Cant load or start a new game. : Fallout: New Vegas

» Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:47 pm

Someone, anyone riddle me this. The one and only way I can get the game to play is immediately after upgrading the nividia graphics driver to the latest from their website. (ASUS GT470, windows 7 64 bit). Then if I exit the game and try to play it, the aforementioned crash occurs. If I once again upgrade the driver, even though it is the same one that is currently on the machine, the above experience is repeated. Done this like four times so far. To recap, plays fine on my computer just after upgrade of driver, once and only once, then will not start new game nor load save. Thought I had it knocked after the first video driver upgrade, but noooooooooooooooo. Anyone, anyone, Beuhler, Beuhler?

» Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:42 pm

Updating a driver unloads it from the system ring. If updating the driver causes an app to work, it means that there's an issue somewhere in the ring 0/1 subsystem of the OS. Meaning there's a software conflict somewhere.

» Mon Apr 11, 2011 11:02 pm

I am in the blessed situation that I dont have to ask for help with support issues very often, hence I am not very good at it, in addition I am a person with the bad habit of cutting writing to the very bone.
However, when I refered to Tech support in my last post I ment the Actual Bethesda Tech Support Team that I am also in communication with about the issue at hand.
I did not mean this forum and i would like to apologize for the misunderstanding, I assumed that people would know what I meant. I am fully aware that the help I receive here is on a voluntary basis and I do truly appreciate that people take time to provide it.

As for the "Used" Page file thing I have no idea what you're talking about.
I performed a clean-boot successfully and what I ment earlier was that doing so failed to resolve the issue.
The company who makes my sound card has denounced any and all involvement in distributing Drivers for the hardware, saying that this will only be done through the Companies that sell the hardware, HP in this chase.
Also, it is the same sound driver I used when the game was working.
And my Video card works, I play games daily which has been stated earlier.

Is there anything that anyone needs clarified?

Now rather than just trying things what would be helpful is a memory dump (even a mini-dump). If that is an avenue you want to try then maybe we can try it. If the crash happens often you can attach a debugger to it to try and catch the crash
and write out a memory dump. Debugdiag is one of the programs that can do this.
Here is a link to the program you can download: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=28bd5941-c458-46f1-b24d-f60151d875a3&displaylang=en
Download debugdiag.msi (not the x64 version)

If you want to try this Ill give the dump a look. Ill message you my email address let me know.

Its not too hard to get a crash dump from here. Install the program "as admin" by right clicking. Then run it again "as admin".
If the wizard (select rule type) pops up, you want to run fallout 3 nv before proceeding. Afterwards, select crash->a specific process->FalloutNV.exe.
On the next wizard screen you want to select exceptions at the bottom. On the first chance exception screen select add exception.
Find c0000005 (access violation) and select mini-userdump from the action type drop-down menu. Click OK and finish out the wizard.
You should see your rule listed in the rules tab. The status should e active and the userdump count 0. Simply go into the game and get it to crash.
After the crash the userdump count should be set to 1. A minidump file is created jsut follow the path listed under user dump.
The mini-dump should be a small file (~200 KB more or less). You can upload the contents of the user dump directory and the text file from the previous directory (should look like falloutnv_pid_...)
to my email and Ill give it a look.

» Mon Apr 11, 2011 11:09 pm

Updating a driver unloads it from the system ring. If updating the driver causes an app to work, it means that there's an issue somewhere in the ring 0/1 subsystem of the OS. Meaning there's a software conflict somewhere.

There's something worng somewhere. Glad we cleared that up. Seriously, though thanks for the insight about what happens when you upgrade a driver, but what makes the driver load back into the ring without a system restart? The game works, you exit the game and then the game doesn't work. Spooky. But you've given me an idea, I'll post back if it pans out.

» Tue Apr 12, 2011 3:48 am

I dont know why but the idea of doing a memory dump scares me, so i did the only rational thing and whipes my HD clean.
After having done that twice I can happily inform you that New Vegas is finally working. and by the process of elimination I believe that the problem lies somewhere with the HP drivers, being the only site I've neglected to download from so far.
While the game works this leaves me with 4 devices that the computer cant recognize, and I'm not quite sure what to do about that.

Anyway, thanks everyone for your help, maybe now I can actually start playing