DDO freezes my complete system

[GaryBlack]

I don't know what to do anymore. Whenever i play ddo, it just randomly freezes my pc COMPLETELY. I can't tab to desktop, no task manager, no mouse, nothing reacts anymore. The only way to "fix" this is a hard reset. This is VERY frustrating, especially while i'm questing since i'm usually dead after my system is back up again and the game has loaded.
Sometimes i can play for hours without a problem, at other times the game freezes after a few minutes, 'survives' for a few more after reboot and freezes again and again. Just a little bit more and it's going to be unplayable, which would be a shame, because i already invested quite a lot of money. And who knows? I might invest some more if it did not freeze all the time.

I can definately say, it is NOT an overheating issue. I'm keeping track of every temperatue in my system. Plus, sometimes the game even freezes my pc when i close it the very second my desktop is visible again.

I'm thankful for any idea/pointer or solution you have.

My setup:
- Win XP Pro x64
- Intel Core 2 Quad 2,34G/Core
- 8! GB Ram
- Radeon HD 5450

Copied from catalyst information center
- Driver Packaging Version 9.00.100.10-130411a-154962C-ATI
- Catalyst™ Version 13.4
- 2D Driver Version 6.14.10.7279
- 2D Driver File Path System/ControlSet001/SERVICES/ati2mtag/Device0
- Direct3D Version 6.14.10.0962
- OpenGL Version 6.14.10.11927
- Catalyst™ Control Center Version 2013.0411.1218.20180

What i've tried so far:
- Reducing the graphical detail WAY below the settings recommended by the game.
- I disabled the sound device of my Radeon card.
- Redownloading and re-installing the game.
- Adding every executable in the game directory to the trusted files of my firewall (comodo internet security)
- Purging every last bit of my graphics driver with 'Driver Cleaner' and re-installing it.

Here's a snippet of my userpreferences file. I've removed the unimportant/non-relevant sections (the 'net' and 'input' sections and the http/browser related stuff).

[Camera]
AlignToSlope=False
ResetYawWhenPlayerMoves=False
[CullSystem]
UseHardwareOcclusion=False
[Display]
AllowDesktopCompositing=False
AllowFakeFullScreen=False
AllowWindowResizing=False
Antialiasing=Disabled
ConfineFullScreenMouseCursor=True
FixedOutputScaling=Default
ForceFakeFullScreen=False
FullScreen=True
RefreshRate=Auto
Resolution=1360x768
ShowIntroMovie=False
SyncToRefresh=True
TripleBuffering=False
WindowedResolution=83886800
[International]
UseIME=False
[Misc]
TooltipDelay=0.30
TooltipEnable=True
[Render]
AllowGammaChanges=True
AlphaToCoverage=False
AmbientLightBoost=0.00
AmbientOcclusion=True
AnisotropicQuality=4
AspectRatio=Auto
AtmosphericsDetail=Medium
BlobShadows=True
BloomIntensity=1.00
BlurFilterQuality=High
Brightness=1.00
Contrast=1.00
D3DVersionPromptedForAtStartup=0
DisplayAdapter=0
DistantImposters=True
EnablePortraits=True
EnvironmentStencilShadows=True
FarLandscapeNormalMaps=True
FrillDistance=High
Gamma=1.01
GlowMapping=True
GraphicsCore=D3D9
HavePromptedForD3D10AtStartup=False
InteractiveWater=Medium
LandscapeDrawDistance=High
LandscapeLightingQuality=High
LandscapeShoreEffects=High
LandscapeStaticObjectShadows=Medium
MaterialDetail=Low
MaxHardwareClass=0
MemoryUsage=0.50
MeshCombining=True
ModelDetail=Medium
MultiPassLighting=True
ObjectDrawDistance=High
OverbrightBloomFilter=False
PlayerCrowdQuality=1.00
ShadowMapQuality=1
SpecularLighting=True
StencilShadows=Medium
SurfaceReflections=High
TextureDetail=High
TextureFiltering=Sharp
VideoPostEffects=True
VolumetricLight=True
MeasuredFillRate=3540.71
[Sound]
AmbientVolume=0.70
CombatVolume=0.70
DefaultVolume=1.00
DMTextQueuedVolume=1.00
DMTextVolume=1.00
EAXEnabled=False
FocusBehavior=Disable Sound
MasterVolume=1.00
MaxPlayingSounds=30
MusicDisabled=False
MusicVolume=0.70
PersistentSound=False
SFXVolume=0.70
SoundDisabled=False
SoundFeatures=Generic Hardware on Realtek HD Audio output
SoundProvider=OpenAL
UIVolume=1.00
[TDM]
AllowRenderRedetect=True
[Troubleshooting]
EngineSpeed=VeryHigh
MaximumFrameRate=70
[UI]
FloatyTextOnTop=False
FloatyTextScale=1.00
[Voice]
DeviceCapture=BD6DD71B-3DEB-11D1-B171-00C04FC20000
DevicePlayback=BD6DD71A-3DEB-11D1-B171-00C04FC20001
HandsFree=False
MicCaptureThreshold=0.10
MicVolume=1.00
NetworkLatencyThresh=250
VoiceVolume=1.00

