260 réponses à ce sujet

[SteveGarbage]

Updates to my sleuthing:

11) Uninstalled Dragon Age 2 and wiped PhysX as Administrator in Safe Mode using a driver sweeper. Booted regular, installed demo (so that only whatever PhysX files were installed would be on the system), still SAME ERROR.

12) From there, proceeding to install the most recent PhysX pack over what the demo install did, again, no effect.

Did some tinkering in the bin_ship folder with the PhysX related .dlls. If you remove all of the PhysX .dlls from that folder, you get an error that the program could not locate the PhysX Cooking DLL. If you place only that .dll back into the folder, you get that wonderful, unfixable error. I tried replacing all of the .dll files EXCEPT for the cooking file and it gives the "Can't find cooking" error instead.

My guess is that there is some sort of hitch in that Cooking .dll that has some effect with AGP video cards, since 1) This doesn't seem to be a widespread issue and 2) Those of us affected by it appear to have older AGP video cards.

And trust me, I'd pitch the AGP video card for a PCI one if my mobo took it since I know it's outdated technology, but unfortunately bills, food, and wedding planning has all my money tied up - not like I have $1,000 to throw at a new PC anyway despite the fact I would like to.

It would be nice if we could get some official support attention on this issue, since I'm really exhausting all of my ideas here.

[SteveGarbage]

RaenImrahl wrote...

Adding... some Origins users found they needed to do some careful registry editing to make PhysX work.  It seems to be related to some error that crops up in some Windows iterations.  Others opted to do a Windows reinstall... not that I am suggesting that for the sake of a game demo, mind you....

http://social.biowar...8/index/5769613

I found some threads on the same topic actually, usually about permissions not being right. I also went into the Registry this afternoon and gave full permissions to all users and, alas, that did not fix the issue. I have considered a full format of my Windows, but that will be a last resort Hail Mary (although my computer probably could use a good format anyway).

[SteveGarbage]

Well, if there is a way to fix this stupid error it is beyond me. I've about had it trying to work on it. No matter what combination of PhysX driver packs I use, no matter what display drivers I install, no matter where I install the game to or whether I use custom or express or anything, I get nothing but that initialization error.

I'm pretty much out of tricks now.

[SteveGarbage]

Alright folks, I guess I'm still on the job, although all it's doing is giving me high blood pressure:

Other people experiencing this problem - check in your My Documents/BioWare/Dragon Age 2 folder and see if you have a .txt log file. I found one with an oft-repeated log, apparently from all my attempts to boot the game. It says this:

LEVEL MESSAGE

Initialize - Verify Platform capabilities

Initialize - Resource Manager

Initialize - World Database

Initialize - Physics

Failed to Initialize Eclipse

[DX11 initialization] Failed to load d3d11.dll. Assuming no DirectX11 support on the system.

Shutdown - Start

Shutdown - Game

Shutdown - World Database

Shutdown - GUI

Shutdown - Input

Shutdown - Sound

Shutdown - Graphics

Wed Feb 23 17:15:53 2011



"Failed to Initialize Eclipse" may be a clue to the problem. I've opened another thread on that specific topic over here ---> http://social.biowar...4/index/6181185 and maybe that will attract some more tech saavy attention.

[SteveGarbage]

Anyone out there got a fix for this problem yet?

[SteveGarbage]

New Plan: After reading about a PhysX problem someone had in the past with Origins, they solved the issue by loading up the game in Windows 7 instead of XP. I'm wondering if the issue may be some type of complex conflict between XP, AGP video card and PhysX for some reason.

So I consulted with my brother and I'm going to attempt to do dual-boot, aka install Windows 7 to my other drive and boot from that and then install and attempt to run the demo.

I believe this could possible tell two things, either A) If it works, that the issue is with the demo and some particular aspect of Windows XP or If it doesn't work, that it may be some sort of issue with an AGP video card.

I'll post results later tonight if I go through with it. Hopefully it won't cause a massive system collapse.

[hangmans tree]

I'll be checking on your effort, I'm really curious will it be resolved.

Me? I gave up on the demo entirely and wont be buying DA2 for the time being.



Unless the problem will be solved and I can check DA2 and its "runnability"

[SteveGarbage]

Well, I'll let you know what happens when I get the full game on March 8. And if it still doesn't work, you can believe I'll be making A LOT of noise around the forums about it.

Other updates about yesterday's testing: As I said before, I noticed that if you remove the PhysXCooking.dll, the error message is that the game could not locate that .dll instead of the usual "Error Initializing PhysX." I opened that up with .dll reader and editor and there wasn't much in there for me to view (not like I really planned on understanding much of it since I'm not a code-savvy guy). When I went into the code and deleted some parts about security and whatnot, it would still give the initialization error.

However when I removed ALL of the code out of that one section and attempted to boot the game, it would give me a generic "The application failed to initialize blah blah blah" type error, not having to do anything with PhysX.

So what did that actually tell me? Well, nothing I guess. But I'm still believing that that Cooking .dll has something to do with the problem. Either something in it doesn't function correctly or it plays a part in calling or referencing another PhysX resource somewhere that has some minor bug affecting our problem.

