System freezes - any help appreciated

from GalCiv2 Forums
I have this lovely new PC sitting next to my old P4 1.4. The new one is the dog's danglies - an AMD 64 (not dual) with 2 gig of RAM and a GeForce 7800 GT. The old one slightly exceeds the requirements for GC2 so the game is playable, but I'd really like to get it running on the better machine.

Problem on the new machine - approximately 30 seconds after starting the game, regardless of whether I'm fiddling in the options or rush through to starting a new game, bam, system freezes and the speakers spit at me - you know, the stuck record sound of a PC dying. It's frustrating bercause it's the only game misbehaving on the system and it's my current addiction. I want to crank this thing up and not put up with the snail-like performance on the old machine.

Some things tried:

Older video drivers.
Disabling on-board sound and using the SB card.

The debug.err clearly shows I'm running the latest beta and have the on-board disabled. Trust me, the exact same thing was happening on the retail install and the first official patch. And with the on-board sound enabled and the second card disabled.

Picking through the various crash posts I note with interest how many systems having problems are high-end NVidia cards. Coincedence?

Anyway, on to the debug.err:

Debug Message: Version v1.1 BETA-3A last updated on: Mon Apr 10 17:03:06 2006
Debug Message: Could not find a TGN Serial No.
Debug Message: *********DXDiag info follows.*********
System Info
Time: 4/12/2006, 01:17:57
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
Machine Name: ASH-PC
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.050301-1519)
Languages: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: NVIDIA
System Model: AWRDACPI
BIOS: )Phoenix - Award WorkstationBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3700+, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.2GHz
Physical Memory: 2048MB RAM
Page File: 152MB used, 7886MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS


Display Info
Display device 1:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY1
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 7800 GT
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0092&SUBSYS_21821682&REV_A1
Display Memory: 256.0 MB
Current Display Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: ViewSonic VE710 Series
Monitor Max Resolution: 1280,1024
Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.8421
Driver Date: 3/9/2006 15:29:00
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes



Sound info
Sound device 1:
Description: SB Audigy 4 [CC00]
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0008&SUBSYS_10211102&REV_00
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: ctaud2k.sys
Provider: Creative
Driver Version: 5.12.0001.1164
Driver Date: 12/8/2005 11:55:46
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 3
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0



