Unable to play games on pc
Discussion
Well, almost unable, when I first got the pc I could run all of the games that I have, Unreal Tournament UT2003 & 2004, Grand Prix Legends, MS flight sim etc. but recently the pc locks up on even the simplest of games. all except Grand Prix legends which still runs OK
the PC is about 4 years old with the following spec :
AMD Athlon XP2600+ CPU
1024Mb DDR 2700 333MHX Ram
Windows XP Pro sp2
DirextX 9.0c
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200
200gb & 40gb HDD
Wireless k/board & mouse
Dell E771a CRT moniter
Netgear wireless router
It is getting very frustrating for, not just me, but also the kids that when they want to play on one of these games they can play for about a minute then everything locks up for anything up to 2 or 3 minutes before the screen unfreezes.
I have done a scan disc, ran Spybot, Defragged the system,checked for viruses but still I have problems. Even turned off all the info within the games to help wit resourses.I have tried running the games with virtually nothing running in the background, but still problems.
Anyone have any ideas on what I can do ? apart from the obvious & gettng a new system.
Cheers in advance
the PC is about 4 years old with the following spec :
AMD Athlon XP2600+ CPU
1024Mb DDR 2700 333MHX Ram
Windows XP Pro sp2
DirextX 9.0c
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200
200gb & 40gb HDD
Wireless k/board & mouse
Dell E771a CRT moniter
Netgear wireless router
It is getting very frustrating for, not just me, but also the kids that when they want to play on one of these games they can play for about a minute then everything locks up for anything up to 2 or 3 minutes before the screen unfreezes.
I have done a scan disc, ran Spybot, Defragged the system,checked for viruses but still I have problems. Even turned off all the info within the games to help wit resourses.I have tried running the games with virtually nothing running in the background, but still problems.
Anyone have any ideas on what I can do ? apart from the obvious & gettng a new system.
Cheers in advance
It does sound very much like the processor is throttling back due to excessive heat (as you say it comes back 'eventually').
I'd suggest opening the side panel and removing dust (as others have suggested). I'd also make sure that all fans are spinning freely and not sticking. If the case has them also clean out any air filters that might be gunged up.
I'd also suggest slapping something like MBM5 or a. n. other temp monitoring program and see what happens when you pootle around the system and run GPL or other games (at least just before it caves in). Also look in the event viewer, whilst it'll be full of stuff about Windows not being happy (more so if you've pulled the plug) it might have something obvious like "Direct X error"... you never know.
If this doesn't work then your looking at perhaps replacing the heat sink and/or CPU.
I'd suggest opening the side panel and removing dust (as others have suggested). I'd also make sure that all fans are spinning freely and not sticking. If the case has them also clean out any air filters that might be gunged up.
I'd also suggest slapping something like MBM5 or a. n. other temp monitoring program and see what happens when you pootle around the system and run GPL or other games (at least just before it caves in). Also look in the event viewer, whilst it'll be full of stuff about Windows not being happy (more so if you've pulled the plug) it might have something obvious like "Direct X error"... you never know.
If this doesn't work then your looking at perhaps replacing the heat sink and/or CPU.
Cheers guys, I have looked at the insides recently as I fitted the 200gb HDD about a month ago. I did clean out the dust & check that the fans were working, but not the CPU . so will try that. (the pc is on 24/7 so perhapse powering it down sometimes may help.
About 2 years ago I did have a problem with overheating of the CPU, my local computer guy said that it was running @ 80 degrees which even I know is too hot. Perhaps the CPU may have been damaged slightly then who knows ?
Anyway, can you recommend any Free test programmes that i can check the integrity of the CPU & Mobo.
About 2 years ago I did have a problem with overheating of the CPU, my local computer guy said that it was running @ 80 degrees which even I know is too hot. Perhaps the CPU may have been damaged slightly then who knows ?
Anyway, can you recommend any Free test programmes that i can check the integrity of the CPU & Mobo.