[sebastianosmith]

Hey GaryBlack,

I have a similar problem which started after the release of U17. Does the screen turn sort of a grey color with pixelated lines running horizontally while sound continues to play? That's what mine does. I can tell you the only thing our rigs have in common are a Radeon GPU (7770 in my case), the Catalyst 13.04 driver set and DDO post U17.

My issue began with video stutter every five to ten seconds after playing for a while. Then the freezing took hold. When running in DX10 or DX11, I had to deactivate video post processing in the game and then it still would consistently freeze in a few, particular coordinates. I managed to alleviate the freezing problem by running in DX9 mode only. Since you're running XP-64 I don't think you can fix it the same way, but I have done a fair amount of research on this issue. Here's what I've managed to piece together so far...

DDO, in addition to several other games in the past few months, doesn't like the Catalyst drivers after release 12.06. Every post I've read on the topic would indicate that there is something screwy with Catalyst releases after 12.06 which affects about one in ten systems regardless of the OS, DX version, CPU, Radeon GPU or game involved. There are numerous workarounds discussed in a wide variety of forums and chat spaces, but the most common fix seems to be rolling back to a Catalyst release of 12.06 or prior. I can't tell you why this presumably fixes it. All I can relay is that it does, apparently, work according to dozens of forum posts over several gaming sites. This link contains the download information for every XP-64 Catalyst release in the last five years.

Best of luck!

[toaftoaf]

they did something that is hosing up more the a few computers. good luck im still fighting thru my issues on all 3 computers

[toaftoaf]

..wish i could edit

[Missing_Minds]

Win7-64
ATI 5700 gpu.
Driver: 8.872-11707b-122569C-ATI
CAT: 11.7 (yeah, its been a few years now.)

I don't play the latest and greatest games, but I also have zero graphic issues in DDO, save for the occasional double load. (once a month at best normally.)


Also, just because it annoys me, OP. Once damage is done, the damage is done no matter what your temps say. And no, I'm not saying that is the issue at all, but it is better to have an open mind than a closed one.

[GaryBlack]

Thanks for the responses so far. I think i'll give the older drivers a go.

@sebastianosmith
There is no change to the display, no bluescreen, no changing to grey. It just halts as if i was looking a screenshot.

@Missing_Minds
The card i have now already IS a new one i bought AFTER the freezes started to occur. And I've been keeping track since that happened. Heh, i've even made a major upgrade to my ram and case cooling then. Just because i didn't POST all of my hardware history, that doesn't mean i hadn't considered it in the first place. Does that qualify as "open minded" for you? Btw, i wouldn't consider getting annoyed about minor stuff like this or trolling about it as open minded either...

[tsath1972]

I don't think there is anything you can do. I have the same issue. Intel quad core, ati 6670, XP 32 SP3. My system is rock solid stable in every other application and game I play, including Starcraft II, Diablo III, Civ 5, Guildwars 2, Star Wars: ToR, and a bunch of older 2D DOS Box titles. I can go for weeks without a need for a reboot, and I never crash. Except in DDO. DDO randomly freezes the whole system on average every 2 hours, requiring a manual power-off reboot. Even when DDO doesn't freeze, exiting DDO has about a 75% chance to end my ATI driver processes, requiring a soft reboot. I've read all the other threads I can find on here and on other sites regarding ATI cards and DDO, and have concluded that we can not solve this on our end. You might be able to lessen the frequency of crashes through underclocking and older drivers, but the freezes never go away completely.

[yoderc]

I have similar trouble with the complete lockup. It can happen ingame or even on the char selection screen.

However if I wait a minute or so (length varies) about 50% of the time the game recovers, but with random texture issues. Alt-tab out of the game and back in once or twice clears that up.

The rest of the time I get a BSOD with the message that my video driver (nVidia) has gone into an infinite loop => forced reboot.

My drivers are up to date and I've tried a couple of different nVidia cards; GeForce GTX 275 is the only one i recall atm.

I've also played with the graphic settings in game and in the control panel. Nothing seems to fix it or change the frequency.

