Larian Studios Forums General Chat Chat (Anything) The PC "Help" Thread

Nice, what's the specs?

I'm extremely happy with my new PC...I have that 'play any game for a few years at max settings feeling again'

Oh how I missed that! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

*cough* geek *cough* <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" />

Well, thank you! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/stupid.gif" alt="" />

Übereil

You're very welcome Ubsie <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" />

We've just switched from router to just plugging our cables straight into the modem. I suspect this means that I have no router firewall. However, I've encountered a situation where I need to open ports to get an application to work, and I don't know how to do that now that I don't have a router firewall. I'm useing the free edition of Zone Alarm.

Übereil

So, what were your 20 rules? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Mind sharing them?

Yeah, I have to translate them to English <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />... Besides, most of the rules sais pretty much nothing without the question, which means that I have to translate the questions as well in order for the rules to make any sence.

Übereil

I just guess that Zone Alarm allows everything a program you allow to have access to the internet wants.

I've used Zone Alarm for ages. Alrik's right. What it does is block any attempts to access your computer from the internet and gives you complete control over which programs on your computer are allowed to access the internet.

It's a very good little program <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The weird thing is that it doesn't work properly with Warcraft 3. There are for instance programs that simulates a LAN, even though we're working over the internet (reduces lag a LOT). Now, there is this channel in mIRC that organizes DotA-games, called DotA.pickup. They have recently developed a software they call the Arena that uses a Java program to set up a LAN (you join the game by entering LAN game in WC 3 instead of going to battle.net, like you usually do to play over the internet). The problem is that the game doesn't show while Zone Alarm is on, though when I turn it off I can see (and enter) the game. Do you have any ideas on how I could solve this (or should I take it to Dota.pickups homepage)?

Übereil

The only thing i can think of is to check your settings for Zone Alarm, Ube. Make sure you haven't accidentally stopped the program gaining access to the web. Once you've set it to 'not allowed ever' Zone Alarm will assume you mean it and not ask you again.

If it's not that, make sure you aren't blocking some other program it relies on, instead.

If none of that works, you would probably have to ask the Dota forums, yes...

I use Zone Alarm too and find it great.

Remember to always allow the stuff you trust. Most games usually ask twice for rights with zone - once for internet, 2nd time for server access.

Also, if the program or game changes in any way, like a patch or update, then zone will ask you again because it knows the program changed.

I still use sygate personal firewall :-), works like a charm, and it's a lightweight.

It appears my computer is going downhill fast. First of all there is the lagg issue when some applications sometimes is allmost unuseable due to it lagging too much. I've had that with DoW:Soulstorm and with Gothic. I've encountered that I hardly can start those games because of them loading so slowly (a screen that normally took 10-15 seconds took minutes all of a sudden on Gothic 2)!

The other problem is the occasional freeze. It's most common when I play Warcraft 3, but it has allso happened when I've played Gothic 2 (once). What happenes is that my game freezes all of a sudden. Alt+tabbing and waiting have helped, then I've simply gone out to windows after a minute or two. The last time the game started displaying weirdly after a minute (the mouse was displayed as a green square with white lines drawed like a # in it, and half the screen blacked out), Gothic 2 allso had some minor graphic problems when it happened there, but that might have to do with how it deals with alt+tabbig (I get similar problems when I alt+tab).

Anyway, any theories about what might cause this (especially WC3 is starting to be a pain due to me dropping a few minutes into game, which sucks in a game that requires you to be in game for at least 40 minutes) and what can be done about it?

Oh, I've allso had problems with Windows Media Player and WC3 (only started a few weeks ago). The problem is that the game starts spikeing like mad once I've played through a playlist or when I open a new playlist.

Übereil

Well, after 4 years of using the same old computer (Pentium 2, upgraded to Pentium 4 in 2004) it finally broke down so we got a new one. Here's a comparison:
Old:
Pentium 4
Windows XP
formerly 64 MB's of RAM, upgraded 2 years ago to 512
1.80 GHz
64 bit video card, upgraded 2 years ago to 256 bit
40 GB Hard disk space
New:
Pentium D
Windows XP
1 GB RAM
3 GHz
512 bit video card
160 GB Hard disk space

As soon as I set it up, I installed DD (this game RULES) and before when I'd do the configuration, it would only get to the most 80 fps but with the new PC, it went all the way up to 160 fps! So now the load game time takes about 1 second, while save game time takes about 1/2 that! I'm very happy with my new PC, and I think I'll have it for at least another 4 years.

I think I should reinstall one day as well ...

My only "problem" is that I'd constantly have to have the CD in the drive ... which is something I less and less like ... for *all* games ...

I couldn't agree more. It's the same with me, but I do it for the sake of the game. However, I will not tolerate that
with just about any other game on my PC!

Ubereil;
Have you tried checking your memory (Memtest86 / MS Windows Memory Diagnostic), hard drive (the manufacturer should have a diagnostic program available on their site), etc?

Do you have 2 video cards in SLI / crossfire mode, or a single card? I have not used or done any troubleshooting with dual video card systems, but at least the issue having half the screen black sounds like it might be a problem with one card of a pair.


Do you have a spare hard drive, or partition (drive would be better), you could do a clean reinstall of Windows on? A series of progressively worsening weird problems could just be bit-rot, which a clean install should fix. A spare drive would be better to check this on, though, in case it is a hardware problem (if a clean install fixes the problems you can then work on moving over all your data, changing settings, re-installing programs, etc; if not you can just wipe the new install and not have to waste too much time reconfiguring everything the way you want it).



Alrik / Twoheadedragon

With the latest version of DD, a configuration file edit (see here) means you only need the Play CD in the drive for the blessing ceremony and end game videos.

Thank you very much Raze!

I've run the MS memtest, which came out with nothing (I ran it twice so I assume that my memory works fine). I tried to test my harddrives (I have two). They're from different brands. The older, larger one is a Maxtor, which I could run one test on, the Generic test. I couldn't run the S.M.A.R.T test nor the drive self test though. Acording to the tutorial an errorcode should occur, which doesn't happen.

The other, newer and smaller, HD is a Weston. I installed a different test for that one, but I can't run it, since I only get the option to check the maxtor HD (two options pointing at the same HD).

Is it possible that the two HD's collide somehow?

And I have one graphic card, a GF6800 AGP card, which is getting old.

Übereil