Debug Message: *********END dxdiag info.*********
Debug Message: Entering WinMain
Debug Message: ******* Starting Game Shell *******
Debug Message: Going Fullscreen
Debug Message: Preparing to change display settings.
Debug Message: Using multilsample setting: D3DMULTISAMPLE_NONE
Debug Message: Game Resolution: 1024 x 768
Debug Message: Running fullscreen.
Debug Message: HAL (hw vp): NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT
Debug Message: D3DPRESENT_INTERVAL_DEFAULT
Debug Message: Refresh rate: 60
Debug Message: Bit Depth: 32 bit.
Debug Message: *********Checking D3DDevice Caps***********************
Debug Message: A full-color cursor is supported in hardware at high resolution modes.
Debug Message: RGB in format 6:6:6, Masks reported as ff0000:ff00:ff
Debug Message: Now Fullscreen
Debug Message: Shell initialization complete
Debug Message: ***** Initializing Game *****
Debug Message: Timer Frequency is 0 369e99
Debug Message: Initializing sound card.
Debug Message: initailizing bink
Debug Message: No string tables in C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods/*.str
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Gfx\*.png
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Gfx\Race\*.png
Debug Message: Create setup screens.
Debug Message: Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message: Clear influence.
Debug Message: Clear up laws.
Debug Message: Clear first time events.
Debug Message: Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message: Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message: Set mouse.
Debug Message: Set update timer.
Debug Message: Clear data definitions.
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\Techs\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\ShipComponents\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\ships\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\ShipDefs\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\*.raceconfig
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\PlanetImprovements\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\TerrainColorSchemes\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\PlanetDescriptions\*.xml
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech ImpossibleTech for PirateShip. ***
Debug Message: Found existing ship type with class name: Ranger
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech ImpossibleTech for Starbase. ***
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\ships\*.shipclass
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\ships\*.shipcfg
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\Anomalies\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\Events\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\UPIssues\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\Invasion\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\PoliticalParties\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\StarTypes\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask C:\Documents and Settings\AH\My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2\Mods\Data\StarbaseModules\*.xml
Debug Message: Reading Star Names
Debug Message: Reading Star Names... Done
Debug Message: CustomRaceWnd: Cannot find OBJID CustomRace_Description_Text
Debug Message: CustomRaceWnd: Cannot find OBJID CustomRace_Tab_Homeworld
Debug Message: Creating Galaxy
Debug Message: Set galaxy size.
Debug Message: Killing threads.
Debug Message: Kiling civs.
Debug Message: Killing ships.
Debug Message: Killing rallypoints.
Debug Message: Killing misc objects.
Debug Message: Killing stars.
Debug Message: Killing anomalies.
Debug Message: Killing space resources.
Debug Message: Killing colonies and planets.
Debug Message: killing scenario.
Debug Message: Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message: Clear influence.
Debug Message: Clear up laws.
Debug Message: Clear first time events.
Debug Message: Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message: Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message: Creating Random Map
Debug Message: Creating Random Map... Stars
Debug Message: Number of Unplaced Stars: 6.
Debug Message: Creating Random Map... Planets
Debug Message: Creating Random Map... Anomalies
Debug Message: Num Anomalies: 42
Debug Message: Creating Random Map... Resources
Debug Message: Creating Random Map... Done
Debug Message: Setting Game Options
Debug Message: Creating Civs
Debug Message: Drengin Empire: Intellence -> 30
Debug Message: Altarian Republic: Intellence -> 30
Debug Message: Arcean Empire: Intellence -> 30
Debug Message: Torian Confederation: Intellence -> 30
Debug Message: Yor Collective: Intellence -> 30
Debug Message: Creating Civs... Done
Debug Message: Updating ZOC.
Debug Message: Updating ZOC.
Debug Message: Galaxy Create... Done
Debug Message: UIBeginGame called with g_ulLocalPlayerID = 0
Debug Message: StackedShipsWnd: Cannot find OBJID Stacked_Logistics_Value
Debug Message: StackedShipsWnd: Cannot find OBJID stacked_Fleet_More_Button

Thanks for reading. I count myself fortunate that at least I have an old machine to play on. Great game, keep up the good work.
9,860 views 17 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Your machine is well up to scratch. Have you tried changing the prefs.ini file so that it starts windowed mode? That has solved it for a lot of people.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hey there Marcathonas, thanks for replying.

Indeed I have tried the windowed mode, off the command line rather than through the ini. Exact same problem - total system freeze approx. 30 seconds in, requiring a reboot. I figured out how to drop AA from 4 to 0 in the ini, but that made no difference. In fact I've fiddled about with various settings in the ini, no combination making any difference. Conclusion - the game doesn't like my hardware. Odd thing is, all my other games play smmoth on the new machine.

I did hunt high and low for more recent drivers for the SB but couldn't find any. The nForce system drivers are also bang up-to-date and I even grabbed the latest driver for the CPU. No improvement.

I've also looked at heat - this machine is built cold - it's chock full of fans and noisy as hell. Temperature monitor reports a healthy, comparatively low CPU and GPU temperature even when under normal stress.
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I had to remove my Sound Blaster Audigy and use the onboard audio.

Never did like Creative Labs, but I got the Audigy cheap and it has some ncie features like EAX.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
There are a couple of things to try....

Make sure you dont have any spyware/starforce..etc.
I know its a new setup but still....

Check the video drivers and make sure its not set up to control the video d3d/opengl settings and its using the game settings instead.

