Windows 10 installs get corrupted by BI-4

[billrp]

I've had BI-4 installed on three separate Windows 10 systems over the last 4 months and within 5 days the systems all got corrupted. BI or Windows will lockup, and a reset or power cycle is needed. sfc /scannow reports there are corrupted system files that can't be repaired.

I'm looking for suggested changes to prevent the corruptions and crashes.

My first install was an i7-920 8GB and BI kept running OK for several months (but with a corrupted Windows as reported by sfc/scannow), but eventually the system could not boot. The second system was a high-end AMD A8 also with 8GB and that failed after 5 days. My current system is a brand new clean install i5-6500 with 6GB, SSD system disk and 1TB HDD for clips, and this is now failing after 3 days - last night it just froze up.

I have 15 cameras, all 640/480 except two at 1280/720, at about 5fps or 10fps, all with motion trigger and direct to disk. The CPU usage is about 35% and RAM at 990GB. I tried with/without Hardware Accel. and that did not change the CPU %. The incoming network ethernet usage is about 25-30Mbps, and no other apps are running on the system, except the BI viewer is always running to show the 15 cameras. The BI log file shows no warnings or errors. But the Windows Events shows many error and critical events, but I haven't found the root cause yet.

I can try combination of these changes- disable triggering and do continuous recording only; reduce fps on all cameras down to 5fps, reduce resolution to 640/480 on all cameras; maybe more memory - but BI and Windows reports only about 1GB is used out of 6 GB physical memory.

The Windows memory diagnostics reported no problems on all 3 systems, and chkdsk sometimes reports problems that it fixes - except at the end of life of the first two systems when the Windows OS on the system disk could not be repaired or restored, only a reset could bring them back to life (but those 2 systems are now doing less strenuous tasks).

Finally- I'm certain Windows on this PC is getting corrupted by BI because we have about 15 other Windows PC in the same network and none get corrupted, plus I have a separate BI-4 installation at my home with just 2 cameras with no corruption.

Thanks

 

[bp2008]

I think you just got a streak of bad luck. Blue Iris does not corrupt systems. Many people run it trouble-free 24 hours a day on a wide variety of computers with much larger loads than yours.

It seems it is most likely faulty hardware, which is all too common. The PC I'm typing this on right now blue screened just this morning, and does so fairly often, regardless of CPU load level.

That log doesn't go back very far. This machine is something like 4 years old and has been crashing regularly ever since it was newly built. If it had been a system with a warranty, it would have been repaired or replaced a long, long time ago. Point is, hardware defects can be very difficult to track down and solve. I once found a bad keyboard driver was the culprit in a different system-crashing episode.

 

[Q™]

I've been running BI4x on an i7-3770 Win10 64bit system for months without a reboot or a peep of trouble.

Is there any hardware commonality which is shared between your "three separate Windows 10 systems" billrp?

 

[billrp]

Thanks for comments. I took another close look at it seems that I did not have Direct to Disk enabled for the 15 cameras. So yesterday I set enable DTD for all but 2 cameras (which only have MJPEG streams). Since then, I have no crash or warnings, but I'll watch the PC closely and report back here.

But I would think BI should better handle performance problems when DTD is disabled. Yes, I understand real time transcoding is compute intensive - but I only observed 30% CPU usage, and 1GB memory, so why the problems? I really seems like BI might have memory buffer overruns or leaks, which in turn confuse Windows. (But there are ways for a developer to easily find these kinds of bugs.)

 

[fenderman]

There are no leaks that I have observed even on machines not using direct to disk.. something in your setup is causing the issue...

 

[billrp]

The only thing different in 3 setups out of a total of about 20 Winwows installation is BI-4.x running with DTD disabled on 15 cameras. But now the system is stable with DTD enabled.

There are no leaks that I have observed even on machines not using direct to disk.. something in your setup is causing the issue...

 

[billrp]

The only thing different in 3 setups out of a total of about 20 Windows installation is BI-4.x running with DTD disabled on 15 cameras. But now the system is stable with DTD enabled.

Also, when BI and DTD disabled I was getting numerous "Out of Memory" messages in the BI log - so either there's a bug in the message or there's a memory leak. So there's at least one bug somewhere in the lastest BI.

What else would be causing the "Out of Memory" message??? (Probably NOT something on my system)

 

[fenderman]

Also, when BI and DTD disabled I was getting numerous "Out of Memory" messages in the BI log - so either there's a bug in the message or there's a memory leak. So there's at least one bug somewhere in the lastest BI.

What else would be causing the "Out of Memory" message??? (Probably NOT something on my system)

There could be many reasons for that message...I have 20 machines running BI with no errors as do many others here. If you believe there is a leak or some sort of problem contact the developer...
Did you use the same ssd on all your systems?

 

[billrp]

There could be many reasons for that message...I have 20 machines running BI with no errors as do many others here. If you believe there is a leak or some sort of problem contact the developer...
Did you use the same ssd on all your systems?

