[RESOLVED] DirectX and Fatal Errors?

[Chlanny]

When playing CD Rom games, I receive a fatal exception error message:

A fatal exception 0E has occured at 0028:C0006EB2 in VXD VMM(01)+ 00005EB2.

With one game, the error occurs when the game starts. If I get to play the game, it eventually hangs. With the other game, the error occurs during or when I exit.

I've been struggling with this problem for 2 months now so I'm at the breaking point. I thought I fixed it when I replaced my RAM but no dice.

What I have found is that when I run the DirectDraw and/or the Direct3D tests in DXDiag, I get the same OE error. It is not consistent when the error occurs or during which test. And it doesn't always happen.

The only other piece of info I can give is this: I received this error once after exiting a game in a small dialogue box:

DirectDraw Init FAILED

I have searched the microsoft support pages and cannot find a solution. Can anyone here give me some ideas?

[kornesque]

outta curiosity, which games are they? from what i can tell off the bat, the monitor isn't configured properly, another prog has locked the display res of the monitor, or your video driver is incompatible with directx. try a clean boot too and see if that works. keep in touch.
-drew

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I just don't understand stop signs...aren't vehicles made to, well...GO???

[Chlanny]

The game that rarely starts or hangs is NHL 2000 and the Game where the error occurs during play or at exit is Links 2000.

I have the Diamond V770 driver - should it not be compatible with DirectX?

You mentioned my monitor. One other thing I noticed when I got my machine back from the guy who "fixed" the problem was that my refresh rate was set to "Optimal" and I'm sure it used to be set at 60 or 85.

Could the ram in my video card be hooped?
Could my bios setting need changing?

I'm looking for anything to try.

Thanks.

[kornesque]

ok, i hate posting a kb article this big, but here ya go...this is just some general info that should help ya.
-drew

Links & Access Games Err Msg: DirectDraw Init Failed [accsoft]
ID: Q229998 CREATED: 26-APR-1999 MODIFIED: 03-NOV-2000
:

PUBLIC | kbdisplay kbenv kberrmsg kbimukbfaq

\* Security : PUBLIC
================================================== ====================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Links LS 1998 Edition
- Links LS 1999 Edition
- Microsoft Golf 2001 Edition
- Microsoft Links LS 2000
- Tex Murphy: Overseer
- Microsoft Links 2001
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYMPTOMS
========

When you attempt to start any of the programs listed at the beginning of this
article, you may receive the following error message:

DirectDraw Init Failed

CAUSE
=====

This behavior can occur if any of the following conditions is true:

- Your monitor is not configured correctly.

- Another program has locked the display resolution of your monitor.

- The video driver installed on the computer is incompatible with Microsoft
DirectX.

- The video driver installed on the computer does not support a color palette
higher than 256 colors.

- The video adapter installed in the computer does not meet the minimum
requirements to run the game.

RESOLUTION
==========

To resolve this issue, use the following troubleshooting methods in the order in
which they are presented.

Verify that the Video Adapter Meets the Minimum System
Requirements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Consult the printed documentation provided with your video adapter to verify that
the video adapter supports a screen resolution of at least 800x600 pixels with a
16-bit or higher color palette.

Adjust the Microsoft Windows Display Settings
---------------------------------------------

To adjust the display settings, use the appropriate method for your version of
Windows.

Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows 98:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Display.

3. Click the Settings tab.

4. Move the Desktop Area or Screen Area slider to the 800 x 600 pixels setting.

5. In the Color Palette or Colors box, click High Color (16 bit).

6. Click Advanced Properties or Advanced.

7. On the Monitor tab, make sure your monitor is selected. If an incorrect
monitor is selected, or if a standard or unknown monitor is selected, click
Change.

8. Click the manufacturer and model of your monitor, and then click OK.

NOTE:If you are using Microsoft Windows 98, click Change, click Next, click
"Display a list of all drivers in a specific location, so you can select the
driver you want", and then click Next.

