ATI x1950 pro/xt driver bug

[Yoma 0]

This is just a small resume of how i got rid of the annoying driver handle leak bug.

It seems all users using catalyst versions above 6.7 with an intel CPU have this problem.

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To verify if you have the problem:

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-Open windows task manager, click view, select colums, tick handle count, click ok.

-Start Arma, let it run through the opening sequences.

-Alt tab and open taskmanager

-Look for the number in the handles colum for arma.exe

If this number is higher then say 400 (most likely it will then be 2000-3000) then your effected by the driver bug.

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Fixing the problem with x1950 card (installing 6.7 drivers)

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The 6.7 driver does not officially support x1950 cards.

The trick is: you can install x1900 drivers manually for the x1950. This may lead to graphic bugs in other (new) games.

I cannot be held responsible for other problems arising after following this procedure.

-completely remove your current atidrivers.

-download the 6.7 drivers (driver only package, use ati tray tools to change it's settings later)

http://ati.amd.com/support....xp.html

-run the exe, when it's about to install, click cancel.

-You will find a directory

C:\ATI\SUPPORT\6-7_xp-2k_dd_34826\2KXP_INF

-The driver files are in the C2_35119.inf file

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-Right click on my computer, click manage,click on device manager in left column.

-Find display adapters in right column

-Right click on the standard vga adapter, click update driver

-Select "not this time" on 'connect to windows' question and click next

-Select "install from a specific location", click next

-Select "Don't search, i will choose a driver", click next

-Click Have disk, browse to C:\ATI\SUPPORT\6-7_xp-2k_dd_34826\2KXP_INF

-Select  C2_35119.inf  and click ok

-Scroll down and select the bottom "Radeon X1900 Series"

-Click yes on the warning message, click finish.

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Repeat the above steps for the second vga device selecting "Radeon X1900 Series Secondary"

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Reboot your machine and test arma, you'll find the handle bug has gone + textures load a hole lot faster.

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If you want to set driver properties install ati tray tools.

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OF COURSE THIS IS JUST A TEMPORARY WORKAROUND WE ALL AWAIT BETTER ATI DRIVERS, but it makes the game very playable instead of very unplayable for all you x1950 users out there.

[thr0tt 12]

Just a note on the 6.7 drivers. Using these drivers with your X1950 card will remove some of the functionality of the card and doing this can and does effect other games (as if anyone here plays anything else! so just be aware if you start having weird problems graphically with other titles then this will be the reason.

[Yoma 0]

Yer it's no wonder fix or anything, allthough it does work very very good for me.

But it does enable users with this card to actually play the game without bluescreens & crashes.

Tested it on C&C3 too, works without a hitch.

NOW COME ON ATIBOYS FIX THAT DRIVER

[Easy_tiger 0]

a word of warning....

I have a Sapphire x1950Pro and the 6.7 drivers do not fix this problem for me. I concede that using the 6.7 drivers and installing my card as a x1900 does reduce the impact of the bug but instead of BSODs and gfx artifacts the game just crawls to a halt and dies within 10mins...

Heres hoping that ATI finally address this problem in 7.4, until then ArmA is being replaced by Medieval Total War 2.....

[thr0tt 12]

Just to add, I have a X1950Pro and not had any crashes for days now.

Lockups / reboots on my system happened in most game I think due to the mobo which has since been replaced, guess I'm the lucky one ?

[Yoma 0]

I have a Sapphire x1950Pro and the 6.7 drivers do not fix this problem for me. I concede that using the 6.7 drivers and installing my card as a x1900 does reduce the impact of the bug but instead of BSODs and gfx artifacts the game just crawls to a halt and dies within 10mins...

Are you sure you have the handles bug?

Are you absolutely positive you are using 6.7 drivers?

Are you sure you don't have some other pc-problem?

Do tell me the version number of the driver in device manager.

It should be 8.273.0.0

What OS are you using?

(by the way i have the Sapphire x1950 pro 512 Agp)

Are you using some shortcut option when launching arma?

(maybe maxmem set too high or something like that)

[Jack-UK 0]

I have a Sapphire x1950Pro and the 6.7 drivers do not fix this problem for me. I concede that using the 6.7 drivers and installing my card as a x1900 does reduce the impact of the bug but instead of BSODs and gfx artifacts the game just crawls to a halt and dies within 10mins...

Are you sure you have the handles bug?

Are you absolutely positive you are using 6.7 drivers?

Are you sure you don't have some other pc-problem?

Do tell me the version number of the driver in device manager.

It should be 8.273.0.0

What OS are you using?

(by the way i have the Sapphire x1950 pro 512 Agp)

Are you using some shortcut option when launching arma?

(maybe maxmem set too high or something like that)

I also have a Sapphire Radeon X1950 PRO AGP 512MB

I used catalyst 6.7 and my handles were still at 9000+ (yes NINE THOUSAND).

Im gonna try your exact driver u linked to though as there seems to be differnet builds of the drivers and im not sure if i installed it correctly.. i think i did though..

