All new games crash my computer!

shiz17js · 08-09-2008, 10:10 PM

I bought the orange box when it first came out and I played team fortress and portal with no problem, but when I tried to play episode 2 there were black blobs that flashed off and on all over the screen. then about a min into the game my computer would crash and my monitor would turn off. i thought it was a problem with episode 2 but ive recently got spore creature creater and the exact same problem, except i might get 10 or so min into the game before it crashes my comp???

also i played Prey in between playing Team fortress and episode 2 with no problems.

ive tried new graphics drivers, and directx, and some other things that steams support page suggested. i dont know what to do!!! plz help!

Specs
1 gig ram
9600 pro
pentium IV 2.6

thanx
shaun

shiz17js · 08-10-2008, 03:29 PM

Also i am using Windows XP

funkmunky · 08-12-2008, 04:57 AM

Sounds like a graphics issue caused by overheating or insufficient power? Give more detailed specs, I'll post mine as an example:

Motherboard: Foxconn C51XEM2AA
CPU: AMD Athlon X2 5600+ (Dual core)
Ram: 4GB OCZ Platinum Revision 2 pc6400 (4x 1gb sticks)
Graphics: Nvidia GF7900GS x2 (SLI)
Hardrive: 2x Maxtor IDE 80gb, 160gb. 1x Seagate Barracuda SATA 320gb.
Sound: Realtek 8ch HD onboard
PSU (Power Supply Unit): Xilence 800W gaming edition

shiz17js · 08-13-2008, 11:55 AM

I dont know how to find such detailed specs but heres what i know,

Computer: Dell Dimensions 4600
Graphics: Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro Atlantis
Hard Drive: Maxtor Basics 300gb 7200rpm
CPU: Pentium(R) 4 2.66ghz
Memory: 1G kingston (x2 512mb sticks)

funkmunky · 08-14-2008, 02:01 AM

It could be a hardware issue, as in not enough of it...

I don't know much about ATI (so I could be wrong), but I believe the 9600 is quite old these days??? Maybe it's acting as a bit of a bottleneck?

Also, what's the rating of your PSU? I only ask because Dell aren't really known for making games machines, the power supplies tend to be a little weak for starters (in my experience).

shiz17js · 08-18-2008, 12:00 PM

its a 250w power supply? if you think this might be the problem can you explain why games like TF2 that have higher requierments run great but spore doesnt??

shiz17js · 08-18-2008, 12:07 PM

heres a list of games that ive played since having this problem

Work great
World of Warcraft
Half Life
Half Life Episode 1
Half Life Lost Coast
Prey
Portal
Team Fortress 2
Civilization 4
Day of Defeat Source

Dont Work
Half Life Episode 2
Spore Creature Creator

funkmunky · 08-19-2008, 07:10 AM

Most of the games you've listed run on the valve engine, which runs incredibly well even on low end machines. However the fact that episode 2 won't work, while episode one does is a little confusing

The 250W PSU could definitely be the source of your problems, but if you upgraded your PSU, be careful to make sure it's dell compatible. I'd recommend 500w as the absoloute minimum for a games machine.

Have you checked the temps in your machine? Use everest, cpuz or similar to check system temps, specifically the CPU and the GPU... Or you could just try opening the computer up and blowing all the dust out - concentrate on the cpu fan and heatsink, and the graphics card fan and heatsink...

John88Z · 08-20-2008, 02:33 PM

Speedfan to check tempurtures,
http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php

Power supply needs an upgraded that could very well be your problem.

shiz17js · 08-24-2008, 11:47 PM

I downloaded all those things and couldnt find the temps?? plz help

shiz17js · 09-05-2008, 02:05 PM

I replaced my power supply with a 430w and still the same problem. i also downloaded all three of those programs and couldnt find the temp of my chips. ??? what now???

funkmunky · 09-06-2008, 09:10 AM

430W could still be too weak... What brand is it? You need a decent one if you're going to be playing games... Go for OCZ, Thermaltake, Xilence, or Gigabyte - all good PSU makers...

The three programs you downloaded need to be installed, then you need to run them... It will open up a window full of various information derpending on which program you're running at the time, look around through the info and you'll find temps...

You might be looking at a memory issue... But lets check the temps first...

When you installed new graphics drivers, did you uninstall the old ones first? Uninstall all the graphics drivers, delete the folders they were in, then install the latest drivers for your card from ATI.

shiz17js · 09-07-2008, 11:15 AM

i got a Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W ATX Power Supply.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153023

i did install all the aps and i guess there hard to navigate cuase i couldnt find and temps.

and when i installed the drivers i did uninstall the old ones and i used driver cleaner pro \

????????????

funkmunky · 09-08-2008, 06:54 AM

You MIGHT get away with that PSU... have you been to http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest to check yuour computers comaptability with the games?