Click the appropriate driver for your monitor, click Next, clickNext again,
and then click Finish.

9. Click Close, and then click OK.

10. Close Control Panel.

Microsoft Windows NT 4.0:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Display.

3. Click the Settings tab.

4. Move the Desktop Area slider to the 800 x 600 pixels setting.

5. In the Color Palette box, click 65536 colors, and then click Test.

6. Click OK, and then click Yes.

7. Click OK, and then close Control Panel.

Obtain an Updated Video Driver
------------------------------

If the issue continues to occur, contact your hardware manufacturer for
information about how to obtain and install the latest version of the video
driver for your video adapter.

For information about how to contact your hardware manufacturer, click the
appropriate article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:

Q65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

Q60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

Q60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

\**
\** PARTNER:
\** To find the third-party contact article(s), Microsoft Support Professionals
\** should connect to the TECHNET database.

Clean Boot Your Computer
------------------------

To clean boot your computer, use the appropriate method for your version of
Windows.

Windows 98:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools,
and then click System Information.

2. On the Tools menu, click System Configuration Utility.

3. On the General tab, click Selective Startup, and then click to clear the
following check boxes:

- Process Config.sys File
- Process Autoexec.bat File
- Process Winstart.bat File (if available)
- Process Win.ini File
- Load Startup Group Items

4. Click OK. When you are prompted to restart the computer, do so.

NOTE: To restore your original Startup options, click Normal Startup on the
General tab in the System Configuration Utility tool.

For additional information about how to clean boot Windows 98, please see the
following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q192926 How to Perform Clean-Boot Troubleshooting for Windows 98

\**
\** PARTNER:
\** Microsoft support professionals should connect to the OPENV rollup database.

Windows 95:

1. Restart the computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press
the F8 key, and then select Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.

2. At the command prompt, type "win" (without the quotation marks), and then
press ENTER. Press and hold down the SHIFT key until the Windows startup
sequence is complete. This prevents any programs from being loaded
automatically when Windows starts.

3. Quit all running programs except Explorer and Systray, which are components
of Windows. To do this:

a. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE.

b. Click the program you want to quit, and then click End Task.

c. If you receive a message that the program is busy or not responding, click
End Task again.

Repeat this step until you have quit all programs except Explorer and Systray.

4. Disable any anti-virus or disk tool programs installed on the computer. For
information about how to disable these programs, see the printed or online
documentation for the program.

For additional information about how to clean boot Windows 95, please see the
following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q177604 Multimedia: Troubleshooting Using Clean Boot of Windows 95

MORE INFORMATION
================

For additional information about how to resolve this issue on a Microsoft
Windows NT 4.0-based computer, click the article number below to view the
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q230078 Links LS 98 Err Msg: DirectDraw Init Failed on Windows NT 4.0

For additional information about how to resolve this issue in Links LS 2000,
click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:

Q261450 Links LS 2000: Screen Turns Black or Game Quits While Loading a
Course




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I just don't understand stop signs...aren't vehicles made to, well...GO???

[Chlanny]

I did some more work and I think I've figured out the cause of the EO error.

When I run "Test Direct3D" in DxDiag, I always get the exact same OE error during the test. Sometimes during the first run of tests, but always on the 2nd test run.

In addition, I downloaded and ran WinTune (diagnostic tool) and it froze at the point where it tests Direct3d.

Finally, the 3d screen saver options also casue problems. For example, if I slect the 3d Text screen saver and try to Preview it, Display Properties "performs and illegal operation". This error doesn't always occur but it happens more often than not.

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[DocPC]

You say you have a Viper 770? go to Nvidia and get the reference drivers (Detonator). The Diamond drivers are crap. I have 2 machines with Viper 770's and NEVER use the provided drivers. Always caused problems.

[Chlanny]

I already did that and it's still cooked.

I'm beginning to think it's the card.

Is there a way to test the card?

mc