Aces High Bulletin Board
Help and Support Forums => Technical Support => Topic started by: Greebo on May 23, 2001, 04:06:00 PM
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Hi all,
Recently I decided to retire my three year old PC and treat myself to a state of the art model with a GF3 and Athlon 1300 CPU. Having got AH installed on it I'm getting great framerates, but the blasted thing dumps me to the desktop or freezing midgame, causing me to have to reboot. This happens at random intervals, but averaging about once an hour.
I've tried most of the usual things, getting rid of all the TSRs, checking for IRQ conflicts and overheating (CPU maxes at 50 deg C). Also I've had a look at geforcefaq site and tried some of their suggested tweaks, particularly WRT AGP settings, but all to no avail.
The next thing I'm going to try is a video driver upgrade. I'm using the Nvidia 12.00 drivers at the moment, does anyone have any experience with the newer ones? Alternatively, any other suggestions?
Full spec is as follows:
Athlon 1.3, Leadtek GF3, DirectX 8.0A, A7M266 MB, 512mb DDR ram, SB Live soundcard, Win 98SE.
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Make sure Roger Wilco is set to WAVE recording, ie NOT directsound.
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Hiya's,
When you say looked for irq conflicts do you mean start/control panel/system then look for irq conflicts there ?
Just a point if that's the way you checked, Windose won't show up most irq probs that way
If you have only checked the above way try this.....
Go find say video/sound/any other pci cards and note down irq's (in the above way) (sb-live cards are mostly cause of common lockups nowadays) if say s-card is irq 11 with video you can goto bios as pc boots up and in there under PCI section usually you can manually assign an irq to any slot/s you want
I have had an A7v now got A7a266 put my sb-live in slot 3 and manually assigned irq 5 to slot 3 vids on irq 11
Best to check in motherboard manual which slots share with which
If you have tried this then all i can suggest is checking for new mobo drivers etc etc
Goodluck
Have Fun
Def
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Thanks for the suggestions. I should have mentioned that I'm not using RW, I'll try the IRQ tips tomorrow though.
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I would probably try the 7.78 drivers instead of the 12s. I'd only use the 12.xx in win2k.
www.the-ctrl-alt-del.com (http://www.the-ctrl-alt-del.com) has all the drivers.
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bloom25
-MAW-
(Formerly of the)
THUNDERBIRDS
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S!
Also download the lates VIA 4-in-1 drivers.They have the nasty 686B Bug for SB Live! fixed in them.Can be found at www.viatech.com (http://www.viatech.com) There's also a new BIOS for the Asus board U use at www.socketa.com (http://www.socketa.com) Also remember to disable RW from AH's own setup if You don't use it,causes trouble if enabled and no RW in use...
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DB603
3.Lentue
Lentolaivue 34 (http://www.muodos.fi/LLv34/)
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Did you check your vid card CPU for overheating? Do you have any cards sitting in the PCI slot directly below the AGP card? If there is, you might want to move all of your cards down one slot to give the GF3 more breathing room.
-SW
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Originally posted by DB603:
Also remember to disable RW from AH's own setup if You don't use it,causes trouble if enabled and no RW in use...
I've had RW use enabled since it was coded in to be autolaunched. I run it minimized and almost never have it turned on.
Aces High works as advertised and runs great on my C466, V5 5500PCI and 392MB PC100 SDRAM machine.
I've also never done a fresh install of AH since 1.04.
Drivers, misloads and hardware tend to be the root of everyone's problems..
-SW
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Quick update. I've applied Def's suggestion WRT moving the SB Live. It was on slot 4 sharing IRQ 10 with the MB's USB hubs. Since putting it in slot 3 and forcing it to use IRQ 5 I've not had a lockup, so hopefully it's fixed now
Thanks again for all the suggestions guys.
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Hiya,
Good to hear all maybe fixed
test it with a good session of a well known addictive online wwii sim sheesh what's it called ??? come on it's on the tip of me tongue begins with ahhhhh dang hrrr AH that's it (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
Have Fun
Def
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OK, quick update to my previous update. :-)
It seems it wasn't the soundcard after all. Further crashes led me to borrow a friend's Diamond Monster card, but even this didn't help. I also retrieved an old copy of EAW from the loft and this was doing the same thing.
I think I've found the real culprit now though. I disabled the Z buffer for the GF3 and now it seems stable in both games. I'll probably still try the latest drivers though, tosee if that fixes the Z buffer.
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Try disabling AGPX4 in your BIOS. This works for me.
Running in AGPX2 with fsaa@2x2 in 1024x768x16
and z buffering disabled I manage an average 60fps with the modest system below without a problem.
Duron 800
256mb pc133
Abit Kt7a mobo
Geforce 2 MX 32mb@200/174
SBlive! 5.1
USB Logitech Wingman FF stick
4.3gb HD
1.6gb HD
x32 LG cdrom
Directx 8.0a, Nvidia 11.01 drivers and VIA 4:1 v4.31 final mobo service pack installed.
