CTDs with New Computer

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:03 am

OK, I got the urge to reinstall IWD/HoW/ToTLM since I wanted to give the new NPC mod a try.

I wasn't sure what would happen since my system is quite new (XP Pro, 8800 GTS card, Core 2 Duo).

Install was very slow, and at first I had to insert the disc a couple of times for it to even take. Eventually I got the game up and running, and found I had been struck by the 'black box problem.' I solved that by going into config, and turning everything up to max, as well as enabling 3D acceleration and 32 bit textures etc.

However, the game still CTDs *a lot* and sometimes Saves are not successful. If anyone has suggestions I'd be most grateful

JapanKitty · Post by **JapanKitty** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:12 am

Not the most ideal answer I'm sure but I have a cheapy laptop set up with windows 98 so I can play the oldies such as Icewind Dale and boot to DOS for DOS games such as Magic Carpet without issues

Worth doing I feel for hastle-free retro-gaming! As many DOS games can be a real pain to get working correctly on Vista

Tricky · Post by **Tricky** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:19 am

Did you try running the game into win98/win95 compatibility mode? It can sometimes do wonders.

To get it to run that way you will need to create a shortcut to the executable. Rightclick on it and browse the tabs until you can flag and select a compatibility mode somewhere.

Alternatively, try posting this in the tech forum.

galraen · Post by **galraen** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:40 am

What sort of condition is the CD in DW? From your description of the install it really sounds to me that that's the prime suspect.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:16 am

@JapanKitty,
well I do still have my old machine, and if it comes to that, I will just install the game on there, though, frankly, I'd prefer to avoid this if I can.

@Tricky,
uhm.. this is embarrassing, but would you mind giving me "step by step for dummies' directions on how to run 95/98 compatibility.

That stuff doesn't come naturally to me.

@Galraen,
My disc is actually in very good shape, like new, in fact. I tend to take good care of game discs, especially those that are now difficult to acquire.

As an update, it seems a little bit more stable since selecting 1024 by 768 resolution for some odd reason. I have also noticed that it seems to CTD the most in Kuldahar.

JapanKitty · Post by **JapanKitty** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:22 am

I like to be cosy in bed with a traditional RPG so I often play them on my laptop - as the odlies can be dialogue heavy I treat it as a bit of night-time reading and escapism! : - )

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:29 am

JapanKitty wrote:I like to be cosy in bed with a traditional RPG so I often play them on my laptop - as the odlies can be dialogue heavy I treat it as a bit of night-time reading and escapism! : - )

Very good idea, I can definitely see that.
Two problems though.. I don't have a laptop, and I suspect my SO would be less than amused if I started bringing a computer to bed. He's a non-gamer as it is, no need to exacerbate those particular tensions

JapanKitty · Post by **JapanKitty** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:35 am

Yes there can be downsides also as the bed can get very hot from the laptop and make the room too hot to sleep without the windows open hehe

Also yea not too practical with a partner I guess
(but I need a room very cold to be able to sleep in it for some reason)

Konalan · Post by **Konalan** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:25 am

I think the problem is your graphics card. A lot of people have posted similar problems with the Baldur's Gate games on the Bioware forums. For some reason IE games and NVIDIA 8000 series graphics cards don't get along.

Edit: Found a link to the problem here. Hope it helps.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:35 am

OK, first off..
d'oh.. figured out how to set compatability.

I tried both 95 and 98/ME compatability, both of which froze my computer.
2000 however, seems to work, so I'll try it on that for a bit and see what happens.

@Konolan,
Of that I have little doubt, I also noticed reports of trouble between IE games and 8800 cards when I scoured Google prior to posting this thread. I was just hoping there might be some work around options.

As I said, adjusting the config settings has solved the black blocks and low FPS problems that many people have reported, and the game actually runs quite smoothly when it isn't crashing. It even looks nice.
If I have to, I'll just try to live with it, as long as I'm careful about timing my saves and I have multiple save slots I might be OK.
I'll also see how the Win 2000 compatibility settings works out.

And thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated

Tricky · Post by **Tricky** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:13 pm

dragon wench wrote:@Tricky,
uhm.. this is embarrassing, but would you mind giving me "step by step for dummies' directions on how to run 95/98 compatibility. That stuff doesn't come naturally to me.

Whereas I was born with a mouse in one hand and keyboard in the other. Anything for you, my dear.

1. Find the executable in the game directory. If you have trouble with that, rightclick on the normal shortcut in your programs menu (or on your desktop), select 'properties' and see where it leads too. Go there, find the executable and rightclick on it. Select 'create a shortcut'.
2. Take the shortcut, move it somewhere else if you wish and right click on it. Click on properties. I think with XP you'll need to take the far right tab.
3. Flag 'run this program in compatebility mode' (or something similar) and select either Windows 95 or Windows 98.
4. Start the game with this shortcut.

You can rename and replace this shortcut with the old one.

CoM_Solaufein · Post by **CoM_Solaufein** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:52 am

I see you mentioned you have a 8800 GeForce card. Those newer cards don't play nice with the IE games and I heard problems with other 2D games. Check this [url="http://www.shsforums.net/index.php?showtopic=30840"]thread[/url] for possible solutions.