Calibre constantly freezing in Windows 10

madagascaradam · 03-07-2016, 01:59 PM

I've been using Calibre on a Windows 7 PC for about 5 or 6 years now and it's a great program, and once the 64-bit version was released, I was always using that. I recently got a new PC and updated to Windows 10 Home 64-bit and installed the latest version of Calibre (a few months ago). However, I've had constant problems of it freezing up during use... sometimes as quick as a few minutes into use, sometimes 20 minutes or so later, but it inevitably freezes every time if I keep using it. There's no one thing that seems to cause it to freeze, nor is there anything that seems to not work.... everything seems to work, especially if I can run it soon after loading Calibre, but if I keep doing different stuff (whether just editing metadata, converting books, or editing ebooks, etc. - from simple to complicated) - it will eventually freeze every time. Sometimes it freezes just when clicking on a different book entry. It doesn't however seem to freeze if left sitting there on its own. Only if I come back to it and click on something or perform some action. And when it freezes, I have to close it manually (force close) through the task manager.

Over the last few months, I've installed several calibre updates hoping one of them would fix the issues I'm having, but so far, nothing has done that. I have the latest update on there now (downloaded and installed two days ago).

I would really love to find a solution to this because I love calibre, I love my e-reader, and I even use calibre for my work (creating and editing ebook documents for a training program we lead, and Calibre is by far the best way for me to do that). So it's really hard to work with such frequent freezes, especially if I'm in the middle of a lot of ebook editing.

Anyone have any idea why this is or what I can do to try to fix this? I've tried everything from running as administrator to various compatibility mode options (everything that would seem to make sense) and nothing seems to fix it. I can't tell that any other programs might be interfering with it because nothing else gives any sort of alerts and nothing else crashes.

My windows version is 1511 OS Build 10586.63 . My laptop is an MSI GS70 2QD. I installed all its Windows 10 drivers and everything else seems to work, but it's got a lot of proprietary software that runs regularly (one for sound, a graphics driver that knows when to switch from chipset graphics to dedicated graphics - basically only on games, a keyboard driver, special network driver - all this special stuff for all the special hardware) and I have Avira installed. Other than that, I don't really allow any startup programs, so I don't know what else could be interfering.

Any thoughts for helping me narrow down and fix the problem would be great! If you need any other system info or something like that, let me know.

theducks · 03-07-2016, 02:05 PM

http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq....s-occasionally

BTW no issues here W10 x64, so it is local to your system

BetterRed · 03-07-2016, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq....s-occasionally

BTW no issues here W10 x64, so it is local to your system

And I think there are more than enough W10/Calibre users to be confident that it is something peculiar to your setup. I suspect its 'special hardware' related and other bloatware that is loaded at startup. As a general rule the only software that hardware really needs are the relevant drivers - but not the colourful widget that makes it go 'ping'.

Suggest you take an image backup of your system - I would use Macrium Pro version, which can do incrementals, or the one that's built into Windows 10 (google Windows 10 image backup) make sure you know how to restore. I would not use anything that MSI shipped - or, Dell, or HP etc etc. And then either:

disable all non Microsoft software from startup and reboot and test

or

disable non Microsoft software item-by-item from startup and reboot and test progressively

If push comes to shove, reinstall a clean Windows 10 ==>> Windows 10 Reinstall Tutorial

BR

JSWolf · 03-07-2016, 05:37 PM

Try running in safe mode and see if Calibre works. I am using Win 10 here on two different computers and both work.

madagascaradam · 03-08-2016, 02:59 AM

Thanks for all the input everyone. I did a search of the forum before I posted and saw several others had mentioned it working well on their W10, so I figured it must be a software or driver conflict.

Thanks theducks for the FAQ... I didn't realize there was a list of known conflicts like that, but it does seem to confirm what all of you are saying - likely just one piece of software causing the conflict.

I have been using the Windows 10 imaging backup software - works great. I haven't made a recent backup though, so thanks for the reminder, haha!

Anyway, when I get a bit of time to test, I'll do the whole turning off programs one-by-one thing (maybe try the safe mode first... by the way, how do you boot into safe mode on Windows 10? it starts up so fast [maybe because of the SSD], I can't tell what buttons to push for anything, even a BIOS notification doesn't seem to come up). All in all, it shouldn't take too long, because especially if I'm editing an ebook, it seems to always freeze within 5 minutes each time. (It's just been really annoying having to remember to save so frequently.)

BetterRed · 03-08-2016, 04:07 AM

@madagascaradam - Win+R - enter 'msconfig' to get System Configuration utility, select the Boot tab, set Safe boot, and select Minimal, then do a restart (Win+X, U, R)

Once your done with Safe Mode repeat the above with Safe boot OFF

BR

madagascaradam · 03-08-2016, 08:11 AM

Thanks BetterRed... I had no idea that was in msconfig. Is it new to Windows 10? Or maybe I only just ever used it for controlling startup programs in the past.

BetterRed · 03-08-2016, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madagascaradam

Thanks BetterRed... I had no idea that was in msconfig. Is it new to Windows 10? Or maybe I only just ever used it for controlling startup programs in the past.

IIRC System Configuration->Boot has been there since Vista

BR

NSILMike · 03-21-2016, 05:09 PM

This sounds similar to my issue in windows 7 (also 64-bit.) I just posted in this same Devices sub-forum, and the thread is titled "Calibre-parallel.exe glitch?"
(Calibre-parallel.exe is a process Calibre runs that you can see in task manager.)

SandFish · 04-03-2016, 05:50 AM

The same here with W8.1x64.

BetterRed · 04-03-2016, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SandFish

The same here with W8.1x64.

@SandFish - long shot - can you try installing the 32bit version, it can coexist with the 64 bit version, and it will use the existing configuration data (preferences, plugins etc) and libraries.

Can you let us know what happens.

If the 32bit doesn't work you can uninstall it via the control panel and that won't effect the 64 bit install

If the 32bit does works we can scratch our heads and wonder why

BR

SandFish · 04-08-2016, 12:42 AM

@BetterRed, I'm not going to forget your kind request. On my way to California for three weeks. I'll try it end of the month.
PF

Quelch · 04-08-2016, 02:09 AM

If all else fails consider doing a system reset

Settings, Update & Security, Recovery, Under 'Reset This PC' click on 'Get Started'
Then click on 'Keep my files'

When I updated to Win 10 from Win 8.1 I must have dragged a lot debris with it
Had all sorts of bugs and slowing down effects

The reset fixed everything
I downloaded the latest version of Calibre and it worked perfectly
All the other apps I use I downloaded from 'Ninite.com' the apps download without tool bars, adds or any other traps

Fortunately I'd copied all my email contacts as the reset removed Microsoft Office and with it Microsoft outlook, reinstalled my copy of Office and outlook and put all my contacts back

It was well worth doing, the machine is fast again and everything works well

madagascaradam · 04-16-2016, 02:24 AM

Hey everyone, thanks for the advice last month. I had a chance to try it all out (first with Safe mode, then with disabling startup programs one by one) and found the culprit(s):

* Killer Network Manager (one of the proprietary software with MSI gaming laptops) - with this disabled, it freezes up a LOT less, but still occasionally freezed up

* Nahimic UI Interface (also proprietary MSI software - with this alone disabled, it almost never froze up - working for hours, days, etc., but it did freeze up maybe once or twice)

With both disabled at the same time, I haven't experienced one freeze-up yet... so both apparently contribute to some extent to the problem. The interesting thing about the Nahimic, is that there are two to three other startups processes/services related to it, but they don't seem to interfere... only the UI Interface seems to cause the problem. It's a nice piece of software for regulating sound with different devices, but by no means necessary to get good sound. Similarly, with the Killer Network Manager, it doesn't really bother me, because I very rarely have an internet connection and even then, it's a metered connection, so I don't need the fancy no-lag stuff since I don't do online gaming. The much better thing is that now I can use Calibre as much as I want and get all my work done! Much better now!

