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GalCiv2/Dark Avatar on Vista

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GalCiv2/Dark Avatar on Vista

from GalCiv2 Forums

Update August 2007: If you are having memory issues on Vista, please read this Microsoft knowledgebase article:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=938194

Update: June 2007: Version 1.6 of Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar should have no problems at all on Vista at this point as long as your NVidia video card drivers are version 158.24 or higher.

If you have a laptop card, check the support section of your laptop manufacturer's website (Dell, hp, etc) for updated drivers.  If the driver version is not 158.24 or higher, you should contact your laptop manufacturer and ask them when updated drivers will be available. The more of you who contact them, the more incentive they have to update their drivers.  Otherwise, your only other option is to use the modified drivers from a third party site like LaptopVideo2Go, but this may void your laptop warranty so check the terms and conditions of your warranty first.

Update Mar 3 07: The 101.41 beta drivers appear to contain the fix for the issues discussed in this thread. If you are using an nVidia card with Vista, check nVidia's site for these drivers (or newer).

If you have a laptop and the manufacturer does not provide new enough drivers, try the ones here.

Update May 7 07: Version 1.6 beta 2 for Dark Avatar resolves the scrolling slowdown issue.

There is a known issue with GalCiv2 and Dark Avatar on Windows Vista and an NVidia video card. With the older version of the drivers, this could manifest as a crash or hang, or sometimes a hard lock. With the latest drivers for Vista, the game just stops repainting but can be shut down by hitting ALT+F4. It is typical of this error to see the message "Error flipping back buffer" in your debug.err file.

We are working with NVidia to resolve this issue. It may help if we send in the system information for additional systems, so if you encounter this error, please send your debug.err file to [email protected] with the subject line "Vista NVidia error" or something along those lines so that I can quickly identify them and send them to my contact at NVidia. Dark Avatar and GalCiv2 have their own debug.err files, so make sure that you send the one where you got the error. Please only send in the report once.

You may also want to save your last autosave before the error so that you can test to make sure that new drivers have fixed the problem once NVidia has releases a new version, but you don't need to send in the save games at this time.

Currently, there are no known issues with ATI cards on Vista, but you may want to make sure that you have the lastest drivers anyway.

Please make sure that your debug.err file is included with any reports you send in, as SmartException is not currently attaching the debug.err file in its reports for Dark Avatar.

Update: NVidia has identified a problem in their drivers, which will be fixed in their next release.

176,487 views 231 replies
Reply #176 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Running Vista x64 nvidia 7900GS Laters nonbeta driver.
Get a blue screen while playing Galciv 1.5 about dispay driver stopped responding.


Here is my debug.rr

Debug Message: Version v1.5 last updated on: Thu Jan 11 13:39:19 2007
[removed]
Reply #177 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hmm, no buffering errors at the end of the debug.

You might try using the last non-beta drivers or a bit older version. A lot of people seem to be reporting issues under 162.22.
Offworld Trading Company
Reply #178 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Is anyone running Galciv2 on Vista and *not* having problems?
Reply #179 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Is anyone running Galciv2 on Vista and *not* having problems?


ATI users, mostly. nVidia's driver quality on Vista has been very lacking.
Reply #180 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Kaboom, I just buffed Video settings to Best (but left Throttle frames on) and Galciv crashed and shut down the computer without so much as a goodbye. This was on Ctrl-N.
Reply #181 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This is my lil' bug which prevents me from finishing my campaign (actually I'm only midgame, but whatever).

Debug Message: Save Game: About to save
Debug Message: Error allocating memory.
ASSERT ERROR in file .\Source\memman.cpp at line 1434.
Debug Message: Aborting save game due to lack of memory.

Got Vista Ultimate, with 6 gigs allocated to virtual memory plus 1 gig of RAM. Now I can't save at all (even though the task manager shows that the game is only using 2.5 gigs). I've had Forceware 158.24 on my 7800, then updated to 162.22, but the errors keep coming.