As to where to find the temps... On speedfan, look here:

Ignore the temps shown, it's not compatible with my hardware, doesn't show that my CPU is 26/29 on respective cores (between 29-40 combined, 40 being under load), doesn't register my fans, doesn't even recognise my motherboard... so it's irrelevant on my system...

shiz17js · 09-09-2008, 12:02 AM

I have checked my system requirements and the check out. there requirements are no higher for TF2 than they are for HL2 episode 2 and spore is even less.

heres a pic of speed fan, i think it only sees my hard drive

???

funkmunky · 09-12-2008, 07:54 AM

OK that's weird... Dell must not like speedfan...

Right lets try everest...

EDIT: Also, just below the temps, scroll down a bit and you'll find voltages, have a look at these while you're here...

shiz17js · 09-12-2008, 11:54 PM

:( the only thing that showed up there was my hard drive also... and no voltages

funkmunky · 09-14-2008, 03:47 PM

That's weird...

I'd suggest a few other apps, but you'll probably get the same result...

Dell don't support hardware monitoring maybe??? I can't imagine why though...

Go into the bios next time you reboot, and see if you can check the temps and voltages there... If you can see the info in your bios then maybe something in windows is preventing you from accessing it...

What antivirus are you using?

It might be an idea to get your PC checked out for malware with some other software... Try http://www.eset.com/onlinescan/ These are the guys that make nod32 antivirus, which in my opinion is the best, you could also try trend micro or kaspersky labs online scanners... Disable your current antivirus while you're doing an online scan...

EDIT: Have you tried the games that were causing problems since you installed your new PSU?

shiz17js · 09-21-2008, 12:10 PM

I went into the BIOS... i think. and under cpu and memory info it didnt say anything about temps. ???

i use AVG as my anti virus.

and i have tried the games and they still dont work...

what should i do??

funkmunky · 09-22-2008, 05:55 AM

OK, just to clarify; to get into the bios reboot, and keep tapping the delete key until a blue (usually) screen shows up. look for an option that says "hardware monitor," "system monitor," "cell info," or something like that (usually one of the options on the right). If the info isn't there, then you aren't going to be able to monitor system temps, which is bad news if you want to play games on the thing, as you won't be able to tell if your system is overheating or not.

Just re-read your original post, did you actually download the games from steam? You should be able to re-download free of charge... Might be worth a try???

Other than trying another new set of drivers (try betas from guru3d.com), I can't see any other option but to upgrade your computer... I'm still leaning towards the issue being your graphics, but it could be any number of things...

For a cheap fix, take the graphics card out, see if you can borrow one off a friend to try, if another card works fine, you've found your problem. You can try to get some more life out of your card; remove the heatsink, clean off all the thermal compound from the GPU and the face of the heatsink. Get some Arctic Silver 5. Put a tiny dot (3/4 the size of a grain of rice) on the GPU and refit the heatsink. This can be a bit fiddly.

Improve airflow through your case, either add more case fans (the bigger the better) or leave the side off the case. See if the problem persists...

I don't like to be a harbinger of doom, but the problem could be the first signs of a potentially major system fault. Keep your fingers crossed that the other games you have on there keep working fine. If you start noticing problems with your other games, you may have to consider a major upgrade.

I will always recommend building your own computer, over buying any prebuilt system... That goes for dell, compaq, alienware, whoever... (POS systems I like to call them - Piece of S***)

I can direct you to places for cheap components (in UK, otherwise you'll know beter than me where to go in your country), tell you what to buy, and guide you through building your system. You can put a mid range games machine together for less than the price of a dell...

08-09-2008, 10:10 PM	#1 (permalink)
shiz17js Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 19 OS: xp	All new games crash my computer! I bought the orange box when it first came out and I played team fortress and portal with no problem, but when I tried to play episode 2 there were black blobs that flashed off and on all over the screen. then about a min into the game my computer would crash and my monitor would turn off. i thought it was a problem with episode 2 but ive recently got spore creature creater and the exact same problem, except i might get 10 or so min into the game before it crashes my comp??? also i played Prey in between playing Team fortress and episode 2 with no problems. ive tried new graphics drivers, and directx, and some other things that steams support page suggested. i dont know what to do!!! plz help! Specs 1 gig ram 9600 pro pentium IV 2.6 thanx shaun

08-10-2008, 03:29 PM	#2 (permalink)
shiz17js Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 19 OS: xp	Re: All new games crash my computer! Also i am using Windows XP

