First off my apologies if I upset anyone in are discussions of switches versus no-switches. Believe me it was nothing personal I just get very passionate over some subjects...sorry
I've been haveing out of sync problems with everything i've tried...Monkey, Lpac, Mpc although not with Mp3 (this is no longer an option though). I've reported before and the best we could come up with was possible hardware problems
AMD Athlon™ Processor, MMX, 3DNow, ~950MHz
128MB RAM
Windows 98
I'm not sure of the chipset or bios.

With the help of this forum and the fact it happens with every type of encoder except Mp3 I've conceded to the fact it must be hardware. Now I am coming up with out of sync errors for files previously checked and were good. (every CD I rip and encode I run it through Winamp and reencode the 3 or 4 out of sync files that i come up with ussually that fixes them first time)

does this mean my hardware is deteriorating and messing up my files or am I doing something else that is causing good .mpc 's to go bad

(Don't tell me its my --braindead --minSMR 3 causing it to go bad)
:spank: Just alittle humour

Theoretically it would be possible that hard disk failure would break files that were previously good, but that would break all files (executables, images, texts). If your computer happens to have VIA chipset you should try installing latest drivers, they can be found from http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=2.

Give us a more details about your system. Which mainboard, installed drivers, anything installed in the last days, ...

You could test data integrity with packing a huge file with winrar....or was it winace (one of these is especially critical)....and then unpacking it again. If there occur any CRC errors you know that your hardware is faulty.

That'd be Winace;

http://www.winace.com

according to what i heard, create a very large archive at maximum compression using the ace format andthen either test or decompress it. If you have flaky hardware then it wil report CRC errors as the theduke said.

I personally have never experienced or witnesed this however and is just information i heard about.

Cheers

Kristian

I'm no Microsoft basher or anything, but it's my experience (and not mine alone) that bad things always happen around Windows 9x/ME systems. Try switching to a NT based operating system (2K/XP).

VIA chipsets mostly have problems with PCI transfers. For stress testing, copy a large file around (500 MB or more) and play an MP3 (MPC) at the same time, and anything else that stresses your PCI bus... downloading files from a LAN, playing a movie etc. Repeat copying a few times; CRC has to match in the end, or the system is not stable.

A simple CRC checker: http://www.cyberdyne-software.com/crc32.html

OK I downloaded Winace. Choose 21 .wav's to compress total 623mb
played .mpc with winamp, and ripped and encoded a cd all at the same time.
When Winace was completed the first .wav was OK The rest of the 20 .wavs came up with crc errors
Where do I go from here to correct my problem?

Hummm... buy a new Mother Board?

Well, my suggestion...

If you're overclocking, go back to default speed.

Reinstall system with Windows 2000 or XP, and install latest drivers for everything, not forgetting the VIA 4in1 drivers.

Reinstalling is a big hassle I know, but it has to be done from time to time. It often corrects these sorts of weird issiues.

Maybe though, there's some easy fix to cure all this in a flash... who knows .

EDIT: Speaking of 'flash', get latest BIOS for your motherboard as well.

Some things to try:
Install VIA 4-in-1
Open the computer case to increase cooling
Check that all cards and cables are seated properly
Check that all fans are spinning
Check that power supply is powerful enough (should be atleast 250W for your system)
Replace thermal paste in your CPU cooler (it's probably crappy thermal tape)
Check BIOS settings, check that timings are not too fast
Increase / decrease voltages for your processor (if possible from motherboard / bios)
Get some spare hardware and swap components until you find what's causing the problem

I've already installed the newest 4 in 1
I seem to have propritary BIOS because there are options for changing settings
I will try everything else and let you know what happens.
if all else fails any suggestions on what to look for in a motherboard (I really can't afford right now)but if I must I guess I must

I often hear this, but it's ineffective. When closed, the case forms an "air tunnel". Cold air is sucked in (usually from the front), passes the cards & CPU and leaves from the PSU. It gets accelerated by the PSU fan (and additional fans). If you open the case, the air stands still. Hot spots may appear. If you are concerned about the temperatures, add an extra fan to improve airflow.

About your problem: I think this is another case of VIA chipset problems with PCI transfers. Maybe a new 4-in-1 fixed that, but in principle this is a hardware issue. VIA needs to get their act together.

This really depends on fans and case design. When case is closed it requires powerful enough fans in the back to cool system. On systems lacking in this respect it helps a lot to remove the cover. Warm air won't stand still, unless there are no fans spinning inside.

If it's indeed faulty motherboard you could buy a board with SiS chipsets, they are cheap and work well.

Just an idea, if the computer or board isnt to old then you may be able to get it replaced where you bought it or RMA it back to the original manufacturer. Some motherboard companies offer up to two years warranty on their boards!

Also you could simply contact the board manufacturer and see if it is a know problem with their range of boards. If so they may have plans put in place to repair or replacew it also.

Just an Idea,

Cheers,

Kristian

Which board do you have smg?

If it is the board, you should buy a SiS as Case suggested. They are extremely stable and unbelievable cheap. The best choice if you have a small budget.

But if I were you, I would verify first that it isn't the harddisk or something else which causes troubles.

I'd still say, that before ditching the hardware, try to find out if it could be a software problem by following my above suggestions. It's easier, and a lot cheaper too.

It could very well be a hardware problem, yes, but I think it would be worth trying to eliminate all possibilities before laying down cash for new hardware.