Silent Hill 3 - freezes at the very beginning

[Guest]

When I first installed Silent Hill 3 it crashed because I didn't have the proper video card. Now that I do, and have reinstalled the game, before it will launch I get the message that since the game previously crashed it will start up using "Safe Graphics Mode". Shortly after that when the game tries to launch, it freezes and I can't even use ctrl+alt+del to call up the task manager. How can I disable the "Safe Graphic Mode"? I beleive that's why the game freezes as it starts. Or, does anyone know what else might be causing this? I've gone over all the system requirements, etc and I'm up to date and have them all.

 

[Jimmy S.]

Hi Vinnie,

The easiest way around the problem would be to install
your Silent Hill game again to start from scratch.

--
Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com


Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
Visit my Zone.com / Gaming Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk or Call / Contact
MS Support at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| When I first installed Silent Hill 3 it crashed because I didn't have the proper video card. Now that I do, and have reinstalled
the game, before it will launch I get the message that since the game previously crashed it will start up using "Safe Graphics
Mode". Shortly after that when the game tries to launch, it freezes and I can't even use ctrl+alt+del to call up the task manager.
How can I disable the "Safe Graphic Mode"? I beleive that's why the game freezes as it starts. Or, does anyone know what else might
be causing this? I've gone over all the system requirements, etc and I'm up to date and have them all.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Jimmy, but I've tried that twice - and after reinstallation, it still goes into "Safe Graphics Mode" and then freezes at the same point again.

 

[Jimmy S.]

Hi Vinnie,

Then possibly one of the following is occurring:

1. The game isn't removing all configuration information when you uninstall it;
2. The Video card you're using isn't supported by the game;
3. The Video driver you're using isn't supported by the game.

Here's what to do:

1. Here's how to properly install or reinstall a game (and patch):

Step A: Temporarily disable Startup programs one at a time, starting with
Firewall, Antivirus & AdBlockers using this method:
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=331796 or this utility:
http://new.jtsoft2001.com/windows/startup.php Reboot, go to Step B.

Step B: In Control Panel / Add-Remove Programs, delete the game and then
the game's folder especially if you previously experienced problems
with a patch, or if you installed the Trial, Mods, NO CD patches, etc.

Note: Click Start to Search or Find your game. Many times there are two installs
of the same game on a system and the patch installs to the wrong one. Also if you
installed a Trial version of the game, this could be causing a conflict.. Uninstall it
and delete the folder.

Step C: Install and Run Regcleaner and if it finds any stray registry keys for the
game, delete them. Reboot your computer, and then re-install the game.
Regcleaner Download: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download460.html

Step D: Play a single player game, using an administrators account if necessary.

Step E: Download new game patches or mods in case the old ones are corrupt.
Double click the patch/mod to install it. If it's a .zip file, unzip it into the
game's folder and follow the instruction in it's readme.txt file.

Step F: Reboot your computer, verify that your game is working properly, and
re-enable any programs that you disabled using the method in Step A.

2. Updating video card drivers can solve most gaming issues. Here's some
simple abc's to always keep in mind. a. Shut off download accelerators,
firewalls and antivirus programs when downloading or installing updates;
b. Check for game patches: www.avault.com/pcrl/patches_list.asp?letter=a
c. Make sure you meet the game's minimum video and system requirements.

Before you update your drivers, I recommend that you install DirectX 9.0b:
http://download.microsoft.com/downl...-4c98-baf3-0c67e7f3751f/dx90update_redist.exe

Here are the steps I recommend you use to update your driver:

1. To identify the make and model of your card, right click your
Desktop, choose Properties / Settings / Advanced / Adapter.

2. Download the latest video driver for your card online, using
http://www3.sympatico.ca/nibblesnbits/Video.html#drivers
to find the website to download from. I also have advanced
video driver and direct X troubleshooting steps on that page.

3. Save the .exe driver (or extract the zip file) to a folder
in My Documents named after the driver version number.

4. Restart the computer in Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key
about once every second as it's rebooting to pick Safe Mode.

