[Rachael Williams]

I'm still suffering this issue with the latest patch and with the AMD preview drivers. This machine should run Skyrim pretty fricking well (and it does when it isn't black screening*). I'm pretty much over being disappointed with it now and have resigned myself to it not working with this machine. If it does then frabjous day, but as it is I think I'll go play some Arkam City on ultra at 1900x1080 with no problems rather than Skyrim on low at 1360x768 with potentially computer damaging and save wrecking (when a crash and a save happen at the same time, which is not usually the case but does happen) crashes every 5 to 40 minutes.

*I can run the game on high, but to try and lower the possibility that it is a heat problem I run it at a rather lower setting.

[kiss my weasel]

I've had the Hard Crash/Shut Down almost from the start. I've applied all patches (1.3.1) and new ATI drivers to no avail. This is the only game I've ever had this happen with on this computer. I'm running the game at 720P with modest settings. It usually happens when I'm in a dungeon with all the fog/candle/water effects. It seems to have gotten worse the longer I've played (do dungeons really need 900 candles in every room?).

I can see what the hardware people are saying, but as others have pointed out, this is the only game that does this for me and I'm running it at lower resolutions and settings than other games I play. What I'm really afraid of is this damaging my computer.

That said, this is why developers like developing for consoles - one known hardware target. Cuts testing immensely. It is quite obvious that the xbox 360 was the only platform on which the game was tested thoroughly (and even then they missed the low res texture bug). 11/11/11 = rush it out the door.

[maddison]

Had a couple of crashes that can only be solved by rebooting.

just got a blue screen error log after this type of crash for the first time. (after I rebooted)

blue screen error:

Spoiler

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2057
Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 117
BCP1: FFFFFA8003E040E0
BCP2: FFFFF8800F3986DC
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: 0000000000000000
OS Version: 6_1_7601
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 256_1
Files that help describe the problem:
C:\Windows\Minidump\122311-20326-01.dmp

dxdiag:

Spoiler

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 12/23/2011, 18:19:31
Machine name: GEORGE-PC
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.110622-1506)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: BIOS Date: 07/02/09 17:02:00 Ver: 08.00.12
Processor: Intel® Core™2 Quad CPU Q8400 @ 2.66GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 4096MB RAM
Page File: 1758MB used, 6429MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 2: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.

--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 9800 GT
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0614&SUBSYS_83141043&REV_A2
Display Memory: 2287 MB
Dedicated Memory: 495 MB
Shared Memory: 1791 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: DELL 1704FPT
Monitor Id: DEL4005
Native Mode: 1280 x 1024(p) (60.020Hz)
Output Type: DVI
Driver Name: nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um
Driver File Version: 8.17.0012.9036 (English)
Driver Version: 8.17.12.9036
DDI Version: 10
Driver Model: WDDM 1.1
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 11/24/2011 04:59:00, 17474368 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: n/a
WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
Device Identifier: {D7B71E3E-4554-11CF-BF50-18A31CC2C535}
Vendor ID: 0x10DE
Device ID: 0x0614
SubSys ID: 0x83141043
Revision ID: 0x00A2
Driver Strong Name: oem22.inf:NVIDIA_SetA_Devices.NTamd64.6.1:Section005:8.17.12.9036:pci\ven_10de&dev_0614
Rank Of Driver: 00E62001
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_A ModeMPEG2_C ModeVC1_C ModeWMV9_C
Deinterlace Caps: {6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{F9F19DA5-3B09-4B2F-9D89-C64753E3EAAB}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{F9F19DA5-3B09-4B2F-9D89-C64753E3EAAB}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,UYVY) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(YV12,0x32315659) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{F9F19DA5-3B09-4B2F-9D89-C64753E3EAAB}: Format(In/Out)=(YV12,0x32315659) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(YV12,0x32315659) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YV12,0x32315659) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{F9F19DA5-3B09-4B2F-9D89-C64753E3EAAB}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC1,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{F9F19DA5-3B09-4B2F-9D89-C64753E3EAAB}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC1,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC1,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC1,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC2,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{F9F19DA5-3B09-4B2F-9D89-C64753E3EAAB}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC2,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC2,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC2,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC3,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{F9F19DA5-3B09-4B2F-9D89-C64753E3EAAB}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC3,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC3,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC3,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC4,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{F9F19DA5-3B09-4B2F-9D89-C64753E3EAAB}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC4,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC4,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(IMC4,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(S340,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{F9F19DA5-3B09-4B2F-9D89-C64753E3EAAB}: Format(In/Out)=(S340,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(S340,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(S340,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(S342,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{F9F19DA5-3B09-4B2F-9D89-C64753E3EAAB}: Format(In/Out)=(S342,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{5A54A0C9-C7EC-4BD9-8EDE-F3C75DC4393B}: Format(In/Out)=(S342,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(S342,UNKNOWN) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=
D3D9 Overlay: Supported
DXVA-HD: Supported
DDraw Status: Enabled
D3D Status: Enabled
AGP Status: Enabled

