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[mookie]

OK so here's my problem:

If I'm the only player in a server (e.g. I start a listen server), my computer hangs within about 2 to 8 minutes after I spawn. Happens on public servers, a dedicated server I installed fresh myself, and a listen server, even a listen server for a 3.0.1 install. This has never happened in CS:S, and it hasn't happened so far if I join a server with players in it. When I say hang, I mean the display loses input, sound card stutters whatever's in the buffer, and the only way to restart the computer is to throw the switch on the PSU (no response to the power button), but the machine does stay on in an electrical sense.

I realize this is probably a software problem on my computer, but I'm hoping someone here has some insight since it seems to be triggered by something in GES.

Running XP Pro SP3. So far I've restored the machine from a ghost image of a clean install (i.e. reinstalled Steam completely), and tried removing my sound card drivers (Creative SBLive! 5.1) and changing my video card drivers (ATi X1950Pro) from 8-10 to Omega 3.8.421 (a version I used for a few years with no problem). None of these changes made a difference.

So right now what I've got is an install of XP Pro that's seen 3 days use total. Older Omega driver for vid card. Current (ca 2003) Creative driver for sound card. 3Com driver that came with mobo for NIC. .NET 2, 3, 3.5 framework. AVG, 7Zip, Chrome, Firefox, IE8, NTFSLink (haven't made any links in the filesystem though), FileZilla, Java, WinAmp 2, VLC, GSpot, Foxit, CutePDF, DVD Decrypter, Exact Audio Copy, UltraISO, Alcohol 120, Steam. That's absolutely everything installed on here from a clean install of XP.

Last time I'd made listen servers for GES was late May, but none of this software is new to me since then. Only difference I can see is that I'd done a clean install to get ATi TV working again. No hardware changes to this machine in over a year.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

[killermonkey]

Does it leave any memory dump files in: [YOURSTEAMNAME]\Source SDK Base 2007\(....).mdmp

If so, zip them up and post them up here. If there are no dumps, this is 99% NOT a GE:S crash.

[major]

You have any other OrangeBox Engine games(Like TF2)?

Maybe run some Hardware testing software, and see if a component is going out, as GE is more intensive then CSS.


ATI Tool - to check if GFX is going out.

Prime95 - to test CPU, and Ram.

Memtest86+ - to test Ram alone.

HWmonitor - to check computer temps.


Not sure on what can cause this, as you've done most everything I can think of.

[mookie]

I did immediately suspect a hardware problem (PSU specifically came to mind), so first thing I did after not duplicating this problem in CSS was to turn all the graphics options on, then go back and turn off some of the more exotic graphics features in GES. But the thing that's making me rule that out is that I get this by joining an empty public server, but don't get it by joining a partially full server (should be a much higher load). If it is a hardware problem, I'm confident it's not a result of stress but rather something very specific happening (no idea what). I will install/download TF2 and Ep2 and see what goes on with those.

Just got done installing after removing SP3 and no change there.

There are no dump files there. I'm pretty sure this isn't GES crashing since at worst I'd expect a blue screen from that. But whatever it is is being set off by GES and it's 100% replicatable for me. If you or anyone else have never seen this problem, it's not worth worrying about, but I was hoping you might know of something that would happen periodically and only with no other players. Really though it doesn't make sense to me that anything on the client side should depend on whether or not ther are other players in a server.

[coolDisguise]

Some achievements do depend on the player count - but I guess the function to check the player count is just called once at the end of every round, so that shouldn't be the problem.
Did you check your PC for anomalies with the tools recommended by Major earlier?
At least that might show something even if your problem is not stress dependant ~

[Jonathon [SSL]]

Try running in Directx 7.0/8.0/8.1 by going into GE:S's launch options and putting in either:

-dxlevel 70
-dxlevel 80
-dxlevel 81

It may be related to having a low amount of paged pool memory available to Source, anything running in the background (AVG specifically is known to do this) could cause this specific problem (hanging after a short amount of time) if it hogs said memory.

Try temporarily uninstalling AVG and see if that fixes the problem.

[killermonkey]

Blue screens are a sure sign of HARDWARE problems, not GE:S problems.

The worst GE:S will do is show the "Memory Address Failure" / "Invalid execution" error message and it will close the window. It won't hang the system, unless it enters an infinite loop.

[mookie]

Used ATi Tool and was able to duplicate this problem right off. Bottom line, the fan on the card is dead. How an empty server can cause it to overheat, but VRAD and firefights can't is beyond me. Thanks for all the suggestions, now I'll get by with my 9600 while I wait to see if HIS will pick up the phone.

And yes that probably should've been the third or fourth thing I looked at.

[Kratos]

I noticed this was not neither Windows, GES Client/Server/ or any of that issue. When he ran GES, it uses video power and cpu. When he was in GES, it crashed his system. As a computer repair geek, I knew it was either the video card or ram, heating up.

But honestly, somethings you can't notice until you go deep and find the problem.

Geek squad would have charged you $100 for looking for the problem and they would say it is a virus. I am serious.