helped, though i doubt it did. start saving your money for a new g-card (they are hell to install in laptops, let someone else do it) and it will definitely fix it

good luck!

#49060

Wait for the new OD.

Seriously, have you checked your power saving settings? It might be the speed-step technology kicking off. Make sure that your settings are all on full power. Other than that, I'm stumped.

#49111

Originally posted by GameBoyzGB@Aug 22 2003, 11:24 AM

Wait for the new OD.

Seriously, have you checked your power saving settings? It might be the speed-step technology kicking off. Make sure that your settings are all on full power. Other than that, I'm stumped.

Thanks, but powersaving is normal, and it's not a speedstep cpu.

As to the drivers, yes the fastest driver 5779, + dx9.

OPENGL or other such settings are not relevant here, because what cannot be determined is why the dock starts at different FPS values at different times, while the system has remained unchanged.

I.e. turning vsync off (it already is) might make the 2 numbers 18 FPS and 42 FPS, instead of 15 and 39. The issue is that there are 2 FPS's

I'm thinking its maybe the cpu driver from microsoft. Remember way back when Win update offered that crooked PIII driver then removed it? Maybe I have that.

Can somebody with a P3 tell me what driver their cpu is using.

Xp---> My comp properties---->Device Manager ----> hardware --->enable hidden---> processors

#49233

ey three drives i have the same graphiccard with 8meg ram as u and really its not the best performance but thats the price on slower systems. And for me i never get back 2 that ugly ms systems. hope u r not 2 frustrated.h

#49238

Ok I've narrowed the problem down.

Everytime I start my computer it starts with a pf usage of 90mb (you can see in Taskmanager)

If I start YzDock then it starts at 15FPS.

But, if I run some programs and push the PF Usage to over 120MB, and then start YzDock it starts at 39 FPS.

Weird.

#49918

Ok I have learned a little more about this.

How could Yz Dock possibly be affected by an ADSL modem plugged into the USB port?

The problem remains: (Starting Yz Dock immediately after bootup gives x (15) FPS in YzDock. Starting Yz Dock after making a connection and opening, loading and closing 5-10 internet pages, THEN starting Yz Dock gives 2x (40) FPS in Yz Dock)

I have now discovered that if I stop and unplug my USB ADSL modem, if YzDock had started at 15 fps, it shoots upto 40 FPS.

What on earth does YZ Dock running fps have to do with a USB modem and or rasauto.exe?

#60157

weird, i've been following this thread, and after pulling my fax/modem out of my comp. to switch to adsl my fps has gone up over 10 fps from around 30 to over 40. This appears to be permanent, and i can't remember changing anything else, but i could be wrong.

i wonder if having your adsl on lan instead of usb would make a difference?

#60199

so taking out the modem yielded a graphic performance increase?

weird.

#60203

hello,

removing the modem **could** justify the performance increase. lemme explain. the graphics part of ALL docks (on windows) use the processor to draw transparently onto the screen. if the modem requires any special operations from the processor part, then it is taking away processing power that could be used on the dock. but then again. that's a too big performance increase. have you tried updating your modem drivers? are there any other programs that pop up and keep working while your modem is on? because that could justify.

cheers

#60218

The thing is it doesn't always happen.

If I bootup, connect, open +- 10 ie pages, close them again, then start the dock, it does work at 40 fps (while the modem is connected).

If I bootup, then immediately start the dock, it will start at 15 fps. Doesn't matter what I do afterwards, close the dock, disconnect, connect again, load the pages, load the dock, it's irrelevant, the dock is "locked" at 15 fps until restart.

That is unless I disconnect the ADSL USB modem,.. whereupon the dock goes upto 40 fps. Real weird.

There are no (and I mean msconfig no) other progs running when I am connected.

I will look for new drivers now.

#60226

a couple of ideas:

watch the cpu usage in task manager from the time you start windows unti you start the dock

watch the cpu usage by process... maybe something is looking for an internet connection (windows update, maybe?)

do you have a mail docklet? try removing this one, as well.

open internet explorer and choose "work offline" before you start y'dock

pray!

#60267

why is this such a big deal, it confuses me, must be a different language.... lol

#60270

slower fps = someone poured glue on your dock.

#60295

don't really know... is this a device problem?

but is it possible that your modem and your video card are using the same IRQ or I/o settings....worth looking into...

#60297