-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
Description: Speakers (High Definition Audio Device)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_1106&DEV_0397&SUBSYS_104383D6&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 65535
Type: WDM
Driver Name: HdAudio.sys
Driver Version: 6.01.7601.17514 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
Date and Size: 11/20/2010 10:44:23, 350208 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Microsoft
HW Accel Level: Basic
Cap Flags: 0xF1F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 200000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 1, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX™ 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2™ Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura™ ZoomFX™: No

Description: Digital Audio (S/PDIF) (High Definition Audio Device)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_1106&DEV_0397&SUBSYS_104383D6&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 65535
Type: WDM
Driver Name: HdAudio.sys
Driver Version: 6.01.7601.17514 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
Date and Size: 11/20/2010 10:44:23, 350208 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: Microsoft
HW Accel Level: Basic
Cap Flags: 0xF1F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 200000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 1, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX™ 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2™ Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura™ ZoomFX™: No

---------------------
Sound Capture Devices
---------------------
Description: Microphone (High Definition Audio Device)
Default Sound Capture: Yes
Default Voice Capture: Yes
Driver Name: HdAudio.sys
Driver Version: 6.01.7601.17514 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Date and Size: 11/20/2010 10:44:23, 350208 bytes
Cap Flags: 0x1
Format Flags: 0xFFFFF

Description: Microphone (High Definition Audio Device)
Default Sound Capture: No
Default Voice Capture: No
Driver Name: HdAudio.sys
Driver Version: 6.01.7601.17514 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Date and Size: 11/20/2010 10:44:23, 350208 bytes
Cap Flags: 0x1
Format Flags: 0xFFFFF

Description: Line In (High Definition Audio Device)
Default Sound Capture: No
Default Voice Capture: No
Driver Name: HdAudio.sys
Driver Version: 6.01.7601.17514 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Date and Size: 11/20/2010 10:44:23, 350208 bytes
Cap Flags: 0x1
Format Flags: 0xFFFFF

-------------------
DirectInput Devices
-------------------
Device Name: Mouse
Attached: 1
Controller ID: n/a
Vendor/Product ID: n/a
FF Driver: n/a

Device Name: Keyboard
Attached: 1
Controller ID: n/a
Vendor/Product ID: n/a
FF Driver: n/a

Device Name: Wacom Virtual Hid Driver
Attached: 1
Controller ID: 0x0
Vendor/Product ID: 0x056A, 0x1001
FF Driver: n/a

Device Name: Wacom Virtual Hid Driver
Attached: 1
Controller ID: 0x0
Vendor/Product ID: 0x056A, 0x1001
FF Driver: n/a

Device Name: Wacom Virtual Hid Driver
Attached: 1
Controller ID: 0x0
Vendor/Product ID: 0x056A, 0x1001
FF Driver: n/a

Poll w/ Interrupt: No

-----------
USB Devices
-----------
+ USB Root Hub
| Vendor/Product ID: 0x8086, 0x27CB
| Matching Device ID: usb\root_hub
| Service: usbhub
|
+-+ Microsoft Hardware USB Mouse
| | Vendor/Product ID: 0x045E, 0x0084
| | Location: Port_#0002.Hub_#0004
| | Matching Device ID: usb\vid_045e&pid_0084
| | Service: HidUsb
| |
| +-+ HID-compliant mouse
| | | Vendor/Product ID: 0x045E, 0x0084
| | | Matching Device ID: hid_device_system_mouse
| | | Service: mouhid

----------------
Gameport Devices
----------------

------------
PS/2 Devices
------------
+ Standard PS/2 Keyboard
| Matching Device ID: *pnp0303
| Service: i8042prt
|
+ Terminal Server Keyboard Driver
| Matching Device ID: root\rdp_kbd
| Upper Filters: kbdclass
| Service: TermDD
|
+ Wacom Mouse
| Matching Device ID: hid\wacomvirtualhid&col03
| Upper Filters: wacommousefilter
| Service: mouhid
|
+ Terminal Server Mouse Driver
| Matching Device ID: root\rdp_mou
| Upper Filters: mouclass
| Service: TermDD

------------------------
Disk & DVD/CD-ROM Drives
------------------------
Drive: C:
Free Space: 699.5 GB
Total Space: 953.8 GB
File System: NTFS
Model: WDC WD10EVDS-63N5B1 ATA Device

Drive: G:
Free Space: 6.6 GB
Total Space: 57.2 GB
File System: NTFS
Model: ST96812AS ATA Device

Drive: E:
Model: ANYRO 0P6FC56VWPM SCSI CdRom Device
Driver: c:\windows\system32\drivers\cdrom.sys, 6.01.7601.17514 (English), , 0 bytes

Drive: F:
Model: ANYRO 0P6FC56VWPM SCSI CdRom Device
Driver: c:\windows\system32\drivers\cdrom.sys, 6.01.7601.17514 (English), , 0 bytes

