Games Freezing!

[Rip The Jacker]

I have a GeForce 4 MX 420, and all my damn games are freezing! I checked the System Information and came across this:
http://www.fhost.org/x/krackhead2k/conflict.jpg
I wonder if the conflict is causing my games to freeze? And if so, how can I change the IRQ on my devices??

[adamp2p]

If you know how to go into your BIOS, probably by pressing DEL or F2 during boot up, you can probably find a IRQ assignment option. Check to see if you can reassign the Video controller to a different IRQ, or move others off.

Good luck.

[DarkBlizzard]

When you get a bunch of spyware, adware, and other things like that sometimes it slows down your computer ( because it did it to me) so download programs liked Ad-aware 6.0 and Spybot: Search and Destroy and have them search your computer. Also, uninstall all of your programs you dont use. It should speed up your comp a little bit if it freezes a bunch. Also check for marks on the bottom of your CD's ( if u bought them, not downloaded) and if they do have marks and stuff then go to Gamestop or some other gamestore and get one of those tools that fixes up your CDs....they are like little brush things...

[toddiscool]

What os is that? 2000 right? if so or Xp (I know it is not) I beleive IRQ is not a big deal, it deals with it diffrent thatn 98 and such.
As for games freezing, well do the standard driver thing (newest, or not newest depending on)
Check for game patches - more helpful than you think
It is hard to say, but it is probably not an IRQ thing if you are using 2000 (although i rarley see that many things on one IRQ even in XP

[Rip The Jacker]

Well, I checked for Spyware, viruses, and other stuff, all clean. I got the newest drivers for my graphic card. I won't need game patches, seeing that all my damn games freeze! I don't even know what to do anymore, a friend told me multiple devices using the same IRQ is bad.

[DarthInsinuate]

have you tried using an older driver? - sometimes a bug in new drivers mess things up

have you overclocked?

when did the problem start?

[Rip The Jacker]

Using the newest drivers for my GeForce 4 MX 420. And up-to-date drivers for my motherboard.

Havn't overclocked.

It's been happening for a loong time now, I just really care all of a sudden.

HELP

[HyE PrIdE THUG]

dont worry cuzz we gonna fix that bitch tomorrow baby baby
:D


Bigart

[N£MO]

Originally posted by HyE PrIdE THUG@14 July 2003 - 08:33
dont worry cuzz we gonna fix that bitch tomorrow baby baby
:D


Bigart
Would you care to enlighten us on your master plan?

[RGX]

Hye pride thugs on his way over, watch this space :D

[Rip The Jacker]

OK, heres something to think about. Not only does my PC freeze while playing games. My PC also dies when I try to encode a VCD with TMPEGEnc, and while extracting big files with WinRAR, and during some other things. So I'm guessing its not my graphic card..... what if its my RAM? Is there a program that can check a PC's RAM for problems??? Thanks in advance...

[pixellated]

Reading through the first posts, I was going to ask if your system crashed only in games or doing other things .. but since you've now said that it crashes in other things, it does ease some of the suspicion on the video card. ;)

Judging by the screenshot, you're running 2000 or XP, right? toddiscool is probably right in saying it's not an IRQ issue (assuming you have fairly recent hardware in the machine). At one point I had something like 10 devices listed on 1 IRQ while running Win2K.

As far as checking RAM for problems, look here: WebAttack - Memory Utilities (http://www.webattack.com/freeware/system/fwmemory.shtml) and check out Memtest86 and/or Memtest.

Hopefully these will help. I had a similiar problem not too long ago .. though it turned out to be the motherboard and not the RAM.

Best of luck! :)
--
Pixellated

[Rip The Jacker]

Yes!!! pixellated this was your first post, and man was it fantastic! I found what my problem is! Thanks to memTest. :)
http://www.fhost.org/x/krackhead2k/error.jpg
I'm not saying its a good thing my RAM sucks, but now I know for sure if I buy new RAM my games (and PC) will work great! I found out what my problem is and know how to fix it! Thanks pixellated! :)

[toddiscool]

Well that is one hell of a first post. Definetly a welcome addition to the board.

