Author Topic: Computer Troubles  (Read 2339 times)

HForrest

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Computer Troubles
« on: May 14, 2005, 12:44:09 PM »
Hi. I have recently installed 4 seperate games over about a 2 week period, and they all of them seem to be correctly installed. However, whenever I start any one of them, the Blue Screen of Death appears with a "Dumping physical memory" message. These games are all seperate, made by different companies. I'm running Windows XP. All of this happens nowhere else except games. What's going on?

roo_ster

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2005, 03:15:14 PM »
Ahhh, I see your problem.

You are using Wndows.

It is a relatively easy fix:
http://fedora.redhat.com/

In case that particular solution does not appeal to you, you can try to uninstall all those games, then re-install them one-by-one while testing & looking for subtle signs of instability (like the BSOD).

I'm sure plenty of others will give some hints.  In the end, you might be best advised to backup all your data worth backing up, reformat your HD and re-installing your apps.

Windows has a tendency to take its cue from Lt Calley: sometimes you have to destroy an installation to save it.

BTW, before you re-install your Win OS & apps, be sure you have a CD with SP2 & other critical security updates handy.  Keep your box off the net while installing the OS and make your first app installs your virus protection SW, several of the freely-downloadable anti-spyware tools, and your firewall.  THEN get on the net & finish installing apps.

Good luck.
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jefnvk

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2005, 05:13:58 PM »
Quote
Ahhh, I see your problem.

You are using Wndows.

It is a relatively easy fix:
http://fedora.redhat.com/
Yep, helpful fix, considering there is such a great availability of games (installable and useable by the average person) available for Linux.  Could think of plenty of other issues Linux has, too, that'll keep me from a complete transition for a while.  BTW, why use Fedora, when you have great options like Gentoo and Slackware?

Gonna need some more info to be of help.  System Specs, gamse that are the problem, etc.  Did the first game work before you installed the last?  ARE the games legal?
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HForrest

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2005, 05:24:47 PM »
Two were acquired illegally- I don't support this, and generally oppose stealing. However, I had previously legally bought and owned both of the said games (a long time ago and lost the disc) so I didn't feel wrong about DL'ing them off filesharing.

For a while, I thought that was the problem, that I must have downloaded some bug with them. Then I installed Half-Life, a game which I still had from disk, and it did the same thing.

lee n. field

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #4 on: May 14, 2005, 05:42:14 PM »
If you set the system to do a full memory dump on crash, M$ has a downloadable debugging tool that can help narrow down what bit is wigging out.

The other answer is "don't do that then."   :-).
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jefnvk

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« Reply #5 on: May 14, 2005, 06:35:51 PM »
Downloading games is never a smart idea.  They don't work half the time, and you don't know what is in there.

Even copying them doesn't always work.  BF42 I used a copied disc (because I have a very bad habit of destroying CD's) for a while with no problems.  Install a patch, all the sudden the game starts crashing.  Wenbt back to the original disc, everything was fine.

Another thing to check, are your video card drivers updated?  Can your system support the games?  IS your computer infected with a virus or spyware?

My first off guess is that one of the downloaded things dropped a bug into your system.

Thinking back - the only time I have had XP do a memory dump, my video card drivers were screwed up.  I'd start there.  Of course, run an AV and spyware checker, too.
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RocketMan

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2005, 06:04:05 AM »
Half-Life 2 has a well known glitch that causes BSODs and memory dumps. I had it myself when I first installed HL2.
There are a range of fixes posted on the official site.  The fix (or fixes) to use really depends on your system.  It will take some experimenting to find what works.
The fix that worked for me was increasing the amount of virtual memory.
Hopefully this will get you started down the road.
By the way, stay the heck away from downloaded games.  Copyright issues aside, it is not a good thing to do.  They are often loaded with bugs, back-doors, spyware, and such.
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Sindawe

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #7 on: May 15, 2005, 08:02:23 AM »
What are the error codes combat-wombat?  If you are geeting the classic BSOD, the first four lines, 'specially the stop code, will be a good place to start.  This PDF (http://www.sun.com/desktop/products/sunpci/bsod.pdf) is a good primer on stop codes.  Searching Google/Usenet against the stop code often turns up usefull results.

