System freezes when I jack in - MXO Forum Archive

#36300068966 10/10/2006 12:37:30 System freezes when I jack in

http://theinsomniadiversion.com/reeverb/msinfo.txt

http://theinsomniadiversion.com/reeverb/dxdiag.txt

There's the info. Here's the problem:

MXO used to run fine on my pc. But that changed when I got myself a new hard disk. I formatted it properly, installed everything I thought was necessary. But...
Everytime something 3D-alike appears my system freezes. Not only MXO, but every other game. But please wait before you're gonna say that I should update my graphic drivers.
I get no error, no message, no anything. My system just freezes and I need to manually reboot it.

Here's what I've tried:
Launching the game goes fine, I've done both checks before the eula and after. Like I said, it only freezes when something 3D appears. I've also deleted all the .cfg files, etc., and did the system check again. But no luck. So yeah, I thought it'd be my graphic drivers.
I've installed the latest graphic drivers available from Ati. - Ati Catalyst is running, and my pc recognizes the card fine and works as it has always worked; fine. In Windows that is. From the moment I start up a game...system freezes...and I am frustrated.
I also have the latest mainboard drivers that I could find, on via.com.tw
I, even at one time, installed all the drivers my computer has hardware for, even if I wasn't going to use it. Still I got the exact same result. Total system freeze. Formatted my pc, installed everything in the right order, then repeated the above steps. No result.

Nothing worked unfortunately.

I formatted my pc 4 or 5 times and did all the above steps again, to make sure I forgot about nothing. Even ran the MXO system checks with each new configuration, but it doesn't seem that MXO is the problem since every game freezes my system the same way.
Thing is, I keep thinking I've forgot to do something I should do when I install everything from scratch. But I don't know what.

Does someone have an idea how I can make games run like I used to? I'd be forever thankful. If you need more info then I will gladly post it.

#36300069237 10/10/2006 18:08:28 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Update your Audio Drivers (they're from 2001)

Then try re-installing DirectX if that didn't work.

#36300069446 10/11/2006 03:06:15 Re:System freezes when I jack in

I've installed the drivers from the cd. It's a very old sound card, so they might be from before 2001 now. Though I am sure that's not where the problem lies since I used to run MXO fine and I didn't even had the sound drivers installed.
So, I tried to find new drivers on creative.com, found two but they didn't recognise my card. I got SB Live! 5.1, it says I have it when I open the Device Manager. But the drivers thought differently.

Re-installed DirectX. But there was nothing to reinstall.

I still have the same problem. SMILEY

But thanks for the help man. Much better than from the TSR's, thats for sure. After I told them I had the problem with all my games they asked me to post my character name and server I play on, and a bunch of other things that had nothing to do with the problem. SMILEY

#36300069801 10/11/2006 13:34:41 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Just try running the game from a clean boot just to see if there is a program running which might be causing a problem.

Instructions can be found here.

Jeffers

#36300069816 10/11/2006 13:54:35 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Unfortunately that didn't work either. SMILEY

#36300070134 10/11/2006 22:35:03 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Creative Labs Software Autoupdate for USA (English) If link doesn't work you can get there from the "support" menu. Make sure you set your country too... trust me when I say you need the right region.

Go there. I have a Live 5.1 with LiveDrive IR as well. The drivers are very picky with windows XP.
If the auto update doesn't work you will need to download the drivers for 2k/XP.

Try the autoupdate first.

#36300070450 10/12/2006 10:09:32 Re:System freezes when I jack in

The Auto update seems to work. And thanks for showing me the feature, I've never heard of it but it's quite handy.

I get this message when it's done:

Status: No updates are necessary for your Creative product.
Your system already has the latest versions installed.

So I guess installing the drivers from cd was enough, or that the updated drivers that I've downloaded somehow installed themselves anyway.

edit: I'll try the link you've given. *crosses fingers* Perhaps that'll work.

edit2: But it didn't. My pc still freezes like it does everytime. I jack in, I see my char, then after a second or two everything stops moving exept my mouse, which I can move for another 5 seconds. Then my screen goes black but my sounds continues playing. That continues to do so for another 10 seconds and sometimes my pc reboots itself automatically, and sometimes it does not.

#36300070616 10/12/2006 13:49:37 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Please post up your system specs in the form we've requested in this thread:

http://forums.station.sony.com/mxo/..._id=12400000037

#36300070633 10/12/2006 14:12:14 Re:System freezes when I jack in

TSR-DanT wrote:

Please post up your system specs in the form we've requested in this thread:

http://forums.station.sony.com/mxo/..._id=12400000037

I've uploaded the msinfo and dxdiag and they're still in my openings post. I thought it made them more easier to read than on these bloody forums.
The internet related things and MXO details obviously have nothing to do with this issue. My internet is working fine.

