Curse

Calista Blackblood · Dec 28, 2008, 06:46 PM // 18:46

GW is the only game I play that does it,CoD5,CSS and anything else all work fine. I've reinstalled the drivers fresh,temperatures seem to be fine all round and my pc is certainly ample all round to run GW.Usually minimising fixes it but after a while leads to freezing when loading areas and general sluggishness

I'm lost

Rivontus · Dec 28, 2008, 08:14 PM // 20:14

On my old computer I had similar problems with the graphics, but that was because my Graphics card was not as compatible. If you have Call of Duty: World at War working fine on your computer then I guess it's not your graphics card being older that's the problem.
One thing that worked for me was turning the graphics down on the options screen (F11+, Click on Graphics Tab, turn down "Visual Quality", if you haven't already), but if you already have, and/or it doesn't work for you, check your graphics card. Is it compatible with Guild Wars system requirements?
I know what I said was quite obvious, but in case you haven't done so I thought I'd post my ideas. Hope I helped.

Tarun · Dec 28, 2008, 08:27 PM // 20:27

Perhaps a new gw.dat file would help?

Calista Blackblood · Dec 28, 2008, 09:26 PM // 21:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rivontus

On my old computer I had similar problems with the graphics, but that was because my Graphics card was not as compatible. If you have Call of Duty: World at War working fine on your computer then I guess it's not your graphics card being older that's the problem.
One thing that worked for me was turning the graphics down on the options screen (F11+, Click on Graphics Tab, turn down "Visual Quality", if you haven't already), but if you already have, and/or it doesn't work for you, check your graphics card.

Will try that although shouldn't have to

Quote:

Is it compatible with Guild Wars system requirements?
I know what I said was quite obvious, but in case you haven't done so I thought I'd post my ideas. Hope I helped.

Xfire rig I'd hope so, 8600GT

And a fresh .dat less than a week ago

Abedeus · Dec 28, 2008, 09:42 PM // 21:42

It's all a case of luck. My .dat was never broken like that and I've had it a loong time. And for some people, .dat will break after one update.

Run -repair and then -image.

Antares Ascending · Dec 28, 2008, 11:02 PM // 23:02

Sure looks like compatability is there. It also is looking alot like a GW problem. ( i know...not a blinding revelation ) . Point to that is, have you tried GW support? I had a prob last year and after several messages and alot of looking at the messages I wound up with a real phone number ( can't find the %$#@ thing ). The people were very very sharp. Did a dump of the problem and support was able to point me in the right direction.

I'll keep looking for the # but no real hope at this point

Good Luck

Elder III · Dec 29, 2008, 12:34 AM // 00:34

that sounds like either a driver error or most likely a corrupted gw.dat file.... try running the -image command overnight.

BabyJ · Dec 29, 2008, 02:33 AM // 02:33

Do you run texmod by chance?
I get a screen that looks like that, seldom ever happens but it does every once in a while.

Dmitri3 · Dec 29, 2008, 03:28 AM // 03:28

I'm gonna add in my troubleshooting on PlayNC.com, hopefully it's gonna by of some use to OP. It's the same video card, though apparently mine does have troubles with temperature.

Read from the end to the top, if you feel like reading all this, of course.

Got lots of screens, but they always looks different anyway, so no point in uploading them.

Quote:

Customer (Dmitri) 08/08/2008 08:00 AM
Both games were tested in this fashion and I didn't notice any improvements in any game.

Therefore, I don't think this issue can be resolved with you guys.

Thanks for your time though, it's been a long troubleshoot process. I'll try tweaking the card sometime, but as it's not a problem in game, I think I'll close this report/question.

Regards,
Dmitri

Response (Christopher) 08/07/2008 06:19 PM
Hello,

This is just a followup to the previous email we sent. Were you able to resolve the issue or do you still need assistance?

Regards,
Christopher
Guild Wars Technical Support

Response (Mike C.) 08/04/2008 05:43 PM
Hello Dmitri,

Thank you for letting us know what you found out, and also, what additional testing efforts you've conducted.

