i really need help!
im going crazy here!
my css crashes every minute now!
i randomly crash without any details and sometimes i get this:
details:
AppName:hl2.exe
AppVer:0.0.0.0
ModName:datacache.dll
ModVer:0.0.0.0
Offset:0000b413

here are my specs:
------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 12/20/2006, 19:29:14
Machine name: IDO-ACB79BF8FFF
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp.050301-1521)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: VIA Technologies, Inc.
System Model: PT800-8237
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU 2.80GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 512MB RAM
Page File: 257MB used, 991MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
DirectX Files Tab: No problems found.
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: The file viaudios.sys is not digitally signed, which means that it has not been tested by Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL). You may be able to get a WHQL logo'd driver from the hardware manufacturer.
Music Tab: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
Network Tab: No problems found.

--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (n/a)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: RADEON 9600 SERIES
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI RADEON 9600 Series AGP (0x4151)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4151&SUBSYS_2075148C&REV_00
Display Memory: 128.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor
Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200
Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6575 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 9/14/2005 17:58:47, 241664 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
VDD: n/a
Mini VDD: ati2mtag.sys
Mini VDD Date: 9/14/2005 17:58:28, 1339392 bytes
Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-0211-11CF-936E-7F00A1C2CB35}
Vendor ID: 0x1002
Device ID: 0x4151
SubSys ID: 0x2075148C
Revision ID: 0x0000
Revision ID: 0x0000
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_C ModeMPEG2_D ModeWMV8_B ModeWMV8_A ModeWMV9_B ModeWMV9_A
Deinterlace Caps: {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{552C0DAD-CCBC-420B-83C8-74943CF9F1A6}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
Registry: OK
DDraw Status: Enabled
D3D Status: Enabled
AGP Status: Enabled
DDraw Test Result: Not run
D3D7 Test Result: Not run
D3D8 Test Result: Not run
D3D9 Test Result: Not run

-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
Description: VIA AC'97 Audio (WAVE)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3059&SUBSYS_140D147B&REV_60
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: viaudios.sys
Driver Version: 6.14.0001.3870 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: No
Date and Size: 6/15/2003 19:05:40, 369920 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: VIA Technologies, Inc.
HW Accel Level: Full
Cap Flags: 0xF5F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 100, 48000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 33, 31
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 33, 31
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: Yes
EAX™ 2.0 Listen/Src: Yes, Yes
I3DL2™ Listen/Src: Yes, Yes
Sensaura™ ZoomFX™: Yes
Registry: OK
Sound Test Result: Not run





PLEASE HELP ME!

one thing..



are you using drivers from sites such as Guru3d , that are in Beta testing and not from the ATI site itself?

I went to look up drivers for your card and found that ATI is only on 6.12 and since youre on 6.14 that must mean that you have beta drivers, This could be the cause of it, as they are not guaranteed to function...

Just a thought

so what do you suggest i do?

Id suggest you dl the drivers from the ATI site directly to rule out the possibility of a malfunction in the ones you have

they can be found here

which 1 do u want me to download?

The display driver 6.12 is the one you need to download but before you install it, uninstall your old driver and reboot your machine. Donot try to insatll the driver over the one that is already on your computer.

whoops, Forgot that part..haha.. yea uninstall your old drivers and restart, then go to the ATI stie and dl 6.12

option 1 if you will

intslal those and see if it fixes your problem

when i look at my sound driver it says i have a different driver. something like this 5.1.2535.0
im not really good with computers and all that stuff so tell me how to uninstall

While Id love to just say Go here. and follow this guide, I cannot
becuase for someone with a lack of knowledge, The entire process could seem daunting in itself.... therefore if you give me a few seconds, Ill go through it and post pictures of the entire procedure.... however, I am running Nvidia, So the whole finding the ATI component thing, MAy be a little trickier for you

(Pictures to come...)

