*CRASH* The memory could not be 'read' error, for HL2 and CS:S

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3rd Ranger Batt said:
P4, 3.0GHz, win xp sp2, ati x800xt, 1gb ram
Click to expand...

Holy poo. If you're running that kinda puter and the game's still crashing, then it's a problem for Valve to be sure.

I haven't bourght the game yet, thought it's out in the stores... waiting till all this gets cleared up! Wonder if Valve is aware of all this??
 
I bought the DVD version of the game and hoped it wouldn't get these problems because i assumed it was a problem with peoples files that they had downloaded through....i was wrong!

inistially i ran the game with model detail and textures on high....it was smooth but crashed on the intro (windows made a "dInG" and went back to desktop but no error message)

tryed it a few more times and i got a bit futher but then it crashed again.

lowered my settings to medium and i seemed to play for a while but im still experiencing crashes.

my specs:
windows xp service pack 1
1.7ghz athlon
512mb ram
audigy 2 (recent driver update)
radeon 9800 PRO 128mb

my radeon used the omega drivers originally and so i put ATI's ones on but still have the same prob.

i'm yet to try the refresh rate command line thing tho...i will try that later...i do seem to remember using the omega refresh rate forceing thing so this could be causing a prob!?


This is a real shame, i buy a lot of new games and they all run perfectly and without problems...why should one of the best games of all time have to let me down like this ;(
 
m0nkeyy said:
i'm yet to try the refresh rate command line thing tho...i will try that later...i do seem to remember using the omega refresh rate forceing thing so this could be causing a prob!?
Click to expand...

Wont help i fear. I am using the same graphics card that you use and no matter what driver and refresh rate you use (tried omega, nvidia and nvidia beta drivers) i still have the same issues.
 
well I tried all last night to get it working to no avail.... the annoying thing is that this problem has been around for months in CS:Source and still nothing has been fixed....

I ran memtest on my memory over night last night and 0 errors.... now I know it has to be a problem with HL2, CS:Source, Source engine.... tonight I plan on starting to remove bits of hardware to see if that makes any difference. Although tbh I doubt it very much...

I cant say how dissapointed I am that I cant play the game... I get the memory crash bug about 30seconds in to the game... tried running in all resolutions and it makes no difference... I have also noticed in the console that bugs still pop up for missing files. one called wind.wav (presume this is a file that runs when the cans and paper blow or something) either way the fact that sound files are missing and the fact that there are bugs popping up in the console window when a game has supposedly been bug tested is quite poor I feel...

Im half tempted to upgrade my PC but why should I have to I think if nothing is patched soon, given the amount of time this bugs been around in CS:Source then I will have to ask for a refund.

Annoying thing is that Vampires Bloodlines runs fine!! no problems!!! work that one out??? :/

Specs are AMD XP1800+
1024MB DDR RAM (TESTED)
Linksys Router
Audigy 2 (Internal card plugged into PCI slot 3)
GF4 Ti4600 128mb (latest nvidia drivers)
Latest Direct X9c
Windows XP Pro (No service packs but patched with security flaws)
Monitor running at 60hz 1600X1200 (Iiyama Prolite 511S)

Next things for me to test are to start stripping out bits of hardware :/
 
don't pull anything out your pc budgie! not worth risking damaging anything and also not worth the hassle...i doubt that its a hardware problem. think everyone maybe just needs to wait for an update from valve cos as other people say its more likely just a source problem
 
hehe thx m0nkeyy m8 :) however I do know what I'm doing and didn't mean it literally. I built the PC myself as I have done for many years... just trying to find a possible cure for the problem... it may also help others out in the long run... could be a soundcard, network card or anything causing the problem so removing it from the equation may help find a solution :)

Cheers

Budgie55
BTW would like to say congrats to peoples attitude in this thread so far... nice and adult ... it can be so easy to start ranting like a little child (check the steam forums ;] ) and that must really make devs not want to help out... lets try and keep discussion on track and maybe just maybe someone at VALVe HQ will acknowledge the bug/s and help us out!!
For others having the memory bug check out the Steam CS:Source forums and do a search there this bugs been around for ages!!
 
