Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post - Game freezes when I exit after several types reloading

Bungleau · 05-13-2004, 11:00 PM

Have you tried running DX9? Yeah, it may not be supported, but that doesn't mean it won't work. It only means that ATI hasn't tested the drivers to make sure they work. I would give it a shot anyway -- you can always go back. I ran DX9 on my ATI Rage Fury Maxx vidcard, which has either 64 or 128MB (can't remember which).

You might also run dxdiag to see what's going on in that area. You can test the drawing abilities, and downgrade 'em if you need to.

As for virtual memory, I NEVER let Windows handle it. A fixed swap file (which is what it is) is almost always superior. On my Win98 machine (which runs with 512MB of memory as well), I have... 1536 MB of virtual memory, or three times my physical memory. That actually feels like overkill, so I'll probably cut it back down soon. Somewhere around a gig (1024 MB) is more than sufficient.

See, what happens is that Windows uses some space on the hard drive to store that virtual memory. And when your 512MB of memory gets full, the oldest stuff gets put in that space on the hard drive instead of back where it belongs on the hard drive. Once that space is full, it starts sending things home.

When you let Windows manage it dynamically, it creates a single file at the minimum size level (500MB in your case). If it needs more space, it goes out and adds it... often in a completely different place on the hard drive. Fragmenting a hard drive is bad enough, but fragmenting memory? Far worse...

Setting a fixed size means that it will always be contiguous on the hard drive -- it won't be scattered all over. And if possible, put it on your second hard drive (doesn't everyone have one these days?

). That increases performance even more.

I'd also run msconfig to see exactly what's being launched when you start Windows. On Win98, you only see the active programs in the task manager, but there can be many others in the background. Drop a new post if you have questions about what some of them may be, and whether you want them or not.

Give that a shot and let me know. Then we can try something else [img]smile.gif[/img]

05-13-2004, 11:00 PM	#5
Bungleau 40th Level Warrior Join Date: October 29, 2001 Location: Western Wilds of Michigan Posts: 11,752	Have you tried running DX9? Yeah, it may not be supported, but that doesn't mean it won't work. It only means that ATI hasn't tested the drivers to make sure they work. I would give it a shot anyway -- you can always go back. I ran DX9 on my ATI Rage Fury Maxx vidcard, which has either 64 or 128MB (can't remember which). You might also run dxdiag to see what's going on in that area. You can test the drawing abilities, and downgrade 'em if you need to. As for virtual memory, I NEVER let Windows handle it. A fixed swap file (which is what it is) is almost always superior. On my Win98 machine (which runs with 512MB of memory as well), I have... 1536 MB of virtual memory, or three times my physical memory. That actually feels like overkill, so I'll probably cut it back down soon. Somewhere around a gig (1024 MB) is more than sufficient. See, what happens is that Windows uses some space on the hard drive to store that virtual memory. And when your 512MB of memory gets full, the oldest stuff gets put in that space on the hard drive instead of back where it belongs on the hard drive. Once that space is full, it starts sending things home. When you let Windows manage it dynamically, it creates a single file at the minimum size level (500MB in your case). If it needs more space, it goes out and adds it... often in a completely different place on the hard drive. Fragmenting a hard drive is bad enough, but fragmenting memory? Far worse... Setting a fixed size means that it will always be contiguous on the hard drive -- it won't be scattered all over. And if possible, put it on your second hard drive (doesn't everyone have one these days? ). That increases performance even more. I'd also run msconfig to see exactly what's being launched when you start Windows. On Win98, you only see the active programs in the task manager, but there can be many others in the background. Drop a new post if you have questions about what some of them may be, and whether you want them or not. Give that a shot and let me know. Then we can try something else [img]smile.gif[/img] __________________ B Save Early, Save Often Save Before, Save After Two-Star General, Spelling Soldiers -+-+-+ Give 'em a hug one more time. It might be the last.