08-12-2008, 04:57 AM	#3 (permalink)
funkmunky Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Northwest UK Posts: 86 OS: XP Pro SP3, Vista Ultimate SP1, Ubuntu Desktop 7.10 x64 My System	Re: All new games crash my computer! Sounds like a graphics issue caused by overheating or insufficient power? Give more detailed specs, I'll post mine as an example: Motherboard: Foxconn C51XEM2AA CPU: AMD Athlon X2 5600+ (Dual core) Ram: 4GB OCZ Platinum Revision 2 pc6400 (4x 1gb sticks) Graphics: Nvidia GF7900GS x2 (SLI) Hardrive: 2x Maxtor IDE 80gb, 160gb. 1x Seagate Barracuda SATA 320gb. Sound: Realtek 8ch HD onboard PSU (Power Supply Unit): Xilence 800W gaming edition

08-13-2008, 11:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
shiz17js Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 19 OS: xp	Re: All new games crash my computer! I dont know how to find such detailed specs but heres what i know, Computer: Dell Dimensions 4600 Graphics: Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro Atlantis Hard Drive: Maxtor Basics 300gb 7200rpm CPU: Pentium(R) 4 2.66ghz Memory: 1G kingston (x2 512mb sticks)

08-14-2008, 02:01 AM	#5 (permalink)
funkmunky Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Northwest UK Posts: 86 OS: XP Pro SP3, Vista Ultimate SP1, Ubuntu Desktop 7.10 x64 My System	Re: All new games crash my computer! It could be a hardware issue, as in not enough of it... I don't know much about ATI (so I could be wrong), but I believe the 9600 is quite old these days??? Maybe it's acting as a bit of a bottleneck? Also, what's the rating of your PSU? I only ask because Dell aren't really known for making games machines, the power supplies tend to be a little weak for starters (in my experience). Last edited by funkmunky; 08-14-2008 at 02:05 AM.

08-18-2008, 12:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
shiz17js Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 19 OS: xp	Re: All new games crash my computer! its a 250w power supply? if you think this might be the problem can you explain why games like TF2 that have higher requierments run great but spore doesnt??

08-18-2008, 12:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
shiz17js Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 19 OS: xp	Re: All new games crash my computer! heres a list of games that ive played since having this problem Work great World of Warcraft Half Life Half Life Episode 1 Half Life Lost Coast Prey Portal Team Fortress 2 Civilization 4 Day of Defeat Source Dont Work Half Life Episode 2 Spore Creature Creator

08-19-2008, 07:10 AM	#8 (permalink)
funkmunky Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Northwest UK Posts: 86 OS: XP Pro SP3, Vista Ultimate SP1, Ubuntu Desktop 7.10 x64 My System	Re: All new games crash my computer! Most of the games you've listed run on the valve engine, which runs incredibly well even on low end machines. However the fact that episode 2 won't work, while episode one does is a little confusing The 250W PSU could definitely be the source of your problems, but if you upgraded your PSU, be careful to make sure it's dell compatible. I'd recommend 500w as the absoloute minimum for a games machine. Have you checked the temps in your machine? Use everest, cpuz or similar to check system temps, specifically the CPU and the GPU... Or you could just try opening the computer up and blowing all the dust out - concentrate on the cpu fan and heatsink, and the graphics card fan and heatsink...

08-20-2008, 02:33 PM	#9 (permalink)
John88Z Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 178 OS: Win7 64 bit My System	Re: All new games crash my computer! Speedfan to check tempurtures, http://www.almico.com/sfdownload.php Power supply needs an upgraded that could very well be your problem.

08-24-2008, 11:47 PM	#10 (permalink)
shiz17js Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 19 OS: xp	Re: All new games crash my computer! I downloaded all those things and couldnt find the temps?? plz help

09-05-2008, 02:05 PM	#11 (permalink)
shiz17js Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 19 OS: xp	Re: All new games crash my computer! I replaced my power supply with a 430w and still the same problem. i also downloaded all three of those programs and couldnt find the temp of my chips. ??? what now???

09-06-2008, 09:10 AM	#12 (permalink)
funkmunky Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Northwest UK Posts: 86 OS: XP Pro SP3, Vista Ultimate SP1, Ubuntu Desktop 7.10 x64 My System	Re: All new games crash my computer! 430W could still be too weak... What brand is it? You need a decent one if you're going to be playing games... Go for OCZ, Thermaltake, Xilence, or Gigabyte - all good PSU makers... The three programs you downloaded need to be installed, then you need to run them... It will open up a window full of various information derpending on which program you're running at the time, look around through the info and you'll find temps... You might be looking at a memory issue... But lets check the temps first... When you installed new graphics drivers, did you uninstall the old ones first? Uninstall all the graphics drivers, delete the folders they were in, then install the latest drivers for your card from ATI.

09-07-2008, 11:15 AM	#13 (permalink)
shiz17js Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 19 OS: xp	Re: All new games crash my computer! i got a Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W ATX Power Supply. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153023 i did install all the aps and i guess there hard to navigate cuase i couldnt find and temps. and when i installed the drivers i did uninstall the old ones and i used driver cleaner pro \ ????????????