Drive: D:
Model: ASUS DRW-24B1ST ATA Device
Driver: c:\windows\system32\drivers\cdrom.sys, 6.01.7601.17514 (English), , 0 bytes

--------------
System Devices
--------------
Name: Intel® 82801G (ICH7 Family) SMBus Controller - 27DA
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27DA&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&FB
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB Universal Host Controller - 27C8
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27C8&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&E8
Driver: n/a

Name: AO1JJAYW IDE Controller
Device ID: PCI\VEN_1095&DEV_0641&SUBSYS_2BD43C76&REV_01\4&5D18F2DF&0
Driver: n/a

Name: High Definition Audio Controller
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27D8&SUBSYS_83D61043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&D8
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® 82801GB/GR/GH (ICH7 Family) Serial ATA Storage Controller - 27C0
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27C0&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&FA
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Root Port - 27D2
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27D2&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&E1
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® 82801GB/GR (ICH7 Family) LPC Interface Controller - 27B8
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27B8&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&F8
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Root Port - 27D0
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27D0&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&E0
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® 82801 PCI Bridge - 244E
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_244E&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_E1\3&11583659&0&F0
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - 27CC
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27CC&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&EF
Driver: n/a

Name: Atheros AR8121/AR8113/AR8114 PCI-E Ethernet Controller(NDIS6.20)
Device ID: PCI\VEN_1969&DEV_1026&SUBSYS_831C1043&REV_B0\4&3AA6353D&0&00E1
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® G33/G31/P35/P31 Express Chipset PCI Express Root Port - 29C1
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_29C1&SUBSYS_82B01043&REV_10\3&11583659&0&08
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB Universal Host Controller - 27CB
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27CB&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&EB
Driver: n/a

Name: Realtek RTL8169/8110 Family PCI Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20)
Device ID: PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8169&SUBSYS_816910EC&REV_10\4&B244743&0&08F0
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® G33/G31/P35/P31 Express Chipset Processor to I/O Controller - 29C0
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_29C0&SUBSYS_82B01043&REV_10\3&11583659&0&00
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB Universal Host Controller - 27CA
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27CA&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&EA
Driver: n/a

Name: NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT
Device ID: PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0614&SUBSYS_83141043&REV_A2\4&2254C66F&0&0008
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® 82801G (ICH7 Family) Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 27DF
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27DF&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&F9
Driver: n/a

Name: Intel® 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB Universal Host Controller - 27C9
Device ID: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_27C9&SUBSYS_81791043&REV_01\3&11583659&0&E9
Driver: n/a

