Problem - DirectX or NVIDIA?

[CaptBones]

After three years of running without any problems, here's something I've never seen before...

I just let GeForce Experience download and install the newest driver (version 344.11) for my dual GTX460. When I start SH3 (using SH3 CDR), the screen resolution changes to 1024x768 and I get this pop-up warning:

"SilentHunter3: sh3.exe - Entry Point Not Found. The procedure entry point Direct3DCreate9Ex could not be located in the dynamic link library d3d9.dll"

If I click on "OK" many times (can't get it to close in just one or two clicks), meaning fifteen or twenty times, the box closes and SH3 starts "normally".

Here's the list of activated MODs I'm using:
GWX 3 Wilhemshafen,St Naz,Schluese and xtra ships V7
GWX_LifeBoats&Debris_v4
GWX_Ships_Buoyance&Draught_mod
GWX_Waterstream+Exhaust Combi V2.3
GWX_Waterstream+Exhaust Combi V2.3- Single Exhaust for TypeII
GWX - 16km Atmosphere
GWX - Alternative Flotillas
GWX - Enhanced Damage Effects
GWX - No Medals on Crew
GWX - Open Hatch Mod
Aces' Combined SH3.SDL Files v2
Aces' Crew On Deck - Stand alone mod v1 GWX Version
Das Boot Officers and RelBrgs
OLC's Modified Searchlight Beams for GWX3
Rapt0r's Das Boot Interior
Rapt0r's Instruments V3.5 [Without Red Circle]
Rapt0r's Uniforms
SH-5 Water for SH-3 20 Km V84
Sound Fixes_TSP3.2
TeifeMkI(German)
TheDarkWraith_Ship_Plane_Fire_Damage_v1_4_SH3
TorpedoTubesFireFinal vGW
Merchant_Fleet_Mod_3.2
MFM3.2 displacement correction mod
Patch V16B1 (JSGME)

The OS is Win 7 Home Premium; I've been running SH3 in compatibility mode for XPSP2, so I also have the SH3_XPSP2_ResFix_for_1.4b cfg and dll files installed in the main SH3 folder, which is installed in a separate directory folder...C:\SubSims.

Does anyone have any ideas about what's going on, what happened to cause this problem? I'm tempted to roll back the NVIDIA driver to begin with, but could use a SUBSIM expert opinion or two before doing anything.

[CaptBones]

It looks like my question was asked before and answered...

New member padi muffdiver (didn't know they issued a license for that!!) reported on 9/20 that he'd suffered from the same problem. The solution offered was what I feared it would be...reinstall the whole lot.

But, I also noticed that he too got an NVIDIA driver "upgrade" just prior to encountering this problem. It isn't the first time that a new graphics driver has been the apparent cause of problems with some of my favorite older software (Sub, RR and Flight Sims). I think, perhaps, that I'll quit "upgrading" that and just uninstall the GeForce Experience altogether; the NVIDIA forums are no help at all.

[Dronston]

Damn I have the same problem but I want to keep Geforce experience because of shadowplay which is much better than FRAPS. I can still play SH3 (after clicking away 20 error messages) but as soon as I alt-tab away from the game it will crash. Just found out the hard way after a few months not playing and I just sank a heavy merchant and large tanker...

Please let me know if any one found a solution without uninstalling geforce experience.

Edit: did a roll back to previous driver but no solution.

[CaptBones]

Hello Dronston,

You do not have to uninstall GeForce Experience to fix this; I just did so because I'm tired of the endless stream of "upgrades" that do nothing for my older software except cause problems. My mistake if I implied that GeForce Experience itself was the cause of the problem...sorry about that.

The earlier thread about this problem (OP from padi muffdiver was on 20 September) had the correct, and apparently only, solution...completely uninstall and reinstall SH3. Remember to save the SH3 folder in "My Documents" if you want to resume your current campaign and be sure you first deactivate all Mods and roll-back SH3 Commander if you are using it.

[Dronston]

Thanks for your reply CaptBones.

Ok, I did misunderstand so thanks. It's just that I have bad experiences with reinstalling and hoping to save a career due to the installed mods. Even if I reinstall all mods in the same order more often than not my career will crash at some point. It's always like this for me. In all the time I play SH3 I thnk I only once finished a career because I was killed by the allies, all other times it was because of some problem either caused by me, my system, a mod or a driver corrupting my save files

Right now I'm in a career that I started in august 39 and am now in january 41, just before the war starts getting interesting.

But I guess I will reinstall and hope for the best

[Sailor Steve]

Almost since the release of SH3 nine years ago people have complained of problems with one video card or another. I'm no expert, but it seems to be a fairly common opinion that it is the new driver which is at fault, and the suggestion has usually been to reinstall the older driver. I'm not sure if this is the problem or the answer here, but it can't hurt to try.

I hope.

[Dronston]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Almost since the release of SH3 nine years ago people have complained of problems with one video card or another. I'm no expert, but it seems to be a fairly common opinion that it is the new driver which is at fault, and the suggestion has usually been to reinstall the older driver. I'm not sure if this is the problem or the answer here, but it can't hurt to try.

I hope.

If you read my edit I tried, didn't work.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Dronston

If you read my edit I tried, didn't work.

Sorry. No, I didn't read it well enough.

[CaptBones]

Hello Steve;

Yeah...no, rolling back the driver didn't work for me either. But I've been experimenting and managed to sort it out...running well without either "Compatibility Mode" or the XPSP2 ResFix now.

Oh well; all's well that ends well, even if it did take another complete "scrub" and reinstallation to get it working again.

[Dronston]

Okay, I did an uninstall and reinstall with all mods in the same order as before but still had the same problems. I found out that it is Conus' widescreen mod that is conflicting with GeForce Experience. The mod adds the D3D9.dll with which Geforce experience has a problem. If I deactivate the mod there are no problems. Since I cannot go back to playing the game in 4:3 I decided to uninstall Geforce experience and will look for other recording software.

I don't like Fraps because it takes too many resources and makes too large files. The thing I really liked about shadowplay was that it would always record in the background for an X amount of minutes so that if something interesting happened you could save the last X minuets of your gameplay to disk.

Any suggestions for good recording software are welcome.

[Dronston]

OMG I feel pretty stupid. I solved all my problems by simply doing a rollback of Geforce experience from the latest 1.12 to the previous 1.11 and all problems are solved. Took me only 2 days to figure this one out