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Revan 411

By Revan 411
in General Tech Discussion

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Revan 411 Newbie

Revan 411

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I am at the discomfort of asking you guys for help. :(

 

This problem, which I'll explain to you in a minute, started 2 weeks ago on April 2, 2010. And it has been a curse upon my computer for quite sometime now. I don't know what caused this, but that's not what my objection is. What it is though, is finding out how to get rid of this problem, and making sure it never, ever, happens again. (Which, by the way, is a fantasy dream if you have products from companies such as Microsoft.)

 

The problem is that whenever I try to play a Video Game on my PC, it lags. And by lag, I mean the frame - rate drops from my default 40 - 30, all the way to 2. The video screen is completely out of sync with the audio, and the entire experiences drops apart. Its a universal problem; meaning that it affects all the games that are installed, not just KotOR or Dragon Age: Origins. Here, let me show you a video on what happens so you guys will have a clear view of what my problem is. ;)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYbfHgy67mE

 

Now, I'm sure many of you would like to know the run-down on my system specs; that's not a problem for me. ;)

 

Processor: Intel® Core™2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz

Graphic Card: NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GS

Clock Speed: 2399 MHz

Physical Memory: (In other-words: A RAM) 3.99 GB

VRAM: 512 MB

Graphic Card Driver Version: 197.13

Sound Adapter: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio)

Sound Driver Version: 6.0.1.5657

Operating System: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium (64 bit)

Direct X Version: DirectX 10.0 (Aug2009) or later

 

If you know how to fix this problem, then don't hesitate to post. I would gladly appreciate it.

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I think that a comprehensive malware scan is in order. Download, install and update these three antispyware/antimalware scanners, Then boot into Safe Mode as an administrator (tap F8 after the BIOS POST screen and before Windows starts to boot) and run them:

 

Ad-Aware.

Malwarebytes -Don't worry; it's free to download and just use the scanner.

SuperAntiSpyware.

 

Also, what antivirus are you using?

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Revan 411 Newbie

Revan 411

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Also, what antivirus are you using?

Heh... promise not to laugh or anything, but I'm using Windows Live OneCare. I know, not the best choice, but it came with my computer and has proven reliable so far. (For me at least.) And I'll do a virus scan right now.

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urluckyday Newbie

urluckyday

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Actually (you all know I love M$, but I'm being serious), OneCare has a pretty good rep for being able to detect most viruses and malware, and it is light on system resources so you know it's not holding it down. Now, just like any other AV, it can miss viruses/spyware just because their definitions aren't known at the time.

 

I would choose the "Tune-Up" option that comes with OneCare and do a complete system...well...tune-up and see if that helps (and that will include a virus scan).

 

Let us know if that helps.

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Revan 411 Newbie

Revan 411

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You could also try reinstalling your graphics card drivers, I believe NVIDIA just added version 197.45, why not give that a shot.

I already updated to the latest drivers, and the problem is still there.

 

Let us know if that helps.

I've done a scan, and it seems that OneCare didn't detect any form of virus's or Malware installed on this computer.

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Heh... promise not to laugh or anything, but I'm using Windows Live OneCare. I know, not the best choice, but it came with my computer and has proven reliable so far. (For me at least.) And I'll do a virus scan right now.

Time to upgrade to Microsoft Security Essentials. It's what I use and it's excellent. It's gotten almost universally positive reviews, so it's pretty much the opposite of Windows Live OneCare. :p

 

It's also available in a 64-bit flavor.

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stingerhs Newbie

stingerhs

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sounds like an issue with either temperatures or the video drivers not correctly running the game in 3D mode.

 

to check temps, you'll need SpeedFan and Intel's Burn Testfor the CPU. then, you'll need Furmark for the GPU.

 

start checking the CPU first. install SpeedFan first and get it running. if you want to log the temps, click "Configure". in the new window, click on the "Logs" tab, and then tick the "Enabled" option. this should open some new options which you can configure (although it isn't necessary). then, you'll need to get Intel Burn Test running. it should open a command prompt screen. at the first prompt, enter "y" to enable error detection. at the next prompt, enter "1" to enable maximum stress. when you're ready to start the test, enter "5" in the last prompt. if you're using SpeedFan to log the temps, then you can safely turn off your monitor and walk away for a couple minutes or so. just make sure you keep an eye on things, though, because the Burn Test *will* stress your CPU and RAM. in SpeedFan, you'll be wanting to make sure that Core Temp isn't getting higher than 90C.

 

testing the GPU is a simpler process with Furmark since it has a built in temperature monitor. install Furmark and run it. in the "Run Mode" section, select the following: "Stability Test", "Xtreme Burning Mode", and "Post FX". then, click the big "Go!" button at the bottom. it should open a new window with some neat looking effects going on. what you should watch, though, is the graph at the bottom of the window as this is the temp monitor. essentially, you'll want to see what the maximum temp that your video card is reaching, but you'll want to make sure that it doesn't get higher than 100C. also, its worth mentioning that Furmark will also give you a FPS counter in the top left.

 

anyways, this should let you see exactly how your hardware is holding up. if this doesn't expose any problems, then my money is on the video drivers. ;)

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Astrotoy7 Newbie

Astrotoy7

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Time to upgrade to Microsoft Security Essentials. It's what I use and it's excellent. It's gotten almost universally positive reviews, so it's pretty much the opposite of Windows Live OneCare. :p

 

MSE is built with the same detection algorithms of LiveOneCare. The problem with LOC was its implementation(and cost). Also, coming into existence with the ire that Vista got, it never got a favourable look.

 

Now, dudes are frothing all over MSE, which , from a AV point of view is exactly that part of LOC. It's like the whole Vista/Mojave/Win7 perception distortion filter all over again :D

 

Whilst LOC stopped being sold in late 2009, I believe the definition updates will continue as long as a subscription was in effect.

 

OT:

 

I hope it is a malware problem - because that is easier fixed than a hardware problem. Implement what stinger has laid out and see how you go with the stress tests.

 

mtfbwya

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Yeah, damn right it is. R411, you're going to have to remove your graphics card and clean all of the dust out of the heatsink and its fan. While you're at it, you might as well clean the entire inside of your PC. That should fix the problem. This should be done periodically, according to how dusty your place is.

 

Stingerhs nailed this one. :)

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Now, dudes are frothing all over MSE, which , from a AV point of view is exactly that part of LOC. It's like the whole Vista/Mojave/Win7 perception distortion filter all over again :D

I thought MSE used a different scanning engine. :confused:

 

My bad.

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