I get the same handles in 6.7 as i do in 7.3...

[Yoma 0]

If you have the handle bug then i am absolutely sure you have the wrong driver installed.

Just follow the walkthrough, you'll be very happy you read it.

[Brophmeister 0]

Thats some good stuff there, Yoma. I will give it a try on my x1600 and see if it works.

[bravo 6 0]

I just used the task manager like you said and i have:

723 identifi.

used memory: 187,252k

Am i afected to this bug?

I notice the game doesn't run as i wish.

i really can't tell beacause im running ARMA ATM in very low in all, and some options are disabled.

edit: eeeep, i just checked the ident. again and passed from 723 to 1.422

Holly shit!

i really have to try this then! thanks Yoda!

[Jack-UK 0]

Quote[/b] ]thanks Yoda!

lol @ Yoda

And im sure i installed the 6.7 cat correctly... im doing some work at the moment, but im gonna try and remind myself to try your exact method to see if the handle bug is eliminated.. but at the moment it turns out ArmA runs with 9000 handles :|

[Jack-UK 0]

Nope, just tried it. i get up to 9000 handles upon booting my PC, before running any games or anything :|

If over about 400 is a driver bug then this is serious because ive got 7000-9000 handles simply upon booting the PC...

[Yoma 0]

Nope, just tried it. i get up to 9000 handles upon booting my PC, before running any games or anything :|

If over about 400 is a driver bug then this is serious because ive got 7000-9000 handles simply upon booting the PC...

Do tell me Jack:

if you go to devicemanager and rightclick on the x1900.

Then click the driver tab.

Write the number and date of driver and post this.

It should be

18/07/2006

8.273.0.0

If it's not then you haven't done the procedure correctly and another driver is still installed.

The number handles i talk about is the number of handles for Arma.exe and not the number for your entire running windows.

(Eg: the number of handles i get for entire pc is 9119)

You can view the number of handles on the process tab.

Maybe you don't have the bug anymore but still aren't pleased performance wise.

If you had the bug then the total number of handles after you run Arma and let it sit through the opening sequenses for about 5 minutes would be your original number + 2000 to 12000

In your case that would be between 9000 and 21000.

Do READ the original post completely instead of diagonally.

I do get occasional problems with some models with 6.7. Quite fun problems really, where some models change after animation and morph to alienlikes.

But most importantly the game doesn't grind to halt after 30 minutes-1hour.

[Jack-UK 0]

Ahh i see, i apologise i was reading the TOTAL handles and didnt realise i could scroll across in my task manager window. the driver has worked

Thanks for the tutorial

[xav 0]

I have an HIS X1950 Pro IceQ III (The overclocked model) with the HIS driver catalyst 6.12 from HIS website...

I just check the handles and their were at 509 in Arma menu. I launched a mission in the editor and they went up to 1,474.

Created another mission, flew around Sarhani for a while and now the handles are at 2,388.

Do I have the bug?

[Guest RKSL-Rock]

I have an HIS X1950 Pro IceQ III (The overclocked model) with the HIS driver catalyst 6.12 from HIS website...  

I just check the handles and their were at 509 in Arma menu. I launched a mission in the editor and they went up to 1,474.

Created another mission, flew around Sarhani for a while and now the handles are at 2,388.

Do I have the bug?

Yes you do. According to Suma the handles should be 200-300.

If your number of handles increases over time then you have the bug.

If it stays relatively stable but doesn’t exponentially grow over time then you don’t have the bug.

[bravo 6 0]

so i think alot of players have that particular Bug. So when will we have that bug fixed?

any idea when new fixed drivers come out for this x1950 pro 512mb AGP?

i want

[rundll.exe 12]

Hey,

I tried this , and I had indeed the handle bug (10000 to 13000 for arma.exe)

The problem is that I get a blue screen as soon as I try to install the secondary x1900. When I boot again everything seems to work, the handle bug is gone, but I get some missing textures and my framerate isnt the best  

6.7 drivers isnt really an option btw because I want to keep using the video in WDM etc.

Hope ATI fix this soon, 7.2 re-installing now

edit:

Powercolor x1950 pro 512 PCI-E

[Yoma 0]

The problem is that I get a blue screen as soon as I try to install the secondary x1900. When I boot again everything seems to work, the handle bug is gone, but I get some missing textures and my framerate isnt the best  

Maybe it's a difference between the sapphire and your card.

Also i saw 2 x1900 drivers in there, maybe you mix the first one with the second one for ur secondary card or something like that.

Or maybe you didn't properly remove the other drivers.

The lower framerate may be due to unset options on the 6.7 drivers (ati tray tools helped me there)

I do agree that it's not the best of solutions, but on my pc it works very well. (i am completely not interested in the video stuff, allthough divx and wmv etc run fine on my pc too)

THE SCARY PART IS THE DATE ON THE DRIVERS THAT WORK!

18/07/2006

I do hope that we get a good driver soon. Allthough my hopes aren't too big (as ATI will be working on drivers for it's dx10 cards now)