Problem playing games under XP

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Guest

I have a P4 2.4Mhz, Nvidia Geforce 4 MX 440 AGP video, MS Intellimouse
Explorer USB, Asus P4G8X motherboard (on-board audio disabled), SB Live Value
sound card running Windows XP SP2 using the latest NVIDIA reference drivers
(no proper drivers from manufacture of video card). Whenever I play any games
such as Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege and Jedi Academy, after about 5
minutes or so of gameplay, the screen will go black and the system will lock
up. To get out of it, I have to reboot my PC. PLEASE HELP!!!!!
 
Hi David,

|I have a P4 2.4Mhz, Nvidia Geforce 4 MX 440 AGP video, MS Intellimouse
| Explorer USB, Asus P4G8X motherboard (on-board audio disabled), SB Live Value
| sound card running Windows XP SP2 using the latest NVIDIA reference drivers
| (no proper drivers from manufacture of video card). Whenever I play any games
| such as Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege and Jedi Academy, after about 5
| minutes or so of gameplay, the screen will go black and the system will lock
| up. To get out of it, I have to reboot my PC. PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Hardware issues can cause freezing, black screens and other
errors. Also, your drivers should always be kept up to date.

Try the following steps one at a time to try and resolve the issue.
I hope this helps. Please post back if you have any questions! :-)

1. 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

2. 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 Motherboard Monitor Utility: http://mbm.livewiredev.com

3. A faulty power supply can cause STOP errors, random reboots,
and black screen lockups. One way to test for that is to check the
wattage sticker on your power supply and then calculate your need
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ (Min. 350 for gaming)

4. Test your RAM using: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

--
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.
_________________________________________________________
 
Jimmy

I turned off Direct 3D acceleration via the DXDiag tool and my games seem to
be working - what would this mean?
 
Hi David,

It could mean that your power supply is no longer able to supply the
power needed by the video card when it's in 3D accelerated mode.

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

Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| Jimmy
|
| I turned off Direct 3D acceleration via the DXDiag tool and my games seem to
| be working - what would this mean?
|
| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|
| > Hi David,
| >
| > | > |I have a P4 2.4Mhz, Nvidia Geforce 4 MX 440 AGP video, MS Intellimouse
| > | Explorer USB, Asus P4G8X motherboard (on-board audio disabled), SB Live Value
| > | sound card running Windows XP SP2 using the latest NVIDIA reference drivers
| > | (no proper drivers from manufacture of video card). Whenever I play any games
| > | such as Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege and Jedi Academy, after about 5
| > | minutes or so of gameplay, the screen will go black and the system will lock
| > | up. To get out of it, I have to reboot my PC. PLEASE HELP!!!!!
| >
| > Hardware issues can cause freezing, black screens and other
| > errors. Also, your drivers should always be kept up to date.
| >
| > Try the following steps one at a time to try and resolve the issue.
| > I hope this helps. Please post back if you have any questions! :-)
| >
| > 1. 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
| >
| > 2. 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 Motherboard Monitor Utility: http://mbm.livewiredev.com
| >
| > 3. A faulty power supply can cause STOP errors, random reboots,
| > and black screen lockups. One way to test for that is to check the
| > wattage sticker on your power supply and then calculate your need
| > http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ (Min. 350 for gaming)
| >
| > 4. Test your RAM using: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
| >
| > --
| > 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.
| > _________________________________________________________
| >
| >
| >
| >
 
How do I check this? Currently there is four HDD, 1 FDD, 1 CDR & 1 DVD drive
and one extra fan (excluding the one on the video card and on the CPU)
plugged into the power supply and it is rated at 300W.

Jimmy S. said:
Hi David,

It could mean that your power supply is no longer able to supply the
power needed by the video card when it's in 3D accelerated mode.