------------------
DirectShow Filters
------------------

DirectShow Filters:
WMAudio Decoder DMO,0x00800800,1,1,WMADMOD.DLL,6.01.7601.17514
WMAPro over S/PDIF DMO,0x00600800,1,1,WMADMOD.DLL,6.01.7601.17514
WMSpeech Decoder DMO,0x00600800,1,1,WMSPDMOD.DLL,6.01.7601.17514
MP3 Decoder DMO,0x00600800,1,1,mp3dmod.dll,6.01.7600.16385
Mpeg4s Decoder DMO,0x00800001,1,1,mp4sdecd.dll,6.01.7600.16385
WMV Screen decoder DMO,0x00600800,1,1,wmvsdecd.dll,6.01.7601.17514
WMVideo Decoder DMO,0x00800001,1,1,wmvdecod.dll,6.01.7601.17514
Mpeg43 Decoder DMO,0x00800001,1,1,mp43decd.dll,6.01.7600.16385
Mpeg4 Decoder DMO,0x00800001,1,1,mpg4decd.dll,6.01.7600.16385
DV Muxer,0x00400000,0,0,qdv.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Color Space Converter,0x00400001,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
WM ASF Reader,0x00400000,0,0,qasf.dll,12.00.7601.17514
Screen Capture filter,0x00200000,0,1,wmpsrcwp.dll,12.00.7601.17514
AVI Splitter,0x00600000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
VGA 16 Color Ditherer,0x00400000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
SBE2MediaTypeProfile,0x00200000,0,0,sbe.dll,6.06.7601.17528
Microsoft DTV-DVD Video Decoder,0x005fffff,2,4,msmpeg2vdec.dll,6.01.7140.0000
AC3 Parser Filter,0x00600000,1,1,mpg2splt.ax,6.06.7601.17528
StreamBufferSink,0x00200000,0,0,sbe.dll,6.06.7601.17528
MJPEG Decompressor,0x00600000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
MPEG-I Stream Splitter,0x00600000,1,2,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
SAMI (CC) Parser,0x00400000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
VBI Codec,0x00600000,1,4,VBICodec.ax,6.06.7601.17514
MPEG-2 Splitter,0x005fffff,1,0,mpg2splt.ax,6.06.7601.17528
Closed Captions anolysis Filter,0x00200000,2,5,cca.dll,6.06.7601.17514
SBE2FileScan,0x00200000,0,0,sbe.dll,6.06.7601.17528
Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Encoder,0x00200000,1,1,msmpeg2enc.dll,6.01.7601.17514
Internal Script Command Renderer,0x00800001,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
MPEG Audio Decoder,0x03680001,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
DV Splitter,0x00600000,1,2,qdv.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Video Mixing Renderer 9,0x00200000,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Microsoft MPEG-2 Encoder,0x00200000,2,1,msmpeg2enc.dll,6.01.7601.17514
ACM Wrapper,0x00600000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Video Renderer,0x00800001,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
MPEG-2 Video Stream anolyzer,0x00200000,0,0,sbe.dll,6.06.7601.17528
Line 21 Decoder,0x00600000,1,1,qdvd.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Video Port Manager,0x00600000,2,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Video Renderer,0x00400000,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
VPS Decoder,0x00200000,0,0,WSTPager.ax,6.06.7601.17514
WM ASF Writer,0x00400000,0,0,qasf.dll,12.00.7601.17514
VBI Surface Allocator,0x00600000,1,1,vbisurf.ax,6.01.7601.17514
File writer,0x00200000,1,0,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514
iTV Data Sink,0x00600000,1,0,itvdata.dll,6.06.7601.17514
iTV Data Capture filter,0x00600000,1,1,itvdata.dll,6.06.7601.17514
DVD Navigator,0x00200000,0,3,qdvd.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Overlay Mixer2,0x00200000,1,1,qdvd.dll,6.06.7601.17514
AVI Draw,0x00600064,9,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
RDP DShow Redirection Filter,0xffffffff,1,0,DShowRdpFilter.dll,
Microsoft MPEG-2 Audio Encoder,0x00200000,1,1,msmpeg2enc.dll,6.01.7601.17514
WST Pager,0x00200000,1,1,WSTPager.ax,6.06.7601.17514
MPEG-2 Demultiplexer,0x00600000,1,1,mpg2splt.ax,6.06.7601.17528
DV Video Decoder,0x00800000,1,1,qdv.dll,6.06.7601.17514
SampleGrabber,0x00200000,1,1,qedit.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Null Renderer,0x00200000,1,0,qedit.dll,6.06.7601.17514
MPEG-2 Sections and Tables,0x005fffff,1,0,Mpeg2Data.ax,6.06.7601.17514
Microsoft AC3 Encoder,0x00200000,1,1,msac3enc.dll,6.01.7601.17514
StreamBufferSource,0x00200000,0,0,sbe.dll,6.06.7601.17528
Smart Tee,0x00200000,1,2,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Overlay Mixer,0x00200000,0,0,qdvd.dll,6.06.7601.17514
AVI Decompressor,0x00600000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
AVI/WAV File Source,0x00400000,0,2,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Wave Parser,0x00400000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
MIDI Parser,0x00400000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Multi-file Parser,0x00400000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
File stream renderer,0x00400000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio Decoder,0x005fffff,1,1,msmpeg2adec.dll,6.01.7140.0000
StreamBufferSink2,0x00200000,0,0,sbe.dll,6.06.7601.17528
AVI Mux,0x00200000,1,0,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Line 21 Decoder 2,0x00600002,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
File Source (Async.),0x00400000,0,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
File Source (URL),0x00400000,0,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Infinite Pin Tee Filter,0x00200000,1,1,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Enhanced Video Renderer,0x00200000,1,0,evr.dll,6.01.7601.17514
BDA MPEG2 Transport Information Filter,0x00200000,2,0,psisrndr.ax,6.06.7601.17669
MPEG Video Decoder,0x40000001,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514

WDM Streaming Tee/Splitter Devices:
Tee/Sink-to-Sink Converter,0x00200000,1,1,ksproxy.ax,6.01.7601.17514

Video Compressors:
WMVideo8 Encoder DMO,0x00600800,1,1,wmvxencd.dll,6.01.7600.16385
WMVideo9 Encoder DMO,0x00600800,1,1,wmvencod.dll,6.01.7600.16385
MSScreen 9 encoder DMO,0x00600800,1,1,wmvsencd.dll,6.01.7600.16385
DV Video Encoder,0x00200000,0,0,qdv.dll,6.06.7601.17514
MJPEG Compressor,0x00200000,0,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Cinepak Codec by Radius,0x00200000,1,1,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Fraps Video Decompressor,0x00200000,1,1,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Intel IYUV codec,0x00200000,1,1,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Intel IYUV codec,0x00200000,1,1,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Microsoft RLE,0x00200000,1,1,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Microsoft Video 1,0x00200000,1,1,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514

Audio Compressors:
WM Speech Encoder DMO,0x00600800,1,1,WMSPDMOE.DLL,6.01.7600.16385
WMAudio Encoder DMO,0x00600800,1,1,WMADMOE.DLL,6.01.7600.16385
IMA ADPCM,0x00200000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
PCM,0x00200000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Microsoft ADPCM,0x00200000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
GSM 6.10,0x00200000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
CCITT A-Law,0x00200000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
CCITT u-Law,0x00200000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
MPEG Layer-3,0x00200000,1,1,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514

