Constant freezing

Whenever I play SL on this computer it freezes up after a randow short period of time. Sometimes I can play for 30 minutes, but usually it's within 10 minutes that I freeze. Any suggestions?

System info:

Maybe your PC is getting too hot.
Try playing with an open case for a while and see if that helps.

Did you play other 3d games on that PC before SL?

It could be a heat problem. The vid card is at the bottom of the minimum sys requirements and has no onboard fan. Has anyone else experienced this with a geforce 4 mx 440?

Same here, and I think my card is the same, but only on SL does my computer freeze (since the update before yesterday's update).

So I use the wife's computer now. But now that another update has come out I'll go back to my computer and try some more.

Lindens: see my crash reports, some funny, some sad, but it's like reading War and Peace for the number of times it froze.

Radeon?

Nvidia Geforce 4 MX on my computer that freezes, but the wife has the ATI Radeon (forget which, but it's probably 9800 something) and that works fine.

Both Win XP Pro SP2.

Mine has 768 MB RAM, wife has 1gig.

Ok.......

I updated to a geforce fx 5700 and it was no help. I've been switching back to earlier drivers and had reached a work around with 1.5.9 where I could get it to run for about 45 minutes. But now..... 1.5.10 and constant freezes again. I can only run SL for about 5 minutes now....

I really need some help n this one!

I had a problem with a GeForce doing that too. I added a few more case fans and the problem's gone away.

Thanks Siobahn.

I don't think heat is my problem though. I've tried to run it with the case open and a room fan blowing directly on the MB but still no luck.

My screen corrupts within a few seconds then my system reboots - CONSTANTLY. Ihaven't been able to see the gameworld at all.

Ok, I'm ready to slash and burn. I have been trying to get SL to run reliably on my wife's computer and that's where all these problems have been stemming from. Her computer appears to be well within specs and I've been playing the old driver switch game long enough.

I noticed that her machine won't install win XP service pack 2 on the update. I also noticed that it won't install directx 9.0c (she's been running 9.0b). I have also been fighting with a nasty bit of spyware (a fun little about:blank browser hijack) that just won't die. The computer also won't let me reformat and reinstall XP using the tools Mr. Gates so thoughtfully provided for me.

Now I am assuming that the above described problems could be affecting SL and causing these crashes since everything else seems to work ok.... with the exception of There.

So I am going to do a boot level format using killdisk, reinstall XP, reinstall all the peripherals, update windows, drivers, and directx, and then try SL. If that doesn't work...... I'm all out of answers on this game.

I have been varying my SL settings in the desperate hopes I'll stumble upon something useful. Last night I managed to sustain uptime of the client by disabling AGP Acceleration. At the same time I killed nearly every running process. I am not sure if I was lucky or if I'm onto something. More eliminations to come.

maybe try running some stressing benchmark tools, like 3dmark or aquamark.
If your PC crashes on that too, it isnt SL....

I don't know...I am no whiz at this stuff. But...I will say, always seems strange to me when a game has an update, then crashes start, for many, and things like heat fans are suggested as being the culprit. If it's widespread did many people's fans all go bad at once??? I'm puzzling
I've had this problem not just with this game but with one other as well. At the same time, SWG runs without problems. It's bizarre.
I'm new to game and it ran fine that first week, this second week is pretty much constant crashes.

Exactly, Jack.

I'm totally frustrated on this too post updates. I happened to concurrently upgrade to an NVidia card. I cannot keep SL up more than an hour. I had my fan replaced as it appeared to be failing, and thought that would help. No banana. I had my computer searched over with a fine toothed comb. New drivers, uninstalled and reinstalled SL three times. The tech guys are now suggesting adding another fan to the case. Three trips to the tech guys, and I'm still watching my computer go to a black screen and reboot. In their words "this could get very expensive trying to find out what this problem is when it's only the one program that won't run properly". *sigh* Disgusted does not begin to cover it.

Suppose hitting my computer with a hammer wouldn't be helpful, would it? LOL...

Oh, for a peek at the code and the changes between versions. I'd nail this in no time.

If it's just SL thats crashing then it's SL. But if your entire computer is crashing/freezing then it's a hardware issue. If you run a good benchmark utility and the computer crashing/freezes then it's a hardware issue.

If your computer is freezing there are a few things that could be wrong:
Some component is over heating.
Some component is defective.

A defective component can mascaraed as an over heating component (since if you thing about it one is a sub set of the other).

If you change out the video card with another and the computer sill exibits the same behavior then it's likely a motherboard issue.



Random Tip:
To make SL happy be sure your HD is defragmented.

Thank you Strife I am so very not happy that the expense of upgrading my PC and the upgrade work SL has done has led to my computer being borked when playing SL. The suggestions are much needed!

I didn't know that SL could cause systems reboots on it's own. I had only had that problem with an overclocked CPU that was running way too hot on intensive programs.

Please email a detailed description (cut -n- paste your post) to [email]support@secondlife.com[/email].
Remember to include your Second Life user name.

Thanks

I am in touch with tech support on this one. Some of the crash reports are under my username and some are under my wife's, Nyx Divine.

So far no luck. My machine should be more than capable of running SL. I am begining to wonder if SL has issues with the Ali Magik chipset.

I feel for ya Fiona, same issues lol..

Unfortunately I am foolishly going to take the whole thing in for a complete check including fans, motherboard, the works, and spend an oodle of money. I will also be updating graphics card. I have a strong feeling this will all be in vain lol...

It doesn't make sense to me how a game like SWG that requires so much from the computer can run fine without crashing. Then I try to play this, and it reboots left and right. I have had this problem with TSO too. Yet not with Dark Ages of Camelot and not with SWG. So what is the difference? If it is truly something wrong with this particular computer, why would it only be for a certain game, and why does it affect multiple people's computers..someone help the Puter Dummy here, I must be misunderstanding something

never heard of that chipset but i don't wander much in the custom PC building area's.

Did a little google search. Came up with some old stuff.
Try updating the BIOS.

If SL keep a history of crash logs and all source code under source control, simply check when my freezes started (I think it was 1.5. and do a diff on the code from 1.5.7 to 1.5.8.

Failing that, is this a ploy to get everyone to switch from Nvidia to ATI?

Sympathy level: depleted. This will never get fixed.