SOLVED: My game crashes to Desktop ¡¡¡

[wallasey]

Not sure if this happens to anyone else, but it may be worth considering if you have reoccurring issues.

If have found on Windows 7 that running SC4 and playing a tune on Soundcloud (or similar) can cause the game to crash. Not after any resolutions to this but I thought this experience may be of help??

[BruceAtkinson]

 Another issue from the old codger...me!  Just the other day, I was into SimCity and building a beautiful addition if I say so myself!  I went to save the work I did, and lo and behold the game must have frozen.  Forty minutes later, it was still saving, with the hour glass still hovering...however I knew that it frozen, but I thought give it another twenty minutes...no change.  I had to force the computer off...and think I may have corrupted something because now when I try and go into Simcity it will load to what I refer to as the second stage.  It'll load fine and go to the loading city stage and then that is when it will crash to desktop.  Now, the behaviour of loading on my computer is such:  On the second stage, loading city...it comes up with a sub-message right below 'loading city'....this is normal, then after about ten minutes that sub-messgae changes to another one and then the city comes up.  Now that is when I have the crash...any thoughts on this, or am I hooped!!
  Bruce

[BruceAtkinson]

...further to my first submission:  I have done the following...found the last item I put in my plugin folder, took it out-no change, still crashes.  Defraged the drive, and no change...all Anti-virus programs are off and also Windows Firewall and still crashes.  All crashes are at what I described as the second stage of loading the game.  I even tried with a different region, as well as the city I was saving at the beginning of my problems was taken out and still the game crashed.
  Would it be beneficial to post the Exception Report, would that tell anyone any useful information?
Bruce

[wouanagaine]

Have you tried SC4Savegame Explorer on that city ? and even ilive Reader on it and try to scroll thru all entries
As for the exception report, without the source code it is likely unusable

My feelings is that your savefile is corrupted and you might have to  obliterate it unfortunatly

[BruceAtkinson]

 Thanks Mr. W...haven't heard from you for awhile!.....thanks for this, I'm not familiar with SaveGame Explorer, I have used Illives but can't see anything untoward.  One more update...I just renamed my Plugins folder found in My Documents and the game loaded....so went back to my recent downloads and took out some Avenue circles I got from a japanese site, but they were not the problem, the only other thing I recently downloaded was the new NAM....so I have just taken that out to see if it is causing the problems.
   Will post the results shortly...
and thanks again
Bruce

[BruceAtkinson]

  Well, it seems to be the new NAM...everything loaded properly with the Network Add On folder out of my plugins...so I do have an older version still and I'll put that folder in, and see what happens.  The older folder is in my back-up plugins folder.
  Bruce

[BruceAtkinson]

 All has loaded fine, with the old Network Addon folder put back in.  I'll have to keep an eye on the new version, and see if someone else had a similar issue.  It's a shame, as all the visuals I've seen of the new version are fantastic!
  Bruce

[Swordmaster]

Bruce, what processor do you have exactly? There have been reports of crashes with NAM 31 and they may be linked to multi-threading processors like the i7.


Cheers
Willy

[BruceAtkinson]

...Thanks Willy, however I'm actualy playing this version of the game on an older Dell Optiplex modified computer...single core, which is dedicated to SimCity and nothing else...and running Windows XP Professional as the operating system.  Processor: Intel Celeron CPU 2.66GHz Intel 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family and 3GB RAM
Bruce

[Tarkus]

What exact Celeron model are you running?  Some of them have HyperThreading, which, based on the prevailing research, may be responsible for the crashing.

-Alex

[BruceAtkinson]

  Not sure if this is what you want, Alex:
   Model 4 Stepping 9  Clock Speed is 2659  and Voltage is 1.4
  External Clock is 533Mhz....so it is an older one, I don't think it incorporates hyperthreading.
My video Memory is 128MB
   Cheers

[BruceAtkinson]

...So today I tried re-installing the new NAM, after two days of playing and building in my SimCity.....re-installed the Custom method, thinking that possibly I missed something in the previous attempt.  Unfortunately it resorted back to the crash....so I have re-installed the older version of NAM and all is fine.  So I have something that conflicts with the new version...don't know what it is, but I'll find out I hope...
Bruce

[SilverCyric]

Ive got the same problem creeping up on me. I've tore apart my plugins 3 times and built from scratch, even re downloaded all new lots bats props and everything to double check I had proper plugins. To no avail, but I just can't bring myself to stop using the new NAM, I'm hooked!, draggable curves have ensnared me : ) hehe
But maybe together we can help figure it out thanks I really like this new NAM, I appreciate all the detail and attention to blending

[BruceAtkinson]

Yeah, I'll keep plugging away!  However I'm using the older version of NAM, as I have too many things in my plugins folder...besides, I cannot even start to enjoy the new version, as the game crashes before I can get a foothold in to it!  I do have the game installed on my business computer as well...so when I have time, I'll introduce the new NAM on it and see if the same thing occurs.  I did notice one thing, though, the Network Addon folder is twice as big in the new version than the older version...so with the older computer, maybe that's the issue...who knows!
Bruce

[SilverCyric]

Well I've got a decent Alienware with 8GB of RAM but it's running in I7 processor and that might be part of my problem I haven't seen a solution to it yet and I definitely haven't come up with one if my own yet. Hehe
But I've been starting regions from scratch with a very basic plugins but still is almost 2GB, I do run SPAM and CAM but I've datpacked the IHT fix and CAM mods into the simcity1.day file and load SPAM after CAM. I'm pretty sure I have it running smooth, my demand levels are very close to normal and I've been running them together for a long while on version 30, at least a year.
Now I'm trying to see if I'm causing a corrupt save file error with repeated CTD's during a save and exit to region...

[BruceAtkinson]

...found something interesting, but I must say for today, I have to get back to work!  Anyway, I renamed my plugins folder just so it wouldn't load, and put the new NAM in the newly created plugins folder...and only the new NAM.  The game loaded fine, and of course much faster because there was virtually nothing in the plugins folder except for NAM (that is the plugins folder in My Documents/SimCity 4...)
  So what this confirms for me is that I have something in my real plugins folder that is causing a conflict.  It has got me thinking, that it may be a texture.  I did notice with just a cursory look that my z-whatever folders have some NAM elements, in the old version, whereas these folders are within the new Network Addon folder.  So, thinking out loud...maybe if I take out those z-folders, it may work....and speaking of work, I've got to get back to it...so I'll try the above later on today to see if that works.
  Bruce

[BruceAtkinson]

Well...something just occured to me as I was getting ready to see a client.  I have been installing the new NAM over an older one...and when the game loaded in the lastest try, explanation in last post...I did notice that most of my bustops, rail stations, etc. were missing from my game...which makes sense due to the amount I have.  So to the point.  Maybe I should un-install the older version of NAM, and then install the new one.  The reason I'm thinking that is in my original plugins folder, I have so many 'after market' transportation items, that they may be the source of my issue....
Bruce

[SilverCyric]

I feared having the same problem, so in preparation for the NAM 31 release I reinstalled my entire game, re datpacked a few things, and installed the new NAM fresh. So far I'm still having CTD's when I exit to region without saving.(I'm saving prior to exiting) but I've managed to avoid CTD's while saving, and that has noticeably improved the stability, so far at least. I'm still having a blast with the new features, I just have to reload the game when I change tiles. Not really a problem, just adding more info about game handling.

[BruceAtkinson]

 Although we haven't come up with the solution, when one has an issue, one learns so much about the game, and even computers!  None of this could be accomplished without this very community of devoted SimCity gamers!  I know, eventually we will solve it, and maybe solve some other issues in the process.  So, for now I'll keep digging, but keep playing the game with the older version of NAM.
  I also know I'm running a risk with the amount of plugins I have...I'm teteering at around 10GB!!...can't help myself, there is so much good being created for the game!  However, it may be time for me to reduce the mega file!....not ready to give it up just yet, though!
  Bruce

[SilverCyric]

I hear ya brutha! I usually run at about 5 GB, but I was starting to get a bunch of stuff that I just wasn't using. I'm still running the NAM 31, and I just had my first crash during a ctrl+s save. While a few parts of the simulation may be a little slower, the speed with with I can crank out roads networks, I'm building nearly twice as fast. Not having to prep, then lay, then cut out then lay curves, plus the draggable road curves confirm to sidewalk mods, I don't have to place filler pieces everywhere. NAM team is best pony!! : ))