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

I must admit that i have a similar problem. I have a short in-game freeze almost every DDO session, with a message telling me that "the driver had to be restarted".

Today, with my first attempt at Mabar (yes, I learned about it only today, unfortunately), it was worstr : The whole PC froze !
Even after a restart, and a restart of DDO, (which I had to quit again, because my character wasn't fully loaded), all the PC displayed was a black screen !

It just goes on my nerves. If I knew what they had been doing there ...

(I'm using the 13.4 driver right now.)

[EllisDee37]

I don't know what to do anymore. Whenever i play ddo, it just randomly freezes my pc COMPLETELY. I can't tab to desktop, no task manager, no mouse, nothing reacts anymore. The only way to "fix" this is a hard reset. This is VERY frustrating, especially while i'm questing since i'm usually dead after my system is back up again and the game has loaded.
Sometimes i can play for hours without a problem, at other times the game freezes after a few minutes, 'survives' for a few more after reboot and freezes again and again. Just a little bit more and it's going to be unplayable, which would be a shame, because i already invested quite a lot of money. And who knows? I might invest some more if it did not freeze all the time.

Did you notice this problem after Shadowfell went live?

Your symptoms match what I experienced exactly. The fix turned out to be both easy and effective. From inside the game, go to...

Options => Audio => Sound Playback

...and choose "Generic Software..." instead of "Generic Hardware..." in the dropdown. This should stop your locking up completely.



Doing this took me from full system lockup (not even mouse would move) every few hours or so to only once in more than a month.

[aeroplanefly]

I had a similar experience when I started playing back in Feb 2011. All of a sudden my mouse and keyboard would freeze, and nothing that I could think of could resolve the issue.

A friend gave me a few troubleshooting ideas that helped, the first was to suspend the computer into sleep mode by pressing the power button (and specifically making the power button bring the computer into sleep, not hibernate!).

Basically, after the computer came back from the suspended mode, the keyboard and mouse would work, DDO would still be running, and I'd continue playing (I had to endure two or three minutes of lag however, but it was faster than restarting). This worked, but did not solve the issue. It would happen again, and I would have to repeat the process.

Curious question, does anything happen within ten seconds before your keyboard / mouse freezes? Do you hear any USB ejection noise? Do you have a bluetooth adapter connected?

My problem was ultimately a badass gaming mouse that I had been using for nearly 8 years... it was still badass, but I had to demote it to assbad. I tried various things like different USB sockets (and removing the bluetooth adapter), but the issue was not resolved until I replaced the mouse.

I should mention that with exception to DDO, the mouse was fine.

If you (or anyone) is having any problems, try suspending the computer. If that works, check the mouse and keyboard. Use a generic if you have one available. If the mouse is old, maybe it has some kind of hiccup... if it's not old, maybe it's still under warranty... get a refund or something.

I'd check the mouse and keyboard even if suspending the computer doesn't work, but I have a feeling that it may be a different issue if suspending the PC does not work.

[Flavilandile]

Interesting.

It might explain why I get the occasional Freeze ( usually at the worst time ) with my Radeon 7850. ( and why I have to disable all the post processing when I run The Black Loch )

[sebastianosmith]

Interesting.

It might explain why I get the occasional Freeze ( usually at the worst time ) with my Radeon 7850. ( and why I have to disable all the post processing when I run The Black Loch )

I was able to lessen the problem to occurring only once or twice a month in any DX mode by under-clocking and over-volting my video card. I'm running a Radeon 7770 Ghz OC Edition from Sapphire. They usually make good cards. However, many of the "Ghz" edition cards from several OEMs have this issue. A few have put out BIOS fixes which bump up the voltage by about 10% which appears to alleviate most of the freezing. Alas, my card has no such fix. Consequently, I used the AMD CCC power options to lower the memory and core clocks by about 10% and increase the voltage by 10%. Since then my system has been about as stable as it ever was. The loss of speed is not really that noticeable in DDO.

[Cap_Man]

This is the post I was looking for!

I was beginning to think I was the only with this type of problem.

I forget after which update this started after but it's recent.

It seems totally random except it is more likely to happen in the first 30 minutes of play and then be fine for the rest of the night ... usually. However, this past Sunday it froze up on me 3-4 times in under 2 hours.

Sometimes it happens when I'm only doing stuff like reading the info on AH items, sometimes in mid-stride while running through a quest.

The screen freezes for about 30 seconds to a minute and then goes black. Once it freezes, the only thing that works (thank goodness) is cntrl-alt-del and then I can bring up Task Manager which tells me DDO is not responding. I end the process and log back in.

Very annoying.

I'll give some of the suggestions above a try, thanks for coming up with some possible work arounds for me to check into.