Doc_Brown on 13/4/2009 at 04:50
Alright, I've been trying to solve this problem for awhile now and have gotten nowhere, so it's time to tap into a larger knowledge base.
While playing certain newer titles, my computer temporarily freezes for anywhere from five to ten seconds. The screen will usually artifact before going to black, and the audio will begin to skip in increments. Although the occurences are not consistent (I may not have any for a few minutes, but then get hit with a several in a row), they average out to roughly one a minute.
Now, my tech and I have tried various different tricks to fix this, all without avail. I've tested every single driver available for my videocard, have tried disabling multi-core processing, have forced the games to run under a lower version of Direct X, have monitored for heat and memory spikes... you name it, none have worked. Unfortunately, as I'm running Vista there seems to be no way to disable its native VPU Recover, so it's not like I can just ignore the problem.
The thing that's puzzling about it is it only affects newer games. Left 4 Dead, for instance, but not Half-Life 2 despite running off the same engine. I would suspect this would point towards a Direct X issue, but as I mentioned I haven't had any luck down that avenue so far.
If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I'm all ears. I'll try to answer any questions you may have as best I can.
theBlackman on 13/4/2009 at 10:01
I've heard that DX10 causes problems with a lot of games. Old and new. Do the games you are trying to play say they are DX10 compatible?
Doc_Brown on 14/4/2009 at 18:27
Well, let's see. Some of the games that have displayed the problem include Call of Duty 4, Medal of Honor: Airborne, FEAR 2, and Left 4 Dead. While I can't find anything that outright states DirectX 10 compatability, all of their system specs mention Vista, so one would assume so.
Interestingly enough, I was just playing the SWAT 4 demo (yes, I'm Captain Behind-the-Times) and it also suffers from this problem, so this doesn't seem to be limited to brand spanking new titles. And yet, like I've mentioned, Half-Life 2 is perfectly stable. Odd.
theBlackman on 14/4/2009 at 20:13
Do you have another Vcard you can sub in to check? It might be the card is failing.
Can't think of anything else, although my MOBO just died after acting up with Video, Bios changes and that there.
I presume you have run RAM checks and a CPU test series.
If anything else comes to mind I'll be back.
If the games say VISTA compatible, that should take care of the DX10 issue.
Did you run DXDIAG?
Good luck.
revidium on 16/4/2009 at 21:33
I'm having the same problem with my GeForce 8800 GTS. I've got latest drivers. But when playing left for dead the screen goes black and the audio repeats. It eventually recovers but usually not until I'm dead.
Doc_Brown on 20/4/2009 at 01:55
Quote Posted by theBlackman
I presume you have run RAM checks and a CPU test series.
If... I knew
how to do that... sure. :o
*cough*
Although it begs the question, if we're dealing with any sort of faulty hardware here, why does it affect certain games but not others?
Quote Posted by revidium
I'm having the same problem with my GeForce 8800 GTS. I've got latest drivers. But when playing left for dead the screen goes black and the audio repeats. It eventually recovers but usually not until I'm dead.
Hmm, that actually sounds a little different. When it glitches for me, the game pauses until the video returns, which is disorienting but not usually fatal in single player. Multiplayer would be another story.
Doc_Brown on 20/4/2009 at 07:39
Okay, ran some tests and everything checks out okay. DXDIAG, despite repeated use, didn't cause any hickups, and the only thing that PCPitStop noted was the video and sound card drivers being out of date.
Like I mentioned before, I've already tested all the available drivers for my Radeon 3800 series video card, and the only reason I'm using an outdated version is because it seems to lockup less often than the others.
Now here's where things get interesting. The update software for my sound card--a Sound Blaster Audigy 4--refuses to install, stating that it cannot detect a supported product. I've manually removed and reinstalled the card, but still no go. And yet, I have perfectly functioning sound on my system.
I had always figured it was my video card at fault, but is it possible that my audio card is to blame?
theBlackman on 20/4/2009 at 07:58
Read your PM and the above. Take a chance and uninstall your Audio card software (Add/Remove software). Pull the card and use a pencil eraser to polish the contacts.
Put it back in the slot, remove it, replace it. Do it two or three times, and with a good strong light beam check when it is screwed down that is is not cocked in the slot. Look at the base of the card and the slot carefully.
I had to shim mine for a perfect fit because the backplate of the case was just a wee bit out of line.
Then use the original install disc to reinstall the software, check the BIOS so your onboard sound is disabled, and then go for the updates.
Creative (mine is a Audigy 2 platinum) can sometimes be a little weird.
Doc_Brown on 23/4/2009 at 19:59
Weird is right. I did as you instructed, but the situation remains the same. That means my sound card is locked into the default drivers--although Windows is convinced they're the most recent--while the actual latest drivers refuse to acknowledge I even have a supported sound card installed--even though it's fully functioning.
:nono:
On the bright side, though, I'm not 100% convinced the freezing problems my computer is having are a result of the sound card, regardless of its own quirks. If that's the case, I might still be able to figure out and fix whatever is actually causing the issue.
Which means we're back to square one.
:wot:
