WHAT the TAFF?!?!!

[Rommel_1891]

The stupid game keeps dumping into Windows for no reason. It might run 10 minutes, it might run 5, it might run 1, then it goes "black-desktop".

No warnings or errors or any of the crap you'd expect from Macro Shaft. What the taff is doing this?

I have way more system than necessary for this taffing thing:

AMD 3200 Barton
1gig ram
GeForce 5200 128mb
40 gig Western Digital HD 7200 rpm
NVidia nForce onboard sound
56x Acer CD

I have everything shut down. I used MSConfig to only load the system programs, and nothing else.

[Rommel_1891]

I emptied the C:/Windows/Temp folder... nothing

I turned off Bloom ... nothing

I played with BIOS settings ... nothing

All the settings are at the lowest. The resolution is at a hella low 800x600. It shouldn't even be THAT low.

I hate this stupid computer.

[theBlackman]

I get the same once in a while. But look in Control panel, Administrative tools, EVENT VIEWER.

In the SYSTEM or APPLICATION folder you will see an ERROR flag.

This will be time logged when the event happened. Check it out.

You may get a clue as to why.

Once you read it and check it out, the CLEAR THE LOG. Then you will see the info easier next time.

This log accumulates thousands of entries. If you have not cleared this since day one you have a lot of HDD space holding this stuff.

[Rommel_1891]

I'll try that tBm.. thanks

I didn't find many errors in there... maybe 15 total, but there was ALOT of stuff. :eek:

[Rommel_1891]

Nope, still no fix.

[theBlackman]

RIGHT CLIK THE ERROR. YOU should get a INFORMATION SCREEN, that may have DETAILS on it.

[Rommel_1891]

There are no errors since I dumped the thing, and the POS has crashed succesfully 4 more times. The event errors that were there had nothing to do with the game, they were from weeks ago. I think it's time to throw this thing out the window and smash the taff out of it with my boot. After that, I think I'll use if for target practice.

I think the problem is in the game. I have no problems with anything else. The demo ran perfectly, and the system hasn't changed one bit since then.

I also bumped down the resolution to a retardedly low 640 x 480... CRASH

and turned of the VSync ... CRASH

I don't get it.

[theBlackman]

Could be a heat problem. Run AIDA32, if you have it. Check the + on COMPUTER. Scroll to SENSOR and look at the readings.

Should not be above about 110 F or 45-50 C.

My system averages about 117 for the AUX and 109 for the CPU.

[Rommel_1891]

I just thought of that too.... on the last restart I checked and all was normal.

[Rommel_1891]

We were on to something there tBm. I installed my motherboard monitors, and it showed the CPU running a little warm. Not critical, but on the high side while in windows. :confused: Everything runs at the factory speed.

So I shut everything down and cleaned out the heat sink on the CPU (it was fairly dirty) and put it back together. When I went to turn the comp back on, it was magically *&%%-up for no reason. It hangs in perpetual check... don't even get the BIOS. I reset the CMOS, tried switching to BIOS2, nothing. Reseated the CPU and other components, nothing. What a useless piece of crap.

So I took it to my computer guy, he'll mess with it. I'm going to have a new video card put in to. Probably a Radeon 9800 or something comparable in GeForce like a 5700LE.

I hate computers.

[Grey Mouser]

Originally posted by Rommel_1891


I hate computers.

Me too! ;)

What about the motherboard drivers (not monitors)? Have you updated them lately? If not...try it.

[Guineapiggy]

And flash your bios. It's a pretty important procedure IMO that most people miss.

[Rommel_1891]

It's not a software problem, it's a hardware problem. Still don't have my machine either...:rolleyes:

[Hiippari]

Originally posted by Rommel_1891
[B]The stupid game keeps dumping into Windows for no reason. It might run 10 minutes, it might run 5, it might run 1, then it goes "black-desktop".
I had same problem with T:DS, but reinstalling fixed it.

[Mr. Perfect]

Something compareable in GeForce would be a 5950. A 5700LE would be in line with a 9600SE, not the 9800s. Unless it's one of those horrible 9800 SEs...

[bravus]

Erm, you may have meant to put this in the other thread, Mr. 'Perfect'. ;) This one wasn't about cards. Thanx for straightening me out on the relevant nVidia cards for comparison, though.

[4W4K3]

...i don't think you hate computers. i think computers hate you. i bet the computer "tech" finds an unplugged power connector and charges you $100 for plugging it back in. if my computer was blown to bits i wouldnt take it to the tech guy...thats just stupid. but then again if it was blown to bits i would probably just get new parts and rebuild it lol.

[Mr. Perfect]

Originally posted by Rommel_1891
I'm going to have a new video card put in to. Probably a Radeon 9800 or something comparable in GeForce like a 5700LE.

I was just responding to that little piece there. Didn't want someone trying to pawn a 5700LE off on you saying it was comparible to a 9800.

[Rommel_1891]

The tech happens to be a good friend of mine. He's never ripped me off before, so I doubt he'll do it now. Besides, I know where he lives. :p

The POS wouldn't respond to being fixed at home, so I took it to him rather than smash it into little pieces (which I probably should have done).

Reinstalling the game didn't fix anything either. But at this point it doesn't matter. Hopefully the hardware problem will be narrowed down tomorrow and the POS will work again. Then I can take it home and punish the TAFF out of it for being such a POS for no reason... :p

As for the video card, I don't really know what to get. Anything better than a GF 5200 would be an improvement. The catalog I looked at only gave vague specs, so I told him about what I need. I left it up to Bob this time, I trust him to get something good for it. He knows what I need to run. ;)

All these damn updates give me headaches. I can't keep up with computers, school, and rifles anymore... I gotta drop one. :(

[Mr. Perfect]

Lol. The way I see it, the rifles and the computers don't go well together. Might be the most fun though... :)

[Rommel_1891]

Okay... I'm going to get it later today. Apparently I lost ground on my mBoard. :confused: The screws the manufacturer gave me with my board were the wrong thread, and some fell out. I've never had that happen before in all the builds I've done. Next time I'll be more vigilant in obtaining a screw supply. :p

For video cards, Bob ordered a bunch of them. He's going to put the 'fancy' one in. I don't have all the specs, but it's a Geforce 5800, the 256mb I believe.

The ground problem might also be the source of the CPU overheating, as that will disrupt accurate sensing. I'll have to see. Maybe add some more fans... I guess 7 in there aren't enough! :P

[Mr. Perfect]

You mean the 6800? The 5800 was the very first GeForce FX chip, and failed miserably before being quickly replaced with the 5900. Anyone would be hard pressed to find one today. :) A 6800 would be pretty fancy though. Especially if it was 6800 GT or Ultra, but then those are $400 and $500 respectivly...

[Rommel_1891]

No, 5800. I'm not spending 300+ on a video card. That's just ridiculous. It's an older chipset, but it should be able to do what I need it to. Apparently there is a new version that doesn't have the problems. It's a new card, AOpen make. I've never had any real problems with their stuff before.

http://www.nvidia.com/page/fx_5800.html

[Peter Smith]

A 6600 GT has been announced that is priced at around $200. It has received favorable reviews. That is the way to go, assuming that it hits the shelves soon enough.

[Rommel_1891]

Depends what I can find.