Crash to desktop issue, PC specs too low?

[Marine52187 0]

Dear Bohemia Interactive,

As I'm sure (having been a member of the pc gaming world for some time) this post will be met with criticism and ridicule, I just have to get this off my chest. I doubt anyone from BI will read this anyway but it will make me feel better in some strange way. I purchased Operation Flashpoint the day it was released, and still to this day consider it the greatest game ever released. When I returned from my recent deployment to the gulf i even went ahead and repurchased OFP, Red Hammer, and OFPR to get back into the game that brought me so much pleasure in my younger days. Then OFP2 came out and i practically had a heart attack from excitement at the news. I pre-ordered it and had the worst work day ever just itching inside to go home and play. Needless to say it sucked. But alas there was a light, i realized that BI had gone on to create its own game called ARMA. I quickly purchased ARMA II off steam and was beside myself. Finally the right sequel to the game i so loved. I played it for 2 days with no problems but all of a sudden i can't play for 2 minutes without the game crashing to desktop. I've spent the last 3 days looking for a possible fix but it appears BI has no interest in helping out its loyal customers, and just moves on releasing new games with new problems. Its a tease really, to produce such impressive all around "perfect" games that don't work. I'm not going to sit here and post all my specs and what not. I'm no computer wiz, and it seems that that's what you need to be to play ARMA II now a days. I have done so many things to my computer that are probably unfix-able with the hopes to finally get a few hours of solid game play in...nothing works. I'm so disgusted. I'm appalled Ive wasted 40 bucks on a game i may never get to play. And even if a fix is released it will mean i have to wait to play a game Ive already payed for. Its inexcusable...and like I said you have to be a frigging bill gates to even attempt to get the game working. My computers more than capable of playing it, canyourunit says so (lol). All humor aside i am so let down...Ive hung in there as long as possible but i feel my gaming days with BI are over. Not that this makes any sort of difference to you or the players on this forum but i just felt it should be said. Now please...flame away...I'm out of here...its been real

[ck-claw 1]

Nah - wont flame away! :)

But what changed from 2 days of gaming to now not playable?

[Flash Thunder 10]

If you dont want to post the specifics to this Crash to desktop issue then of course you will not get any help.

download a small program called Fraps

and take a screenshot of the error message if theres one, or ask someone how to post a crashdump.

Are you running version number 1.07 on Arma 2? If yes Ive been getting numerous crashes for no apparent reason which I never had before 1.07.

[NeMeSiS 11]

Wall of text hits you for 2 damage.

[Big Dawg KS 6]

I'm so let down... by this thread. :rolleyes:

[Defunkt 431]

You can experience the same thing with any software. At the end of the day you are most responsible for your own PC, remember it can be assembled from a near infinite number of components from an equally varied number of sources on top of which sits a massive combination of softwares, BI cannot be held responsible for your combinations, ArmA2 works fine on 99.9% of machines, your setup is the issue.

My ArmA 2 suddenly started crashing recently and it took me a whole two weeks to narrow it down to the latest versions of TeamSpeak 3 when run on XP x64.

[Marine52187 0]

When it crashes i either get no error what so ever, or once in a blue moon I'll get a virtual memory error. Now keep in mind i posses only and inkling of pc knowledge that im sure most of you posses but Ive googled every error message and have tediously gone through every possible fix i could find with no luck. I've made sure my .net is up to date, Ive gone through all the Nvidea card tweaks (i dont even know if this is proper pc lingo) that have been suggested. Im running 1.07 which steam automatically installs. Is there any way to roll back to a previous version? And if that's possible is it still possible to play multiplayer? I know the epic goodness of this game, like i said I was an OFP freak and from what i seen the things people have been able to do with ARMA through editing is unbelievable. I really just want to enjoy this game...any help or suggestion will be greatly appreciated. The thing that bothers me the most is that it worked fine for 2 days...She has shown me her goodies but refuses to let me play with them...sigh

[Defunkt 431]

You could try reverting to a system restore point, look under System Tools in your start menu and (assuming it's enabled) try restoring to a point back before ArmA stopped working.

Ultimately you may have to consider re-installing Windows, to give you some idea, in my case my efforts included re-installing Windows twice (two different versions) and installing a new sound card. Welcome to PC gaming.

