Hi all,
I have a problem with annoying random freezes (about every 15-20 minutes, but purely random not regular) that last about 10 seconds, followed by a weird issue: the image starts to flicker, alternating with a piece of texture (really, the image of an object/face "flattened out" like in a texture image file). Sometimes it's just solid texture image (not flickering), sometimes text corrupts, sometimes only colours corrupt. I have to blindly save, close the game and reopen; just going back to the main menu or loading a game doesn't work (corruption remains).

I have an underpowerd PC, but it meets the Minimum System Requirements (Windows XP, 2GB of RAM, GeForce gt220 1GB, 2.80 GHz Dual Core). The game is fine with medium quality settings and no Antialiasing, and runs quite smoothly (i didn't expect much), the only problem is this random freeze.

I tried tuning some settings in *.ini's, but although the game respond in the expected way to these tweakings, the frequency of crashes remains constant. The same happens when lowering Quality Settings to the minimum or raising them to the maximum. The freezes occurs in every kind of situations: open world, interiors, while viewing the map or talking to someone, and they don't seems to be "caused" by something. The Papyrus log shows nothing interesting (it's not a script problem). I don't have any mod beside Official Updates, Unofficial Patches and the DLCs (but enabling or disabling them doesn't make any difference).

I tested every piece of hardware (RAM with memtest86, gpu RAM with some tools) and stressed CPU and GPU with some stress test like FurMark. Everything is fine, and my gpu never exceed 80°C nor fills up its RAM completely during the game (logged with GPU-Z).

I have other 3D games, that run just fine. I am frustrated by the lack of debugging tools or similia. Someone else is having (or have had) this issue?

I have images of the issue, but the forum doesn't let me post links

Any help is appreciated

What tweaks have you done with your ini settings?
What is your mod load order?
Did you clean the dirty mods with TES5Edit?
Do you use a Bashed Patch?
Have you installed Steam and Skyrim outside the default install folder?
Do you turn off unwanted Background applications before starting Skyrim (running GameBooster helps if you are unsure what to turn off)?

2GB of RAM is really nothing, most of it is going to be used operating Windows. Maybe someone else more tech savy can get back to you.

1. No Tweaks to .ini (i have made some but reverted immediately as they didn't make any difference)
2. I have no mods other than official updates and unofficial patches (that load in the correct order). But, as I said, enabling or disabling them doesn't fix the problem

3. No mods to clean

4. No bashed patch

5. Default install folder

6. No particular enhancing background application, just plain winXP

As i wrote in the first post, the game runs fine. WinXP takes up just 250 MB of ram at startup, it's the reason i can't upgrade to win7/8, and my Skyrim process doesn't even hit 1GB of ram space when running. I don't really think it's a ram problem, since it happens with the same frequency with every Quality settings i tried.

Screenshots of the issue may help a lot. How can i upload/post a link to them? The forum doesn't let me

Well, the flickering could be GPU related, but the freezes ???

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To manually start Windows XP with a clean boot, follow these steps:

Step 1: Start the System Configuration Utility

1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. The System Configuration Utility dialog box is displayed.

Step 2: Configure selective startup options

1. In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, click the General tab, and then click Selective Startup.
2. Click to clear the Process SYSTEM.INI File check box.
3. Click to clear the Process WIN.INI File check box.
4. Click to clear the Load Startup Items check box. Verify that Load System Services and Use Original BOOT.INI are checked.
5. Click the Services tab.
6. Click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box.
7. Click Disable All, and then click OK.
8. When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer.

Step 3: Log on to Windows

1. If you are prompted, log on to Windows.
2. When you receive the following message, click to select the Don't show this message or launch the System Configuration Utility when Windows start check box, and then click OK.

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Start skyrim from TESV.exe and keep steam disabled (off line mode)

Delete your skyrim.ini and skyrimPrefs.ini files.

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Hit Control + Alt + Delete -> Start Task Manager.

Under the Physical Memory, look at the value that appears to the right of Total. What's the number ???

Now look at the first value under the Commit Charge. The number to the right of Total here indicates how much RAM is actually in use by programs and processes. What's the number ???

(If the number here is bigger than the amount of physical RAM, your system has been forced to swap data to disk, and that’s the cause of the current performance problem.)

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Have you at least some newer drivers installed, as you drivers on the disk that you got with your GT220 ???

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In what resolution do you play ??? Try first at 1024x768. (if you monitor supports it.)

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Keep medium settings at first. Try a new game with a new charackter, and see how far do you get without freezes. I would disable Vsync too, at first.

At your Nvidia control panel: 3D settings -> Global settings -> press the Restore button below. (Just turn Vertical sync:off manually)

In skyrim options turn AA and AF off.

Just PM me.

How: right click on my avatar picture -> Open link in new tab -> on the right there is a button: Send me a message.

I will post it, so others can see it...

Upload a sceen here: http://tinypic.com/ (it's free btw.)

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Just ignore the Task manager procedure, after your last post.

andryandrew^L

Those are your pictures:

http://oi57.tinypic.com/5phi4w.jpg

http://oi61.tinypic.com/260dhzb.jpg

What's those vertical - horizontal - diagonal lines, like something is broken. ???

Is that what you see on your screen ???

And do you see those white bulky lines as you play instead of normal letters ???

So, that's your in-game picture with F12 or print screen. (?!?)

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Never seen something like that. !!!

Just done the Clean Boot thing (winXP booted with an amazing 153 MB of ram ). 20 minutes, and....

... freeze.

I already tried to reinstall nvidia drivers, i had the most recent version but i also tried some older version, with no effect at all.
If it's nothing software-related my nvidia card is probably faulty. It's strange that it shows up only with skyrim. I have Vsync disabled and play at 1280x1024 (old 4:3 monitor...). I tried different resolutions and windowed mode.

When I can, i will borrow another card and try with it.

They're in-game screenshot
Those lines are the image of a texture of something (probably something to wear.)... they're different every time. Sometimes i got the teeth of a character, one time a horse.
I will PM you the latest. It's just a green blob.

I got your picture:

http://oi62.tinypic.com/2rcsoq9.jpg

That should be a driver glitch !!!!

You have Anti-aliasing disabled.. YES ???