WTF! Halo Error

[rockinup1231]

I recently got Halo for my system and I keep getting the error on random ocassions that pulls me out of the game. It then brings up a little white box titled Exception!. It says in the box Gathering Exception Data. Then it brings up the message that An error has occured and the program most now close with the usual Error Reporting box. I never do it since it never does anything. Then it leaves Halo non-responsive and the computer locking up. I get into task manager, close the program, tell the box end now and after 3 minutes it closes, and it takes about 2 minutes before the computer stabilizes. What's going on?

Specs (compared to game needs)
WIndows XP SP1 (WinXP)
10GB Western Digital HDD (1.2GB needed, I had more than half of the drive left)
AMD Atholon T-Bird 1.4ghz cpu (735mhz required for halo)
256mb (128mb required)
SiS 7012 Wave Audio Card (Built Into mobo) (Met)
nVidia GeForce 4000 MX, 128mb, OC'd core to 350mhz, OC'd v-ram to 450mhz (32mb of V-Ram, and 3D capability required, problem occured before overclock)
SiS 900 Ethernet Adapter, DSL internet service (met)

I don't get it. the game runs as it should.

[blacknight31k]

have you tryed checking the event viewer to see what the error is??

Also did you check for updates after installing the game??

[rockinup1231]

Event Viewer, where?

I will check for updates. Halo automatically finds patches when you enter multiplayer mode.

[rockinup1231]

The auto-update feature automatically downloads all availible updates when it finds them. The game doesn't need updates.

[blacknight31k]

go to start/control pannel/admin tools/event veiwer. Look under application and system to find the errors, then u can either use the link to microsoft for more info or google it

[rockinup1231]

Event viewer says...

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Halo
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1000
Date: 1/10/2007
Time: 7:35:19 PM
User: N/A
Computer: JUSTIN-MN4ZXMIG
Description:
Faulting application halo.exe, version 1.0.7.613, faulting module halo.exe, version 1.0.7.613, fault address 0x000d0663.

[blacknight31k]

sounds like it a memory problem 256mb of mem is not very much the game is probly doing alot of page filing.

does the game slow down right before the error??

[rockinup1231]

No, not at all. It just stops and minimizes, and shows the box I told you about.

[rockinup1231]

sounds like it a memory problem 256mb of mem is not very much the game is probly doing alot of page filing.

Halo requires 128mb of ram. I have never come close to running out of ram before, even when I ran the game with Norton AV active.

[Bigjakkstaffa]

Download and run memtest86 for an hour or so and see if that reports any errors with your RAM.

--Jakk:t

[rockinup1231]

Where do I get it?

[rockinup1231]

Wait, scratch that, I just got it.

[Bigjakkstaffa]

You should know by now how to use google without needing to ask surely :p

--Jakk:t

[rockinup1231]

I know how to use google.

I had to make a bootable CD, and I added the two files I extracted from the iso file, an image file and a catalog file. I tried to use it, but I didn't work. My system doesn't like to boot anything other than a hard drive. I would have used a floppy which is easier, but I don't have a floppy drive.

[Bigjakkstaffa]

http://www.memtest86.com/memtest86-3.2.iso.zip

Download the above, extract the ISO from the zip archive and burn it using Nero or your preferred CD burning software, that shoudl create a bootable CD with Memtest86 on it. Then restart your PC and when prompted enter the BIOS, under the "BOOT" page set your CD-ROM drive as the first device to be booted, insert the Memtest86 disk, save your changes and restart, you should be away. Follow on screen instructions and let it run for about an hour, if you get any errors at all in the diagnostics then your memorys got a problem.

--Jakk:t

[rockinup1231]

I feel like such an idiot. But I did join this forum to

-Originally get fixes for my old (and terminated brutally) Gateway 2000
-To learn.

Thx Jakk

[rockinup1231]

Wouldn't boot from the CD. I did what you said word for word. The thing got to trying to boot from it, and it read it, paused for about 10 seconds, and went on to the Hard Drive.

[rockinup1231]

I sent the error to check what the event ID 1000 was. It said it was unknown. I thought I would copy the data that is at the bottom of the box.

0000: 6c707041 74616369 206e6f69 6c696146
0010: 20657275 6c616820 78652e6f 2e312065
0020: 2e372e30 20333136 68206e69 2e6f6c61
0030: 20657865 2e302e31 31362e37 74612033
0040: 66666f20 20746573 64303030 33363630
0050: 0a0d

[rockinup1231]

Yesterday (US Time) I played the game for about four hours (nothing to do) and no error. I don't get it, it's so random. Wouldn't bad ram affect all the programs? I don't know if I do yet, still thinking of how to get the CD to boot.

[Bigjakkstaffa]

Wouldn't bad ram affect all the programs?

Not necessarily, it would depend upon how badly damaged the RAM was. I've personally seen systems that would happily run most apps under 9x, but would BSOD on boot-up on 2000/XP machines due to faulty RAM. Similarly i've seen systems would function happily until you played a certain game with them (including one of my own machines back in the day, which would barf during the middle of MOH:AA games, sure enough dodgy RAM).

It all depends upon the severity and number of defects in the RAM.

--Jakk:t

[rockinup1231]

So far I have used four games on the thing. NFS:MW (it was choppy but it worked), Hot Wheels: Velocity X (Ran without problem), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Combat Version (1998, I have used this on far worse systems w/o problem, not suprised it works on this one), and Halo.

I really don't think it's bad ram. Most Wanted needed to encompass almost all of it to play the game. Even when the warning of low memory popped up it was still chugging along.

[Bigjakkstaffa]

Try shutting down all unnecessary background processes - namely stuff running in the Tray, adn fire it up, might be a background app interfering. Could also give DXDIAG a run and see if that picks up any problems with Direct X (if it does then reinstall DirectX).

Other than that the only suggestion would be to uninstall and reinstall with the 1.07 patch and keep runnign diagnostics on the system to see if its a hardware.

If you still cant work it out, sleep well with the consolateion that Halo is a POS on the PC anyways.

--Jakk:t

[rockinup1231]

DX doesn't find any problems, and the only background task I can close that means anything is AVG. However, I had Norton before and still had the same problem.

Oh well, if it works when it works, than that's good enough for me. Also, you're right, it runs choppy no matter what.

Bungie and Microsoft haven't even fixed the glitches with their first game, and their going to release Halo 2 this year, and on the Vista platform, an OS that is a big enough resource hog on it's own?

[rockinup1231]

Ok, the previous problem doesn't occur to much anymore. However, I got a new one.

Now, I have a problem with online play. When I get into a fight, or simply just roaming and dodging bullits, same thing, the whole computer locks up! However, the network is still going, I can tell since the activity lights are still going on the modem.

This problem mostly happens during online play, but it does it sometimes when in the menus.

I had problems trying to use memtest86 since I don't have a floppy, and a bootable CD wouldn't work. I really think it's the memory causing the problems. Any alternative to testing methods? I don't have any extra ram. Well, I do, and I know it works, but it is only about 64mb, and it is a different type. I also don't have the money for buying any right now either.

[seanieboy77]

Also you could run srtest (www.srtest.com) to see if you computer has some underlying problem with one of oyur hardware compents just to make sure your comp can run it.
-BTY