Random MW2 in-game freeze / black screen

[Hauptfeld]

When I play Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer matches, the game randomly freezes for some seconds. In this time, the screen turns black. Then after 5-6 seconds, the game continues. This keeps repeating if I continue playing.

I don't have and menu freezing problems, I know some people have, but I can use the menus without any problems. The above error only occurs while playing a map.

I already tried the following which did not solve the problem:


Updated Graphics Driver (Forceware, latest)
Updated Sound Driver (Sound Blaster X-Fi)
Updated Motherboard Driver (MSI NEO2-FIR)
Updated Motherboard BIOS (MSI NEO2-FIR)
Change desktop resolution to 1024x768, 32 bit
Disabled all virus scanners and other running programs
Disabled windows defender
Checked memory using Memtest86+
Run game in compatibility mode (Vista and XP)
Run game as administrator
Fresh driver install using the driver sweeper tool
Switched sound card from Sound Blaster to Realtek on-board
run game in windowed mode
deleted mp_afghan_load.ff, mp_afghan.ff files and verify game cache afterwards


The following list shows what I found out NOT to be source of the problem:


Sound Blaster X-Fi drivers (had them uninstalled and the problem still occured)


Other games (Dragon Age Origins [Non-Steam], Dawn of War 2 [Steam]) run without any problems and never freeze.

I also stress tested my graphics card (GeForce GTX 275) using 3D Mark Vantage, GPU OCCT and Unigine Tropics Benchmarks, and my CPU and memory using OCCT Perestrioka, all run fine, error-free and pushed my system to the limits.

So I am really clueless right now. I feel the problem is buried in the game itself. All that is left is to ask if someone got the same or similar problems and found a solution or has a good idea how this can be solved. So if you do, please reply. :)

Here's what others tried so far (did not solve the problem):

tried another Nvidia-based video card (another 285)
tried another motherboard (same chipset tho.. x58)
fresh install of Windows 7
format hard drive


Possible solutions so far reported by others:

clean driver install using driver sweeper (http://www.guru3d.com/category/driversweeper/) [did not work for me]
switch Steam to offline mode (reduces freezes) [have not tried yet]


Update: The source of the problem is the display driver crashing and recovering. See here (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12804307&postcount=14) for details.

Update: Reason for the display driver crash was a hardware error in the GPU. I found out by clocking the card below the factory settings. When I did this, all problems were gone. I send them in now for RMA.

[lament]

same issue.. and lately I'm also getting a DirectX error.

what are your specs?

me:

Windows 7 x64
Intel Core i7 920 (@ stock 2.6GHz.. would love to overclock, but not with this happening)
6GB Corsair DDR3
BFG GTX 285 (various drivers used.. currently using 185.93 which is what MS installed)
Creative Soundblaster XtremeGamer

I have:

- tried another Nvidia-based video card (another 285)
- tried another motherboard (same chipset tho.. x58)
- fresh install of Windows 7
- replaced the hard drive

I also get crazy sound loop lockups in Left 4 Dead 2 in which the only way I can get back to the game is to CTRL-ALT-DEL to the desktop, then click back in.

It's beyond frustrating.

[Freyar]

I've been getting this myself.

I re-installed my drivers (using Driver-Sweeper), and also ensured that the video cards weren't overheating. (68*C peak..) It hasn't happened since, so I'm crossing my fingers.

[Hauptfeld]

what are your specs?


Here are my specs (http://www.xfire.com/profile/hauptfeld/#game_rig).

I'll try the driver sweeper today and report back.

[Whups]

When I play Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer matches, the game randomly freezes for some seconds. In this time, the screen turns black. Then after 5-6 seconds, the game continues. This keeps repeating if I continue playing.

I don't have and menu freezing problems, I know some people have, but I can use the menus without and problems. The above error only occurs while playing a map.

I already tried the following without success:


Updated Graphics Driver (Forceware, latest)
Updated Sound Driver (Sound Blaster X-Fi)
Updated Motherboard Driver (MSI NEO2-FIR)
Updated Motherboard BIOS (MSI NEO2-FIR)
Change desktop resolution to 1024x768, 32 bit
Disabled all virus scanners and other running programs
Disabled windows defender
Checked memory using Memtest86+
Run game in compatibility mode (Vista and XP)
Run game as administrator


Other games (Dragon Age Origins [Non-Steam], Dawn of War 2 [Steam]) run without any problems and never freeze.

