Half-Life 2 Problem

Formic · 07-12-2008, 08:42 AM

Hey all,

I just purchased Half-Life 2. I installed and everything went fine, so I went to start a new game... it loads, and I'm on the train. Approximately around this time, the game shuts down, my screen goes blank, any keys are unresponsive, and I'm forced to restart my computer.

What is wrong?

**Jack.Sparrow** · 07-12-2008, 08:46 AM

Hi Formic,

Could you post your system specs here please.

Formic · 07-12-2008, 08:59 AM

Admittedly, I'm a bit of a computer idiot. I have an e-GeForce 9600 GT card and some kind of Antec 550W high efficency modular power supply (I am almost lost in the lingo). I believe I have 512MB ram, and if it helps, I have a program call CPU-Z that others have used to advise me on what parts to buy to upgrade.

I hope that helps.

**Jack.Sparrow** · 07-12-2008, 09:08 AM

That's most of it

You missed your CPU, but judging by the other components, I'm guessing it'll be over the required 1.2GHz for the game.

Next, are your graphics drivers up to date? (Do you remember ever updating them or getting a message that they have been updated?)

Formic · 07-12-2008, 09:25 AM

I don't ever remember that. Would it be on the company's website?

**Jack.Sparrow** · 07-12-2008, 09:35 AM

Yep.

Try updating them to see if it makes any difference. If you need the link to the drivers section, let us know.

**koala** · 07-12-2008, 12:57 PM

Switch off the computer, remove the side panel from the case and check the label on the PSU. Post back with the make/model, total watts and amps for +12V. The 9600GT is a high-end card that needs a good quality power supply. The symptoms you describe are typical of an underpowered graphics card.

Go here to download GeForce 175 (latest 32bit XP driver for the GeForce 9600GT) and save it to your desktop.

To update your graphics driver, go to Start > Control Panel > System > Hardware tab > Device Manager. Click the [+] next to Display Adapters, right click the graphics card entry and select Uninstall. Reboot and keep tapping F8 while the computer is starting until you see the Advanced Options menu. Select VGA mode. When Windows has finished loading, the display will look strange. This is only temporary while using the standard VGA driver. Disable your antivirus and install the new driver. Reboot to complete.

Download the latest DirectX. Install and reboot. When Windows has finished reloading, go to Start > Run, type dxdiag and hit OK to open the DirectX Diagnistic Tool. Click the Display tab and make sure the 3 Acceleration button are enabled, then run the 2 tests. Any problems listed in the Notes box?

Did you purchase the game on CD or did you download it from Steam?

Have you tried reducing the screen resolution and graphics options to minimum in the game's options?

Rght-click the Steam icon in the system tray (bottom right of screen, next to the clock) and make sure the game is updated to 100%.

07-12-2008, 08:42 AM	#1 (permalink)
Formic Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 3 OS: windows xp	Half-Life 2 Problem Hey all, I just purchased Half-Life 2. I installed and everything went fine, so I went to start a new game... it loads, and I'm on the train. Approximately around this time, the game shuts down, my screen goes blank, any keys are unresponsive, and I'm forced to restart my computer. What is wrong?

07-12-2008, 08:46 AM	#2 (permalink)
Jack.Sparrow Resident Pirate Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Qld, Aus Posts: 17,867 OS: XP SP3/Vista SP1 My System Blog Entries: 6	Re: Half-Life 2 Problem Hi Formic, Could you post your system specs here please. __________________ //PC Wizard//Speedfan//Can you run it?//Posting Screenshots//Posting System Specs//Donations//

07-12-2008, 08:59 AM	#3 (permalink)
Formic Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 3 OS: windows xp	Re: Half-Life 2 Problem Admittedly, I'm a bit of a computer idiot. I have an e-GeForce 9600 GT card and some kind of Antec 550W high efficency modular power supply (I am almost lost in the lingo). I believe I have 512MB ram, and if it helps, I have a program call CPU-Z that others have used to advise me on what parts to buy to upgrade. I hope that helps.

07-12-2008, 09:08 AM	#4 (permalink)
Jack.Sparrow Resident Pirate Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Qld, Aus Posts: 17,867 OS: XP SP3/Vista SP1 My System Blog Entries: 6	Re: Half-Life 2 Problem That's most of it You missed your CPU, but judging by the other components, I'm guessing it'll be over the required 1.2GHz for the game. Next, are your graphics drivers up to date? (Do you remember ever updating them or getting a message that they have been updated?) __________________ //PC Wizard//Speedfan//Can you run it?//Posting Screenshots//Posting System Specs//Donations//

07-12-2008, 09:25 AM	#5 (permalink)
Formic Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 3 OS: windows xp	Re: Half-Life 2 Problem I don't ever remember that. Would it be on the company's website?

07-12-2008, 09:35 AM	#6 (permalink)
Jack.Sparrow Resident Pirate Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Qld, Aus Posts: 17,867 OS: XP SP3/Vista SP1 My System Blog Entries: 6	Re: Half-Life 2 Problem Yep. Try updating them to see if it makes any difference. If you need the link to the drivers section, let us know. __________________ //PC Wizard//Speedfan//Can you run it?//Posting Screenshots//Posting System Specs//Donations//

07-12-2008, 12:57 PM	#7 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,416 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: Half-Life 2 Problem Switch off the computer, remove the side panel from the case and check the label on the PSU. Post back with the make/model, total watts and amps for +12V. The 9600GT is a high-end card that needs a good quality power supply. The symptoms you describe are typical of an underpowered graphics card. Go here to download GeForce 175 (latest 32bit XP driver for the GeForce 9600GT) and save it to your desktop. To update your graphics driver, go to Start > Control Panel > System > Hardware tab > Device Manager. Click the [+] next to Display Adapters, right click the graphics card entry and select Uninstall. Reboot and keep tapping F8 while the computer is starting until you see the Advanced Options menu. Select VGA mode. When Windows has finished loading, the display will look strange. This is only temporary while using the standard VGA driver. Disable your antivirus and install the new driver. Reboot to complete. Download the latest DirectX. Install and reboot. When Windows has finished reloading, go to Start > Run, type dxdiag and hit OK to open the DirectX Diagnistic Tool. Click the Display tab and make sure the 3 Acceleration button are enabled, then run the 2 tests. Any problems listed in the Notes box? Did you purchase the game on CD or did you download it from Steam? Have you tried reducing the screen resolution and graphics options to minimum in the game's options? Rght-click the Steam icon in the system tray (bottom right of screen, next to the clock) and make sure the game is updated to 100%. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here Last edited by koala; 07-12-2008 at 01:00 PM.