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Rock solid means that most user can play it with out any CTD.
It is always possible that something you have installed on your system causes a conflict.
If you really want to test this out reformat your drive and reinstall the operating system, then update the operating system including DirectX and the Audio&Video drivers, then install the game, You will most likely find that the game works great.
 
Well of course I could try that, but I'd rather not just for a game. But I might in the future, just not right now, because I don't have time to copy my important to another computer even though it's over LAN. But when I get time I could try that. My computer is F***ED up anyway(take a look at defrag, so many holes....) Well I'll write in same thread when I've done it....
 
why don't you reinstall windows?

don't know where your problem is, but reinstalling is known to solve quite a lot of problems. i'm pretty sure that even the men that made windows can't understant it so... :D
 
I had a Microsoft game, that thier tech support told me my Video card did not support, even though it supported ones older and newer than mine.
I tried everything to get it to work, I was going to return it, when my harddrive crashed. When I installed it on a fresh install, presto! worked like a charm. Now that is a Microsoft game on a Microsoft operating system. Go figure!
 
I take it you were refering to watersrog's comment and not mine.
As for not being able to play games after a format, that is just a matter of installing drivers and updating your system back to current levels.
 
Jackcolt said:
It doesn't always help. I've tried to format my PC once, and then there were a game which I couldn't play anymore.
If I decide to reinstall windows, then I would also format....
Click to expand...
If you want to, that's fine. You'll know that you're off with a fresh start.

However, if your disk isn't too messed up (like on my system, where I keep separate partitions for OS and other stuff), you can force a clean reinstall without actually formatting.

Use the DEL/DELTREE commands to selectively delete the contents of the Windows directory, and within it the INF, SYSTEM and SYSTEM32 directories. That gets rid of all system files, without destroying anything else. Even your desktop, start menu and IE favorites will survive.

Jan Peter
 
And when you have it all set up the way you want, mirror it onto a CD-rom, so you can revert back anytime you want. :)
 
anyway you take it, windows needs to pe reinstalled about once a year, year an a half. and i wouldn't trust a reinstall without formatting the partition.

if you have on your hdd at least 2 separate logical partitions it's very easy. copy whatever important files you have on windows partition, format and reinstall.
 
watersrog said:
anyway you take it, windows needs to pe reinstalled about once a year, year an a half. and i wouldn't trust a reinstall without formatting the partition.
Click to expand...
The (technical) reason why you want to do this (even if you don't realise this), is threefold.

1 - Leftover DLL's in the system directory due to incomplete uninstalls
2 - Ever increasing registry bloat, for the same reason
3 - Bloating and/or corrupted driver database

1: Cured by DELTREEing the system/system32 directories
2: Cured by deleting the Windows directory
3: Cured by DELTREEing INF directory

Do all three before a reinstall and you get the same results as a reinstall following a full format ;)

Jan Peter
 
Well, My disk is very F**KED up, so I'll just format when I'm done moving files, and have enough time, and so on....(I'm a student, so I have alot of homework, which I usually solve on this computer....)
 
jpd said:
The (technical) reason why you want to do this (even if you don't realise this), is threefold.

1 - Leftover DLL's in the system directory due to incomplete uninstalls
2 - Ever increasing registry bloat, for the same reason
3 - Bloating and/or corrupted driver database

1: Cured by DELTREEing the system/system32 directories
2: Cured by deleting the Windows directory
3: Cured by DELTREEing INF directory

Do all three before a reinstall and you get the same results as a reinstall following a full format ;)

Jan Peter
Click to expand...
Better throw in a defrag as well, if you want to duplicate the results of a format. ;)
 
I haven't followed this thread, but I have a small comment about defragging.
In the old days there was a simple trick to defrag a disk. You simply re-wrote (moved) all files from one disk to another and then moved them back. When all files were written back in sequence, well, they were put in sequence :cool:

Wouldn’t swear this makes sense nowadays... but someone more up-to-date maybe can comment?

Anyway, using scandisk and defrag in Windows 95/98 is something everyone should do on a regular basis. It doesn't provide World Happiness, but it's a good standard operating procedure that never hurts.
 
Win XP-pro apears to handle defrags fine, but on early versions of windows, I have had programs messed up on running a defrag, it has to do with so things needing to be in a particular spot on the HD.
 
Castellon said:
Win XP-pro apears to handle defrags fine, but on early versions of windows, I have had programs messed up on running a defrag, it has to do with so things needing to be in a particular spot on the HD.
Click to expand...
That must be some special programs. I would guess that a great majority wouldn't have problems with defrag.

As I remembers it, one could choose different types - or levels- of defrag; something like total defrag, empty-space defrag, directory defrag. I am not sure if it matters today, but on older set ups I used to make three things in a special order: scandisk, removal of junk files and then defrag. Scandisk could produce some junk files and by removing junk before defrag, the defrag got more efficient. Or so it seemed.

I admit I generalize a bit now, as different file systems are probably better or worse on these things. Anyway, for most normal users, it is most probably a good rule of thumb to do these things on a regular basis.


Jackcolt, if a defrag is extremely slow, it will most probably be faster next time you run it, given you do it in a certain 'usage time span' after the previous defrag.

If you play around a lot with the files and directories on your disks, having long periods between defrags will cause each defrag to take longer time. On fast hardware and efficient filesystems I would guess softwaredefrag is of less use, but still, normally it isn't a bad idea to do anyway.
If the defrag completely freezes (if you don't mean restarts too many times?), I wonder if you do not have a deeper problem in your system. Defrag utilities is to my experience very very solid, so if they get problems you have some deeper problems to start with and then defrag is not the solution.
 
MostlyHarmless said:
That must be some special programs. I would guess that a great majority wouldn't have problems with defrag.
Click to expand...

You would be suprised how many programs used to require that. A lot of it was copy protections stuff which is not used a lot anymore.
 
Castellon said:
You would be suprised how many programs used to require that. A lot of it was copy protections stuff which is not used a lot anymore.
Click to expand...
Yes that's true, copy protection may have been an issue. Probably some security products also.
Maybe there are left-overs even today, but I must admit I have no idea.
 
Like I say not really an issue today, some defrag programs even have flags to leave those sectors alone.
 
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