I also stress tested my graphics card (GeForce GTX 275) using 3D Mark Vantage and Unigine Tropics Benchmarks, and my CPU and memory using OCCT Perestrioka, all run fine, error-free and pushed my system to the limits.

So I am really clueless right now. I feel the problem is buried in the game itself. All that is left is to ask if someone got the same or similar problems and found a solution or has a good idea how this can be solved. So if you do, please reply. :)

Same for me, but then I had to do a hard reboot and lost my rank.

Add to your list:
Reformat Completely = no change

[HTFC]

I have had a similar problem with the game starting fine, but during play it would "pause" at random intervals and continue about 15-20 seconds later! There is no pattern to these pauses, sometimes I got one every half hour, othertimes 3 in two minutes!

The partial solution that I found is to play the game in offline mode (File - go offline (the game has to be 100% ready for this to work!) - it doesn't stop the problem completely but I only had 3 pauses in just over 3.5 hours (which I can live with!) I hope that this helps someone until the answer is "officially" released.

My specs are:

AMD Phenom 9550 Quad Core Processor 2.20GHz
3 GB memory
Windows Vista 32 bit with Service Pack 2
NVIDIA GeForce 9200 with driver 195.62 installed

According to "Can You Run It" my specs should be more then enough to run MW2 alas ......

[Whups]

Does this happen in single player? I mean I still haven't tackled SP yet so I might play that until wednesday (when I upgrade the rest of my rig even though I'm way higher then min specs[2.8ghz AMD Athlon x2 dual core 5200+; 9600 gso; 2gb ram] getting a new MB, HDD, More Ram) and hopefully I can tackle the fix for this game. I mean ♥♥♥♥ only game right now on PC that I find worth while [fun and keeps my interests aka addicting] + I want to participate in the wanfest :)

[t-zakjeZ]

Yeah I also have random black screens. Nothing special happens, I'm just running or something and boom, black screen. Annoying thing is, I go back into the game and it has forgotten everything I did that particular game, so achievements etc.

[Hauptfeld]

Does this happen in single player?
Yes, happens also when I play single player.

[Hauptfeld]

Update. I tried the following:


Uninstalled all NVIDIA graphics and Sound Blaster X-FI drivers
Cleaned all driver remains using driver sweeper in safe mode
Reinstalled latest NVIDIA WHQL certified graphics drivers
Switched soundcard to Realtek on-board to test if the Sound Blaster was the reason


Sad but true, the problem occured again. So the fresh driver install using the driver sweeper tool did not help. :(

However, I can state that the Sound Blaster drivers seem NOT to be the source, since they were uninstalled when the freeze occured.

[Whups]

I mean the only other connection to MW2 is steam cloud, could it be steam cloud screwing up? Memory leaks?

I can play practically any other game but mw2, those other game's don't use steam cloud.

[Hauptfeld]

I tried to run the game in windowed mode, but this also did not change anything. When you run the game in windowed mode, and the problem occurs, the window inside turns white (instead of black). The window title says "not responding" then.

[Whups]

I tried to run the game in windowed mode, but this also did not change anything. When you run the game in windowed mode, and the problem occurs, the window inside turns white (instead of black). The window title says "not responding" then.

Quick question has it frozen you completely where your keyboard was not responsive? This sometimes happens to me, get's so ♥♥♥♥ing annoying. Hard shuting down my pc sucks balls.

[Hauptfeld]

Ok guys I have tracked down the source of our problem. It is the display driver that is restarting after it crashed for some reason.

When you run the game in windowed mode, you can see the error message: "The display driver recovered from an error". I made a screenshot of it which you can see here (http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/9545/errorsmall.png) (german language though).

I don't know what is causing the driver to crash and restart, but we are not alone. I found this thread (http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=150915) in the nvidia forums where excatly the same problem is described, but also no solution found. They wait for a new display driver to fix the problem. However, they also state that it only happens at MW2, while other games run perfectly. So this strengthens my suspicion that the source of problem is buried in the game itself or steam.

I thought it may have to do with my system being overclocked (though it passed all stress tests perfectly), so I downclocked everything to default values to see if the overclocking was the problem. It is not. The error occured also with the system running at default clock values.

