Can't start AH anymore / new login screen

[Lusche]

Yesterday I could start & play the new AH version 2.19 (apart from the bugs already mentioned).
Today, when I try to start Aces High the icon appears in the taskbar, and the Windows task manager does say it's running too - but no startup/login screen appears. I can switch (alt-tab or by mouse) from/to AH ... but no AH window shows up. System restart won't help either. If I keep this invisible AH running, I get "...has encountered a problem" message after about 5 minutes and the program shuts down.
The only thing that happened between yesterday and today is that I watched some films in the film viewer this morning before trying to start AH.

After that, I tried a few other applications and games, found no problems in running them so far.


But by looking at my DXDIAG, I wonder about that heap if additional info that I never noticed before under "Display Devices" (VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive  and so on)


------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 5/13/2010, 13:48:20
       Machine name:
   Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp.080413-2111)
           Language: German (Regional Setting: German)
System Manufacturer: MSI
       System Model: MS-7369
               BIOS: Default System BIOS
          Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+,  MMX,  3DNow (2 CPUs), ~2.2GHz
             Memory: 2048MB RAM
          Page File: 642MB used, 3297MB available
        Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
    DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
     DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
  DirectX Files Tab: No problems found.
      Display Tab 1: No problems found.
        Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
          Music Tab: No problems found.
          Input Tab: No problems found.
        Network Tab: No problems found.

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
        Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
     Manufacturer: NVIDIA
        Chip type: GeForce 9600 GT
         DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
       Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0622&SUBSYS_2AC5107D&REV_A1
   Display Memory: 512.0 MB
     Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
          Monitor: Plug und Play-Monitor
  Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
      Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
   Driver Version: 6.14.0011.9038 (English)
      DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
 Driver Date/Size: 7/14/2009 20:54:00, 5842816 bytes
      WHQL Logo'd: n/a
  WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
              VDD: Nicht zutreffend
         Mini VDD: nv4_mini.sys
    Mini VDD Date: 7/14/2009 20:54:00, 7741664 bytes
Device Identifier: {D7B71E3E-4562-11CF-8350-CE0A00C2CB35}
        Vendor ID: 0x10DE
        Device ID: 0x0622
        SubSys ID: 0x2AC5107D
      Revision ID: 0x00A1
      Revision ID: 0x00A1
      Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_C ModeMPEG2_D
 Deinterlace Caps: {6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
                   {6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
                   {6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(YV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
                   {6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
                   {335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
         Registry: OK
     DDraw Status: Enabled
       D3D Status: Enabled
       AGP Status: Enabled
DDraw Test Result: Not run
 D3D7 Test Result: Not run
 D3D8 Test Result: Not run
 D3D9 Test Result: Not run

-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
            Description: SB Live! 24-bit
 Default Sound Playback: Yes
 Default Voice Playback: Yes
            Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0007&SUBSYS_100A1102&REV_00
        Manufacturer ID: 1
             Product ID: 100
                   Type: WDM
            Driver Name: P17.sys
         Driver Version: 5.12.0001.0514 (English)
      Driver Attributes: Final Retail
            WHQL Logo'd: n/a
          Date and Size: 6/15/2007 10:47:26, 1127936 bytes
            Other Files:
        Driver Provider: CREATIVE
         HW Accel Level: Full
              Cap Flags: 0x0
    Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 0, 0
 Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
              HW Memory: 0
       Voice Management: Yes
 EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: Yes, Yes
   I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No
               Registry: OK
      Sound Test Result: Not run

[Lusche]

Update:

I was finally able to get the screen back. When I clicked on icon in task bar, neither "maximize" nor "minimize" had any effect. I clicked "change size" and moved my mouse cursor over my windows desktop - when getting near to the upper left corner of my desktop, the pointer seem to change. I pressed right button and wiggled my mouse a bit, and suddenly the AH loginscreen popped up from out of nowhere... 

