Constant crashing when trying to start a game.

[shadowraid5]

Yea the hard drive just both time jsut blue screened out and wouldn't recover so i've got this new one and for some reason my computer just doesn't like the graphics driver's recent version. No one i've talked to can explain why it was doing what it was doing.

[arnak]

Hi,

You say that the hard drive would not recover, does that mean you where unable to re-installl windows as the drive was damaged?

A blue screen error should not normally mean a drive failure that requires a new drive.

Arnak

[shadowraid5]

Well it can happen arnak. I don't know what happened to cause it but my hard drive just went to a permanent blue screen. I even tried to take it back to a restore point but it was bad enough that it would go to a blue screen as soon as i turned on my computer. But that was all about 2 years ago.

[arnak]

Hi,

Yes, that is a pain but it does not mean that the hard drive has failed s it is most likely that the windows installation had become corrupted.

If it ever happens again try going into safe mode and see if it can be recovered that way.

If that fails a re-installation of windows should resolve the problem.

At least try that before considering a hard drive failure.

Arnak

[shadowraid5]

You don't understand arnak when my hard drive went permanent BSOD i couldn't access it. The computer would start up and then after it got past the windows logo it would crash. I had it checked out and the guy told me after a diagnostics that the hard drive was done for there was no recovery of it.

[Alan Phipps]

So two hard drives, two full system reinstallations, and your computer/OS is still playing up and unstable/misbehaving even now. I wonder if there is something elsewhere in the hardware that is corrupting the OS or affecting system performance and stability? System errors or shut downs during disk access and writing can indeed damage the drive fatally (or at least require a full reformat) if you are unlucky.

The only common hardware causes of such system stability and corruption issues that I can think of is either an overheating/unstable cpu (central processor unit), a faulty motherboard connection/component, or perhaps a faulty or underpowered psu (power supply unit). RAM issues would not normally tend to damage the drive although they can cause system file corruption and transient BSODs.

[shadowraid5]

Maybe it's because when i first had this computer and my parents would tell me to turn it off they wouldn't wait for me to turn it off manually and they would come up to my computer and hard shut down the computer using the power button. I told them many times to not do that and that it ruins the computer but they didn't care and they told me that "it doesn't ruin the computer where did you get your information" :/

[shadowraid5]

So i'm guessing this is all done and over with then because no one cares to help or can figure out the problem?

[arnak]

Hi,

So i'm guessing this is all done and over with then because no one cares to help or can figure out the problem?

Personally I can understand your frustration but I think that your statement is a bit harsh as this thread has run for 10 pages now.

So we all have tried our best to help but the sound drivers are still outdated but that could be tested by disabling the drivers form loading using the msconfig command in the start, run box, then in the startup tab set them to disabled and see if that helps.

You can re-enable them in the same way.

Of course we care and do try to help but some problems are very difficult to diagnose especially remotely, it is quite different if you have the pc in front of you and can see what is going on.

One option is to take the pc to a repair shop and get them to check it for you and see if they can resolve the issue, just a suggestion.

Have you tried creating a new user with as much as possible disabled to avoid a possible program interaction that could be causing the problem?


Arnak

[shadowraid5]

Have you tried creating a new user with as much as possible disabled to avoid a possible program interaction that could be causing the problem?


Arnak

that's easier said than done. Most programs on a computers, especially games, are computer wide. So unless you mean something else by this, then it won't work.

[arnak]

Hi,

Actually it should be possible to not load certain programs for an individual user account, see here :-

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/14 ... hange.html

You would also be advised to stop more process using msconfig or a piece of software which will do that for you.

I use this one :-

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/Syst ... tart.shtml

It is configurable but you will need to re-boot the pc after playing that game to get back to normal operation.

Arnak

[shadowraid5]

Well i still think there is something wrong besides me drivers. I mean a game won't just quit working out of no where because of drivers being out of date you know? :/

[Alan Phipps]

"Well i still think there is something wrong besides me drivers." - I agree; the implementation of your system and/or OS is stated by yourself to be acting in an unstable fashion and is preventing you doing routine file updates, deletions and replacements - including for services and applications that lie well outside of the X games. The issue hence lies outside of our normal capabilities for remote diagnosis and so we can only speculate with possibilities that we may have encountered elsewhere.

