Solid colored screen crashes.

[JimmyFury]

I'm having a crashing problem and after attempting a multitude of fixes I've gotten to the point where I'm not even sure where the problem is, let alone how to go about fixing it.

 

Details of the problem:

It crashes to a solid colored screen (sometimes stripes), usually the predominate color of whatever is on screen. If it's the grass it turns green, Imperial City it turns grey, a face=orange, etc. The sound also locks leaving a solid stream of the last note playing at crash. Whole system is locked so no ctrl+alt+del and no error message.

In Oblivion it occurs without fail almost immediately once I reach character creator. If I use a downloaded save game I can get a few seconds in but not very far and talking to anyone makes it instant.

It also happens in Dragon Age: Origins, Sims 3, and once just watching a video on windows media player. In DAO it's only occasional except for during the Korcari Wilds stage at the beginning. I only checked Sims 3 once but it was quick. Haven't been able to replicate it on a video though.

While it's not an oblivion specific problem, it's the only place where it's so consistent and so extremely fast. (And the Oblivion community seems the most well versed in dealing with a wide variety of issues)

 

System Specs:

For the sake of clear organization and to provide as much relevant (and verified) information as possible, I decided to take screencaps of CPU-Z and GPU-Z.

(and to break up the TL:DR text wall!)

 

CPU-Z

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n131/dreemlyte/Forum/cpuzcap.jpg

 

GPU-Z

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n131/dreemlyte/Forum/gpuzcap.jpg

Note: Not sure why it says my driver is 8.14 while device manager says 8.723

 

Running Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit

23 inch HD 1080i 60hz monitor at 1920x1080 res.

[and it's a new computer and GPU just purchased last month, hence my frustration]

 

Things I have attempted in various combinations without success:

Turned off all mods

Reset video to lowest settings*

Scaled down fades and distances

Launched from Oblivion Launcher, OBSE, and OBMM

Rearranged load order of mods (although wasn't entirely sure what should go where. followed instructions that a couple of mods had provided and made sure anything that relied on another mod loaded after the prerequisite)

Uninstalled and reinstalled Oblivion. Base GOTY w/ no patches or expansions, GOTY with patch but no expansions, GOTY with patch and expansions.

Moved and reloaded oblivion.ini

Uninstalled and reinstalled graphics card loading only newest drivers

Registry clean via CCleaner*

 

*Things that worked, sort of:

After running CCleaner and reseting Oblivion to the lowest settings again I actually managed to get the thing to work for a while. Tested different resolutions and got up to 1360x768 with no crashes. Ran the entire tutorial and ran around IC for a bit too. -But- Some of the textures were messed up with massive low-res ground patches all over the place. Moved and reloaded oblivion.ini again hoping to reload the textures and crashed a few seconds into loading.

So yeah, no idea what the problem is. I thought I had a decent hardware set up but now I'm not sure. Not even sure what might be messing me up (and therefore not sure whose tech support to call). There are also the faulty-file and defective part options so... yeah. Was hoping to get some feedback before paying someone to check it out.

Oh and unfortunately it appears I can't run a windows repair since the comp came preloaded and all I have is a restore disc that doesn't give me any repair options.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Maigrets]

I have no experience with ATI graphic cards, I've always been an Nvidia fan, but it sounds almost exactly like an issue I was having at one time with drivers and every game I was currently playing. Same issue with the coloured screens and lockups etc, but was a bit more random. Updating drivers fixed it.

 

Yours is a system issue, not restricted to Oblivion since other games and even just playing a video causes the lockups. So, whatever you do with Oblivion regarding reducing graphics, removing mods etc isn't going to help.

 

When you have to do a hard reboot after a lockup, do you get a message to say "Windows has recovered from a serious error", or something similar. You can also check in the Administrative Tools\Event Viewer to see what caused the error. That's if you are the Administrator. You can get there via the Control Panel or Start Menu. However, that's for Windows XP, so it may be different for your system.

 

Oblivion is much more graphic intense than the other games you mentioned, even after several years, so if you do have a graphic driver issue this is where it will stress the hardware the most.

 

*Things that worked, sort of:

After running CCleaner and reseting Oblivion to the lowest settings again I actually managed to get the thing to work for a while.

This suggests to me that it is a driver issue, especially if it helps for a short time. Even though you said you uninstalled and reinstalled the card and drivers, sometimes you may have to revert to a previous set.

Drivers have been known to be buggy in the past and it may help to try an earlier version if you can find them. Make sure to run CCleaner after removing the current drivers to remove all registry entries, then apply the new ones.

 

Another issue that can cause lockups like this is bad codecs. Usually FFShow Video and FFShow Audio which are used by many audio and video players.

