Crashing and Errors

[DraculaBiscuits]

This is the most common error i am getting, after about 30-60 minutes of game play i get this error and my game crashes.

"Direct3D returned an error: D3DERR_NOTAVAILABLE! The application will now terminate"


Sometimes after it crashes my desktop looks all weird and i have to restart the computer.( the background images obviously isnt suppose to look that way, and half of the things on the desktop are not visible)




This is the first time i have ever seen this error with my game. I really dont know what it is or how to fix these problems.



Ive been getting the direct 3d error for months! Me and my boyfriend both have spent hours online searching through Google and forums trying to find an answer but nothing helps. Ive even tryed playing my game without any downloads and my game still crashes. The latest drivers are installed so thats not the problem. There is also plenty of space on the computer.

[caffeinated.joy]

How about your RAM? Also, take a look in Documents>EA Games>The Sims 2>Logs and see if the game is generating any Exception or ObjectError logs. If so, uploads the latest one(s) as an attachment and we can take a look at it. In that post, please include your system specs

[DraculaBiscuits]

system specs:

Operating system: Microsoft Windows xp Professional (5.1, Build 2600)

System Manufacturer: Gateway

System Model: GT5098E

Processor: AMD Athlon tm 64 x2 Dual Core Processor 3800 +, MMX, 3DNow ( 2 CPU's),

Memory: 894 MB RAM

Directx Version: DirectX 9.0 c ( 4.09.0000.0904)





Heres the info for my graphics card if that helps any.

NVIDIA GeForce 6100

Approx Total Memory: 512.0 MB



The only recent things in the Logs folder  say: App Asserts ( but i opened it nothings on it),App Errors, App Warnings, Audio Errors, and i got several missing anim errors

[ancienthighway]

I highly recommend a thorough virus scan of your computer.  In the years I've been helping people with problems they've had with The Sims 2, I've never seen one related to the C++ libraries.  I can only surmise a virus or worm is running on your system and is attempting to take over all the resources it can.

[rwills]

Thing is, that error can be generated from quite a number of different possible sources.

Definitely delete the following files inside your My Douments--EA Games--The Sims 2 folder (all may or may not be there):

groups.cache
accessory.cache
cigen.package

This is perfectly safe (and those files can and do become bloated or corrupted over time, so regularly deleting them is a Good Thing) and the game will auto-generate new files when it is run. Then launch the game and see if the problem appears again or not.

If after following the advice already given, the error persists, would suggest (since you have a duo core machine) trying fiddling with the affinity, as Sims2 can have problems with certain duo or quad core set-ups -- see here:

http://www.sims2wiki.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Dual_Core_Issues

And if the problem still persists, try a fresh install of Direct X and any updates:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/179113

By the way, do you regularly use Bodyshop? That could be yet another source of the problem.

[DraculaBiscuits]

I never use bodyshop.
I have deleted the groups chache and assesories chache, but i dont see the cigen.package anywhere

[rwills]

I never use bodyshop.
I have deleted the groups chache and assesories chache, but i dont see the cigen.package anywhere

Don't worry about it -- cigen file is generated by Bodyshop when it is used. That file's absence in no way affects or impacts the game at all, and is perfectly normal.

[DraculaBiscuits]

I had my boyfriend run a scan on the computer yesterday to check for viruses/worms, 3 were found and removed, but i really dont think that has anything to do with my game error because he does a full scan every week and i was still having the problem when i knew the computer to be virus free. Its the Direct3d error, after about 30 minutes of game play the error still comes up. I really dont know what to do about it.

[rwills]

Next suspect would be a corrupted graphics driver (or possibly a loose* or even failing video card).

Download and install a fresh copy of (or a newer, updated version of) the driver for your video card or graphics chipset (depending on what your computer has).

Generally speaking, it is recommended to uninstall the current driver first, rather than just updating the presently installed driver.

*If it is a PC and you do have a video card, carefully (while the computer is off and unplugged from the wall socket) open the tower and reseat the card to make sure it is snugly in place. Cards can work a little loose and not make full contact with the card slot over time.

