Random CTD's, getting really sick of them

[Mountainjew]

Ever since i started playing Fallout 3, i've been getting the same error "Fallout 3 has stopped working". I think i must have researched this for over 20 hours and still got nowhere. So when i first played, it was a few months ago on a completely different pc than the one i'm using now. I recently built a new system, and hoped the crashes would stop. Nope.

 

With or without mods, i get the same error report:

 

Faulting application name: Fallout3.exe, version: 1.7.0.3, time stamp: 0x4a40f18b
Faulting module name: Fallout3.exe, version: 1.7.0.3, time stamp: 0x4a40f18b
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x001878f8
Faulting process id: 0x3b4
Faulting application start time: 0x01cb8053a7ebea65
Faulting application path: F:\Games\Bethesda Softworks\Fallout 3\Fallout3.exe
Faulting module path: F:\Games\Bethesda Softworks\Fallout 3\Fallout3.exe
Report Id: 498cbc61-ec4c-11df-a12b-86d5e2ae30c3

 

This is the same code i've always got, on both systems (0xc0000005). I've done multiple uninstalls/reinstalls. Running with mods and without mods. Sometimes i can play for 2 - 3 hours without problems, but most times only 1 hour. It's very random too. Doesn't matter if i'm in a firefight, walking through a door or just exploring. Now, i do find it a bit odd that i got the exact same error on a completely different system.

 

So here are my current specs:

 

AMD 1050T x6 Phenom II

Asus M4AGTD Pro

Corsair XMS3 4GB 12800

ATI Radeon 5850

*All stock speeds

 

And my previous specs:

 

AMD 5600+

Asus M3A78 Pro

2GB Corsair XMS 8500

Nvidia 8800GTS OC

Audigy 2 ZS

*All stock speeds

 

Both systems running windows 7 x64.

 

I'm currently running onboard sound, as i got the crashes with and without my old Audigy 2.

 

Here are the remedies i've tried so far:

 

- Disabled GFWL via GFWL Disabler

- Enabled 4GB allocation

- Disabled DEP for F3

- Running as admin

- Running without compositing or visual themes

- Setting key mapping to default

- Installed K-Lite and excluded F3

- Set WMP to open .ogg

- Updated every driver possible

- Multi-Core fix

- Installed outside of \Program Files

- Disabled Autosaves

- Master update with FO3Edit

- Disabled Anti-Ailasing

- Set water multisampling to low

- Forced vsync on and off

 

And here is my load order for my current mods:

[X] Fallout3.esm
[X] Anchorage.esm
[X] ThePitt.esm
[X] BrokenSteel.esm
[X] PointLookout.esm
[X] Zeta.esm
[X] CRAFT.esm
[X] CALIBR.esm
[X] EVE.esm
[X] StreetLights.esm
[X] Enhanced Weather - Rain and Snow.esm
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esm
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod.esm
[X] DarNifiedUIF3.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Anchorage.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC The Pitt.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Broken Steel.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Point Lookout.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Mothership Zeta.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - Followers Enhanced (BrokenSteel).esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional Restore Tracers.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional Restore Tracers (automatics only).esp
[X] WeaponModKits.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - FWE Master Release.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - OperationAnchorage.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - ThePitt.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - BrokenSteel.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - PointLookout.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - Zeta.esp
[X] EVE.esp
[X] EVE Operation Anchorage.esp
[X] EVE - FWE Master Release.esp
[X] EVE - FWE Master Release (Follower Enhanced).esp
[X] EVE Anchorage - FWE DLC Anchorage.esp
[X] EVE - FWE with WeaponModKits.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Anchorage.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC The Pitt.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Broken Steel.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Point Lookout.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Zeta.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - FWE Master Release.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - FWE Master Release + DLCs.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - Master Menu Module.esp
[X] BlackWolf Backpack.esp
[X] BlackWolf Backpack - Vendor Script Replenish.esp
[X] Fellout-Anchorage.esp
[X] Fellout-BrokenSteel.esp
[X] Fellout-pipboylight.esp
[X] Fellout-PointLookout.esp
[X] Fellout-Zeta.esp
[X] Fellout-Full.esp
[X] Enhanced Weather - Rain and Snow in Fallout.esp
[X] Enhanced Weather - Radioactive Rain and Snow Plugin.esp
[X] Enhanced Weather - Sneak Bonus during Storms.esp
[X] Enhanced Weather - Weather Sounds in Interiors.esp
[X] Enhanced Weather - REBOOT.esp
[X] RCMarket-BarrelBeGone.esp
[X] megalight.esp
[X] richvendors.esp
[X] RivenRadioMP3only.esp
[X] UndergroundHideout.esp
[X] GalaxyNewsRadio100[M].esp
[X] Merged.esp

 

Probably irrelevant since i get the same crashes with or without mods.

 

So, yeah i think that pretty much covers it. I have no such problems in New Vegas, but i prefer a modded Fallout 3, thanks to the awesome mods of the people here. It's just a shame i have to quicksave every 5 mins, due to paranoia of never knowing when the next crash will come. And i just reinstalled windows a few days ago, and before installing anything, i setup Fallout and had the same issues. So i know it's nothing i've installed on my system which is causing the issue.