Audio Capture Sources:
Microphone (High Definition Aud,0x00200000,0,0,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Line In (High Definition Audio ,0x00200000,0,0,qcap.dll,6.06.7601.17514

PBDA CP Filters:
PBDA DTFilter,0x00600000,1,1,CPFilters.dll,6.06.7601.17528
PBDA ETFilter,0x00200000,0,0,CPFilters.dll,6.06.7601.17528
PBDA PTFilter,0x00200000,0,0,CPFilters.dll,6.06.7601.17528

Midi Renderers:
Default MidiOut Device,0x00800000,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth,0x00200000,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514

WDM Streaming Capture Devices:
HD Audio Muxed capture,0x00200000,1,1,ksproxy.ax,6.01.7601.17514

WDM Streaming Rendering Devices:
HD Audio Headphone/Speakers,0x00200000,1,1,ksproxy.ax,6.01.7601.17514
HD Audio SPDIF out,0x00200000,1,1,ksproxy.ax,6.01.7601.17514

BDA Network Providers:
Microsoft ATSC Network Provider,0x00200000,0,1,MSDvbNP.ax,6.06.7601.17514
Microsoft DVBC Network Provider,0x00200000,0,1,MSDvbNP.ax,6.06.7601.17514
Microsoft DVBS Network Provider,0x00200000,0,1,MSDvbNP.ax,6.06.7601.17514
Microsoft DVBT Network Provider,0x00200000,0,1,MSDvbNP.ax,6.06.7601.17514
Microsoft Network Provider,0x00200000,0,1,MSNP.ax,6.06.7601.17514

Multi-Instance Capable VBI Codecs:
VBI Codec,0x00600000,1,4,VBICodec.ax,6.06.7601.17514

BDA Transport Information Renderers:
BDA MPEG2 Transport Information Filter,0x00600000,2,0,psisrndr.ax,6.06.7601.17669
MPEG-2 Sections and Tables,0x00600000,1,0,Mpeg2Data.ax,6.06.7601.17514

BDA CP/CA Filters:
Decrypt/Tag,0x00600000,1,1,EncDec.dll,6.06.7601.17708
Encrypt/Tag,0x00200000,0,0,EncDec.dll,6.06.7601.17708
PTFilter,0x00200000,0,0,EncDec.dll,6.06.7601.17708
XDS Codec,0x00200000,0,0,EncDec.dll,6.06.7601.17708

WDM Streaming Communication Transforms:
Tee/Sink-to-Sink Converter,0x00200000,1,1,ksproxy.ax,6.01.7601.17514

Audio Renderers:
Speakers (High Definition Audio,0x00200000,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Default DirectSound Device,0x00800000,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Default WaveOut Device,0x00200000,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
Digital Audio (S/PDIF) (High De,0x00200000,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
DirectSound: Digital Audio (S/PDIF) (High Definition Audio Device),0x00200000,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514
DirectSound: Speakers (High Definition Audio Device),0x00200000,1,0,quartz.dll,6.06.7601.17514

---------------
EVR Power Information
---------------
Current Setting: {5C67A112-A4C9-483F-B4A7-1D473BECAFDC} (Quality)
Quality Flags: 2576
Enabled:
Force throttling
Allow half deinterlace
Allow scaling
Decode Power Usage: 100
Balanced Flags: 1424
Enabled:
Force throttling
Allow batching
Force half deinterlace
Force scaling
Decode Power Usage: 50
PowerFlags: 1424
Enabled:
Force throttling
Allow batching
Force half deinterlace
Force scaling
Decode Power Usage: 0

PS. I noticed dxdiag though i had DX11 though I thought 9800gt only supported up to DX9. Whats up with that?

[Siobhan Thompson]

ahh still having this issue any ideas or word from bethesda? it ONLY happens with skyrim, and i'm confident it is not a user or hardware issue. my rig is more than capable of playing skyrim, it does not overheat in any area, and the power supply is more than enough. sometimes it will go hours without happening but sometimes it will happen 3 times within a half hour. it is the most annoying issue i've ever delt with in a game. wish i would have just got the 360 version, it makes me want to give up on pc gaming entirely.

[Laura Shipley]

ok so i did like the tech rep on the phone said my drivers are upto date ,but yet i get hard pc crash bout every hour ,whats with this
im runnig a
Processor: Intel® Core™ i3 CPU 550 @ 3.20GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
Memory: 6144MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 6006MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 11

Display Devices
---------------
Card name: AMD Radeon HD 6700 Series
Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x68BA)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_68BA&SUBSYS_E144174B&REV_00
Display Memory: 3759 MB
Dedicated Memory: 1012 MB
Shared Memory: 2746 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Acer S231HL(anolog)
Monitor Model: Acer S231HL
Monitor Id: ACR01A6
Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.000Hz)
Output Type: HDMI
Driver Name: aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx32,aticfx32,aticfx32,atiumd64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atiumdag,atidxx32,atidxx32,atiumdva,atiumd6a.cap,atitmm64.dll
Driver File Version: 8.17.0010.1107 (English)
Driver Version: 8.920.0.0
DDI Version: 11
so tell me what the problem

[Nana Samboy]

I have yet to actually try Skyrim after this, but I manually set my fan speeds to 90% constant, and now none of my other games are black screening. I think my issue was one of simply overheating.