[pixellated]

Hehe. Thanks guys. :)
Glad I could help. Kinda sucks to have to replace parts, but if it runs right afterwards, it's usually worth it.
--
Pixellated

[Rip The Jacker]

Noooooo!!! I bought a new stick of 512mb SDRAM PC133, and gave it a test drive. My games still freeze! :( :angry:

I don't get it, I got new RAM, and that didn't help. I also ran one of my games in Software Rendering (so the graphic cards not used) and my PC still froze! So its not my graphic card, or my RAM.

Why does this happen!? :blink:

[Livy]

did u take all the old ram out? it may be overheating, keep the case lid of and try it

[DarthInsinuate]

Originally posted by pixellated@15 July 2003 - 03:38
I had a similiar problem not too long ago .. though it turned out to be the motherboard and not the RAM
have you tried another motherboard, see if a friend will let you put your memory in his motherboard

actually this is starting to sound like an expensive problem - chuck this comp in the bin (or even better see if some idiot will buy it off ebay) and get a new one

[alan36uk]

I had the same problem with all my games freezing !!

I surfed for a month and found a patch that works on my gforce.

EVERY game now works...

I was told it was my power supply a billion times and not having the latest drivers.

It may not work on your pc if you have conflicts..

But if you want to try it give me a shout !

Cheers Alan

[Rip The Jacker]

did u take all the old ram out? it may be overheating, keep the case lid of and try it
Yes I took the old RAM out. And I tried it with my case open, same thing...

have you tried another motherboard, see if a friend will let you put your memory in his motherboard
Its a brand new stick of 512mb pc133 sdram, I don't think the ram is the problem...

I surfed for a month and found a patch that works on my gforce.
What sort of patch are you talking about? What should I be looking for? And yes I do have the latest drivers too.

[pixellated]

It's a bummer that the new RAM didn't fix the problem .. If only it was something that nice and easy (albeit not the cheapest) to fix. *sigh*

Think you could post a list of the hardware in your machine? That might help.

[Rip The Jacker]

If it helps sure.

Part 1:
http://www.fhost.org/x/krackhead2k/device1.jpg

Part 2:
http://www.fhost.org/x/krackhead2k/device2.jpg

EDIT: By the way, I disabled my Network Adapter, there isn't anything wrong with it.

[uNz[i]]

Hmmm... apps and games frequently locking up for no apparent reason.. restarting the comp the only way out.

A few other people and myself have a very similar problem, KrackHead2k... details on this topic:
http://www.klboard.ath.cx/bb/index.php?showtopic=47952
Theres some links to online and software PC tests in there that you may or may not have tried yet.

After much testing and swapping out of parts, my major suspect is the mobo.
I'm just waiting on the delivery of a cpu to complete my upgrade package of new mobo and video card to provide a fix.

If I update my system and it still freezes, then it could only be something to do with the display drivers. The one thing my new system will have in common with the old is the fact that It'll be using a (newer) Geforce card... but at the moment that's just a theory that I hope is wrong; I just broke the bank buying the new PC parts.


I surfed for a month and found a patch that works on my gforce.
Please share your patch info alan36uk.. it might save a bunch of people a lot of money and aggro!
I've noticed that it's usually Geforce cards that are affected by the big freeze.

I'll repost once I've upgraded my system to let you know if the freeze still happens, KrackHead2k.
Good luck in your search for a fix.

(Edit: Rephrasing)

[pixellated]

There does seem to be quite a few people with a GeForce / Athlon problem. There are threads in other forums about problems that sound similar to your own. (With similar hardware.) Some of them were solved by installing specific Detonator drivers (22.50 and 23.12 were recommended) and others by installing updated AGP drivers for 2K/XP. (The VIA 4in1's or AMD's AGP driver for the AMD chipsets).

