City of Heroes: Live Forum Archive

Looping Sound Crash/Game Freeze

Armsman

By Armsman,
Posted on: 2009-05-06 23:47 in ALL ACCESS Gameplay Technical Issues Bugs

 

Posted

The problem is still happening. Any more fix ideas?

-Mike

 

Posted

I'm comparing my previous post's CoH Helper to my most recent driver updates...
[ QUOTE ]
Here's the info frmo CoH_Helper:

---System information gathered by CoH Helper version 0.1.1.7---

DxDiag gathered at May 7, 2009 23:17 (-07:00)
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: BIOS Date: 11/03/08 16:15:26 Ver: 08.00.14
Central Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6400+, MMX, 3DNow (2 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
Memory: 3072MB
.Net Memory Report: 2622MB out of 3071MB available
Page File: 4664MB (293MB currently in use)
C Drive: (WDC WD2500KS-00MJB0) 5733MB out of 50003MB (11%) free
D Drive: (WDC WD2500KS-00MJB0) 179673MB out of 188461MB (95%) free
E Drive: (HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM GSA-H22L) zero-size drive
Windows directory location: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DirectX Diag version: 5.03.2600.5512 (32-bit version)

Display Notes: No problems found.
Sound Notes: No problems found.

No problems found.
Input Notes: No problems found.

Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor's Max Resolution: 1600,1200
Video Device Name: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
Manufacturer / Chip: NVIDIA / GeForce 9600 GT
Video Memory: 512.0 MB
Driver Version: 6.14.0011.8585
Driver Date: 4/30/2009 10:02:00 PM
Driver Language: English

Sound Device Description: Creative USB Headset
Driver File: usbaudio.sys
Driver Version: 5.01.2600.5512
Driver Date: 4/13/2008 10:45:12 AM

Sound Device Description: Realtek HD Audio output
Driver File: RtkHDAud.sys
Driver Version: 5.10.0000.5730
Driver Date: 5/7/2009 7:17:48 AM


WMI Information
Motherboard Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Motherboard Model: (empty)
Motherboard Product: M2N68-AM
Motherboard Version: Rev X.0x
BIOS Manufacturer: American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS Name: BIOS Date: 11/03/08 16:15:26 Ver: 08.00.14
BIOS Version: 110308 - 20081103
BIOS Release: 20081103000000.000000+000

Registry Information for Current User
Resolution: 1280x1024
3D Resolution: 1280x1024 (Not using renderscale)
Full Screen: Yes
Maximized: No
Screen Position: 0, 0
Refresh Rate: 75Hz
Vertical Sync Enabled: No

Physics Quality: None
Maximum Particles: 100
Max Particle Fill? 10.000
Physics Card Enabled: No

Anti-aliasing: None
Anisotropic Filtering: None
Texture LOD Bias: Crisp
Water Effects: None
Bloom: 1.000 (turned off)
Depth of Field Enabled: No
Desaturation Effects (Sepia) Enabled: No
Shader Detail: Lowest

World Texture Level: Low
Character Texture Level: Medium
World Detail Level (Vis_Scale): 0.500
Entity Detail Level: 0.500
Shadows Enabled: No
Gamma Correction: 1.000
Geometry Buffers (VBOs) Enabled: Yes
Suppression of Extra Player FX Enabled: No
Suppression of FX When Camera Close Enabled: Yes
Close Suppression Range: 3.000
Show Advertisements: Yes

Audio Mode: Performance
3D Audio: No
FX Sound Volume: 1.000
Music Sound Volume: 0.000

Show Advanced Graphics Options: No
Overall Graphics Quality: 0.000
Reverse Mouse Buttons: No
Save Login Username: Yes
Transfer Rate: 1044065 bytes/second
Current Game Version: 18.20090422.2T
Installation Directory: D:\CityofHeroes\City of Heroes

Mod files in the Data directory
No modifications found

[/ QUOTE ]

After newest update:
---System information gathered by CoH Helper version 0.1.1.7---