[shadowraid5]

"Well i still think there is something wrong besides me drivers." - I agree; the implementation of your system and/or OS is stated by yourself to be acting in an unstable fashion and is preventing you doing routine file updates, deletions and replacements - including for services and applications that lie well outside of the X games. The issue hence lies outside of our normal capabilities for remote diagnosis and so we can only speculate with possibilities that we may have encountered elsewhere.

I was referring to other than that though. Not all of that will effect the games process of stability. I was talking in the fact that a game just doesn't Go from work once and then never work again all because of drivers. I'm not saying anything mean but i've been playing games for 15 years so i know a bit of something here. If drivers being update affects a games process of working as much as all of you say it does, then this game wouldn't even have installed without saying something to me about it first. I'm saying there is something else hidden underneath.

[Alan Phipps]

OK, then I'll say it for you.

X3 games and earlier X games use the DirectSound format and standard that was the stipulated Microsoft sound standard in the XP OS era which is when the game engines were written. With Vista and the later Win7 and Win8, Microsoft no longer supports that DirectSound standard in favour of OpenAL etc.

For that reason, X3 and earlier X games are susceptible to non-WMA codec issues where application programmers make their own codecs replace or masquerade as the Windows media player codecs (even when in use outside their own applications) just to avoid them having to program any codec management into their own applications.

All X3 games are also DirectX 9.0c applications and continue to use 9.0c files under the control of later versions such as DirectX 11. Sound and video drivers have to be kept optimised in coping with the evolving interfaces of later OSs, Service Packs, DirectX and WMP versions using the earlier standards and DirectX files still being called.

Hopefully that will satisfy your desire for such information and explain the need for coherent codec, DirectX and driver policies.

[shadowraid5]

OK, then I'll say it for you.

X3 games and earlier X games use the DirectSound format and standard that was the stipulated Microsoft sound standard in the XP OS era which is when the game engines were written. With Vista and the later Win7 and Win8, Microsoft no longer supports that DirectSound standard in favour of OpenAL etc.

For that reason, X3 and earlier X games are susceptible to non-WMA codec issues where application programmers make their own codecs replace or masquerade as the Windows media player codecs (even when in use outside their own applications) just to avoid them having to program any codec management into their own applications.

All X3 games are also DirectX 9.0c applications and continue to use 9.0c files under the control of later versions such as DirectX 11. Sound and video drivers have to be kept optimised in coping with the evolving interfaces of later OSs, Service Packs, DirectX and WMP versions using the earlier standards and DirectX files still being called.

Hopefully that will satisfy your desire for such information and explain the need for coherent codec, DirectX and driver policies.

I know this. Now i'm not trying to make a big argument out of this but games don't just suddenly stop working the day after installing it just because of drivers not being to it's standards. That's why installation processe check your computer's specs so i can tell if you are capable enough to even install the game let alone run it. But look i'll do this. I'll run all the other X series games i have and if they don't work right either, then it's something wrong on either your end or steam's end. Fair?

[Alan Phipps]

Heh. "I'll run all the other X series games i have and if they don't work right either, then it's something wrong on either your end or steam's end. Fair?" - Not really.

If you are prepared to ignore all the many thousands who run X3 and earlier X games from Steam on modern systems and OSs just fine then maybe I could understand you feeling like that. There will always be individuals with specific issues that we try to address here as best we can.

Let's face it, there is demonstrably something wrong with your system or its set-up that needs sorting out before we have a chance of getting to the bottom of this in terms of the games.

Good luck anyway.

[shadowraid5]

Heh. "I'll run all the other X series games i have and if they don't work right either, then it's something wrong on either your end or steam's end. Fair?" - Not really.

If you are prepared to ignore all the many thousands who run X3 and earlier X games from Steam on modern systems and OSs just fine then maybe I could understand you feeling like that. There will always be individuals with specific issues that we try to address here as best we can.

Let's face it, there is demonstrably something wrong with your system or its set-up that needs sorting out before we have a chance of getting to the bottom of this in terms of the games.

Good luck anyway.

And why does it have to be sorted out first? Even if it's a big issue it can't be the only issue.

[Alan Phipps]

Once again, we go round in circles. Good luck and I'll leave you to it.

[shadowraid5]

Once again, we go round in circles. Good luck and I'll leave you to it.

so with this comment i feel like you're telling me that there is no other explanation to why the game won't work OR you're telling me that i have to get all this stuff fixed before you'll help me further. Well let me tell you that for the latter that won't happen because i don't have hundreds of dollars to fork over to see what's wrong and fix it. So unless someone gives me the money or offers to fix it for me then it won't happen. :/