Just keeps crashing

[rre923]

Playing 9.1.5, I had started a new game (because the previous ones kept crashing), and when I reached July 15, it crashed, giving me that all-too-familiar "unknown error would you like to send information to Microsoft" message. So I restarted the game, and it crashed before I could do anything. So I downloaded 9.1.6, installed it, fired it up, and it crashed before I could do anything. This is getting annoying to the point where I'm feeling ripped off.

Any suggestions?

[Greatgrampa]

Originally Posted by rre923

Playing 9.1.5, I had started a new game (because the previous ones kept crashing), and wonhen I reached July 15, it crashed, giving me that all-too-familiar "unknown error would you like to send information to Microsoft" message. So I restarted the game, and it crashed before I could do anything. So I downloaded 9.1.6, installed it, fired it up, and it crashed before I could do anything. This is getting annoying to the point where I'm feeling ripped off.

Any suggestions?

Would need a little more information in order to determine what the problem is. What OS are you running? What are you doing when the game crashes...a little more information about your computer.

[rre923]

I'm running Windows XP. This time I had just completed a trade when it crashed, but it has crashed before under other circumstances. Now it won't even restart. It looks like it is going to start, but as soon as the game loads it flashes that error message.
My computer is a Pentium 4, 2.60 Ghz, 256 MB RAM

[StyxNCa]

Originally Posted by rre923

I'm running Windows XP. This time I had just completed a trade when it crashed, but it has crashed before under other circumstances. Now it won't even restart. It looks like it is going to start, but as soon as the game loads it flashes that error message.
My computer is a Pentium 4, 2.60 Ghz, 256 MB RAM

For one thing you have the bare minimum memory required for the game. My last computer also had the bare minimum and I experienced a lot of crashes, most of them due to facegen. With the bare minimum memory, some things just have to be turned off, facegen is probably one of them.

[endgame]

Styx is right to suspect memory and disabling facegen has proven useful, if just for testing purposes. Disable it and see what happens when you try to load your game. That assumes, of course, you have it enabled in the first place. I'm not sure you say that anywhere.

If you need help on how to do that outside of the game, let me know. I've had plenty of practice at it lately.

[Killebrew]

Here is what has helped 1 CDL owner with OOTP9 crash issues:
A full uninstall and then reinstall of OOTP9. Stressing the 'and' here because often users will skip that key step. This is a pretty common tech support recommendation, but it makes a lot of sense and it has been shown to work for some random OOTP9 crash issues - hopefully it solves your issue as well.

Note: It is wise to back up your leagues before the uninstall.

[Greatgrampa]

Originally Posted by rre923

I'm running Windows XP. This time I had just completed a trade when it crashed, but it has crashed before under other circumstances. Now it won't even restart. It looks like it is going to start, but as soon as the game loads it flashes that error message.
My computer is a Pentium 4, 2.60 Ghz, 256 MB RAM

I would have to agree that you're 256MB of ram is really not enough to play this sim without having crashes. I don't know where you got your computer but to have only 256MB of ram on a Pentium 4, 2.60 Ghz is a little ridiculous. Almost all programs as well as games today require at least 1gb of Ram.
The suggestion to turn off a number of things in the game might work but only temporary or not at all. I would suggest you get more ram. I know that is easy for me to say when your budget doesn't allow for that. I know that all too well, but in order to stay up with the programs and games today, you just have to figure out a way to get the extra ram. Otherwise you are going to be suffering from crashes all of the time. Unfortunately, that is the only real solution to your problem.

[endgame]

Originally Posted by Greatgrampa

Unfortunately, that is the only real solution to your problem.

I'd suggest, respectfully, amending that to the only real "first step" toward solving your problem. I took a bit of digging to find it, but the minimum System Requirements does list 256MB, while recommended exceed that to 1GB.

I don't want to sound overly critical of the marketing department, but if the minimal requirements don't allow for inclusion of the top side custom options, Facegen notwithstanding, without meeting recommendations, then it would be helpful to state which items may or may not be able to be implemented easily "at minimum." I think that's only fair to the user, who otherwise ends up in tech support being told what we're telling him.

All right. Editorial whim aside, RAM helps, solves a lot, but may not be the problem. Before you elect to add more (and that IS a good idea!), you may want to create a bare minimum league, say 8 teams or so, no Facegen, nothing fancy, etc.. and see if it will run / boot up, with no error messages. It's safe to say that a minimum game should run at minimum recommendations. If it doesn't, something else is at work bugging it up.

Sound fair enough, ggpa? Again, not trying to be contrary, only trying to come at it from a start at square one angle.

[rre923]

I've had facegen off from the start, precisely because I figured it was slowing things down. I've also disabled a couple other features to help speed things up. And I've tried the full uninstall-install a couple times, but I still get the crashes. I'm guessing that the real problem is the wimpy 256 MB RAM. And, as pointed out, it's kind of annoying that I was led to believe that would be enough.

[Nutlaw]

Have you tried any of the following suggestions at the link below?

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...auto-play.html

[Greatgrampa]

Originally Posted by endgame

I'd suggest, respectfully, amending that to the only real "first step" toward solving your problem. I took a bit of digging to find it, but the minimum System Requirements does list 256MB, while recommended exceed that to 1GB.

I don't want to sound overly critical of the marketing department, but if the minimal requirements don't allow for inclusion of the top side custom options, Facegen notwithstanding, without meeting recommendations, then it would be helpful to state which items may or may not be able to be implemented easily "at minimum." I think that's only fair to the user, who otherwise ends up in tech support being told what we're telling him.

All right. Editorial whim aside, RAM helps, solves a lot, but may not be the problem. Before you elect to add more (and that IS a good idea!), you may want to create a bare minimum league, say 8 teams or so, no Facegen, nothing fancy, etc.. and see if it will run / boot up, with no error messages. It's safe to say that a minimum game should run at minimum recommendations. If it doesn't, something else is at work bugging it up.

Sound fair enough, ggpa? Again, not trying to be contrary, only trying to come at it from a start at square one angle.

Well, all I can say is this, many many programs including games put down a minimum of ram needed to use the program or game and then a recommended ram. Always go with the recommended ram because minimum rarely works unless you unload everything on the machine and then load the program...which, with todays complicated computers, especially Vista, you just can't unload everything. Where they come up with these minimums is beyond me, unless they have some special bare minimal OS computer sitting around somewhere and using it as a determination of minimal requirements.

No offense taken. You may be right. He may get the game to load and run but it won't be a fun experience because it will either be so slow that it takes forever for the screens to load or it will crash so many times it isn't worth playing.

I will say one thing, however, a very good video card, with a lot of ram built onto it will make a difference in some cases. Many of today's computers have built in video and sound which take up a lot of the computer's ram. One thing someone with a minimum of ram can do to help themselves run certain programs is to get an external sound card and video card, then shut down the internal sound and video. Just a suggestion, but it would probably be much cheaper just to get more ram.

Anyway, I never have understood why software authors put ridiculously low numbers for minimal requirements to run their software. I guess they are afraid that some people won't purchase the software if it looks like they are at the minimum requirements to use it.

[Nutlaw]

As the original poster has not responded to this thread in five days, this thread will be closed for housekeeping reasons. If you need any further assistance with this matter whatsoever, please don't hesitate to post a link to this thread in Tech Support and we will be happy to continue to help you. Thanks.