I use Dtemp for my 4 drives, they at 30, 30, 32 and 32 2 IDE and 2 SATA
googled for
motherboard temperature monitor
and got lots of hits, i imagine the same would happen if searched for cpu as well
get a can of compressed air, take off the sides and blow all the fluff off the cpu block and fan, same for gfx card fan, got 2 fans at front, rear and one on top and side
www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Motherboard-Monitor-Download-6213.html - just installed it, seems i have the right sort of mobo, case is 39C, cpu is 35C
www.overclock.net/faqs/22863-opinion-what-good-temperature-monitor.html gives a list, also found with google
googled for
motherboard temperature monitor
and got lots of hits, i imagine the same would happen if searched for cpu as well
get a can of compressed air, take off the sides and blow all the fluff off the cpu block and fan, same for gfx card fan, got 2 fans at front, rear and one on top and side
www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Motherboard-Monitor-Download-6213.html - just installed it, seems i have the right sort of mobo, case is 39C, cpu is 35C
www.overclock.net/faqs/22863-opinion-what-good-temperature-monitor.html gives a list, also found with google
Edited by Scraggles on Sunday 26th November 19:51
I had a very similar problem after fitting a new HD a while ago. It would appear that my new HD runs much hotter than my old one and this feeling the heat come out of the thing! (this I have to say is something I have never seen before and I have worked in I.T. for some years now.
I fitted a new cooling fan (I had spare) and it did the trick.
I would recommend speed fan for checking temp's, it also allows you to alter fan speeds.
www.almico.com/sfdownload.php
I fitted a new cooling fan (I had spare) and it did the trick.
I would recommend speed fan for checking temp's, it also allows you to alter fan speeds.
www.almico.com/sfdownload.php
thanks again, Have downloaded a programme & my CPU temp is around the 50ºC mark, , I think reading up on various sites & forums that that is too high.
I think it may be tme to strip the old beast down for a BIG clean out. Re-seat the CPU with some new thermal grease & see what the outcome is.
I think I have a spare fan kicking aroun;d, so may also ass that to the case.
I think it may be tme to strip the old beast down for a BIG clean out. Re-seat the CPU with some new thermal grease & see what the outcome is.
I think I have a spare fan kicking aroun;d, so may also ass that to the case.
Edited by monkey boy 1 on Sunday 26th November 20:57
right, here's the latest.
I have cleaned out all the nooks & crannies of dust, all is squeeky clean now. Habe rebooted the pc with the side casing OFF. Temp @ idle of CPU was around 33- 35ºC. Ran UT2004 & the usual thing of the pc locking up happened.
Exited the game & rechecked the CPU temp. it was 50ºC. let the machimne idle while I am typing this message & the temp is hovering around the 40ºC mark
Now does this sound as if the CPU is on it's way out ?
Hard to tell I know, but any help from the PH crew is greatful, and so far much appreciated.
I have cleaned out all the nooks & crannies of dust, all is squeeky clean now. Habe rebooted the pc with the side casing OFF. Temp @ idle of CPU was around 33- 35ºC. Ran UT2004 & the usual thing of the pc locking up happened.
Exited the game & rechecked the CPU temp. it was 50ºC. let the machimne idle while I am typing this message & the temp is hovering around the 40ºC mark
Now does this sound as if the CPU is on it's way out ?
Hard to tell I know, but any help from the PH crew is greatful, and so far much appreciated.
I doubt your CPU is at fault.
The CPU should get much hotter when under load, it is upto the cooling solution (Fan's, heatsinks etc) to keep it cool.
If you are using speed fan have you tried running the CPU fan at 100% to see how hot its getting? I would suggest either the fan isn't doing its job properly or the tempreture in the PC is getting to hot which points at the main fan or compoments in the PC getting generating excessive heat, often seen after installing an updated graphics card or some other part.
Are the vent's on the PC unobstructed? Is the ambient temp in the room hotter than usual?
I did go out once to a client who had a radiator very close to his PC causing this problem.
The CPU should get much hotter when under load, it is upto the cooling solution (Fan's, heatsinks etc) to keep it cool.
If you are using speed fan have you tried running the CPU fan at 100% to see how hot its getting? I would suggest either the fan isn't doing its job properly or the tempreture in the PC is getting to hot which points at the main fan or compoments in the PC getting generating excessive heat, often seen after installing an updated graphics card or some other part.
Are the vent's on the PC unobstructed? Is the ambient temp in the room hotter than usual?
I did go out once to a client who had a radiator very close to his PC causing this problem.
The other thing to keep in mind is that some types of thermal paste can go off over time, more so if exposed to vibrations from an unbalanced fan.
If the airflow is unrestricted and the fans are busy spinning as fast as they should, then you might need to lift the cooler, clean off the thermal compound and reapply some stuff to it. This can also be an excuse to fit a better than stock cooler to the unit (i.e. quieter and/or more grunty) which should neatly deal with the overheating under load.
Also, whilst checking temps see if the program your using can also check voltages, they should be fine but if say they're REALLY far from normal then it could be the PSU is going funky, which again would explain the lock ups during peak load (games tend to run the drives, fans and CPU full on hence can draw a lot of current).