[Whups]

Thanks Hauptfeld for taking your time personally to help track down the key issue and I appreciate your effort 100% wish we had more people like you on the forums bro.

[Vrandas11]

It's sad such an error exist.

MW2 has most errors of all CoD titles.

[Taerkastan]

I get the EXACT same problem. Like after 15 mins or at least 10 minutes of playing. My game starts slowing down, then it comes down to a SCREECHING 1 fps. It keeps on happening even after reinstalling, using Driver Sweeper and installing the LATEST nvidia and realtek hd audio drivers.

I have a very similar problem, but I stopped the directx unrecoverable error problem and the random crashing during loading.

Now I get the problem where it freezes and I have to restart, and I also get the nvidia display driver stopped responding, which also happening in halo 2.

I hope they fix it because it rarely ever happened in 191.07 drivers and it happens ALOT more in 195.62 drivers.

Does anyone else have this problem? I really want to play but this is the ONLY game that has given me so many problems :/

What that guy said on the Nvidia Forums, I HAVE THAT PROBLEM! It started happening WAY more frequently, RIGHT after the last update. It rarely ever happened before 1.0.174.

[Taerkastan]

It's sad such an error exist.

MW2 has most errors of all CoD titles.

True that. This is the only game I ever had it really cause any type of problem on my computer. :(

[FORD26993]

hey everyone. i am having a very similar problem with my mw2 game. single player works perfectly. clocked it on veteran in a few hours. then played multiplayer from then on. this was a few weeks ago. it was working fine for a few weeks then all of a sudden would freeze in the middle of a game. not for seconds. but for minutes. i would press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and after a few minutes, sometimes up to around 5 minutes, the menu would show. i then click cancel and the game would continue as if nothing ever happened. except my deaths would be up a couple more :eek:
although every so often it does come up with the 'mw2mp.exe has stopped working' error message..


it never freezes in the menu's or single player or at the splash screen. only during a game.. :mad:

to Hauptfeld. i have known and seen that error before many times on my computer when it freezes. but in my opinion that error is not correct. as it shows up a lot of the time games crash. and i do not believe that the vga had 'stopped working/responding.'

anywho a few things i seem to have figured are..
-to me, it only ever seems to happen when im hosting. because if it keeps freezing i usually leave the game. and when i do. it says 'picking new host.'
-a lot of the time it freezes, a few seconds after steam will start to beep, as im receiving messages through the steam chat. so this could be a reason it freezes when the connection is interupted from chats..
-ive heard that after an update, peoples computers would freeze on the splash startup screen for the game. mine never did this, but maybe my problem is related to another update from IW..

i also have 2 other gaming computers which both run the game perfect and never freeze. so i am not 100% sure if it is just a problem within the game and compatability issues with my comp, or just not being able to handle hosting as well as playing..

i have also recently updated my graphics drivers and verified the game content, and am about to play now to see if it has helped.

sorry for the long reply, hope im contributing somewhat :(

[FORD26993]

another thing i forgot to mention was my anti-virus software. i gave Steam and MW2 full access to the net. and im not 100% sure yet. but i think ive solved the problem.. because after doing that along with a few other things, it hasnt frozen since..

if it does work. and i have no more problems for a few days ill post back saying exactly what i did and how i went about it. and hopefully itll help some others out to

[FORD26993]

ok no one has bothered to reply to me so far. but im just gonna say that i think i have fixed it. because ive been playing for atleast the last 4 hours roughly. and it hasnt frozen once. whereas up until yesterday it would freeze constantly. anywhere from a few minutes to every half hour or so.. if you'd like to know what i did, to somehow fix it. just ask

[Whups]

ok no one has bothered to reply to me so far. but im just gonna say that i think i have fixed it. because ive been playing for atleast the last 4 hours roughly. and it hasnt frozen once. whereas up until yesterday it would freeze constantly. anywhere from a few minutes to every half hour or so.. if you'd like to know what i did, to somehow fix it. just ask

What you do.

[FORD26993]

first of all, know that i did a few things. so im not 100% sure what did it. but i did them so in this order. and tested after i finished these steps..