On the Official Oblivion forums they recommend using K-Lite codec pack. When you install, it will check for bad or broken codecs and remove them and their registry entries. It also has a basic version of Media Player and I use this for all video, including DVD's. It's problem free and works fine, if you don't care about fancy features you won't use and don't always need.

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/k_lite_codec_pack.htm

 

Some people recommend to make sure the file associations for MP3's are set to Windows Media Player, but I use iTunes for all audio and have no issues.

 

Also check to see if your graphic card is overheating. You should be able to do that via the software that came with it. But, it sounds more like the driver issue to me since I've had it and fixed it by updating them. Like I said though, it might take a few different versions to find a stable one.

Depressingly, even hardware drivers are sometimes faulty. :rolleyes:

 

Hopefully it is as simple as drivers and doesn't need extensive troubleshooting.

[bben46]

I have seen this with overheating graphics cards also. Make sure all of your fans are running and you have a clear airflow path - no blocked air outlets such as up against something.

Be sure all of your fans are running in the proper direction. The video card fan should suck air in at the center and blow out through the channels. Any fans on the front of the case should blow IN, and on the back and top they should blow OUT. If you do have a fan on the bottom (rare) it should blow IN. The poere supply should blow air out the back. There should be a clear path for airflow inside the case also.

 

Another possibility is the power supply is weak or failing.

 

Since you did not build this yourself, I suggest calling the tech support of whoever did. Most decent internet stores will RMA and either repair or replace a fairly new computer after a series of tests. They may even be able to hook up to it over the internet and run their tests remotely. (I know that Alienware will do this) And hopefully find a quick fix. If you do have to send it in, be absolutely sure to back up anything important to storage off of the computer. (DVD, another computer, external hard drive, Dropbox, skydrive etc.) Some shops will reformat the hard drive no matter what the computer was sent in for. Also be sure to remove any financial info such as credit card numbers, bank account info and any personal stuff you would not like to be seen by everyone on the internet. A tech at Best Buy got caught downloading porn off of customers computers - He posted private pics of one customer's (Now Ex) Girl friend on the internet.

[Illiad86]

I was having this same problem and a driver update fixed it. :smile: Lucky though I guess haha, I was blaming it on my old motherboard

[JimmyFury]

When you have to do a hard reboot after a lockup, do you get a message to say "Windows has recovered from a serious error", or something similar. You can also check in the Administrative Tools\Event Viewer to see what caused the error. That's if you are the Administrator. You can get there via the Control Panel or Start Menu. However, that's for Windows XP, so it may be different for your system.

 

All I get when I reboot is the "windows error recovery" screen that says the computer wasn't shut down properly. I've checked and re-checked event viewer but the only error listings at the times of the crashes are "the previous system shutdown was unexpected" and there aren't any consistent events at the time of (or just before) the shutdowns.

 

bben46-

I thought CPU-Z would list them but I was mistaken, my power supply is a Delta Elec. 400w and my sound is on-board running realtek HD drivers. (in case the sound matters, another thread mention oblivion being rough on processors while trying to use onboard audio).

I don't think it's an overheating issue though. It's actually the one thing I'm very close to certain about. I thought it was that the very first time it happened which is why i got GPU-Z so I could monitor the temp sensors. I've never seen it get over 50 while playing DAO and with oblivion it crashes so fast I doubt it even has time to heat up. All air channels are wide open, fans are running well, plus I keep an external fan near my comp to help increase airflow in and around it.

 

Sadly while I didn't build it, I did install the video card and my from what I'm understanding from my ASUS warranty card... it voided the moment I opened the case to look inside.

Which is...well it's a series of expletives that are highly inappropriate for the all-ages nature of this forum.

I'll give them a call though, maybe I'm reading it wrong. Will try the codecs and driver rollback first though.

 

Oh, quick question. Would it be at all helpful for me to attach a copy of the CPU-Z report with all the gory details of the system?

[Maigrets]

I have onboard sound as well and have no issues with it, and it gets put through some stress. It's also Realtek HD 8 channel.

 

Something else you can try that might help if you do have sound related issues is Quiet Feet Max. It's a mod which replaces the foot sounds of most creatures with silent dummy files. The foot sounds can put stress on audio cards, especially onboard ones. There's no esp, it's only "sound" files.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12331

 

As far as the CPU-Z report it may help, but someone more technically minded would have to look at it, not me... :smile:

[JimmyFury]

Quick update.

Tried the K-Lite codec and a few older drivers, no change.

 

 

I caved and called ATI tech support to see if they could tell me anything different and they didn't. He also suggested the power supply since 400w is the min requirement and running multiple processors could strain it, but then he said it sounded unlikely since I'm not showing any major heat increases and a failing power supply would get hot and show up on my sensors. He did say that my symptoms fit a GPU problem perfectly. So... yeah I'll see about a new power supply then if that doesn't help it's RMA time i guess.

 

Anyway, i really appreciate all the help. You guys are awesome.