DxDiag gathered at May 15, 2009 23:04 (-07:00)
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: BIOS Date: 11/03/08 16:15:26 Ver: 08.00.14
Central Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6400+, MMX, 3DNow (2 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
Memory: 3072MB
.Net Memory Report: 2701MB out of 3071MB available
Page File: 4727MB (229MB currently in use)
C Drive: (WDC WD2500KS-00MJB0) 5534MB out of 50003MB (11%) free
D Drive: (WDC WD2500KS-00MJB0) 184339MB out of 188461MB (97%) free
E Drive: (HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM GSA-H22L) zero-size drive
Windows directory location: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DirectX Diag version: 5.03.2600.5512 (32-bit version)

Display Notes: No problems found.
Sound Notes: No problems found.

No problems found.
Input Notes: No problems found.

Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor's Max Resolution: 1600,1200
Video Device Name: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
Manufacturer / Chip: NVIDIA / GeForce 9600 GT
Video Memory: 512.0 MB
Driver Version: 6.14.0011.8160
Driver Date: 5/15/2009 10:43:47 PM
Driver Language: English

Sound Device Description: Creative USB Headset
Driver File: usbaudio.sys
Driver Version: 5.01.2600.5512
Driver Date: 4/13/2008 10:45:12 AM

Sound Device Description: Realtek HD Audio output
Driver File: RtkHDAud.sys
Driver Version: 5.10.0000.5730
Driver Date: 5/7/2009 7:17:48 AM


WMI Information
Motherboard Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Motherboard Model: (empty)
Motherboard Product: M2N68-AM
Motherboard Version: Rev X.0x
BIOS Manufacturer: American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS Name: BIOS Date: 11/03/08 16:15:26 Ver: 08.00.14
BIOS Version: 110308 - 20081103
BIOS Release: 20081103000000.000000+000

Registry Information for Current User
Resolution: 1280x1024
3D Resolution: 1280x1024 (Not using renderscale)
Full Screen: Yes
Maximized: No
Screen Position: 0, 0
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Vertical Sync Enabled: Yes

Physics Quality: Medium
Maximum Particles: 50000
Max Particle Fill? 10.000
Physics Card Enabled: No

Anti-aliasing: None
Anisotropic Filtering: 4x
Texture LOD Bias: Smooth
Water Effects: High Quality
Bloom: 1.000 (turned on)
Depth of Field Enabled: Yes
Desaturation Effects (Sepia) Enabled: Yes
Shader Detail: High

World Texture Level: Very High
Character Texture Level: Very High
World Detail Level (Vis_Scale): 1.000
Entity Detail Level: 1.000
Shadows Enabled: Yes
Gamma Correction: 1.000
Geometry Buffers (VBOs) Enabled: Yes
Suppression of Extra Player FX Enabled: No
Suppression of FX When Camera Close Enabled: Yes
Close Suppression Range: 3.000
Show Advertisements: Yes

Audio Mode: Performance
3D Audio: No
FX Sound Volume: 0.558
Music Sound Volume: 0.000

Show Advanced Graphics Options: No
Overall Graphics Quality: 0.600
Reverse Mouse Buttons: No
Save Login Username: Yes
Transfer Rate: 399304 bytes/second
Current Game Version: 18.20090422.5T
Installation Directory: D:\CityofHeroes\City of Heroes