If the airflow is unrestricted and the fans are busy spinning as fast as they should, then you might need to lift the cooler, clean off the thermal compound and reapply some stuff to it. This can also be an excuse to fit a better than stock cooler to the unit (i.e. quieter and/or more grunty) which should neatly deal with the overheating under load.
Also, whilst checking temps see if the program your using can also check voltages, they should be fine but if say they're REALLY far from normal then it could be the PSU is going funky, which again would explain the lock ups during peak load (games tend to run the drives, fans and CPU full on hence can draw a lot of current).
Well, the saga continues, but I am still in the dark as to why.
I decided to run a procramme CD which came with the Graphics card called "3DMARK03", Tis seems to rum 5 test games of about 1.5 minutes long, giving you the F.P.S. that each game is running at, then it runs a CPU check on the same sample games.
The pc locks up with an error code when running this with a message similar to "NV4_disp display driver stopped working...."
The only way I can get the pc working again is by hitting the reset button.
As you can imagine, it's getting rather frustrating now.
I decided to run a procramme CD which came with the Graphics card called "3DMARK03", Tis seems to rum 5 test games of about 1.5 minutes long, giving you the F.P.S. that each game is running at, then it runs a CPU check on the same sample games.
The pc locks up with an error code when running this with a message similar to "NV4_disp display driver stopped working...."
The only way I can get the pc working again is by hitting the reset button.
As you can imagine, it's getting rather frustrating now.
monkey boy 1 said:
Well, the saga continues, but I am still in the dark as to why.
I decided to run a procramme CD which came with the Graphics card called "3DMARK03", Tis seems to rum 5 test games of about 1.5 minutes long, giving you the F.P.S. that each game is running at, then it runs a CPU check on the same sample games.
The pc locks up with an error code when running this with a message similar to "NV4_disp display driver stopped working...."
The only way I can get the pc working again is by hitting the reset button.
As you can imagine, it's getting rather frustrating now.
I decided to run a procramme CD which came with the Graphics card called "3DMARK03", Tis seems to rum 5 test games of about 1.5 minutes long, giving you the F.P.S. that each game is running at, then it runs a CPU check on the same sample games.
The pc locks up with an error code when running this with a message similar to "NV4_disp display driver stopped working...."
The only way I can get the pc working again is by hitting the reset button.
As you can imagine, it's getting rather frustrating now.
Uninstall NVidia drivers, reinstall latest ForceWare from www.nvidia.com
NV4_disp.dll is the Nvidia driver core.
Is the fan on the Graphics card working properly?
Fans typicaly die slowly and ceace effective function long before they stop going round. 3dmark will stress your graphics card.
Does your machine hang in normal computing/daily stuff or only games?
Could be a number of things from fans to iffy power supply, to iffy components, but as said I'd update my graphics card drivers and see if theres any problem with the cards fan.
Fans typicaly die slowly and ceace effective function long before they stop going round. 3dmark will stress your graphics card.
Does your machine hang in normal computing/daily stuff or only games?
Could be a number of things from fans to iffy power supply, to iffy components, but as said I'd update my graphics card drivers and see if theres any problem with the cards fan.
well, i have un-installed & re-installed the drivers from the website, Things are a little better, but the system seems to topple over when running the 3Dmark program. The Fan is working fine on the card, so I think the card may be deteriorating so it may be time for a new graphics card.
if i run any of the games on "software setting" rather than "3D settings", they seem to run OK, but with obvious degraded graphics.
Thanks again guys for your helpful input here. Will inform you if I get any more probs
if i run any of the games on "software setting" rather than "3D settings", they seem to run OK, but with obvious degraded graphics.
Thanks again guys for your helpful input here. Will inform you if I get any more probs
monkey boy 1 said:
well, i have un-installed & re-installed the drivers from the website, Things are a little better, but the system seems to topple over when running the 3Dmark program. The Fan is working fine on the card, so I think the card may be deteriorating so it may be time for a new graphics card.
if i run any of the games on "software setting" rather than "3D settings", they seem to run OK, but with obvious degraded graphics.
Thanks again guys for your helpful input here. Will inform you if I get any more probs
if i run any of the games on "software setting" rather than "3D settings", they seem to run OK, but with obvious degraded graphics.
Thanks again guys for your helpful input here. Will inform you if I get any more probs
Either the GPU or VRAM isn't being cooled correctly then. Time for a new card, unless you fancy stripping one of Nvidia's coolers down and tinkering.
I'd get another Nvidia unit, whilst like anything they can go wrong... at least the drivers don't make your system randomly crash.
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