CTD issues

[Buidhe]

I've experienced CTD when minimizing SHIV-1.4 since install. I minimize with the WinKey, and CTD only happens about 20% of the time.. but always at the WRONG time. Is there another way to minimize that SH likes better?

For reference: P4-3.0GHz, 2GB, Radeon X1300, all patches/drivers current. SH resides at E:/Program Files/Ubisoft where it put itself after I sent it from C: to my data drive. ROW and a couple of others now active, but problem predated mods and is unchanged.. 20% or so CTD upon WinKey.

I'm immersed when I go on patrol, so saving the game periodically doesn't occur to me. When Earth calls I need to jump on, so I minimize... and four days, three kills and a ticket home are gone.

Any suggestions?

Thanks from a new SHIV sailor and old SHII/DC combatant.

Buidhe
Fifth patrol underway.

[-Pv-]

Change to full screen instead of windowed mode. Use alt-tab to switch to desktop and SH4 will be minimized.
-Pv-

[maerean_m]

Why don't you just press Escape to call on the menu or Backspace to pause the game?

[d@rk51d3]

Change to full screen instead of windowed mode. Use alt-tab to switch to desktop and SH4 will be minimized.
-Pv-

That usually results in a CTD for me. However, pausing first seems to avoid that problem.

[Buidhe]

Well, -Pv-, your suggestion only upped the probability of a crash.. first third and fourth attempts with alt-tab resulted in CTD, although I was paused each time. Paused or TC1, it doesn't seem to matter.

Maerean, the issue is that I need to use my computer when working, not just pause the game.. need to have access to documents, emails, IMs, web info, etc. When SH is full-screened, I can't access my desktop without minimizing SH, which I need to do from time to time. I work from a home office.

Thanks for the suggestion, -Pv-.. although no joy. I'll continue to try to figure out a fix for my crashes.. Using the WinFlag key as I have been only crashes me about 20% of the time, so it's a bearable situation.

[Zantham]

Can you run SH4 windowed? I remember the option being there in SH3, but cannot honestly recall if it's an option in SH4? That would solve the problem nicely...

[maerean_m]

Do you have a dedicated sound card or an on-board one? The on-board chips tend to cause CTDs like these.

[Rockin Robbins]

Do you have a dedicated sound card or an on-board one? The on-board chips tend to cause CTDs like these.
That would explain why I don't have this problem windowed or full-screen. A dedicated sound card will also speed up the game by unloading the CPU, so it's a worthwhile purchase anyway.

[Buidhe]

Yeah, Maerean and Robbins.. on board. Motherboard's only a year old, so I thought I was safe.

New sounds, then, to be next upgrade.

Thanks

[-Pv-]

I've been playing SH4 since the 1st day it came out with onboard sound "Soundmax" and I play ALL my games full screen and alt-tab to the desktop with no problems. In your position I would take another look at vid and chipset drivers. Finally made it over 1000 posts giving out useless advice like this.
-Pv-