I found versions 162.50 and 163.44, going to try them out, but somehow I doubt it'll help...

EDIT:
One more thing. I thought my loading times were normal, but a friend who's got a PC that's slower than mine has 30-second loadings, and I've got 7 to 8 minutes...

EDIT2:
I forgot to say, the update pointed out in "Update August 2007" in the pinned post in this thread is already installed on my system. So it doesn't really help.
Reply #182 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hopefully the memory/save crash issue will be resolved with 1.7. See Frogboy's journal on the topic for more info.
Reply #183 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Oh wow. Thanks, that's a relief! I'll continue trying hotfixes and even going back to 1.5 though, something may help...
Reply #184 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hello,

I just wanted to point out that NVidia has come out with new drivers for Vista as of 9/18.

About time, by Gum.

Also, I downloaded 1.7 and I was reviewing my swank new event log and the legend for icons does not appear at the bottom of the screen, but about a quarter of the way up and over event listings.

Oh, this is not a bug, more of a styling request. I really like the event the log, but I was wondering if you couldn't make icons for tech which were earned via trade?

Currently the event log lists all techs as discovered, but that isn't true. A portion of my techs, especially in early game, come to me via trade. I'd also love an icon for techs which were stolen. I know, I know, not a bug, but for some reason those changes would really work for me.

By the way - As always - Thank you for making such a great game and for being so responsive to your customers. You guys and girls rock.

Cheers,

Scanner28

Reply #185 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
1.7 comments would probably be better placed in one of the 1.7 threads, FYI.
Reply #187 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Does anyone know if running Virtual Desktop will help counter the sin that is Vista?


nevermind, the game is working fine...idk know what i did or did not do...
Reply #188 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I can't start the game normally and this means I can't update it either. I can start the game if I open up the games folder and click on the application icon I believe but not the run icon. I need to be able to update my GC Gold Edition so I can purchase the Arnor beta and update it when needed. Here is the debug file...

Debug Message: Version v1.5 last updated on: Thu Jan 11 13:39:19 2007
Debug Message: GalCiv2 is activated.
Debug Message: Checking DX Version.
Debug Message: *********DXDiag info follows.*********
System Info
Time: 4/15/2008, 03:45:15
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
Machine Name: USER-PC
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.longhorn_rtm.080118-1840)
Languages: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6000+ (2 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
Physical Memory: 2046MB RAM
Page File: 871MB used, 3468MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows


Display Info
Display device 1:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY1
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 8600 GT
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0401&SUBSYS_22861682&REV_A1
Display Memory: 1264 MB
Current Display Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution:
Driver Name: nvd3dum.dll,nvwgf2um.dll
Driver Version: 7.15.0011.6925
Driver Date: 12/11/2007 17:06:00
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes



Sound info
Sound device 1:
Description: Speakers (SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0007&SUBSYS_10121102&REV_00
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: P17.sys
Provider: CREATIVE
Driver Version: 5.12.0001.2007
Driver Date: 11/15/2007 10:49:38
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0

Sound device 1:
Description: Digital Output (C-Media CM6501 Like Sound Device)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID: USB\VID_0D8C&PID_0201&REV_0010&MI_00
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: c6501.sys
Provider: C-Media Inc.
Driver Version: 5.12.0008.1701
Driver Date: 2/7/2007 03:16:52
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0

Sound device 1:
Description: Speakers (C-Media CM6501 Like Sound Device)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID: USB\VID_0D8C&PID_0201&REV_0010&MI_00
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: c6501.sys
Provider: C-Media Inc.
Driver Version: 5.12.0008.1701
Driver Date: 2/7/2007 03:16:52
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0

Sound device 1:
Description: Digital Audio Interface (SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0007&SUBSYS_10121102&REV_00
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: P17.sys
Provider: CREATIVE
Driver Version: 5.12.0001.2007
Driver Date: 11/15/2007 10:49:38
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0



Debug Message: *********END dxdiag info.*********
Debug Message: Entering WinMain
Debug Message: ******* Starting Game Shell *******
Debug Message: Going Fullscreen
Debug Message: Preparing to change display settings.
Debug Message: Using multilsample setting: D3DMULTISAMPLE_4_SAMPLES
Debug Message: Game Resolution: 1024 x 768
Debug Message: Running fullscreen.
Debug Message: HAL (hw vp): NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT
Debug Message: D3DPRESENT_INTERVAL_DEFAULT
Debug Message: Refresh rate: 60
Debug Message: Bit Depth: 32 bit.
Debug Message: *********Checking D3DDevice Caps***********************
Debug Message: A full-color cursor is supported in hardware at high resolution modes.
Debug Message: RGB in format 6:6:6, Masks reported as ff0000:ff00:ff
Debug Message: Now Fullscreen
Debug Message: Shell initialization complete
Debug Message: ***** Initializing Game *****
Debug Message: Timer Frequency is 0 17d7840
Debug Message: Initializing sound card.
Debug Message: initailizing bink
Debug Message: Create setup screens.
Debug Message: Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message: Clear influence.
Debug Message: Clear up laws.
Debug Message: Clear first time events.
Debug Message: Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message: Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message: Set mouse.
Debug Message: Set update timer.
Debug Message: Clear data definitions.
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\ships\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\ships\*.shipcfg
Debug Message: Reading Star Names
Debug Message: Reading Star Names... Done
Debug Message: Error flipping back buffer to primary buffer.
Debug Message: Device lost
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\Mods\Default\Data\CustomMaps\*.gc2map
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\Mods\Default\Data\Scenarios\*.gc2scenario
Debug Message: Error loading mission 16 from C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\./Data/English/Campaigns/Dread Lords Campaign.gc2campaign
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Dread Lords Campaign\*.sav
Debug Message: Error loading mission 16 from C:\Program Files\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\./Data/English/Campaigns/Dread Lords Campaign.gc2campaign
Debug Message: Creating Galaxy
Debug Message: Killing threads.
Debug Message: Kiling civs.
Debug Message: Killing ships.
Debug Message: Killing rallypoints.
Debug Message: Killing misc objects.
Debug Message: Killing stars.
Debug Message: Killing anomalies.
Debug Message: Killing space resources.
Debug Message: Killing colonies and planets.
Debug Message: killing scenario.
Debug Message: Clearing Turn Event Log
Debug Message: Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message: Clear influence.
Debug Message: Clear up laws.
Debug Message: Clear first time events.
Debug Message: Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message: Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message: Loading custom map: ./Data/English/Campaigns\An Unexpected Visitor.gc2map (0 x 121190815)
Debug Message: Num Anomalies: 7
Debug Message: Setting Game Options
Debug Message: Creating Civs
Debug Message: Terran Alliance: Intellence -> 40
Debug Message: Drengin Empire: Intellence -> 40
Debug Message: Altarian Republic: Intellence -> 95
Debug Message: Creating Civs... Done
Debug Message: Updating ZOC.
Debug Message: Updating ZOC.
Debug Message: Galaxy Create... Done
Debug Message: UIBeginGame called with g_ulLocalPlayerID = 0
Debug Message: UIBeginGameHelper: New Campaign Game Started: Dread Lords Campaign
Debug Message: UIBeginGameHelper: Mods are Disabled
Debug Message: setting size 16 x 0
Debug Message: setting size 16 x 0
Debug Message: setting size 16 x 0
Debug Message: Random Event: End
Debug Message: Drengin Empire (1): Researching: Xeno Research
Debug Message: Altarian Republic (2): Researching: Xeno Research
Debug Message: Pirates! (26): Researching: Galactic Warfare
Debug Message: Destroying ship Jafo. Orbiting: 0
Debug Message: Updating ZOC.
Debug Message: Random Event: End
Debug Message: Altarian Republic (2): Researching: New Propulsion Techniques
Debug Message: Random Event: End
Debug Message: Altarian Republic (2): Researching: Planetary Improvements
Debug Message: Random Event: End
Debug Message: First contact: Scout Ship M0-1 5 at position 1450.000000,1050.000000 rotation 4.712389
Debug Message: First contact: Scout Ship M0-1 5 at position 1450.000000,1050.000000 rotation 4.712389
Debug Message: First contact: Scout Ship M0-1 5 at position 1450.000000,1050.000000 rotation 4.712389
Debug Message: Cannot find texture
Debug Message: Random Event: End
Debug Message: Drengin Empire (1): Researching: Space Militarization
Debug Message: OptionsWnd: Quit Btn
Debug Message: Posting WM_CLOSE message.
Debug Message: WM_CLOSE message received.
Debug Message: GameUninitialize start
Debug Message: Killing Galaxy
Debug Message: Killing threads.
Debug Message: Kiling civs.
Debug Message: Killing ships.
Debug Message: Killing rallypoints.
Debug Message: Killing misc objects.
Debug Message: Killing stars.
Debug Message: Killing anomalies.
Debug Message: Killing space resources.
Debug Message: Killing colonies and planets.
Debug Message: killing scenario.
Debug Message: Clearing Turn Event Log
Debug Message: Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message: Clear influence.
Debug Message: Clear up laws.
Debug Message: Clear first time events.
Debug Message: Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message: Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message: Clear data definitions.
Debug Message: Killing Galaxy: Completed
Debug Message: Shutting down sound system.
Debug Message: Clearing sound and music handles.
Debug Message: WorkAreaBack.png not cleared 1 counts left.
Debug Message: GameUninitialize end
Debug Message: Device not cleared. 3 counts left.
Debug Message: D3D not cleared. 1 counts left.
Debug Message: Destroying Window.
Debug Message: Main Shell terminating normally