Nvidia drivers - http://www.the-ctrl-alt-del.com/ (http://www.the-ctrl-alt-del.com/)
Viahardware - http://www.viahardware.com/download/index.shtm#4in1 (http://www.viahardware.com/download/index.shtm#4in1)
Hope this helps.
Flares. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
[This message has been edited by Flares (edited 05-29-2001).]
[This message has been edited by Flares (edited 05-29-2001).]
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Greebo, the number one fix for all of this is the 4in1 drivers from VIA, and the 7.97 NVidia package available at the-ctrl-alt-del.com (and just released), as Bloom and others stated above. Your video is a 4X card and changing the bios setting in that regard will not help. You also want to make sure you are using the latest/greatest Glide package, just in case you use this card with other games (like Quake3).
Good luck.
[This message has been edited by Voss (edited 05-29-2001).]
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You lost me Voss.
There is no "7.97" Detonator driver package that I can find. The WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Lab) certified drivers are available in a 7.78 version, and more recently in a 12.00 version. The latest driver packages are betas up to version 12.40. I tend to stick to the WHQL certified versions, since they are better tested and more likely to be stable. Also as some have mentioned above, for a GeForce 2 card, the 7.78 version driver package (WHQL certified) are likely the best version to try.
A video card is capable at 4x AGP, but it will run at whatever AGP mode you set the mobo for. So if 4x AGP is flakey for some reason, setting it back to AGP 2x mode can sometimes keep things running better. Just because the card is capable of AGP 4x doesn't mean you have to run it that fast. It will run at AGP 1x if you tell it to.
Also, I don't know what you are talking about saying "Glide". Glide was the the native 3DFX API that some games used instead of OpenGL or DirectX back a year ago or more. Since we are talking about an nVidia card here, there is no "Glide package". I presume you mean OpenGL? If so, the OpenGL drivers for the nVidia cards are included in the Detonator driver packages.
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Sean "Lephturn" Conrad - Aces High Chief Trainer
A proud member of the mighty Flying Pigs
http://www.flyingpigs.com
Check out Lephturn's Aerodrome (http://lephturn.webhop.net) for AH articles and training info!
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I am using the 12.00 whql drivers on a gf2 mx with via chipset no probs. Duron 800
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Typo. Sorry. I started to type 7.78, and then remembered the 7.91 Detonator release had just occurred. I have been running the the 7.91 package my VIA board with an NVidia GeForce 3 all morning (Quake3 over at The Playground, where GrimDude owns the map) and I have had no problems, yet. Quake crashes, historically, more often then AH. No crashes so far in either AH, or Q3. You can find the new Det drivers on http://www.the-ctrl-alt-del.com (http://www.the-ctrl-alt-del.com) , or continue to use the 7.78 drivers available from NVidia.
I don't see an advantage to changing the AGP mode. If the card is a 4X card, setting it for 4X seems appropriate. I have not discovered any advantage to any other setting than that for which it was designed.
By *Glide* I meant GLSetup (OpenGL), of course (Dodge and Plymouth are still MOPAR to me, too, even though they are owned by Daimler now// Glide/GL, same crap). My recommendation comes from experiences I have had with games of the OpenGL type, versus AH (which does not need them). Q3, for instance, will not work with the "OpenGL" 3D setting, unless you go through the GLSetup routine (didn't for me anyway, and I've done it on three systems now). If you feel you need it, go to http://www.glsetup.com (http://www.glsetup.com) and follow the links to the 200kb web setup (follow the instructions). These drivers are of beta quality, though, just like they tell you.
The most important thing, though, is the 4in1 package from VIA for the particular MB in use (the A7M266 in this case). This is the same MB that HP is using in some of their systems (the one I have for instance).
Sorry about the confusion.
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Voss, I enable agpx4 in the bios, AH video locks up. I disable bios agpx4 and AH never locks up. I have tried this numerous times, on two different spec PCS, with virtually every reference driver up to 12.20 and the same thing happens. There's no need to poopoo my suggestion. Anythings worth a try in this type of situation. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
Flares.
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Where you lost me is that I can't find that driver version on Ctrl-alt-del or anywhere else, there is no "7.91 Detonator release". And the latest drivers are way past 7.91... we're talking 12.40's. Heck I was running the 11.x's a month ago. Maybe you mean 12.0? Ah well. I'll take it as a typo since I think you are likely running 7.78's.
Glide and OpenGL are very different things. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif) All GLSetup does is go get video drivers for you that are known to support OpenGL properly. Any of the later Detonator packages provide OpenGL drivers, although I found the 12.x ones gave me problems in Q3. The 6.50's or the 7.78 Dets all work perfect for Q3 here. If you run GLSetup it just goes and puts in the 5.32 Dets... the later versions work better though. If you are setting up new machines with nVidia cards, you should be installing later drivers than that... 7.78's are your best bet for a Geforce 2. Any of the Detonators after 5.32 will give you a working OpenGL implementation. The WHQL marked drivers are not beta quality, they are tested and supported, so always go with those. The latest WHQL Detonator driver package is 12.0, but 7.78 should work fine too. Running those is better than GLSetup giving you older drivers... it's pretty much outdated enough to not be useful anymore.