Run scandisk - called error checking now, it is remotely possible that there is a bad sector on the drive causing a problem.
Also, run the system in windowed mode and have your heat monitors/task manager open...
Check them when it locks up and see if there is something wrong.

Hopefully this will help.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
is video card throttling on? cause your card might be overheating from all the fps you're getting out of that
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hmm interesting...

I'm having the EXTACT same problem and also haven been able to even get a read on what the problem *might* be, I had been assuming it was a hardware issue on my end but not sure not...

(Had been assuming hardware since WoW is doing the same thing, yet any other game/program (both newer and older) work perfectly fine)
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
1.11 helped a little with the problems I was having but the PC still freezes periodically, requiring a reboot. Switching off music seems to make the periods before a freeze longer.

I suspect the sound card is having issues with the game, though it was only when I switched off frame rate throttling in options (1.11 actually gave me enough time to do this before a freeze) that it became stable enough to play for reasonable periods.

The freeze can occur anywhere between ten minutes to four hours after starting the game.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Try these steps one at a time:

1)  Update your video drivers with a clean install. 
 a) Download the new drivers from your video card manufacturer's website. Usually www.nvidia.com, www.ati.com or www.intel.com. 
 b)  Un-install the old drivers and reboot
 c) Cancel the Found New Hardware wizard when you log back into Windows
 d)  Install the new drivers that you downloaded
 
If you have the most updated drivers but you did not do a clean install when you updated, you may want to re-install your drivers using the method above.
 
2)  Update your sound drivers.

3) Update to the latest version of Gal Civ 2.

4) Install Smart Exception from the Free Stuff tab in Stardock Central. This generates a crash report when GC2 crashes (unless the computer has locked up or reboots itself) which is useful to us in determining where the crash is occurring.  We will also want your debug.err file.  If you are constantly getting crashes and you need help from a support tech, e-mail [email protected].  Otherwise, e-mail the crash log and the debug.err file to [email protected].  If you have a save game that consistently crashes within a set amount of turns, send that in as well, but you will probably need to zip it.

5) Go to the advanced tab of your display properties and find the Direct3D settings.

 a) Set Antialiasing to be Application Controlled
 b) Set AnsioTropic filtering to be Appliation Controlled
 c) Set Image Settings to be Quality

6) Make sure that your desktop resolution is at least 1024 x 768 at 32 bit color. You may want to try higher resolutions if your video card and monitor support them, but you always want to be at 32 bit color, and the game resolution should never be higher than the desktop resolution.

7) In your My Documents\My Games\GalCiv2 folder, there is a prefs.ini file. You can change the video settings there.

 a) Set Multisample = 0 to disable anti-aliasing, particularly if you have an error in your debug.err file about failing to create a device.
 b) Set HardwareMouseCursor = 1
 c) Set Fullscreen = 0 to run in a window.  If the game resolution is the same size as the desktop resolution, it will still appear to be fullscreen.
 d) If your crashing is occurring after the intro, try setting SkipIntro=1

8) Check to see what codecs you have installed. Many media player programs like WinDVD or Media Portal install codecs on your system and they don't always play nice with other programs.   To see what codecs are installed on your system:

9) Turn off all the music and sfx in the game.  You may also want to try disabling your sound card.  If this works, there may be some issue with your sound driver that un-installing the codecs didn't fix.  You may need to re-install your sound drivers after having un-installed your codecs, or you may be able to fix the problem by changing your audio acceleration.

 a) Right click on the My Computer icon and select properties.
 b) Click on the hardware tab
 c) Click on the Device Manager button. 
 d) Right click on Audio Codecs and choose properties. The properties tab of the dialog that comes up will list and allow you to remove the audio codecs installed on your computer.    e) You can follow the same steps for the Video Codecs. 
 f) There are instructions in this MSDN article for re-installing the Windows audio and video codecs:

 http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;893681&spid=1007&sid=1498#EUADAAA

10) Run dxdiag and the Direct3D and DirectSound tests to make sure that there is nothing wrong that DirectX can detect

 a) Click on your windows start button
 b) Click on Run
 c) type the word dxdiag in the dialog box and click OK.
 d) Allow it to check to see if your drivers are digitally signed, let it run its tests
 e) Run the Direct3D and DirectSound tests.
 f) Click Save all information and save the file somewhere you'll be able to find it.