[cri74 10]

There you go ! This game is not for everyone thats for sure, you need to be above avarage in computer knowledge and file structure to get this game working for you the way it should. I can understand the fustration over a game that dont work "out of the box" as it should, but allso keep in mind that Arma2 is different in so many ways compared to a regular computer game. Welcome to ArmA... its has been and still is a hazzle, but its a pretty big part of the game. Get used to it.. there are hundreds of server to connect in MP and about the same amount of addons to make it better or worse.... on top of that, all the freekin stuff is made by users/players so there is no real support. It all depends on how you mount this or conqure it...its not just a game, it is a sadistic sexy bitch that turnes you on and off just by a click of a mouse key. Now just remember that the bitch got a lot of friends and a lot of addons. Yuo can build missions and play with new found friends in ArmA like no other game....BIS gives you a rainbow, insects and small cute animals running allower + the guys your trying to kill just for fun :)

Now Marine 52187; you need to ask yourself if you are up for a unlinnear - organic - self thinking bitch - spending countless hours trying to get the game to work just the way you want to, creating missions fro your friends and seeing that none of them can connect. Setting up large scale battle's and PvP where your opponent suddenly dissapers inside a building or outside..rubberbanding the place like a little green monster looking for oxygen. Shake it and love it... join groups and explore what other players have made for you. ArmA is all about the community and the players.......you included. How will you handle it ?

[Marine52187 0]

I understand all of this, The knowledge i have of PC's is basically from going through all this with the original OFP. I would sit at my computer for countless hours trying to get that to work but i guess i just dont have the patience. Defunkt thanks so much for the suggestion which im sure ill try, ive just spent today trying to fix this and quite frankly im beat. I guess tonight i will settle for Red Orchestra, I really do appreciate the replies and do realize my bitching is somewhat insulting to you hardcore players...I truely understand it. But im sure you guys all understand the utter helplessness that these great, but buggy, games can produce.

[cri74 10]

The bitch in this is not you......its the game bro'

I hope you find a solution to your problem and get back into the game...its kick ass and no other game can offer what Arma does.

//best regards

[Macser_old 0]

I really do appreciate the replies and do realize my bitching is somewhat insulting to you hardcore players...I truely understand it.

I don't see any reason for you to be apologetic.You paid your hard earned

money for a product,which for whatever reason,has begun to malfunction.

Your frustration is understandable.

Perhaps if you could give some info on your hardware.Even your graphics

card model/manufacturer.It could provide a starting point.Hopefully it's

something that can be resolved,without any drastic measures.

Apps like CPU Z can help you identify the components in your system.

:)

[Marine52187 0]

Great tool Macser this is definitely helpful.

Now bear with me im sure some of this stuff isnt important to list but here goes nothing:

Intel Pentium 4 630 3.0 GHZ

Radeon HD 4350

Windows XP

1534 MB RAM

Direct x 9.0

Is any of this the problem? It meets the minimum not the suggested i know...any suggestions are greatly appreciated

[cri74 10]

I would have love to seen a bit more CPU power and ram, i would belive that is your tightspot. Even the Radeon HD4350 will not work on full resources with this settings.

Arma2 consumes memory as a MF, however you will even be able to record FRAPS on this HW..it takes a lot of computer knowhow to make this work just out of the box. If you have your Video Settings ingame and modded starup and some files i belive you will be able to play the game on low settings. In my experience a lot of the game is really visual and atmospheric so i need the graphics and CPU be able to give me current details within the game.(Im playing on a Q6600 quad core cpu, 6 gigs ram at 1066 and a Radeon 5850) If your going to upgrade i think now is a good time, but allso the new i5 is coming this spring...depends on how geek you want to be...and from what i see you are not geeking to much on your hardware. Put up a post in the right section of the forums and i garantuee somone with knowledge will reply, if you wanna build a new computer.

Edited July 13, 2010 by cri74

[Jack 0]

Great tool Macser this is definitely helpful.

Now bear with me im sure some of this stuff isnt important to list but here goes nothing:

Intel Pentium 4 630 3.0 GHZ

Radeon HD 4350

Windows XP

1534 MB RAM

Direct x 9.0

Is any of this the problem? It meets the minimum not the suggested i know...any suggestions are greatly appreciated

Your main issue is lack of sufficient processing power and physical memory. The graphics card is more than enough to run ArmA2 at minimal settings but again what you should consider upgrading is your RAM and CPU.

That pentium 4 model runs on socket LGA775 motherboards which (depending on the model) could potentially support a quad core like the Q6600.

Did you download and install cpu-z? What does it say on the "Mainboard" tab/motherboard section?

