Blank error message on splash

[lipsonfire]

Just bought dirt 2 off the codemasters racing pack, installed dirt 2, (10gb download anyone?) and when i run it i get this
http://i789.photobucket.com/albums/yy174/lipsonfire/dirt2error.jpg
no thats not windows 98, just xp with themes disabled, i made sure i force dx9, what could be the problem?

i have a nvidia geforce 8400 GS dedicated graphics card, which surprisingly runs every game i have at high with at most 4x MSAA (not including crysis and bad company 2) flawlessly.

[Flightless]

Same problem here :mad:
XP - 9600 GT

[Sonic]

Me to -_-

ATI HD 3650 1GB

[lipsonfire]

did you guys get the codemasters racing pack? could this possibly be a problem on steams end while distributing the bundle?

[Sonic]

Yea by codemasters racing pack....nop..only dirt 2, and fuel its out of keys steam is getting new ones

"Notice: NOTE: We have temporarily run out of game keys for FUEL and more have been requested. You can still purchase the game and when we have more keys, FUEL will unlock for you automatically. Our apologies!"

[lipsonfire]

Well, i'm doing what has been suggested, uninstall, disable soundcard, install, enable soundcard. I'll let you know if that works =\

[lipsonfire]

Ah with no avail! Valve better start refunding people or fix their ♥♥♥♥, FAST.

[Desotho]

Same here. Nvidia GeForce 8800GT.
Tried to force Dx9, also installed this OpenAl thing. Still the same.
And a blank error does'nt help much to find the problem.

p.s.: Tried the demo some weeks ago and this worked.

[Adjuster]

This is an odd one I can run the demo but get the same error as all here running the real game.
I spent all day yesterday loading unloading GFWL and Rapture, changing drivers removing soundcards etc but no joy.
Looking at the Codies forum suggests this has been an issue for months but they are doing Jack about it. The most recent patch however seems to have killed a number of previously running versions.
Hoping for a quick fix:)

Adjuster

[pete8475]

Bought this pack as a gift for my Uncle.

He gets the exact same error.

specs:
XP Home (all windows updates installed)
Intel Celeron D 3.46ghz
2GB ram
640gb hd
Geforce 7900GS
RealteK HD sound onboard

[BPM]

Gentlemen... I bought Dirt 2 back when it first came out but I bought the GFWL store version. The game for me required a little tweaking to get it to run but afterwards ran terrific at least until they patched the game. The introduction of the patch is what started the Red X error for me. If I don't patch Dirt 2 I can play it (only singleplayer, can't go online).

http://community.codemasters.com/forum/dirt-2-tech-support-1317/413637-dirt-2-fails-open.html#post6176916

Codemasters have been of no help, but maybe if you were to re-install the game but under properties choose "update" and "do not automatically update this game" it wouldn't install the patch and maybe it'd work ? :confused: might be worth a try...

[Kietna Qu'Tak]

This is an odd one I can run the demo but get the same error as all here running the real game.

Same for me. Demo is working, but full version from Steam doesn't. I don't even have any blank error, just OS information that this application has stopped working. Any ideas?

[lipsonfire]

Gentlemen... I bought Dirt 2 back when it first came out but I bought the GFWL store version. The game for me required a little tweaking to get it to run but afterwards ran terrific at least until they patched the game. The introduction of the patch is what started the Red X error for me. If I don't patch Dirt 2 I can play it (only singleplayer, can't go online).

http://community.codemasters.com/forum/dirt-2-tech-support-1317/413637-dirt-2-fails-open.html#post6176916

Codemasters have been of no help, but maybe if you were to re-install the game but under properties choose "update" and "do not automatically update this game" it wouldn't install the patch and maybe it'd work ? :confused: might be worth a try...

That wouldn't work cause when you download from steam, it downloads the latest version so that you don't have to download the game then download the update, so your suggestion won't work with steam, thanks anyways =\

[bbd123]

Gifted this for my son and he was excited to get on and play. After 3+ hrs of D/L'ing it, he goes to fire it up and gets the Red X error. Talk about disappointment...man oh man.
I sure hope something is being looked at or worked on because, from what I've seen in the few minutes I've just spent Goggling this error, it's happening to a lot of dissatisfied customers.

[Mekaw]

same thing here... quite upset i have to say is it steam problem?

[Kietna Qu'Tak]

So: demo is working. Does anyone have full Steam version, but bought separately, not from Codemasters Racing Pack? I'm asking just to point out that the problem may be in this pack itself. Is Steam client prepared for this bundle?

[Adjuster]

So: demo is working. Does anyone have full Steam version, but bought separately, not from Codemasters Racing Pack? I'm asking just to point out that the problem may be in this pack itself. Is Steam client prepared for this bundle?
Yes I just have the Standalone game not the bundle.

Codies tech support are currently giving me the virtual finger with requests for dxdiag etc. I will persevere though as a matter of principle.

Adjuster

[Adjuster]

The current logic from Codies tech is that my CPU is not up to it and thats why it doesnt work. I grant it an AMD x64 3400 aint great but thats why I checked out the demo. Is everyone here running CPU that are below min spec or is this the first defence from tech support because they dont know the reason for the error.

Adjuster

[BPM]

No, this is not a steam problem. Though Steam Users have it worse as they don't have the option to not update the game. It was the patch Codemaster's released that caused this RED X. The game worked fine before the patch, Codemaster's broke their game and seem like they have no interest in fixing it.