Anyway, just letting you all know. If you have a list of known incompatibilities, then maybe you can add these to it.

BetterRed · 04-16-2016, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madagascaradam

Anyway, just letting you all know. If you have a list of known incompatibilities, then maybe you can add these to it.

Kovid has such a list in the FAQ. he'll probably up date it with your findings.

take care BR

03-07-2016, 01:59 PM	#1
madagascaradam Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2015 Device: Kobo H2O Edition 2	Calibre constantly freezing in Windows 10 I've been using Calibre on a Windows 7 PC for about 5 or 6 years now and it's a great program, and once the 64-bit version was released, I was always using that. I recently got a new PC and updated to Windows 10 Home 64-bit and installed the latest version of Calibre (a few months ago). However, I've had constant problems of it freezing up during use... sometimes as quick as a few minutes into use, sometimes 20 minutes or so later, but it inevitably freezes every time if I keep using it. There's no one thing that seems to cause it to freeze, nor is there anything that seems to not work.... everything seems to work, especially if I can run it soon after loading Calibre, but if I keep doing different stuff (whether just editing metadata, converting books, or editing ebooks, etc. - from simple to complicated) - it will eventually freeze every time. Sometimes it freezes just when clicking on a different book entry. It doesn't however seem to freeze if left sitting there on its own. Only if I come back to it and click on something or perform some action. And when it freezes, I have to close it manually (force close) through the task manager. Over the last few months, I've installed several calibre updates hoping one of them would fix the issues I'm having, but so far, nothing has done that. I have the latest update on there now (downloaded and installed two days ago). I would really love to find a solution to this because I love calibre, I love my e-reader, and I even use calibre for my work (creating and editing ebook documents for a training program we lead, and Calibre is by far the best way for me to do that). So it's really hard to work with such frequent freezes, especially if I'm in the middle of a lot of ebook editing. Anyone have any idea why this is or what I can do to try to fix this? I've tried everything from running as administrator to various compatibility mode options (everything that would seem to make sense) and nothing seems to fix it. I can't tell that any other programs might be interfering with it because nothing else gives any sort of alerts and nothing else crashes. My windows version is 1511 OS Build 10586.63 . My laptop is an MSI GS70 2QD. I installed all its Windows 10 drivers and everything else seems to work, but it's got a lot of proprietary software that runs regularly (one for sound, a graphics driver that knows when to switch from chipset graphics to dedicated graphics - basically only on games, a keyboard driver, special network driver - all this special stuff for all the special hardware) and I have Avira installed. Other than that, I don't really allow any startup programs, so I don't know what else could be interfering. Any thoughts for helping me narrow down and fix the problem would be great! If you need any other system info or something like that, let me know.

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03-07-2016, 02:05 PM	#2
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 30,914 Karma: 60358908 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq....s-occasionally BTW no issues here W10 x64, so it is local to your system

03-07-2016, 05:37 PM	#4
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,252 Karma: 145488788 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Try running in safe mode and see if Calibre works. I am using Win 10 here on two different computers and both work.

03-08-2016, 02:59 AM	#5
madagascaradam Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2015 Device: Kobo H2O Edition 2	Thanks for all the input everyone. I did a search of the forum before I posted and saw several others had mentioned it working well on their W10, so I figured it must be a software or driver conflict. Thanks theducks for the FAQ... I didn't realize there was a list of known conflicts like that, but it does seem to confirm what all of you are saying - likely just one piece of software causing the conflict. I have been using the Windows 10 imaging backup software - works great. I haven't made a recent backup though, so thanks for the reminder, haha! Anyway, when I get a bit of time to test, I'll do the whole turning off programs one-by-one thing (maybe try the safe mode first... by the way, how do you boot into safe mode on Windows 10? it starts up so fast [maybe because of the SSD], I can't tell what buttons to push for anything, even a BIOS notification doesn't seem to come up). All in all, it shouldn't take too long, because especially if I'm editing an ebook, it seems to always freeze within 5 minutes each time. (It's just been really annoying having to remember to save so frequently.)