Maybe we should also get in some people for whom the game DOES work well... invite them to post their PC/Windows/network specs here, in case anything relevant appears, compared to those for whom it crashes...
 
out of interest what chipsets and board drivers are you all using?

Im running VIA chipset with the latest 4.53 4 in 1 drivers. I read on steam forums that downgrading to 4.51 4 in 1 drivers for just the AGP COULD help. Im going to give it a try tonight when I get home.. after all nothing to lose!!!
 
Yeah we need people who are running the game fine to tell us their specs and settings. Would really help out because ATM most of us are going by trial and error. We need to cross examine the problem.
 
Im getting the exact same problem with onboard audio and using an audigy card.
I have a gig of ram so theres no problem there.
With the amount of people getting crashes you do have to wonder exactly what kind of quality control and testing took place on this game.

In fact if you want my honest opinion its totally destroyed any enjoyment of the game.
 
yes kevin its a real shame for us that cant run the game.. however I guess its to be expected that there will be problems with all the different combinations of hardware available for the PC. They just cant reasonably be expected to cover every conceivable piece of hardware combinations out there. As annoying as the problems are :(

And I am one who is experiencing this problem to :(
 
So wtf are we supposed to do? Just sit tight or what? I payed MONEY to play a GAME, which doesn't WORK. Is email Valve the only way I'm going to get this fixed or should I scan through all the HL2 websites looking for possible fixes.
PS I know very little about fiddling with my PC to get games to work. I kinda just expect them to run.
 
My specs:

EpoX Motherboard
P4 2.4 Ghz
768MB DDR RAM -- PC2700
ATI Radeon 9600XT 256MB -- Catalyst 4.11 (Up-to-date)
Onboard Realtek Avance AC97 Audio -- A3.62 (Up-to-date)
Installed HL2 on the D: drive, C: is system
Windows XP -- SP2, Norton AV (Up-to-date)
Max graphics settings, a limited resolution of 1280x1024 and no V-Sync

-heapsize 256000
-console

Have disabled most programs in start-up through msconfig, if they are not really necessary

I have had this problem once, and has now played to where you meet the first helicopter that shoots at you (after you have put wall bricks onto that "wipping" board, hope I don't spoil anything).
When I got the problem, the message box came up, but while the process was closed, the box disappeared by itself. So mostly ppl get the box, but it's removed once it comes up, that is why someone think they don't get it I think. The problem don't seem to be hardware releated. It was in CS:S too, and occured often just as the pre-loading of resources was nearly completed and u were to enter the game. But then the problem was fixed, though someone still say the get it, but they haven't fixed it in HL2. It's prolly a coding error making it radomly crash, depending on what other things happens to the system. What ppl should do is to shut down all possible programs running in the background, as long it's not needed to keep the system and the game running, and then see if they get the error
 
Definitely a problem with the code. It seems to be either a problem with a pointer or something going wrong when the code assigns a pointer to a new area of memory on the heap.
 
Hey all. I havent gone through the thread to see if this has been posted (I just got it to work and am excited to play) but I also had the blurred-screen-loading-memory crash problem.

It turned out that the game had not fully downloaded even though it showed "100%" and "Ready to play" in Steam > Play Games > HL2 > Properies.

I checked my 'Monitor' (right click on the Steam tray icon) and found it was actually only 50% downloaded. Sigh.

DL'd the rest of HL2 and played for bout 1/2 hour with no mem crash.

Anyway, hope that might help some of u. I'm off to play.
 
Who do we email at valve with regards to these problems. We should start emailling them so they know that it is a widespread problem, not isolated to a few people. So who has the email addressess?
 
When I went to the monitor of HL2, it said only ~830Mb was taken of disc space. I then went to re-download the game file (to test jiggywalker's theory) and it says 3+GB are needed for the game. I just started the re-download of the HL2 game file - it's gonna take a while, but I'll let you guys know if it helps to re-download the game when it's done.
 