09-08-2008, 06:54 AM	#14 (permalink)
funkmunky Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Northwest UK Posts: 86 OS: XP Pro SP3, Vista Ultimate SP1, Ubuntu Desktop 7.10 x64 My System	Re: All new games crash my computer! You MIGHT get away with that PSU... have you been to http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest to check yuour computers comaptability with the games? As to where to find the temps... On speedfan, look here: Ignore the temps shown, it's not compatible with my hardware, doesn't show that my CPU is 26/29 on respective cores (between 29-40 combined, 40 being under load), doesn't register my fans, doesn't even recognise my motherboard... so it's irrelevant on my system...

09-09-2008, 12:02 AM	#15 (permalink)
shiz17js Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 19 OS: xp	Re: All new games crash my computer! I have checked my system requirements and the check out. there requirements are no higher for TF2 than they are for HL2 episode 2 and spore is even less. heres a pic of speed fan, i think it only sees my hard drive ???

09-12-2008, 07:54 AM	#16 (permalink)
funkmunky Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Northwest UK Posts: 86 OS: XP Pro SP3, Vista Ultimate SP1, Ubuntu Desktop 7.10 x64 My System	Re: All new games crash my computer! OK that's weird... Dell must not like speedfan... Right lets try everest... EDIT: Also, just below the temps, scroll down a bit and you'll find voltages, have a look at these while you're here... Last edited by funkmunky; 09-12-2008 at 07:59 AM.

09-12-2008, 11:54 PM	#17 (permalink)
shiz17js Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 19 OS: xp	Re: All new games crash my computer! :( the only thing that showed up there was my hard drive also... and no voltages

09-14-2008, 03:47 PM	#18 (permalink)
funkmunky Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Northwest UK Posts: 86 OS: XP Pro SP3, Vista Ultimate SP1, Ubuntu Desktop 7.10 x64 My System	Re: All new games crash my computer! That's weird... I'd suggest a few other apps, but you'll probably get the same result... Dell don't support hardware monitoring maybe??? I can't imagine why though... Go into the bios next time you reboot, and see if you can check the temps and voltages there... If you can see the info in your bios then maybe something in windows is preventing you from accessing it... What antivirus are you using? It might be an idea to get your PC checked out for malware with some other software... Try http://www.eset.com/onlinescan/ These are the guys that make nod32 antivirus, which in my opinion is the best, you could also try trend micro or kaspersky labs online scanners... Disable your current antivirus while you're doing an online scan... EDIT: Have you tried the games that were causing problems since you installed your new PSU? Last edited by funkmunky; 09-14-2008 at 03:49 PM.

09-21-2008, 12:10 PM	#19 (permalink)
shiz17js Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 19 OS: xp	Re: All new games crash my computer! I went into the BIOS... i think. and under cpu and memory info it didnt say anything about temps. ??? i use AVG as my anti virus. and i have tried the games and they still dont work... what should i do??

09-22-2008, 05:55 AM	#20 (permalink)
funkmunky Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Northwest UK Posts: 86 OS: XP Pro SP3, Vista Ultimate SP1, Ubuntu Desktop 7.10 x64 My System	Re: All new games crash my computer! OK, just to clarify; to get into the bios reboot, and keep tapping the delete key until a blue (usually) screen shows up. look for an option that says "hardware monitor," "system monitor," "cell info," or something like that (usually one of the options on the right). If the info isn't there, then you aren't going to be able to monitor system temps, which is bad news if you want to play games on the thing, as you won't be able to tell if your system is overheating or not. Just re-read your original post, did you actually download the games from steam? You should be able to re-download free of charge... Might be worth a try??? Other than trying another new set of drivers (try betas from guru3d.com), I can't see any other option but to upgrade your computer... I'm still leaning towards the issue being your graphics, but it could be any number of things... For a cheap fix, take the graphics card out, see if you can borrow one off a friend to try, if another card works fine, you've found your problem. You can try to get some more life out of your card; remove the heatsink, clean off all the thermal compound from the GPU and the face of the heatsink. Get some Arctic Silver 5. Put a tiny dot (3/4 the size of a grain of rice) on the GPU and refit the heatsink. This can be a bit fiddly. Improve airflow through your case, either add more case fans (the bigger the better) or leave the side off the case. See if the problem persists... I don't like to be a harbinger of doom, but the problem could be the first signs of a potentially major system fault. Keep your fingers crossed that the other games you have on there keep working fine. If you start noticing problems with your other games, you may have to consider a major upgrade. I will always recommend building your own computer, over buying any prebuilt system... That goes for dell, compaq, alienware, whoever... (POS systems I like to call them - Piece of S***) I can direct you to places for cheap components (in UK, otherwise you'll know beter than me where to go in your country), tell you what to buy, and guide you through building your system. You can put a mid range games machine together for less than the price of a dell...