Again, I'll post up results of my dual-boot experience later tonight or tomorrow (depending on how long the process will take to get a fresh install on and operating at effective levels).

[PSUHammer]

If you have access to Windows 7, I would attempt to try the demo on a clean install of it. Install Windows, then get all updates + mb drivers + graphics driver. Install the demo.



If it works, you have some conflict in your Windows XP installation. At that point, you can troublshoot there, if you like. I try to keep an old empty drive around for this very purpose. It helps to rule out any potential software conflicts I have on my main system if I can test a program in a fresh Windows environment.

[SteveGarbage]

Hammer6767 wrote...

If you have access to Windows 7, I would attempt to try the demo on a clean install of it. Install Windows, then get all updates + mb drivers + graphics driver. Install the demo.

If it works, you have some conflict in your Windows XP installation. At that point, you can troublshoot there, if you like. I try to keep an old empty drive around for this very purpose. It helps to rule out any potential software conflicts I have on my main system if I can test a program in a fresh Windows environment.

Right, that's what I'm going to try tonight. I'm going to unplug my C drive and run a Windows 7 install on my D drive. Once I get it functional and update the necessary drivers, I'm going to try to install the demo again and see what happens. It's a huge hassle for just a demo, but at this point, this issue has become personal for me.

[PSUHammer]

Yeah...I tend to dig into issues like that, regardless of how trivial, to figure them out. Plus, maybe you figure out an issue you had now instead of March 8th when the full game is released!

[Sandy42]

SteveGarbage wrote...

Hammer6767 wrote...

If you have access to Windows 7, I would attempt to try the demo on a clean install of it. Install Windows, then get all updates + mb drivers + graphics driver. Install the demo.

If it works, you have some conflict in your Windows XP installation. At that point, you can troublshoot there, if you like. I try to keep an old empty drive around for this very purpose. It helps to rule out any potential software conflicts I have on my main system if I can test a program in a fresh Windows environment.

Right, that's what I'm going to try tonight. I'm going to unplug my C drive and run a Windows 7 install on my D drive. Once I get it functional and update the necessary drivers, I'm going to try to install the demo again and see what happens. It's a huge hassle for just a demo, but at this point, this issue has become personal for me.

Cheers support from the cheap seats

[SteveGarbage]

Well the dual-boot idea went horribly awry. Not only did the Windows 7 installer blue-screen every time before it got into any meat of the install (which was really, really strange to me), it also jacked up my XP install. So I had to format my C drive and I'm working on reinstalling XP right now.

At least this should give me a chance to update fresh and then see how the demo will react on a freshly installed system. There should be no issues at all this time - no old software conflicts, no perhaps lingering registry keys or drivers floating away. All new.

I'll let you guys know how that goes.

[SteveGarbage]

Well, fresh XP, fresh updates, fresh drivers, fresh Steam download - SAME CRAP. GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

STILL WAITING for some sort of support on this issue. Only 12 days left til the full version comes out...

[Gorath Alpha]

I assume you have tested several different AMD drivers over the past couple of days, but have you tried the unofficial Omega Drivers?  Don't forget that AGP video bus PCs also need an AGP driver for the motherboard.  I never liked the result that I got using any of MSI's NF2 mainboards.  All three that I tested failed while new, or were DOA, and getting warranty replacements took FOREVER.  After the third, they said they had no NF2 MBs to send, and substituted an s939 motherboard for an A64 instead, with NF3 / 250. 

Microsoft is pressuring everyone in the business to leave Windows XP behind, and AMD is also phasing out its own support for older cards on whatever OS, although not as rapidly as nVIDIA, I don't think. Omega is literally the salvation for some folks with older hardware and older OSes.

Modifié par Gorath Alpha, 01 mars 2011 - 11:09 .

[Rifster]

Too old drivers from omega, not work.

[SteveGarbage]

I have tried several different sets of Catalyst Drivers. Some of the newest ones (notably the new 11.2 driver) are unstable on my system - a problem other AGP users around the web have reported with those newest ones too. I'm running the latest stable driver that I can.

It may ultimately be a driver issue, but if it is, I haven't found a pack that will work with it. No matter what I've done it's not helped.

[Gorath Alpha]

Rifster wrote...

Too old drivers from omega, not work.

Actually, his versions are not that far behind the official ones.  He is at their 11.2 already, and he has identified something in them that was keeping AGP card owners from using some of the AMD / ATI drivers, and removed it. 

SteveGarbage wrote...

I have tried several different sets of Catalyst Drivers. Some of the newest ones (notably the new 11.2 driver) are unstable on my system - a problem other AGP users around the web have reported with those newest ones too. I'm running the latest stable driver that I can.

It may ultimately be a driver issue, but if it is, I haven't found a pack that will work with it. No matter what I've done it's not helped.

And what about the OMEGA ones?

Modifié par Gorath Alpha, 25 février 2011 - 01:31 .

[SteveGarbage]

Gorath Alpha wrote...

SteveGarbage wrote...

I have tried several different sets of Catalyst Drivers. Some of the newest ones (notably the new 11.2 driver) are unstable on my system - a problem other AGP users around the web have reported with those newest ones too. I'm running the latest stable driver that I can.

