Can't play games anymore...

[shawn006]

I downloaded/installed that update, and it did not resolve the problem. Moreover, it has made some things worse. When I log on to Windows, the logon sound is glitched and stops playing momentarily, then it resumes.

Is there a way to revert?

[shawn006]

NEVERMIND

Thanks for all the help guys, but I found out what the problem was. The GeForce FX 5200 was damaged.

I feel like a moron for not noticing it, but on a black section of the chip underneath some ridges are scorch marks coming from a metallic object. I would have noticed this sooner when I was inspecting the card, but scorch marks don't show up well on a black surface.

Well, I put in my old Nvidia Vanta/Vanta LT card, updated the drivers, and nothing is going wrong. It plays all the games fine and the screen doesn't flicker. I was only using the GeForce FX 5200 for making Star Wars Galaxies (which is probably the most graphics intensive game this side of the upcoming Doom game) somewhat playable.

Ah, well. Thanks for all your help, guys.

[GrandDad]

Your welcome from us .

as you saw its not always easy to help someone without being there ,
but glad you solved it and let us know how , that may help the next .

[chaser999]

Before I get to specs, I'd like to say that this computer has been capable of running these games from when I first opened it to when I had installed/upgraded the ram, graphics card, and sound card. Then the problems started. Eager to fix a number of other problems, I wiped everything off the computer and did a clean install of Windows.

The problem is that when a game has been launched, the gameplay will freeze up and hang on whatever current sound there is. You can't move or get past that sound until it decides to let you. This can be quite frequent, and most games are near unplayable. The games in question are Star Wars: Jedi Knight II--Jedi Outcast (JK2), Star Wars: Jedi Academy (JA), and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR). JA and JK2 (Quake 3 engine, I believe) are completely unplayable due to the frequent hangups and freezes. KOTOR just lags up every now and then (rather infrequent) and passes by it within seconds. The JA/JK2 freezing happen literally every 1-3 seconds of normal gameplay and can last anywhere from 10 seconds to 45.

If I don't cancel out of the game fast enough, then my monitor will start behaving as if it is going to turn of. It'll blink out like it's going to turn off but will come back on before it can. This will freeze the computer everytime it's doing this, and will eventually lead to shutting of the monitor and can rarely shut off the entire computer.

I know the CPU Usage is at 100%. This happens with other games, as well. My SNES/Sega/NES/Gameboy games are unaffected. I'm guessing this is entirely a 3d games problem.

I have used default drivers for my graphics/sound cards, various drivers from different dates, and the latest ones as well. There hasn't been a change. I've used the DirectX versions included with the games as well as the latest DirectX, DirectX 9.0b. Again, no change.

All devices are functioning properly, according to Windows, and there are no conflicts. Some ideas I'm tossing around are that the 3D games are causing my computer to reach high temperatures (although nothing indicates this), a DirectX issue, or that my graphics card is dying/damaged (although Windows doesn't detect a problem with it) as my Voodoo 3 in my old computer behaved much the same way before it croaked.

When running dxdiag, I have issues with the graphics portion of the tests. The DirectDraw tests will cause my monitor to have black areas at the bottom where the taskbar is, and cause the monitor to try and black out. During the Direct3D tests, the spinning box will stop (just like a game will) and I'll have to wait an extra amount of time for the test to finish.

I've included specs, dxdiag log, and a hijackthis log. Sorry for the length, but I'm going to have to divide this into several posts due to posting length restrictions.

I know about that i had those games they do that because some thimes the game is not compatible with you sound or graphics cards. when they try to start up they hang up or won't let you open them