Game Freezes, need help fixing problem

B

Bill

I try to play a game called runescape at runescape.com,
everything works but during the game at a random moment,
such as 4 minutes or 5 into the game and the computer will
freeze and must be restarted. I have the most recent
updates for Java, netscape, and everything else needed but
it still just freezes at random moments. I played this game
all the time on my old computer which was very bad, but
ever since i got windows XP pro it just freezes during
gameplay. How can i stop it from freezing so i can finally
play my game?
 
J

Jimmy S.

Hi Bill,

Since you are experiencing freezing that could be a hardware
problem. I went through a similar situation myself on my own
system. Please start with steps 5 - 8 first. Hope this helps! :)

Rather than give you one step at a time, I'm going to give you
my entire list, so you can know the steps ahead of time.

1. To see if it's a software conflict: Temporarily disable Startup
programs one at a time, starting with Firewall, Antivirus, and ad
blockers using: http://new.jtsoft2001.com/windows/startup.php

You can lookup what a program does before you disable it here:
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/startup_full.htm

2. Run a virus scan at: http://housecall.antivirus.com Afterwards
Download & Run Spybot from: http://security.kolla.de to find any
Trojans, Adware, or Spyware which could clog up your system.

3. Click My Computer / Rightclick the Drive & Choose Properties
/ Run the "Disk Cleanup..." / Next Click the "Tools" Tab and run
the "Error-Checking" and "Defragmentation" utilities.

4. Go to the Windows Update site for everything under Critical and
Recommended: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Except: Q811943 which reportedly may cause systems to slowdown.

5. Update DirectX and your Chipset, Sound, &Video Drivers:
For all Video / DirectX / Game and Hardware Issues, I have a
Checklist of Solutions at: http://NibblesNbitsVideo.tk

6. Dust your fans, vents and components using a 1/4" paintbrush
and a hose vacuum. Use compressed air for hard to reach places.
Set a housefan to blow cold air into your case to expose an over-
heating issue.. If it works add more fans or replace defective ones.
Use this Mainboard Monitoring Utility: http://mbm.livewiredev.com

7. A faulty power supply can cause STOP errors, random reboots,
and black screen lockups. One way to test for that is to remove all
extra devices, network cards, extra RAM sticks, modem, scussi,
sound card, unplug CD drives (if not needed to verify CD), and then
try the game again. If the problem is solved look into a 400 watt P/S.

8. Test your RAM using: http://www.memtest86.com/memt30.zip
after you extract that zip file, click on the README.txt file for the
instructions on how to create the boot floppy to test your RAM.
* Allow Windows to control your pagefile at a "system managed size".
Be sure there's enough space for the pagefile size to = 1.5 * your RAM
Bonus Tip: Set the pagefile to it's own partition or hard drive if possible.

9. Click Start / Control Panel /Administrative Tools / Event Viewer /
Click the Applications listing on the left / in the right pane look for
yellow or red symbols and doubleclick them to identify any problems.

10. Run Setup.exe on your Windows 98/Me/XP/2000 CD to reinstall
Windows over itself without erasing your programs and data. Once
everything works fine reinstall updates one at a time from:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com test the game after each update.

11. If you have room on one of your partitions, use it to install another
clean installation of Windows which you can gradually update with the
appropriate chipset, video, and sound drivers, as well as Direct X, but
with no extras including themes, firewalls, antivirus, etc. You may have
to reinstall the game(s) for use with that partition, but it's well worth it.

12. If you don't have enough space for step 10 I suggest you at least
create a new administrators account with no themes, firewall, antivirus,
or any other software or startup programs installed for that account. If
this solves the problem, then you should switch over to the new account.

--
Cheers,
Jimmy S.

Additional Support Resources: My Zone.com Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk
Microsoft Online Tech Support: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=376
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.
_________________________________________________________

| I try to play a game called runescape at runescape.com,
| everything works but during the game at a random moment,
| such as 4 minutes or 5 into the game and the computer will
| freeze and must be restarted. I have the most recent
| updates for Java, netscape, and everything else needed but
| it still just freezes at random moments. I played this game
| all the time on my old computer which was very bad, but
| ever since i got windows XP pro it just freezes during
| gameplay. How can i stop it from freezing so i can finally
| play my game?
 

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