Hi everyone,

First and foremost I am here to get my Fallout 3 game working (which I am very determined to do!). Basically, it will not launch. I've been trying for about 2 weeks doing different things trying to get the game to work. I know the game works on my PC because I installed the game last September and it installed and worked *fine*, installed and played without any crashes, I didn't have to do anything. A couple of weeks ago I decided I'd like to play it again so I put the CD in, clicked play on the launcher and it just came up with "Fallout 3 has stopped working". I had not touched the game at all since maybe October 2011. I re-tried it a few times then decided to uninstall and reinstall it (I've done this about 20 times up to this point now) but it does not work *at all*. Even though the game isn't said to be compatible with Windows 7 64-bit I know it works on my computer, because it did last year! My computer has pretty much the same components since then, but I'm sure there have been plenty of Windows Updates. I have installed Western Digital software for a USB 3.0 2TB external HDD though.. but that's the only "add on" component that my computer has acquired. I would try to System Restore my PC back to September but I don't have any restore points going back that far.

My specs are:

Windows 7 64-bit SP1
AMD X4 955 CPU 3.2ghz
nVidia GTX 470 (currently using newest drivers)
4GB DDR 1300mhz RAM
ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 Motherboard
500GB WD HDD
Soundblaster Live! Soundcard
Dual Samsung monitors

I have tried a lot of different things all of which to no avail, which I will list below:

- Installed the game in C: as opposed to Program Files x64
- Uninstalled nVidia drivers, installed June 2011 drivers
- Updated nVidia drivers to newest version
- Ran Setup off the Fallout 3 DVD1 in Admin mode instead of installing via Autoplay Launcher
- Installed Fallout 3 DLC in Admin mode running setup off the DVD
- Installed Fallout 3, Fallout 3 DLC and Fallout 3 UK patch using Admin mode (my box says Made in EU under barcode so I think I have the UK version -- I'm in Australia -- but I can't remember if I used the US patch the last time I installed the game ~ September 2011)
- Adjusted the Fallout.ini file with the bUseThreadedAI=1 and iNumHWThreads=2
- Deleted Fallout.ini, Falloutprefs.ini and RendererInfo in Documents/My Games/Fallout3
- Deleted all but 5 save games
- Deleted all save games
- Ran Fallout3.exe and FalloutLauncher.exe in compatability mode for XP, XP SP2, XPSP3, Vista, Vista SP1, Vista SP2
- Ran Fallout3.exe and FalloutLauncher.exe in Admin mode
- Ran Fallout3.exe and FalloutLauncher.exe with the boxes for "Disable visual themes", "Disable desktop composition" ticked (i.e. disabled)
- Disabled Windows .NET framework 3.5.1 before installation
- Added Fallout3.exe and FalloutLauncher.exe into ffd show video decoder and ffd show audio decoder exceptions list
- Installed with AV disabled (Avast)
- Disabled secondary monitor on game launch
- Disabled any dual monitor software before launching game
- Set Water Multisampling to low
- Set to windowed mode
- Disabled GPU scaling via nVidia control panel (main monitor runs at 1920*1200 but I like to play games at 1920*1080)
- Downloaded D3D9.dll and put in Fallout 3 directory
- Uninstalled GFWL and installed the older 2.0 version
- Used Windows 7 Basic Theme (i.e. disabled Aero)
- Used DXSetup on Fallout 3 DVD1 to update DX9 components (I think that's what it does?)
- Disabling Daemon Tools before launch

All of these things I have done have been a result of Googling for a fix, but I still can't get the game to work. It just will not launch, I can't even get to the menu. I checked the W7 Action Center the other night and there were a lot of reports with Fallout 3 (due to the crashing). I can't quite remember what they said but it had Appcrash, if that means anything. It's just weird that the game worked fine last year but now I'm having problems just getting it to launch. So obviously a change in my computer has to have occured for the game to not want to work, right?

I know you fine folks at Bethesda (and the general Fallout 3 PC community) can help me, please help me figure out what I can do to get the game running again! I'm willing to post any logs that are needed (might need info on how to obtain said logs though).

Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Bonesmasher

Just an update guys:

- Forgot to mention I tested my memory using the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool, no errors
- Fallout New Vegas loads, but doesn't get past the first few frames (copyright info, Obsidian screen etc.)

Here's some logs from Event Viewer that may be of help?