Same here guys 'n' gals......

well almost, i had the BSOD once, mainly what happens is that the sound/video will stutter and then i will get the cursor appear, a single OS beep and then the game crashes out and im staring at my windows desktop.

i must confess that it was late and i did not think to look at the event viewer for info so i will do that as soon as i get home.

as for my system info;

winxp pro inc. SP1 only (beause SP2 is a bunch of old arse!)
AMD 3000+ Barton (OC'd to 3200+ Barton)
1GB DDR 400 Ram
ASUS A7N8X-Deluxe MB (nvidia w/ onboard sound)
GeForce FX 5900
1x120GB Western Digital SATA
2x80GB Maxtor IDE
H2O Cooled (CPU & VGA - overheat not an issue)

All drivers are up to date and the sytem is clean (fresh install 2 months ago) and runs Far Cry & Doom 3 without much fuss.

Its a shame really because when it runs it is an amasing game.

Answers on a postcard.
 
Zsinj said:
When I went to the monitor of HL2, it said only ~830Mb was taken of disc space. I then went to re-download the game file (to test jiggywalker's theory) and it says 3+GB are needed for the game. I just started the re-download of the HL2 game file - it's gonna take a while, but I'll let you guys know if it helps to re-download the game when it's done.
Click to expand...

Re-downloading is all well and good but what about the ones (like me) who bought HL2 retail?
 
Even though you all have been getting the same errors I have been getting, only one of you guys has actually gotten them in the EXACT same way I have (ie, right after every savepoint, when changing advanced video options, and when quicksaving).

And this guy's laptop is running the exact same 'video card' my laptop is running: Intel Extreme Graphics 2.

In other words, I really hope Valve figures out a way to solve ALL these memory issues, because the vast majority of you are getting them, but at completely different places than I am.
 
This gets weirder...

Following my post way back on page 4 or something (disconnected writers, game played fine) I was able to play without a single crash up till Water Hazard. I started that level, saved the game and quit out to do some other stuff. A couple of hours later I decide to pick it up again, but I get dumped back to desktop everytime I try and load any of my save games. I tried this 5 or more times and it crashed out at exactly the same point every time.

The only thing I did to my system in the meantime was enable file sharing in XP's Folder properties, and share one folder on my LAN. So, I unshared that folder, and now the game runs fine again.

?!?
 
frl said:
This gets weirder...

The only thing I did to my system in the meantime was enable file sharing in XP's Folder properties, and share one folder on my LAN. So, I unshared that folder, and now the game runs fine again.

?!?
Click to expand...

Now that IS weird! Both PCs i'm having this issue with (work and home) are on networks and members of domains. maybe i'll have a look at it from this angle. thanks.
 
hey all, im getting this as well, do all of you peeps with ati have catalyst 4.11, or norton antivirus (or system works)
 
HI - Having the same problems as all you guys. I don't normally post, but I figured Valve should know how widespread the problem is. My error message appears when loading the checkpoint right after Alyx rescues Gordon at the beginning of the game.
 
I have the exact same problem, except mine happens after talking to barney and trying to load the next level. Ive tried 4 diffrent driver versions, diffrent resolutions, fullscreen, non fullscreen. I also have a strange problem where i first start on the train, the graphics are all torn, and messed up, however if i keep moving and continue through the fences (on the way to barney), they clear up and are fine.

AMD 64 3200+
1 GIG Corsair 2-2-2-2
Soltek SL-K8AN2E-GR NFORCE3 250
Geforce 6800 128Meg eVGA
 
I've two PCs getting the same issue:

Work:
Windows XP Pro SP2
Pentium 4 2.6GHz
Intel Extreme 2 Gfx
Onboard Audio
256Mb RAM

Home:
Windows XP Pro SP2
MSI K8N Neo Platinum
AMD Athlon 3000+
1GB Corsair RAM
Onboard Realtek AC97 Audio
*EDIT* Forgot nVidia GeForce 5600 256 Mb

Exact same problem on two completely different PCs. This is a BIG issue.
 
Out of curiosity, has anyone got this memory error in Offline mode? I can't test here in work just yet, but wil try at home.
 
BTW Properties for HL2 on Steam says disk usage 838MB. is this what the status quo is? BTW I have emailed Gabe and some other guy at Valve telling them to get off their arses and fix the goddamn problem


EVERYONE who is having this problem should email Valve so that they can learn the scope of the problem.
 