-i found this site -> http://www.mapmodnews.com/article.php?story=Call-of-Duty-Modern-Warfare-2-Errors
and down at number 4. i did solution 1 which says

""Solution 1 :
Go to :

C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\call of duty modern warfare 2\zone\english

Delete: mp_afghan_load.ff, mp_afghan.ff files or all the map .ff files (back those up)

Go to steam
Right click on MW2
Click Properties
Click Local Files Tab
Verify Integrity of Game Cache

And it'll redownload those files.""

note that i did not delete all of the files, as steam would have to redownload 4.37GB. i only deleted the 2 aafhgan files then verified it.

-next i reinstalled the drivers for my graphics card. not using the windows one. but actually going to the Ati site and getting the latest drivers for my card. the 4870.

-lastly i went into my anti virus software (McAfee) and gave all the steam programs and all of the MW2 programs 'Full Access.' because i thought maybe it was trying to limit the net connection thus causing the game freeze.

after all that. i played the game. and to this time it has ceased to freeze. so im fairly sure its worked for me.

good luck with your comp. hope this helps ;)

[Hauptfeld]

Go to :

C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\call of duty modern warfare 2\zone\english

Delete: mp_afghan_load.ff, mp_afghan.ff files or all the map .ff files (back those up)

Go to steam
Right click on MW2
Click Properties
Click Local Files Tab
Verify Integrity of Game Cache

And it'll redownload those files.""



Have tried but did not help at me. I even got the blackscreen on the afghan map, wich was freshly downloaded by steam before. My firewall is turned off completely and virus software is turned off (also tried with it completely uninstalled).:(

[FORD26993]

Have tried but did not help at me. I even got the blackscreen on the afghan map, wich was freshly downloaded by steam before. My firewall is turned off completely and virus software is turned off (also tried with it completely uninstalled).:(

well if the file validation and anti virus didnt work for you. maybe try to install the latest drivers for your graphics card.
i have an Ati Radeon 4870 and i just went to the Ati official website. clicked Support and Drivers. then download graphics drivers. then followed prompts and downloaded the latest drivers and software for my card.

what do you mean by "a blackscreen on the afghan map"?? do you mean that when you play that map it just goes black? because if so, then thats never happened to me..

if you try updating the graphics driver and are still unsucessful. maybe there are compatibility issues with your card.. but im not 100% sure of that. anyway good luck, ho[e this helps

[CyberPunk7t9]

wow! you must have spent some serious time trouble-shooting your problem.

But with all that things you already tried, I wondered why you did not try installing the the newest MS DirectX 9c (what MW2 uses).

Here's the most recent DX9 update (9/16/2009) in Microsoft's websites..

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2DA43D38-DB71-4C1B-BC6A-9B6652CD92A3&displaylang=en

good luck.

[Hauptfeld]

Here's the most recent DX9 update (9/16/2009) in Microsoft's websites..

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2DA43D38-DB71-4C1B-BC6A-9B6652CD92A3&displaylang=en

good luck.

Good point. Already tried this, but without success. :(

[Hauptfeld]

well if the file validation and anti virus didnt work for you. maybe try to install the latest drivers for your graphics card.


Yeah, I have a GeForce GTX 275 and installed the latest WHQL as well as the latest beta drivers. No change.:(

what do you mean by "a blackscreen on the afghan map"?? do you mean that when you play that map it just goes black? because if so, then thats never happened to me..
Yeah, hence the topic "random freeze / black screen". The screen becomed black, than it takes some seconds, then the game continues.

If you run the game in windowed mode, you see when this happens that the display driver recovers from an error (see my previous post). The title of tha game window says "not responding" meanwhile.

[CyberPunk7t9]

Yeah, I have a GeForce GTX 275 and installed the latest WHQL as well as the latest beta drivers. No change.:(


Yeah, hence the topic "random freeze / black screen". The screen becomed black, than it takes some seconds, then the game continues.

If you run the game in windowed mode, you see when this happens that the display driver recovers from an error (see my previous post). The title of tha game window says "not responding" meanwhile.

how about thermals? did you check load temps of the CPU and GPU when you play?

*suggest using CoreTemp (if your CPU is Intel Core2) for CPU temp and Rivatuner for GPU.

[Hauptfeld]

to Hauptfeld. i have known and seen that error before many times on my computer when it freezes. but in my opinion that error is not correct. as it shows up a lot of the time games crash. and i do not believe that the vga had 'stopped working/responding.'


