How to fix a crash while running a game?
The game starts but immediately crashes? Here we are going to explain why it happens and how to deal with it.
What is crash?
One can observe a lot of reasons why the game crashes at startup and here we give only the most widespread examples of errors. Unlike the situation when the game does not start at all, which is usually caused by absence of necessary files, crashes can be caused by both hardware and software failures.
If you run the game and it responds, but after a short time it crashes again, first of all, find a way to solve your particular error. Some of the answers you can find in other articles on our site.
But what if the game crashes without giving an error message, which could identify the problem? In such cases it is difficult to immediately detect why this is happening.
Why the game crashes and what to do with it?
- The lack of RAM and graphics adapter memory.
Crashes often occur due to lack of RAM on the PC that is especially relevant when trying to launch the demanding modern games on an old PC.
In this case you can do the following:
- close all third-party applications using the “Task Manager”. You can see how much memory program requires in the tab “Processes”. Be careful when you disable programs by removing the process from the list, because some of them are system applications needed for Windows to run properly!
- increase the paging file (it is not recommended to do it too large, because it slows down the system performance). For implementing this step you should do the following:
- right click on “My Computer”, look for “Properties”;
- go to “Advanced System Settings”;
- switch to the box “Advanced” and find “Settings” in the “Productivity”;
- again, go to “Advanced” and after that “Change” in the “Virtual Memory”;
- in the “Drive” list choose where you would like to store the swap file;
- click “Specify the size” in the appropriate fields and enter new values for the minimum and maximum file size.
- increase the amount of memory used by the graphics card by performing the next instructions:
- find out the amount of memory that the video card uses with the help of DirectX tool. Call the command line (“Run” or pressing a combination Win + R) and enter “dxdiag”. Find the line “Total Memory” in the window that opens.
- increase the amount of system memory that can be used by a graphics card. It can be done with the help of ATI Catalist Control Center. It is useful tool for managing the graphics card, because it specifies the maximum number in the “Frame Buffer UMA».
The exact actions can significantly boost the performance of the PC; moreover, it can solve the game crash issues.
- Conflicts with Antivirus and Firewall.
This error often occurs due to improper installation of pirated games. Software that supports the protection of your computer can consider a game as malicious software and disable it. If you are sure that the installed game will not harm the system, so try to disable these programs.
- Problems with libraries Microsoft Visual C ++, DirectX, PhysX
Sometimes, the game crashes without an error message when it couldn’t find the necessary files of specified packages. In most cases it occurs when the correct version of PhysX is absent. If your problem is in that, so it is very easy to solve. Try to do the following:
- Check which versions of packages are installed on the computer and whether they are compatible with the system. This can be done in the tab “Add or Remove Programs” in Control Panel. You can find the information about compatibility of versions both on our website (Microsoft Visual C ++), and on the official websites of manufacturers.
- Download distributions from official sites and install the necessary versions.
- If it doesn’t work then reinstall all previously installed versions of packages.
When you installed an older version of Nvidia PhysX called Nvidia PhysX Legacy, you should uninstall the newer version first and then install the old one, and at last re-install the new one! Doing everything in a strict sequence is important to resolve the error.
- Problems with video-card drivers
Outdated drivers can also be the reason that the game crashes at startup. Before you do any of the above, please, update your graphics card driver! If you have the latest version, than download the package from the official website and reinstall it. For more information on driver installation can be found here: How to install the drivers on the video card.
- Viruses
The presence of viruses on a computer is often the cause why one cannot run a game and the reason why they crash. Before you try to solve the problem, it is recommended to test the system with the help of anti-virus and, if possible, remove all malicious programs.
- The PC overheating.
If your computer or laptop is overheating, games and applications can also crash and the system will start to work much more slowly. This is less common at start, but if you try to run the game on an already overheated PC, it will not be able to work. What if the computer is often overheats?
- check whether there is too much dust accumulated under the housing cover and, if so, remove it carefully, trying not to touch anything extra;
- rearrange the computer in a cool and shaded place or remove the housing cover to improve ventilation;
- in Windows settings in the tab “Power Supply” choose any mode other than “Improved performance”;
If you have a laptop, then the problem can be easily solved by purchasing cooling pad.
In any case, in order to avoid overheating, it is not recommended to keep your computer or laptop in a high load state for too long while active using of programs, games and so on.
If nothing helped
If the above methods do not help to fix game crashes at start, it is necessary to try to look for the solution of a specific error. Even if the game crashes without messages you should at least try to find the answer.
If the game hangs up giving a standard Windows message, click “Show details problems” and try to find a solution, corresponding to the value in “Exception code” line.
Although games crashes are common, nonetheless listed actions help just in half of cases. You have done everything according to instructions, but the game doesn’t work? Check out other articles on our site about specific bugs, and you can run the game without any crashes.
