OriginalGrim

[ QUOTE ]
thanks, portability isn't the biggest factor, so thats fine.

All of these have different graphics adaptors...any work best?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have been an ATI guy all my computing life, but I would say go with Nvidia for laptops as one of the single most annoying thing about ATI is how you cannot get drivers for mobile versions of their cards from them without modding.

... end 2cents

Just wondering if it worked.

8-)

Speaking of defrag, never a bad idea.

I use smart defrag from IObit.

Smart Defrag

It's free, fast, and you can schedule it to run once a week at 2am so your disks are always top notch.

Create a new folder under your C: drive.

Copy and paste all the contents from your current install into the new folder.

You can now uninstall COH in C:\Programs.

Copy the updater.exe out of the new folder to your desktop.

Run the updater on your desktop, and do not allow it to install where it wants. Select the folder where you copied all the files to on your C: drive and the updater should find all the files it needs.

You are welcome.

Have fun.

Sounds like a firewall issue.

You could also try to move the game to outside the "Programs" directory on Vista.

Try to install the game to "C:\COH" for example.

I take it you swapped out to a secondary hard drive, a drive that does not have the main OS on it.

Sounds like a virus targeting the directory or possibly a hardware issue/OS issue corrupting the files.

As armsman suggested, post a COH helper and hijack this log.

Will go a long way in trying to pinpoint this issue.

Any of your suggestions could be valid.

If that were the case, a little more information for the people that do follow up other than a canned response would go a long way.

That is not the case as people here are complaining about it.

Step by step

Print this post.

Follow step by step.

Print this post yet?

Here we go -

1. Print this post.

2. Navigate to - "My computer"/ "local disk C" / C:\ATI\Support

3 Delete all the folders in the ATI support directory. Close all windows.

4. Download the ATI drivers for your system to your desktop -

Vista Home Premium 64bit Radeon HD 3470 drivers

Download option 1 on that site.

5. Download Mobilty modder
Mobility Modder

6. Extract Mobility Modder to a folder on your desktop.

7. Go to Add/Remove programs -

Start/Control Panel/Programs/Program and Features

Uninstall anything with ATI in the name, along with any "display driver".

Do not reboot until everything ATI is gone.

Once everything ATI is gone, Reboot.

8. On reboot, cancel any "New hardware found" prompts.

9. Click the ATI Driver installer on your desktop.

It should be there from step 4.

Once the installer extracts the driver, you will get an error, warning, or message that the driver is not suitable for your system. "Ok" or "cancel" the install/error messages.

You only need to run the installer to extract the files the modder needs. Once that is done, get out of the installer.

10. Run the mobility modder.

When it runs, navigate to C:ATI\Support

You should only have one folder in there if you followed step 3.

Point the modder at the only folder in there and modify.

If you get a "Driver is not WHQL certified", warning Click "Continue" "OK" or "Ignore", what ever options that tells it to continue.

After the modder is done, reboot.

11. Enjoy.

You have got to follow the directions for the modder step by step.

Still the 8.8's it would seem.

Are you sure you are pointing the modder to the newest files?

I suggest you go into the ati folder c:/ATI/SUPPORT and delete all the folders there.

You have got to get beyond the 8.8's/8.10. if you want to play this game.

I would not wait 2 weeks to use a toon.

Report it, give it some time, and then play away.

Support expecting someone to simply shelve effected toons without a time frame or set date for weeks on end is not ok.

I understand support needs to do things, at least just notify the person within the 24 hours they will be doing so.

Module FullPath="C:\Windows\System32\atioglxx.dll" BaseAddress="0x69020000" Size="0x00983000" TimeStamp="08/01/2008 03:11:00" FileVersion="6.14.10.7873" ProductVersion="6.14.10.7873" />


Looks like you went to the ATI 8.8's.

Can you try to mod to a version higher than 8.10?

Try 8.11 or 8.12.