Unfortunaltely the error is correct, though I don't think it's a hardware problem. I am quite sure this is software related. I checked the windows system event log. The windows event ID is 4101. See here (http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/7403/event4101.png) (german language screenshot).

Here's the error description of error 4101 (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc756372%28WS.10%29.aspx) from Mircosoft Technet:

Windows detected that the video adapter hardware on your computer has taken longer than expected to complete a requested operation. Windows has recovered and reset the graphics hardware.

This event is for information purposes only, and no action is typically required. If this problem occurs often, use Windows Update to check if a new display driver for your display adapter is available. Some older graphics applications might display a black screen or a black section of the screen, and might need to be restarted.

So maybe we have to wait for a new driver. :(

[Hauptfeld]

how about thermals? did you check load temps of the CPU and GPU when you play?

*suggest using CoreTemp (if your CPU is Intel Core2) for CPU temp and Rivatuner for GPU.

Yes, I checked temp, nothing unusual here, max GPU temperature was 70°C, which shouldn't be a problem (I ran a GPU stress test that brought it to 95°C without problems occuring).

The CPU temperature is low as well (48°C).

[FORD26993]

Yes, I checked temp, nothing unusual here, max GPU temperature was 70°C, which shouldn't be a problem (I ran a GPU stress test that brought it to 95°C without problems occuring).

The CPU temperature is low as well (48°C).

95°C!! I'd say thats pretty damn hot for your graphics card. the max mine ever gets up to is around 55°C. now knowing how hot your graphics runs at, because even 70°C is fairly hot, what is your graphics card set tot do, as in, does it manually change the fan speed as the card gets hotter, or is it manual? because in another of my computers, i am running a GeForce GTX 295 and have all the fan settings set to automatic. and that keeps the card really cool. never gets anywhere near 70°C. Also the computer running that card has never had any errors with freezing, black screening, or anything unusual happening with mw2. so now im very unsure of what the cause is, in your situation :confused:

[BULL-IFA]

Hey all,

I got this issue as well from the start when i bought the game.
After days spend in trouble shooting I find out the following that fixed it on my System:

Choose in game Options->Advanced Video->Texture Quality-Manual and set all to high or lower. Set Anti Aliasing only to 4x and Aspect Ratio to Auto.

Thats it, thats the fix worked for me.
My System specs:

Vista Ultimate 64bit
Q6600 OC´d to 3,0Ghz
4GB OCZ gold
Nvidia 8800GTX OC´d
Intel X48 Cipset
Creative XF-I Titanium

Latest Nvidia Driver WHQL 195.62

To get the Temp low and get a bit more juice out of my GTX I also installed RivaTuner. You can really good overclock your Card and set the Fan manual to 85 or 90%. Thats keep the Temp down and makes the Card rock solid.

Hope this will help you out gys.
Greeetz
BUL

[dudley]

Got the same problem and didnt find a fix yet. Also tried changing the settings and ofc several drivers and such.
In CS:S and L4D(2) the graphic just goes all insane, in COD it freezes the game.

For me it gets fixed by tabbing out of the game and back in, but thats no real solution :(


But as it seems its just an NVIDIA problem or did anyone have this problem with ATI by now? (At least I dont know of any)


Also found out that I don't have this crap that often when I'm not using the Friends Overlay.

[FORD26993]

hey, yeah i had the same, or slightly similar problem with an Ati card. but i fixed mine.

To Hauptfeld. i think your problem is just that your graphics card is running WAY TOO HOT!!! mine never gets to above 55 degrees. and if yours is running at 70 to 90. then thats way to hot. they usually bum out at about 70 degrees. so if its over 70 it wont we running properly. also if it gets to about 100. it can really screw up the card. just lettin ya know. anyway good luck to you guys tryna fix yours

[Hauptfeld]

To Hauptfeld. i think your problem is just that your graphics card is running WAY TOO HOT!!! mine never gets to above 55 degrees. and if yours is running at 70 to 90. then thats way to hot. they usually bum out at about 70 degrees. so if its over 70 it wont we running properly. also if it gets to about 100. it can really screw up the card. just lettin ya know. anyway good luck to you guys tryna fix yours

Unfortunately, this is not true for a GeForce GTX 200 series card. This is a monster card, temperatures around 70-80°C are really normal, some cards even get 100°C. According to the manufacturer, temperatures up to 125° are ok. The setting you described appiled to older cards, such as the 8000 series. Also benchmarks and stress test programs run smoothly. And they stress the card alot more than this game ever will.