Not sure if these will be of any help, but they might at least supply some ideas. (Though these don't really cover the memory errors MemTest reported .. Dunno if that was an mistake by MemTest or something pooched in the board or RAM.)

Here are the particular threads I'm referring to:
http://www.nocrash.com/ncbbs/msgs/1153.shtml
http://www.xtremepccentral.com/forums/arch...5/2002/04/4/931 (http://www.xtremepccentral.com/forums/archive/35/2002/04/4/931)

[alan36uk]

VIA Technologies, Inc. takes no responsibility for the use of this patch.

Hi All,

I have an update for you. Thanks for being so patient. Here is a beta patch. I must stress very strongly the word BETA here. This patch has to go through more testing in Taiwan from several departments before it is released officially and in fact will probably end up being a silent install patch in the next version of the 4in1 drivers – that is if further rigorous testing proves that it is in fact a fix to this issue. If you choose to install this patch on your computer, you do so at your own risk and full responsibility yourself. Speaking frankly, normally new fixes, patchs, drivers and the like are never released beta to the public. We do not like to use end users as guinea pig testers so to speak. However, many people in these forums have asked for the details and you have all been very patient and helpful in giving me information so out of respect for you I am making it available as a beta fix. To install it, unzip the file and run the setup.exe Do not run the setup from the compressed folder.

So what does it do? It closes the RX55 memory register in BIOS. The RX55 register's official name and function is Memory Write Queue (MWQ) timer. The MWQ timer is actually a timing device included in the memory host controller to prevent write data being held in the memory queue too long. After the data has been in the queue too long it times out. This timed out data is then given a higher write request priority. Now that might sound nice – a bit of extra performance BUT the procedure fails when overloaded. 3D games and Win XP put too much load on the memory queuing timer procedure. The nVidia new driver exaggerates the problem even more as the driver enables nVidia cards to use even more memory than previous driver versions.

So in a nutshell it’s a memory timing problem that only happens when the RX55 register is opened. Some motherboard manufacturers have already released new BIOS that have the register closed. In other instances, this patch is needed.

One thing I have noticed is that I think some people in this thread are confusing one issue with the issue that I am referring to here. Symptoms I am talking about are the infinite loop error, dropping to desktop in 3D games or spontaneous reboot in 3D games. What I strongly suggest is that you try these trouble shooting suggestions before trying the patch:

- Load optimized defaults in your BIOS and do not modify memory settings
- set your memory settings in the BIOS less aggressively and test
- make sure you have an adequate power supply
- update your BIOS and test
- disable or enable AGP fast write and test (this has worked for some people)

The reason that I make these suggestions is that I think some people are confusing general instability because their systems are being pushed to the max, with this error. For example, if you have a 250watt power supply, 128mb RAM and have all your memory settings at max then you may be asking for trouble – the symptoms may be similar to this issue but it’s not the same. If you still get the issue after gong through these suggestions then try the beta patch (if you want to – remember it is BETA).


Thats the read me file included in the zip

Try those settings first..If that dont work I will get the file to you somehow..
Its only 548 kb zipped !!

Cheers Alan

[uNz[i]]

That's terrific.. only problem is that my current mobo is an AOpen/Intel i185EP chipset, not VIA. But it freezes just like the AMD/VIA boards that were discussed on those other forums - btw, thanks for the links pixellated, very useful info indeed. B)

I guess it must be a dying mobo in my case...

[Rip The Jacker]

alan36uk, think you can email me the patch? I've PMed you with the email address...

[alan36uk]

Originally posted by KrackHead2k@21 July 2003 - 03:23
alan36uk, think you can email me the patch? I've PMed you with the email address...
Yes its on its way....

Please let me know if it works for you or not..