Mod files in the Data directory
No modifications found


Hijack this info:
Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 11:06:53 PM, on 5/15/2009
Platform: Windows XP SP3 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v7.00 (7.00.6000.16827)
Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wscntfy.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\RTHDCPL.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHelperStub - {18DF081C-E8AD-4283-A596-FA578C2EBDC3} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelperShim.dll
O2 - BHO: Google Gears Helper - {E0FEFE40-FBF9-42AE-BA58-794CA7E3FB53} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Gears\Internet Explorer\0.5.19.0\gears.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NBKeyScan] "C:\Program Files\Nero\Nero8\Nero BackItUp\NBKeyScan.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [RTHDCPL] RTHDCPL.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Alcmtr] ALCMTR.EXE
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /install
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\system32\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [RGSC] C:\program files\steam\steamapps\common\grand theft auto iv\RGSC\RGSCLauncher.exe /silent
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {09C04DA7-5B76-4EBC-BBEE-B25EAC5965F5} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Gears\Internet Explorer\0.5.19.0\gears.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: &Gears Settings - {09C04DA7-5B76-4EBC-BBEE-B25EAC5965F5} - C:\Program Files\Google\Google Gears\Internet Explorer\0.5.19.0\gears.dll
O9 - Extra button: PokerStars - {3AD14F0C-ED16-4e43-B6D8-661B03F6A1EF} - C:\Program Files\PokerStars\PokerStarsUpdate.exe
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @xpsp3res.dll,-20001 - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra button: Bodog Poker - {F47C1DB5-ED21-4dc1-853E-D1495792D4C5} - C:\Program Files\Bodog Poker\BPGame.exe (file missing)
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O16 - DPF: {6414512B-B978-451D-A0D8-FCFDF33E833C} (WUWebControl Class) - http://www.update.microsoft.com/windowsu...b?1234336838781
O16 - DPF: {F6ACF75C-C32C-447B-9BEF-46B766368D29} (Creative Software AutoUpdate Support Package) - http://ccfiles.creative.com/Web/soft...5107/CTPID.cab
O23 - Service: getPlus(R) Helper - NOS Microsystems Ltd. - C:\Program Files\NOS\bin\getPlus_HelperSvc.exe
O23 - Service: Google Update Service (gupdate1c9b590e2b16c2a) (gupdate1c9b590e2b16c2a) - Google Inc. - C:\Program Files\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe
O23 - Service: NVIDIA Display Driver Service (NVSvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\WINDOWS\system32\nvsvc32.exe

--
End of file - 3908 bytes

Can someone please look this over and give me input on what else may be causing this issue?

Thank you!

 

Posted

Still no reply, I see...

Well, I'm gonna file a support ticket and see what happens.

 

Posted

Current Status:
The game is unplayable on my computer for more than 5 min without crashing.

 

Posted

^Bump

Problem unresolved

 

Posted

I haven't tried "Safe Mode" for the game. I'll try it later this morning and let you know my results...

 

Posted

Safe Mode worked fine, but it's very ugly. I adjusted my graphic settings for "Performance." Hopefully, everything works!

 

Posted

Nope, I crashed again...

 

Posted

Mike, have you done any hardware testing at all? I don't see it mentioned anywhere and since we don't see an obvious software issue from the CoHHelper or HijackThis it might be a good idea to do some hardware tests.

Temp monitor

Bench tester for the GPU

Memory tester

Stress tester for your system

All of these were cribbed from Mid_Forever's post in Zloth's ++ Common Solutions & Posting Guidelines ++ sticky.

"I used to make diddly squat, but I've been with the company for 16 years and have had plenty of great raises. Now I just make squat" -- Me

Pediatric brain tumors are the #1 cause of cancer related deaths in children.

 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
Nope, I crashed again...

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, if it works in Safe Mode, with all the graphics turned down/off but not with the graphics turned high/on, then it's one of those graphics settings causing the problem.

Go into the Options > Graphics window and turn off whatever can be turned off and lower everything else to the lowest setting.

If it doesn't crash, then you know that resolution is OK. If it still crashes however, manually set it to 800x600 resolution. If it then stops crashing, then the resolution is the problem. Try different resolutions.

If, however, the resolution is not the problem. Then start turning the graphics options back on/high. Do one at a time and play a few hours. If turning it up/on doesn't cause a crash, move on to the next graphics fx until you find the one crashing you. Then... don't use it.

Speeding Through New DA Repeatables || Spreadsheet o' Enhancements || Zombie Skins: better skins for these forums || Guide to Guides

 

Posted

^ Bump.... still not fixed....

 

Posted

For what it is worth: I had the very same problem for almost a year. It was very frustrating. After my game crashed it would always repair some files. I could never tell how long it would play before it would crash.

