Direct X related issue with game
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Thread: Direct X related issue with game

  1. #1
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    Direct X related issue with game

    thought this was worth posting about, its one of the strangest issues i've ever run into. anyway, to try and make the story short as possible, I installed a game I wasn't completely sure about but turned out it ran 100% fine, no stuttering or anything. the settings were even all on high, I turned them down to minimum just to make sure i didn't run into slowdown later. after a while, i got to the "open ended environment" part and it still ran 100% with not even a single hint of frame drops or anything....however, it was always not long before the game immediately crashed here, no errors or nothing, just bam, back to desktop.

    after a while, i figured i'd explore the game cd and re-install Direct X and those C+++ things. now all of the sudden the game's performance took a huge hit, it was choppy, and bad---but it did not crash at all anymore. problem solved

    so thats about it thought it was weird, not sure there's anything i can really do about it. I used ati catalyst to set 3D to "optimal performance" and knocked the game's resolution all the way to minimum ugly setting, so it plays without slow framerate now but i had to compromise....it was so strange to me that a direct X issue seemd to cause this but the game played perfectly before on much higher resolution

  2. #2
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    To check which version of DirectX is on your computer

    Open DirectX Diagnostic Tool by clicking the Start button , typing dxdiag in the search box, and then pressing Enter.
    Click the System tab, and then, under System Information, check the DirectX version number.

    once you know that, I think you installed a older version, this link , will let you know which OS it was for.
    http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/179113

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Train View Post
    To check which version of DirectX is on your computer

    Open DirectX Diagnostic Tool by clicking the Start button , typing dxdiag in the search box, and then pressing Enter.
    Click the System tab, and then, under System Information, check the DirectX version number.

    once you know that, I think you installed a older version, this link , will let you know which OS it was for.
    http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/179113
    thanks for the suggestion, at least i can confirm the DX is up to date for my OS

    I don't know whats going on, I assumed the instance of slow gameplay was from the DX re-install days ago, but apparently not it is back to playing normally. the computer just must have been using some scheduled background task or something at the time, and i was lucky to not have it crash on me i guess.

    it will still crash in open environment sections, the only thing i can confirm is that (at least so far) this has never happened in the normal levels of the game, which are linear and not huge open environment. I have been wondering if ram amount has any effect on rendering a large area or something, because i am using the minimum amount of 2gb, the recommended is 4gb for it

  4. #4
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    Oh yes, ram, errrrr the lack of it, can be a huge problem.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Train View Post
    Oh yes, ram, errrrr the lack of it, can be a huge problem.
    well hopefully that is it, and it will at least work whenever i get the full 4gb in it. this was my first thought about what might be wrong, but i kinda brushed it off because i still meet the minimum requirements for ram.

    I just thought for sure I would get an actual error message pertaining to it. It just shuts out immediately, sometimes task manager still shows it open in processes (not applications tho) and i can hear it, then have to end it there before re-starting, but thats about it.

  6. #6
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    Lock ups can be a overheated video card or lack of ram.
    Post you
    OS
    Make and model of your computer
    Game you installed.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Train View Post
    Lock ups can be a overheated video card or lack of ram.
    Post you
    OS
    Make and model of your computer
    Game you installed.
    laptop; is a compaq nw8440 i guess somewhat high end in its day but that was long ago (in computer terms)
    that runs windows XP w/ service pack 3. The ram is upgraded to 2gb.

    the game is lego marvel, which has an open environment 'hub' between levels, which is a pretty impressive manhattan, complete with washington heights, little italy, etc, it is a huge area. there really is no slowdown but if i start running or flying around new york quickly, it will probably crash immediately, or within a minute or two.

    however if you leave the hub to play on one of the levels, nothing ever happens, i've played extended periods and it has never crashed or errors of any sort on these sections.

  8. #8
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Train View Post
    mine has the T7600, from what I've read its the max upgrade for it but I would assume not much difference from the T7200

    No I didn't know about that website, found the display adapter among a list of those that would work for the specific game on a different website. I am actually going to bookmark that site, although it doesn't seem to have any of my exact CPU/display adapter on there, it seems very useful.

    to be honest, i didnt originally expect the game to work, but when i saw the display adapter showed up on the list and that I had the minimum ram requirements, I tried it out. since it turned out to surprisingly run very fluidly, i figured the crashing in the open environment was an error that should be fixable.

  10. #10
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    T7600 is Still slightly worse
    http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/78/...cket_M%29.html

    It just might be fixable, see if through the forums and game sites it they have a update specific to that problem. But if it was my rig, I would get a matched set of ram and replace what you have and sell what is installed.