Fallout 3 Event Logs

8:27:12 pm
Fault bucket , type 0
Event Name: APPCRASH
Response: Not available
Cab Id: 0
Problem signature:
P1: Fallout3.exe
P2: 1.7.0.3
P3: 4a40f18b
P4: StackHash_0a9e
P5: 0.0.0.0
P6: 00000000
P7: 80000004
P8: 00000000
P9:
P10:
Attached files:
C:\Users\name\AppData\Local\Temp\WER9C6D.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
These files may be available here:
C:\Users\name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_Fallout3.exe_803f6ad47925ba85909cc8e574c797d7ea3a595_1053a553
anolysis symbol:
Rechecking for solution: 0
Report Id: b6b763f7-8c65-11e1-89e2-485b39eeaa22
Report Status: 1

8:27:09 pm
Faulting application name: Fallout3.exe, version: 1.7.0.3, time stamp: 0x4a40f18b
Faulting module name: unknown, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x00000000
Exception code: 0x80000004
Fault offset: 0x00000000
Faulting process id: 0x11fc
Faulting application start time: 0x01cd2072743e930a
Faulting application path: C:\Fallout 3\Fallout3.exe
Faulting module path: unknown
Report Id: b6b763f7-8c65-11e1-89e2-485b39eeaa22

7:15:42 pm
Fault bucket 1384943651, type 1
Event Name: APPCRASH
Response: *insert link to Microsoft page recommending Fallout 3 Update -- which should have already occured after I installed the DLC from Disc 2*
Cab Id: 0
Problem signature:
P1: Fallout3.exe
P2: 1.7.0.3
P3: 4a40f18b
P4: StackHash_0a9e
P5: 0.0.0.0
P6: 00000000
P7: c0000005
P8: 00000000
P9:
P10:
Attached files:
C:\Users\name\AppData\Local\Temp\WERFA98.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
These files may be available here:
C:\Users\name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_Fallout3.exe_8958a5f329d3d83914baa2c44df616eb4d8358c_18813612
anolysis symbol:
Rechecking for solution: 0
Report Id: b20d25ce-8c5b-11e1-a300-485b39eeaa22
Report Status: 0

7:15:26 pm
Faulting application name: Fallout3.exe, version: 1.7.0.3, time stamp: 0x4a40f18b
Faulting module name: unknown, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x00000000
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x00000000
Faulting process id: 0x1814
Faulting application start time: 0x01cd206873477607
Faulting application path: C:\Fallout 3\Fallout3.exe
Faulting module path: unknown
Report Id: b20d25ce-8c5b-11e1-a300-485b39eeaa22

Fallout New Vegas Event Log

7:07:13 pm
Fault bucket , type 0
Event Name: APPCRASH
Response: Not available
Cab Id: 0
Problem signature:
P1: falloutNV.exe
P2: 1.4.0.525
P3: 4e0d50ed
P4: StackHash_0a9e
P5: 0.0.0.0
P6: 00000000
P7: c0000005
P8: 00000000
P9:
P10:
Attached files:
C:\Users\name\AppData\Local\Temp\WER6DB5.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml
These files may be available here:
C:\Users\name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_falloutNV.exe_2e9ca2d42d0892d61ec881786bc1f8986b02718_15857228
anolysis symbol:
Rechecking for solution: 0
Report Id: 8b113382-8c5a-11e1-a300-485b39eeaa22
Report Status: 1

7:07:11 pm
Faulting application name: falloutNV.exe, version: 1.4.0.525, time stamp: 0x4e0d50ed
Faulting module name: unknown, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x00000000
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x00000000
Faulting process id: 0x23fc
Faulting application start time: 0x01cd2067463a89ee
Faulting application path: c:\steam\steamapps\common\fallout new vegas\falloutNV.exe
Faulting module path: unknown
Report Id: 8b113382-8c5a-11e1-a300-485b39eeaa22

So, the only exception codes I'm getting seem to be 0x80000004 and 0xc0000005 (from the events I've viewed these are the only two that are present). Does anyone have an idea what these could mean? I added time stamps just so you could imagine where on the list they came, most recent up the top and they get older as you go down.

Google your error codes and pick the fix that will work for you. There are many corrections available depending on your OS.

Bonesmasher wrote :

- Adjusted the Fallout.ini file with the bUseThreadedAI=1 and iNumHWThreads=2
- Deleted Fallout.ini, Falloutprefs.ini and RendererInfo in Documents/My Games/Fallout3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Are the Fallout.ini files mentioned in lines 1 and 2 the same? Meaning , the one you edited , is the one you deleted?