Skyrim complete PC crashes

[Jazhara7]

Okay, I seem to have fixed my problem. Basically, all I did was turn my cooling fan up to full power. Seems my problem was that my graphic card was overheating.

 

Also, I did some searching on a whim, and came to the conclusion that in most cases this must be a hardware issue, and not just a problem caused by Skyrim. There's dozens of posts over the internet describing the exact same problem. Screen turning off, sound looping and finally computer shutting off/rebooting.

 

Just a short list of the first two pages of games with this problem found through a general search for no specific game in google with the search words "Black Screen computer crash game":

 

- Fable III

- Call of Duty: Black Ops

- Brink

- Rift

- Witcher

- Dead Space

 

The list goes on. These are quite graphics intensive games, so I don't think it is really wrong assuming that these might be caused by overheating.

 

To find out if anything in your computer might be overheating, try a program like MSI-Afterburner or something along these lines to check if there's a temperature issue. It's safe to say that anything above 95 °C is too much most of the time.

 

If anything in your computer is overheating, and you have the option to do so, try turning up your cooling fan (finally, buying that oversized cooling fan with the option to manually regulate the speed pays off. Yay! ^_^ ), and maybe also clean out fan and computer case (if you don't do that regularly anyway).

 

I wish everyone success. These crashes suck. >_<

[njemopogi]

Been playing Skyrim with the patch 1.2 now, fortunately, I didn't have a single crash even if my graphics are set to high. I'll report if I get a crash.

[DolAtoR]

 

Thanks for your contribution, but could you also add what drivers you are using for your card? Thanks again, any info is appreciated.

 

Added the driver info, though the drivers didn't make any difference at all.

 

Thanks again for compiling those.

 

And another thing: If we want this to get any attention from Bethesda, we need to contact the gaming press. Did anyone send this to kotaku, IGN or others? I don't think that those websites will ignore a news headline that says "Skyrim could be destroying your hardware" – which is not even lurid, but the truth. For me, after one of those hard resets, my SSD with the system partition didn't work correctly. Only after a little tweaking it worked again. This is unacceptable.

Edited December 1, 2011 by DolAtoR

[Dova13]

Been playing Skyrim with the patch 1.2 now, fortunately, I didn't have a single crash even if my graphics are set to high. I'll report if I get a crash.

So wait, was it crashing before you installed 1.2 patch?

[Trizillion]

@DolAtoR: A german website already picked it up (Link)

[DolAtoR]

@DolAtoR: A german website already picked it up (Link)

 

Nice, I have given them the hint. Also, it is on N4G: http://n4g.com/news/897184/skyrim-potentially-destroys-hardware-users-complaining-about-crashes

 

Does anyone have a contact at Kotaku, IGN, Destructoid or the others? This needs to get more attention from Bethesda. There are people in the thread that have malfunctioning hardware after those crashes. This is absolutely unacceptable.

[ThetaOrionis01]

Looks as though my crash problem is fixed.

 

It's been 5 days now since I removed the faulty RAM module, and I've been able to play without a single crash since then - the game ran fine for hours without crashing on the remaining 2GB. Installed the replacement RAM last night, and again, no crashes during several hours of gameplay.

 

So it looks as though in my case the crashes were caused by faulty RAM.

 

I'd definitely recommend running a memtest scan to anyone who's sufferring from frequent crashes.

[corban122]

Suggested Troubleshooting steps for those having full system freezes

 

I'm currently not having any "full system freezes" So, I have to assume that it's a difference in hardware between what I'm running, and what everyone else (who is crashing) is running. Or a mod that I'm running that is providing more system stability. (However, I find that less likely.)

 

In an effort to help those troubleshoot their issues I will provide most of my system specs, and mod list, as well as provide a few suggestions on where to look to fix this issue.

 

(Being that this is on page 70+ on this thread I don't know how helpful this information will be, or if it'll be glossed over. Regardless, I'll provide the effort.)

 

 

System Specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 (3.16 GHz)

8 GB Ram

Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

NVIDIA GTX 570 amp! card from Zotac. (amp! means slightly overclocked)

an ABIT motherboard latest bios and chipset. (AW9D-MAX)

SB Audigy 2 ZS

I'm also running a Raid 5 off of the built in raid controller off the motherboard. Write-back cache is enabled. (which means slightly faster read and write speeds. slightly less stable if I hard boot.)

 

Mods active:

4GB Skyrim Patch ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1013 ) currently running 1.3, but version 1.4 is out. (This is the most likely mod to provide system stability)

Higher quality Shields ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=225 )

Detailed Faces ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=26 )

Detailed Lips ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=689 )

Enhanced Distant Terrain ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1598 )

Enhanced Blood Textures ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=60 )

Enhanced Skyrim Nights ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=85 )

HD Furniture and Barrels ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=238 )

High Quality Eyes ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=498 )

High Quality Food and Ingredients ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1192 )

Nightingale Prime ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1896 )

No More Blocky Faces (http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=30 )

Nude Females ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=70 )

Realistic Smoke and Embers ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=836 )

Realistic Water Textures ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=711 )

Partially Nude Clothing ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1274 )

Skyrim HD 2k Pack ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=607 )

Weapons Rexture Project ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1754 )

Vurts Flora Overhaul ( http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=141 )

 

Suggestions:

One thing to take note is that just because 2 people are crashing to BIOS, doesn't mean they're both having the same issue. Another thing is that I'm titling this post Troubleshooting and not Fixing. You have to look at this as an overall problem, and explore all avenues.

