Games still keep on closing. :( Specifically...

[Mike]

Hello once again everyone!

Ok, well I sent this computer into the shop, got the CD
drive fixed. So now I can install games without a
problem. They also said they fixed the problem with the
games closing by changing the RAM. Supposedly (even
though the person who reformatted the computer ran lots
of tests on the RAM) the RAM had gone bad AGAIN. But now
there I still have the same problem as far as the games
closing.

In specific - 1 game keeps on closing. And that game is
Dark Age of Camelot Shrouded Isles Expansion Pack. Once I
choose the server I want to play on, it brings it up like
its loading my characters, then after about 3 - 5
seconds, it just closes it down. With NO errors. I'm
almost 100% positive I have the most up to date drivers
for my video card and my sound card. (Video card: Geforce
4 Ti 4600 128 mb). (Sound card: Avance AC'97). Just to
make sure I had the most up to date drivers I clicked
update driver under device manager / right click on
display adapters and sound controllers / properties /
click driver tab / update. It says it cannot find a
better update.

That's what happens with Dark Age. But with Warcraft III:
The Frozen Throne. It brings up this huge error message
that reads like this:

This application has encountered a critical error:

FATAL ERROR!

Program: c:\program files\warcraft iii\war3.exe
Exception: 0xC0000005 (ACCESS_VIOLATION) at 001B:6F5E4220

The instruction at '0x6F5E4220' referenced memory
at '0X43AA67B8'.
The memory could not be 'read'.

Press OK to terminate the application.

This happens randomly, sometimes I'll get into Battle.net
and stuff, sometimes its right when the game starts up.
I've checked out blizzards site and they have the same
error message, I try each step, and it does not fix it.
I'm beginning to think this problem is hopeless. Anyone
else experience this same problem with Warcraft III.

By the way, where might I find the most up to date
drivers for my motherboard? I'm uncertain what type of
motherboard it is.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Jimmy S.]

Hi Mike,

Flashing your motherboard BIOS is risky. It's worth the
$20 they probably charge at the shop to have them do it.

You seem to have them doing a lot of work, but without
committing to a desired result. Specify the games you are
having problems with if you send in the computer again,
and ask that they verify that the games work, and double-
check that before paying the bill. Or here's another idea..

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.

Since your situation seems more hardware/driver related, start
with Step 5, then go through Steps 6 to 8 before anything else.
I hope this helps. Please post back if you have any questions!

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.
_________________________________________________________

| Hello once again everyone!
|
| Ok, well I sent this computer into the shop, got the CD
| drive fixed. So now I can install games without a
| problem. They also said they fixed the problem with the
| games closing by changing the RAM. Supposedly (even
| though the person who reformatted the computer ran lots
| of tests on the RAM) the RAM had gone bad AGAIN. But now
| there I still have the same problem as far as the games
| closing.
|
| In specific - 1 game keeps on closing. And that game is
| Dark Age of Camelot Shrouded Isles Expansion Pack. Once I
| choose the server I want to play on, it brings it up like
| its loading my characters, then after about 3 - 5
| seconds, it just closes it down. With NO errors. I'm
| almost 100% positive I have the most up to date drivers
| for my video card and my sound card. (Video card: Geforce
| 4 Ti 4600 128 mb). (Sound card: Avance AC'97). Just to
| make sure I had the most up to date drivers I clicked
| update driver under device manager / right click on
| display adapters and sound controllers / properties /
| click driver tab / update. It says it cannot find a
| better update.
|
| That's what happens with Dark Age. But with Warcraft III:
| The Frozen Throne. It brings up this huge error message
| that reads like this:
|
| This application has encountered a critical error:
|
| FATAL ERROR!
|
| Program: c:\program files\warcraft iii\war3.exe
| Exception: 0xC0000005 (ACCESS_VIOLATION) at 001B:6F5E4220
|
| The instruction at '0x6F5E4220' referenced memory
| at '0X43AA67B8'.
| The memory could not be 'read'.
|
| Press OK to terminate the application.
|
| This happens randomly, sometimes I'll get into Battle.net
| and stuff, sometimes its right when the game starts up.
| I've checked out blizzards site and they have the same
| error message, I try each step, and it does not fix it.
| I'm beginning to think this problem is hopeless. Anyone
| else experience this same problem with Warcraft III.
|
| By the way, where might I find the most up to date
| drivers for my motherboard? I'm uncertain what type of
| motherboard it is.
|
| Thanks,
| Mike