Re: Silent Hill 3 - freezes at the very beginning

From: Jimmy S. (Private)
Date: 06/01/04

  • Next message: Kåre Stølselv: "Re: Need help running dos game under XP Pro" 
    Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2004 12:17:54 -0400

    Hi Vinnie,

    Then possibly one of the following is occurring:

    1. The game isn't removing all configuration information when you uninstall it;
    2. The Video card you're using isn't supported by the game;
    3. The Video driver you're using isn't supported by the game.

    Here's what to do:

    1. Here's how to properly install or reinstall a game (and patch):

    Step A: Temporarily disable Startup programs one at a time, starting with
                   Firewall, Antivirus & AdBlockers using this method:
                   http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=331796 or this utility:
                   http://new.jtsoft2001.com/windows/startup.php Reboot, go to Step B.

    Step B: In Control Panel / Add-Remove Programs, delete the game and then
                   the game's folder especially if you previously experienced problems
                   with a patch, or if you installed the Trial, Mods, NO CD patches, etc.

    Note: Click Start to Search or Find your game. Many times there are two installs
    of the same game on a system and the patch installs to the wrong one. Also if you
    installed a Trial version of the game, this could be causing a conflict.. Uninstall it
    and delete the folder.

    Step C: Install and Run Regcleaner and if it finds any stray registry keys for the
                   game, delete them. Reboot your computer, and then re-install the game.
                   Regcleaner Download: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download460.html

    Step D: Play a single player game, using an administrators account if necessary.

    Step E: Download new game patches or mods in case the old ones are corrupt.
                   Double click the patch/mod to install it. If it's a .zip file, unzip it into the
                   game's folder and follow the instruction in it's readme.txt file.

    Step F: Reboot your computer, verify that your game is working properly, and
                   re-enable any programs that you disabled using the method in Step A.

    2. Updating video card drivers can solve most gaming issues. Here's some
    simple abc's to always keep in mind. a. Shut off download accelerators,
    firewalls and antivirus programs when downloading or installing updates;
    b. Check for game patches: www.avault.com/pcrl/patches_list.asp?letter=a
    c. Make sure you meet the game's minimum video and system requirements.

    Before you update your drivers, I recommend that you install DirectX 9.0b:
    http://download.microsoft.com/download/c/9/c/c9c8a1d4-7690-4c98-baf3-0c67e7f3751f/dx90update_redist.exe

    Here are the steps I recommend you use to update your driver:

    1. To identify the make and model of your card, right click your
        Desktop, choose Properties / Settings / Advanced / Adapter.

    2. Download the latest video driver for your card online, using
        http://www3.sympatico.ca/nibblesnbits/Video.html#drivers
        to find the website to download from. I also have advanced
        video driver and direct X troubleshooting steps on that page.

    3. Save the .exe driver (or extract the zip file) to a folder
        in My Documents named after the driver version number.

    4. Restart the computer in Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key
        about once every second as it's rebooting to pick Safe Mode.

    5. Click Start / (settings) Control Panel / System / Hardware
        Device Manager / expand +Display Adapters / right click on
        the adapter, pick "Uninstall", and click No if asked to reboot.

    6. Use Control Panel / Add-Remove programs to uninstall the
        previous driver (exe)software which may have been installed.

    7. Restart the computer in Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key
        about once every second as it's rebooting to pick Safe Mode.

    8. If the driver is NOT a (.exe)program file, GO TO step 11.

    9. When Windows prompts you to install the video adapter, click
        "Cancel" and Double click the driver program to begin installation.
        * Even if not prompted, doubleclick the driver and install it.

    10. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
        choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
        That's it! Scroll down to the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

    11. When Windows prompts you to install the video adapter, click
        "Install from a list or specific location", click the "Browse" button,
        browse to the My documents folder where you saved the driver,
        and finally click on one of the driver files to begin installation.

    ** If you are not prompted, or if the driver was updated automatically:
    Click Start / (settings) Control Panel / System / Hardware Device Manager
    expand +Display Adapters / right click on the adapter, pick "Update Driver"
    to start the Update Wizard, choose the "Install from a list..." option:
                        Browse to My Documents\ folder with the driver in it
                            Click OK and click Next to begin the update.

    12. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
        choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
        That's it! Try the advice in the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

    TROUBLESHOOTING:

    Test your drivers using DXDiag: Click Start / Run / type: DXDIAG
    Click the "Test" buttons in the Display, Sound, Music & Network Tabs;
    If any of the Display options are Disabled and you cannot Enable them,
    your most likely solution would be to update your Chipset Drivers as per
    my website: http://www3.sympatico.ca/nibblesnbits/Video.html#v11

    Your program might not support dual monitors, or "dual head" video cards
    You can disable the extra video output in your display properties control
    panel. Click Start>Settings>Control Panel>Display>Settings>Advanced.

    Along with your Video card, Sound Cards, Motherboard Chipsets,
    and Video Monitors may also require updated drivers. Even your
    motherboard's BIOS may need to be updated for compatibility with
    your Video card. These steps are listed at: http://NibblesNbitsVideo.tk

    Perhaps the old Video drivers did not completely uninstall. If that's the
    case, use these utility to completely uninstall the drivers and go to step 7:
    nvidia: http://content.guru3d.com/index.php?page=detonatorrip&menu=0
    or for all cards including nvidia use: http://www.driverheaven.net/cleaner/

    The latest video drivers sometime don't work with a particular game.
    (Check the Video suggestions in the readme.txt file in your game folder/CD)
    If there's no suggestions, try an older (WHQL) driver, and/or if you still
    experience problems try a Beta driver, or even an Omega driver instead:

            BETA Drivers: http://download.guru3d.com/
            OMEGA Drivers: http://www.omegacorner.com/

    There you have it, if you have any questions feel free to post them! :-)

    Cheers,
    Jimmy S.

    Microsoft MVP Windows XP Shell/User: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
    Additional Support Resources: My Zone.com Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk
    Game FAQ's: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
    My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
    _________________________________________________________

    "Vinnie72" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:0545FA6E-5A5B-4C63-A33B-AF633E2FFBDE@microsoft.com...
    | Thanks Jimmy, but I've tried that twice - and after reinstallation, it still goes into "Safe Graphics Mode" and then freezes at
    the same point again.

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