Windows 7 64bit VATS Crash

[SoullessDreamer]

Hello everyone,
First off the stats of my computer:

Win 7 64bit, Core 2 duo E6850 3.0 GHz over clocked to 3.6, with a Geforce 8800GTX over clocked to the 9800GTX all drivers up to date(I mean ALL drivers.)

I get into game sailing along with everything on as high as it could go pushing 60fps everywhere and anywhere I am in the capital city. I can fight just fine, sometimes loading an area(even though it takes less than a second to load) kicks me out of the game with a,'Program has stopped working!' window.:confused: That one is kind of odd, but the crash that gets me is when I go into VATS. The first VATS I go into when I start the game from a fresh start is fine, it is either second or third that instantly freezes and pops up with the 'Program has stopped!' error. I have tried everything on all the posts I can find save one........the Fallout 3 Skullptura FinalFix. I really don't want to use this fix, it is making me nervous just typing about it. If anyone can comment about it that would be awesome! If I somehow have said something wrong, because it is illegal(this is for the staff of steam obviously) then it is no longer on my HD and There will be no more talk about it(just let me know before you ban my account I have no problems playing by the rules =-P). If anyone can help though in any other way, I am for it!
Thank you.
Soulless

[Anjel]

I have no idea what that final fix is and if it is illegal I'm not even going to search for it lol...

Are you using any mods?
Have you updated your AUDIO drivers? I know you said ALL drivers before but a lot of people tend to forget about their audio drivers and they can cause more problems than you think - speaking from first hand experience here.

[SoullessDreamer]

I FINALLY found my SoundMax drivers, I am testing it out today, seeing if that might be the issue. It's just odd that the VATS works fine(A little slow when I hit the V key, It goes into the view just fine but takes a bit to pull up the % on each limb) and then after using it a few times, the game stops working.

Thank you though for your comment, of cores like in any computer problem,'It is most likely the easiest fix, the one no one starts with. Our mind thinks of what it could be, always starting with the hardest cause. Yet it turns out to be as simple as checking the power cord.'

[Anjel]

I'd be concerned if it actually turned out to be your power cable ;)

[SoullessDreamer]

Ha! =-P
Well it seems like I fixed the situation. I did everything I could find, everything for fallout 3 and some things for fallout 1 and 2. I did not use the FinalFix that I mentioned before. I would not if I were anyone that may be reading this. There was one thing that I did not find on here, it was on a youtube vid. that I found wile trying to figure this out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GN5HbMsMVE

It does however take a bit to download a file about 104kb so patience is the word to use wile getting this file. I did not fiddle with anything else like the video went on after adding the file to the folder. I got the file, I put it in the FO3 folder, and restarted and boom, 6 hours later the game was still running. VATS and all, no hiccups at all. So a list of what I did is as fallows:

1.)

Open up the fallout.ini file in: My Documents\My Games\Fallout3
Find the line:

bUseThreadedAI=0

change it to:

bUseThreadedAI=1

Add another line after it and insert:

iNumHWThreads=2

This will limit the game to 2 cores and prevent the engine bug from causing the game to freeze.

*If the game still crashes write this iNumHWThreads=1


Yet I put the Threads to 1 not 2. I have a core 2 duo, so no need to put 2 =-S

2.)

The one thing that gave me the best performance and stability was to turn off the blur shaders, these cause blurring during movement and I have determined that the lag in the process causes instability in the physics thread which is why the cores seem to cause the prob.

in the fallout.ini file

under section
[BlurShader]

find
bUseBlurShader=1

change to
bUseBlurShader=0

This I noticed changed the VATS to running a bit faster, so if it's not hurting it, I say do it, makes it so you can see in some angles a bit better anyway =-P.

3.)

Found the fix. (at least for me.)

Navigate to the application .exe file and open up the compatibility properties. (Right click, go to properties, and click the compatibility tab.)

I then checked the option for "Disable Desktop Composition." As soon as I launched, it scanned for hardware, and the game launched. Give it a shot and let me know if it fixes it.

That and put it as,'Run as administrator' and did the compatibility as Windows XP Service Pack 3.

4.)

Have you updated your AUDIO drivers? I know you said ALL drivers before but a lot of people tend to forget about their audio drivers and they can cause more problems than you think - speaking from first hand experience here.

I not only found a WHQL Chipset driver that had just come out for Windows 7 32 and 64bit systems. I also found a beta sound driver for the SoundMax I have, it was Windows 7 compatible it said. I installed both of them right away.

5.)

