Hi All;

Roughly a month or 2 ago I lost my Nvidia GPU.....Unable to find another in AGP (Nvidia) I wanted, went with an ATI that should of blown my Nvidia away. Ever since however I've had an almost constant problem.....and quite frankly I'm at a loss.

What happens is during an online coop, sometimes for no reason, yet especially if once out of action RTB'g panning through F2 views to watch other action.....The screen (video) will freeze, then will eventually go black. The only way to get out of it is a reboot.......What is odd though is I can still hear the game continuing on, I can hear all of the action, gunfire and crashes yet can see nothing.........In kind this normally takes place well into the coop (might even be 15-30 minutes). Sometimes just no video, yet of late (could be something/a setting I changed) PC crashes.

Nothing is overheating.
Nothing is overclocked.
I have 2Gb of Ram, and 10,500 of virtual memory.
The partition my IL2 program is on (alone) however is rather full being a 20Gb drive with only 1.25 left and I want/need to move some space to it (can't find a free partition manager that works yet).

It is an outdated PC though.
Intel D845PESV MB
Intel P4 2.53Ghz 533FSB
2Gig PC2700 / 333Mhz DDR ram
EIDE hard drives
Window XP home SP3

There is no auto update enabled, in fact many of the background services are disabled during play, most manual start anyhow and nothing talks to the outside world unless I tell it to.

I have no issues with spyware or viruses, in fact no other problems at all........Just this one however that started with the new card (or upon losing the old) and I cannot figure it out. Lastly, I've tried every combination of GPU and game setting imaginable, nothing has fixed the problem.

Any idea's?

K2

What ATI card do you have?

Did you go into your IL2setup and configure your video card for ATI?

Ensure your CAT AI is set to standard.

Try and enable V-Sync and see how this works.

Its an AGP card right?
and Wich ATI is it?

Did you thoroughly clan out your nvidia drivers before installing the ATI drivers.Nvidia drver remnants can survive a windows uninstall and cause this kind of problem.

Sounds to me like this could simply be a faulty card...

Found a thread somewhere on a quite similar issue with that type of card, no solution however... it does show how this guy tried lots of things to fix it... all to no avail... : Powercolor ATI Radeon HD2600 Pro 512MB AGP (Yeah, I know that's a Pro, which you do not have, but still...)

Warranty?

I remember your old thread and how frustrating it was that we couldn't figure it out. It now occurs to me to aks this question:

What happened to the old nvidia card? What did it do to indicate that it died and how was that confirmed?

As to what it is: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...Item=N82E16814131136

Past that it looks as though many with any of their AGP cards this or the next step up the 3800 series are having the same problem.....As to the hotfix I never needed it, the system recognizes the card just fine.

As to cleaning out drivers I've used driver sweeper and registry cleaners each time both between the Nvidia and all the various ATI drivers........In kind I've tried running it with the CCC off......currently trying 8.501

As to setup, I've always used "custom" and also there tried numerous settings.....Tried numerous config.ini settings, numerous CCC settings.

As for the Nvidia card it just simply went flat out dead....Old 4200 AGP worked, Voodoo5 PCI worked, so was the card.....

As to the warrenty 2 years it's like most....Send it back to the manufacturer, (no doubt in china), wait for it to be repaired (they really just wait and in a month or 2 send you another)....yet the whole time you're down unless you can get by without graphics (monitor needs a card obviously).......not.

Why I've used Nvidia all these years....

So at a loss.

K2

You could try calling PowerColor support, there's a phonenumber listed at the page you linked to...

"Our tech support and RMA teams will be happy to assist."

Yeah, kinda does sound like the card. I'd try talking to tech support. It may not be policy but if you strike a rappor with them and tell them your story they may be willing to cross ship you a replacement so you have no downtime. Worth a try, the worst that could happen is they say "send it back and we'll send you another one in two months", but you don't have to send it back if you don't want.

Well took the advice and had one of the guys here call up the service number and the answer was a simple one....

"Flight sims are the types of games graphics cards have the most problems with......Meaning, just because other people have the "same problem" with 20-30 other types of games (Warhammer - Dawn Of War, PES 2009, Splinter Cell - Double Agent, World of Warcraft, etc.)....Doesn't mean it's a common problem.....It most likely being the sim in that "graphics card/driver issues are least addressed by sim designers"".....