Kinda. I tried it in offline mode before I realised it could have been my shared folder causing the problem. It still crashed at the same point, but to a BSOD rather than desktop. It did that once or twice yesterday though, could be coincidence.

Out of interest, is it just retail users that have this problem or steam buyers as well? And do steam buyers have the "Source Shared Securom.gcf" in SteamApps? Based on my symptoms, some kind of copy protection error is the only thing that makes any sense.
 
frl said:
Kinda. I tried it in offline mode before I realised it could have been my shared folder causing the problem. It still crashed at the same point, but to a BSOD rather than desktop. It did that once or twice yesterday though, could be coincidence.

Out of interest, is it just retail users that have this problem or steam buyers as well? And do steam buyers have the "Source Shared Securom.gcf" in SteamApps? Based on my symptoms, some kind of copy protection error is the only thing that makes any sense.
Click to expand...
I purchased the gold package via steam.
 
frl said:
Out of interest, is it just retail users that have this problem or steam buyers as well? And do steam buyers have the "Source Shared Securom.gcf" in SteamApps? Based on my symptoms, some kind of copy protection error is the only thing that makes any sense.
Click to expand...

I've purchased through Steam. Don't have that gcf file.
 
I get a memory error at the same spot every time I play now. It's when I'm in the airboat and I have the chopper chasing me. I go through a bunch of pipes. The last one I make it through is the one where you have to balance across the top of one and then go inside another. I take a right around the corner and then the black 'loading' box comes up. A few seconds later I hear the Windows error noise and get the memory error box. That's all she wrote. I can get no further in this game. Was fun until now.

I thought maybe it could be a heat issue as well, so I let my box sit off all night, fired it up this morn, ran the game, and guess what? Crashed in the exact same spot.

Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB (Stock speed)
AMD Athlon XP 2800+ (Stock speed)
1024MB Kingston PC2700
Windows XP Home SP2
DirectX 9.0c
Realtek AC97 on-board audio
Western Digital 80GB 7200RPM HD
Gigabyte GA-7VAX System Board
Antec TRUE430 430 watt PSU

Things I've tried...

Removing the page file (rebooting and played. didn't work so added it back)
Turning off sound acceleration in dxdiag.
Turning sound to low in the game settings.
Upgrading from Catalyst 4.9 to 4.12b, then back to 4.9 when I still errored out.
Upgrading my Realtek drivers from 3.56 to 3.65.
Turning off and then back on the fast-writes.
Turning off and then back on video AA settings.
Removing DIVX (valve recommended it on their forum)
Attempted playing in offline mode.

I won't remove the game or reformat only because I think this is a Valve issue.
 
netwanker said:
I get a memory error at the same spot every time I play now. It's when I'm in the airboat and I have the chopper chasing me. I go through a bunch of pipes. The last one I make it through is the one where you have to balance across the top of one and then go inside another. I take a right around the corner and then the black 'loading' box comes up. A few seconds later I hear the Windows error noise and get the memory error box. That's all she wrote. I can get no further in this game. Was fun until now.

I thought maybe it could be a heat issue as well, so I let my box sit off all night, fired it up this morn, ran the game, and guess what? Crashed in the exact same spot.

Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB (Stock speed)
AMD Athlon XP 2800+ (Stock speed)
1024MB Kingston PC2700
Windows XP Home SP2
DirectX 9.0c
Realtek AC97 on-board audio
Western Digital 80GB 7200RPM HD
Gigabyte GA-7VAX System Board
Antec TRUE430 430 watt PSU

Things I've tried...

Removing the page file (rebooting and played. didn't work so added it back)
Turning off sound acceleration in dxdiag.
Turning sound to low in the game settings.
Upgrading from Catalyst 4.9 to 4.12b, then back to 4.9 when I still errored out.
Upgrading my Realtek drivers from 3.56 to 3.65.
Turning off and then back on the fast-writes.
Turning off and then back on video AA settings.
Removing DIVX (valve recommended it on their forum)
Attempted playing in offline mode.

I won't remove the game or reformat only because I think this is a Valve issue.
Click to expand...

Sounds exactly like my problem, you just got to play a bit longer than me :smoking:
 
*Sigh* I was hoping by this afternoon the problem would have been solved. Sadly...that's not the case.
 
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