 

Hope somebody can help, before i tear out my hair :unsure:

[Mountainjew]

I guess everybody else is as stumped as i am :whistling:

 

Oh well, i'll wait for Fallout 3 to be ported over to NV :biggrin:

[williamjames]

The only thing I can suggest is to try defragging your hard drive. I have noticed that a fresh install of Fallout 3, the 5 expansions and the patch on a defragmented results in a lot of fragmentation. I has issue with Fallout 3 CTD and decided to give defragging a try and that really helped, even with several mods installed. I would trying installing just the game, the 5 expansions and the patch and then run/download Defraggler from Piriform and see if that helps.

[rgx02]

Try this mod

purge cell buffer - http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7817

It helped with my ctds, be warned that ctds still happen (especially when you load a save after you die) but not as often.

 

Also the section memory, loading etc from

http://www.tweakguides.com/Fallout3_10.html

[Mountainjew]

@ williamjames - Thanks for the suggestion, though i always keep my drives defragged, so it shouldn't be a problem :thumbsup:

 

@ rgx02 - Cool, i haven't seen that before, i assume that clears up wasted ram or something? Almost forgot, that i've checked my ram use periodically and it's always between 900MB and 1.1GB. I'll give this a shot though, can't hurt (i hope) :woot:

[Mountainjew]

Well, the PCB mod didn't seem to help much. My performance was already fine, and i kept getting transition crashes, when walking through doors. So for now i'm just using CASM to autosave every 5 minutes. Seems to take some of the annoyance away :teehee:

[poopoopapa]

Ya I can't really believe how much time I've put into fallout3 and trying to get it to stop crashing, with the mods that are out it would be so amazing if it only didn't crash. I am really hoping that modded new vegas produces better stability. NV has some issues don't get me wrong, it's crashed before. But I just got through two crashes within 15 minutes of each other in fo3, really pooped on my fun. And i've done everything you have, plus ini editing with fo3config(available on nexus), and adding each individual mod one by one and testing huge firefights for 5-10 min for crashes When I get none I greenlight the mod and go further, still, it randomly crashes several times an hour, 28 hours into the game.

 

Some jerks come on here and say they 'run it just fine' and 'can play for 8 hours with no crashes'. I really still think they're full of s***. Or blessed by heaven. My last attempt will be to run a windows xp dual boot, just for FO3, on a steady state drive.

[Mountainjew]

I understand that some people who can play it 'just fine' might think people who are getting crashes must be computer noobs or something. But not in my case anyway. It's just a badly coded game, and i think i've officially given up on trying to get it to play nice. If Bethesda can't spare the man hours to fix one of the most popular pc games, then i'm not prepared to waste much of my free time trying to diagnose their mistakes. Enough hours have been spent researching, testing etc on my part.

 

It's so nice to play other games now and not have to worry about when it's gonna crash. And other games which run well and don't make my new build feel like it's 5 years old.

 

I've had a couple of crashes in NV, but that's like 2 crashes in 60 hours. That is acceptable imo. Then there was the save corruption inside the Gammorrah, which was also acceptable and the crappy performance, which was also acceptable. But a game crashing every 5 mins - 2 hours is just so unpredictable and unacceptable for a game of this calibre. I still prefer Fallout 3 to new vegas (the architecture i think).

 

I'm just praying that since the Gamebryo engine is being sold off, that it'll not be used in anymore of Bethesda's games and they make a decent engine. Or get the ID Tech 5 to work with Fallout 4. Or at least get ID to develop it. I can dream... :whistling:

 

Edit: I'm actually tempted to run it in WINE on my linux drive to see if i can get a proper bug report. Dunno if anybody has tried this yet though...

[corvus667]

Interesting. I've got the same problem of random ctds from time to time and tried the same solutions without success. I thought it was maybe my old computer, however I can't remember such frequent crahes on the same system (but with just 1 GB RAM instead of now 3) when the game was released (I was using the old retail version with patches back then and now the UK GOTY). I have no problem with New Vegas so far and good fps (this is a 2 GHz single core not meeting the minimum recommendations, but the game runs like a charm after some minor tweaks).

 

I'll disable the 3 GB thing, because I never found the game using more than 1.5 GB even with the tweakguide changes.

 

Since the crashes are so random (sometimes I play for 4 hours open the pip boy -> ctd, sometimes I walk around for 5min -> ctd) it's hard to check if anything hard or software related I canged was successful.

 

What works with reproducible ctds (always at the same location, same action) is killing myself (my pc of course...) with console (prid 14, kill). I guess these ctds are scripting related and there is some kind of fresh script start when dying... but this does not help with the random ctds.

 

Sometimes when randomly ctd-ing I can see a missing texture maybe 1/4 second before ctd. I bet this is ctd related and my best guess is that there is some severe memory leak in the streaming. After restarting a ctds session (without re-booting) the ctds are much more common, so something must be left behind when crashing.

 

I think it's quite a shame this issue was never adressed in any patches, it's reported a lot on the internet.