Two different SSDs. As for the Out of Memory message, yes I understand there are many reasons for that message, but unless it's a bug in the message string, then an out of memory occurs because the stack limit is reached, heap allocation, TLS or sbrk fails, which generally means there's a leak somewhere.

But you "fenderman" declared without qualification there are no memory leaks so I assume you are the developer speaking with authority.

 

[fenderman]

Two different SSDs. As for the Out of Memory message, yes I understand there are many reasons for that message, but unless it's a bug in the message string, then an out of memory occurs because the stack limit is reached, heap allocation, TLS or sbrk fails, which generally means there's a leak somewhere.

But you "fenderman" declared without qualification there are no memory leaks so I assume you are the developer speaking with authority.

I am not the developer. I have no connection to Blue iris other than being a user. I have over 20 machines running BI - my machines are not special magical machines. There are thousands of other users here who are not reporting your issue..therefore I can tell you for certain there is no leak...I suspect user error. If i had a nickel for each time a user here blamed BI and it turned out to be their own fault...
Have you reached out to support?

 

[billrp]

I am not the developer. I have no connection to Blue iris other than being a user. I have over 20 machines running BI. So I can tell you for certain there is no leak...I suspect user error. If i had a nickel for each time a user here blamed BI and it turned out to be their own fault...
Have you reached out to support?

I thought there is no support except this forum.

But in any of your 20 BI systems do you have DTD disabled? I suspect that might have problems and I've seen recommendations here that for "stability" DTD should be enabled. (And if there were no bugs or leaks then BI should always be stable with or without DTD enabled.)

 

[fenderman]

I thought there is no support except this forum.

But in any of your 20 BI systems do you have DTD disabled? I suspect that might have problems and I've seen recommendations here that for "stability" DTD should be enabled. (And if there were no bugs or leaks then BI should always be stable with or without DTD enabled.)

There is an email tech support. I have systems with both d2d and not d2d. All systems are stable. There is something wrong with your setup.

 

[smiticans]

When you installed Windows, did you install all the drivers for your motherboard? Did you do all the Windows updates?

 

[billrp]

When you installed Windows, did you install all the drivers for your motherboard? Did you do all the Windows updates?

The first system had been running Win-10 64-bit for several months with casual usage, with all latest drivers and updates installed.
Second system was an existing Win-10 32-bit, but AMD A10, same.
Latest system was barnd new, with latest MB Bios, and a new clean Win-10 install with all latest.
But I think the cause of the problems is the Direct to Disk disabled for all 15 cameras.

 

[billrp]

The problem seems to be in Blue Iris Client. This was always running, and after just a few days the client would just freeze the Windows 10 system. A restart found corrupt system files which can usually but not always be fixed with sfc /scannow

I stopped running the BI-4 client, and the system has been OK for 2 weeks. Instead, an IE browser is now always running that shows the cameras.

Apparently (to me) there's a bug in the BI-4 native client for at least 4 months - but of course I expect others here to say that BI is perfect and there no bugs, nor have there ever been any bugs or issues or problems.

 

[fenderman]

The problem seems to be in Blue Iris Client. This was always running, and after just a few days the client would just freeze the Windows 10 system. A restart found corrupt system files which can usually but not always be fixed with sfc /scannow

I stopped running the BI-4 client, and the system has been OK for 2 weeks. Instead, an IE browser is now always running that shows the cameras.

Apparently (to me) there's a bug in the BI-4 native client for at least 4 months - but of course I expect others here to say that BI is perfect and there no bugs, nor have there ever been any bugs or issues or problems.

Wow. Blue iris doesnt even have a client. Its a server application. There are no bugs that cause the issues you describe. This is complete user error due to incompetence. Think logically. Do you think the thousands of BI users here have magical systems?? Come on.

 

[billrp]

I guess you're new to Blue-Iris, "fenderman". The BI Help refers to BI running as a service, and then if you run BI again a second time that is considered a "client" according to the BI help.

My experience is that if the second execution of BI (where you can see all the cameras and settings) is running all the time has caused BI crashes and Windows 10 system problems after just several days. If the client is not running, everything is good.

 

[fenderman]

I guess you're new to Blue-Iris, "fenderman". The BI Help refers to BI running as a service, and then if you run BI again a second time that is considered a "client" according to the BI help.

My experience is that if the second execution of BI (where you can see all the cameras and settings) is running all the time has caused BI crashes and Windows 10 system problems after just several days. If the client is not running, everything is good.

lol. its not a client - its referred to as the "console" not the client. So I guess you are the newbie. There is no issue with blue iris. This is user error. I run over 20 instances of blue iris. Zero issues. You need to hire a professional to setup your system. You are obviously not competent. Again, think about it, how come all the rest of us dont have your "issues"....you are the problem.

