[Guide] Fix for "Unrecoverable Driver Error" (obsolete)

note: this guide is now obsolete, since i've made a new (and hopefully better) fix. go here:
http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s....php?p=4905012

GMA3100

this is a fairly new chip, but players have been reporting problems with it. most importantly, it crashes in certain areas like rata sum and wehhan terraces. this guide will be focused on fixing that problem with the least loss to image quality, and maximizing performance.

in-game graphic settings are set to these:



system specs:
dell optiplex 755
intel core2duo E8200 @2.66ghz
3gb RAM
intel Q35 express chipset
intel GMA3100 w/ 384mb

the first thing i did was to try the game without any fixes. the first thing i noticed was that the game was running in dx8 mode. this can be seen in the thin lines and funky clouds:



and as i load into rata sum, the game immediately crashed.

the first step to the fix is to download the program "3danalyzer", found here:
http://www.tommti-systems.de/main-Da...lyzer-v236.exe
new link. please PM me if it is bad

next, open guild wars through 3danalyzer, and check these checkboxes:



these settings will force TnL functionality, which will enable DX9 rendering. the other checkboxes are performance tweaks. at the loading screen, the benefits are already apparent:




DX9 rendering is enabled, and we've also gained a few more FPS to boot.

these shots are taken in rata sum. the performance was very inconsistent, but that's to be expected for an intel GMA. overall though, we're getting enough FPS for a playable game:



as far as i know, these are the best settings for GMA3100. most of the other tweaks involves loss in image quality, a hard crash to desktop, or absolutely no result.

Are those the only tweaks that really affect performance? I'm running a GMA 950 series chipset, so it supports DX9, and those checkboxes got me some pretty smooth action in Vabbi (Yatendi Canyons just outside Wehhan) but Jaga Moraine was hit or miss.

Overall, I think this is about the best we can hope for at the moment, so thanks for posting this, moriz!

as far as i know, the GMA950 does not need tweaks in order to run. i tried the settings on a GMA950 machine, but noticed no performance increase.

Fair enough. I only tried one trip - not really a controlled test - but I think I'm going to keep 3da on my computer in case I run into problems when I hit Rata Sum.

The OP procedure fixed the Rata Sum glitch on my MSI Wind (U100) ... which I think is the GMA 950. Just thought people would like to know that it seems to fix it on a variety of GMA chipsets. I was also having problems with graphical crashes at the beginning of the Warband of Brothers quest ... it fixed that as well.

Anyone know how I can use command line stuff with this(like -perf, ect). I made a bat file but I'm not sure exactly what to put in the line to get it to work.

u put -perf in the shortcut

I'm not using a shortcut, I'm using the 3D analyzer program to launch GW. From within 3DA you can make a bat file that launches the game with your settings, this is where I assumed the command line stuff might go but it didn't launch when I just put the commands after the path like in the shortcut, so I need to know what to put where.

Hugh, you should be able to put the command immeditally after your call to gw.exe. For example: ...Guild Wars\Gw.exe -image. Using a batch file is old school, glad I am not the only person still using them.

I have the GMA 3100, and I'm having a similar problem in Rata Sum. Anyway, will this fix it permanently or will I have to run GW through this program?

EDIT: Nevermind, testing it now

Omg Thank You so much for this guide...You have no idea how long I havent been in Rata Sum and dungeons since I got this computer...Thank You Again. ^^

np, glad to help.

how do u open GW through 3danalyzer?

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I have been having problems with that for months!

now its screwing up again i tried to go to Rata Sum but then the same error came up...

ok, so i can change all the in-game settings, but when i try to use 3dAnalyze, and check all the same boxes as you have, when i click 'run' an error message comes up saying : ''could not copy c:\users\me\downloads\forcedll.dll to c:\programfiles\guildwars\forcedll.dll!''

i dont know what to do, any help would be much appreciated ^^

Rev

Revilo i'm having the same problem as you.

This fixed my graphic driver failure problem. I can now play in the Asuran areas. Thanks.

i've changed to a new link, since apparently the old one no longer works... at least, when i clicked on it, it merely opened to the default filefront webpage. please PM me if the link is bad.

revilo and lacasner: are you using vista or windows 7? if so, you might have to mess around with the user privileges. keep in mind that 3danalyzer was not designed with vista in mind, so i can't guarantee what will happen if you run it with vista.

and i would like to remind anyone and everyone who's using this program: use it only when you have to. this program forces your CPU to take over some GPU functions, and can possibly cause it to overheat in the long run. only use this in asuran and vabbian areas.

i am using vista, can you give me any ideas as to what user priviliges to change? thanks moriz

rev