Desktop vs. laptop
By
Doomlord,
Posted on: 2009-05-19 11:32 in ALL ACCESS Gameplay Technical Issues Bugs
Generally, when a better system crashes and the lesser system does not, the problem lies in either a hardware fault and/or a driver fault.
First thing I'd do is clean up the hard drive on the desktop. Ad/Spy/Mal-ware checks, virus checks, error checks against the hard drive, system defrag.
Next would be a driver uninstall/reinstall for the graphics card as well as the sound card (if you have a discrete sound card). Next, I would probably try reinstalls of any motherboard component you may be using (network, sound, etc.)
If that doesn't resolve the issue, then I'd probably go with burning a Memtest86+ iso to disk and checking your memory one RAM module at a time.
I'd also look to your power supply to make sure it's enough for your desktop's graphics card.
-Wolf sends
My desktop crashed about 6 months ago, and about a month ago, i got enought money for what i needed (a new graphics card, the old one was what made my desktop crashed).
I had a 350 watt power supply, since i got a high end graphics card, i also bought a 600 watt power supply.
The Geek Squad guy did a whole reboot on the machine... so basically it's running like a new machine. I can play regular games perfectly, like Halo 2, even online.
But when I try to play CoX, I crash. 
What brand power supply and how many amps on the +12v rail(s)? There should be a sticker on the side of the power supply with this information.
Also, did the crashing begin immediately after the upgrade or more recently?
-Wolf sends
it's +12v rail (the box that the graphics card came with actually recommended the power supply i bought)
The crashing didn't happen until I installed CoX, and it doesn't happen unless I'm playing CoX.
Does the whole computer crash or just City of Heroes?
Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's the memory
And there you'll always be
-- The Fox and the Hound
Just City of Heroes
Run it in safe mode (checkbox on bottom right of EULA screen in the updater) and then adjust your graphics settings, one parameter at a time.
Also, since the AE building/main floor is involved, it'd be good to know what server this is happening on. Consider creating a test character on another server (save your current costume and load it there, if you don't want to recreate it by hand). It MAY be related to the lag issues people see when they approach the AE buildings on crowded servers.
One final question - how are your computers connected to the Internet? DSL/cable/wireless/sat? What's the provider?
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
Both are connected wirelessly with a linksys N1 Router, the laptop has a receiver built in.
The destop has an external wireless Linksys adaptar that is plugged into the usb port.
My provider is Comcast.
OK.
IF you can manage it, try connecting the desktop via an Ethernet cable.
1) USB is entirely processor-driven, which means that more traffic = more processor load, usually right when you need the processor to interpret the data, not just manage how it's transported.
2) Wireless is very much a 'best effort' delivery system, and it can get stepped on very easily even if the other device doesn't have your encryption codes - with anything radio-frequency, strongest signal wins.
By connecting via an Ethernet cable, you bypass BOTH potential issues in one step.
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
Alright I was playing the game today, i was venting about this problem to my team, one person said that CoH (w/ vista) + nvidia graphics card = bad combination. He said he was going to give me a link, but never got around to it.
Does anyone know what this guy is talking about?
[ QUOTE ]
Alright I was playing the game today, i was venting about this problem to my team, one person said that CoH (w/ vista) + nvidia graphics card = bad combination. He said he was going to give me a link, but never got around to it.
Does anyone know what this guy is talking about?
[/ QUOTE ]
No, IMO this game supports Nvidia the best. I mean there is a reason you see the Nvidia logo in the load screens 
There was this annoying crash bug with NVIDIA drivers for a while. Vista SP2 permanently fixed it, AFAIK.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Alright I was playing the game today, i was venting about this problem to my team, one person said that CoH (w/ vista) + nvidia graphics card = bad combination. He said he was going to give me a link, but never got around to it.
Does anyone know what this guy is talking about?
[/ QUOTE ]
No, IMO this game supports Nvidia the best. I mean there is a reason you see the Nvidia logo in the load screens
[/ QUOTE ]
I have that combo, and I can dual box with graphics set at maximum with ABSOLUTELY no problem what-so-ever.
But..I did have to get that SP ASAP! W/o it...bleh no worky work at all. Get the Service Pack and it is B.E.A.uuuuuuutiful!
Desktop wins every time...easy pin with it's extra weight.
.
.
.
What?! That's not what the thread is about? Oh, nvm then. =(
When ever i play on my desktop, i always crash (it usually happens when walking out of the hospital in the ae building).
When i play on my laptop the game runs smoothly.
My laptop is a gaming laptop (4 gb of ram, 200 gb of hard drive, centrino dual core processor, and radeon hd 2600.
My destop has 3 gb of ram, 600 gb of hard drive, quad core, nvidia 9800 xt oc (with a gb).
They both run on Vista and have gotten the most updated drives.