Hard Lockups

[Guest]

Ok, I am at my wits end here. Ever since it first locked up 3 seconds after I installed FS2002, I have been sick and tired of having to reboot every single time. It has locked up EVERY single time I fly. And sometimes it locks up in a way that I have to actually unplug the computer! Sometimes it will freeze right away, sometimes after an hour of flight, but I never get to finish a flight because of this. And Ive had it since last fall. I am this close to taking a sledge hammer to the computer. But it never locks up on any other game, or program except FS2K2. I have tried everything, I have installed at least 5 new video adapters, and none help. I have tried every combo of graphics things (Shadows,Lighting,Mip Mapping, Etc....) to no avail.I have installed the new Nvidia driver that came out a few days ago, and guess what? Still freezes.Ok, so I really need your help if Im gonna keep flying this thing. Tell me what tech info you need and I will supply it.Thank you.Michael Hawkins

[John_Cillis 2,406]

I don't know if any tech info is needed... Since the lockups seem rather random, and since it only happens in FS2002, I'd almost bet you have an unstable RAM chip--either due to a seating issue, heat, defect, or combination of the three. FS2002 uses perhaps more RAM than any game I've seen... That seems to be the one thing that sets it apart from other programs.... As for proving RAM stability, disregard those wonderful little software testing tools. I had a chip last year that would run for hours using one of the more popular testing tools. But Windows was able to make it fail, especially in combination with FS2002. In my case, I swapped it with the third bank, and the stability problems vanished. The problem may have been a seating issue, or just possibly, it is getting rarely used being in the last bank. Try the same test--can't hurt.If you've tested your RAM already, the only other thing you may have is a background app stealing RAM resources from your system. Once again, FS2002 will suffer from this first--it simply has a greater RAM requirement...Good luck, hope these suggestions and/or the others given in the thread help...-John, KPHX After writing this I also remembered a fellow who had problems with his sound card early last year... What are your system specs--include o/s, cpu, ram, mb (if known) and soundcard...?

[Guest gasebah]

Try to go slow on your memory timings in the bios.Just as John said, it is most likely a memory problem. My computer runs stable with the fastest memory settings with almost any game and I can run 3dMark2002 for hours at mean mem timings.But if it comes to Fs2002 I have need more wait stages.Alex

[Guest PaulL01]

This can also simply be a temp issue as FS2k2 stresses every thing in the system especialy the CPU, with the warmer weather this problem does tend to show up the weak spots in this regard.Try to think, when you have had the longer flights, was at night or when it was cooler or was it in a simple aircraft model vs a heavy or the like?.What are your system specs(please include your power supply)?Paul

[John_Cillis 2,406]

You're right that heat may be coming into play as well. I've sometimes suspected that the "fix" of swapping RAM chips simply disguises a problem with a RAM chip less heat tolerant than another. I'm not sure heat is his issue--I thought he noted that he's had the problem since last fall. Then again, so much depends on where the computer is kept. In the winter, if I feel a bit cold, all I have to do is close the door to my den, and let the exhaust fan on the computer warm up the room. Works like a charm, and is environmentally friendly :)