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More crashing issues
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RPGDot Forums > Neverwinter Nights - General

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OhBrandi
The Pun-Slayer
The Pun-Slayer




Joined: 04 May 2002
Posts: 1038
Location: Somewhere this side of sanity.
More crashing issues
   

Current PC:

WinXP Pro
Intel PIII800
768MB SDRam
40GB Western Digital HDD
ATI Radeon 8500 128MB-NOT latest drivers (those are incompatible with the game according to Infrogrames)
DirectX8.1
SB Audigy Gamer 24Bit

I also have two new play cd's from Infograms, and neither show the cracking that the original cd had. The game locks on both of the cds.

I can't go for more than an hour without crashing. I am at Helm's Hold now and the bugs are getting worse. At one point during the scene when they are trying to make the CURE, everyone just stopped. No progression in the game, but I could move around, use the journal and inventory, etc.

I've sent a support request, but maybe someone here could help me out. The only thing I've installed since the pc came back from the shop with a brand new (hopefully clean) hard drive, are a couple of graphics paks for NWN...none of which I've used.

Oh, and I've downloaded (but not installed) the demo for Gothic.

It seems that if I save every few minutes, it lasts longer...but it crashes if I go for more than 15 minutes without saving (I tested it.)
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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
Thanks, JM

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Post Wed Oct 09, 2002 1:34 am
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EverythingXen
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Joined: 01 Feb 2002
Posts: 4342
   

Sounds like a driver conflict (well, the people pausing was weird) if you crash all the way to the desktop.

What version of NWN are you using?
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Post Wed Oct 09, 2002 3:29 am
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OhBrandi
The Pun-Slayer
The Pun-Slayer




Joined: 04 May 2002
Posts: 1038
Location: Somewhere this side of sanity.
   

Whatever the latest version is...used auto update when I installed last week?
_________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
Thanks, JM

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=Neverwinter Nights Co-Moderator=
Post Wed Oct 09, 2002 1:25 pm
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EverythingXen
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Hmm. Copy down every little iota of information and mail tech support? Other than doing something like changing the anti-aliasing settings on the video card or turning down the hardware acceleration on the sound card I can't think of anything off hand. And it's best to check with tech support before you start tinkering... unless you're fond of possibly screwing everything up and having to reinstall...
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Post Wed Oct 09, 2002 4:11 pm
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
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Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada
   

All sounds very strange When it freezes (but can still move around) does the sound and music still go on or are they in a loop?

Also, have you tried turning down the Hardware Acceleration for your graphics card a notch or two just to see what kind of effect that has on the crashing?

Are you having any other weird problems with your rig? Like applications crashing for no reason, blue screens, windows XP rebooting on its own?

Here's one thing I would try if I were you. Having 768MB of ram, you probably have 3 256MB DIMMS installed, right? Try removing 2 of them and test the game with only one 256MB installed. If the game still crashes, remove the one you had, install one of the other and repeat. If you get the crashes with only one of your DIMMS, you have your problem right there.

A lot of PC problems we see around here (I work in a local PC manufacturer and see many PC in the shop) is related to bad memory. You'd be surprised what cheap memory can do to a system.
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Post Wed Oct 09, 2002 4:38 pm
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ButtOfMalmsey
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Joined: 07 May 2002
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Location: Mississippi
   

Turn down your sound acceleration. IMHO, sound card hardware acceleration causes more problems than anything else.
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Post Wed Oct 09, 2002 4:47 pm
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OhBrandi
The Pun-Slayer
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Joined: 04 May 2002
Posts: 1038
Location: Somewhere this side of sanity.
   

quote:
Originally posted by Ekim
1. When it freezes (but can still move around) does the sound and music still go on or are they in a loop?

2. Also, have you tried turning down the Hardware Acceleration for your graphics card a notch or two just to see what kind of effect that has on the crashing?

3.Are you having any other weird problems with your rig? Like applications crashing for no reason, blue screens, windows XP rebooting on its own?

4.Try removing 2 of them and test the game with only one 256MB installed. If the game still crashes, remove the one you had, install one of the other and repeat. If you get the crashes with only one of your DIMMS, you have your problem right there.


1. The sound didn't SOUND like it was looped, but I could be wrong.
2. I've tried with min graphic settings, but it still crashed.
3. No other issues (though I haven't tried running Morrowind for more than a few minutes...)
4. Tested as you suggested. Even tried some of the former 128MB Dimms. They are not an issue (and hardly 'cheap'... Kingston has a great reputation, and in 10 years of professional hardware purchasing, I've returned maybe 3 of their chips out of a few thousand.)