Adjuster : I'm in the same boat as you, I sent off a rather angry email to the tech support saying "look at these threads, It's not my computer, It's YOUR patch that broke it" and they just tell me to try something stupid.

[bbd123]

So...does this mean I just poked out money for something that is of no use at all?
Most companies in a different line of business wouldn't get away with this kind of shenanigans. It's like legalized thievery in my opinion.

[Cécile]

hi,

Same thing 4 me, but today i received my GTS250, and put out my hd4350, and now Dirt 2 works, strange, cause the demo was working with my ATI.


ps: great game !!

[lipsonfire]

double post, my internet is being a ♥♥♥♥♥ today -_-

[lipsonfire]

The current logic from Codies tech is that my CPU is not up to it and thats why it doesnt work. I grant it an AMD x64 3400 aint great but thats why I checked out the demo. Is everyone here running CPU that are below min spec or is this the first defence from tech support because they dont know the reason for the error.

Adjuster

This may be something, i have an AMD athlon 3500+ processor too (3400 is close enough to 3500 lol), i don't worry much about my processor because i usually crank up the resolution to take the load off my processor and everything ends up running just fine. Can everyone else who has this problem say what processor they have?

Just the fact that me and another person are having the same problem and we both have pretty much the same processors makes me wonder if this is a problem with this specific processor....

Frankly as of now i'm just about to DEMAND a refund, from Valve, and if they aren't cooperative then hell maybe i'll take it to court as a small case lawsuit, lol, not even cause i want my 18 dollars back so bad, but so i can make it a point that this is indeed class 'A' THIEVERY!

So...does this mean I just poked out money for something that is of no use at all?
Most companies in a different line of business wouldn't get away with this kind of shenanigans. It's like legalized thievery in my opinion.

[Mekaw]

im running
3800+
with 4gb ram
evga geforce 9800gt 512mb
win 7 ult 32bit

[Cécile]

This may be something, i have an AMD athlon 3500+ processor too


Same thing for me !!

i changed 2 things, my graphique Card ( GTS 250 instead of HD4350) and my old CPU, an AMD 3500+ , now DIRT 2 run perfectly with a Phenom II X4 945. Maybe the mini spec for DIRT 2 is wrong.

[Sonic]

Impossible if that was the problem it crashed in game or, like you had 0 fps...but thats not what happens...and there ppl with quad core and still get this error

[bbd123]

The system my son is trying to get it to run on is

AMD X64 3800+
2GB DDR 400 RAM
8800 GTS
XP 32bit SP3

I'm really pissed about this.....

[Desotho]

Same thing for me !!

i changed 2 things, my graphique Card ( GTS 250 instead of HD4350) and my old CPU, an AMD 3500+ , now DIRT 2 run perfectly with a Phenom II X4 945. Maybe the mini spec for DIRT 2 is wrong.

I have an AMD 3800+. The demo ran good, so i can't believe that the normal game will not run.
And then should the box not be empty but just say "your computer is too bad".

[bbd123]

Well, as a last ditch effort, I installed WIN 7 Ultimate on my sons box to no avail. Guess that rules out the OS causing the problem....

[bes]

It has to do with the sound cards needing to be on 48k, It also has to do with codemasters method of implementing the cores with their worker maps..

I think the stack size per core is too high..I made my own workerMAP4Core file with a more organized core structure, with smaller stack sizes..

Seems to solve a lot of problems..

Obviously not everyone has a quad-core ..but its the same concept, stack size is too big..

Im on Windows7 64bit

[Flightless]

i still get this error.

wanted to add more specs:
AMD Athlon 64 3500+
2 Gb RAM
XP Professional version 2002 SP3
NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT

[xb_china]

I met this error too:
AMD Athlon 64 3200+
2G RAM
XP Professional with SP3
ATI 1650

[JIgsawX]

Get that error as well specs are--
AMD Athlon 64 3400+(Clawhammer Core)
ATI 3850
2 GiGs ram
Win XP Pro Sp3

Been playing Grid hoping someone finds a fix or a workaround...

[pete8475]

Problem fixed on my Uncles pc!

I upgraded his cpu from a single core Celeron D 3.46ghz to a dual core Pentium D E5200 and now the game runs.

Codemasters tech-support was NO HELP AT ALL with diagnosing the issue.

[lipsonfire]

So it seems our processor is the problem, we need at least a dual core to play Dirt 2, THIS SHOULD BE PUT ON THE PURCHASE PAGE! This is absolutely ridiculous, i'm demanding my money back, and i suggest you all do the same.

This is a ♥♥♥♥ing robbery to us.

[BPM]

but the thing is the game ran fine before they patched it... The patch basically made a playable game unplayable and codemasters don't give a ♥♥♥♥.

[Adjuster]

After the last reply from Codies support I have heard nothing they just ignore me.

As far as I am concerned a demo is a test version if you like it and it works you buy the full game and thats it.

If they want to move the goalposts and make it not work on some machines then they need to be upfront and say it wont work unless you have dual cores. Also they need the demo to mimic the full game and not run unless they want it to.

Adjuster

[lipsonfire]

AAAAAAND! they made a map4 file for 4 cores, 3 cores, 2 cores, and they also made a map4 file without any specified cores, so i would guess that its for 1 core, if they've made a map4 file to work with single core then why wouldn't the game work on a single core?

[bbd123]

Update: Installed 6000+ X2 on my sons machine and it works perfectly now.

[xb_china]

I have got the feedback from codemaster, they told me that the reason of this error is my CPU is single core and can't meet the lowest requirement.
After I replace it with Phenom II *4, it is fixed.