Reply #189 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I can start the game if I open up the games folder and click on the application icon I believe but not the run icon. I need to be able to update my GC Gold Edition so I can purchase the Arnor beta and update it when needed. Here is the debug file...


Ah, so just the launcher won't run? Some anti-virus applications block it (McAffee in particular), or there could be another reason. In any case, you don't need it; just grab Stardock Central from the downloads page at left; you can use it to register the game and update it.
Reply #190 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thank you I was able to use Stardock and register my Dark Avatar but I wasn't able to update my GC2 Gold Edition. When I try to enter my serial number I keep getting

Failed to update account information

I wonder if this have to do with that fact that I purchased GC2 Gold Edition retail which includes Dark Avatar. I am able to register Dark Avatar but unable to upgrade GC2 to 1.6 currently it's stuck at 1.50.135 As a owner of GC2 Gold Edition do I need to update to 1.6 so I can enjoy Twilight of the Arnor or can I go ahead and purchase Twilight of the Arnor and not worry about needing to update GC2?
Reply #191 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, i'm running a vista laptop that has older nvidia drivers (2/28/07) and unfortunately every driver that i've tried to get from the laptopvideo2go site has resulted in a bsod, but I have found a few things to make the game run stable for a little while at least. Maybe they can help others in the same situation until laptop manufacturers decide to release drivers more often than once every year or so...

Background star/nebula density: I turned them all the way down to 0. Not a pretty background, but it seems to take a lot of power to display so it helped out a lot.

Throttle framerate: on. I'm sure it's what's making the animations a bit choppy, but nothing too horrendous.

Autosave: off. I seemed to be getting the majority of the "Error flipping back buffer to primary buffer" messages after an attempted autosave. I think I've seen the autosave causing problems in other aspects too, so it made sense to turn it off.

None of this seems to be a permanent fix as I still can only play for maybe 25-50 turns at most before it starts messing up again, but much better than the 2-3 turns I was getting before. If anyone has any other suggestions I know I'd appreciate them...