*sighs* I'd like to think it's something easily fixed, but I have that nasty suspicion that the ATI is causing the problem. The more I read on ATI issues, the more I wish my 'Mother's Day Card' was simply a pretty piece of cardboard.
_________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
Thanks, JM

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=Neverwinter Nights Co-Moderator=
Post Wed Oct 09, 2002 5:46 pm
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
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Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada
   

You're right, Kingston memory is probably the best out there, but I didn't know that's what you had

I guess it could be your video card, but as others have mentioned above I wouldn't be too quick to shed the blame on it before you made sure it's not the sound card that is causing a conflict. Have you tried completely removing the sound card from your system to see if the game would crash still? I'd try that. Otherwise, I would look into the graphics card issue
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Post Wed Oct 09, 2002 6:47 pm
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OhBrandi
The Pun-Slayer
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Joined: 04 May 2002
Posts: 1038
Location: Somewhere this side of sanity.
   

Don't take this wrong, but... NO! My work around is to save every few minutes. It doesn't seem to crash if I keep saving (at least it hasn't today). And I will NOT pull a very expensive, useful piece of hardware out of my pc for a game.

It's a memory/cpu thing.... when the game locks up, all resources are at 100% usage. I think that when I'm saving it, it's releasing some of the resources that the game grabs. But what do I know...I'm just a user with just enough tech-jargon stuffed in my head to make me truly dangerous.
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Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
Thanks, JM

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=Neverwinter Nights Co-Moderator=
Post Wed Oct 09, 2002 8:09 pm
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Pinnen
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Joined: 19 May 2002
Posts: 7092
Location: The Sandy Beach Resort
   

If your motherboard uses a VIA chipset, download the latest via 4in1 at www.viaarena.com

It could be as simple as heat. Check your cpu-temperature through bios, if you have that opportunity. And while you area at it, flash the bios, just for the fun of it
And make sure all your drivers are "XP-certified" through DXdiag. Un-certified drivers are known to cause a LOT of trouble in Mafia, so it may be the same with NWN...
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Post Thu Oct 10, 2002 3:04 pm
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Eagle's Shadow




Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada
   

quote:
Originally posted by OhBrandi
Don't take this wrong, but... NO! My work around is to save every few minutes. It doesn't seem to crash if I keep saving (at least it hasn't today). And I will NOT pull a very expensive, useful piece of hardware out of my pc for a game.
I wouldn't suggest that you remove things from your system permanently I was merely trying to give you ideas on how to isolate the problem. If you remove the sound card and it stops crashing, at least you know what the problem is. You can start working more actively on what to do to resolve it. I'm not saying you should throw away your sound card

Pinnen's ideas are also very good. I had a heat problem on my previous rig and it was known to cause weird problems with a few games, not to mention many crash-to-desktop problems.
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Post Thu Oct 10, 2002 3:17 pm
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OhBrandi
The Pun-Slayer
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Joined: 04 May 2002
Posts: 1038
Location: Somewhere this side of sanity.
   

I agree with the heat issues. I have an older motherboard that is insufficiently cooled, so I just ordered a new fan. Maybe that will help things along.

I also bought a new motherboard and a cpu, but I haven't installed it. To be honest, I've never installed either before and I'm afraid I'll screw it up and end up with a couple grand of useless equipment. I was thinking maybe I'd build a second pc with that motherboard & cpu and the two unused older pcs sitting in storage. But again, I'm fearful of ruining the two new items.

Maybe I'll just wait until I can afford to have a tech build it for me....
_________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
Thanks, JM

=Member of The Nonflamers' Guild=
=Neverwinter Nights Co-Moderator=
Post Thu Oct 10, 2002 4:16 pm
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Pinnen
Wearer of the Hat
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Joined: 19 May 2002
Posts: 7092
Location: The Sandy Beach Resort
   

Alas, we live a little too far from each other, otherwise I would gladly help you install your new hardware. But as long as the scientists havenīt cracked the issue of teleporting things/people, all I can do is give you some cheerful tips: Allways quicksave (default F6) your life before attempting anything you suspect can be dangerous! When/if it fails just quickload (default F9) and retry... Or am I confusing things again..?
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Post Thu Oct 10, 2002 5:42 pm
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OhBrandi
The Pun-Slayer
The Pun-Slayer




Joined: 04 May 2002
Posts: 1038
Location: Somewhere this side of sanity.
   

You must be confusing things again.

Quicksave in NWN is the letter 'g'. I don't know what quickload is...
_________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
Thanks, JM

=Member of The Nonflamers' Guild=
=Neverwinter Nights Co-Moderator=
Post Thu Oct 10, 2002 7:12 pm
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Pinnen
Wearer of the Hat
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Joined: 19 May 2002
Posts: 7092
Location: The Sandy Beach Resort
   

No no, I was talking about real life. You know, where we spend some part of our lifes, sometimes. But itīs true where is the quickload in NWN?

Update: My girlfriend just informed me there is no quicksave in life! HA! says I. There is, but you can only save at certain occasions. Such as:
"Will you marry me? (quicksave)"
"No thanks"
(quickload)
"What would you like to dinner tonight?"

and

"Iīll just cross the street here then, shall I?(quicksave)"
"Mind that bus!"
"What bus?"
*SPLAT*
(quickload)
"Iīll just stand here by the side of the road, waiting for that bus to pass, then cross the street..."
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Post Thu Oct 10, 2002 8:03 pm
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