Desperate measures to try:

Unplug all non-essential hardware (external USB peripherals and whatnot).
Reseat required hardware (Unplug/Re-plug cables, remove/replace memsticks, video card, etc...).
Reset BIOS to defaults.
Format C:
Install only Windows.
Install only Fallout 3/GECK
Install recommended drivers for your video card (185.85 ??).
Just to be sure, you should also http://support.microsoft.com/kb/331796 (think that's the right link for Windows 7).

(If you're feeling very brave you could try Flashing the BIOS).

If, after this, it still doesn't work reliably, then the only other thing it really can be, is hardware. I would be thinking about motherboard/PSU, since these are the things that will fall beneath the radar of dxdiags/diagnostic software.

(Perhaps, consider getting an actual soundcard - you never know).

/brain runs dry... :wacko:

Fallout 3 had a crash fest on my computer then I bought a PCI-slot fan and I installed Wineven at the same time. I think I've had one or two crashes in five weeks

bye

It can be run from a CD, DVD, floppy, or USB (as long as your BIOS supports booting from the device.)


I see plenty of reason: you're crashing a lot. If the "other tests for memory" didn't require a boot disk, they weren't adequately testing memory. When running under an OS, it doesn't make all the memory available for testing. Most don't test as thoroughly as memtest either; it's the gold standard. Any memory can be bad, no matter how new or respectable, and corruption can also happen as data passes through the motherboard and chipsets. Or the timing settings in the BIOS could be too aggressive.

Bad or failing hardware does seem like the only possible culprit, here. Have you replaced the RAM? Try replacing the RAM.

One thing I've noticed while modding, which I didn't see mentioned above, is that having GECK running in the background while Fallout 3 is running reduces reliability a lot.

Obviously the most efficient way of working, for some jobs, is to keep GECK open and to make a series of changes to an .esp, starting up the game each time to test them in-game. For me at least, this is also an excellent way to promote crashes in Fallout 3. My guess is that there are memory leaks in both Fallout 3 and GECK, and possibly other problems with heap/stack management.

I don't know if this is causing you problems, but if you do work like this it may be worth shutting down GECK, not every time you start Fallout 3, but quite often.

Two other things I'm fairly sure cause instability in Fallout are

• adding variables to a script then using a savegame that was saved with the previous variable set
  
• having meshes that may be valid but aren't constructed exactly as the game assumes they should be

It's also possible that Fallout 3 suffers from a problem that Oblivion had, which is that quicksave doesn't always work properly with very script heavy mods, and should be avoided in favour of full save.

Hope this is of some help.

My guess is your Power Supply is your weak link.

Admittedly what I understand about computer hardware isn't much at all (I just rely on the guys at the company that built my computer), but I'm pretty sure (based only on the numbers) that my http://amito.freehostia.com/Fallout/FO-tips.htm#system, probably requires less power than yours . . . yet my system has a 900 Watt Power Supply, which I was told it needed (and I even burned out the first one). The thing is, I rarely have a CTD while playing FO3, so my system must be pretty stable.

One quick question... is it only Fallout 3 that's unstable? How about other graphics/processor intensive software or games?

If they're reliable I'd be astounded if this was a hardware problem.

900 watts is overkill for your system. In fact, a quality 500 watt PSU would be more than sufficient to power it. It pretty much depends on the 12v rail and efficiency of your PSU. For instance, my 600 watt OCZ PSU (By no means the greatest) is sufficient to run an Overclocked C2D @ 3.2GHz, 4GB RAM, an ATI 4890, and 2 HDDs, 1 DVD-RW + USB accessories. That's because it's efficient (+80%) and has ample amps on the 12v rail (42A). The less efficient the PSU is, the more raw watts it needs to draw in order to power everything.

When I bought my computer, I was told that it needed a 900 Watt Power Supply . . . but apparently you know more about my computer thatn the guys who build it. :rolleyes:

personally, i'd rather have overkill than a $1000 paperweight anyday.

I'm going to try and set up a multiboot system, but I haven't a clue where to start...those kind of things were always something I wanted to learn to do, but never got around to.

I think I had a multiboot setup once, back when Ubuntu came out (lol), but got rid of it.

Can someone walk me through it?

I have the both versions of windows (7 and xp) sitting here in front of me, ready to go.

Setting up a multiboot with Ubuntu is pretty simple, as Ubuntu plays nice with other OSes. Windows, however, wants to be the sole king of the hill, making it somewhat more complex. As I haven't tried making a dualboot with two Windows OSes, so I can't really help you there, except recommending that you search google, and view a couple of walkthroughs. If possible, try to have an extra computer handy, if/when you run into trouble. And make sure to make a backup of everything that you wish to keep

Fair enough...

But I built my computer and 3 others for my friends. All I'm saying is that my computer uses more power than yours and my 600 watt PSU has no problems with it. An 8800GTS with a Core 2 Extreme X6800 will draw 300 watts MAX. This means that a 400 watt PSU (80% + efficient) Would be the minimum recommended PSU and 500w+ is recommended. 900w is simply overkill for your system, though it does offer almost unlimited expandability.

Are you going from a clean system, or one with Win-7 already installed? If it's a clean system it's very, very easy so long as you install each on a different partition or physical drive.