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

Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| Jimmy
|
| I turned off Direct 3D acceleration via the DXDiag tool and my games seem to
| be working - what would this mean?
|
| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|
| > Hi David,
| >
| > | > |I have a P4 2.4Mhz, Nvidia Geforce 4 MX 440 AGP video, MS Intellimouse
| > | Explorer USB, Asus P4G8X motherboard (on-board audio disabled), SB Live Value
| > | sound card running Windows XP SP2 using the latest NVIDIA reference drivers
| > | (no proper drivers from manufacture of video card). Whenever I play any games
| > | such as Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege and Jedi Academy, after about 5
| > | minutes or so of gameplay, the screen will go black and the system will lock
| > | up. To get out of it, I have to reboot my PC. PLEASE HELP!!!!!
| >
| > Hardware issues can cause freezing, black screens and other
| > errors. Also, your drivers should always be kept up to date.
| >
| > Try the following steps one at a time to try and resolve the issue.
| > I hope this helps. Please post back if you have any questions! :-)
| >
| > 1. 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
| >
| > 2. 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 Motherboard Monitor Utility: http://mbm.livewiredev.com
| >
| > 3. A faulty power supply can cause STOP errors, random reboots,
| > and black screen lockups. One way to test for that is to check the
| > wattage sticker on your power supply and then calculate your need
| > http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ (Min. 350 for gaming)
| >
| > 4. Test your RAM using: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
| >
| > --
| > 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.
| > _________________________________________________________
| >
| >
| >
| >
Click to expand...
 
Hi David,

Use step 3 of the checklist I posted for you to check that. :-)

| > 3. A faulty power supply can cause STOP errors, random reboots,
| > and black screen lockups. One way to test for that is to check the
| > wattage sticker on your power supply and then calculate your need
| > http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ (Min. 350 for gaming)

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

Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| How do I check this? Currently there is four HDD, 1 FDD, 1 CDR & 1 DVD drive
| and one extra fan (excluding the one on the video card and on the CPU)
| plugged into the power supply and it is rated at 300W.
|
| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|
| > Hi David,
| >
| > It could mean that your power supply is no longer able to supply the
| > power needed by the video card when it's in 3D accelerated mode.
| >
| > --
| > Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
| > Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
| >
| > Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
| > MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
| > My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
| > _________________________________________________________
| >
| > | Jimmy
| > |
| > | I turned off Direct 3D acceleration via the DXDiag tool and my games seem to
| > | be working - what would this mean?
| > |
| > | "Jimmy S." wrote:
| > |
| > | > Hi David,
| > | >
| > | > | > | > |I have a P4 2.4Mhz, Nvidia Geforce 4 MX 440 AGP video, MS Intellimouse
| > | > | Explorer USB, Asus P4G8X motherboard (on-board audio disabled), SB Live Value
| > | > | sound card running Windows XP SP2 using the latest NVIDIA reference drivers
| > | > | (no proper drivers from manufacture of video card). Whenever I play any games
| > | > | such as Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege and Jedi Academy, after about 5
| > | > | minutes or so of gameplay, the screen will go black and the system will lock
| > | > | up. To get out of it, I have to reboot my PC. PLEASE HELP!!!!!
| > | >
| > | > Hardware issues can cause freezing, black screens and other
| > | > errors. Also, your drivers should always be kept up to date.
| > | >
| > | > Try the following steps one at a time to try and resolve the issue.
| > | > I hope this helps. Please post back if you have any questions! :-)
| > | >
| > | > 1. 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
| > | >
| > | > 2. 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 Motherboard Monitor Utility: http://mbm.livewiredev.com
| > | >
| > | > 3. A faulty power supply can cause STOP errors, random reboots,
| > | > and black screen lockups. One way to test for that is to check the
| > | > wattage sticker on your power supply and then calculate your need
| > | > http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ (Min. 350 for gaming)
| > | >
| > | > 4. Test your RAM using: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
| > | >
| > | > --
| > | > 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.
| > | > _________________________________________________________
| > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| >
| >
| >
 
Cool I will do that this weekend. I am also going to do two software rebuilds
- one with the both all my hardware installed but minus SP2 but with DirectX
9c and the other with the minimum amount of hardware needed to play Direct3D
game (ie remove all USB devices, video capture card, NIC card) minus SP2 but
with DirectX 9c to see what happens as well. Especially since I don't
remember having this problem pre-SP2 with the same hardware. Will post back
here after I try them out (thank god for having a networked notebook to use
while I am doing this).