[Rexxenexx 0]

Owens is right. Just the odd RAM amount could be causing a ton of problems. Most likely the RAM is not "matched". It doesn't have to be, but it saves a ton of headaches and should be thought of when you buy your computer. So a Processor upgrade and RAM from one company, like Corsair, 4GB -it should be cheap now- and you should be good to go! Look at the motherboard tab on CPU-Z and it should tell you the model of the motherboard. Then go to the manufacturers website and get info on what RAM it uses or better yet get the motherboard info and post it here and we'll help! ;)

[Zipper5 74]

Well... It's pretty obvious looking at your specs why Arma 2 (I presume that's what you're talking about, you only mention "ARMA") runs so unreliably. Long story short, your PC sucks, lol.

You seriously need to look into upgrading your processor, graphics card and RAM, otherwise you'll probably not be able to play most new games including Arma 2, unless you're okay with the lowest of low settings at 10 FPS.

[Placebo 29]

Moving to troubleshooting and edited the topic to actually mean something. You didn't bother making a troubleshooting thread asking for help and you don't mention what settings you're running the game on, first thing you do is jump onto our forums and tell us you're let down? I feel let down you didn't give us a chance to try to help you ;) With such a weird amount of ram, you're not using a laptop are you?

[Marine52187 0]

Thank you all so much for the responses. I know the pc sucks, for the past few years i havn't been home enough to do any sort of upgrades (no placebo its not a laptop). Im home now though and would like to get things situated. What do you guys suggest for the RAM? Should i just buy more or bring it up to an even number? (once again i suck with this stuff). Id like to try the RAM fix first as money is kind of tight and a new video card will have to wait for next paycheck. Thanks again

[Placebo 29]

2gb ram is pretty much bare minimum these days, 3gb or more is better and I'd guess the average for gamers is about 4gb (with many having 6gb).

With ArmA2/OA the key really is the settings you use ingame, for a low to average spec PC you want to start low and build your way up, otherwise you end up putting things on too high, getting errors/crashes and assuming it's the game or such (not that it's never the game that's cause but I hope you see what I mean?) :)

[Rexxenexx 0]

Just toss the old RAM and get a new matching 4GB set. That's the first thing I'd do. I think most if not all your problems will be solved just by that. It won't make it fast -for that you need a new computer- but it should help with random crashes. Tell us your motherboard from CPU-Z and we'll tell you what RAM sticks are good/work on Newegg then you can take the model number and buy it locally or from wherever you want.

[NeMeSiS 11]

Just toss the old RAM and get a new matching 4GB set. That's the first thing I'd do. I think most if not all your problems will be solved just by that. It won't make it fast -for that you need a new computer- but it should help with random crashes. Tell us your motherboard from CPU-Z and we'll tell you what RAM sticks are good/work on Newegg then you can take the model number and buy it locally or from wherever you want.

Have you seen the rest of his PC? its too slow anyway. :p

[desertjedi 3]

Marine, since you were able to play for 2 days without problem, chances are, the problem has to do with your PC and not Arma 2.

The first question one would have to ask is "what's changed in terms of hardware or software?".

Since nothing has probably changed (at least that you know of), I would ask you if you've had a fan failure - case or even video card fan. Regardless, I suggest you get some compressed air and blow the hell out of your case and all its fans. A two-minute window might suggest heat buildup.

What are you using as a power supply? Are you having similar issues with other games?

The fact that you played the game for 2 days suggests that the oddball RAM configuration might not be a problem - but I'd get a 2 or 4GB matched set simply because it's the right thing to do!

If this is software-related (which I tend to doubt), you've got your work cut out for you. Is your XP install clean? Or, no offense, like so many peeps, is your XP install six years old and then you wonder why stuff doesn't work?

[Heatseeker 0]

If the pc is that old i doubt the motherboard can take a decent c2d or quad cpu even if the socket is 775.. he really needs a new PC.

[Nicholas 5]

As Heatseeker said. It would be rather pointless for him to buy all these new accessories for his computer and attach them to an old motherboard. He just needs a whole new computer.

I built my PC with a new monitor and everything for roughly $1,500. I am able to play ArmA 2 on Very High settings with an average FPS of 40 in the forests and 30 in towns. And I bought my new computer 1 year ago in February.

As Placebo said, it's all about how you set up the settings in the game. Of course your not going to get a good FPS by just setting everything to "Very High", you need to know what each of those options actually does before you set it to "very High". Like the Video Memory option:

Default is if you have a GPU with low memory. High is for 1GB. Very High is for 2GB.

You really got to play around with the ingame settings to make it run just perfect.