 

1.) What do you have running different: Are you running mod heavy? No mods? What's running in the background? What antivirus are you running? (I'm running AVAST free version.) Sometimes these issues can be caused by a simple software conflict. Especially if you're someone who happens to have a virus or spyware running in the background. Take the time to cleanup your PC. (CCleaner: http://www.ccleaner.com ) Remove unused software, and check your startup. It's also a good time to check your drivers. Is your system a home built box? Then visit your motherboards manufacturers website and get the latest bios and chipset, while also visiting the more common driver checks of video, sound, etc. If it's not home built, then check your PC's manufacturers website, and check for chipset and BIOS there. I do suggest with specifically going to each piece of hardwares website instead of just "Dell.com, or Alienware.com, or whatever.com" though. Manufacturers tend to be out of date with most of their drivers unless it's a brand new box.

 

2.)Put your system through hardware test applications: I noticed a number of folks saying they've run their video card through tests, and had no issues. While running that test is good, it's not conclusive. Also be sure to check your RAM, CPU, and Harddrives through similar benchmark applications. Most of the time, when I see a full system freeze, it's a piece of hardware, any piece of hardware. I've seen it come from a bad stick of RAM, or a faulty sound card. "But, corban122, I don't crash with other applications!" So what? Other applications use your hardware differently. Even if your hardware tests come back clean, honestly the best bet is to begin swapping out hardware pieces individually. I realize this isn't an option for 99% of the people reading this, but honestly I find this to be your best bet. If I were to guess, I would rank it in the following order: Video Card>RAM>CPU>Sound Card>Motherboard 'chipset' problem. I'll leave it to you to how you want to proceed with checking your hardware. Unfortunately, I don't have any recommendations on free applications to check for hardware issues. I've been out of the game to long to know offhand. Perhaps a poster following mine could make a suggestion. Sometimes Manufacturers provide an avenue to do checks in their System Restore application. (usually run via a keystroke before the system begins to boot windows)

 

3)It could be a mod: Like I said above, it's less likely, but a mod like the 4GB patch could either provide you with stability, or maybe it's causing the issue all together. Even though I'm running the 4GB patch, and it's providing me more stability, that doesn't mean it'll do the same for you. You and I have different RAM speeds, amounts, and bandwidth. With this, it's all a guess and check game. For example: If your running the 4GB patch, but your RAM is actually getting to hot, or is damaged, this could cause the crash to BIOS.

 

4)Just wait it out: This is something not a lot of people do. They see a full system freeze, curse, and hit the power button. Next time it occurs wait it out. During a freeze, several things could actually be going on. 1) It's actually dead, and you just need to hit that power button. 2) Windows is writing a crash report file, and will autoboot the system when it's finished. This will generate a report, which can be sent to Microsoft for a 'possible' solution. (or at least give you something to google to search for a fix.) 3) One piece of your hardware has failed, and Windows is attempting to reinitialize that piece of hardware. If Windows is successful, most likely Skyrim will crash to Desktop, and you will get a prompt explaining which piece of hardware failed. This will give you an avenue to fixing the issue. (be it driver, or hardware replacement.)

 

I hope this helps 'someone' as it did take some time to write out. Good luck to those of you with this issue. Feel free to private message me if you have any specific questions.

[Path2Victory]

Just registered to add my voice.

 

This is my "gaming" rig (I know it's not flash, it's just what I use dedicated to games):

 

Acer Aspire X1301 215 2.70GHz

Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)

AMD Athlon II X2 215 P270

4.00 GB

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4650

 

Played Skyrim since 13 November. Game crashes my hard drive; screen (TV) goes black and drive on computer SHUTS OFF COMPLETELY, requiring a push-the-power-button reboot. These two events are simultaneous; I note no audio continuation at all.

 

The crashes happen randomly. So far it hasn't happened during the intro period where the player does not have control of the character. It happens after the headsman scene. So far I have not yet been able to exit this first "area" (into the Keep, I guess).

 

There is no overheating issue. All other games run flawlessly. Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age 2, Assassin's Creed, etc.

 

Strangely, however, this morning I decided to try it on my crappy laptop. Here are its specs:

 

Toshiba Satellite P305

Windows Vista Home Premium (64 bit)

IntelCore2 Duo CPU T5750 @ 2.00 GHz

4.00 GB

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470

 

Note the graphics card. I haven't bothered to update the drivers in I don't know how long.

 

Testing the game, I got thru the first area and into the Keep with NO CRASH. The frame rate sucks, with a delay, even after I set it on Low (the game autoset at Medium).

 

I am going to play for a couple hours this afternoon and will report my results.

 

I have no idea what this means, but maybe it'll help one of you people who do.

 

ETA: I'm running with the 1.1 patch, but NOT the 1.2, and no mods.

Edited December 1, 2011 by Path2Victory

[DolAtoR]

Thank you corban for putting together this list. Though I have tried most of your suggestions, I will go through your checklist again today.

 

What I really don't understand: It has been running smoothly for the first 100 hours and now it crashes every single time I open the map. Weird, I didn't change anything between when it was stable and now ...

Edited December 1, 2011 by DolAtoR