Dead Men Walking

dMw Chit Chat => The Beer Bar => Technology Section => Topic started by: samdad on December 27, 2002, 09:24:24 AM

Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: samdad on December 27, 2002, 09:24:24 AM
Season's greetings one and all from the frozen wastelands they call Scotland!  Having now some time to myself I thought I'd re-install HL and CS (1.5? 1.5? where'd that come from????)  I was having problems after I bought a new NVidia GeFroce MX440 - a lot of my video/audio was freezing on different apps/games and at all different times.  I have tried two different versions of the NVidia drivers (older ones and the newest ones) but nothing seems to help.

I re-installed XP a couple of months ago and have only just re-installed HL and CS.  Same thing happens though when I start CS .. when I click any of the orange menu title (config etc.) my system just freezes and I have to hold the power button in for the usual 4 secs before it will reboot.

System specs:  mobo (no idea .. bought it two years ago!), PIII 1GHz proc, 1024MB RAM, NVidia GeForce MX440 64MB, Aureal sound card (!!??) 2 x 15GB HDD - got all the latest drivers for devices and as up-to-date as I need to be with MS-type patches

Any idea why my system freezes?  I'd like to get back into playing CS but can't .... Oldie says you all really miss me .... :wink:

Thanks.
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: JonnyAppleSeed on December 27, 2002, 09:36:52 AM
I had a problem with my pc hanging and it was the power supply….Well that’s what the clever man in the shop said
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Gh0st Face Killah on December 27, 2002, 09:55:37 AM
Do you get anything if you press Ctrl-ALt-Delete or has the system locked up totally? It sounds like a compatability issue with drivers and the games/XP. If you log on and use windows update you can usually get a certified (all the latest ones are but you know ms) driver via the windows update page. It maybe an idea to install service pack 1 for XP as this did deal with some compatability issues as well.
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: smilodon on December 27, 2002, 12:01:32 PM
You will never ever find a definative agreement on what nvidia drivers to use. I run a GeForce 3 Ti 500 and all the 40.xx drivers freeze my XP rock solid. Someone else though can use them no problem with the same graphics card.   :?:  :?:  (I'm using the 29.72 drivers with no probs for what it's worth). If you suspect a graphics driver is at fault use a diferent drivers until you get one that works. I'd imagine you might want to start with the old 20.xx drivers and go from there.

It might also be an idea to uninstall the sound card and see if it's that which is causing a conflict with something else. If you can suddenly play CS without sound installed you've found you problem. I know a few people who have had issues with sound drivers crashing CS and often taking XP with them (although they were all Soundblaster cards ?) Hope this helps
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: samdad on December 27, 2002, 04:03:26 PM
Darn!  That worked!  Well uninstalling my Aureal soundcard that is.  No sound now, but at least I can play again.  So, need new soundcard ... any recommendations .... I only use it for a couple of games, listening to Radio 2 on the net and CD/MP3 - all through headphones ... so I guess it doesn't need to  be a sooper-dooper one.

Thank you chaps ....... especially Neutron.  :P

See ya.
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Dr Sadako on December 27, 2002, 04:10:14 PM
QuoteDarn! That worked! Well uninstalling my Aureal soundcard that is. No sound now, but at least I can play again. So, need new soundcard ... any recommendations .... I only use it for a couple of games, listening to Radio 2 on the net and CD/MP3 - all through headphones ... so I guess it doesn't need to be a sooper-dooper one.

Thank you chaps ....... especially Neutron. :P

See ya.

I got a Hercules Gametheater XP and it is great!

http://us.hercules.com/products/showpage.p...hp?p=57&b=0&f=1 (http://us.hercules.com/products/showpage.php?p=57&b=0&f=1)

This isn't an expensive kit to buy.
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: JonnyAppleSeed on December 27, 2002, 04:16:55 PM
Yey....A happy ending
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: sheepy on December 27, 2002, 04:18:06 PM
i dont think that 4 your uses u really need to get anythink good
i have no real idea what sound card im using, oldie put it in when he made me my pc, but i do more or less the same things as u and its fine.
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: JB on December 27, 2002, 05:47:40 PM
Quotelistening to Radio 2 on the net

Well if i was a soundcard and you made me play that crap, i sure as hell wouldn't let you do anything good.   :lol:
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: OldBloke on December 27, 2002, 06:17:44 PM
Hey! Radio 2 rocks.

TTFN
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: smilodon on December 27, 2002, 10:25:19 PM
I vowed about five years ago that when ever I saw someone post a problem with their PC on any forum then I would suggest removing the soundcard regardless. At some point I would get it right by the simple law of averages. Then I'd look like a very clever bloke abd everyone would go "Oh he's a clever bugger."  :wink:

Serioulsy I remember lots of people having issues with CS and soundcards around the CS 1.5 upgrade. Glad it helped.

Before you dump the soundcard try switching the graphics between OpenGL and Direct3D and running the game with sound reinstalled. I think the soundcard might be conflicting with one of those to 3D graphics formats. So try the other one (i.e. the one you're not using) and see if it saves you the cost of a new card. :?:

It's a Yank site but
http://www.tech-report.com/reviews/2002q2/...ds/index.x?pg=1 (http://www.tech-report.com/reviews/2002q2/soundcards/index.x?pg=1)

covers most cards and might be worth a look :?:
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: TeaLeaf on December 28, 2002, 12:52:25 AM
QuoteHey! Radio 2 rocks.
No, Radio 2 does not rock.
The rocks were your gall stones.
The radio station was in fact Radio 4 with heavy overtones of your anguished 'passing the stones' wailing making it sound like Radio 2.
The mistake is due to your age  :wink:

.....but we forgive you  :D

TL.  8)
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: OldBloke on December 28, 2002, 09:58:07 AM
:lol:
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: albert on December 28, 2002, 04:34:54 PM
QuoteHey! Radio 2 rocks.

TTFN

Yeah 2 rocks, Sarah Kennedy at 06:00am when forced into driving to a site early doors  :D  The 07:30 listening to the sexist biggoted Mr Wogan, I like Radio 2.
Title: heeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: OldBloke on December 28, 2002, 05:47:01 PM
Steve Harley's 'Sound of the 70s'.  :thumbsup: