Various Problems - Please Help :(

[Wilcke]

...so here goes a theory....

The Vista users use a different Nvidia driver for their video cards correct. I just went to guru3d and there is a seperate download section for the Vista users. Could it be that the Nvidia driver is at fault here. Or maybe a little of both, 1.5 plus Vista/Nvidia driver.

So if the above is correct then a HotFix is needed. There was a similar circumstance with another title that is rather "long in the tooth" but this manifested itself with strange rendering issues, not the BSOD type stuff. As the newer versions of Nvidia drivers progress they are more apt not to support older titles and cause issues. In this case the developer stepped in and corrected the issue and that was that. Being that SH4 1.5 UBM is a new release this needs to be addressed from their end.

That is if the theory can be proven. For us XP users, we really cannot help aside from supporting the idea that something needs to be looked at and then a solution needs to be come up with......

Thats all.....

[Doolittle81]

Originally Posted by icecold

Well I had the problem with 1.4... untill they released a hotfix... so they obviously need to release another hotfix.

What "hotfix"...? Can you provide a link? I've searched but can't find. Do you mean a VISTA hotfix? Or SH4 1.4 'hotfix' (if there is such a thing).

[Rockin Robbins]

Well I'm satisfied you guys have the problem identified. Now if we can get a dev to notice and be interested in the problem we might be on the way to a solution.

[icecold]

Originally Posted by Doolittle81

What "hotfix"...? Can you provide a link? I've searched but can't find. Do you mean a VISTA hotfix? Or SH4 1.4 'hotfix' (if there is such a thing).

Yes it was a vista (but also part designed by nvidia) hotfix. I belive it is now an official part of Service Pack 1... as the hotfix is no longer available.

I have also shown this thread to technical support at UBI.COM.

[Rockin Robbins]

Excellent. If they fix it you will have eliminated trouble for hundreds of people. Good job!

[Skyhawk]

RR,

I choose to say nothing rather than belittle someone, especially innocent bystanders and moderators who do deserve some respect. At the least you could have said what you did with pm's rather than publicly try to embarrass those to whom you were communicating with, including the OP.

Who is to say or prove if your tactic is what got the OP his help or if everyone involved simply chose to be helpful rather than chastising the OP?

Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Not ALL questions are best answered by a google search.

As a former Sergeant in the U.S.M.C. who graduated 2nd in a class of over 200 at NCO school and received 4 meritorious promotions while on active duty I know a little bit about leadership.

Erroneous assumptions only prove ignorance.

My hat is off to all those who chose to help the OP rather than read him the riot act. I stayed away from the thread until the problem was resolved as I had no desire to interfere with the help being given (didn't want to hijack the thread).

For the record RR, I was informed of your original reply to my first post in this thread via a pm from another member here at subsim.com who was either a friend of yours trying to instigate some kind of negative response from me or a previously unknown friend of mine who thought I might want to "defend" myself. Either way, I wasn't going to hijack this thread or respond with some kind of juvenile insult. I won't lower myself.

Now I am done speaking on this tactic of yours for good and will refuse to address it in any way in the future either publicly or via pm. Have more productive things to do with my time.

I think it is safe to assume that my efforts to convince you of the error of your position on this matter will be poorly received, let alone accepted. Please feel free to prove my ignorance. Try letting your actions speak louder than your sermons from the pulpit, you'd be surprised. Unless of course you presume to know everything, and couldn't possibly have anything to learn, from anyone.

The ball is now in your court, your move "sir".

All due respect,

"Skyhawk"

[Kapitan_Phillips]

I strongly advise this confrontation to move to PM. I dont want to have to close this one.

[Deep-Six]

Here is my theory; everything in your syst uses power and will need to take that into account. That does include DVD, all flavors, CD, all flavors, MB, all expansion cards, HDDs, the amount of RAM, etc. I personally burned out a p/s not having enough jiuce to power everything in my syst. With the more up to date rigs, you will need to buy a large enough p/s to run everything.

I forgot to add fans also need juice.
This will also include water cooling also.

Your friendly neighborhood pc tech.

[Doolittle81]

Originally Posted by Kapitan_Phillips

I strongly advise this confrontation to move to PM. I dont want to have to close this one.

I have absolutely no idea what Skyhawk is complaining about...his post came out of the blue! This thread is VERY valuable and participants has been working a major known problem, possibly narrowing in on an answer or at least an approach to a resolution of the issue.

Please do not close this thread simply because there might be a hijacking attempt by someone with personal rants unrelated to the technical issue being addressed here.