 

[smiticans]

I've had BI-4 installed on three separate Windows 10 systems over the last 4 months and within 5 days the systems all got corrupted. BI or Windows will lockup, and a reset or power cycle is needed. sfc /scannow reports there are corrupted system files that can't be repaired.

I'm looking for suggested changes to prevent the corruptions and crashes.

My first install was an i7-920 8GB and BI kept running OK for several months (but with a corrupted Windows as reported by sfc/scannow), but eventually the system could not boot. The second system was a high-end AMD A8 also with 8GB and that failed after 5 days. My current system is a brand new clean install i5-6500 with 6GB, SSD system disk and 1TB HDD for clips, and this is now failing after 3 days - last night it just froze up.

I have 15 cameras, all 640/480 except two at 1280/720, at about 5fps or 10fps, all with motion trigger and direct to disk. The CPU usage is about 35% and RAM at 990GB. I tried with/without Hardware Accel. and that did not change the CPU %. The incoming network ethernet usage is about 25-30Mbps, and no other apps are running on the system, except the BI viewer is always running to show the 15 cameras. The BI log file shows no warnings or errors. But the Windows Events shows many error and critical events, but I haven't found the root cause yet.

I can try combination of these changes- disable triggering and do continuous recording only; reduce fps on all cameras down to 5fps, reduce resolution to 640/480 on all cameras; maybe more memory - but BI and Windows reports only about 1GB is used out of 6 GB physical memory.




The Windows memory diagnostics reported no problems on all 3 systems, and chkdsk sometimes reports problems that it fixes - except at the end of life of the first two systems when the Windows OS on the system disk could not be repaired or restored, only a reset could bring them back to life (but those 2 systems are now doing less strenuous tasks).

Finally- I'm certain Windows on this PC is getting corrupted by BI because we have about 15 other Windows PC in the same network and none get corrupted, plus I have a separate BI-4 installation at my home with just 2 cameras with no corruption.

Thanks

Did you use any hardware on the new i5 system from any of the old systems? What brand SSD are you using? If you don't mind, can you list the specs of the computer including the manufacture for each part (assuming you built the computer youself)?

A year or two ago I was using an OCZ SSD with my BI machine. For whatever reason, the computer would always crash with the OCZ SSD. I swapped out the OCZ SSD with a Samsung 850 EVO and the computer has been running stable since then.


BTW, an AMD A8 APU is not a high end processor, especially when it comes to BI.

 

[billrp]

I'm on my 4th system in the past few months, and it's been stable now for 2 weeks since I stopped using the BI-4 "console" or "client". This system had self-destructed after about 4 days when I had the "console" constantly running. I restored the Windows 10 image and never run the "console" except to change a setting (and then I pray and try to quickly leave the console). The system is:
Windows 10, 64-bit Pro, with latest updates (not preview)
i5-6500
Gigabyte GA-H110M-S2PV with F5 bios (the latest), and using Intel on-board graphics
Corsair 500w power supply
8GB DDR3 1300 Kingston (2x of 4GB each)
Toshiba 500GB 2.5" Sata hard drive (previously I had two Sandisk SSDs and one Crucial SSD but their Windows installs were also destroyed to the point beyond repair)
No other software installed except Tight-VNC, Dropbox, Google Chrome
System is in an AC room, never more than 74*
Power is on a UPS

Note that I also have a separate system for about 1 year, with BI-4 and with 4 cameras, and never a problem - and that also never runs the BI "console" except as necessary. This Win-10 64-bit system also runs a variety of services like Plex, Tivo server, VNC, PRTG, Dropbox, Onedrive, iCloud

I'll repeat - it seems the problems occur when the BI "console" is run constantly.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm on my 4th system in the past few months, and it's been stable now for 2 weeks since I stopped using the BI-4 "console" or "client". This system had self-destructed after about 4 days when I had the "console" constantly running. I restored the Windows 10 image and never run the "console" except to change a setting (and then I pray and try to quickly leave the console). The system is:
Windows 10, 64-bit Pro, with latest updates (not preview)
i5-6500
Gigabyte GA-H110M-S2PV with F5 bios (the latest), and using Intel on-board graphics
Corsair 500w power supply
8GB DDR3 1300 Kingston (2x of 4GB each)
Toshiba 500GB 2.5" Sata hard drive (previously I had two Sandisk SSDs and one Crucial SSD but their Windows installs were also destroyed to the point beyond repair)
No other software installed except Tight-VNC, Dropbox, Google Chrome
System is in an AC room, never more than 74*
Power is on a UPS

Note that I also have a separate system for about 1 year, with BI-4 and with 4 cameras, and never a problem - and that also never runs the BI "console" except as necessary. This Win-10 64-bit system also runs a variety of services like Plex, Tivo server, VNC, PRTG, Dropbox, Onedrive, iCloud

I'll repeat - it seems the problems occur when the BI "console" is run constantly.