CMBB Freeze

[HijackGMH]

The CMBB demo runs OK on my system for short periods (never more than 1 or 2 turns) but freezes up at seemingly random times. It requires a reboot to recover. When the game freezes the sound seems to stutter on whatever sounds it was producing. I'v been running CMBO just fine since it came out.

I saw Schrullenhaft's comments about problems with Creative products. Is there anything else I should try before buying a new sound card?

My system specs are:

AMD Athelon processor

510 Meg

Microsoft Windows 98 4.10.2222 A

DirectX 8.1 (4.08.01.0881)

Creative SB Live!

WinFast® GeForce2 GTS/GTS Pro

Main Driver nvdisp.drv (ver 4.13.01.2183)

Thanks!

[Schrullenhaft]

What motherboard do you have and have you installed chipset drivers for it ? I've recently read that on VIA chipsets with Win9x a number of people were recommending not to install the VIA chipset drivers above v. 4.35 (only on Win9x that is).

Have you tried some of the previous suggestions already, including updating the SB drivers ?

[HijackGMH]

Schrullenhaft, I did update the SB drivers and have been trying out the suggestion of slowing down the sound acceleration (in the sound tab of DXDIAG) but I'm still experiencing the freeze ups. I am not sure how to tell what motherboard I have as I don't have a manual for it. Is there a way to tell via software or markings on the board?

I may also be a victem of a corrupted operating system as I get fairly frequent "blue screens of death" with VXD VREDIR and VXD MCSCAN32 faults that requre a reboot. If it is my operating system, would you recommend going to Win ME or Win 2000 or some other product, vice trying to rebuild Win 98?

Thanks for your help!

[Schrullenhaft]

You can possibly find out your motherboard model without opening the case by observing (and pressing 'Pause' if necessary) the initial boot screen of the computer (usually the screen where the memory is counted on a cold boot). Often the model number of the motherboard will be listed near the upper left hand side of the screen (right above where the memory is being counted). This data will often tell you the motherboard BIOS version too.

Looking directly at the motherboard may be one of the easier methods since most manufacturers will silk-screen (paint) the model number and revision somewhere on the motherboard. Sometimes you have to search hard for the revision since it may be located in a totally separate spot (and may not be painted, but exist as an etched layer of metal in the board - like the traces). Chipset numbers can usually be seen here too (usually starting with an 8xxxx most of the time to indicate the chipset number for quite a few manufacturers). Some of these may be hidden by heatsinks, so software detection (or finding the manual, etc. online) is the other reliable route.

If you're running a name-brand computer (Compaq, Dell, HP, etc.) then the specific model number should be sufficient to find further info.

Another utility that I find helpful is Sisoft's Sandra which can often tell you the motherboard model, but will definitely tell you which chipset and several other details about your computer which can be useful (although some of the performance warnings/advice you can take with a grain of salt).

Your MCSCAN32 error seems to be related to McAfee Anti-Virus. If the problems are frequent, then I would recommend uninstalling this program for now. You can also check McAfee's website for updated versions of the program to see if this helps.

The VREDIR is a network related driver. Are you hooked up to any other computers or just the internet ? This is possibly related to the Microsoft Networking client, which is commonly installed, especially in workgroup settings. If you have some of the exact text, you can do some searches in Microsoft's Knowledgebase for some good possibilities.

Upgrading to another OS... That's a bit of a tricky recommendation. Another OS may solve some of your problems and/or it may give you a whole new set of problems. Personally I prefer Windows 2000 myself. However a legal copy is about US$139.00 (for OEM, which requires that you purchase a CPU or motherboard or hard drive from most on-line retailers). Windows XP Pro is probably going to be priced almost exactly the same. Interestingly Windows ME is more than Windows XP Home (which will often be the cheapest upgrade). I haven't checked specific upgrade pricing (which should be a bit less, depending on the retailer).

As I said an OS upgrade could solve some problems, but others could crop up that weren't there before. For example with Windows XP you may find that some of your programs may not work, especially any programs that work directly with hardware (scanners, joysticks, CD burners, etc.). Often there may be an update, but sometimes you have to purchase a new version of the program in order to get a version that is updated for WinXP (the older the program the more likely this will happen). From the hardware specs you posted, you should be fine (generally speaking) if you want to upgrade to WinXP Home (which is probably the best bet). The interface and other limitations may get a bit annoying (a completely subjective opinion), but the additional stability in a number of instances may be highly worth that tradeoff.

If possible, I'd suggest a 'clean install' of XP or whatever you upgrade to. While it is far more convenient to upgrade your current OS with XP (or whatever) you may set yourself up for other strange problems. It might be worth it to see how it works in an upgrade situation, but sometimes some instabilities or problems may remain with an upgrade. A clean install is therefore recommended to avoid these types of situations.