Meanwhile, hopefully someone of authority (Moderatopr/Admin) might be able to draw the SH4 Romanian developers attention to this issue related to SH4 1.5.

Thanks.

[Doolittle81]

Originally Posted by Deep-Six

Here is my theory; everything in your syst uses power and will need to take that into account. That does include DVD, all flavors, CD, all flavors, MB, all expansion cards, HDDs, the amount of RAM, etc. I personally burned out a p/s not having enough jiuce to power everything in my syst. With the more up to date rigs, you will need to buy a large enough p/s to run everything.

I forgot to add fans also need juice.
This will also include water cooling also.

Your friendly neighborhood pc tech.

While I agree that excess heat and/or power supply issues can be the cause of many problems, specifically CTD's and BSOD's, I will point out again that I have an 850W PSU and I have no heating problems.....and also that I can switch back and forth between SH4 1.4 and SH4 1.5 (both with PE3), and only the latter results in the immediate BSOD. (...and I have NO CTD's or BSODs with any other applications/games)

[Rockin Robbins]

Thank you Doolittle. I just leave you with the following blast from the past from Skyhawk:

Won't catch me wasting my "breath" on trying to change this type of attitude ever again. There will be no return visits to this thread for me so no need for any moderators to come in here and bother to tell me to "move along".

Folks, judge for yourself who stuck around to help people and who violated his word, letting us know what value to put in his opinion. I don't even have to chime in on that one, do I?

If the problem, isolated to my satisfaction, comes to the attention of the devs and they can find a way to fix it, this thread will make the difference for hundreds of people, determining that they can play SH4 instead of being frustrated by a vista/SH4/8800 series graphics card incompatibility.

I stand by my original opinion that solutions start when we stop trying to blame others and work on the problem. I'll take whatever blame comes my way as the legitimate price of progress. It's a price I'm proud to pay.

[Wilcke]

Originally Posted by Doolittle81

While I agree that excess heat and/or power supply issues can be the cause of many problems, specifically CTD's and BSOD's, I will point out again that I have an 850W PSU and I have no heating problems.....and also that I can switch back and forth between SH4 1.4 and SH4 1.5 (both with PE3), and only the latter results in the immediate BSOD. (...and I have NO CTD's or BSODs with any other applications/games)

I think we had ruled out the hardware malfunction issues. I think now at issue is the 8800 series videocards, the Nvidia driver, Vista in how it handles the API graphics and SH4 1.5.

As I posted before not an "unseen" problem with other sims on other platforms. A problem that crops up with new hardware and the software driver and OS. Of course the outcome may not be a BSOD but some other strange rendering or artifact.

Here we have the worst case scenario for folks running Vista+8800+Nvidia+SH4 1.5 = BSOD. Unacceptable in my opinion. I would be screaming also! If someone can pull a string and have someone look at this...it would be great!

Other than that who needs a drink? I am buying.

[Rockin Robbins]

Arrrrr! Just let me buy the first one for icecold for hanging in there for the good of everybody. I'll fight with him, for him, or over him any time.

[Deep-Six]

Ok, here is what I would do to isolate the problem. Look at Vista first, the registry, then the drivers. Then SH4.

I will tell you guys that I dont have Vista handy to give you guys any help. Just suggestions.

[Doolittle81]

Originally Posted by Deep-Six

Ok, here is what I would do to isolate the problem. Look at Vista first, the registry, then the drivers. Then SH4.

I will tell you guys that I dont have Vista handy to give you guys any help. Just suggestions.

I agree that Isolating the problem is the goal. I only differ with regard to what is logically the First component/parameter to look at...let's call it the primary 'suspect' of 'person of interest' in a criminal investigation. Unfortunately, pretty much everyone in the PC world is quick to blame VISTA for any/all problems experienced by anyone using VISTA, overlooking simpler solutions and tossing aside proven investigatory methodology.

Again:

VISTA + 8800GTX + NVidia Driver of choice + Pacific Environment MOD + SH4 1.4 = Smooth running of SH4

VISTA + 8800GTX + NVidia Driver of choice + Pacific Environment MOD + SH4 1.5 = BSOD

Logically, the parameter which changed was, by definition, SH4 1.5. That is why the Romanian developers are best positioned to compare SH4 1.5 to 1.4 to identify/know what files or engine 'code' was changed. It would seem to me that the developers/programmers could, therefore, very likely isolate the probable cause of the BSODs in a matter of merely a few hours.