My system: WinXP 32bit SP3, GF9600, 4GB ram, C2D E7400

My issue with Vegas was quite simple: the game would crash after 20-30 minutes and once restarted, it would crash nearly instantly. After reboot this cycle would start all over again.

Nothing I did on my system helped, I've tried pretty much anything reasonable ("fixes" from internet, shutting down soft, changing drivers, changing GFX settings and so on).

Finally I've decided to install fresh windows on another partition with only essential drivers, not even any updates or anything. To my surprise, it has SOLVED the issue. I've played for 5 hours straight without any crashes whatsoever! It's very surprising, because FNV is the only game that I've ever had stability issues, so there is definitely some memory-located conflict caused by it and _something_ else.

And you my friend - just took the extra step that so many others are unwilling to try. The fact is that Fallout New Vegas is not CODEC Friendly. Its also does not like to play well with other programs running in the background. And just like Fallout 3, it has issues with Quad processors.

I myself have no CTD or freezes issues at all. However, the game remains to buggy (After 3 patches) to even play.

:shrug:

The fresh install probably fixed it because it has none of the changes made to the other copy of Windows. CODEC packs, startup items, older versions of drivers that were not properly removed when updating.

This is why a number of people I know wipe the computer clean ever 6 months.

I have found that 90% of the issues are related to DirectShow Filters (aka CODEC), Conflicting programs (virus scanners) and driver issues (out of date or dirty upgrades.)

All of them can be fixed with out the hassle of a fresh OS install.

Obviously you're right. And you're wrong too, because it's not so simple to either avoid these issues nor get rid of them easily. Wiping clean the comp every few months is just a waste of time. I've had my winxp for about 3 years now and this is the first time I've had unsolvable issue. Even then I'd rather keep that secondary "clean" OS than spend entire day reinstalling everything or worse, having to get rid of some soft that I actually need despite it's conflicting nature.

I re-install my OS 2x a year. Keeps it lean and mean.
Since I use this rig for gaming only ( besides surfing the web and watching movies ) a fresh OS does indeed make a difference.
And with SSD drives it takes maybe 30 minutes ( including updates, drivers, software etc )
You would be surprised at the garbage that builds up on a PC in a year

So true, This is something that the lazy or less technical types, need to keep in mind.

:goodjob:

this explains why it was not caught in beta testing!. they may have used clean computers!. however, why didn't they put a descriptive error log into the game that would tell you WHAT made the game crash?. like "conflict with xxxCodec" etc. like many other programs do. possibly a "clean boot" would be all that's needed, it may have to be modified, however, as the game may need something running. for XP http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353 for vista and win7 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135