Depending on how badly you want to get this working (i.e. - a lot of backing up of files, etc.), you could possibly reinstall Win98 from scratch (a freshly formatted hard drive) and be choosey in what you install. If you have a high speed connection to the internet (which you'll want to record the pertinent info from the Network control panel such as DNS, Gateway and other IP addresses) you'll want to go through using Windows Update which may possibly fix some problems. Also record what your ISP's info is (dial up numbers for the modem, etc.). Definitely backup and driver installs to help get you set backup quickly. In fact possibly looking for all of the latest drivers beforehand and backing those off your hard drive may be good advice, so you can apply the latest driver (which is hopefully the best one) right off the bat for a device.

Oh, I forgot to mention... An OS upgrade may not fix the current problem you're having. So I wouldn't suggest it necessarily as the first course of action here.

[ September 11, 2002, 12:21 AM: Message edited by: Schrullenhaft ]

[WWB]

Finding the chipset is easy--go to gateway.com and go to support and use their configuration detection utility.

WWB

[HijackGMH]

I downloaded SANDRA, a most interesting program! From it I got that my motherboard is a Lucky Star K7VAZ(S)-A2 with a VIA chipset KT133/A. The BIOS appears to be a Award Modular v6.00PGN, dated 10/12/00.

I used Google to look for Award Modular Bios updates and found versions from 4.x all the way up to 8.x and higher! I have no idea whether I should try one of these or not.

I loaded the latest SB drivers, but have had no luck in curing the stuttering sound/frozen game problem. By the way, it does happen in CMBO as well???

I am not too clear on isolating the IRQ for the SB. It is in the first slot on the mother board and the network card is next to it, followed by the video card. Are you suggesting a different physical order, or something in the software?

Thanks again for your patience!

[HijackGMH]

Schrullenhaft, here is what I have done since my last post. I have swapped out the SB Live! card for a Hercules Game Theater 6.1 card. I have reduced the AGP size in the BIOS program from 128 to 64. The sound card is in the first slot and my network card is in the 3rd, and my video card in the 4th. I reloaded Win 98 which seems to have cured the VXD VREDIR and VXD MCSCAN32 problems. My current setup is as follows:

AMD Athelon processor 1.0Ghz

VIA KT133/A Chipset

Lucky Star K7VAZ(S)-A2 motherboard

Microsoft Windows 98SE 4.10.2222 A

DirectX 8.1 (4.08.01.0881)

Hercules GameTheater 6.1 sound card

WinFast® GeForce2 GTS/GTS Pro Video Display Adaptor

64MB Video, 127MB AGP

Main Driver nvdisp.drv (ver 4.13.01.2183)

What I see now, when playing CMBO and CMBB, is that the first round or so of a game runs smoothly. However, after a few cycles the sound starts to stutter and lag, eventually resulting in a freeze. It seems to be the same problem as before, but it happens at a more gradual pace. Also, if I exit out and restart CMBO I get a few clean turns before it happens again. Any suggestions? By the way, thanks for the heads-up on the SANDRA program. I am going to buy the full set, I am learning many new things by going through its modules. I am learning enough about my Win 98 that I am holding off trying to convert to the Win XP Pro I just paid $299 for!! I sure would like to take it back for a refund!

Thanks again for your patience and help. Any ideas you have about the sound slowdown would be much appreciated.

[Schrullenhaft]

Actually your motherboard is probably the K7VAT+. The currently available BIOS updates require revision 3.0 of the motherboard. This is something that you would have to check by opening the case and examining the motherboard itself for any painted on numbers indicating this. Here's the latest BIOS's for the Lucky Star K7VAT series here.

Some of these models have built-in sound, have you disabled this on your motherboard (if it exists) ?

Looking at Hercules' site it only mentions the Game Theater XP, which I assume is the current name for your 6.1 card. Here's v. 4.10 of the Game Theater XP drivers.

Assuming that I've identified the correct sound card, you could also try the Cirrus Logic drivers for your sound card (which are a bit newer than the Hercules ones). Your sound chip is the CS4630 and either of the first two listed files ( PW3041.ZIP) should work for you.

Before installing either of these drivers, I'd suggest uninstalling your current audio drivers and also uninstalling any Sound Blaster drivers. I'd also make sure that you've reinstalled the VIA 4-in-1 chipset drivers. Again, some people have recommended not installing any of the chipset drivers above 4.35 with Windows 9x/ME.

Hercules also mentions some issues in their FAQs for the Game Theater XP. Some of the more pertinent ones seem to deal with MP3's and some games. The workaround is listed in the Games section of the FAQ.

Do you know if any of your devices are sharing IRQs ? That can cause problems. To check go to Control Panels > System control panel > Device Manager tab > double-click on the Computer icon in the listing and it should come up with a list of IRQs assigned to devices. Check to see if your video and sound are sharing IRQs with other devices (ignore the 'IRQ Holder for PCI Steering').