I didn't read this entire thread, so it's possible that most of this has already been mentioned. But seeing as the majority of the thread is almost a year old others probably won't read the whole thing either so I guess it won't hurt to have them repeated here.
Reply #192 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I’m having the same problem as listed at the start of this thread, but most of the time my system just hangs and I need to do a hard reboot. I’m running Vista Ult x64 on an AMD Phenom 9600 BE, 2 GB of memory (1066) and a 8800Gts. My problem is that during random times of the game my system completely locks up, whats strange is that apps that are running in the background still function (second monitor plugged into video card show winamp still switching tracks) but I can’t get to the desktop. I’ve managed to slow the crashes with the msg (ran out of memory) by getting rid of the autosave and just doing a quicksave every so often but this total crash is driving me nuts. Here’s what I’ve done so far to fix the problem ---- updated, rolled back, uninstalled video drivers ----- Updated, erased, and used older versions of DA ----- formatted system and installed DA on fresh sys ----- took hammer to Vista CD ---- manually installed newest version of DirectX. I’ll post my log as soon I get another error (couple hours + -) but wanted to post this first to see what you all think.
Reply #193 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well that was the fastest crash yet. This is one of a couple types of crashes I get, the one I'm most worried about is when I'm in the game for awhile and I simply can't recover, but heres the most recent log.

Debug Message: Version v1.80g Dark Avatar last updated on: Wed Dec 19 15:10:23 2007
Debug Message: Checking DX Version.
Debug Message: *********DXDiag info follows.*********
System Info
Time: 4/30/2008, 21:25:28
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
Machine Name: ZEUS
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Ultimate (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.longhorn_rtm.080118-1840)
Languages: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: BIOS Date: 12/26/07 Ver: 08.00.14
Processor: AMD Phenom(tm) 9600 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs), ~2.3GHz
Physical Memory: 2046MB RAM
Page File: 1179MB used, 5809MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows


Display Info
Display device 1:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY1
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 8800 GTS 512
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0600&SUBSYS_23321682&REV_A2
Display Memory: 1264 MB
Current Display Mode: 1680 x 1050 (32 bit) (59Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic Non-PnP Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution:
Driver Name: nvd3dum,nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2umx.dll
Driver Version: 7.15.0011.6932
Driver Date: 1/9/2008 01:53:00
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes

Display device 2:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY2
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 8800 GTS 512
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0600&SUBSYS_23321682&REV_A2
Display Memory: 1264 MB
Current Display Mode: 1680 x 1050 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution:
Driver Name: nvd3dum,nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2umx.dll
Driver Version: 7.15.0011.6932
Driver Date: 1/9/2008 01:53:00
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes



Sound info
Sound device 1:
Description: Speakers (SoundMAX Integrated Digital HD Audio)
Default Sound Playback
Default Voice Playback
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_11D4&DEV_198B&SUBSYS_1043829B&REV_1004
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: ADIHdAud.sys
Provider: AnalogDevices
Driver Version: 6.10.0002.6260
Driver Date: 7/18/2007 21:15:12
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0

Sound device 1:
Description: SPDIF Interface (SoundMAX Integrated Digital HD Audio)
Default Sound Playback
Default Voice Playback
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_11D4&DEV_198B&SUBSYS_1043829B&REV_1004
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: ADIHdAud.sys
Provider: AnalogDevices
Driver Version: 6.10.0002.6260
Driver Date: 7/18/2007 21:15:12
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0