[N1ne]

Unfortunately, this is not true for a GeForce GTX 200 series card. This is a monster card, temperatures around 70-80°C are really normal, some cards even get 100°C. According to the manufacturer, temperatures up to 125° are ok. The setting you described appiled to older cards, such as the 8000 series. Also benchmarks and stress test programs run smoothly. And they stress the card alot more than this game ever will.

I don't want to disagree with you but this is right and wrong.Can the card run at those temps sure but i am 100% sure that you are burning out that card.YOU HAVE TO USE NTUNE,RIVA TUNER OR IF YOU HAVE A EVGA CARD THEY HAVE THERE OWN UTILITY TO TURN YOUR FAN UP.Also do your self a favor and replace the thermal paste on your GPU chip and memory on your video card this will make a big difference with temps.Most graphic cards come with a thermal pad on the chip and this is just way to much paste and does a poor job cooling the chips.This has been an issue with all new graphic cards from the ATI 3870 ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE Nvidia 8800gtx cards.High graphic(AA,AF)+HEAT=DEAD GRAPHIC CARD.Go and take a ook at this http://www.evga.com/FORUMS/tt.aspx?forumid=6 you will see just in the top 20 posts 7-10 heat/dead graphic cards in the 2ooGTX SERIES CARDS.

[razerguy]

Freezes occur more often on win7 than xp. Freezes are probabbly caused by ♥♥♥♥ty HDD or your wirtual memory is too low. You must set your virutal memory to 2x RAM for each partition (ex. 6gb x2 =12gb for each partition)

[lament]

same issue.. and lately I'm also getting a DirectX error.
Following up on my first post above (2nd post in the thread) - I borrowed a Radeon 5750 from work (I have a GTX 285), and low and behold - no issues in COD:MW2. Same graphics settings as before.

On a side note, for being only $150-$180, the 5750 is quite a card. My settings are maxed in COD:MW2 at 1920x1200 (4xAA even) and I'm pulling 50-90FPS.. dipping into the 30s when there's smoke. But overall, very impressed with this card.

The best test though, for me, is Left 4 Dead 2, which usually gives me a sound loop lock within the first 5 minutes. Luckily, that didn't happen and I was able to play a complete game without sound looping. however, I crashed to desktop twice in 2 other L4D2 games without warning.

Played a few hours of MW2 on the 5750 without any issues. No black screen, no weird texture/colors.

Tempted to switch to ATi (probably a 5850) for this round until Fermi comes out and just deal with a random CTD in L4D2 at this point.

[CyberPunk7t9]

I don't want to disagree with you but this is right and wrong.Can the card run at those temps sure but i am 100% sure that you are burning out that card.YOU HAVE TO USE NTUNE,RIVA TUNER OR IF YOU HAVE A EVGA CARD THEY HAVE THERE OWN UTILITY TO TURN YOUR FAN UP.Also do your self a favor and replace the thermal paste on your GPU chip and memory on your video card this will make a big difference with temps.Most graphic cards come with a thermal pad on the chip and this is just way to much paste and does a poor job cooling the chips.This has been an issue with all new graphic cards from the ATI 3870 ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE Nvidia 8800gtx cards.High graphic(AA,AF)+HEAT=DEAD GRAPHIC CARD.Go and take a ook at this http://www.evga.com/FORUMS/tt.aspx?forumid=6 you will see just in the top 20 posts 7-10 heat/dead graphic cards in the 2ooGTX SERIES CARDS.

I also agree on replacing the thermal paste on your GPU.
But first use Rivatuner or smilar utility to downclock the frequencies by say 15-20%. and play the game for sometime, if the artifacts go, it means too much heat caused them. then re-applying the thermal grease is suggested. Better than replacing your card now, Nvidia new cards are expected soon and prices may change soon.

Good luck

[Hauptfeld]

I'll try downclocking the GPU and speeding up the fan using nvidia system tools.