The Youtube video. I did not change anything on the files, like it said to do if it crashes even after you download the file and put it in the FO3 game folder. I just downloaded the file stated in here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GN5HbMsMVE and put it in the folder. To those who might question this, it is not a file that copies over another. It is a DirectX file. So far all i can tell is it's an old DX9 file that is not used anymore. I was told a few lines were taken out, but none added so there is no need to be alarmed. Norton does not like the file though for some reason. I have AVG bought and payed for and it has no problem with it. My friend has a gamer computer friendly anti-virus software(when I ask him the name I will add it so you all know.) and he states that it is clean. So in all honesty I believe the file to be ok. It's just a waiting game to download it =-/.

I hope this helps you all, this has been one hell of a wiled adventure finding what would work and what might make things go up in a poof of smoke, literally!

Soulless

[SoullessDreamer]

I'd be concerned if it actually turned out to be your power cable ;)

If it was I need to stop using the computer and get a typewriter.:D

[Anjel]

I wonder how Fallout 3 would work on a typewrite *daydream*

Hopefully your extensive guide will help some other unfortunate souls who are experiencing similar problems. As for me;

Purchased product
Downloaded product
Installed product
Modded product
Played product
?????
Dead

All is well again.

[SoullessDreamer]

Well I hope there is another that will try this and say,'It works!' I am just a little worried that it might have been just a glitch that made it work for that long. =P Thanx man for your comments. I'm going to try it again today.

[PB-DK]

im going to try it today, hope it works

i got a vista 64 rig

[KarlMonster]

About the Skulptura "Final Fix".

This is a copy of FO3 that 'Skulptura' has apparently modded and made available on a Bit Torrent download site. According to 2 or 3 Youb00b videos, this download is great cause it works when their FO3 didn't. I'm a little skeptical, but I haven't tried it yet.

I should probably point out that it is not an illegal download, because you *did* buy the game on Steam. You actually own Fallout 3, or you wouldn't be spending this much time on the forums. You don't own *that* copy, but that's not a difference that Bethesda would split hairs over.

[Anjel]

I should probably point out that it is not an illegal download, because you *did* buy the game on Steam. You actually own Fallout 3, or you wouldn't be spending this much time on the forums. You don't own *that* copy, but that's not a difference that Bethesda would split hairs over.

My Fallout 3 is working anyway, but even if it wasn't I'd want to hear it from Bethesda that it's okay to download the entire game from a torrent site. Bethesda support user created content, but rereleasing the entire game... I can't see them being cool with that.

[SoullessDreamer]

The FinalFix that i speak of is not the full game download, there are 2 downloads from Skullptura. One being the game in full. There other being a fix for cracked/bought games. The cracked games have the issue of having crashes ever 30 min as is the bought vr. Skullptura just made a FIX that is for both. It takes somethings out of the game though, I have not found out what yet......but I am sure that it's a sound issue. For that is what over 50% of the people out there(not on steam) are having issues with. So the Skullptura fix that i was talking about is only 15mb so not the cracked game, just the fix.

I forgot to add, I did not use it though, so to everyone else.......maybe a good idea, maybe not. Do some homework on it before you dive into it. Or do what i have done on the above posts.

[SoullessDreamer]

I forgot to add one thing, sorry everyone. I also installed this http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/KLite-Mega-Codec-Pack/1080441198/1 It is a codex that might help with your sound.

So I also might have stumbled into a fix that might be a bit better than anything above not only that it has improved my performance 150%.
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1404791
If you have not been to http://www.fallout3nexus.com/ you need to! It has so much that will make your FO3 experience better in every way. Thank you all for your help, thank you for your comments. I hope what I have learned helped you.

[PB-DK]

well the youtube fix worked like a charm for me, no ctd's during vats or any other times.

[SoullessDreamer]

Good, I am glad it helped. I am also swimming in the awesomeness that is FO3 GOTY! Good stuff, good stuff. I have also have gotten the game from stuttering, lagging and in any way not using the computer I have that is WAY capable of running FO3 in all it's glory. One being a plug in for FOSE and another an add-on that makes it utilize all 4 gigs of my ram instead of just 2.

Fallout NEXUS gets all the credit though. It might have taken me a bit to get things right, and/or to find what I needed, but they had everything!
http://www.fallout3nexus.com

Here is the FOSE
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8606

Here is the way to make FO3 use all the ram you have not just 2gig that it uses by default.
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12031

Here is the stutter remover that helped make my game not lag so bad just from turning my head in game(you will need FOSE for this).
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8886

[Kangguru]

All I did was the youtube fix and its runnin' smooth like butter. Cheers and thanks a bunch :D

[alexplustm]

I've tried basically all of this. I'm almost thinking about resorting to completely reformatting me computer back to factory and then reinstalling the game.

[detlik]

I've tried basically all of this. I'm almost thinking about resorting to completely reformatting me computer back to factory and then reinstalling the game.

Nothing worked for me either (I have higher specs that are needed for very high setting and windows 7 64bit)

[detlik]

Everyone do the .ini stuff and those who have ASUS graphic card delete utilities like gamerOCD (worked for me)