Debug Message: *********END dxdiag info.*********
Debug Message: Entering WinMain
Debug Message: ******* Starting Game Shell *******
Debug Message: Going Fullscreen
Debug Message: Preparing to change display settings.
Debug Message: Using hardware vertex processing
Debug Message: Using multilsample setting: D3DMULTISAMPLE_8_SAMPLES
Debug Message: Attempting to create D3DDevice at resolution 1440 x 900, Windowed: 0, Multisample: 8
Debug Message: Game Resolution: 1440 x 900
Debug Message: Running fullscreen.
Debug Message: HAL (hw vp): NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512
Debug Message: D3DPRESENT_INTERVAL_DEFAULT
Debug Message: Refresh rate: 59
Debug Message: Bit Depth: 32 bit.
Debug Message: *********Checking D3DDevice Caps***********************
Debug Message: A full-color cursor is supported in hardware at high resolution modes.
Debug Message: RGB in format 6:6:6, Masks reported as ff0000:ff00:ff
Debug Message: Now Fullscreen
Debug Message: Shell initialization complete
Debug Message: GalCiv2 is activated.
Debug Message: ***** Initializing Game *****
Debug Message: Timer Frequency is 0 da7a64
Debug Message: Initializing sound card.
Debug Message: initailizing bink
Debug Message: No files found matching mask Movies\techs\*.bik
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Will\Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar\Gfx\Movies\*.bik
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Will\Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar\sfx\*.wav
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Will\Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar\Music\*.mp3
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Will\Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar\Event Music\*.mp3
Debug Message: Create setup screens.
Debug Message: Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message: Clear influence.
Debug Message: Clear up laws.
Debug Message: Clear first time events.
Debug Message: Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message: Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message: Set mouse.
Debug Message: Set update timer.
Debug Message: Error flipping back buffer to primary buffer.
Debug Message: D3DERR_DEVICELOST
Debug Message: Device lost
Debug Message: Attempting to reset device.
Reply #194 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Now for the the next crash, this is the type of crash after playing for awhile. Sorry ahead of time for its lenght. I have noticed that I never seem to get any type of error msg at the end telling me why it crashed but maybe you guys can find something I can not

Debug Message: Version v1.80g Dark Avatar last updated on: Wed Dec 19 15:10:23 2007
[removed]
Debug Message: Destroying ship Colony Ship 308. Orbiting: 0
Debug Message: Updating ZOC.
Debug Message: Destroying ship Colony Ship 315. Orbiting: 0
Debug Message: Updating ZOC.
Reply #195 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Ive found a soloution for my laptop (running a Nvidia Geforce go 6150). Simply make GalCiv2 run in windowed mode, and lower the Anti-Alising (sorry if spelling is wrong). It works for me, I havn't had a "flip flop" glitch yet!
Reply #196 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I am using a Geforce 8600 M in a Dell laptop. My driver is updated as of February 2008. Forceware version 174.31, driver 7.15.11.7431. I am still getting a hang-up between turns. The turn begins and never cycles.

Any thoughts on what is causing this one?
Reply #197 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Please open your debug.err file in notepad, and copy/paste the contents into a post here. This will give us some technical information that can help troubleshoot your problem. The location you'll find the debug.err in varies depending on your game version:

Dread Lords, all versions:
C:\Program Files\Stardock\Totalgaming\GalCiv2

Dark Avatar 1.5-1.6 (non-Vista):
C:\Program Files\Stardock\Totalgaming\GalCiv2\DarkAvatar

Dark Avatar 1.6+(Windows Vista), 1.7+(non-Vista):
My Documents\My Games\GC2DarkAvatar

Twilight of the Arnor:
My Documents\My Games\GC2TwilightArnor

Be sure to copy the debug immediately after the error occurs; if you start the game again, the debug will be erased and recreated for the new session.
Reply #198 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
T of A had been running smoothly then, when I tried to move a constructor it just crashed.
Got the Windose Vista message that it had stopped working.

Debug Message: Version v1.91 Twilight of the Arnor last updated on: Thu May 1 12:15:51 2008
Debug Message: Checking DX Version.
Debug Message: *********DXDiag info follows.*********
System Info
Time: 5/15/2008, 13:26:26
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
Machine Name: DESKTOP
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Ultimate (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.longhorn_rtm.080118-1840)
Languages: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
System Model: GA-N650SLI-DS4L
BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6700 @ 2.66GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
Physical Memory: 8190MB RAM
Page File: 2584MB used, 13907MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows


Display Info
Display device 1:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY1
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 8800 GT
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0611&SUBSYS_053C10DE&REV_A2
Display Memory: 2521 MB
Current Display Mode: 1920 x 1200 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: SyncMaster 245B/245BW/245BPlus(Digital)
Monitor Max Resolution:
Driver Name: nvd3dum,nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2umx.dll
Driver Version: 7.15.0011.6925
Driver Date: 12/12/2007 00:06:00
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes



Sound info
Sound device 1:
Description: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0888&SUBSYS_1458E601&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.5322
Driver Date: 11/8/2006 11:09:34
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0

Sound device 1:
Description: Realtek Digital Output (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0888&SUBSYS_1458E601&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Provider: Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.5322
Driver Date: 11/8/2006 11:09:34
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 1
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0



Debug Message: *********END dxdiag info.*********
Debug Message: Entering WinMain
Debug Message: ******* Starting Game Shell *******
Debug Message: Going Fullscreen
Debug Message: Preparing to change display settings.
Debug Message: Using hardware vertex processing
Debug Message: Using multilsample setting: D3DMULTISAMPLE_4_SAMPLES
Debug Message: Attempting to create D3DDevice at resolution 1920 x 1200, Windowed: 0, Multisample: 4
Debug Message: Game Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Debug Message: Running fullscreen.
Debug Message: HAL (hw vp): NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
Debug Message: D3DPRESENT_INTERVAL_DEFAULT
Debug Message: Refresh rate: 60
Debug Message: Bit Depth: 32 bit.
Debug Message: *********Checking D3DDevice Caps***********************
Debug Message: A full-color cursor is supported in hardware at high resolution modes.
Debug Message: RGB in format 6:6:6, Masks reported as ff0000:ff00:ff
Debug Message: Now Fullscreen
Debug Message: Shell initialization complete
Debug Message: GalCiv2 is activated.
Debug Message: ***** Initializing Game *****
Debug Message: Timer Frequency is 0 17d7840
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\./Data/ShipTemplates/\*.shipcfg
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Fred\Documents\My Games\GC2TwilightArnor\shiptemplates\*.shipcfg
Debug Message: Initializing sound card.
Debug Message: initailizing bink
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock\TotalGaming\GalCiv2\DarkAvatar\Movies\techs\*.bik
Debug Message: No files found matching mask Movies\techs\*.bik
Debug Message: No files found matching mask Gfx\Tutorials\*.bik
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Fred\Documents\My Games\GC2TwilightArnor\Gfx\Movies\*.bik
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Fred\Documents\My Games\GC2TwilightArnor\sfx\*.wav
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Fred\Documents\My Games\GC2TwilightArnor\Music\*.mp3
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Users\Fred\Documents\My Games\GC2TwilightArnor\Event Music\*.mp3
Debug Message: Create setup screens.
Debug Message: Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message: Clear influence.
Debug Message: Clear up laws.
Debug Message: Clear first time events.
Debug Message: Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message: Clear sector mapper.

...[snip]...

Debug Message: Random Event: Begin
Debug Message: Random Event: End
Debug Message: About to auto save.
Debug Message: Save Game: About to save
Debug Message: Saving game C:\Users\Fred\Documents\My Games\GC2TwilightArnor\AutoSave.tmp
Debug Message: Num Sectors Across: 18
Debug Message: Saving: Game mode is normal.
Debug Message: Number of ships: 475, Number of Fleets: 122
Debug Message: Save game finished.
Debug Message: Finished auto save.
Debug Message: Destroying ship colony 21 8929. Orbiting: 0
Debug Message: Updating ZOC.
Reply #199 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Please install 'SmartException' from the free stuff section in Stardock Central. Make sure that SE is running and start your game as normal. If the game crashes it will generate an exception report that can be emailed to [email protected].

Include in/attached to the email:
+ A description of what you were doing at the time.
+ How to reproduce the crash (if possible).
+ A zipped save (if applicable).
+ The appropriate debug.err file.

The devs cannot help if you do not provide these details!
Reply #200 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I just updated Vista with the Service Pack and now GCII won't start at all.

I get "GC2Launcher.exe has stopped working"

I uninstalled and reinstalled and still nothing.

Any ideas?

Ray