What results do you get when reducing the GPU temperature while playing Guild Wars? Did you test Guild Wars while the house fan was blowing air into the system? Your last response seems to indicate only that Assassin's Creed was tested in this fashion, and that's not our game products so that data is not useful for us.

We look forward to your reply.

Regards,
Mike C.
Guild Wars Technical Support

Customer (Dmitri) 08/04/2008 03:37 PM
Apologies for taking so long.

I've tested Assassin's Creed on my Graphics Card and it plays fine (no glitches) at around 90 C. I have tested the game with case closed and open, and so far, haven't noticed any improvements one over the other.

On Guild Wars however, I noticed that graphics only fail once the GPU reaches 85 C. I figured that if I play in PvP at lowest graphics, that highest temperature it can reach is 82 C... Which is a temporary solution in itself, but so far, this is the best I came up with.

I also contacted NVIDIA and they confirmed that my card temperatures are quite high. "45-55 oC when idle and 75-80 oC" is the norm for that card. But, as I bought this computer from Dell, alongside with graphics card, NVIDIA apparently can't do much to help. And even better, my warranty for computer service from Dell ended last week.

I haven't figured the next step to take, which is why I was taking so long to write a reply. I'd feel really stupid buying another video card while this one works (even though it's temperatures are higher that normal) and I don't see much more alternatives.

Regards,
Dmitri

Response (Mike C.) 08/04/2008 11:22 AM
Hello Dmitri,

This is being sent as a follow-up reminder because we haven't heard back from you.

Do you still need assistance with this or has this been resolved?

Regards,
Mike C.
PlayNC Technical Support

Response (Hayden) 07/31/2008 10:23 AM
Hi Dmitri,

84 C is really high. I would say definitely try those other games and see what results you get. Be sure to let us know which games you're referring to just so we're on the same page there.

Contacting Nvidia is never a bad idea so go ahead and get in touch with them to see what they think about all of this.

Did you notice any difference in the issue in the game when you had the floor fan set up to blow on the system?

Thank you.
Hayden
Guild Wars Technical Support

Customer (Dmitri) 07/30/2008 09:12 PM
Sorry for breaks, I was using Notepad for quick typing and somehow copy-paste messed it up.

Regards,
Dmitri

Customer (Dmitri) 07/30/2008 09:01 PM
I cleaned for dust (which wasn't much use, since I do it about monthly), set the GPU fan to 100%, opened the case
and even used my desktop fan to help cool the system.

With that, I get about 65 degrees Celsius when idle.
When playing Guild Wars, I get around 79-84 C, depending
on how many people are in the map.

When with case closed, fan set to automatic and no
"external" fan... I still get around 84 C, but more
quickly, but usually, it holds. 70 C idle.

Also, I tried to turn off dual monitor, but it hadn't
affected the temperature.

Home temperature is about 25-30 C depending on the time of the day. I doubt it is a problem in GPU fan... should I look for
help from NVIDIA instead?

P.S. I never had any problems with graphics with other
games and some of them are heavier on graphics that GW...
I will try reinstalling some of them again and see if they
have same effect on GPU temperature.

Response (Mike L.) 07/30/2008 05:28 PM
Hello Dmitri,

According to the Everest report your video card is running at 70 °C (158 °F) which is too hot for stable performance. If this is an idle temperature, you can expect this to spike when a load is placed on your computer (such as playing a game). High temperatures can cause system instability. Please try removing the side of your computer case and inspect each fan on the motherboard, processor, and video card. Make sure they are running properly and free of dust. In addition, keep the side of the case off and point a house fan in the general direction of the case. This will dramatically increase airflow and possibly cool things off. Please let me know if this has any effect on your problem, either solving it entirely or reducing the frequency.

Regards,
Mike
Guild Wars Technical Support

Customer (Dmitri) 07/30/2008 04:44 PM
Uploaded ReportEverest.txt

Response (Mike C.) 07/30/2008 11:57 AM
Hello Dmitri,

Thank you for the update on this issue.

The kind of video distortion that you're seeing in the game is generally caused by corrupt video drivers, an overheating video card, or 3rd party display modification software (refresh rate forces, resolution adjusters, etc).

