Fallout 3 Crash to desktop - solution here

[synergy]

I've been having problems with Fallout 3 CTDs as well, and wanted to add my experience to the knowledge base here...

I was having major problems in the Mall area of the game - random crashes both on the Mall and in buildings leading to the Mall, and guaranteed crashes when trying to use VATS. I was using older nVidia drivers - 178.xx - so I upgraded to the most recent ones. Still had problems.

Tried ffdshow fixes, upgraded the game itself, tried everything else mentioned on this forum...nothing.

So I rolled back to nVidia 180.48 drivers, and haven't had a problem since.

So, for some reason, both older and newer drivers were crashing, but that 180.48 has been stable.

My rig:

2.8Ghz Core Two Duo
GeForce 8800 GTS 512
4GB Patriot RAM
Windows Vista Ultimate

I also was having the same issues with newer drivers. I had to do the following to fix the game. Still get an occasional crash, but pretty stable for the most part.

I found the problem with my game crashing. I had to turn everything to medium settings to get past certain parts without crashing. So, through a tedious process of trial and error (setting each setting to see if it would crash) I found the culprit. When water transparency filtering is set at anything above low it will crash out on me. The issue got much worse once I updated my display drivers to 181.20. I now have everything set to Ultra with the exception of that one setting and it's running smooth as can be with no crashes.

 

[Tricks]

Hi all,
I ahve read through this thread and done everything that has been suggested:
installed vista codecs and added fallout3.exe to video and audio configuration pages.
Reinstalled .net 3 & 3.5
Reset controlls to default
Set video options to medium, high and ultra.
Etc
But no solutions.

I have just installed the game and i am clicking on the new button to start, but after about 2 seconds of loading windows comes up with a not responding message and closes the game.

Im running:
vista 64 ultimate
4gb ram
Intel dual core 3.0ghz E8400 CPU
Geforce 9800GT 1GB graphics
water cooled

 

[synergy]

Tricks...just a long shot, but try updating your DirectX and also make sure you have the latest display drivers installed. If you do, maybe try some beta drivers. You might also want to try just putting the settings to low to see if you can get anywhere with it. Lastly, make sure the game is patched.

 

[Tricks]

Yea i tried all that, couldnt find any beta drivers, got the latest 181.22 release from nvidia, aint this a bugger...

 

[gamechamp]

I did the ffdshadow thing and I'm still having issues. I took a look at my .NET Framework files in Add/Remove programs and I've got a pile of .NET things in there:

Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 1.0 SP3 Developer
Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.0
Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1
Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Hotfix
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 1
.NET Framework CRT
.NET Framework CA
.NET Framework WinForms
.NET Framework CLR
.NET Framework PreXP
.NET Framework 1
.NET Framework 2
.NET Framework ASP .NET
Dr. Watson
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0

Should I uninstall all of this stuff? And if so, what .NET Framework should I download to replace it? Do I just go for the latest one, .NET Framework 4?
I seem to have crashing issue's with a few other newer games too. Both CTD and freezing.


p.s. Who or what the **** is the Dr. Watson file?

 

[Trotter]

Each framework builds off the last. 3.0 is the newest (I think), so that's good.

Dr.Watson is a MS diagnostic tool. It is fine. Leave it there, as it kicks in when things go bad.

Check your GFX drivers and update them. Also, check your GFX temps, as your card will shut you down if it gets too hot.

 

[stb1swat]

I just reformatted my system...worked like an Irish charm on a witch's birthday.

 

[gamechamp]

Thanks Trotter, I just found a program to check my temps and it says "Fan Speed - 0%" which already is a bad sign.
Then the GPU temp was at 60 C, then I went into Fallout for about 10 minutes, and minimized, and the temp was over 100 C!
Then there's a Temperature of Temp. Chip which stayed at about 40 C.

So my gpu is shutting down my games on my to keep from frying itself. But I checked my gpu fan and it is running, so why is my card overheating so badly? Its a NVIDIA 6800GS, but I have all the graphics on the game at the lowest possible, and in the NVIDIA control panel I've set override controls to minimize graphics and maximize performance more.

 

[Trotter]

You can use programs like ATITool or Rivatuner to crank up your GPU fan. Seeing as it is a 6800 and out of warranty, you could also either replace the cooler with an aftermarket cooler or replace the thermal paste with something better (like MX2), or both.

You could probably buy a new, more powerful card for the cost of a decent cooler and thermal paste, though. This one is $50 *w/$10 rebate as well):
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100236L Radeon HD 3650 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

This one is $60.
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100253L Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

 

[gamechamp]

Great thanks, I'll have to postpone upgrading my gpu for a while till I get myself a better income, so in the mean time I'll just have to stick to some older game I've never gotten tired of, and classic games on emulators. I'll definitely upgrade sometime in the next couple years. At least I have several consoles to keep me busy too.