So it's the sim's fault.....See, simple, doesn't fix the problem yet have someone new to point a finger at....

Trouble is like most people/companies they're wanting to say "it's not me! (our product)"....Frankly I don't think it is, it being some conflict between the card, the drivers, the old PC, the sim and when it hits the right combination...poof...Trouble is I can't get it to happen offline thus far, or when hosting a coop alone, just with others in it or when flying in anothers.

*groans....* SHould of talked to them myself yet I get all flustered talking to people I don't know then lose my temper.

K2

quote:

Trouble is I can't get it to happen offline thus far, or when hosting a coop alone, just with others in it or when flying in anothers.

Let's get back and do some more analysing...

Are you using TS when it occurs? (TS Overlay?)
(Lookin' for difference between it happening onlin vs offline/on your own)

quote:

Originally posted by FoolTrottel:

quote:

Trouble is I can't get it to happen offline thus far, or when hosting a coop alone, just with others in it or when flying in anothers.

Let's get back and do some more analysing...

Are you using TS when it occurs? (TS Overlay?)
(Lookin' for difference between it happening onlin vs offline/on your own)

No, no TS or the like........however, though I didn't have a "Fast write" switch in my MB Bios, I did find it and deselect it in smart gart......It says it should be okay with...Well, lets find out without, will post back.

K2

FT is right - step-by-step analysis - if old card "just died" was it functional in another system ?
Do you have access to another card you could try in this system ? If not perhaps someone here has an old but good AGP card they could send you to see if it's the card, something with the motherboard, or possibly as the power supply has aged on the old system it's no longer putting out as many amps as it used to, or since it happens only after some gameplay heat on the GPU.
But as FT is indicating, if it's ONLY happening online, going step-by-step thru that path may shed more light. But since you still have sound from "online" that really shouldn't ever interfere with the video side.
I'll dig for an AGP card around here - think I have one that came back from "repair" long ago that I never reinstalled.

Ask your money back, false info on that site, your Mobo suports AGP 4x max, Card is AGP 8x!!! not 4 like NewEgg site says.

http://www.powercolor.com/Glob...s.asp?ProductID=5045

You never get it working corectly on that mainboard mate, sorry

Well, still happening...SO fast writes not the problem infact happened sooner....However this time though I still had sound as though the sim was running the guys in the coop said theirs stopped when mine did.....

As to 4x and 8x, 8x is backwards compatible so should not be an issue.....Have run 8x Nvidia AGP's without a hitch.

At a loss.....

K2

p.s.

Downloaded 3dMark, pretty much worthless past it showed me my CPU is slow in their tests (ran at 0 fps) and the GPU ran fine....Though do like the system .xml sheet it makes......

Then ran the black death track (hoping it would crash and maybe tell me something).....Ran on average about 20FPS with lows to 5FPS, high to 31FPS or there abouts.

In the end I learned nothing......Am considering re-installing IL2 simply in that if the GPU can run the 3dmark tests, that should mean the GPU is fine (right?).....

However once more this only has happened with new GPU, and only online.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LEBillfish,

Since wen can a 8x card run on a 4x AGP???
Not Unless the card is AGP 4x/8x compatible.
(Wich just means it can run on 1.5 volts for AGP 4x and 0.8 Volts for AGP 8x)

AGP 4x Card can work with a AGP 8x (with external powerconector) slot fine yeah, the other way round is imposible, unless you can explaine to me how your gonna compensate for the 1GB per Second difrence in data transfer speed.

Okie Dokie, let me hit you guys with this and you tell me what you think......

When I installed the new GPU, I noticed like many other pieces of hardware it wanted to install seemingly unrelated items and in this case just let it (not knowing ATI products an how they work).

For me, IL2, graphics cards and sound cards have always seemed inter related. As an example when I adjust volume while in the sim (using volume buttons on office keyboard) I've always noted the sim hiccups, the sound volume going up, then muting, then coming back on....Yet at the same time the graphics will become corrupted for just a moment as well.

On a hunch I tested my sound card (SB Audigy) utilizing its software tests and discovered that the "direct sound" test failed....Sadly that all it tells me.......Using Windows System Information which includes DirectX & Direct sound testing had no problems.

However I noted 2 things.......1. SB Audigy as a label for all but the card is now listed as "SB Live 24bit".....Secondly I noted a new Sound/Video/Game Controller item had been added under hardware, that being "ATI Function Driver for High Definition Audio - ATI AA01".