 

Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
1 - Done.
2 - The latest sound card drivers are installed.
3 - Latest non-beta version of GalCiv 2 is installed.
4 - Pointless. The machine freezes requiring a reboot.
5 - Done.
6 - Done.
7 - Done. Problem still occurs in windowed mode.
8 - Done.
9 - Done. Not fun to do.
10 - Done. DXDiag is happy.

Problem still occurs. Periodic freezing of the system with spit/stutter from speakers.

Sound card was physically removed leaving the on-board sound only. This did not resolve the problem.

Something in 1.11 did improve the situation, so that it doesn't immediately freeze when entering options or the first instance of the tech screen popping up on start of a new game. What functions occur when entering options and the first tech screen, that have been altered in 1.11? That might be something to look at.

Cheers for the reply btw. Even if it is canned
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
That was no canned response, unless it is from a newly formed can.

You may also have a marginal ram chip. If you have 2 sticks of memory you could try removing one at a time and trying it. You get a performance hit for sure, using only half the ram, but it is an easy check to test for a faulty ram chip.

I have seen similar things over the years where only a certain program would crash, and tracked it down to a particular ram stick. Adobe Premier was famous for it.

Sometimes just reseating the ram can clear things up.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Well, it covers just about every common hardware issue.

Are you using 1 or 2 NVidia 7800 GTs? I have two 7800 GTs SLIed at home I noticed that the dxdiag info only shows 1 video card for my computer.  GalCiv2 runs great on my computer, though, so it's not necessarily a driver/hardware issue, at least on the part of the video card.

People occasionally have trouble if they have integrated video cards and a non-integrated card, as GalCiv2 will sometimes try to use the integrated video card (which generally has older or buggier drivers), but it's not listing another one in your debug.err, which probably means you don't or the other card is disabled.

And you did say that you have updated motherboard drivers.  Maybe it's because you have a 64 bit processor? We don't have a 64 bit version of GalCiv2, so is there a setting you need to check?

Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Me again.

To the devteam - please see https://forums.galciv2.com/?forumid=274&aid=121454#968600

This gentleman also has an nForce board and is having the same problem.

I've just completed a reformat and reinstall of XP. After patching GC2 to 1.2 it played fine for four hours. Then when AFK the game crashed. It has now returned to the original behaviour of locking the machine hard as described earlier in this post.
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm busy reproducing the freeze this morning, and I can confirm that I've found a couple of reliable ways of doing it.

One is to go into options after game launch and hang around in there for a few seconds. Freeze. Generally it's the audio and video tabs that cause the freeze quickest.

Another is to immediately after game launch start a new game and rush through the game setup screens. The game will initialize and it's only at the first instance of the tech screen that it freezes the system. This is full-screen or windowed. If you hang around at the "welcome to a new game humans are idiots cheers for hyperdrive" dialog you can delay the freeze but not indefinitely.
Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi AlphaAsh,

Quick question: when you force the reboot, does Windows create a system report when it's running again?
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Sporadically. Rarely. I always submit any system report that is generated after a reboot. In those cases it's shown up, it's always been a generic "driver error" with no useful feedback from MS.

Update: I've just installed SmartException (just in case I get a crash instead of a lock). I also reinstalled SDC and patched to 1.3b. Now this is odd - this time when I got to the first tech screen, the machine auto-rebooted. Not froze - re-booted.

I'm off to see if I can reproduce - the reboot, not procreation
Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
No. Back to freezing now. I'm running the game windowed atm so I can check GPU temp, and that's fine. The Soundblaster is also out of the machine atm (removed before OS reinstall) so that has eliminated that from the equation.

