Kotor crashes on Dell laptop

[laukejas]

Hello,

 

I recently installed Kotor on my new laptop, Dell Studio 1555. Since I have started game on my old computer, I copied my saves to laptop. I loaded the last save (it was in Dantooine, in the ruins where Star Map is). Everything went perfect. Game ran perfectly on highest settings. But when I tried to go to Dantooine plains, game crashed while loading new level. Tried again - crashed again.

 

Suspecting the corrupt save, I loaded it on my old computer - it didn't crash while loading new level.

Suspecting different installations, I copied whole Kotor directory from old computer to laptop, with saves, with everything - but game still crashes.

 

I loaded some older saves. Some area transitions go ok, but some crash as well when loading. Can't see any pattern.

 

Tried lowering game settings to minimum. didn't help.

 

Tried reinstalling. No change.

 

All my drivers are up to date. Game is patched to 1.03b.

 

 

Any suggestions, please?

[Q]

If your laptop has Vista or 7, please reinstall the game according to the large-print instructions at the top of the second post in this thread. Please follow them carefully and do everything they say.

[laukejas]

Sorry, forgot to mention - I have Windows XP Pro... I read that, and "Dealing with laptop issues" thread as well...

[Q]

OK, then. Please post your system specs using the game's configuration utility:

Post your system specs

Sometimes we're just not going to be able to help you if we don't know what kind of hardware you have on your machine. If you don't know what you have on your machine, then follow these steps below:

• Bring up the launcher menu for Kotor 1 or 2.
  
• Click on "Configure".
  
• Click the "Scan Hardware" button on the lower center of the window.
  
• Click "Yes" to continue.
  
• Click "Details" to view your system specs.
  
• Click "Save Report" and save the file to your desktop.
  
• Whenever you post your problem, open the file you just saved and copy and paste the contents to your post.

[laukejas]

Well, here it is... Sorry I didn't it earlier...

 

[sWKotOR]

ReportDateTime=2010.01.18 14:11:59

SysInfoVersion=v1.00.60

GameExists=1

GameVersion=v1.03.514077

GameInstallLocation=C:\Program Files\LucasArts\SWKotOR\

 

[OS]

Name=WinXP

Version=Windows XP v5.1 build 2600 Service Pack 3

Service Pack=Service Pack 3

Status=Pass

 

[swapFiles]

C:\pagefile.sys=2046

 

[CPU]

CPUCount=1

CPUSpeed=2194

CPUFamily=6

CPUModel=7

CPUStepping=10

CPUVendor=Intel

CPUName=Intel® Core2 Duo CPU T6600 @ 2.20GHz

Status=Pass

 

[Memory]

RAM=2048

Status=Pass

 

[Disk Free Space]

C: (NTFS), UNICODE=104.16GB

D: (NTFS), UNICODE=254.12GB

Status=Pass

 

[CD-ROMs]

DriveLetters=E:\,H:\

Drives=TSSTcorp DVD+-RW TS-T633C

 

[Video]

Video Card Name=ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570

Video Memory=1024

Desktop Resolution=1366x768x32 @ 60Hz

DirectX=DirectX (9.0+) (4.09.00.0904)

OpenGL Version=2.1.8537 Release

OpenGL Vendor=ATI Technologies Inc.

OpenGL Renderer=ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570

Vid Card Status=Warning

Vid Card Driver Status=Pass

GL Status=Pass

DX Status=Pass

 

[Audio]

Sound Card Name=IDT Audio

Status=Pass

 

 

;Game Options from swkotor.ini

 

[sound Options]

Sound Init=0

Music Volume=38

Voiceover Volume=41

Sound Effects Volume=28

Movie Volume=40

Force Software=0

EAX=0

Disable Sound=0

Number 3D Voices=16

Number 2D Voices=24

Environment Effects Level=0.60

2D3D Bias=1.50

Environment Effects=1

Environment Effects Nonstreaming=1

Environment Effects Streaming=1

 

[Game Options]

GUIsInScreenShot=1

EnableScreenShot=0

Reverse Mouse Buttons=0

Hide InGame GUI=0

Use Small Fonts=0

Keyboard Camera Deceleration=2000.000000

Keyboard Camera Acceleration=500.000000

Keyboard Camera DPS=200.000000

Hide Unequippable=0

Tutorial Popups=1

Subtitles=1

Mini Map=0

Floating Numbers=0

Status Summary=1

Enable Mouse Teleporting To Buttons=1

Mouse Sensitivity=33

Auto Level Up NPCs=0

Mouse Look=0

AutoSave=1

Reverse Minigame YAxis=0

Combat Movement=1

Enable Tooltips=1

Difficulty Level=1

TooltipDelay Sec=1.000000

Memory Access=1

Memory Level=1

 

[Movies Shown]

Movie 0=127

Movie 1=239

Movie 2=123

Movie 3=136

Movie 4=103

Movie 5=0

Movie 6=128

Movie 7=7

Movie 8=0

Movie 9=0

Movie10=0

 

[Alias]

HD0=.\

OVERRIDE=.\Override

TEMP=.\Temp

MODULES=.\Modules

LOGS=.\Logs

LOCALVAULT=.\LocalVault

DMVAULT=.\DMVault

SERVERVAULT=.\ServerVault

STREAMMUSIC=.\StreamMusic

TEMPCLIENT=.\Tempclient

SAVES=.\saves

CURRENTGAME=.\currentgame

TEXTUREPACKS=.\texturepacks

STREAMWAVES=.\StreamWaves

 

[Graphics Options]

