Larian Studios Forums Divine Divinity (English) Technical Problems PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!

Ever since downloading one of the editors (the one where you add skill points)my game has been messed up! every time i walk around ars magicana my game crashes - i dont know what to do because i have to trade to improve my charcter. i've tried almost EVERYTHING in the trouble shooting section plus patches and reinstalling the game. what could be doing this? what do i do?
will some very smart person out there please advise me on what to do before i toss my moniter out the window. THANKSSS!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" />

operating system: xp
service pack: 1
admin. rights?: yes
ram:756
graphics card and driver version: yes /detonater 5303
additional hardware / driver versions: soundblaster live 5.1, netgear ethernet 10 by 100, fm3 pen card
add. software running: norton anti - virus
size of swap file: 2 gigs
game version and patch: 1.029 + 1.034
partition/free space: 80 gigs part. / 53.3 g left
direct x: yes
color: 32 bits
additionals: zakarons (i think)

Look if you've didnt put more then 5 points in a skill. That might be your problem.

If I got you right you installed both patches the one which leads you to version 1.0029 and the one that gives you version 1.0034.
You should only install the latest patch 1.0 which converts your version to 1.0034.

Maybe this causes the problem. Besides that Jolies Idea could also be the case.

How long was it between when you edited the save and when you noticed the problem? Try loading the most recent save you have before editing, and see if you had a problem then in Ars Magicana, or any saves you have just after editing.
Is the crash in the centre of the southern path? (ie where the cut scene conversations with Marcus and Moll are triggered)

i did'nt - although i did bump up my experience points a pretty fair amount <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" />

[quote]

If I got you right you installed both patches the one which leads you to version 1.0029 and the one that gives you version 1.0034.
You should only install the latest patch 1.0 which converts your version to 1.0034.

i'm sorry - i was mistaken. (im not very good with the technical aspect of computers) the version i have is english cdv and the only patch that was actually installed is the 1.0034 and that was only after the game started acting all bugged out. my husband said he tried to uninstall the patch and could'nt? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

It is my understanding that the patch needs to be installed before starting the game. Someone else correct me if I am wrong.

you are Kee-rect!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
suggestions are to save your game in a zip file for the moment... and then uninstall <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" />, scandisk, maybe a defrag wouldn't hurt at all

....do a re-install of <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" />, apply necessary patch...
and away we go! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

it was almost immediate. it started with the game crashing every few minutes. this was either because of or related to the tons of pop up ads that suddenly started popping up! even just on desktop or internet they just kept coming and coming.. (and we have an ad filter that always blocks them) also the game started slowing down as if in slow motion. after that i started doing the trouble shooting tips. nothing worked and the only thing we found was some saves without all 27 files at verdistis. the two savegames which had the full 27 files still crash. it happens when my character runs to the right of the town(ars magicana). if i stay to the west of town im usually ok but a little further east past the men in the cutscene is when it usually happens and always near the blacksmith. i've gone to a few other areas since this happened and i can move around for a while but inevitably the game will crash. also, i cant load the save from before the editor.

sounds like a background program running.....somewhere...on taskbar maybe? or hidden... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />
check which programs you have running in the bkgrnd! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />

Try this link for the solution to your popups problem.
Fix those annoying popups

[color:"orange"]this was either because of or related to the tons of pop up ads that suddenly started popping up![/color]

Check this list of freeware anti-virus / anti-spyware programs, in addition to Cleglaw's link for XP's messenger spam.


[color:"orange"]also, i cant load the save from before the editor.[/color]

You tried deleting the files in the dynamics folder? Maybe a clean re-install would help.


You do not need to install the patch before starting a new game, but some of the story fixes only apply to games started after it is installed, so you will get the best effect installing the patch first.

well, the pop up ads are gone finally. it was weird how they came on full force like that - seriously, like EVERY TWO SECONDS! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" /> it was so annoying! has any one else experienced mad pop ups after installing the game editor? we already had anti virus, spam - pal, and a pop up filter so how could those irritants have weasled in that bad?

im going to scan disk, defragg, reinstall with new patch and hopefully this will fix the problem! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/alien.gif" alt="" />

just wanted to say thanks for all the advice - you guys are the best! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/kissyou.gif" alt="" />

There is a security risc with a company using pop-ups for advertising their "anti-popup"-program.

I'm awfully sorry, but I have only a german-language text about that :

Advertisement using Trojans

And this is an English PDF document about that being mentioned there :
http://www.cdt.org/privacy/20040210cdt.pdf

I'll post it in the appropriate thread in the CHat area, too.

Spybot and Adaware which Raze referred you to will help prevent future attacks as these popups are probably from adware and are not viruses. Furthermore if they came in via Messenger a popup blocker will not stop them. I also like Mozilla as a web browser and email client (available at Mozilla 1.6 Besides having a myriad of features which IE does not, it is also more secure.