I posted this to the Nexus forums, but figured I may have more luck here on the Bethesda forums: I have tried about everything under the sun to fix this and I am at my wits end. I have a Dell Inspiron N7010 running an Intel Core TM i3 using Windows 7 64 bit and every time I try to start a new game with my fallout game of the year edition on steam, at some point during the birth scene, my game freezes. I have tried downloaded the d3d9.dll, editing the fallout_default.ini, altering the graphics updating the game to version 1.7,and a bunch of other things, but I cannot get the game to work. I did manage to get past character creation once, but the game froze up quickly afterward. If anyone can help, I would appreciate it.

also, I do have mods and Fallout Mod Manager, the following is my mod list:
[X] Fallout3.esm
[X] Anchorage.esm
[X] ThePitt.esm
[X] BrokenSteel.esm
[X] PointLookout.esm
[X] Zeta.esm
[X] Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch.esm
[X] CRAFT.esm
[X] CALIBR.esm
[X] Project Beauty.esm
[X] ArefuExpandedByAzar.esm
[X] TheInstitute.esm
[X] CubeExperimental (EN).esm
[X] Mothership Crew.esm
[X] Apocalypse Armory.esm
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esm
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod.esm
[X] DCInteriors_ComboEdition.esm
[X] DCInteriors_Wasteland_Edition.esm
[ ] FO3 Wanderers Edition - Alternate Travel.esp
[X] Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch - Operation Anchorage.esp
[X] Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch - The Pitt.esp
[X] Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch - Broken Steel.esp
[X] Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch - Point Lookout.esp
[X] Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch - Mothership Zeta.esp
[X] Project Beauty- Broken Steel.esp
[X] Project Beauty- Point Lookout.esp
[X] ArefuExpandedByAzar-Radio.esp
[X] UPP - Pack 1.esp
[X] UPP - Pack 2.esp
[X] UPP - Original Perks.esp
[X] UPP - Experience Perks.esp
[X] UPP - Quest Perks.esp
[X] LilMac.esp
[X] ZebraCarbine.esp
[X] UPP - Beverage Perks.esp
[X] bzArmour.esp
[X] bzBodySuits.esp
[X] bzFatigues.esp
[X] bzJocks.esp
[X] DCInteriors_DLC_Collectables.esp
[X] Apocalypse Armory.esp
[X] Apocalypse Armory - CALIBR.esp
[X] Apocalypse Armory - DLC Enhancements.esp
[ ] Apocalypse Armory - Optional Historical Names.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Anchorage.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC The Pitt.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Broken Steel.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Point Lookout.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Mothership Zeta.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional Restore Tracers.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional VATS Realtime.esp
[X] FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional Restore Tracers (automatics only).esp
[X] WeaponModKits.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - FWE Master Release.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - OperationAnchorage.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - ThePitt.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - BrokenSteel.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - PointLookout.esp
[X] WeaponModKits - Zeta.esp
[X] Apocalypse Armory + WMK.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Anchorage.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC The Pitt.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Broken Steel.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Point Lookout.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Zeta.esp
[ ] Mart's Mutant Mod - Zones Respawn.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - Tougher Traders.esp
[ ] Mart's Mutant Mod - Natural Selection.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - Master Menu Module.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - Project Beauty.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - FWE Master Release.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - FWE Master Release + DLCs.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - FWE Master Release + Project Beauty.esp
[X] Mart's Mutant Mod - Project Beauty + FWE.esp

also, I have changed the number of AI threads to 1 since it seemed to be more stable than 2, and I did the multiple core change thing in the .ini.

Just a quick look shows conflicting mods. DC Interiors Combo contains all of the files for DC Interiors project and makes DC Interiors Wasteland redundent. Also, you have mutiple editions of Mart's Mutant Mod with the same compatibility patches.
The FWE restore tracers is designed to restore tracers to all the weapons and you have FWE restore tracers-automatics only. These two will fight each other. Choose one or the other. This might be your problem. Try disabling all your mods and see if the game runs. If it works, enable each mod until the game breaks, this will help pinpoint the problem. You should also use FO3 Edit to check for conflicts and BOSS to set you load order. Also, are you launching the game through FOSE? Do you have archive invalidation invalidated installed? Is your game installed outside of your program files folder? All of these will make a difference on how the game will run.

I've tried running the base game with no mods, and I still get freezing at the birth scene, so I know it's not the mods.

I would try a reinstall of the game next.

I've had that issue

the fix (at least for me) was to raise the settings a bit in the "Advanced..." section of the launcher

this was with an unmodded unpatched collector's edition so mileage may vary

I heard about that and when I had the settings on normal, it seems to get close to the end, I've gotten through it once, but I don't know if adjusting the sliders would help anymore...

bumping if only in hopes of getting help again.

i just had the same problem an hour ago
you can use this mod --http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2840
it skips the birth scene and it starts as when amata wakes you up, and you can pick race and change name and all that
it helped me so i hope it helps you

well I was hoping to see the birthday, but at least it's when amata wakes me, and it's not like I haven't beaten the thing on console so I'll try it.

bumping this as I did try the given mod, but I still froze very quickly after it started.