5. Click Start / (settings) Control Panel / System / Hardware
Device Manager / expand +Display Adapters / right click on
the adapter, pick "Uninstall", and click No if asked to reboot.

6. Use Control Panel / Add-Remove programs to uninstall the
previous driver (exe)software which may have been installed.

7. Restart the computer in Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key
about once every second as it's rebooting to pick Safe Mode.

8. If the driver is NOT a (.exe)program file, GO TO step 11.

9. When Windows prompts you to install the video adapter, click
"Cancel" and Double click the driver program to begin installation.
* Even if not prompted, doubleclick the driver and install it.

10. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
That's it! Scroll down to the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

11. When Windows prompts you to install the video adapter, click
"Install from a list or specific location", click the "Browse" button,
browse to the My documents folder where you saved the driver,
and finally click on one of the driver files to begin installation.

** If you are not prompted, or if the driver was updated automatically:
Click Start / (settings) Control Panel / System / Hardware Device Manager
expand +Display Adapters / right click on the adapter, pick "Update Driver"
to start the Update Wizard, choose the "Install from a list..." option:
Browse to My Documents\ folder with the driver in it
Click OK and click Next to begin the update.

12. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
That's it! Try the advice in the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

TROUBLESHOOTING:

Test your drivers using DXDiag: Click Start / Run / type: DXDIAG
Click the "Test" buttons in the Display, Sound, Music & Network Tabs;
If any of the Display options are Disabled and you cannot Enable them,
your most likely solution would be to update your Chipset Drivers as per
my website: http://www3.sympatico.ca/nibblesnbits/Video.html#v11

Your program might not support dual monitors, or "dual head" video cards
You can disable the extra video output in your display properties control
panel. Click Start>Settings>Control Panel>Display>Settings>Advanced.

Along with your Video card, Sound Cards, Motherboard Chipsets,
and Video Monitors may also require updated drivers. Even your
motherboard's BIOS may need to be updated for compatibility with
your Video card. These steps are listed at: http://NibblesNbitsVideo.tk

Perhaps the old Video drivers did not completely uninstall. If that's the
case, use these utility to completely uninstall the drivers and go to step 7:
nvidia: http://content.guru3d.com/index.php?page=detonatorrip&menu=0
or for all cards including nvidia use: http://www.driverheaven.net/cleaner/

The latest video drivers sometime don't work with a particular game.
(Check the Video suggestions in the readme.txt file in your game folder/CD)
If there's no suggestions, try an older (WHQL) driver, and/or if you still
experience problems try a Beta driver, or even an Omega driver instead:

BETA Drivers: http://download.guru3d.com/
OMEGA Drivers: http://www.omegacorner.com/

There you have it, if you have any questions feel free to post them!

Cheers,
Jimmy S.

Microsoft MVP Windows XP Shell/User: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
Additional Support Resources: My Zone.com Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk
Game FAQ's: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| Thanks Jimmy, but I've tried that twice - and after reinstallation, it still goes into "Safe Graphics Mode" and then freezes at
the same point again.

 

[Guest]

Thank you for the troubleshooting guide and other tips. As I know my video card is supported by the game I will definitely try the other fixes you mentioned. Your step-by-step instructions seem very clear and easy to follow - too many times, tech advice seems to be in the "Next, disable your firewall" vein when it should be "Next, disable your firewall, Here's how..." and your advice is definitely representative of the latter example, so thanks again. Even if I still have problems with the game after this, I'm very apppreciative of the time you took to help me out.

 

[Jimmy S.]

Thanks Vinnie, I hope it works out for you.

Cheers,
Jimmy.

| Thank you for the troubleshooting guide and other tips. As I know my video card is supported by the game I will definitely try the
other fixes you mentioned. Your step-by-step instructions seem very clear and easy to follow - too many times, tech advice seems to
be in the "Next, disable your firewall" vein when it should be "Next, disable your firewall, Here's how..." and your advice is
definitely representative of the latter example, so thanks again. Even if I still have problems with the game after this, I'm very
apppreciative of the time you took to help me out.