ok ill try to try that:P
too hard but ill manage probobly

ok
tried that...fuc*ed my computer up badly
so i installed it back
i followed ur steps but there were some changes and then something blocked my way on finishing you steps
i did this:
removed ati from add/remove programs
(i dunno wats the difference between software and program)
then i did restart and when my system came back up it didnt prompt anything so i did what you told me to do after that
i deleted all the ati folders but i had many other ati files but i couldnt delete them... some were dll. and stuff i dont remember
then i went to regedit and from there i couldnt do anything casue i couldnt find HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -- SYSTEM -- ControlSet001 -- Control -- Video it just wasnt there so i did system restore and im downloading css right now again
i dunno wat to do cause you guys told me its my driver...well if i cant remove it i cant play proporly....
wat should i do?!

cant i just delete the ati folder in my c drive and then install another drive that i already downloaded? lets say i download a driver that works well with css and install it... will that solve my problem? if it does wat driver should i get from ati?

Are installing just the drivers, or the drivers and the catalyst control center also?

i dont really know
i wanna know if i can just delete the ati folder in c and install the new driver
would that work?

First, go to this website HERE and download the drivers for your system (if it doesn't link you right to it, then just click on your OS, then Radeon, then 9600 series). Download it to your desktop or to a folder on your hard drive. Remember where you put this download, as these are your new drivers. Be sure to download the "Catalyst Software Suite", and not the "Display Driver". Before downloading, read the installation instructions at the top of the page. According to the ATI website, these drivers are the most up to date version for your card. It's a rather large file (34.6MB), so I hope that you're not on dial up...

Now, go to this page HERE and download and install the Microsoft .net framework. It's required for the use of the Catalyst drivers. After installation, restart your computer.

Try again to uninstall the drivers that you have now (via Add and Remove programs). If it won't let you uninstall them, then delete the folder.

Restart your computer, then go to the folder that you saved the drivers in and install them. This may take some time, so please be patient.

Once it's done, restart your computer and let us know how you made out!

Hope this helps and good luck!

thanx
ok ill try that now and ill see if my driver changed to somethign else

I had all the pictures lined up for this as kind of a step by step presentation, but after saving them, I had to resize them then I had to edit certain areas out so that you coudln't see everything and after awhile I walked away from my computer adn never got back, Not going to lie,

Steves way of doing it is probably better anyway, Im a nvidia user as I said so deleting my drivers isnt' nearly as difficult,

Not a problem! We all know that everyone has their own personal life, and we don't hold it against them! We help when we can, and that's more than most forums do!



I don't know about better, but it's per their (ATI) website, so hopefully it'll fix it. I'm an Nvidia user myslef, currently running a 6800GS. However, I ran a Radeon 9500 Pro for a long time, and it's still running in my sons computer today! That's why I know about the Radeon 9x00 series, simply trial and error! Usually more error than trial!

ok im all done but i forgot how to get specs so remind me:D and ill show them to u

i keep getting the same error......
tell me how to insert an image and ill show u the error box

Did you do what I had suggested in my previous post? Did it go ok, was it easy enough?

Go to Start>Run then type in dxdiag and hit enter. A pop up window will appear. Click on the "Display" tab then look at the right side under "Drivers"....what Version does it say you're running now?

Also, you should see a little ATI icon in the systray (to the left of the clock). You should be able to adjust certain features and settings in there too. If I remember correctly, it'll be a red box with white letters. Clicking it (or double clicking it) should open up another window in which you can fish around in to get used to. You should also be able to tell the version of the current driver that you're using there too.

Can you play CSS without crashing now?

I think that this post HERE will help you!

Keep your chin up! If I can't help you figure this out, there's a ton of other members on here who can help!

i did wat u told me... i keep crashing
the version is 6.14.0010.6660(English)
and ya i have that little icon

When did this crashing start occurring? Have you had the game for a long time and are just now getting that error, or did you just get the game and have never been able to play it without getting that error?