[Anna Beattie]

Just fyi I have this problem occasionally after loading screens (Using latest nvidia beta drivers with GTX560ti).
However recovery succeeds every time.

This error appeared when I started to use many texture replacers (VRAM at max)
And it seems to be a more hardcoe variant of the freezing on loading error.

[Jaki Birch]

I honestly think Bethesda is not going to acknowledge this at all.

[oliver klosoff]

Bethesda "acknowledges" nothing in here. It doesn't work that way with them. However, if this was a game company that did offer to interact, and did actually have anyone on staff with any hardware knowledge (they do not, and never have had, any interest in PC hardware there), the majority of time that the game screen "goes black" are hardware related, as in the case of overheating, but very heavily biased toward power supply inadequacy.

Given those facts, even if this was another company than Bethesda, "black screen" would be a signal not to pay any attention.

[Marta Wolko]

Bethesda "acknowledges" nothing in here. It doesn't work that way with them. However, if this was a game company that did offer to interact, and did actually have anyone on staff with any hardware knowledge (they do not, and never have had, any interest in PC hardware there), the majority of time that the game screen "goes black" are hardware related, as in the case of overheating, but very heavily biased toward power supply inadequacy.

Given those facts, even if this was another company than Bethesda, "black screen" would be a signal not to pay any attention.

I've noticed how you keep railing on about how this isn't a real problem, and how everyone experiencing it either doesn't know what they're talking about or refuses to admit that its a failing hardware problem.

Yes, some people have overheating issues, some people have inadequate hardware to run the game, and some people have defective/dying video cards. However there are *MANY* of us that fall into the category of the OP, where none of those obvious causes are present and it's still only happening with this game. There are constant reports of thoroughly tested machines having this issue, its a real issue, and it's a problem that needs to be resolved either by Bethesda (they can make their game stop making calls to the video card that cause this hang, whatever those specific calls may be) or by ATI/NVIDIA (by fixing whatever it is in the driver that is causing those calls to hang and fail to recover).

An unmodded Skyrim at modest settings isn't particularly taxing in terms of hardware requirements, certainly not to the point where it is more CPU or GPU intensive than benchmark programs specifically designed to push hardware to its absolute limit (and have big disclaimers about possibly damaging your hardware when you start them up).

If an hour of running Furmark doesn't overheat my CPU/GPU, five minutes of running Skyrim on High settings isn't going to.
If I can play FFXIV on max settings (which DOES keep my GPU at ~100% the whole time) for fifteen hours straight without any hardware issues, an hour or two of Skyrim on High settings shouldn't give me any issues either.

It's not a heat issue. A considerable number of people have double and triple checked their temps. Many of them are running well within tolerable limits. If it was an overheating issue, other equivalently stressful applications would also cause problems.

It's not a power supply issue. A considerable number of people have also double and triple checked their PSUs, many of which are running SLI/Crossfire ready PSUs from reputable manufacturers despite only running a single card. If it can handle powering two cards, even if it's slightly under-rated it can still easily handle one. Again, if it was a power issue, other equivalently stressful applications would also cause problems.

It's not a faulty hardware issue. If the GPU was having issues with crashing and recovering in general, people would be reporting issues with artifacts and distortions along with these crashes. Again, if it was a faulty hardware issue, other equivalently stressful applications would also cause problems. If somehow Bethesda wrote an application that tests for some magical mysterious hardware fault that doesn't present itself either in manufacturer level tests *OR* everyday use, then they better get to patenting it and selling it to hardware manufacturers, but odds are they didn't strike QA gold here and it's just a conflict somewhere between what the game asks the video card to do and how the video card drivers are handling that request, in which case a fix could certainly come from either end depending on the issue.

So yeah, it's a real issue, and the "lol fix ur hardwarez" peanut gallery isn't doing anything to help those of us plagued with the problem get a real solution.

[Scotties Hottie]

Did you see me disagree with the OP anywhere? My point, and there are two of them, but with regard to the subject line, "black screen" will be misleading. Secondly is that you just won't get anyone to ANSWER from Bethesda, and they will only (TTBOMK) be having clerical help coming by infrequently to make a count of threads that seem to be on a particular subject over a particular period of time, but they will select the subjects they are interested in getting counts of. Interactivity from anyone other than Gstaff in here, away from the stickies, and those are essentially one-way, except the one they are getting counts from, is normally just non-existent.

[i grind hard]

OCCUPY gamesas!!!!!

[jadie kell]

After 180 hours of play I am encountering this problem,

Details can be found here,

http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/456889-skyrim-complete-pc-crashes/page__view__findpost__p__4213275

and

http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/456889-skyrim-complete-pc-crashes/page__view__findpost__p__4216909

Wish I had seen the OP of this thread before I went crazy on my PC, running all kinds of stability tests and updates.