I've also followed some of the other suggestions in this thread regarding RAM and that's not the problem. As for this being an AMD64, it's vanilla XP so I don't see how the comment about Gal Civ 2 not being 64 bit is relevant. Perhaps CarlElf could elaborate.

I'm gravitating towards an issue with nForce compatibility.

Anyways, latest debug.err.

Debug Message: Version v1.3 beta 1 last updated on: Thu Jul 27 18:22:18 2006
Debug Message: *********DXDiag info follows.*********
System Info
Time: 7/28/2006, 10:25:03
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
Machine Name: SHITHOT
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.050301-1519)
Languages: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: NVIDIA
System Model: AWRDACPI
BIOS: )Phoenix - Award WorkstationBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3700+, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.2GHz
Physical Memory: 2048MB RAM
Page File: 166MB used, 3773MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS


Display Info
Display device 1:
Device Name: \\.\DISPLAY1
Card Name: NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce 7800 GT
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Key Device: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0092&SUBSYS_21821682&REV_A1
Display Memory: 256.0 MB
Current Display Mode: 1152 x 864 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Resolution: 1600,1200
Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.9131
Driver Date: 6/1/2006 17:22:00
DirectX Acceleration Enabled: Yes



Sound info
Sound device 1:
Description: NVIDIA(R) nForce(TM) Audio
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: NFORCE_VAD
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Driver Name: nvapu.sys
Provider: NVIDIA Corporation
Driver Version: 6.14.0462.0000
Driver Date: 4/13/2005 12:34:02
Type: WDM
Other Drivers:
Acceleration Level: 3
Cap Flags: 0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0