Other items:

When did you last defrag the hard drives?  I've seen badly fragged drives stop a system.

Which game is doing this?  It could be some flaky code.  Try searching for the games title and problems.  Check the forum for the game if there is one.  Most popular title do.
Quote
By the way, stay the heck away from downloaded games.  Copyright issues aside, it is not a good thing to do.  They are often loaded with bugs, back-doors, spyware, and such.
This is true for free games, but dl'd games that you've paid for from the publisher, or an authorized distributor can be fine.  I have several here that I've obtained that way.
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jefnvk

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #8 on: May 15, 2005, 10:37:05 AM »
Quote
This is true for free games, but dl'd games that you've paid for from the publisher, or an authorized distributor can be fine.  I have several here that I've obtained that way.
Absolutely true.  HL2 is a very good example, you cannot buy it on disc anymore (unless the stores have copies lying around).  Sites such as http://www.fileplanet.com and http://www.filefront.com are other good examples.  A good idea, when on those sites, check the MD5 sum against the one they providde, to ensure it is the same.

P2P games and pirated software was what my warning was more geared towards.
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HForrest

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #9 on: May 15, 2005, 01:10:24 PM »
Well, it's half-life 1, not 2. I'm too poor to upgrade my computer to HL2 specs.

Sindawe

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« Reply #10 on: May 16, 2005, 06:10:22 AM »
Shoot, musta been brain dead yesterday when I posted  yesterday.  Right after you have a BSOD and reboot, examine your event logs  (accessible via "eventvwr" at the command line).  That may aslo give you data on whats up, and possibly even the stop codes.  Lemme see if I can generate one as an example, BRB.
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mtnbkr

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #11 on: May 16, 2005, 07:10:09 AM »
The first line in the BSOD will give you a clue to it's cause.  You can search MS's knowledge base to get the fix.  Sometimes the fix is as simple as replacing a single file with an updated version (or non-corrupted one).

Advocating Linux as a replacement for XP on the desktop is a joke IMO.  Back when Linux actually had a gaming market (when you could get current titles from Loki for example), installation was, at best, more involved than installing Windows itself.

Chris

Azrael256

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #12 on: May 16, 2005, 11:55:47 AM »
Reinstall your video drivers before you go doing anything that requires a great deal of effort.  Might hit the sound drivers, too.  Use reference drivers from the chipset manufacturer, not Windows drivers or the ones from the card manufacturer.

jefnvk

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #13 on: May 16, 2005, 12:43:53 PM »
Just threw out the HL2 as an example of what games are OK to download and run.

I would really start with the video card drivers, ater you get rid of the downloaded games.  What card do you have?

Also, is it possible that one of the last games overwrote a file that one of the first games installed, with an older copy? Although, that probably wouldn't cause a problem for all the games.
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Fatcat

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Computer Troubles
« Reply #14 on: May 16, 2005, 02:55:42 PM »
Since all 4 games do this, I would say it is an issue with some underlying graphics/sound/other system, not the games themselves. I would try reinstalling DirectX first, and getting the latest drivers for your video card (if running an ATI card, make sure you uninstall the old drivers first, then restart before installing the new ones.. I like to use driver cleaner too, but it can be easy to screw stuff up).  Are you running a Creative Labs sound card? I used to get BSODs with mine from time to time.. wiping the drivers and reintalling them fixed that.

Is anything overclocked? Overheating causes lots of random crashes. Make sure your fans and heatsinks aren't full of dust.

Oh, and regarding the downloaded games.. if you were just grabbing CD image files, it's really unlikely they gave you a virus. On the other hand, if they were mysterious "self-extracting" .exe files or whatnot, then yes, hordes of viruses probably await you. Cheesy
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