Jimmy S. said:
Hi David,

Use step 3 of the checklist I posted for you to check that. :-)

| > 3. A faulty power supply can cause STOP errors, random reboots,
| > and black screen lockups. One way to test for that is to check the
| > wattage sticker on your power supply and then calculate your need
| > http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ (Min. 350 for gaming)

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

Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| How do I check this? Currently there is four HDD, 1 FDD, 1 CDR & 1 DVD drive
| and one extra fan (excluding the one on the video card and on the CPU)
| plugged into the power supply and it is rated at 300W.
|
| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|
| > Hi David,
| >
| > It could mean that your power supply is no longer able to supply the
| > power needed by the video card when it's in 3D accelerated mode.
| >
| > --
| > Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
| > Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
| >
| > Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
| > MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
| > My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
| > _________________________________________________________
| >
| > | Jimmy
| > |
| > | I turned off Direct 3D acceleration via the DXDiag tool and my games seem to
| > | be working - what would this mean?
| > |
| > | "Jimmy S." wrote:
| > |
| > | > Hi David,
| > | >
| > | > | > | > |I have a P4 2.4Mhz, Nvidia Geforce 4 MX 440 AGP video, MS Intellimouse
| > | > | Explorer USB, Asus P4G8X motherboard (on-board audio disabled), SB Live Value
| > | > | sound card running Windows XP SP2 using the latest NVIDIA reference drivers
| > | > | (no proper drivers from manufacture of video card). Whenever I play any games
| > | > | such as Neverwinter Nights, Dungeon Siege and Jedi Academy, after about 5
| > | > | minutes or so of gameplay, the screen will go black and the system will lock
| > | > | up. To get out of it, I have to reboot my PC. PLEASE HELP!!!!!
| > | >
| > | > Hardware issues can cause freezing, black screens and other
| > | > errors. Also, your drivers should always be kept up to date.
| > | >
| > | > Try the following steps one at a time to try and resolve the issue.
| > | > I hope this helps. Please post back if you have any questions! :-)
| > | >
| > | > 1. 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
| > | >
| > | > 2. 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 Motherboard Monitor Utility: http://mbm.livewiredev.com
| > | >
| > | > 3. A faulty power supply can cause STOP errors, random reboots,
| > | > and black screen lockups. One way to test for that is to check the
| > | > wattage sticker on your power supply and then calculate your need
| > | > http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ (Min. 350 for gaming)
| > | >
| > | > 4. Test your RAM using: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
| > | >
| > | > --
| > | > 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.
| > | > _________________________________________________________
| > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| > | >
| >
| >
| >
Click to expand...
 
Jimmy

Software Rebuilt my system with all my drivers installed excluding SP2,
DirectX 9C and the lated NVIDIA drivers and imaged it. Installed the latest
reference drivers, then DirectX 9c and then played Neverwinter Nights - did
the same it did previously. Then I restored the image and installed an
alternative set of optimized driver which used the NVIDA reference Forceware
66.93 drivers as a base - just played nearly 1.5 hours straight in
Neverwinter Nights with a resolution of 1024x768x32bit without a crash - what
do you think is happenning - could it be the driver version I am trying to
use with my Geforce 4 MX 440 AGP card is the Forceware 77.72 drivers?
 
Just downloaded and installed the Nvidia reference drivers Forceware 66.93
(the ones that that 'alternative' set I tried were based on - seem to be
working. What do you think??
 
Hi David,

That's great news! Looks like you found the right driver combo for
Neverwinter Nights to work properly on your system. Now you
might want to try the patch for the game if you haven't already:
http://nwn.bioware.com/support/patch.html

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

Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
MS Games Help and Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/?pr=gms
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| Jimmy
|
| Software Rebuilt my system with all my drivers installed excluding SP2,
| DirectX 9C and the lated NVIDIA drivers and imaged it. Installed the latest
| reference drivers, then DirectX 9c and then played Neverwinter Nights - did
| the same it did previously. Then I restored the image and installed an
| alternative set of optimized driver which used the NVIDA reference Forceware
| 66.93 drivers as a base - just played nearly 1.5 hours straight in
| Neverwinter Nights with a resolution of 1024x768x32bit without a crash - what
| do you think is happenning - could it be the driver version I am trying to
| use with my Geforce 4 MX 440 AGP card is the Forceware 77.72 drivers?
 
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