We would like to get more information about your system than is available on the dxdiag. There is a program called Everest Home Edition that is freeware that can give us a wealth of information about your system. Please do the following:

1) Download Everest Home Edition here: http://www.softpedia.com/progDownloa...oad-16369.html
2) Save the file to your desktop
3) Once you download and install the program, open it up and click "Report"
4) Go through the wizard and choose Hardware-related pages
5) Choose the Text report format (the diagnostic will run - this takes a couple minutes)
6) When it is finished, choose "Save to file" and save the file to your desktop
7) Send the report to us as an attachment to this email.

Once we receive that information, we'll have a more complete picture of your system configuration and be in a better position to help troubleshoot this issue with you.

Regards,
Mike C.
Guild Wars Technical Support

Response (William) 07/30/2008 06:27 AM
Hello Dmitri,

Thank you for contacting and updating us with your status.

We are escalating your petition to a Senior Technical Customer Support Representative to further assist you. Once we have reviewed your enquiry someone will be in contact with you as soon as possible.

Thanks!
William
Guild Wars Technical Support

Customer (Dmitri) 07/30/2008 06:20 AM
I went to NVIDIA's site and installed new driver from there.
After a while, I encountered same problem (attached gw017.jpg and DxDiag-new.txt).

The problem still fixes itself when the area reloads, but it makes it very hard to continue any PvP match when it happens...

Response (David) 07/30/2008 05:07 AM
Hello Dmitri,

Thank you for sending us your DxDiag results. From reading those results, we can see that you are using an NVIDIA™ video card, and it appears that the drivers are out of date. Please visit the following article which will help you update your video card drivers:

Installing/Reinstalling Video Drivers: http://www.plaync.com/us/support/doc_5089.html

Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Thanks!
David
Guild Wars Technical Support

Customer (Dmitri) 07/30/2008 05:00 AM
Uploaded DxDiag.txt

Response (Robert) 07/30/2008 03:20 AM
Hello Dmitri,

Thank you for contacting Guild Wars Technical Support. To better help us investigate the error you are receiving, please provide us with some additional information about your computer by running a Direct X Diagnostic test.

To run a DxDiag test, please perform the following:

1. Press and hold the Windows key and then press the R key on your keyboard. A Run dialogue box should appear.

2. Type DxDiag in the box and click OK.

3. Once you have run all of the above tests, click Save All Information. This will ask where you would like the DxDiag.txt file saved. Remember where you save it so that you can find it later to review.

Please update your incident at the provided link and attach your DxDiag.txt file. Once we receive it, we will have a much better understanding of what may be causing the issue.

Thank you,
Robert
Guild Wars Technical Support

Customer (Dmitri) 07/30/2008 03:14 AM
Sorry about driver version, I think Windows didn't display it properly.
From NVIDIA Control Panel:

ForceWare version: 175.16
Memory: 256 MB
Video Bios version 60.84.51.00.17
IRQ: 16
Bus: PCI Express x16

I just checked and 175.19 is available. I'm gonna wait and see if it happens again though.

Customer (Dmitri) 07/30/2008 03:08 AM
Driver Version: 6.14.11.7516
Date: 5/2/2008

Customer (Dmitri) 07/30/2008 03:06 AM
The graphics in the game just randomly went havoc... it happened to me 2 other times before but I haven't paid much attention and just restarted Guild Wars because it wasn't anything major (no black screen, just skill bar colors mixing up).

Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT

RAM: well, 4GB... except that I'm running Windows XP 32-bit that uses about 3.5GB of that. :-x

gw016.jpg contains screen of my graphics config in GW (normally I set it to highest, but it seems I forgot to change it back).

Also, I'm running dual-monitors and the game was in windowed mode. It affected only GW and went right back to normal when I went back to Random Arenas after losing the match...

If you need more details, I'll be happy to provide them.

Regards,
Dmitri

I gave up on it in the end... Found out that when I minize and restore back GW (in windowed mode), graphics are back and fine. Not a real fix, but at least I'm able to play.

Oh, and the guarantee for the card expired about 2 days before I filed the report.

Calista Blackblood · Jan 02, 2009, 07:16 PM // 19:16

Thank's guys.Tried all of the suggestions and still the same thing.I give up,just have to put up with it