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SOLVED: My game crashes to Desktop ¡¡¡

Started by jeronij, January 13, 2009, 09:39:23 AM

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BruceAtkinson

So I have done what you have suggested and this is what I get:Failed 1056:
  An instance of the service is already running

McDuell

This message means that the securom driver is working fine and we can probably rule out secdrv as the culprit.

As the next step, I would recommend a disk check. Mind that this might take a while (usually about 10-30 minutes), depending on your hardware and the amount of data on the hard drive.


  • Again, open a command prompt with admin rights
  • Type in:
    chkdsk c: /f
  • You will get a message that chkdsk cannot run. When asked to schedule a check at the next reboot,confirm with:
    y
  • Reboot your machine and let the check run through. Windows will automatically reboot to the desktop afterwards.
  • Attempt to run SC4.
----------------
It's redundant, it's redundant. (R.E. Dundant)
----------------

BruceAtkinson

Wow! one cannot ask for this much support!!  Thank-you all...so I have done the check disk and stage 1 went fine, but Stage 2 had an unexpected error and then a number--but went so fast I could not catch the error code
B

Andreas

#103
CHKDSK will go through up to five stages, and you should get a report at the very end. If it showed some error, it will try to fix it. Quite often, it's just some lost files, broken journal entries and such, but you should pay attention to damaged sectors on the hard drive and other things that cannot be recovered.
Andreas

huzman

Does the CHKDSK works on an SSD disk?
Thanks in advance...  :)
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BruceAtkinson

As usual, I didn't explain myself properly...when starting Check Disk, it only went to Stage 2 and then just proceeded to load up Windows 7.  I tried twice and the same thing happened.  It was in Stage 2 that the error message came up, but I was able to see that no files were corrupted--and saw a message that said '0 EA files processed'.
Bruce

BruceAtkinson

Just had a thought...in my attempt to describe how the game loads and the time it takes, in the last three attempts I have observed the activity of the computer, and with watching the hard disk indicator light, it seems to be going through the proper behavior until the moment the SimCity 'splash screen' comes up--at that time it goes back to the Desktop...so I'm thinking, is there a timed sequence in the load protocol and it actually times itself out?
  Another point, I have mentioned that when looking in task manager while the game is loading that the SimCity process disappears--well it doesn't, it says that it is not responding, SC4Launcher is still running but SimCity is not responding--not sure if that indicates something specific that has gone wrong or not...

Andreas

@huzman: Yes, it works the same way on an SSD.
Andreas

mgb204

The next step I would look at involves checking the rendering modes for SC4. Using SC4Launcher, try each of the following rendering modes:


  • DirectX
  • OpenGL
  • Software

Does running any of these (especially Software) enable the game to load?

If you've updated the GPU drivers, perhaps it no longer works with your previous setting. Software should be most likely to work, but you ideally don't want to run the game forever in this mode, which was only included for compatibility when all else fails. If DirectX has stopped working, usually it can be fixed.

BruceAtkinson

Fantastic Support!! How many years have I been a member of this grand community!!--I feel so guilty that I only input upon the forums when I have an issue...in future that won't be the case...I'll contribute in other areas from here on in...However Alas: tried all three settings, and the same thing happens--so I am about to uninstall and then re-install SimCity4 Rush Hour--but not quite yet as I am thinking of other things to try!  I miss my Regions and Cities/Villages and Farming Communities :)

mgb204

Really at this point, a re-install is probably the next logical step.

After that, I'd look to use System Restore to restore your computer to a previous date. Because if a re-install doesn't solve the issue, rolling-back the O/S to a time when it was last working may.

BruceAtkinson

 It is almost to that point Mgb204....however one of the first things I tried was the Restore method...and of course that didn't work, but I have a couple of other ideas before I do a complete reinstall--which I am trying to avoid, since I think I may have to re-install all of my mods as well--I know how to save my plugins and regions, but can't remember if I have to re-install my NAM and CAM mods...
  Anyway--I am so grateful for everyone's help with this...and if I go ahead with some of my other ideas and they work--then I will let everyone know...if they don't then I'll just re-install the game...
  Bruce

mgb204

Bear in mind, a System Restore should recover a snapshot of your system, with the exception of personal files/folders. So if you've done this successfully, that does sort-of rule out any software/driver changes.

When using the SC4 uninstaller, it will ask if you want to keep your Regions/Plugins. Assuming you've used the correct location, (Plugins inside Documents\SimCity 4\ and not the one in the Install Dir), when re-installing, everything will be where you left it. If you are worried, or just for safety's sake, Copy the aforementioned SimCity 4 folder somewhere safe, then you can restore it if anything goes wrong.

BruceAtkinson

So, before I re-install on my laptop...I installed the game and Rush Hour on my business computer...similar set-up with Windows 7 Professional and it is working there...so nothing wrong with the disks.  Throughout today and tomorrow I will transfer my Regions and Plugins to the working game and see if it still works...wish me luck!

BruceAtkinson

Back again!....and again I thank everyone that has responded to my issue regarding my laptop and SimCity 4.  To bring everyone up to date...I have not completely transferred my Plugins to my other computer, but if we remember I did install the whole game on my primary business computer and it works...and I have been trying to solve the original problem with the laptop.  So what I have found now is this:  On the laptop, I have used the check disk command prompt...and in Stage 1 include in the message I see "0 EA records processed"...now in my business computer, where SimCity 4 works,  when I have used the Check Disk command prompt the message reads in Stage 1, thus: "2 EA records processed"
  Bruce
   

mgb204

EA records does not stand for Electronic Arts, but instead Extended Attributes. This doesn't necessarily indicate a problem though, one machine may simply not have such files or none that needed to be processed.

BruceAtkinson

Thank-you mgb204....so now I will proceed to transfer all my Plugins in to my business computer...and get back to developing my cities and regions....
Bruce

BruceAtkinson

Again I want to convey my thankfulness to all whom responded to my latest issue with SimCity 4 Rush Hour.  I have it back running on my laptop...and I am running it on my business computer as well--but just as a back up.
   Still not sure what happened, however I decided to re-install on the laptop and now everything is back to normal.  Although it still takes time to load and such, but that is due to the size of my Plugins folder...so knowing I'm pushing the envelope on that, I have patience!
  Thanks every so much to everyone...
Bruce

BruceAtkinson

Well, most likely to those that have responded to my concerns and issues of late, I am experiencing another! 
  The game loads, and two things will happen...I can get to the regions screen and then when I click on a city I want to get in to, I will experience a CTD...secondly, I can get to the regions screen, and when I click on a city it will load up and then CTD.  In addition if I do this two or three times, it will then complete the "load" and I can be in the city-fully functional-for a half hour to two hours.
  And just one more item:  if I load up the game and go into an empty city tile...the CTD does not occur and I can begin developing the city...
  Any thoughts?
-Bruce

matias93

Sounds a lot like an issue with a tree controller, ¿did you change your tree controller recently?
Your solution is to install again your old tree controller, enter to ALL city tiles with trees and demolish them all, save those tiles, install your new tree controller, and plant the trees all once again with it.
Sounds horribly tedious because it is, but luckily you can take a shortcut of sorts using Buggi Extra Cheats and the flora on/off cheat: while flora off demolishes all trees (god mode and MMP alike) and blocks the planting and growing of them, flora on re-enables the planting and growing, but without planting the trees back.

So, you will only need to open the city tiles with the old controller, open the cheatbox with Ctrl + X and type flora off and then flora on, then save the tile.

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