First install XP on one partition/drive. Then install Win-7 on the other. That's it; Win-7 handles everything gracefully, giving a boot-up option of which OS to boot from.

I'm not sure about partitioning the drive, but I presume you can do that when formatting the drive.

The attempt to set up a dual windows multiboot was an utter failure and corrupted my primary drive, causing me to have to reformat.

So...I've downgraded the system to Windows XP home, and will 'pro' it up as much as I can.

I'm not quite sure what all drivers and whatnot I'm going to need to get the game stable at this point, but I'll muddle through it.

Next month I'm going to probably be taking a much needed vacation to Arizona to see some old old friends for a month. Not sure if I can pack up the computer and have it flown out there or not (probably not), so since I dunno what passes for a computer in their house, I can't promise I'll get much done, but I'll do my best.


For now, I will just deal with Bethesda and try whatever their tech support hotline offers until I get a stable configuration going, and meanwhile I will just bang my head on a nearby piece of furniture when I get crashes, then salute and move on.

I will continue work on PotG and other mods as I can, as best I can, but as for compatibility testing...until I can be 'sure' that my config is stable even with mods, I may need to beg some of you folks to beta test for me from time to time, and do your best to 'break' things by playing with mods like FWE or XFO or Arwen's, and things like MMM and WMK, various house mods, etc.

I found a blank DvD and will run that mem test when I go to bed tonight as, having done tech 'snoop' programs before, I'm assuming its an exhaustive test, and will probably take hours to complete.


At any rate, now that I'm back in the land of Windows XP (home) 32 bit...does anyone have a fairly exhaustive list of the programs and drivers I'm liable to need related to playing and modding for Fallout 3?

I guess I'm too late to this party, I was going to suggest using a Virtual machine for win 7 as you have xp home http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/04/30/virtual-pc-for-windows-7-for-virtual-machine-or-xp-mode-free-download-kb958559/ and run only fallout on the VM. But if you've already rolled back then this is a useless post, sorry.

I think the game is far to demanding to be run on a virtual machine........ even with Uber hardware. (unless you were running linux, so some other low-footprint O/S.)

Even then, graphics card virtualisation is not on a level that could play fallout 3 properly.

No worries, Forevernomad. I had actually considered the virtual machine, but abandoned it in favor of doing a true multiboot for now, as I was also going to install Ubuntu for a third OS, then next month I was going to upgrade through Microsoft to Win 7 Pro and download their 'true' Windows xp environment (I still might).

As it stands, it looks like I should be good to fly on installing Win 7 again for multiboot at some point, if I so choose, as another post says the install seems to be oriented toward helping set up a multiboot. I don't recall that option from my last install of Win 7, but I'll give it a look see.

Actually, he is correct. Your system doesn't need anywhere near a 900 PSU. Not by a long shot infact, unless the PSU used was of very low efficiency. It's not a matter of him knowing more or less than the "Guys" that built your machine, they were likely just giving you a PSU to safeguard for future addons etc. Does your machine as listed need 900? heck no lol.



Yep, indeed....which is why when I myself saw a great deal on a case +1K PSU I took it lol. My system does not need near 1K though, just glad to have it for later when I use this PSU in future upgrades.

@Elanthil01 Sorry to hear about the crashing I myself did not have any issues in F3 but I recently experienced a rather bad time with Sacred 2 were I was crashing constantly. I ended up quitting that game and have not looked back

Hey I was only trying to be helpful.

And I just did some research:

Apparently a Power Supply just provides the MAXIMUM amount of watts that a system can use. If my system is only using 600 Watts, than it has a 50% cushion . . . which is great. You tend to get into trouble when your system is using over 85 or 90% of what your Power Supply can provide, which leads to instability and CTD's.

I just used an online Power Supply calculator for my system . . . and it came out that my system requires a MINIMUM of 540 Watts, so a 900 Watt is not nearly as much "overkill" as you guys are making this out to be.

This is form the company that I bought my system from: "This is one of the most crucial options on the list. While having a stronger power supply is not really going to get you more frames per second in games, it is going to increase the stability and capacity of your system."

And, since I'm able to run Fallout 3 without only rare CTD's, my system must be pretty stable.

Im not sure about this. My entire computer seems to defy almost everything people say yet works like a charm. I'm using an OEM Win XP pro operating system, use "problematic" drivers, basically thingthing that people constantly post problems about, yet my game runs better then any other game ive ever played.

I must be damn lucky then...

Also, about dual-booting. You had to reformat anyway. you need 2 blank partitions on your drive, then when installing the second OS, you install it on the second partition you made upon first formatting. Trying to install another OS over one already there can cause the problem you encountered. Windows operating systems have files in the same locations to help compatability with programs, and by having XP files replace win 7 files can really screw things up.

Just be informed that installing on a partition that isn't the first on the disk can make for a slower OS.

I didn't say it was overkill I said it was more than needed I myself use a 1000 high end efficiency PSU and am glad I have it. But I certainly don't need it and my system has a higher req than yours. Very few people actually need more than a good efficiency 750 unless you are taking advantage of multiple GPU along with several HD/Media drives and addons etc. As an aside note, I looked in at your computer specs and followed the link to the site you purchased your machine from. The PSU you are using IS a lower-mid end efficiency PSU so yes you likely want that 900