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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 5th Jun 2009 at 4:31 PM

This user has the following games installed:

Sims 3, World Adventures, Ambitions, Late Night
Default Crashing after 10-15 Minutes
Hi,
I'm having issues with my game crashing, I can load up fine and play for about 10 minutes or so. During that time the game runs flawlessly, no lag or jumpy motion, all of the graphics are set to low, reflections and all of that are off, the game will just simply cut off after 10-15 min and I end up back at my desktop. I have updated all of my drivers, made sure directx was up to date, and ran windows update to make sure I have all of the latest updates.

ETA: I'm also already playing in windowed mode.

I am running:
Dell Inspiron 8600
Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3
BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A14
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1400MHz
Memory: 2048MB RAM
Page File: 694MB used, 3249MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode

Card name: ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600/9700
Chip type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor AGP (0x4E50)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Display Memory: 128.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 800 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6925 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 2/25/2009 16:41:10, 325120 bytes



I just really want to know if you guys think it may be the game or if it is my computer. I'm patient so I can wait for a patch without complaining (and stick to my 15 minute sessions ) but if it is my computer I would like to know how to fix it or be pointed in the right direction. I put up all of the info I think is pertinent but I will put whatever needed as asked. Thanks Guys!
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Test Subject
#2 Old 5th Jun 2009 at 7:51 PM
Default Crashing.
I think the issue is that you're running it on an older video card and an outdated processor. I had the same trouble and upgraded yesterday. It has been running fine so far.

Good luck!
Test Subject
Original Poster
#3 Old 5th Jun 2009 at 9:20 PM
Oh well *sigh* I'm not putting anymore money into this laptop, the video card is fine I think, I can see all of the graphics really well, even with all of the settings on high, I know it's the min. card tho with 128 MB. I figured the processor was a catch 22, I'll just have to wait until I get a super gaming desktop in the future because I'm not spending 100+ bucks on a new processor that will probably conk out with the expansion packs (just did cosmetic and motherboard upgrade for about 250 bucks) I'll just have to be patient and play it later...although my motherboard isn't here yet, I have been having problems with the DC Jack, I think it's come somewhat undone from the motherboard so maybe when I'm able to get full power flowing and not jerky power, that may help thanks for your input slasher.
Test Subject
#4 Old 5th Jun 2009 at 11:30 PM
It might be that it over heats. You may not nessisarily feel the heat, but sometimes it heats up so fast, your computer will terminate whatever is heating it fast. I had to go through this back when Half-life 2 was first out. I could only play for about 15 minutes, then crash to desktop.
Captain Louie
retired moderator
#5 Old 6th Jun 2009 at 6:34 PM
Mine crashed about he same time too, until I realized i had smooth edges on high. For playing, turning it to low or even off isn't that big of a deal. I assume it is because your settings are on high that it is happening. Just because your computer can support it, doesn't meant that you should push it into doing so

Now streaming on at Twitch.tv/SeveralNerds or UglyHoesConnect.com - whichever is easier for you to type in your browser.
shiny!
retired moderator
#6 Old 6th Jun 2009 at 6:43 PM
I'm also concerned about the possibility of overheating. Please download and run this program:http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php Leave it running while you play the game and it will automatically record the maximum temperature your hardware reaches. Ideally you want to play a minimum of 20minutes but since it's crashing so frequently just let it go until the game crashes. Screencap the results and post here.

As a side note your CPU is WAY under minimum requirements, so that could very well be the problem as well. I agree, it's not worth putting money into.
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