Cheers :D

[alan36uk]

*double post*

[iamtheoneandonlyone]

Your graphics card is one of many possible problems. It could be your monitor freaking out on you.

[Rip The Jacker]

@iamtheoneandonlyone,
I tried switching graphic cards, didn't work. :( Also, my monitor is working great...

@alan36uk,
The patch didn't work... :( Thanx anyways...

EDIT: I also downloaded and installed the VIA 4 in 1 Drivers from the VIA Technologies website, that didn't help also.

[Neo 721]

I belive there could be a simple explination. I can asume that you are using Win 2K (right) if that is the case then it is simple, Win 2000 was not intended for games. I got a similar problem. When i was using Win 98 the games ran fine but when i changed to 2000 they were as laggy as hell, however if you upgrade to 2000 from 98 some settings remain the same and games could possibly play ok. So i can only recomend to upgrade to XP. One other possibility is that it is your hard drive if your machine is a budget machine they may have thrown in a cheap hard drive one with a seek timne above 20 ms which is nearly double that of any other drive. Ifd that doesent work then chuck your PC.

[Rip The Jacker]

I understand Win2000 was not indented for games, but all my friends with Win2000 never have problems with games. Also, after searching through other forums and whatnot, I found many other people with the same problem, but they are running WinXP. :blink:

I really don't have anything else to try, but I guess I'll upgrade to XP. Also, my computer isn't from a store, a friend custom built it with the parts I wanted, my hard drive doesn't suck. And... if I don't fix this soon, I just might go crazy and chuck my damn PC. I would sell it to someone who doesn't play games....

Hmmm.... how much do you guys think my PC is worth right now?

====PC====
ECS P4VXASD2 Motherboard
P4 1.6GHz
384 SDRAM
64MB DDR GeForce 4 MX 420
2 HD's: 40GB, and 4GB
56K Modem
Ethernet Card
52x CDRom
32x12x40x CDWriter
Floppy
====Misc. Shit====
Internet Ready Keyboard
Microsoft Whell Mouse Optical
Set of 2 great speakers w/ headphone jack
Perfectly good 17" monitor

How much is that worth anyway? I'm getting sick of the fact that I can't play games, I'll sell it to someone who will use it for work and stuff.

[Neo 721]

$100 >$300
£100 >£200
At least thats what i think

[Neo 721]

OH ! i foggot to mention it could be your CD drive if it is slow it could cause significant lag in your system. (just a thought)

[Rip The Jacker]

Originally posted by Neo 721@24 July 2003 - 03:55
OH ! i foggot to mention it could be your CD drive if it is slow it could cause significant lag in your system. (just a thought)
When I play games, my PC doesn't lag.... it DIES. My entire PC just freezes. :(

[HyE PrIdE THUG]

I know how to fix it u put ur brain to work and then u get a calculas calculater to add it up and double divide the puthagriam thearam than u multiply the 4/5 fraction of the denominator than u add up the total mega herts with the giga herts than u add up the multipication om the calculation and thats how u fic ur problem lol :D

[HyE PrIdE THUG]

I would Buy that baby for umm i don know ive seen it in real life its not bad its preety good every thing is so good krackhead keeps it soo clean and it is so orginized it is a perfect PC exept for the fact that IT CANT PLAY GAMES!!! LOL IT PLAYS EMULATERS BUT SOME OF THEM STILL FREEZE but its koo krackhead if u listen to my last post u will have it running perfectly so don worry









or u can listen to this and get a new mother board :D

[Rip The Jacker]

Well..... this is it..... I give up...

Yup, I said it. I cant play a single 3D game that doesn't suck on my computer. Why you ask? I don't know..... But I don't think I even care anymore...
Tried
Switching graphic cards
Buying new RAM
Its not my HD
Its not my cdrom
And almost every idea you guys posted

well, Im out of ideas. This sux, I guess I just need to get a job and buy a new one, chuck this friggin PC out the window... Thanks anyway everyone... :(