Looking for crash help

[Dreypdx 0]

Hello!

I discovered SC4 Deluxe last summer and love it!  I play on an older Compaq Presario 1500 Laptop with a 1.7 ghz processor, 512 RAM, Windows XP, and an old Radeon 7500 graphics card.  It worked wonderfully, and I discovered this website and had fun with many mods and props and etc...

The game ran well, and I had no problems or issues.

Alas, I uninstalled the game to make room for my Baldurs Gate cravings...

Now, I'm looking to install SC4 again, yet I'm having problems.  The game keeps crashing back to the desktop.  At first I couldn't get past the EA logo screen, but I did the command line prompt to skip the intro.  Now, the game boots to the tutorial screen, but after a few seconds automatically crashes to my desktop.  This is frustrating the heck out of me because I've had the game set up before on my system!   Any tips?

I have done the virtual memory thing (from these forums) to the max

I have updated with the patch from SimCity website

I have defragged my hard drive

What am I missing?

 

[Psycho_Teddy 25]

did you defrag after you reinstalled?

[Dreypdx 0]

Yes... I defragged after I installed.

Is that bad?  I'm not even sure what defragging is/does... I have read on some other posts that defragging helps with some issues (that's why I tried it).

Thanks

[tungston 19]

Did you install the game update patch?

[Psycho_Teddy 25]

Defragmentation of a hard disk is essentially re-arranging data on the disk so that it is more readily accessible (ie - the disk doesn't spend as much time seeking to another part of the disk to read data) and doesn't take as long to load data.  Picture it as alphabetizing your filing cabinet, its a lot easier to find data that is better organized than scattered about everywhere.

This usually works ok, but every once in a while, Windows f's up the defrag and accidentally corrupts the files being moved.  I would suggest trying another reinstall and seeing how things go.  You may be able to defrag safely, but this is a common fluke after defragmenting a hard disk.

(Insert picture of Bill Gates in a copy room with a file in his hand reading "SimCity 4" on it, with a speech bubble saying "oopsies!" over his head, as he tosses the file into the paper shredder)

[Dreypdx 0]

Yes, I have the SKU #1 update installed.

[Dreypdx 0]

Thanks for the info... I will try another reinstall later this evening...

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I don't use the standard defragger for that reason alone.  I use Diskeeper, which hasn't messed up to my knowledge.  I have it set to run when my screen saver is on, and it runs in the background then.  Keeps the disk cleaned up when I am not doing something else.

[Dreypdx 0]

Well... I have reinstalled the game and added the patch "SKU1_TO_P1_B638" It was still crashing to the desktop at the EA logo screen... added " -introff" Got past the intro to the tutorial region view... three seconds... CRASH to desktop I wonder if my drivers need updating? (I'm not sure I know how to do that) Any other suggestions besides throwing away my laptop for a newer one? Thanks for any help...

[tungston 19]

It sounds like it could be the video driver, or an improperly installed driver.

[Dreypdx 0]

Yee Haw! I fixed it! The sound on my computer was playing through an application I use to record streaming Grateful Dead shows... the game did not like that. Thanks for the replies folks! Happy city building