RefreshRate=60

Height=768

Width=1024

V-Sync=1

Anisotropy=16

Frame Buffer=1

Anti Aliasing=4

Texture Quality=2

Emitters=1

Grass=1

Soft Shadows=1

Shadows=1

Brightness=76

EnableHardwareMouse=1

FullScreen=1

AllowSoftShadows=1

 

[Autopause Options]

Mine Sighted=0

End Of Combat Round=0

Enemy Sighted=0

Party Killed=1

Action Menu=0

New Target Selected=0

 

[config]

firstrun=0

 

[Keymapping]

Action286B=8

Action286A=7

Action285B=10

Action285A=9

Action284B=54

Action284A=51

Action283B=54

Action283A=51

Action282B=69

Action282A=73

Action281B=53

Action281A=76

Action280B=69

Action280A=73

Action265=52

Action264=57

Action263=43

Action262=85

Action261=84

Action260=83

Action259=82

Action258=81

Action257=80

Action256=79

Action255=78

Action254=77

Action253=31

Action245=75

Action244=55

Action243=67

Action242=74

Action241=87

Action240=56

Action239=68

Action238=82

Action236=83

Action234=81

Action232=80

Action230=79

Action228=78

Action226=77

Action225=70

Action224=90

Action223=31

Action222=25

Action221=24

Action220=29

Action219=28

Action218=42

Action217=87

Action216=65

Action215=63

Action214=62

Action213=60

Action212=61

Action211=66

Action210=59

Action209=71

Action208=89

Action207=72

Action206=30

Action205=55

Action204=67

[Q]

Two things:

• First, figure out where the .ini is installed. Default is "C:\Program Files\Lucasarts\swkotor(2)\swkotor(2).ini". If its not in that location, then your going to have to do some searching around on the hard drive a bit.
  
• When you find it, just double-click on the file to open it in Notepad.
  
• Scroll down the file until you find the Graphics Options
  
• Under the last line ("last line" as in the last line of the list of entries under "Graphics Options", NOT the last line of "swkotor(2).ini), add "Disable Vertex Buffer Objects=1", without the quotes.
  
• Goto File, then Save.

After starting the game, press Ctrl-Shift-Esc to bring up the task manager. Right-click "Knights of the Old Republic" under the applications list and select "Go to process." Right click on the highlighted process (probably something like (sw)kotor.exe) and select "Set Affinity..." In the dialog box that comes up, deselect all but one core. Then return to the game and see what happens ^/_\^

 

Just remember that you'll need to do this every time you start the game.

[laukejas]

Did both things... No luck.

[Q]

Damned ATI. Try this:

I downloaded ATI System Tools, created a game profile where I set Direct3d and OpenGL settings to Auto Balanced and it worked like a charm!

[laukejas]

Em... I downloaded these system tools, but while creating a game profile, I can't see "auto balanced" anywhere...

 

Edit: oh, sorry. Just found it. Trying...

 

Edit2: Wow! Worked like a charm. Thank you so much... I was giving up hope. Thank you again !

 

Edit 3: Wanted to ask a little more advice, although it's not really with the topic.

 

I have little problem with graphics. When I turn, sometimes it looks like part (or few parts of the screen) is moving separatly from the rest. This makes an impression of some thin horizontal lines. When I stop turning, it's ok. It's a little hard to explain, but just imagine that the screen is separated into horizontal blocs, and when I turn, some blocks separate from the rest, and move a few pixels to the left/right.

 

Visual example:

 

If I see vertical line in game like this

 

.|.

.|.

.|.

.|.

.|.

.|.

 

Then, when turning camera left/right the line becomes like this

 

.|.

|.

.|.

|.

.|.

.|.

 

(don't mind the dots, their only for formatting)

And when I stop moving it, it becomes ok as before.

 

Do you recognize this problem?

 

EDIT: I'm not sure if the screen is divided into parts and move separately. Thing happens quick, hard to tell. The only thing I see is some horizontal lines without color, somehow separating screen. Screenshots don't catch it.

 

After some more experiments, I noticed that there is like some wave, running up or down my screen, and causing that illusion of lines, and that wave is making screen look weird. One more thing I noticed - this happens only at the upper half of the screen. The lower is ok.

 

By the way, my laptop monitor should be ok. I had same problem with my old PC.

[Qui-Gon Glenn]

Some of this sounds like old school game graphics, and some of it sounds like affinity setting. You probably have been doing this, but you do need to set the affinity each and every time you start up.

 

You can sometimes look thru walls in KotOR/TSL, depending on where you are standing, if you are sometimes right next to the wall and trying to look straight into it. When turning, it can often seem that things get a little distorted - much less so in KotOR than in older SW games like JK. That, also, may not be news to you...

[laukejas]

Well, tried affinity thing - no luck... Yeah, I experienced this problem in other games too. Any more advice, please?

[Q]

This actually sounds like a scaling anomaly. Your desktop's resolution, which, I assume, is your screen's resolution is one of those bizarre quasi-16:9 resolutions that few games support natively. What your GPU, or maybe even you screens firmware is doing is scaling the game's image and causing these weird anomalies.

 

There is a widescreen mod for KotOR1 that will allow you to set the game's resolution to match your screen's. Look for it in the Taris Upper City Emporium here in the KotOR subforum of LF.

[laukejas]

Unfortunately, it didn't work... I have resolution of 1366:786, and only 1360:786 is supported.. I did everything according to the instructions, but after that, there was no option to choose new resolution via menu. If I edited swkotor.ini file to change resolution, game would run in 800:600 only, no matter what I write...