Have you checked to make sure that any and all fans inside your computer case is working, and that your case is free of dust and debris? You can use a can of air to clean it out. A fan that won't spin due to failure or to much dust on it will cause a computer to over heat and crash.

my computer is clean and all the fans are working... i just checked now and i cleaned it a lil too

i bought hl2 about 2 years ago and after a while after i got the game it started crashing for some reason... i was desperate to i stopped playing... for some reason i downloaded steam in hopes that the error will stop popping up but it still does.... i cant even kill 10 ppl and still play because i get taht error every minute... sometimes i get that error when i didnt even get into a server just when its loading the server
i really dunno wat to do next.... if u have any suggestions.,.plss tell me

Although this is a REALLY bad idea, have you tried contacting steam?

I know this is a bad idea because it took them 2 weeks to get back to me about my hijacked account, Now Im just waiting on some confirmation but it takes them a whiel to get back


probably due to hte amount of users they have to please etc..but still, its an idea, And post an image about hte error ASAP and lets see waht we can do

I'd like to see a screen shot of the error that you're getting....could you post an image or a link to an image of it?

no problem ill post an image of the details
and contacting steam idea... really bad... i went there and some1 gave me an 90 pages thread about ppl talking about almost the same problem as me.... so i dont really wanna go there. not only its gonna take a long time... maybe they dont know wat to do and theyre still "researching" but ya ill go there and report my problem and hopefully ill get an answer

its not very clear but ive already gave u the details

HOLY FUK!
now i get another error b4 i even get into css... i double click on it and while its loading i get this dumb error
here it is:


WTF IS WRONG WITH MY COMPUTER OR CSS?!

Which came first, HL2 being installed, Or steam being installed?

i downloaded steam and installed it then i installed css if thats wat u mean

reinstall steam entirely
might do the trick

ok ill try but still i have that retarted thing with datacache.dll....
i wanan play!

considering your video card drivers are up to date and all that, Im assuming this is software linked with the engine itself

therefore a fresh install should do the trick, Hopefully

maybe....
i installed/uninstalled/reinstalled steam and css more then 20 times now probobly.... im gonna sue valve lol

Crazy...but read about it when I was researching this issue.....try running your resolution in 1024x768. Give it a whirl, keep your fingers crossed and please let us know how you made out! I'll keep researching just in case

ok ill try that

ok i can play now but i dunno if i will still get the datacache.dll problem but what i can tell u know for sure is that the display LOOKS LIKE bleep!
any other ways maybe?

Ok, so it looks like crap....at least you can play it now! Gotta look at the bright side here!

Also, I found THIS from Steam....might work, I'm not sure really, as I've never played the game!

i restarted the computer and somehow it works and the display is good thanx for that but the other fuking error keeps poping up:(

Per the rules of BleepingComputer.com.....



Please, watch the language!




Now...which error went away? Was it the shaderapidx9.dll error that went away, or the other one?

ok sorry
yes it was that one so now i can play but while im playing i get that datacache.dll error and sometimes for no reason at all it just shuts down dunno y...:S

Shuts down for no reason at all? Does it give you an error or just revert back to your desktop? About how long can you play before you get that data cache error? I'm just trying to rule out overheating now or a bad graphics card (which I don't think either is a problem).

I'll start looking up that data cache error and see what I can find!

the time varies... i can play for 10 minutes and then i get the error or even 10 seconds....ussually its a small period of time about 1-2minutes but now i dunno....it works pretty well

Try opening up your catalyst center, click on "SmartGart" and turn "fastwrite" to off.

Let me know how this works for you (fingers crossed!).

omg i hate this.... it crashes without ANY reason!
ill try turning it off and ill tell u wat happans

wheres SmartGart?

In the catalyst control center. Double click on the icon that's in your systray (to the left of your clock, bottom right corner of the screen) and then click on view, advanced view. Now, make sure that fast write is off.

Give it a go and let me know how it is.