tjh876

Original Thread: Crash to Desktop? Look here first. If you have recently come over a big issue that has your game crashing to desktop (CTD), then it can be a bunch of different reasons why. CTD can be caused by a number of different things. Like if you have recently installed a pluggin, and you went to go play SC4 and it crashed, or that it suddenly just starts randomly crashing. These things can be determined by your operating system (Windows XP, Vista, Mac OSX, etc). Also it depends on if you have just SC4 (Vanilla), Rush hour, or deluxe Here are some things to consider that might cause this issue for you. 1) Did you recently install something into Sim City 4? If you did, try removing it, and see if that helps. 2) Did you upgrade your OS recently? Maybe you need to see if it is possible to run in compatibility mode or as an administrator. 3) Did you recently install SC4? Maybe you do not have all the patches installed, and installing them can help greatly. 4) Is your copy of SC4 legal? If not, help is very limited, as well as that could be your issue. Please consider obtaining a real copy legally. 5) Did you recently change a setting on your computer? Maybe it has impacted the stabability of SC4. Try undoing that setting and see if it helps. 6) Did you mess around with critical SC4 files? If so, then you might have to reinstall the game due to the fact that critical files might be corupted or messed up. 7) Do you maintain your computer often, or do you just not care what goes on and off it? This can be due to possible virus, trojan, etc., or a drive in need of cleaning. For increased stabability when running Sim City 4 on Vista or Windows 7 (often referred to as 7), keep in mind that this directory can be different from yours. C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c START "high priority sc4" /high "C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -w -intro:off By doing this, you skip the intro, and increase the priority. This makes multicore computers more stable with the game. You can put this in your target box or by running it directly in Command Prompt. 9) Disk Error checking can also help SC4 by doing this on the drive that it is stored on, which is usually the C: drive. 10) Try using this auto save. You can adjust the save frequency, and also, its automatic. You can find it here 11) Try also using the Save Alarm. You can find it here (requires LEX account) 12) Conflicting plugins, one of the most common cause. If you have multiple mods for the same thing, like terrain mods, cars, etc. Read readmes when installing, and no, I am not joking. Please, if you want something to install right, and no issues, 1 minute of reading doesn't hurt. (Thanks Josh) Hopefully you can find some help in this thread regarding you CTD issues. Original Thread: Crash to Desktop? Look here first. Return to Top

First, try reinstalling the driver for the CD drive. Make sure it is the correct driver too. Also open up "Device Manager" (you can do this through the Control Panel, and if you have Windows Vista or 7, you can do this also by searching "Device Manager" in the search bar in the start menu. Regarding checking the connections now, and I assume this is a desktop (if it's a laptop, I highly doubt it would be a connection issue). These directions are for a desktop computer only, and perform this at your own risk, I am not liable for any damage or destruction. I recommend doing this on a table or on a non-static source, and take anti-static precautions. These are not necessary, but recommended. Okay, now with all the legal stuff out of the way, lets get to the directions. First, for safety for you and your computer, remove all cables going into the computer (Power, Internet, Video, Mouse, Keyboard, etc.). Then, look for a panel (Usually the left side if you are looking from the front) that might be held on by with a screw, and take out the screw and slide out the panel. This is your access door/panel, and you should see all the guts of your computer. Next, locate the CD Drive, and make sure the connections going into the drive are secure. There should be two (2) cables going into the drive, a cable from the PSU (where the power cable plugs into), and one going into the motherboard. Like I said before, check the connections. Then, follow the (ribbon) cable from the drive to the motherboard, and make sure that connection is secure. If any of the connections are loose, that probably is your issue. After you check the cables, put the panel back on, plug all the cables back in, and start up the computer. See if the disk works now. If you need help, feel free to contact me on Skype, like I said before. My user is tjh876, and I would be more then glad to help get SC4 running again. Best of luck, Tom

It seems like something is wrong with your CD/DVD drive. Check a different disk entirely and see if it picks it up. If it does not, I would recommend going into Device Manager (you can access this through the Control Panel) and look for CD/DVD drives, and check to see if it says it is running normally, or if it is disabled. Click on the drive to see more information, and if it is disabled, you can just re enable it, and hopefully it will stay running. If there is a warning sign next to the name, I would recommend re installing the driver. It could be just a bad driver. If it says though that is is running normally, but it is not picking up a disk, it could be a bad driver, or a bad drive. I would finally check the connection if none of this works, could be just an issue where it is not connected properly to the computer. Best of luck, Tom

Silt

Exit 264 Little City Big Town

8/10 Nice pictures, just a little stretched out.

Banned for spelling Sim City 4 with a lower case "c".

Banned for having too little awards.

Banned for not doing math fast enough. Banned for pointing out the generous overestimate. BTW most of my posts were before the whole reputation thing.