Yep, the latest 4-in-1's are really important, even more so if you have an SBLive in the box. Get the 4.31 4-in-1's at http://www.viahardware.com. (http://www.viahardware.com.)
Now, about AGP speeds.... some boards just don't run stable at AGP 4x. If you are overclocking, that goes double... and sometimes dropping down to 2x will let you get a higher overclock and run faster. Even at stock speed, some boards just are not stable at AGP 4X, but drop 'em to 2X and they work fine with almost no measureable difference in performance.
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Sean "Lephturn" Conrad - Aces High Chief Trainer
A proud member of the mighty Flying Pigs http://www.flyingpigs.com (http://www.flyingpigs.com)
Check out Lephturn's Aerodrome (http://lephturn.webhop.net) for AH articles and training info!
[This message has been edited by Lephturn (edited 05-30-2001).]
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Voss, actually you are completely wrong. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/frown.gif) Setting AGP to 2x in the bios will resolve 90+% of lockups related to agp cards that weren't solved by driver/mb updates.
If the lockups continue, go into the bios and find the AGP speed setting and set it to 2x. His MB is NOT VIA based. Installing VIA 4 in 1s is pointless and will probably hose his computer. The A7M is based on the 760 chipset from AMD. (Caveat: Some MBs do pair this northbridge with the via Southbridge, so in these rare cases the 4 in 1s are needed.)
I would try the 7.78 Detonators. They are the best overall in Win9x IMO.
(Voss, I'm not sure what MB you are thinking of. Maybe the a7v133? The a7a266 uses an Ali chipset, and thus the via drivers do not apply again.)
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bloom25
-MAW-
(Formerly of the)
THUNDERBIRDS
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A7V does use Via chipset, and works fine with my GF2 MX set to 4X AGP
Salvo
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I think some of you are getting confused with Asus Mb naming system.
Asus A7V (means socket a, 7 series processor, via (V) kt 133 chipset. This one uses the 4 in 1 drivers.)
Asus A7V133 (socket a, 7 series processor (athlon, duron), via chipset kt133a. (Supports C series 133 Mhz fsb processors) This one ALSO uses the 4 in 1 and it's very important to be using the VERY NEWEST 4.31 drivers to resolve the SB Live bug with the southbridge used on this board.)
Asus A7A266 (socket a, 7 series processor, Ali Labs chipset (namely ALI Magik 1), Uses DDR ram (thus the 266 in the name). DOES NOT use Via 4 in 1 drivers.
Asus A7M266 (socket a, 7 series processor, AMD 760 (761) chipset. Supports DDR ram. DOES NOT need or use Via 4 in 1 drivers. This is the fastest board of the 4, and the most expensive/scarce.
That Letter in the middle is ALL IMPORTANT. V means VIA, A means ALI, M means AMD. Only the ones with the "V" use via chipsets and thus 4 in 1 drivers.
Asus model names are actually pretty easy once you know the code. (I.E. CUSL2 is a motherboard for P3s. CU = coppermine S = socket L = Intel chipset 2 = second board chipset from intel for this processor. )
K7V (amd slot, 7 series processor, Via chipset.)
etc, etc, etc.
Hope that clears up some confusion. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
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bloom25
-MAW-
(Formerly of the)
THUNDERBIRDS
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http://www.the-ctrl-alt-del.com/Drivers.htm#791 (http://www.the-ctrl-alt-del.com/Drivers.htm#791)
Yes, you're right. When I accessed this article just yesterday the link was most certainly listed as 7.91 and marked as the latest certified drivers. Today the page is completely different, and 7.78 is marked as certified, with 12.4 listed at the top of the page. It was not there yesterday (or I'm going crazy) and it still does not bear certification. The 7.78 drivers were not causing problems with AH (for me). I was getting some problems in Q3, but the 7.91 drivers fixed that. I would test every one of the packages, but everything is working here, so why mess with it? (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
GLSetup got my Q3 working without D3D and I think that's important to mention. I tired simply installing the Det 7.78 drivers, and everytime I restarted Q3 it would be back in D3D mode. So, I went looking for GL and viola! I'll defer to your wisdom there.
I think Bloom cleared up the other inconsistencies nicely (Skurj too). These guys have really got to get another naming convention going, or it's going to be even harder to help people.
Sorry, guys. With the system count climbing I'm going to be useless, so I'll just shutup and sit down now. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/smile.gif)
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Wild driver gyrations. (http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/Smileys/default/biggrin.gif)
nVidia goes a tad nuts with the driver version. So far here at work on a TnT2Pro, the 12.40's are working great... just an FYI.
I hope nVidia took the driver writing team from 3DFX... those guys rocked.
(pats his V5)
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Sean "Lephturn" Conrad - Aces High Chief Trainer
A proud member of the mighty Flying Pigs
http://www.flyingpigs.com
Check out Lephturn's Aerodrome (http://lephturn.webhop.net) for AH articles and training info!