Follow the instructions here -

Mobility Modder

The issue is with most laptops you cannot just download the drivers from ATI, you have to mod the ones released for the desktop versions.

Good luck.

[ QUOTE ]
Here's the crash log.

TimeStamp="04/11/2009 02:28:24" FileVersion="6.0.6002.18005" ProductVersion="6.0.6002.18005" />
<Module FullPath="C:\Windows\System32\atioglxx.dll"



[/ QUOTE ]

There's your problem.

You need to update your video driver.

Just be sure to move the updater to your desktop when you restore the directory back to your computer before launching it.

Most common mistake made, cox cannot re-install to the same directory the updater is running from.

Good luck.

Update the ATI drivers.

The date of your drivers seem around the time of the 8.10 cats, and those caused crashing on load.

Right click the file and select properties.

Click the Change button next to where it says "Opens with"

Not sure if this has been asked, but will the new expansion be "serverless"?

Update the video drivers to anything over version 8.10.

[ QUOTE ]

So now my next question: what brands of Radeon should I avoid? I've seen Sapphire, Powercolor, HIS, Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and XFX. I'm assuming any of the last 4 would be fine, but I have no knowledge of the first 3.

[/ QUOTE ]

Of the first 3, I have a Sapphire x1600 that is in my second computer, it was great out of the box. Powercolor was an option at the time, but the reviews if I recall at the time made me steer away from them.

Avoid Diamond at all costs. They have a habit of not allowing enough cooling/large enough heatsinks for their cards ala my 2600xt.

My current card is a Nvidia XFX, and I am very pleased with them.

Make sure the cohupdater.exe you are clicking is not in the same location you are trying to install to.

Also if running vista you may want to install the game outside of the "programs" folder, for example, just create a folder named COH in you C: base directory and install the game there.

Only two things I can think of off the top of my head.

I have been an ATI customer for a very long time.

Starting with the first system I built being a Cyrix 200 mhz, I have been through the Rage, Rage pro, Xpert 128, All In Wonder Rage 128 pro, Radeon 7200, 8500, x1600, and finally a x2600xt.

The straw that broke my back was ATI's lack of support when they broke cox in the pcie 8.10 driver, and did nothing to fast track a patch.

It even went as far as a ATI mod on their forum banning a fellow COX player that was drumming up support for people to report the issue via the catalyst feedback form to fast track the issue.

That thread played out here, and still can be found.

In that thread I vowed to never buy another ATI card, and just the matter of two months ago I purchased a 9800gtx+, my first Nvidia card ever.

I have been very pleased with it.

I can say when your ATI card is running full tilt, the image quality cannot be beat. I notice that my old ATI did produce a more cinematic image overall, but my 9800gtx+ blows it out of the water in frame rates overall.

Both cards ran COX full tilt, but I enjoy playing other games now at higher fps.

My ATI made a great picture, but with my Nvidia it is a little less and I dont have to skew my mouse to select an enhancer.

Bottom line is both cards are going to have issues in the future as both has in the past.

Put the pros and cons on paper and decide what is best for you. Consider support, price, image quality, and performance.

I like both card makers for different reasons, and my most recent purchase was decided by a shocking lack of support in my opinion on ATI's behalf.

Thats why I spent my money on Nvidia, and thus far it has been worth every dime spent to me.

Also take in the reviews on sites like newegg on the hardware you are thinking about buying, they go alot farther than the bickersons can offer here.

COX uses ip adresses to get around, if you use actual ip addresses to reach regular websites you just may get there..

Try CNN - http://157.166.226.25/

and Google - http://74.125.45.100/

If you use the above IP's and get there, you have an issue with DNS servers or your local systems HOSTS file.

If the ip's work, you need to post a hijackthis report, and I suggest you try to get a copy of malewarebytes http://www.malwarebytes.org/ installed via cdrom or usb jumpdrive on the troubled system and let it work it's magic.

I expect Freedom to be a ghost town and not get locked.




Hurumph