It may ultimately be a driver issue, but if it is, I haven't found a pack that will work with it. No matter what I've done it's not helped.

And what about the OMEGA ones?

I will give those a shot this afternoon (at work right now) and report back.

[Gorath Alpha]

While I'm at it, I decided not to let this pass without my own comments to this aspect:

SteveGarbage wrote...

Windows XP 32-bit SP3
MSI K7N2 Delta2 motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 2700+ processor
2.5 GB (2 1GB sticks and one 512 stick) PC3200  DDR SDRAM
ATI Radeon HD 4650 video card, AGP

While I realize that this system is old and outdated, it's continues to run admirably. This system is fully capable of running Mass Effect 2 without hardly any issue, so it should be sufficient to continue running.

I have handled at least a dozen old PCs with that chipset back in the day of the NF2 Chipset, when that was the best that there was, and still have two that serve me well, one an Asus K7N8, and one a DFI Ultra II.  However, not one of the three MSI K7N2 motherboards were worth spit.  They all failed.  My AMD XP processors are both Bartons, one a 2400M, the other a 3000.  However, even the 2400M, overclocked a great deal, up to Barton 3200 & upward speeds, is going to really bottleneck an HD 4650.  Mine still has an X850 in it.  I have a Geforce 6800 GT in the other one.  Both run Win2000, rather than WinXP.

Notwithstanding the obsolescense of the AGP video bus, the XPs are totally obsolete, just like their primary competitor, the Pentium P4.  I use one of mine just for running the printers any more (new MBs don't have parallel ports for the old printers I still favor), and the other for occasionally playing KotOR / NWN1.

Modifié par Gorath Alpha, 01 mars 2011 - 11:11 .

[SteveGarbage]

Gorath Alpha wrote...

While I'm at it, I decided not to let this pass without my own comments to this aspect:

SteveGarbage wrote...

Windows XP 32-bit SP3
MSI K7N2 Delta2 motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 2700+ processor
2.5 GB (2 1GB sticks and one 512 stick) PC3200  DDR SDRAM
ATI Radeon HD 4650 video card, AGP

While I realize that this system is old and outdated, it's continues to run admirably. This system is fully capable of running Mass Effect 2 without hardly any issue, so it should be sufficient to continue running.

I have handled at least a dozen old PCs back in the day of the NF2 Chipset, when that was the best that there was, and still have two that serve me well, one an Asus K7N8, and one a DFI Ultra II.  However, not one of the three MSI K7N2 motherboards were worth spit.  They all failed.  My AMD XP processors are both Bartons, one a 2400M, the other a 3000.  However, even the 2400M, overclocked a great deal, up to Barton 3200 & upward speeds, is going to really bottleneck an HD 4650.  Mine still has an X850 in it.  I have a Geforce 6800 GT in the other one.  Both run Win2000, rather than WinXP.

Notwithstanding the obsolescense of the AGP video bus, the XPs are totally obsolete, just like their primary competitor, the Pentium P4.  I use one of mine just for running the printers any more (new MBs don't have parallel ports for the old printers I still favor), and the other for occasionally playing KotOR / NWN1.

Heh, you don't have to tell me twice that it's an old and ailing system. I've had this setup for at least five years. I can't remember how long, but I'm thinking it's closer to seven or eight years. When I built it it was a budget PC and since then I've continued piecemeal upgrades just to keep it halfway workable. And hey, she's a heaper but she's a keeper. I haven't been able to run a lot of games well over the years, but it runs them at acceptable levels to me (which to normal people would be completely unmanageable). And as I've said before, this system ran Mass Effect 2 on high (not highest) settings with little to no hiccups.

The K7N2 has always served me well, and served a lot of my friends fine when they used to have it (hence why I built off of it) and the Athlon 2700 was just an OK processor even when I got it. It's greatly underpowered nowadays, yes. And despite the bottlenecking, I figured jamming the biggest AGP card in that I could find would serve me better than getting a less powerful one, especially in today's gaming market.

Due to this whole saga (and it's been a long time coming anyway), I've spent the last couple days parting out a new PC setup that I can do for about $250 to get me up to dual core (on a board that can take anything from the Athlon X2 up to the Phenom II X4 (for later upgrades)) and will finally move over to a PCI express card. It certainly won't be a powerhouse by any means, but it will give me more power now and give me room to build in the future.

[Will Kuhn]

Hey guys,



I have looked over this thread and filed an issue with our programmers, they are looking into it as we speak.

[hANGhOHN]

thankz BioWare! thankz

[SteveGarbage]

Will Kuhn wrote...

Hey guys,

I have looked over this thread and filed an issue with our programmers, they are looking into it as we speak.

OMG Thank you so much! If you need any more details about my system or the troubleshooting attempts I've tried, please don't hesitate to message me.

[SteveGarbage]

Another update:

Per Gorath's suggestion I tried the Omega drivers. No change.

Also, just to see, I attempted to run it with no drivers installed and still received the same error.

Hopefully the BioWare brass can come up with something for us!