Loading Problem
 

I'm after a bit of technical advice please:

I have been running SH3, GWX 3.0 with OLC Gold and now MaGui Final for some time without incident.
My PC is running XP.
Recently I had intermittent PC problems resulting in general system crashes which resulted in the replacement of the motherboard. The PC now works well on all applications: Internet, OE, Word, Excel etc.

However, it will not load SH3 anymore. When loading the program, the red bar comes to the 95% mark, sticks for some time, and then I get a blank screen with an eventual Microsoft Error Message. I have been trying to solve the problem for several days now without success.

I've checked the original SH3 ver.1.4 disc. I can install and run the basic game including Career and Single Mission.
I have deleted and re-downloaded the MaGui mod.
I deleted and re-download both JSGME and SH3 Commander.
JSGME has only one mod loaded (MaGui)
I have deleted and re-loaded GWX Gold v.3.0 from my back-up disc.

On Main Menu I can press "Single Mission" for example and select "Happy Times" or "Scapa Flow" and it loads until the 95% mark, then crashes.

The Error Report for "Happy Times" reads:
App.name sh3.exe ver.1.4.01 Mod Name: kernel.dll
Mod.ver.0.0.0.0. Offset 0001a323
then Codes, Flags, Record Address
Module 1 - 86 Thread 1 etc etc

The Error Report for "Scapa Flow" reads:
App.name sh3.exe ver.1.4.01 Mod Name: ntdll.dll
Mod.ver. 5.1.2600.6055 Offset 000104fa

If I try "New Career" it produces the identical error report.
Is there any information I can extract from these Error Reports that will give an indication of the problem? Where do I look?

I have no saved careers that I can use to kick the program into action.

I am currently at a loss as to how to solve the problem, or to even deduce where the loading error might be.

How can I check GWX is working for example? Should I re-download the whole file again?

Could someone tell me the sequence of events when the program is loading, and why GWX gets to 95% and crashes in this instance? I can't see this being a motherboard issue can it?

Any thoughts or detail on how I can solve the matter would be greatly appreciated as you can imagine. :cry:

Thank you.

I am not sure what your problem is; I have found that if my SH3.exe is screwed up, I get the kernel.dll error report.
I suspect what you will have to do is delete the game with the SH3 disc, clean your registry, delete the SH3 folder in your documents and then re-install everything.

Is it that your other applications are working well, so it is just as irish1958 says you need a fresh start, but there is a theoretical chance that some dll file missing....maybe,link

http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/dl...shtml?kernel32

The 'kernel.dll' crash can also mean a memory problem. If you don't have enough RAM, this is exactly what happens; the bar in the loading screen will get stuck at about 95% and then you'll get a crash with the 'kernel.dll' message.
Maybe your previous motherboard was just able to manage it, and this one just falls short? How much RAM do you have? I've got 2Gig, and although I can play it with a lot of mods, when I try FM Interior, or the Merchant Fleet Mod, the kernel.dll crash is exactly what I get.

I had the same situation with the MFM.
Solution : Install each ship manually. I got 25 ships of the MFM this way with no crashes. The ships must be installed one at a time and run the game each time. This way you will see when it will crash. This is your limit.

For the FM interior mod I don't have a solution but I am a IX type fan so I have no problem with that.

Yeah, most of the time I use a IX too, and what I was talking about in my post isn't really a problem to me (though I might try installing some ships one by one, thanks for that :up:) ; I mentioned it to give an example of how low RAM will cause kernell.dll crashes.

Process related errors are usually related to problems encountered by the application that runs it; in this case 'part of'. The safest way to stop these errors is to uninstall the application and run a registry scan to remove any residue or corrupt entries.

From here: http://www.processlibrary.com/direct.../kernel/21533/

Both Irish and Bakkels are correct.

This has been my experience as well...

If you 'overload' the application with too many memory intensive mods you can recreate this condition at will. After a while it becomes a bit of a game all by itself. :O:

Thank you gentlemen...
 

I've only got 1mb RAM, so that could be the problem. However, it worked OK (or I managed to get away with it) using the old motherboard. I'll invest in some extra RAM.

I'll also (as Jimbuna suggests) do a Registry Scan and carefully clean out any corrupt entries.

Your advice very much appreciated.

Thank you :up:

Do you still have the old SH3 install folder intact? Or did you re-use it, or have you deleted it? If the JSGME.ini file in the old MODS folder is unchanged (you left it as a backup) then you can see how the mods are enabled in sequence. The JSGME.ini file may be hidden on your system. (not sure)

As an example, this is mine:As you can see, in the [MODS] part there are sequence numbers behind every mod. I guess it is best if you recreate this sequence.

If you had 1mb of RAM your system wouldn't even boot up :03:

To be in a position to enjoy additional mods you should be looking at 2GB minimum and even then it may not be sufficient for some of the larger mods.

For registry cleaning crapcleaner is okay and free:

http://download.cnet.com/CCleaner/30...-10547048.html

I prefer regvac...there is a free trial version here:

http://www.regvac.com/fregvac.htm

There, I agree, regvac has more "balls" when it comes to the crunch

My first computer had a whopping 2mb RAM. It booted up, but that's about all it did. :O:

RAM Capacity of my PC
 

I read your helpful comments with interest, however I'm willing to put my hand on a "stack of bibles" and truthfully say I had SH3, GWX with mods working on 1 Meg. I have the receipts and the System Information data confirms my comments.
I purchased the PC locally in November with 512K and upgraded to 1 Meg around 2008 when the increasing amount of mods I was installing started to considerably increase the loading time and decrease the response.
It is only in the past two months that I have had CTD's. A motherboard was replaced and the informed opinion on this thread suggested that I had to increase RAM.
I had this done last Friday. Now at 2 Meg, and hey presto.....everything loads quickly and works. (Magui F, GWX and a number of mods). :DL

Now I might even try MFM Lite. Whadya think? ;)

In the interests of further enlightenment, I'm prepared to answer any questions on my PC set up, post my mod list etc etc to clarify this matter. I simply can't think I've got or achieved anything unique.

Anyway, thank you gentlemen for the very friendly and helpful advice that got me back up and using SH3 again.

Good to hear, and thanks for the kind words. :DL

On the memory issue, I think you might be referring to gigabytes rather than megabytes as the latter seems a paltry sum by today's standards.

In any event, great to have you back and hope you continue to enjoy the game! :up: