Crashing and needs a restart of Computer

[Tigger_1979 0]

I play loads of different games on my computers and I always have come back to SimCity 4 always, but at the moment I am starting to fall out of love with the game as it is always randomly crashing the whole computer to a black screen. Ctrl Alt Del or windows Start button does not even get me back to the Windows Desktop. I always have to resort to restarting the computer and replaying the region.

I have been regularly saving but over a nights play I can have the game crash about about 6 times. The game when it isn't crashing appears to run nice quick and smoothly and I have not noticed anything that could cause the problem

I am using:

SimCity4.exe Deluxe Ed version: 1.1.638.0

Windows Vista 64 SP2 Home (Now upgraded to Windows 7 Home Premium)

Intel Core 2 Duo 3.16GHz CPU (this has been vaired from standard to overclocked, and still crashes)

8.00 GB RAM (same crashing with 4.00 GB, 8GB only allows the screen to refresh quicker)

XFX GeForce 8800 GTX XXX Graphics card, 

    ( I have tried running different screen resolutions but the crashing still happens and doesn't seem to affect it)

C: (Windows runs on) 139 GB Total 78.3 GB free

E:  (Sim City 4 Currently installed on) 931 GB Total 838 GB free

Pagefile/swapfile is Windows managed over both C: and E: drive over 20GBs usable from DxDiag.

I am currently running the shortcut below and have tried playing with screen Res, Affinity and Priority to see if any help.

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /C START "Simcity 4" /high /affinity 1 "E:\Games\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1200x32

I get the same problems as when I ran the game with standard settings

E:\Games\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe

or

C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe

I have not modified the game except for the original SimCity4 upgrades that would auto download from the website, so my Plugins folder is empty.

Looking in the Exception Reports folder nothing has been produced for over 9 months, probably because SimCity crashes my whole computer and so it may not have time to produce the report.

I have read about scroll wheels on your mouse and so tried playing with a mouse that did not have a scroll will but even with this it would also crash.

Any other ideas/help would be very helpfull

Cheers

Will

[tungston 19]

When the crash is more than a crash to desktop, it "usually" is not the game, but a hardware, or driver issue.

The game is pretty polite about leaving the room when it encounters an error.

[Tigger_1979 0]

hummmm, possible, but then I would have thought I would notice the crashing with other programs and games and I run loads of different software and have no problems and only have problems with Sim City 4.

An update to the issue, is that I have noticed if I have done other things on the computer and then come back to Sim City 4 the game plays for a long period, couple of hours sometimes without crashing. Then when it does finally start crashing again. The computer is restarted and if I play Sim City 4 again straight away, it wont take long to crash again.

So whats been noticed is if I play continously non stop and after each crash go straight back to Sim City it crashes in a lot shorter time, than if I split the game play with a few other things like surfing forums playing other games etc.

This is pointing me to Sim City 4 maybe having an issue with the swapfile/pagefile, as RAM is cleared when the computer restarts.

Does Sim City 4 really need a swapfile/pagefile to play when running a 64bit system and 8GBs, hmmmm.

[Tigger_1979 0]

ooo while I am thinking about it, in the Sim City 4 Settings, what is the difference between Software and Hardware ??? I have not been able to fully understand this option.

[Vahr 341]

Software = uses CPU time to draw and render.

Hardware = uses your video card and GPU to draw and render.

Software is slower (as you need to share time on the CPU with the internal simulation) and such should only be used if your hardware is incompatible or has issues with Sc4.

Pagefile wise, yes, it actually does. For what reason with so much available RAM, I have no idea. Probably was how the game was coded to handle certain simulation objects.

Have you tried increasing or reducing the page file? Sometimes its too small (and such runs out of room) or is too large (thus it is favored over the physical RAM)

[tungston 19]

Few programs are as memory, or processor intensive as SC4.

You can check the memory with memtest.exe, or Prime95.exe.  Prime95 is a stress test for memory, and processor.   I don't have links to the sites, but you should be able to find them with a web search.

Addendum:  What speed is the memory, and is it high performance?

[Tigger_1979 0]

Memory Speed is 1333MHz, which I would have thought was quick.

I will test the memory over the weekend, I also have a program I can test the memory with but it takes an age to test it all, lol. But I think I have tested the memory with a few different programs a while ago so may not be faulty. As I still had the crashing problem back then.

I have got some good news, I have been running Sim City 4 for the last day and it has not crashed,

Shortcut running as:

"E:\Games\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1200x32

and Compatiablilty for XP SP2 ticked also run as an Admin picked

Also Sim City 4 Currently has Hardware picked

Please also Note I am currently the whole of the processor both Cores and not running just one core.

I bet I have jinx the game now, lol.

[tungston 19]

If the memory test doesn't take "ages", then it isn't extensive enough.

With 8GB, I would run it overnight.

[Tigger_1979 0]

At the moment I have not had a crash with Sim City 4 since changing my shortcut settings, back on the 1st Oct.

Shortcut running both of the dual cores as:

"E:\Games\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1200x32

and Compatiablilty for XP SP2 ticked also run as an Admin picked

Also Sim City 4 Options, currently has 'Hardware' picked

But at the moment I am using a young city of around 250,000 pop

[Tigger_1979 0]

I knew I would jinx it, just crashed twice. So I am currently going to try a few other options. Also I can reproduce the crash in a few seconds into the game at the moment.

[SC4BOY 21]

And exactly what do you do that you can reproduce?

[Tigger_1979 0]

Cause Sim City 4 to Crash the whole computer. When I run this one large City it crashes after 1 or 2 minutes. So I am currently trying a few of the options to see if one particular option helps the game to carry on.

- Running with a single core or the processor,

- Running as High Priority

- Run as Admin

- Software or Hardware

- Standard no alterations

- Adjusting the pagefile/swapfile

if anyone has anymore ideas I could try I am happy to try them out, no matter how strange they are.

[SC4BOY 21]

Oh I thought you meant that you knew what would crash it.. Have you CHANGED any of those items you list before it started to crash? Or has it always crashed? Obviously it ran at least OK for a while for you to get it to 250K

Bazsed on your PC descriptions, your's is similar to minie, but yours is better.. so why you're having the problems and why they manifest at 250K I have no idea. When you say the PC needs restart, do you mean it shuts down and restarts itself or do you mean it hangs in some way and you have to manually restart it?

I tend to agree with Tungsten that this likely exposes a hardware issue rather than some setting you're using

Hmm.. I just thought of something you might try.. what happens if you install the game on C so all operation comes from one drive? This shouldn't matter but it may find there is some read/write issue

[Tigger_1979 0]

I originally installed the game on the C: drive it crashed back then with the basic shortcut settings. Hardware issues could be the problem, but I have tried all the test programs and not found anything yet.

The game has crashed under all settings I listed before I had anywhere near 250k pop at the start of the region and now the pop is upto about 300k the game seems to continously crash.

When I say it crashes the computer, I mean it hangs and ctrl alt del, esc, start button, alt F4 doesn't get me back to windows that I end up resetting the computer and waiting for it to reload and try Sim City again. I have never had Sim City crash and been able to get back to Windows.

[SC4BOY 21]

Have you gone to the support sites for all your hardware components and made certain you have up to date drivers? What you describe is almost certainly not an SC4 problem even though you are experiencing it with SC4... Sorry you haven't been able to spot the problem.

When its working between crashes does it behave normally?

[tungston 19]

You are running a high speed memory, have you tried setting the CL-CAS latency timing lower?

Who manufactured the memory?

What is the manufacturers stated latency timing?

What is the manufacturers recommended memory voltage?  And what voltage are you using?

What motherboard, and chipset do you have?

[Tigger_1979 0]

Memory is running standard speed and its from Corsair, I have a Asus motherboard, and all hardware drivers are upto date, I'm a bit pedantic with getting things running smoothly and always being up to date.

At the moment I have set the game back to run on a single core and it seems to be running with no problems, following shortcut setup (but this was crashing all the time when I was playing with a small city).

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /C START "Simcity 4" /high /affinity 1 "E:\Games\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1200x32

But Admin and Run in XP mode has not been turned on this time.

And the City pop is around the 350k mark now.

[Tigger_1979 0]

I appear to have fixed my issue, I was looking at the graphics card settings and then noticed this obvious.

Opened the NVIDIA Control Panel

Opened the 3D Settings - Adjust image settings with preview

and changed the setting from "Use my preference emphasising: Quality" to "Let the 3D application decide"

As Sim City 4 is listed in the games that NVIDIA has altered settings to make the suitable for the graphics card I ran Sim City with no shortcut alterations except to run at max resolution of 1920x1200

Sim City 4 ran with no problems/crashes and also seemed to run a lot quicker, for a 350k pop region.

