Random Crashes

I've been having random crashes with SL that cause my computer to freeze or restart, usually the latter. I'm not sure which patch it first started at, but it was definitely after 1.5. A clean uninstall/reinstall hasn't fixed the problem.

When I restart SL, I'm offered the crash report dialogue, but the information I could offer would be mostly useless. "Uh, I was walking around?"

System Specs:
WinXP Pro, Service Pack 2
AMD Athlon 1.2, 512 MB RAM
NVidia GeForce4 MX 440 w/ AGP 8x
Nvidia driver version: 61.77
SBLive! Sound

Aside from lowered particles, all default video settings in SL, based on card.

You should always send crash reports, even if you don't put anything in the "what you were doing" box. The crash logger reports additional information, not just what you choose to send. The brief description is rarely as important as what the logfiles and system specs can tell the Lindens.

I've been having somewhat similar problems. For whatever reason, SL crashes at about 15 minute intervals. I'm at a loss to explain why, but I have been sending crash reports by the Crash Logger.

Any ideas on how to fix the problem?

Actually I have the same problem. I have reinstalled windows, sl, everything, but it continues to crash too frequently. I'm experiencing this from from the patch 1.5.1.
Sometimes it takes 10-15 minutes to crash-freeze-reboot, sometimes just after the login.

sigh... I'm afraid my account has been suspended or something.... lol heres what happend... I did something I wasn't supposed too rofl... then I got a message at the bottom right hand screen saying something like YOUR ACCOUNT HAS BEEN FROZEN YOU CAN"T CHAT, MOVE, blah blah blah... then A linden contacted me so I said sorry then it said your account has been unfrozen so I was happy lol then the game crashed... now everytime I try to log on it crashes... Is this a glitch? or am I suspended... I don't really care if I AM suspended but i want to know if its that or a glitch... just curious lol please help me out...

I'm crashing also, usually after teleporting.

I'm running a Mac - so I'll pst in the Mac thread as well.

So Ale and I are having the same problem...

Well, I've done a fresh uninstall/reinstall (still crashes), and I've done a driver update (stilll crashes). The tech support actually thought that Windows XP Service Pack 2 had caused something to go funny, but your reinstallation of Windows seems to bear that out...

I guess we just need another fix. x_x

Probably true. I'll start hitting 'send' on the crash reports.

Uninstall and reinstall SL.

Ala, Skunken, how are you crashing? Is there an error message? Does your system lock up? Bluescreen? Bluescreen and reboot?

In Windows XP, go to Start > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Settings, then lok under "System Failure" and make sure that "Automatically restart" is NOT selected. This will allow you to see the error message when your system bluescreens. Before rebootiung, write down the memory address and the file it gives as the point of failure and include it in your crash report when you reconnect to SL.

Thanks Catherine, I will do report the messages.
SkunkeN, I use windows 2000, not the XP. Anyway Any kind of error occours: blue screen with irreversible errors messages, message "this program has executed an invalid operation and will be closed (i traduce from the italian message), the game simply quit, the pc freezes that you can only reset, the pc reboots.

Huh. When SL crashes for me, it just crashes to desktop. No error messages. A uninstall/reinstall didn't help fix it, nor did a driver upgrade. Of course, it turns out I have a rather volatile motherboard/video card combo... A Radeon 9600 Pro paired with a VIA motherboard. It turns out that the latest Catalyst drivers absolutely WILL NOT WORK with this combo! x_x

The things you learn trying to fix things.

I've lately been experiencing crashes when I attempt to teleport via Map tool, meaning I select a point on the map and click on the map area to automatically teleport me. Two things have been happening to me, though not consistently after upgrading to 1.5 and 1.5.1: When attempting to teleport to the exact telehub, I often get teleported 50 "yards" away from the telehub...sometimes finding myself underwater or in someone's building. Other times I totally crash so when I appear, all I see is water around me and nothing else...I can't move or fly so I have to relog.

Again, this doesn't happen regularly, but it happens frequently enough. Also, sometime when someone sends me a TP, the "vastness of water" situation occurs again, resulting in me having to relog.

I run XP and on a brand new spankin lightning quick PC...well outside SL that is...lol!

What motherboard do you have?

Have you tried installing the unofficial Omega ATI drivers? You can find them on my Troubleshooting SL page.

I believe I mentioned having a VIA motherboard, capable of running a 64-bit AMD Athlon. Apparently though, something about the VIA motherboards conflicts with the official ATI drivers.

I can try the unofficial drivers but I doubt they'll fix it. Still, it may work. Gotta spend some time to work with it.

Oh, you have an AMD-64 CPU? I didn't realize that part. Unfortunately, it still doesn't really narrow it down much. I was hoping for something like the model number of your board.

Is it an actual VIA motherboard, or did they just manufacture the chipset? I wasn't aware VIA sold AMD64 motherboards directly. Do you have a reference board?

I think VIA manufactured the chipset - I checked up on my motherboard and came up with an MSI MS-6702. The processor is an AMD Athlon 64 3000+. Also have 512 MB RAM.

I hope that helps. I've been doing some research of my own and think the problem may be partially with other things running in the background, and partially with instability with the new prims.

Hmm, you could be right. I'm reading about some problems between that particular VIA chipset and the Radeon 9600. Did you update your BIOS?

I have a 64 bit VIA motherboard too and an ATI 9800 PRO and experiencing these crashes. Hmm, same motherboard... MSI K8T Neo-FSR or Model 6702. I'm about to try the Omega Drivers, I also have the 4.9 beta driver that was supposed to solve a problem with Doom3... these will be my next attempt

Just to update, none of those (Omega, 4.9 beta) helped. I have to wonder though, if this is a VIA/ATI problem why is Second Life the only thing it affects on my computer. There, Anarchy Online, Eve and Ryzom all work fine with no crashes. Seems to me like SL needs to look into this problem!

ATI can't write a driver to save their life. They cut corners in their OpenGL implimentations, and SL uses obscure (but completely valid) OpenGL thingies that ATI doesn't fully support. That's why ATI sucks.

Well, actually my ATI card works great with everything but Second Life!

ATI has excellent OpenGL support:
from the performance improvements of the Catalyst 4.8 driver


I personally use an ATI card with an Nforce2 chipset mortherboard which has absoultely nothing to do with an ATI/VIA combo and I have this crash problem (the SL client just dropping out on me when I'm doing just normal stuff like walking or turning or flying) as well. It's clearly an SL problem because they're unable write the client in such a way to take advantage of AGP calls via the ATI cards. This clearly indicates a major problem in that area that has little to do ATI drivers themselves (which work with a huge variety of old and new OpenGL and DirectX games).

*clicks*

Ok This sucks....Its now been 12 hours since I could get into SL and I'm starting to get the shits. The programs been buggy and crashy, and I dont know about how you all feel, but We all pay good money to use this program. I have no problem with 2-4 hours downtime but when your talking a whole day I start getting a little upset.

I'm going on holidays and I cant even get in to tell my friends see you later and when I'll be back.

What the hecks going on?

Frustrated