Description of the Problem:
1. Server you currently playing on. - All of them
2. Problem(s) you are having including any error messages. - No error messages. My pc freezes, screen goes black and I have to reboot. No error messages after that either.
3. Internet Service Provider you are using and type of Internet connection. - What? Got cable internet which leads to a router. My pc's on a wireless network. I've used that forever since and never had any trouble running MXO, or any other game over the internet.
4. Do you have a firewall between you and the Internet, or are you using any personal security/firewall software? - No, not anymore.
5. Are you doing any Internet Connection Sharing or Network Address Translation? - No idea what this is. If it means my pc is on a network, then yes. Details? No idea and I know for a fact that it is irrelevant to my problem. SMILEY

Oh, something I forgot to post:
I've also tried to turn everything off in the msconfig window. Didn't work either.

#36300070718 10/12/2006 15:43:12 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Is your operating system in German?

I'm having trouble reading those files.

#36300070735 10/12/2006 16:23:32 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Well, it's Dutch and sorry for that. If you need anything translated please ask.

#36300070751 10/12/2006 16:45:12 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Oh, excuse me, very sorry about that.. I'm horrible with any thing other than English, and I'm not even all that great with it.

But I would like the running tasks translated to English, if possible.

#36300070899 10/12/2006 19:57:21 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Looking at the msinfo again I'm a little worried by this line from the Systeemstuurprogramma's section:

Naam Beschrijving Bestand Type Gestart Startmodus Provincie Status Foutenbeheer Onderbreking accepteren Stop accepteren
amon AMON \??\c:\windows\system32\drivers\amon.sys Kernelstuurprogramma Ja Automatisch Geactiveerd OK Normaal Nee Ja

The install location has \??\ before the actual folder

Do you have Quake 4? *crosses fingers*

If so how does that perform? (not doom 3 as quake 4 pushes your card to the limits of directX 9 shaders.)

I have a horrible feeling that the GRAM (the RAM on your video card) is toasted. Either that or your CPU (AMD XP 2400+) is overheating... Your particular CPU doesn't have overheat protection.
Open the side of your case, make sure the fans and heatsinks are dust free (by blowing on them... DO NOT USE A VACUUM CLEANER or AIR COMPRESSOR!) and try running with the case open. Possibly even point a fan in there.

You could also try adding the following line (or just change the existing line if it's there) to options.cfg in your MxO install directory:

Windowed = 1

Let me know how that goes.

Other things you really should do before running MxO:

Turn off limewire
Turn off Spy Sweeper

#36300071196 10/13/2006 07:43:17 Re:System freezes when I jack in

phi wrote:

Looking at the msinfo again I'm a little worried by this line from the Systeemstuurprogramma's section:

Naam Beschrijving Bestand Type Gestart Startmodus Provincie Status Foutenbeheer Onderbreking accepteren Stop accepteren
amon AMON \??\c:\windows\system32\drivers\amon.sys Kernelstuurprogramma Ja Automatisch Geactiveerd OK Normaal Nee Ja
The install location has \??\ before the actual folder
That's weird indeed. But wouldn't that be fixed when I format my hard disk? Because I've formatted my disk for 5 times and every new configuration didn't run any games.

Do you have Quake 4? *crosses fingers*
No, sorry. Though I doubt it'll run, because when anything in 3D appears on my screen my pc freezes.
I have a horrible feeling that the GRAM (the RAM on your video card) is toasted. Either that or your CPU (AMD XP 2400+) is overheating... Your particular CPU doesn't have overheat protection.
Open the side of your case, make sure the fans and heatsinks are dust free (by blowing on them... DO NOT USE A VACUUM CLEANER or AIR COMPRESSOR!) and try running with the case open. Possibly even point a fan in there.
You blowing is quite dangerours eh? Blowing includes water, well not water but it's a little wet (i dont know the English translation for this word). At the story where I've worked we always used a compressor, which blowed pure air. A lot safer I can tell you.
But I've done that. Both my CPU and GPU fan are perfectly clean, without dust. I think you're right though, either of them can be broken. Which is good, it's a lot easier to fix. I'll check if I can get switch my graphic card with another pc of a friend, and his with mine to see if there's a problem with either two.

You could also try adding the following line (or just change the existing line if it's there) to options.cfg in your MxO install directory:
Windowed = 1
Let me know how that goes.
Will do. Hah, I was looking for this option, hoping I'd get an error message out of it.

Other things you really should do before running MxO:
Turn off limewire
Turn off Spy Sweeper
I've tried that but didn't work.

Response in other color.

I've thought about it yesterday and I think you're right. CPU or GPU is broken. I'll check it on saturday and post here.

Thanks for the help! SMILEY

I'd give ya some info, if I was on the same server. SMILEY

#36300071236 10/13/2006 08:59:28 Re:System freezes when I jack in

You probably have already, but did you check to make sure everything was actually plugged in correctly? It could be that one of the cards is lose or sommat.

#36300071286 10/13/2006 10:16:08 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Double-checked! SMILEY

And cleaned the copper part of the cards and memory. They can get quite dirty, but they're all nice and shiny now.

