"HL2.exe has stopped working"

[ZimFreak]

I recently bought The Orange Box (yes, it's a legit copy), and loved it. Recently, however, no valve games work except for Half Life 2. Not episodes 1 or 2, not portal or TF2, and not even a source mod (Zombie Panic! Source). The worst part about this is that everything used to work, and now suddenly it all dies. I did some research, and found that AIM might be to blame... don't know why, so I uninstalled that, but no cigar. I tried a system restore to a few days ago, when it did work, but the system restore always fails, and I don't have any other dates that would work. The weirdest part about all of this is that Half life 2 works, but none others do. I tried reinstalling everything, and even some fixes mentioned in the other thread similar to this, but I can't find a fix. please help.

===My System Info===

=System=

Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (6.0, Build 6000)
Processor: DualCore Intel Pentium D 820, 2800 MHz (14 x 200)
Memory: 1024 MB (DDR2-533 DDR2 SDRAM)
Motherboard Name: Dell Dell DXP051


=Display=

Name: NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT
Manufacturer: XFX
Approx. Total Memory: 256 MB
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
Installed Drivers: nvd3dum (7.15.11.6925), nvwgf2um (7.15.11.6925)


=Sound=

Name: Onboard sound

===End Of My System Info===

 

[DireAvenger]

Try uninstalling anything installed recently. Some programs that interfere with the internet stop TF2 working, Portal stops working when you overload it with new mods, And Episode 2 stops working if you run out of RAM. All stop working when you install something that interferes with those files in any way (Pacsteam and other steam fakes)

I recommend uninstalling any Steam Fake Products and anything that might mod those games.

 

[ZimFreak]

would maps count as mods for Portal, because I have been doing a lot of that. As for the firewalls and such, they're all configured to let all HL2 programs through, and I've never had a problem with only 1 GB or RAM before, although I am upgrading soon.

 

[ZimFreak]

any more help?

 

[Judass]

I have this same error in TF2. My TWO other friends that have this game also have the same problem. I am tired of the crashes!!!!

EDIT: We have tried the above suggestions to no luck. We are all running 32-bit Win Vista, and have at least minimum to recommended hardware. i may post [sys info] later if i think about it, i hope someone posts a fix soon.

 

[AciD]

Verify GCF files.
If you are using AVG antivirus I strongly recommend to change it can cause crashes.
Also try to install latest drivers. DX10 cards have much updates in drivers, furthermore you can install beta drivers from NVIDIA site.

 

[ZimFreak]

Thanks for all the help guys, but I solved it. It seems that there's a problem in AIM that causes this problem for Vista users. Heres the solution.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=606229&highlight=hl2.exe