NVIDIA Geoforce GT 335M (11xR2) Causes Game Crashes

K well its slow using Intel anyways so

 

When I get back home I will try everquest, played WoW again for 5 hours this morning no problems, AO4 BIOS, 257.30 nvidia drivers and whatever the dell intel drivers are

 

Vacuum?
I thought forced air over plastic can cause major static electricity.

Anyway, I always been told NEVER use a vacuum.

Use air can.

My system is too new to have dust and I still have issues.. There is no dust.

But good sugestion, as I thought those having issues with there system would of corse make sure the usual bugs were taken care off..

Having a clean system!

Also, eliminating idiotic situations.. like you did a thermal grease application and forgot to put it on the CPU or GPU ..

I played Guild Wars for 4.5 hrs lastnight with just the A04. Same recent up to date drivers from nvidia and intel. No issues yet.

I am slowly waiting for a process lockup/game lockup.. Then I will revert back to stock drivers.. and test.

EverQuest, I had shaders 3.0 on all the time .. locked up.. EverQuest ( Not Responding ) .. CTRL + ALT + TAB can't end eqgame.ext... START-Restart... went to the process of doing so and didn't complete the task.. started but then just stoped and no hard drive movement.. Had to hard start holding button. ( anyway , this is a repeat )

Just asking, does the EverQuest 2 do the same thing?

 

Since you are running A04 im guessing you have a R1 ?
Cause when i list updates for the m11xR2 i only get A03 available for DL.

 

they have the a04 for the r2

 

I just wasted my time reinstalling windows. I'm currently running a barebones system after every other attempt at stopping DoD:S crashing failed. Just my sound drivers, lan card drivers, latest nvidia drivers, intel drivers, chipset drivers and A03 bios. Steam, DoD:S and Intellipoint are the only other programs installed. Not even an antivirus or anything.

Time to call dell.

 

Try the new A04 bios for the R2, see if that helps before calling Dell.

Also, try using the recovery disk instead of a separate windows install.

I recently had to do this because Steam was disappearing and it made no sense. But doing so actually made everything run smoother.

And apologies if you did use the recovery disk when reinstalling windows and I'm not catching it.

 

1. A04 bios doesn't seem to work for me. After it extracts and begins the installer, it tells me it's incompatible and doesn't install.

2. Which one's the recovery disc? I did a clean windows install already, using one of the discs (labelled Microsoft Windows Home Premium 64 bit). The only other 3 discs are my McAfee, Resource Disc and Webcam central. Is it to late to do a "recovery" with said recovery disc now?

And I'm already on the phone to dell. Been on hold for the last 20+ minutes. This sucks. Found a pretty good deal on a lenovo with an hd 5730 and i7740m in the meantime incase i end up returning this.

EDIT: On the phone to a dude now, running diagnostics. for some reason i dont think any errors will show...

 

That problem you're having with the A04 bios is the same for everyone. The self installer on A04 doesn't work for anyone. You have to go into the actual folder and select the .exe version. The A04 bios thread has a ton of posts about it at the beginning.

If you're using the disc that came with the system, then yes. There's also a recovery partition on the hard drive. That's what I used.

Hope that helps

 

OK that was fun!

I tried to get a youtube acct. but they want my phone number to sign up and I wont do that. so My Video of my issue cant be available for you all

But, I went to Youtube, searched GuildWars.. in the drop down list I saw Guildwars 2.. So I clicked it, and saw the trailer.. so clicked that.. Then chose 720P settings when the Video started..

YouTube - GuildWars 2 Teaser Trailer

I watched about 45 seconds of it then BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA sound and total lock up.. was on high volume.. sounded like a high school fire alarm. I had to shut down the laptop via power button.. In my video I was hitting the windows key.. ext.. ctrl.. tried many buttons.. nothing.

I visited the site again after reboot.. but the video was playing fine all the way through.. and it was automatically set for 720P.

Sorry to derail. Just thought it would be interesting to add this.

Fyi, this is a second motherboard.. and when I serf the internet .. even this siet.. when a page finishes loading I hear a pop sound in the speaker. So it has bugs.

 

Could you paste the DL-link for A04 for the R2 ?

According to the Dell support site the lastest for M11XR2 is A03.

 

Disregard the last remark, i found it using the forums.

Update on the issue:

Tried using A04 BIOS with graphic drivers still on Dell official versions. No effect, after 30m it froze.

This time, just to see if the Nvidia card was completely hung up, i tried starting another game using the Nvidia card while the first game hang. It did not start at all. But starting a 3d game using integrated graphics (Intel) worked fine. Did that just to verify that on freeze the Nvidia card is completely unusable, wheter its hardware or driver thats malfunctioning i dont know.

Im gonna cram on all Dell updates there is and test some more, then im gonna try sending this bad-boy for repair. The change of solving this with software upgrades seems slim.

 

Guild Wars froze. I was able to minimize the window and bring it back up to unlock the freeze !

Then 40 mins later.. Nope.. froze and that was undoable.

The curser could not show on the window just the outside rim of the frame of the games window and the task bar.. I was able to CTRL +ALT + Del the process.. without forceful restart thistime.

Im starting to believe its solder on the motherboard.. No idea what else it could be .

Going to revert fully back to stock dell drivers now.. Been having the laptop on for about 4 hrs.total.