But I wonder if temperature was the issue, why is there no problem with whatsoever other game, and why do all benchmarks and stress tests (3D Mark Vantage, fur mark) run fine? They stress the GPU alot more, make it hotter and should make it bail out way faster. But they all run fine. And especially 3D Mark makes use of every single directx 10 feature.

[DannibusX]

I have this issue with my 5870. It happens a lot, probably 4-5 times a day for serious game sessions.

Not only MW2, it's happened for l4d, TF2, WoW and Machinarium. ATI's drivers are not functioning properly I guess. I wish they'd fix the issue because I went from a rock solid 9800GTX to the 5870, although I also upgraded from Vista Ultimate 64bit to Win7 Ultimate 64bit at the same time.

[antony4462]

try downloading and running this.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=5A58B56F-60B6-4412-95B9-54D056D6F9F4&displaylang=en#filelist

or running

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\call of duty modern warfare 2\Redist

with the download i've had no problems so far...

Happened about two times a day i had to reset my graphics drivers each time it happened.

[antony4462]

if the above worked/failed for ppl it would be good to know

[Hauptfeld]

try downloading and running this.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=5A58B56F-60B6-4412-95B9-54D056D6F9F4&displaylang=en#filelist


Update is not suited for Windows 7 unfortunately. Did these help you?

[Hauptfeld]

Look here at the specifications: http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_gtx_275_us.html

Temperature is allowed to go up to 105°C. At 90°C, the fan begins to upspin, but I never reach it. I only go up to 80°C, which is normal operation for a GTX 275. I really don't think temperature is the issue here, as a friend of mine uses the exact same card, gets same temperatures and doesn't get any problems. It must be something else.

[antony4462]

i've not had problems since.


did you try the file here.



C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\call of duty modern warfare 2\Redist



or is that windows xp/vista only?

[Hauptfeld]

i've not had problems since.


did you try the file here.



C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\call of duty modern warfare 2\Redist



or is that windows xp/vista only?

I tried the File there as well as the DirectX setup in the DirectX folder there. They also run on Windows 7. Only the link you posted does not work for Windows 7.

[antony4462]

any luck? d:)

[Hauptfeld]

Problem solved. GPU has a hardware error. I downclocked it below it's factory settings and suddenly all problems were gone. Will send it in for RMA tomorrow.

[Xenro]

I have a similar problem found here http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12929218#post12929218

So what's solution for ATi users?

[mcmitsie]

I Have Exactly This Problem.

I had a ATI Radeon 4670 Ultimate and could run Modern Warefare 2 with settings on Extra, 2x AA, 1260 x 728 resolution with no glitches.

My girlfriend bought me a ATI Radeon 5770 for christmas and in Modern Warfare 2 on Full Settings i was getting vertical lines and a system crash at random spots in the game so i RMA'd it thinking it was faulty.

I then chose to replace it with the Nvidia GTX260 "Golden Sample" edition. which i received a few days ago. since then i have had a problem wih a black screen in random places and it comes back on after a few seconds. once leaving the game i get a error stating "the video driver nvlddmkm.sys has stopped working but has been recovered" i googled the error and tried the following:

- installed nvidia beta drivers
- installed gainward original drivers from cd
- removed all drivers using driver sweeper and started fresh
- changed my Ram timings down to 667mhz
- unlinked my ram from my cpu
- stopped windows side bar
- stopped windows aero
- rebooted my system back to vista 64x
- reseated my graphics card
- opened my case to give the card a bit more room to breath
- checked voltages all o.k
- ran memtest x86 with no errors
- run card using standard vga drivers
- tried vista update (KB938194) which is supposed to solve the problem

so i thought it might be Modern Warefare 2 causing the problem, so i installed a lot of my games to test them out i played:

- Crysis: Maxed out Settings for 1 hour no glitches.
- Battlefield 2142 Maxed Out for 1 hour no glitches.
- Operation Flashpoint: Dragon rising Maxed Out for about 2 hours no problem.
- Dirt 2: Maxed Out For Half An Hour No Glitches. (Steam Based)

so now i'm thinking its definately steam or modern warfare 2 i'm gonna try CSS, F.E.A.R 2, Sin Episodes Emergence, Team Fortress, Saints Row to See If It Is Steam Games. and i'll reply back.

Sorry For The Essay Just Hope That All The work I Have Done Might Help People Get To The Bottom Of The Problem.

