Help for a friend (game crashes)
By
Back_Blast,
Posted on: 2010-04-14 08:57 in ALL ACCESS Gameplay Technical Issues Bugs
1) He needs to update to current drivers for his card.
2) Seriously, he needs to update his drivers.
3) He probably needs to clean out the dust-bunnies inside his machine.
Some of the symptoms do sound like an overheating issue.
4) Did I mention that he NEEDS to update his drivers?
6000+ levels gained and 8 level 50's
Hello, my name is Soulwind and I have Alt-Itis.
in case it hasn't been mentioned, he needs to update his video card drivers. and as long as he has a virus protection program he should have no fear of using the internet.
Does he use Windows Update? i.e. is Windows up to date?
Windows Update will install new video drivers (at least it does it for Vista) if he just selects it, its an optional update.
You could download the drivers for him, you just need to know which version of Windows and if its 32-bit or 64-bit. Then but it on a disk and mail it to him if he's not local to you, otherwise put it on a thumbdrive and walk it over to him.
I know someone with a learning disability who has similar issues with his computer, his family hired for him a "consultant" to keep his computer updated and healthy. I'm using quotes around the word consultant for the simple reason that the person doing the consulting is actually another disabled person that's getting paid about $20 a month to drop by and check on the computer. Maybe your friend could benefit from a comparable arrangement.
"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.
Drivers, drivers, drivers, drivers! And perhaps a cleaning of the PC.
And I have to say it. He'll play MMOs but is phobic about the internet? That's..... *speechless*
And as for you my dear Madam, if you're on a definite budget, a 5770 is a pretty good buy and should do UM nicely from what I hear. Above that, the 5850 is a good choice but will be definitely pushing your budget.
It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.
Make sure Windows is fully up to date. If it's Vista, he should be on Service Pack 2. Many problems disappeared with SP2.
Update the video drivers.
Update the video drivers.
Update the video drivers.
If he won't update Windows and the video drivers, ask him to donate his computer to a worthy charity since he's trying to use 21st century technology but acts like he's in the 3rd century.
There must be magic in that box, and that's the Devil's work you know.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
Thanks for the advice. I'll let him know when I see him saterday. But yeah, it boggles my mind that he's never done that too. Actually, he has no anti-virus or anti-spyware. He's phobic of downloading Avira Antivir (a really really good one I use) or spybot. And refuses to buy one. Not sure if he's updated windows either. He must have, since that's enabled by default.
"The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern." Lord Acton
Madam Enigma's History
He may have disabled that, given your comments about his fears of downloading.
How does he get over those fears when the game updates and he has to download the patches?
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
Ok, just spoke with him. And... he disabled updates after getting Service Pack 2 this time. He'd done a complete clean reinstall of Windows Vista to try fixing the problem.
He claims he got an update from Windows Update which claimed it was from microsoft, but wasn't and was actually a virus. And that this mystery update messed up his computer. While it's true getting optional updates your system doesn't have the capability to use (or getting the Windows driver for a store bought graphics card) can mess up the computer... How does he think someone uploaded a virus to Microsoft's windows update servers without MS noticing and removing it?
I think he doesn't realize an MMO having to download updates (or download the client for free mmos) is the same thing as downloading windows updates of graphics card updates. Something to do with his fear of browsing the internet and picking up random viruses. I did finally convince him to update the drivers. Drivers which he'd never updated.
Only reason he has service pack 2 (and nothing after that) is because he accidentally left automatic updates on after the clean install. He doesn't even get the updates for Windows Defender. Sure it stinks on ice, but it's still an added layer of protection.
"The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern." Lord Acton
Madam Enigma's History
even automatic updates won't download the optional ones unless you tell it to. i suggest never getting the optional updates as they are not important. you should, if you can, go to his house and teach him how to do this. it is very important to get the updates for your comp and other hardware.
I just can't understand people who buy a computer but are afraid of doing anything with it. It's like a somebody who is hydrophobic buying a swimming pool.
Seriously right now he's like somebody who refuses to add oil when the oil light comes on in their car because one time he opened the hood of the car and the same day he got a flat tire.
And just so you know you aren't alone in this. A year or so ago we had a user here who was having a problem with overly bright colors. She had vision problems and it was to the point of hurting her eyes and making it impossible for her to play. Her dad had the exact same ideas about upgrading the operating system and drivers. He kept telling her that he wouldn't update the drivers and if she tried it she was going to infect her computer will all sorts of viruses and burn out her video card. He threatened that if she ruined her computer by updating drivers that he wasn't going to pay to fix it. After a couple months of her begging us for alternate solutions she finally gave in (or her dad did, don't remember which) and upgraded the drivers. She started a thank you thread because the game once again looked great.
Don't count your weasels before they pop dink!
I completely agree. And find it funny he keeps looking towards the next mmo. Right now he's eager for DC Universe Online, which looks like it too would be hard on the 1.0 drivers.
"The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern." Lord Acton
Madam Enigma's History
If he doesn't want to surf, fine. But he STILL needs to update drivers, patches and run antivirus. Cuz not all viruses come from the web. Some will find you. Others move through email. (Unless he absolutely refuses to use that as well.) And even legit websites and such can be hacked. He really needs to get over this phobia or at least take some sensible actions and precautions. Or he needs to just stop using a computer.
It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.
Quote:
I know, and am working on it now. Downloading the install file for Avira Antivir personal edition, and Spybot Search & Destroy to take over to him. Now, I am a little phobic about viruses and spyware. My first computer was killed by them. That just means I do daily updates and scans though.
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Originally Posted by Back_Blast
If he doesn't want to surf, fine. But he STILL needs to update drivers, patches and run antivirus. Cuz not all viruses come from the web. Some will find you. Others move through email. (Unless he absolutely refuses to use that as well.) And even legit websites and such can be hacked. He really needs to get over this phobia or at least take some sensible actions and precautions. Or he needs to just stop using a computer.
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"The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern." Lord Acton
Madam Enigma's History
Update:
He finally updated his graphics drivers and Windows. And then today he called me up to say the game stopped crashing. I figured that was the cause after eliminating other possible reasons. Still, thanks for the advice.
"The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern." Lord Acton
Madam Enigma's History
I've got a friend who plays, but keeps getting game crashes every 3 hours. I've directed him here multiple times, but he seems to have a phobia of actually using the interenet. No, I can't suply a dxlog or anything. He could, but he's afraid to actually do anything but turn on the computer and play an MMO. Anyway, here is what I know of his problem;
He has a nevidea gforce 9600 or so I think, but never updated his drivers. You know, phobia of using the internet (especially if you have to download anything). He's using vista as well if that matters. After three hours of game play he says he gets graphics glitches, then the game freezes. A minute or so later and his game client shuts down.
His room mate says that one time when it happened there was an error message saying something about incompatable graphics card, but again he's using a nevidia card. I'd suggested he try turning down the graphics from 'quality', but weather or not that helps is unknown. He played for five minutes on 'recommended' graphics settings, and bumped everything to max again. He says the game looks too ugly otherwise.
Any ideas on what could be the problem? He's already tried a clean install. He says it may be the modem, but this only happens with CoH. Not the dozens of other (free) MMOs he plays.
And on a side note, what ATI card would be recommended to upgrade to if I wanted to take advantage of the new Ultra mode? I've currently got a Radion X1600. Keep in mind I can't afford to drop five hundred dollars on a graphics card. $300 would probably be pushing it too.
"The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern." Lord Acton
Madam Enigma's History