03-08-2016, 04:07 AM	#6
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 21,644 Karma: 29710510 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	@madagascaradam - Win+R - enter 'msconfig' to get System Configuration utility, select the Boot tab, set Safe boot, and select Minimal, then do a restart (Win+X, U, R) Once your done with Safe Mode repeat the above with Safe boot OFF BR

03-08-2016, 08:11 AM	#7
madagascaradam Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2015 Device: Kobo H2O Edition 2	Thanks BetterRed... I had no idea that was in msconfig. Is it new to Windows 10? Or maybe I only just ever used it for controlling startup programs in the past.

03-21-2016, 05:09 PM	#9
NSILMike Guru Posts: 735 Karma: 35936 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Shrewsury, MA Device: Lenovo Android Tablet	This sounds similar to my issue in windows 7 (also 64-bit.) I just posted in this same Devices sub-forum, and the thread is titled "Calibre-parallel.exe glitch?" (Calibre-parallel.exe is a process Calibre runs that you can see in task manager.)

04-03-2016, 05:50 AM	#10
SandFish Member Posts: 24 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Northern Germany Device: tolino vision 2	The same here with W8.1x64.

04-08-2016, 12:42 AM	#12
SandFish Member Posts: 24 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Northern Germany Device: tolino vision 2	@BetterRed, I'm not going to forget your kind request. On my way to California for three weeks. I'll try it end of the month. PF

04-08-2016, 02:09 AM	#13
Quelch Groupie Posts: 177 Karma: 1656608 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Brisbane Australia Device: Kobo Touch and iPad 4 hers, Samsung Galaxy S 8.4 mine !	If all else fails consider doing a system reset Settings, Update & Security, Recovery, Under 'Reset This PC' click on 'Get Started' Then click on 'Keep my files' When I updated to Win 10 from Win 8.1 I must have dragged a lot debris with it Had all sorts of bugs and slowing down effects The reset fixed everything I downloaded the latest version of Calibre and it worked perfectly All the other apps I use I downloaded from 'Ninite.com' the apps download without tool bars, adds or any other traps Fortunately I'd copied all my email contacts as the reset removed Microsoft Office and with it Microsoft outlook, reinstalled my copy of Office and outlook and put all my contacts back It was well worth doing, the machine is fast again and everything works well

04-16-2016, 02:24 AM	#14
madagascaradam Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2015 Device: Kobo H2O Edition 2	Hey everyone, thanks for the advice last month. I had a chance to try it all out (first with Safe mode, then with disabling startup programs one by one) and found the culprit(s): * Killer Network Manager (one of the proprietary software with MSI gaming laptops) - with this disabled, it freezes up a LOT less, but still occasionally freezed up * Nahimic UI Interface (also proprietary MSI software - with this alone disabled, it almost never froze up - working for hours, days, etc., but it did freeze up maybe once or twice) With both disabled at the same time, I haven't experienced one freeze-up yet... so both apparently contribute to some extent to the problem. The interesting thing about the Nahimic, is that there are two to three other startups processes/services related to it, but they don't seem to interfere... only the UI Interface seems to cause the problem. It's a nice piece of software for regulating sound with different devices, but by no means necessary to get good sound. Similarly, with the Killer Network Manager, it doesn't really bother me, because I very rarely have an internet connection and even then, it's a metered connection, so I don't need the fancy no-lag stuff since I don't do online gaming. The much better thing is that now I can use Calibre as much as I want and get all my work done! Much better now! Anyway, just letting you all know. If you have a list of known incompatibilities, then maybe you can add these to it.

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