  11. #11
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    T7600 is Still slightly worse
    I noticed that too, that really threw me for a loop. why are the only upgrades for the compaq nw8440 (T7400 and T7600) actually rated slower than the original cpu?? they do both show very slightly faster in single/mutli threaded tasks, but overall worse


    I would get a matched set of ram and replace what you have and sell what is installed.
    Yeah I see your point, that is the only way I can get the max amount of ram in there. As of right now I have the stock 1GB and another 1GB pulled from a different laptop, so they arent what I'd call a matching set either. I think its probably the ram, I do remember turning up something that mentioned memory issues related to crashing. Other than that, all my searching hasn't found anything about lock ups only in this one specific section of the game like it does for me.

    there are suggestions about changing the audio samping rate/frequency to a certain Mhz for general crashes, but apparently theres only a slider for changing quality (good to best) in windows xp. somehow I don't think the sound has anything to do with it though, I can play the game without fear of crashing anywhere except the huge open environment section, which makes it hard to progress past a certain point, only replay same levels over and over.

    thanks for helping, finding any specific support for this game is hard and they don't patch it either. I feel like if there is any solution, increasing the ram is probably it.

  12. #12
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    I believe that should do the trick. Picked up a Dell Latitude D630 [Early 2007] today
    Cpu comparison
    http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/80/...cket_P%29.html

    XP is gone and my favorite Distro is installed.

    $ inxi -Fxz
    System: Host: antix1 Kernel: 3.19.1-antix.1-486-smp i686 (32 bit gcc: 4.9.2)
    Desktop: IceWM 1.3.8
    Distro: antiX-15-beta1-V_386-full Killah P 16 March 2015
    Machine: System: Dell product: Latitude D630
    Mobo: Dell model: 0WM416 Bios: Dell v: A07 date: 01/30/2008
    CPU: Dual core Intel Core2 Duo T9300 (-MCP-) cache: 6144 KB
    flags: (lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 9972
    clock speeds: max: 2501 MHz 1: 1600 MHz 2: 1200 MHz
    Graphics: Card: NVIDIA G86M [Quadro NVS 135M] bus-ID: 01:00.0
    Display Server: X.Org 1.16.4 drivers: nouveau (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
    Resolution: 1440x900@60.00hz
    GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on NV86
    GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 10.3.2 Direct Rendering: Yes
    Audio: Card Intel 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller
    driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
    Sound: ALSA v: k3.19.1-antix.1-486-smp
    Network: Card-1: Broadcom NetXtreme BCM5755M Gigabit Ethernet PCI Express
    driver: tg3 v: 3.137 bus-ID: 09:00.0
    IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter>
    Card-2: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network Connection
    driver: iwl3945 v: in-tree:s bus-ID: 0c:00.0
    IF: wlan0 state: up mac: <filter>
    Drives: HDD Total Size: 120.0GB (4.5% used)
    ID-1: /dev/sda model: TOSHIBA_MK1234GS size: 120.0GB
    Partition: ID-1: / size: 108G used: 2.8G (3%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
    ID-2: swap-1 size: 2.59GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda2
    Sensors: System Temperatures: cpu: 49.0C mobo: 39.0C gpu: 59.0
    Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: 120930
    Info: Processes: 114 Uptime: 1:53 Memory: 351.0/1003.8MB
    Init: SysVinit runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 4.9.2

    I will use it browser and maybe check email.

  13. #13
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    interesting and that cpu is stronger still than the E4600, which beats out all the nw8440 processors.

    previously, I would spend on a decent tower that had an i3 or i5 in it and throw a graphics card in with low power requirements, that always supplied everything I needed. Once a while back I went the route of having a custom built PC, and found out it was more trouble than it was worth, and just a lot I didn't need.

    currently though, this laptop is the first computer I've owned in about 2 years, been out of the game, so to speak.
    Last edited by satch4684; April 3rd, 2015 at 02:06 AM.

  14. #14
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    http://www.repc.com/ has a store In Tukwila where I stopped and got this laptop.

    Ok, got lucky! But they did have a couple i5 and a i7 with Win 7 on them. Desktops, all kind of them.

  15. #15
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    well, had another program show an error at the same time the game crashed, directly related to memory, so now its pretty certain there is some sort of memory leak or the game itself needs more than the minimum recommended.


    As for me getting another computer, looks like my best bet is spending between 1-2 hundred on E-bay when I can to repair/replace the mobo for the Asus G73JH I have. Now I just have to decide if spending around $50 on maxing out this things memory in the meantime is worth it.

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