Since you have tried the game without any mods, I think you problem might be that you video card is not up to the load that is placed on it by the game. Or you have the game loaded in the program files folder. These are the most common reasons the game will not run. Uninstall the game (uninstall, not delete) and reinstall outside of the programs files. I have my game loaded at C:\Bethesda Softworks\Fallout3. This works for me. During loading you will be asked if you want a default install or custom install. Choose custom install than type in the path to where you want game installed.
For example: C:\. This will install your game directly on the hard drive outside of the UAC.

well, I purchased this game on steam so it is in my steam games folder, and I doubt it is the graphics card, since I am able to run both fallout: new vegas and Oblivion just fine, and they all use the same engine. I am unsure about the install thing, is there a way to do that with a steam game?

You would need to re install steam out of program files to do the 'install thing' just copy your common folder so you dont have to redownload your games.

(null)

I don't want to do that both because I don't know the process, and I have games that are valve specific and aren't in the common folder, so are there any other suggestions?

I'm having the same problem with a boxed version. I never had this problem when I originally installed the game on my old XP desktop nor Vista laptop. Now that I've installed on my new Win 7 64 bit desktop the game keeps locking up at various points in the birth sequence. The furthest I got was was when mom is dieing and dad says to get the baby out of here.

I have all my old saved games, but I wanted to start a new one from the beginning, otherwise I'd just use my original save from the escape.

With steam you can make a backup of the game in case things go wrong, so you don't have to redownload it.
As rusty gunn suggests it has probably something to do with the .ini files, not with mods.

Otherwise, except mods, did you use a texture pack or some new meshes/textures, something changing the game but not related to an .esp ?
Seeing the number of mods you use, there are probably replacers. You should not only try disabling the mods but also restore the game in it's original state, with nothing overwriting the vanilla resources. If the game loads a bad mesh, sound or animation file it can freeze or crash, even if the mod is not selected.

edit : At a closer look at the mods THERE ARE replacers, and lots of them. So you don't need to run any mod to have the resources overwrite the vanilla ones and freeze the game when it tries to load them.

This is all I had to do to fix my freeze problem both when starting a new game and when continuing from one of my old saves. This fix isn't just for more than 2 cores, but also more than 2 hyperthreads. I know this because I have the Core i3 2100 which is only dual core, but has 4 hyperthreads.

I'm having the exact same issues, unmodded. None of the above fixes helped.

I too am having this exact same issue. I've had a bunch of issues with a few games on my machine and I'm not sure whether it's a problem with my hardware or something else.
My system is:
i72600k
GeForce GTX580
8gb RAM
Win 7 Ultimate 64bit.
I'm running dual screen (extended desktop) with 2 1080p monitors.

I bought Fallout 3 GOTY in the steam sale today along with my flattie. He downloaded it over our net connection and I copied the game folder out of his steamapps/common directory when he was finished because I wanted to avoid chewing through another 10gb of internet traffic just to download the exact same thing all over again.

Previous problems I've had with my system include:

Cannot run any CryTech games in DX10 mode, I have to run them in DX9 or they crash within a few minutes of playing them.
I can run Elder Scrolls:Oblivion if I use bloom effects but it crashes if I try to use HDR effects.

The main difference between my system and my flatmate's system is that his one is lower resolution (1466x900 I think) and he only has one monitor.

My flatmate got all the way through the birth scene the first time he ran Fallout 3, but he has since started having crashes. He has HDR turned on.
He can also use HDR with Oblivion GOTY.

For me, Fallout 3 starts up fine the first time; I set my display settings and then run the game. I start a new game and it plays the intro sequence and then the birth scene begins. When I had the settings on ultra I just managed to get past the part where you choose your six and then it crashed. I tried this several times while changing the HDR setting and kept getting the same result. When I tried changing the settings to use high quality instead of ultra quality it crashed before I even got to choose whether I was a boy or a girl.

The frustrating thing is that after it has crashed during the birth scene the launcher application usually won't start again - I just get an error message which says "Fallout 3 Launcher has stopped working" - until I've verified the steam cache. Then I have to re-enter all of my video settings all over again.

*deleted* I'm just going to ask for a refund.

I had trouble with the birth issue too since I brought the game yesterday(when I choose the six) then it locks up. This method below link solved it for me.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1214935

Go to post #4, that is what I did, and then It worked and not crashed and was able to proceed the part.

If you are referring to changing the threaded AI, I said that I have already done that and I still experience freezing.

Freezing during the birth scene typically means one does not have a proper video card. OP, you didn't tell us what graphics card your computer is and googling the model number shows me it is a laptop with an integrated Intel HD Graphics chipset which unfortunately is not powerful enough to run the game.