I happened to be trying a new program called MemTest showing a friend how it worked when I noticed my memory was failing the test???? I never thought to check my memory! I bought some new memory and replaced the bad sticks. I have not had a crash since. Well except for the crazy MA mission crashes.

 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]

Did you go through all the steps of my post above?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, and still no joy.

 

Posted

I'll test my memory when I get a chance... there SHOULDn'T be a problem because I just recently upgraded to 4GB of RAM 1066MHz not too long ago...

 

Posted

Well, my motherboard only has 2 RAM slots which were jam-packed with 4GB (2GB x2) of OCZ Platinum PC2 8500 RAM. I removed the stick in bank B, started the computer and the game, and crashed again about 10 minutes later with an error on nvoglnt.dll. I googled the error only to find out it was some type of graphics issue. Therefore, I restarted the game and set all my graphic settings to default. This time, the game crashed to desktop 15 min later with no specific error while I was standing in Atlas Park. So then, I tried disabling CPU 1 again and crashed about another 20 min later.

I'm about to give up on this computer and sell it. Any Hail Mary advice to get my game/games working on this machine before I give up on it?

Thanks!

 

Posted

My pc is doing the same thing when I attempt to play CoH. I get the looping sound then a complete lockup of my system. I first noticed it after that last patch we had. It never did it before then. I don't have this problem with my other online games just CoH.

So don't assume it's your machine and not a flaw with CoH.

 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
So don't assume it's your machine and not a flaw with CoH.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, like you said, it doesn't do it on ALL of my games. However, it does do it on at least 2 of my games that hog resources like City of Heroes/Villains and GTA IV. Granted, GTA IV is a relatively new game and still have some bugs; recent upgrades that I have done to my machine can also be a possible contributor to the problem. After describing my problems to a fellow tech savvy friend of mine, we've come to conclude that this problem might be 1 of 2 things.

1. A bad memory (RAM) stick.

or

2. The right type of RAM but specs or brands that are not supported by my motherboard manufacturer.

Currently, I'm running Memtest 86 on 1 stick at a time in Bank 1 to test the RAM. When I tried running Memtest 86 on both sticks together, the test started up to 10% on one moving inversion and would repeatedly crash/reboot. Now that I only have 1 stick on Bank 1 in, it hasn't crashed and is still testing the current stick of RAM. Overall, I'm hoping this is only a case of either bad RAM or wrong RAM so that I won't have to sell my machine and start fresh.

If I do have to start fresh, I've been comparing my options between possibly getting a Mac Mini or going with a combo of parts from the builds in FatherXmas ' profile. As much as I'd love to hop on the Mac bandwagon, Macs are much less "bang for your buck." So, FatherXmas' rigs are really tempting me, but I need to test my computer first before I go about replacing it for that option.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE:
After successfully passing 1 of my 2GB Memory Sticks on Memtest 86, I decided to go to ASUS' website and check on my BIOS. I noticed that my BIOS was slightly out of date. Therefore, I updated my BIOS as well.

I'm running tests now to see if/how the new changes affect anything.

 

Posted

After Flashing my BIOS, I was going to run a Memtest on the other stick. When I read the ASUS website about new RAM supported on my mobo, I noticed that the RAM I was using was included in the new update. Therefore, I re-installed the 2nd stick and was about to run the Memtest again. However, when I restored power to the PC, my SB_PWR light was flashing. After reading some forums (on my laptop) about it, they suggested that my power supply might be going bad. This equipment had been recently upgraded back in February and I'm not sure what would cause my PSU that had been working fine to suddenly go bad. Therefore, I was certain that the new issue had something to do with my BIOS update. Therefore, I tried clearing the CMOS and nothing changed. I tried taking out the video card, disconnecting the hard drive and DVD burner; still the PC wouldn't power up to even spin the CPU fan. Meanwhile, I was discussing the issue(s) on the phone with a good, tech-savvy friend of mine when we discovered that this new BIOS update could have caused the problem. And, if the CMOS didn't clear, which it didn't, now the mobo needs to be sent back to the manufacturer for a "RMA." Well, now that my gaming computer is toast, at least the game still works great on my wife's computer. For now, I'll just have to deal with playing on her PC until I get the money for some replacement parts.

