automaton79

Thought I would mention, I found the reason for the instability and it wasn't the motherboard chipset or the recording software after all. One of the memory sticks was bad. I diagnosed it after other items on the machine started failing (namely windows updates). After removal the computer has operated steady as a rock. So apparently it doesn't have to be on an Intel chipset board to work after all. Imagine that. So hey EyeMax, I found a board you can test with your software that works. I'm so sure they'll run out and buy one now.

Oh... and... Dated newspaper? This is some lame software package from some lame little company. If it were my computer I would have seen how many times it took to run over it in a 4x4 to destroy it. I wouldn't buy any of their stuff with someone else's money. I'm certainly not going to jump through a bunch of lame hoops to get someone's help who clearly is more interested in protocol than assistance. Help or don't, the choice is yours. Hard to say why you're here at all if all you do is NOT help and make up these rules of yours. I'll give you a little tip (since you are a PRO technician, obviously omniscient, you probably already know this one). Most digital cameras these days store a type of data called EXIF and incorporate it into the JPEG pictures taken. The EXIF data contains many things, the camera settings at the time the picure was taken (like the f-stop and exposure timing), sometimes a GPS location if the camera has the feature (pretty neat that one), oh... it also has the TIME and DATE in it. No need for a newspaper... just join us in the new millennium.

Now it isn't letting me upload anything else. I'll try again later. However you can see the EyeMax factory sticker on the front of the case. When I post the SN I will blur it out, as I don't want anyone else to use it to get software. Anyway, I managed to re-assemble the computer with a new PSU, MB, CPU, memory, processor, two new hard disks, with the CD-ROM, computer case, and processor fan/heatsink being the only original parts retained. I also managed to get a copy of the latest recording software thanks to a user who will remain anonymous (thank you for your trust and your expediency). It installed flawlessly and I was able to set everything up perfectly. However, it does crash the recording software at random, as tech support said it might. It seems to be a particular DLL causing the issue, though I don't recall the name ATM. d**6.dll or some such, I'll note it down tomorrow. I am running all Windows Updates, as the machine was a fresh install of XP Pro SP2, to see if it is related or corrected there but I doubt it. I'm guessing the DLL causing the problem could be re-written to solve the issue, but EyeMax won't do it because they can sell new machines faster when the old ones aren't repairable. Can't say I blame them, it's a sound business decision. But it sucks for companies on a budget who need some help. It's also liable to influence the consultant for the business to choose another company to provide the replacement system. I am going to see if I can frankenstein from a dell I have lying around that I know is intel NB/SB if all else fails, and that should yield me the stability we need. Though I will have to put a SATA card in it, as both the drives are now SATA (500gb & 1TB). Welp, there's your update. -Justin

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I apologize if I offended you somehow, my last post definitely had some sarcasm but there is no name calling in it. I spoke with someone at EyeMax today and they say it is NOT vista compatible. They DID say that they experience stability problems with MB chipsets other than Intel with regard to the NB and SB. Since these "other" brand chipsets (VIA, SIS, nForce, etc.) are in heavy use in computers all over the world, that has to mean that the problem is they haven't bothered to re-write their software to accommodate any of them (i.e. more cost effective not to). After all, they do sell it with their own supplied hardware configuration. Which is great and limits problems... until a part breaks that is no longer available. With that in mind I am going to attempt a MB replacement anyway, and see what happens. I have two boards, both NIB, one of them older tech (DDR, P4) the other one is newer tech (DDR2, PCI-E, P4). I will try the older one first as it seems the best chance rests with that one. Either way, EyeMax's customer service is poor. I have a business license myself, just like you. If they wanted to verify any of my information they could easily have done so. They could of also asked me for the serial number of the unit I'm working on. But they did NEITHER. It's easier to tell me "call a dealer instead". The first person I spoke with in tech support here in CA said that I needed to speak to a dealer and I said, 'Great, give me the number to one of your dealers' his response was 'I don't know who our dealers are.' Sounds like a winner to me. The second EM office (Texas) I called was much more helpful, providing all of the above information, and is calling me back tomorrow with a dealer list in my part of the state. Nice that someone can be bothered to do their job. I know us customers can be such a pain to deal with.

You seem to be having a problem speaking from fact. OBVIOUSLY the best repair would be to drop in the exact same motherboard. A five year old should know that. But in this case, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO DO SO. So I need to know: - Is there a card driver for Vista that works or not? - Can you help an authorized user get a copy of the latest software or not? (I can give you the unit serial number, which you gave as your excuse for not providing the other gentleman with the software or UN/PW for the EyeMax site) - Is the software compatible with vista or not? I realize that you are trying to help, but I'm not interested in conjecture. I can conjecture without help all day. I need FACTS and VALID OPTIONS. The same motherboard is NOT AVAILABLE. It is not available REFURBISHED or USED or ANY other way, so that is not an option. The software appears to work properly in vista, except for the ability to have the capture cards chips treated like numbered COM ports.

I found a motherboard that is still in production (new) from BIOStar, the P4M900, which supports the original P4 CPU, has onboard video and PCI slots as well as PCI-E. SATA and IDE both as well. Says it works with XP, which would mean the XP version of the software and drivers would work. I still would prefer to get the card working in the completely new computer instead of tarting up the old one. So help me out guys! Sincerely, Justin

The pics from the above user are a lesser card than the one I have, mine has 8 fusion878a's on it. Justin

I'm kind of in the same position. I'm a technician working on a liquor store's surveillance system. They had an EyeMax DVR 9240, and the motherboard has failed (multiple capacitor failure, typical of P4 motherboards) the final coffin nail was a power outage with repeat on/off cycles of power from the utility. The machine is unrepairable, save a new psu and motherboard which the mb can only be bought used as they are long out of production (i.e. junkyard/ebay take your chances) The store bought a new e-machine and had copied the software to the HDD, along with some of the old surv. video, which of course completely filled the drive and caused the system to act like a box of rocks. I installed a 1TB secondary drive, was able to mount it in the dvr software, but the problem is this... the card fits as there is one PCI slot, and vista knows about the card but its built in drivers do not treat it properly (i.e. they do not show it providing COM ports for the cameras) and therefore all you get is a cannot find COM1 error when starting the software, with no apparent remedy. All other program functions seem fine (all adjustments and such are accessible) I called Eyemax and they were extremely unhelpful, the liquor store owner is a foreigner with English as a fourth language and does not remember who he bought the system from or who installed it. I wanted to D/L the latest version of the software from Eyemax but they will not provide me with a UN and PW, English is their fourth language too apparently. Granted, at the time I did not have access to the box as they had packed it away. Now it's apart on my table, and I can see the labels. If I PM the SN to you can you get me a login so I can get the software? or better yet, do you know if this will even work on the vista platform or should I backpedal the new machine to XP? (won't be easy, they don't back write drivers for most mfr's) that or I can just build a cheap XP box and stick a SATA card in it for the TB drive and go that route. I just need to fix it one of those ways, and quickly. Thanks in advance for your help! Justin