The SB Audigy error I attribute to a recent MS Update (this happened before I believe and why I reinstalled the sound card) and believe this is why I'm getting the Direct Sound error in the card tests and why I'm seeing "SB Live".

However, I'm wondering if the new ATI Audio thing is perhaps messing with my works......So here is my plan, yet wanting an opinion on part.

1. I'm going to reinstall the Sound Card and software...I expect this to resolve the errors I'm getting.
2. I'm going to try Cat 8.9 drivers (it seems some other cards here in help have had better luck with them.......I'm not too confident with going older then the card which is v8.5 as some have suggested 7.11.
3. I'm considering the value of eliminating the CCC software and just running the driver.....I've tried turning off CCC, yet wonder if it really has shut down or has little effect for the +/-?
4. I'd like your opinion as to removing the ATI sound function....Or should I perhaps just try disabling it first (reason I ask is i'm not sure if I disable it if that will eliminate any possible conflicts).


Any thoughts as to 2-4 would be appreciated, plus the possibility of sound being the issue due to some conflict with the ATI software?

Thanks for the help,

K2

Well.......Though related or not I have other issues coming to light.

Since installing SP3 for XP I've had all sorts of little issues. The latest is I cannot "repair" windows it stating when I load the CD and try to install (should get a repair or reinstall message), that "I have a later version of windows then what I'm wanting to install" so refuses to do it.

In kind I cannot boot in safe mode, hitting F8 when the safe mode screen "should" show, I just get static on the screen and it does nothing.

What I'm thinking I need to do is buy a new Hard Drive (how I reinstall windows and all else when at this point)....Partition it (solves my problem for moving space for IL2), then install windows, update it, then have to go through the chore of reinstalling every other program I use......That the safest way IMLTHO to get a good installation.

Thoughts?.........It's a HUGE deal to have to do, yet if windows is goofing that bad it may be my only option.

K2

quote:

try disabling it first

It's an easy test, and easy to revert back should it not help.

quote:

hitting F8 when the safe mode screen "should" show, I just get static on the screen and it does nothing.

This points to a Video issue, as SP3 will try and run safe mode in optimal resolution, not in the 640x800 earlier versions did. Somehow it can't start that higher resolution.
Is there a Safe Mode VGA option in the F8 menu? Or is that boot-menu when pressing F8 not even being displayed?

As for the CD not being able to repair anything, stating 'later version of windows then what I'm wanting to install' is also caused by SP3, as you are running SP3, but the CD is of an earlier (SP1?) version.

You could try and boot from the CD, then try a repair, but you may run into the same issue.

On the other hand, I do not think you need to repair windows!
There's nothing wrong with it that you can fix with the CD!!

You do have a point on the dual sound card issue.
First try and disable the sound option of the Video card.

quote:

Originally posted by FoolTrottel:

quote:

try disabling it first

It's an easy test, and easy to revert back should it not help.

quote:

hitting F8 when the safe mode screen "should" show, I just get static on the screen and it does nothing.

This points to a Video issue, as SP3 will try and run safe mode in optimal resolution, not in the 640x800 earlier versions did. Somehow it can't start that higher resolution.
Is there a Safe Mode VGA option in the F8 menu? Or is that boot-menu when pressing F8 not even being displayed?

As for the CD not being able to repair anything, stating 'later version of windows then what I'm wanting to install' is also caused by SP3, as you are running SP3, but the CD is of an earlier (SP1?) version.

You could try and boot from the CD, then try a repair, but you may run into the same issue.

On the other hand, I do not think you need to repair windows!
There's nothing wrong with it that you can fix with the CD!!

You do have a point on the dual sound card issue.
First try and disable the sound option of the Video card.

Okay, all noted especially about windows and SP3.....

However, what I'm saying is I cannot see the safe mode screen to select any option at all.

PC starts > get initial screen which runs on or I can jump into bios > next screen runs promise card listing out drives > At that point or even before I push F8 to get into the safe mode selection screen before it tries to boot windows > however when it shifts to go to the safe mode selection screen, it then goes to just horizontal bars of static...........So I can't make a selection to get into safe mode.

I'll try getting into safe mode form the CD (SP1).....Will go from there......Thanks for all the advice regarding the issues regarding SP3.

K2