As I am going to keep with the shortcut set like so:

"E:\Games\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1200x32

with no changes to amount of cores, priority, Version of Windows Compatiable or if run in admin.

I will update this thread as soon as I get another crash, but fingers crossed I don't think I will. If this is the fix then I think anyone using an NVIDIA graphics card should make the same changes, to let NVIDIA fix the game.

[Memorex 0]

Your prosseer may be to quick its like running the treadmill too fast and u cant keep up

[Tigger_1979 0]

I would just like to update that I have still not had a single crash since making the alteration to the NVIDIA settings

Right Click Desktop screen

Click 'NVIDIA Control Panel'

Pick 'Adjust image settings with preview' from the '3D Settings' menu item

then make sure you have "Let the 3D application decide" chosen and this will pick the best Graphics Card settings that NVIDIA recommend for the Sim City 4 game.

[Tigger_1979 0]

Final update to this thread, I have been playing Sim City 4 with the following shortcut settings:

"E:\Games\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1200x32

I have not switched of any of the cores off, still using both of them, on Normal priority and running the Hardware setting in Sim City.

All I have done different is change the NVIDIA settings in my previous post and all appears to be running fine.

I currently have done 200 years and the last 50 of them the pop has been around 400k.

It seems obvious really to allow the people who design the graphics card to work how the game should be played on it.

[Tigger_1979 0]

Dam I have had a few crashes again, but since I closed this thread as fixed I have changed from Vista to Windows 7.

The crash has been occurring in a small region with only a pop of 15k, but another region a large one with 200k+ pop has been working fine (just a little slower).

One thing I have noticed when it crashed (well the only time I could get back to the desktop and not need a restart of the computer).

I noticed the Sim City Electronic Registration had tried to load. Has anyone else noticed this and could the reasons for the crashes be that the game is just trying to register itself. Which I dont think we can do anymore???

Also Current shortcut to Sim City is as follows:

"E:\Games\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CPUCount:1 -CPUPriority:low -w -introff -CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1200x32

[Tigger_1979 0]

Anyone got any new ideas of fixing the Windows 7 and Vista issue with Sim City, as I am having loads of problems at the moment and have tried everything, with adjusting the shortcut that is.

Low and High Priority

single CPU core or all

Windowed and full screen

Run with Admin and XP SP3 compatiable

and finally (which does appear to help a little) switched on the Nvidia settings recommended for the game.

[Tigger_1979 0]

Ok I think I have found the issue, but I am not sure how to fix without buying new bits.

I ran the Windows 7 Memory Diagnostics Tool, which you can find in Start > Programs > Admin Tools, I first ran this on a standard test and all passes with flying colours. I then ran the test on Extended and at this reported that there was problems with the memory.

The only problem know is thats where the Memory Diagnostic Tool stops and doesn't give any ideas with how to fix the issue.

Is it worth everyone else who has been having problems running Sim City and it crashing to also run this same tool, also anyone who has never had problems could they also run the tool on extended and see if it passes.

[z1 566]

You'll need to replace the offending memory stick. If you don't know which one it is, try taking them out one at a time and running the memory diagnostic until it runs without errors. If you're really lucky, you're memory is still under warranty. Otherwise... well, memory is pretty cheap these days.

[z1 566]

You'll need to replace the offending memory stick. If you don't know which one it is, try taking them out one at a time and running the memory diagnostic until it runs without errors. If you're really lucky, you're memory is still under warranty. Otherwise... well, memory is pretty cheap these days.

[TheOlympics 546]

OMG im so irritated right now everything was working fine a day ago when I was playing sc4 now all today its been crashing. I can't even pan around my city without it crashing help please...

[TheOlympics 546]

OMG im so irritated right now everything was working fine a day ago when I was playing sc4 now all today its been crashing. I can't even pan around my city without it crashing help please...

[Tigger_1979 0]

hummmm thats gonna be about £100 to replace the memory, I will have to take it up with Crucial.

I think I will have to try and 100% confirm some how that the memory is the issue here before replacing the modules.

[SC4BOY 21]

Better take it up with Crucial asap.. in all likelyhood they will supply you a test program to run and get failure report to get it replaced on warranty.. better sooner than later.