I'm off to bed...

 

Posted

I've done a little research on my issue. When my system crashes I get the LiveKernelEvent error, which suggests that the problem is either a graphics hardware problem or software issue. However, I have found out that many people are having this same issue laptop and pc, no matter the manufacturer. It doesn't matter if your graphics card is Nvidia or ATI.

No one knows the exact cause of the error. Some believe it's a faulty motherboard, power supply, bad memory, the graphics card itself, or the drivers. If you google the error you'll see that many people have replaced items in their pc and laptops and still have the same problem. The only common denominator I've seen is Vista.

The crashing happens on WoW, Call of Duty, City of Heroes and just about any other game. So just to give you a heads up.

 

Posted

I just upgraded my computer. Now installing new drivers...

Here's my current specs:
---System information gathered by CoH Helper version 0.1.1.7---

DxDiag gathered at June 4, 2009 20:37 (-07:00)
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234)
System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
System Model: EP43-UD3L
BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG
Central Processor: Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU E5200 @ 2.50GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 3326MB
.Net Memory Report: 2960MB out of 3326MB available
Page File: 4993MB (217MB currently in use)
C Drive: (WDC WD2500KS-00MJB0) 5171MB out of 50003MB (10%) free
D Drive: (WDC WD2500KS-00MJB0) 184230MB out of 188461MB (97%) free
E Drive: (HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM GSA-H22L) zero-size drive
Windows directory location: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DirectX Diag version: 5.03.2600.5512 (32-bit version)

Display Notes: No problems found.
Sound Notes: No problems found.
Input Notes: No problems found.

Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor's Max Resolution: 1600,1200
Video Device Name: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
Manufacturer / Chip: NVIDIA / GeForce 9600 GT
Video Memory: 512.0 MB
Driver Version: 6.14.0011.8585
Driver Date: 4/30/2009 10:02:00 PM
Driver Language: English

Sound Device Description: Realtek HD Audio output
Driver File: RtkHDAud.sys
Driver Version: 5.10.0000.5672
Driver Date: 7/24/2008 3:02:44 AM


WMI Information
Motherboard Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
Motherboard Model: (empty)
Motherboard Product: EP43-UD3L
Motherboard Version: x.x
BIOS Manufacturer: Award Software International, Inc.
BIOS Name: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG
BIOS Version: GBT - 42302e31
BIOS Release: 20090225000000.000000+000

Registry Information for Current User
Resolution: 1280x1024
3D Resolution: 1280x1024 (Not using renderscale)
Full Screen: Yes
Maximized: No
Screen Position: 0, 0
Refresh Rate: 75Hz
Vertical Sync Enabled: Yes

Physics Quality: Medium
Maximum Particles: 50000
Max Particle Fill? 10.000
Physics Card Enabled: No

Anti-aliasing: 4x
Anisotropic Filtering: 4x
Texture LOD Bias: Smooth
Water Effects: High Quality
Bloom: 1.000 (turned on)
Depth of Field Enabled: Yes
Desaturation Effects (Sepia) Enabled: Yes
Shader Detail: High

World Texture Level: Very High
Character Texture Level: Very High
World Detail Level (Vis_Scale): 1.000
Entity Detail Level: 1.000
Shadows Enabled: Yes
Gamma Correction: 1.000
Geometry Buffers (VBOs) Enabled: Yes
Suppression of Extra Player FX Enabled: No
Suppression of FX When Camera Close Enabled: No
Close Suppression Range: 3.000
Show Advertisements: Yes

Audio Mode: Performance
3D Audio: No
FX Sound Volume: 1.000
Music Sound Volume: 0.600

Show Advanced Graphics Options: No
Overall Graphics Quality: 0.600
Reverse Mouse Buttons: No
Save Login Username: Yes
Transfer Rate: 399304 bytes/second
Current Game Version: 18.20090422.5T
Installation Directory: D:\CityofHeroes\City of Heroes

Mod files in the Data directory
No modifications found