[Juanita Hernandez]

I've tried about everything (patches, driver updates, mods) to this point to no avail. I can play Batman Arkham City on high settings for hours without a hiccup. I play Skyrim on low settings and, unfortunately, the most suspense I feel in the game now is wondering when it's going to kill my computer. My primary quest is now, "Save the Game Every Two Minutes." It may be a hardware issue, but it's certainly caused by the software sending bad requests to it, something EVERY other game I play has somehow managed to avoid. I get the feeling that their QA department did not (1) test this on a wide variety of setups or (2) test it for more than a few introductory hours.

[Adam]

I've tried about everything (patches, driver updates, mods) to this point to no avail. I can play Batman Arkham City on high settings for hours without a hiccup. I play Skyrim on low settings and, unfortunately, the most suspense I feel in the game now is wondering when it's going to kill my computer. My primary quest is now, "Save the Game Every Two Minutes." It may be a hardware issue, but it's certainly caused by the software sending bad requests to it, something EVERY other game I play has somehow managed to avoid. I get the feeling that their QA department did not (1) test this on a wide variety of setups or (2) test it for more than a few introductory hours.

They tested it on an xbox 360.......for 20 minutes......and then sent it to be shipped.

[Big Homie]

Thanks, God! I thought I was the only one with this problem! I had black screen twice already in two days of playing the Skyrim. It does happens random. And My sound cut off right away. Can't reset nor Turn off power button on my PC. So I am forced to cut power switch on my PSU. My comp is 955Blk 3.2 GHz, 8 Gigs of ram 1333MHz, MSI R6870 Twin Frozr II OC edition CFX with 12.1 beta driver, Win 7 64 bit, System installed on SSD 60 Gig, Game is on reg WD HD 500Gigs 7200 rpm. PSU is Coolmaster Silent Gold Pro 800watt.
P.S.
And Yes I crash usually doing nothing. I Check my inventory menu and while I still there go to restroom come back and found it's crashed. Or standing still for couple of minutes.

[Daniel Brown]

Thanks, God! I thought I was the only one with this problem! I had black screen twice already in two days of playing the Skyrim. It does happens random. And My sound cut off right away. Can't reset nor Turn off my power button my PC. So I am forced to cut power switch on my PSU. My comp is 955Blk 3.2 GHz, 8 Gigs of ram 1333MHz, MSI R6870 Twin Frozr II OC edition CFX with 12.1 beta driver, Win 7 64 bit, System installed on SSD 60 Gig, Game is on reg WD HD 500Gigs 7200 rpm.

Sounds epic in a bad way....my sound remained the game hung but my power button on my tower didn't stop working......OFF TOPIC: seems since I got the 12.1 preview the way games transition from cutscene(in the case of skyrim this would be going into convo mode imo) is handled differently. The screen very quickly almost resync's itself for the cutscene....going to try and record using the new MSI afterburner feature and post.

[Cash n Class]

I've tried about everything (patches, driver updates, mods) to this point to no avail. I can play Batman Arkham City on high settings for hours without a hiccup. I play Skyrim on low settings and, unfortunately, the most suspense I feel in the game now is wondering when it's going to kill my computer. My primary quest is now, "Save the Game Every Two Minutes." It may be a hardware issue, but it's certainly caused by the software sending bad requests to it, something EVERY other game I play has somehow managed to avoid. I get the feeling that their QA department did not (1) test this on a wide variety of setups or (2) test it for more than a few introductory hours.

Admittedly, the idea of "killing a computer" with anything non-malicious is peripheral to the topic, but if you never took Computer Literacy, or didn't pay much attention to it (required in educational systems for the past 15-20 years now), you have a wrong idea. Computer parts are generally self-protected. You cannot force them to burn themselves up via software, even when you want to do so.

When a number of loud-mouthed owners of Starcraft II, whose hardware was of poor quality, complained about overheating, the morons at Blizzard included a change in a patch to make their game do some things differently that they should have had no need to have done at all. They should have stuck to their guns and let the whiners take the problems back where they originated, to the poor cooling designs on the systems they had purchased.

[Kayleigh Williams]

And to think, I saved the Dark Brotherhood missions for the end of my game so I wouldn't end up having to kill essential NPC's if need be. Now that I'm ready to get going on there missions I can't play anymore.

[Charlotte Buckley]

Admittedly, the idea of "killing a computer" with anything non-malicious is peripheral to the topic, but if you never took Computer Literacy, or didn't pay much attention to it (required in educational systems for the past 15-20 years now), you have a wrong idea. Computer parts are generally self-protected. You cannot force them to burn themselves up via software, even when you want to do so.

When a number of loud-mouthed owners of Starcraft II, whose hardware was of poor quality, complained about overheating, the morons at Blizzard included a change in a patch to make their game do some things differently that they should have had no need to have done at all. They should have stuck to their guns and let the whiners take the problems back where they originated, to the poor cooling designs on the systems they had purchased.