[MaddyLou]

I had this same error at game:
"Direct3D returned an error: D3DERR_NOTAVAILABLE! The application will now terminate"

And I was searching like you in everywhere, and all people said to me it was my graphic´s drivers. But I knew it was perfectly compatible with sims, and my drivers were updated, so I almost got crazy trying to find the solution. And I did.
I remembered my game started crashing when I installed the last version of CEP 9.2. I used to have the 7.0 version and it worked find to me, but I decided to update it.
When I removed CEP from my computer, the game never crashed again. Really, I don´t know why, but it was the source of the problem.
I asked to NUMENOR, its artist, but he has not answered to me yet about this issue.

[DraculaBiscuits]

Well ive looked everywhere and tryed everything to solve this problem. So i finaly gave in and just uninstalled Pets. I only backed up the downloads, didnt care about saving sims or anything. I then tested playing Sims2 Deluxe with no CC at all. I ran the game  (sim time: Monday morning- Thursday morning!0 Usually It would crash on Tuesday morning) So now i reinstalled pets. Going to test it out with no CC. The proceed to add my default rep0lacements, then test a feww items at a time. I wonder if its my CC thats the problem.

Well i get back to you guys and let you know my results.


EDITED:

tested my game a few hours ago only loading a small bit of my CC ( leaving out the CEP just to be sure), about 70% of CC is still out, well, after playing about 30 minutes i crashed with the same error.  Im seriously giving up and just uninstalling the whole game and saying screw it. ive just had enough.

[MaddyLou]

Are you sure you removed completely CEP from your computer??
Sunday at night I was really bored about it, and I decided to remove it, just in case, thinking it wouldn´t work, and it did. After removed it I played sims for 3 hours and the game never crashed!! And I also removed some downloads from my download folder, just objects which needed CEP to show up at game, but I had them before and never gave me any problem.
I don´t think pet expantion would be the problem, I have all of them, to Apartment life, and they worked fine until I installed last version of CEP.
As you see, every simple thing makes me think that CEP was 100% guilty of the problem.

I´m so sorry it didn´t work for you. I´d like to help you to solve it, but I don´t know how.
All I can do is telling you some other solutions, that people gave me in other forums.


1-Delete your accessories.cache, group.cache and cigen files. They are right inside your Sims 2 folder. The games makes new ones when you start it up. Also, you might want to try and delete your thumbnail files inside your Thumbnails Folder.


2-Update your graphic card´s drivers.
Well they gave some places to do it, but it was for my type of graphic card. I have NVIDIA Geforce 7300 SE/7200 GS.

And I also have window xp, so if you have window xp here:
http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/winxp...8_whql_uk.html

If you have vista, you can do it here:
http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/win7_...8_whql_uk.html


3- Trying to update directX, the program used on sims 2.
They explained me it´s not the same that graphic card drivers.
It´s a different program. Direct X is a seperate program that helps your graphics.
You can update it here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/179113


If nothing of these help you with the problem, then remove CEP, if you still have it, and remove sims 2 with all expantions, by the right way to do it.
Install all games again, and try to play without CEP, and without downloads, and see how the game goes on without them.
If problem still continues, I don´t know what else to do.
Don´t worry, I´m sure you´re gonna find a solution.

[DraculaBiscuits]

Im positive it wasn't CEP. I only tested a few downloads in my game and i did not put CEP in. I did however put a large folder of things i recently downloaded into the Downloads folder, ill have to remove them they may be an issue i dont know yet.

All of the suggestions you mentioned have been mentioned before, ive done all of those multiple times and they have yet to help. Those same things were suggested to other people with the problem and they haven't helped them either.

Well i decided to go back to figuring this out and removing some of the CC i put in for testing, just leaving basic default replacements and items i know are ok. ill have to remove Hair because some may be to high in Polys.

Ill post back later with the results.

[MaddyLou]

I don´t know what to say, I didn´t do anything else that I already told you, and my game is fine now.
I guess I´m lucky.
I also had a worm in my pc, and I removed it, but it happened when game was already working fine, so I don´t know.
I hope you can solve it.

[DraculaBiscuits]

i felt the need to bring the topic back sense i believe i have solved my problem with the error. After a few hours for reading many forums about the error and coming accross some suggestions here is what i did.

boolprop useshaders false

turn smooth edges all the way up

removed all hacks including ( insim, inteen, blue remover)


i have been running my game for 7 plus hours today and no crashing, no error. lets hope it stays this way.