Debug Message: *********END dxdiag info.*********
Debug Message: Entering WinMain
Debug Message: ******* Starting Game Shell *******
Debug Message: Preparing to change display settings.
Debug Message: Using multilsample setting: D3DMULTISAMPLE_NONE
Debug Message: Game Resolution: 1024 x 768
Debug Message: Running in windowed mode.
Debug Message: HAL (hw vp): NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT
Debug Message: D3DPRESENT_INTERVAL_IMMEDIATE
Debug Message: Refresh rate: 0
Debug Message: Bit Depth: 32 bit.
Debug Message: *********Checking D3DDevice Caps***********************
Debug Message: A full-color cursor is supported in hardware at high resolution modes.
Debug Message: Border size reported as 6 by 25
Debug Message: RGB in format 6:6:6, Masks reported as ff0000:ff00:ff
Debug Message: Now windowed.
Debug Message: Shell initialization complete
Debug Message: ***** Initializing Game *****
Debug Message: Timer Frequency is 0 369e99
Debug Message: Initializing sound card.
Debug Message: initailizing bink
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Movies\*.bik
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Movies\techs\*.bik
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Gfx\*.png
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\sfx\*.wav
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Music\*.mp3
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Event Music\*.mp3
Debug Message: Create setup screens.
Debug Message: Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message: Clear influence.
Debug Message: Clear up laws.
Debug Message: Clear first time events.
Debug Message: Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message: Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message: Set mouse.
Debug Message: Set update timer.
Debug Message: Clear data definitions.
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\Techs\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\ShipComponents\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\ShipDefs\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Gfx\Planets\C0*.png
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\PlanetImprovements\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\TerrainColorSchemes\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\PlanetDescriptions\*.xml
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for BasicSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for ExtendedSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for ExtendedSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for BasicSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for BasicSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for BasicSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for BasicSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for BasicSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for GeneralSupport. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for Sensors0. ***
*DEBUG ERROR: ***Unable to find required tech GarbageTech for BasicSupport. ***
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\Anomalies\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\Events\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\UPIssues\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\Invasions\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\PoliticalParties\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\StarTypes\*.xml
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\StarbaseModules\*.xml
Debug Message: Reading Star Names
Debug Message: Reading Star Names... Done
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\CustomMaps\*.gc2map
Debug Message: No files found matching mask D:\Games\GalCiv2\Mods\AshMod\Data\Scenarios\*.gc2scenario
Debug Message: CustomRaceWnd: Cannot find OBJID CustomRace_Tab_Homeworld
Debug Message: Creating Galaxy
Debug Message: Killing threads.
Debug Message: Kiling civs.
Debug Message: Killing ships.
Debug Message: Killing rallypoints.
Debug Message: Killing misc objects.
Debug Message: Killing stars.
Debug Message: Killing anomalies.
Debug Message: Killing space resources.
Debug Message: Killing colonies and planets.
Debug Message: killing scenario.
Debug Message: Clearing Turn Event Log
Debug Message: Clear galaxy settings.
Debug Message: Clear influence.
Debug Message: Clear up laws.
Debug Message: Clear first time events.
Debug Message: Clear wonders and trade goods.
Debug Message: Clear sector mapper.
Debug Message: Galaxy Size Set: 18 x 18
Debug Message: Creating Random Map
Debug Message: Creating Random Map... Stars
Debug Message: Number of Unplaced Stars: 0.
Debug Message: Creating Random Map... Planets
Debug Message: *************** Failed To Place Planet ***************
Debug Message: *************** Failed To Place Planet ***************
Debug Message: *************** Failed To Place Planet ***************
Debug Message: *************** Failed To Place Planet ***************
Debug Message: *************** Failed To Place Planet ***************
Debug Message: *************** Failed To Place Planet ***************
Debug Message: *************** Failed To Place Planet ***************
Debug Message: *************** Failed To Place Planet ***************
Debug Message: Creating Random Map... Anomalies
Debug Message: Num Anomalies: 300
Debug Message: Creating Random Map... Resources
Debug Message: Creating Random Map... Done
Debug Message: Setting Game Options
Debug Message: Creating Civs
Debug Message: Terran Alliance: Intellence -> 15
Debug Message: Arcean Empire: Intellence -> 65
Debug Message: Yor Collective: Intellence -> 65
Debug Message: Dominion of Korx: Intellence -> 65
Debug Message: Drath Legion: Intellence -> 65
Debug Message: Thalan Empire: Intellence -> 65
Debug Message: Iconian Refuge: Intellence -> 65
Debug Message: Creating Civs... Done
Debug Message: Updating ZOC.
Debug Message: Updating ZOC.
Debug Message: Galaxy Create... Done
Debug Message: UIBeginGame called with g_ulLocalPlayerID = 10
Debug Message: UIBeginGameHelper: New Game Started
Debug Message: UIBeginGameHelper: Mods are Enabled
Debug Message: StackedShipsWnd: Cannot find OBJID Stacked_Logistics_Value
Debug Message: StackedShipsWnd: Cannot find OBJID stacked_Fleet_More_Button

Yes my mod is loaded. That's been play-tested for a while on my low-end PC and is stable. See earlier in the thread that the mod wasn't loaded when the problems began.

Reply #17 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I asked this because I have been struggling with a "STOP 0x000000EA THREAD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER" loop errors for 1.5 years...
But I had this happen on all 3D games.

I have a nForce2 board, a nVidia 6600GT card and an AMD CPU.

Since I have this board, I experienced this annoying issue.
Even switching back to the nVidia 4200Ti, same issue.
I was able to play games with my comp case open, so I supposed it was a heating issue... well, I thought I was able to, it just took longer to crash...

Anyway, I was able to have a stable system for 3D games when setting my FSB to 133 (instead of the normal 200 MHz).
Now, after 1.5 years, I found that putting the FSB to 195 MHz helped me: for 3 monthes now, no more single crash playing 3D games.

If you experience this with other 3D games, might be this awful issue (you can find a lot of topics about this on the internet, none of them really helpful )