I can bring my machine to its knees with a few lines of C# code. Given, eating up all the processor's time slices isn't the same as having the computer just shut off. I've think these threads have pretty well established that this problem is not due to a "bunch of whiners" with pathetic hardware. It happens across a wide strata of hardware types and configurations and the crashes occur when the processors and GPUs don't even appear to be that stressed. It also appears to occur with greater frequency the more hours are logged.

Say what you will about hardware vs. software, since this is the only program I've owned, game or otherwise, that shuts my computer down, I'll keep my finger pointed at Bethesda.

[Jack Walker]

I get random freeze followed by black screen (monitor flashes off/no signal), but 9 times out of 10 it comes back on after a few seconds and the game continues playing fine. Very rarely it won't come back on and crashes to the desktop saying nVidia display driver has stopped responding. Never had a hard lock requiring reboot though.

It only happens with this game.

I've monitored the temps and my card never gets above 70 degrees celcius.

[tannis]

Today I was able to play for 20-30 minutes with no black screen crash!

I downloaded MSI Afterburner (thanks to whomever suggested that), and after several tests noticed that the crash happened when the GPU temp hit 62°C. Bumping the fan speed to 98% kept the GPU in the mid 50's using the lowest graphics settings, YMMV.

Win XP SP3
CoolerMaster 650W P/S (new)
Athlon X3 435
4GB DDR2 @800 MHz
Nvidia GTX 260 (new... What can I say? I have to pay bills.)

[cutiecute]

As much of a PC Enthusiast that I am I hate to have to admit in my particular case my crashes might not be entirely or if it all Skyrim's fault. After being exhausted with trying to get Skyrim to work I called it quits and thought I'd start another game while waiting for a solution from the community. I load up Dead Island for the first time to try it out and what do you know, it crashes my entire system just like Skyrim after the character select screen . At this moment that little spark in me to get things working lights back up.

My initial thought was that it may be DX9 games being that both Skyrim and Dead Island are dx9c. I download a demo version of 3dmark06, a directx9 benchmark/stresstest. I run the tests which my system ran through stable though mind you the demo version only lets you run the test at 720p which I figured may not be enough stress on the system. I then load up 3DMark11, a DX11 benchmark/stress test utility, which I have the full version to. I select 1080p and run the test, I can't even get pass the first test. (I ran these tests months ago to test my systems capabilities with no problems)

I'm beginning to think either one of my 580s has a problem, or something may be wrong with my PSU. Maybe something got loose within my case. At the moment I am working on zeroing in on the problem and will update everyone on what I find.

I suggest that everyone here if not done so already run 3DMark11 (unfortunately demo version only stress tests at 720p) and see if your systems are capable of going through the tests without problems. If you own Metro 2033 it comes with a pretty good stress test that can be used as well. I could have sworn my system was 100% stable from running memtest86+ for 12 hours, Linx and Prime95 for a couple hours, and some other lighter games (Haven't played BF3 ever since Skyrim was released).

I have definitely been humbled.


Update 1:

After running 3DMark11 with SLI off for each card successfully I was pretty much left with my instability being due to SLI mode. I uninstalled my drivers, downgraded MSI AB 2.2.0 Beta 9 to MSI AB 2.1.0 Stable. Unplugged/Replugged PSU connectors going to video cards and mobo and now I was able to pass 3DMark11 with no problems. Now I'm off to test Skyrim. hdear:

Update 2:

So I have been playing since I last updated this post and have been crash free. Hopefully this continues tomorrow. I highly recommend everyone really stress test their systems if not done so already with either 3DMark11, Metro 2033 Bechmark Utility, or Heaven DX11 Benchmark.

[Ana]

Admittedly, the idea of "killing a computer" with anything non-malicious is peripheral to the topic, but if you never took Computer Literacy, or didn't pay much attention to it (required in educational systems for the past 15-20 years now), you have a wrong idea. Computer parts are generally self-protected. You cannot force them to burn themselves up via software, even when you want to do so.

When a number of loud-mouthed owners of Starcraft II, whose hardware was of poor quality, complained about overheating, the morons at Blizzard included a change in a patch to make their game do some things differently that they should have had no need to have done at all. They should have stuck to their guns and let the whiners take the problems back where they originated, to the poor cooling designs on the systems they had purchased.

You mean like when Nvidia released drivers with a broken fan control and inadvertently caused thousands of video cards to overheat and damage themselves? That totally wasn't software directly leading to the damage of hardware, nope, not at all. Must've just been a bunch of whiners who don't know how a computer works trying to play games on a toaster.

And for the record, making your startup screen render things so GPU intensive they rival benchmarking software with nothing in place to stop it from running wild (moreso than the game itself, actually) isn't the users fault, it's poor coding and should be fixed. Those "morons" did the right thing by fixing it, but that has nothing to do with Skyrim.

[Alexandra Louise Taylor]

Nvidia cards aren't compatible with toasters....