#36300071475 10/13/2006 15:17:44 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Hah, just found this nostalgic riva tnt2 graphics card, with 8 GRAM! Perfect for testing purpose.

edit because forum fooks up my post:

So, I found this card.

SMILEY

#36300071478 10/13/2006 15:22:28 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Ah *CENSORED* off *CENSORED* *CENSORED*.

I had a 6 line post, including a screenshot and it *CENSORED* wont post it.
Seriously, this forum gets me more frustrated than my own pc and that means a lot!

Now you've ruined my cheerful mood, *CENSORED* forum. May you burn in hell for your sins!

5 edits later...
AAARGH!!!
It even got the part out where I said my problem is solved!!!

*CENSORED* *CENSORED* *CENSORED* *CENSORED* *CENSORED* *CENSORED* *CENSORED* <I understand your frustration, but please do not post in ways that circumvent the profanity filter. -Walrus>

So yeah its solved. Old 8mb video card worked. Made my screenshot ugly, but at least my system didn't freeze. I want to show you my chess board, but this forum is TOO CRAPPY to post posts properly.
I am gonna get myself a new graphics card tomorrow. Probably new mainboard and CPU too, that thing is too slow anyway.

Anyway, thanks for the help guys! Much appreciated! SMILEY

#36300073147 10/16/2006 11:01:40 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Hi Reeverb,

If this is ocurring on ALL 3D applications, it's probably a directX issue, or a problem with your graphics card. The question about Quake is actually a great way to see what the problem is- see if you can run an OpenGL game. since it does not use any DirectX libraries, you can immediately determine where the fault lays.

If you don't have an OpenGL game (like Unreal Tournament or Quake) then you may want to try Google Earth. It has an OpenGl rendering mode, and can be downloaded for free here: http://earth.google.com/index.html

Start that program in OpenGL mode. Does it work? If so, start it in DirectX mode. Does it work there as well?

If it does not work in either mode, try swapping out your graphics card with a known-good card (as in, a card that you have tested today, in another machine, and it is definitely working). I made the mistake of using a 'known good' card that I had tested 6 months previously, when I had a computer problem last year. One motherboard, power supply, CPU, 2 gigs of memory, and a powercord later, I got a new graphics card and haven't had a problem since.

That was an expensive mistake, so test with care.

errr......disregard. Note to self: read entire thread before posting!

#36300073330 10/16/2006 15:19:18 Re:System freezes when I jack in

Hello Reeverb,

So... just to clarify, it is working now? If so, great, and let us know if you have further issues.

#36300073671 10/17/2006 09:39:46 Re:System freezes when I jack in

GeoThermal wrote:

Hi Reeverb,

If this is ocurring on ALL 3D applications, it's probably a directX issue, or a problem with your graphics card. The question about Quake is actually a great way to see what the problem is- see if you can run an OpenGL game. since it does not use any DirectX libraries, you can immediately determine where the fault lays.

If you don't have an OpenGL game (like Unreal Tournament or Quake) then you may want to try Google Earth. It has an OpenGl rendering mode, and can be downloaded for free here: http://earth.google.com/index.html

Start that program in OpenGL mode. Does it work? If so, start it in DirectX mode. Does it work there as well?

If it does not work in either mode, try swapping out your graphics card with a known-good card (as in, a card that you have tested today, in another machine, and it is definitely working). I made the mistake of using a 'known good' card that I had tested 6 months previously, when I had a computer problem last year. One motherboard, power supply, CPU, 2 gigs of memory, and a powercord later, I got a new graphics card and haven't had a problem since.

That was an expensive mistake, so test with care.

errr......disregard. Note to self: read entire thread before posting!

Thanks for the reply and yeah, by coincedence I've tested exactly what you described. I've downloaded Google earth and it locked up my system the same way. I've tried various things and set my card to work with either OpenGL or DirectX.
So I am gonna do the oposite of what you did SMILEY

I'll begin with a new graphics card.

TSRDavidK wrote:

Hello Reeverb,

So... just to clarify, it is working now? If so, great, and let us know if you have further issues.

Unforutnately I haven't had the time to buy any new stuff, busy...busy days at work, making long days. I'll post an update as soon as I have the new card. Thanks for the reply and the help! SMILEY

#36300074687 10/18/2006 18:33:49 Re:System freezes when I jack in

*runs a victory lap*

Hurrah for heat-damaged GPUs... *shakes a fist at his own old & busted Fx Go5600*

*Hugs new 7950 & core duo*

phiAU - The Kings of Never - noblesse oblige

#36300081957 10/27/2006 09:34:14 Re:System freezes when I jack in

TSRDavidK wrote:

Hello Reeverb,

So... just to clarify, it is working now? If so, great, and let us know if you have further issues.

It is working now. Got myself a new graphics card and my system didn't freeze like before. And even though people seem to crash since the Halloween patch, I haven't crashed myself yet. yay!

Thanks.