I Can Play MW2: on same settings as my old graphics card no problems - 1280 x 768 2x aa extra settings. seems to be as soon as i put the resolution up to 1680 x 1050 the glitches start.

so i'm thinking whats the point in spending good money on the latest hardware if i can't play it any higher than my old graphics card ?

any help would be apreciated thanks

-NRG- Mitsie

[mcmitsie]

i seem to have solved the error of the black screen appearing in modern warfare 2 on vista 64x. i have the following spec pc:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8600 - 2.4ghz
Windows Vista Professional 64x Edition
8gb 1066mhz ram
Gainward GTX260 "Gold Sample Edition"
2tb HDD Space
ASUS P5QL/EPU Motherboard

Heres What I Done

1st i went into Nvidia control panel under settings i set the Power Managment to High Performance mode.

2nd i Uninstalled the Windows Hotfix (KB952287) from remove programs section.

after i done that i had no problems running modern warefare 2 without the black screens. it seems funny tho because my ATI Radeon 4670 Ultimate can run modern warfare 2 without any tweeks to windows or the Nvidia control panel.

anybody who has a problem with a GTX260 try the above and comment back if it works ;)

got the answer from http://www.nvlddmkm.com/

[lament]

Going to try out my friend's 4870x2 all weekend and see if I get any black screens/lockups with MW2 (and sound loop issues in L4D2).

[Xenro]

Looks like I found the source of my problem. I get the random black screens when I set the frequency to 75Hz, which is weird because my monitor supports that. So I set it to 60 and it's fine now.

[Hauptfeld]

I replaced my Geforce GTX 275 by a ATI Radeon 4890 XT. Did not encounter a single freeze / black screen so far. Geforce is sent in for RMA. If you encounter these kind of issues, there is a high possibility you GPU is broken.

[nok85]

I have had the same freeze/BS problems at MW2 as well at MW. I tried all the logical things that where mentioned this thread.

I never had these problems before with my 8800GT, but it started when replacing my old card with a new MSI GTX275 Frozr OC.

I was just wondering; I'm still using my 450 Watt PSU. Could it be MW2 needs more power than my old psu can handle?
Might be? Althoug I'm finding it strange the freezes only occur after a few minutes playing.

Greetz Gerard

[mcmitsie]

the GTX260 i have, needs a minimum of 550w psu. i would definately reccomend replacing your psu as that could be your problem. nok85

[nok85]

Today I decided to spend my last bucks on a new PSU ent bougt a fresh new Recon 600W PUS. After fiddeling it into my 10 Yr old housing I powered it up to stess my GPU using MW2. After playing for a minute or 2 the screen turned black again. This videocard is going back to the shop definitely!! I'm even starting to wonder if I should trade it in for a Ati board!

Greetz Gerard

[lament]

Going to try out my friend's 4870x2 all weekend and see if I get any black screens/lockups with MW2 (and sound loop issues in L4D2).

Well well well.. not a single audio stutter/sound loop or crash in L4D2, nor black screen of death in MW2 with his 4870x2.

I have a Radeon 5850 coming tomorrow.

It was a tough decision to abandon Nvidia because I've been an Nvidia fan since the GeForce 2 Pro 10 years ago, but functioning games are a priority. :)

[Meester Sneeky]

I'm having the same issue, only my L4D2 has never had a sound loop or crash. I have had sound loop/crash problems with L4D1, but I fixed those by turning my settings down.

I'm running a 8600 GTS, and I see a lot of solutions here so i'm going to ask; how should I fix this? Is there a way yet?

[Meester Sneeky]

Bump for an answer. I really hope I didn't buy a 60 dollar paper-weight :(

[ThaBurningAce]

I've found a fix that worked for me.

Start -> Run -> msconfig -> click "services" -> tick "Hide all Microsoft Services" -> untick everything -> click "Startup" -> untick everything

Save and exit, then restart your computer.

Let me know if it helped you as well.

[lament]

I've found a fix that worked for me.

Start -> Run -> msconfig -> click "services" -> tick "Hide all Microsoft Services" -> untick everything -> click "Startup" -> untick everything

Save and exit, then restart your computer.

Let me know if it helped you as well.
Yeah you probably don't want to do that.

Didn't we establish months ago that it was driver issues?