Game runs great at first but after runs choppy

TSR-JimmyG suggested the following:
Hi ddays610rep,
Please delete cache and logincache folder from the Everquest II folder and do a clean boot on your PC.
To perform a clean boot on your system:
1.Select the START button.
2.Select RUN.
3.Type in "msconfig" (without the ")
4.Press OK
5.Select the STARTUP tab.
6.In the list, uncheck all boxes EXCEPT for SCANREGISTRY and SYSTEM TRAY. If you use Windows XP, please note that SCANREGISTRY and SYSTEM TRAY will not be listed - just uncheck the entire list.
7.Hit apply and then OK. Restart the computer and start up EQ2.
You gave no indication on whether or not you tried this. If not, then do so. We need to take a divide and conquer approach to this issue.

Yeah i did that already

Did you follow the steps I listed here?

Still running atitool and I dont even know how to ake a boot cd

The web sites for the memory testers show the proper steps (especially the windows one) for making the boot discs.

You are averaging about a crash a day of various applications (23 in 3 weeks, only 2 of which are EQ2). I would definitely run the memory tester, also check your temps while you are playing a game. It seems your machine is fairly unstable, so there is some underlying cause.

--Ruab

Ran atitool artifact thing for 3 hours straight without an error

I keep tabs on my temps and their always really good. I have aftermarket heatsink on my vid card cpu and heatspreads on my memory

I still dont get this whole boot disc thing to check my memory sorry A lil help?

From the memtest86 website - 4th item down on the page labeled "Windows Installation"

Windows Installation
For windows installation begin by downloading either the Pre-Compiled Windows package to build a boot-able floppy disk or an ISO (zip version) to create a boot-able CDROM. After the file is downloaded an extract must be done to uncompress the file(s). To extract right click on the downloaded file and select the "Extract All" option. The extract option will let you choose where the files will be extracted to. To build a bootable floppy go the the folder where the files were extracted and click on the Install icon. The floppy disk will appear to be unformatted by Windows after the install is complete.
To build a boot-able CDROM use your CD burning software to create an image from the un-zipped ISO file.
Since Memtest86 is a standalone program it does not require any operating system support for execution. It can be used with any PC regardless of what operating system, if any, is installed. The test image may be loaded from a floppy disk or may be loaded via LILO on Linux systems. Any Unix, Windows or DOS system may be used to create a boot floppy or bootable CDROM.


--Ruab

Just out of curiousity doesn't this happen to other peoples systems as well?

Very few. The game is played by > 300k people, there are a couple of posts with slowdown issues a week. So, that would be a few hundred a year with issues. That is a very small fraction of the overall playerbase, and the problems can almost always be solved by following advice found on the forums.

--Ruab

I dont think I'll run ny of the boot disc things since it seems like a huge hassle. And atitool said my vcards ok. ANy memory tests I can do without all the shenaniganz included?

Windows is a protected mode operating system.

It locks down *ALL* operations across your computer and plays a gigantic game of "Mother May I?".

Applications that run on Windows cannot gain full access to the hardware, unless they are a device driver, and even then, they don't get full access to all hardware... especially not the Memory Controller.


To get full access to the memory controller in order to diagnose it properly, one must write their own boot disc to run their own little operating system that allows full access to the entire computer.

Even Microsoft, makers of Windows, had to do this for the Windows Memory Diagnostic utility.

You just download an ISO file, burn it to CD, put the CD in the drive. Reboot. Should take less than 15 minutes with a decent connection and CD burner.

--Ruab

Make sure you burn the CD from a second computer.

If your memory is bad, then anything that goes into it (ie: the ISO file for the memory tester utility) could end up corrupted, too, which will skew your test quite a bit.

What about uninstalling the current video driver, running a driver cleaner, then reinstalling the driver. That may help.

atitool said my card had no problems

I've already suggested that 3 times Vidden... suggesting things, and having them tried seem to be very far apart in this thread.

--Ruab

dday,
Just out of curiosity, what make/model is your video card?
I'm running an ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 on a Dell XPS/Inspiron laptop. I'm pretty sure the problem that I'm experiencing is because of compatibility issues with my video card. Were you ever able to resolve your issue?
Just someone who knows what you're dealing with. I noticed this today also.
Let me know what's goin' on...
Jon