[gyrene81]

Betting your sound card driver is contributing to at least part of the issue...Date and Size: 6/15/2007

[Lusche]

Betting your sound card driver is contributing to at least part of the issue...Date and Size: 6/15/2007

My sound card driver is suddenly hiding the AH login window?

[Pyro]

Is it possible you had dragged the window off the bottom of the screen and the only remaining part was obscured by the task bar?

[Lusche]

Is it possible you had dragged the window off the bottom of the screen and the only remaining part was obscured by the task bar?

I never had dragged the window in any way. The last thing I did was ending AH normally, then shutting down my comp. With next start this morning, I had the problem.
And the place where my cursor seemed to grab the "invisible" window was nowhere near the taskbar.
Will see if it happens again.

[Lusche]

It's still happening with 2.191

First, i was running the new patch fine. Then I got discoed during a sortie. When I'm now trying to start the game again, only the AH tab on taskbar appears. Left alone, it shut down automatically after a minute or so. It took me about a dozen tries of right-clicking on it and selecting all options (minimize, maximize, etc) until suddenly the screen appeared again.
But interestingly I'm now getting the mouse stutter again, that seemed to have disappeared with patch 1 at first...

Edit: Not only mouse stutter on login screen... the whole game will stutter now and the video memory is getting filled very, very slowly now.
Shut down game and started again two times, same results - non stop stutter.
I was able to "fix" it by selecting "video options" on login screen, then clicking "ok" to accept them without changing anything - stutter was gone immediately.

[Lusche]

UPDATE:

This morning I was getting screen freezes allover again. By minimizing/maximising the login screen and then going to "Video Settings" again & just clicking "ok" they went away.

After a short time sitting in tower "AH encountered a problem" while I had minimized the game to read on the BBS.
When I tried to restart AH, the login screen was invisible again.

Now I checked the winsize.cfg which suddenly read:

-32000,top
-32000,left
-31232,bottom
-30976,right


Instead of the previous:

-4,top
-4,left
998,bottom
1284,right


As expected, manually correcting the winsize.cfg did the trick. Screen freezes still there, until I did the Video Settings thing again.

[MajWoody]

From one of my bug reports

OK, went back into game. Opened the graphic detail, advanced. All my boxes (detailed water etc...) were unchecked. Re-checked them & mouse smoothed right out. Net status got much better but still not good. Exited the game. Came back in, mouse jumping all over. (laggy) Entered graphics, advanced, it smoothed back out. I didn't even adjust anything that time. I don't get it.

[StokesAk]

I am having the same problem with the invisible game in the toolbar.

[Martyn]

I'm having the same problem too.

I downloaded 2.19.1 and it started OK - but I noticed it wasn't full screen. It started inside a normalised Window. The normal Windows frames were still around the AH screen - but semi transparent. When I try to restart AH it only starts in the toolbar as an icon on the lower left. It doesn't maximise to the screen at all.

AH 2.18 worked fine - no problems.

Config: -
Intel Core i7 8 x CPU @ 2.8GHz
Windows 7 Professional Version 6.1 Build 7600
ATI Radeon HD 4650

Edit: ---------

Finally got it working (fingers crossed) - I altered the winsize.cfg, it too was set as follows.


-32000,top
-32000,left
-31962,bottom
-31840,right

I

[Lusche]

I downloaded 2.19.1 and it started OK - but I noticed it wasn't full screen. It started inside a normalised Window. The normal Windows frames were still around the AH screen - but semi transparent. When I try to restart AH it only starts in the toolbar as an icon on the lower left. It doesn't maximise to the screen at all.
(...)
AH is unusable at the moment.

If you delete winsize.cfg in your settings folders, you probably should get the loginscreen back.

[-sudz-]

Fixed for next release.

- sudz

[kvuo75]

If you delete winsize.cfg in your settings folders, you probably should get the loginscreen back.

strangely enough, it also _apparently_ fixed the problem in this thread:

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,289028.0.html


thanx snailman!