I been understanding that when it gets warm it does this..Shurg.. I'll keep my eye open on that.

 

Played WoW for 7 hours last night and no hitches. I might have only had a driver issue (knock on wood) instead of a hardware issue.

 

Wierd finding of the day;
Ive had LOTRo going all day without a single freeze. We are talking around 10 hours of gametime, either AFK or playing but the client has not been off.

The only difference from the last freeze is that i installed new Chipset drivers and the LAN-drivers. Also i set the game to use directx10 instead of 9 (which i was testing on).

Soooo either ive found a lucky setting ingame, im just lucky or the solution was the lucky combo of A04 BIOS with directx10.

Im clueless.....

 

This is the weirdest problem of the m11x :/

 

OK thanks for mentioning about Direct X.
Normally ( per alienware ) DirectX 11 is install via windows. So how do you install 9 or 10?

If installing DirectX 9.0c from the installation process of the game itself, isn't 9.0c already included in DirectX 11?

If having DirectX 11 doesn't this mean it includes also DirectX 11, DirectX 9 ?

How does one check to see if DirectX 9.0c is also in your pc that is Windows 7 showing DirectX 11 in Dxdiag?

Thanks so much for the post !

 

You guys should consider performing a complete Respawn to the original out of box state. Update drivers using only the current drivers from Dell, reinstall your problem game and try again.

My gut tells me this is not a hardware issue since this is not impacting everyone. If it were, trust me, the forum would be lit up like a christmas tree with activity. I also believe the person who has been hard resetting their system may have developed HDD issues. As I mentioned before, this is not something which should be done often. Suddenly cutting the power to the laptop can kill the HDD. At the very least, bad sectors can and most likely will develop. Be careful when doing this.

What you should do is check this link every now and then. I do and on occasion there is an update which is applied.

Download details: DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer

 

Thanks BatBoy!

I will try the DirectX.. then game.. then if I have an issue, I'll revert back to standard all dell website drivers .

I'll let ya know what happens

 

Hi BatBoy. I'm currently trying to do a factory restore after I cleanly installed a new windows (I still have my recovery partition). I managed to download a new AlienRespawn and it successfully created the 2 recovery discs. However when I click reset through AlienRespawn and it shows the menu of advanced options, I click the Restore using System Image one, and it tells me it can't find the system image even though I have my last disc of the recovery media in my external dvd drive D: Sorry to sidetrack the thread a little by the way...

Oh, and while I now know that hard resetting while the system is running can cause system issues, I ran ChkDsk and a full hard drive diagnostic, as well as ram diagnostics, and no errors or bad sectors showed. Lucky me. But I'll definetely wait till the splash screen at shut down before hard resetting from now on if I need to.

Thanks

EDIT: Oh, nevermind. Turns out putting in my first recovery disc and booting from that brought up the recovery program and now I'm fully restored to factory default. I will change my Lan drivers, chipset drivers and direct x as suggested an report in soon. I leave on holidays for 5 days tomorrow, so I won't be on for a little while

EDIT AGAIN: Would this thread be worth a sticky for those who need suggestions in the future?

 

Sorry for the double post guys.

BiiF, which LAN drivers exactly did you use?

And is you chipset installer the "Intel_QS57-Express-Chipset-_A00_R266776" (without quotes) one?

Thanks a lot

 

Whow slow down
I meant setting the game to using DirectX10
I havent reverted DirectX-drivers, im still on 11.

 

The LAN drivers is the latest Atheros drivers available, meaning the onboard LAN Ethernet cable thing Im not sure of the version since it seems English and Swedish support site differs. Example, i couldnt download A04 BIOS for Swedish Win7, so i just took the Eng.

The chipset installer is the one you pasted, yes.

Again, these updates makes no sense but it worked. And as i said it might just have been a fluke, when i get home today i might be affected by the issue all over again.

 

Just a comment on this, the ones affected by this issue has NO other option then to hard reset. Dont matter how bad this might be for the HDD, its the only way of ever using your Nvidia GPU again.

And if you use the Windows standard way of shutting down, all processes except the hanged one will eventually die (leaving you stuck at logging out... or Windows is shutting down..). Just wait a moment then hard-reset, its likely that your harddrive is pretty much idling at this point. Then on start up, just wait a moment for the disks and the head to reset.

I have performed countless hard-resets during the past month and just to make sure i completed a full diskcheck the other night, no issues.

 

Affirmative (but with Shader 3.0 off).

Been there done that. Done fresh install, done respawn, all drivers DELL/Manufacturer tested in those combinations... no dice.

Also, all people closer inspecting the m11xr2 have this issue. I don't get the impression only 'some' have this, at all.

I have this issue confirmed from Dell technical support now. Working on how to proceed now, keeping this updated.
EDIT: I will not comment on details though, to be fair towards Dell, until the case is closed.

 

I also have to comment on this seperately. First off - installing DX on Windows 7 is a bad suggestion, as others said. DX11 is already installed and kept updated.

I agree, I am wondering why the internet isn't lit up like a christmas tree about this issue. I suppose the m11xR1 maybe didn't have this issue, and there aren't all that much customers of the m11xR2 who can diagnose this. Other just think well crap the game doesn't work and move on. Also, I've confirmed it's only the 335m or 3xx series that's affected. On the other hand, you read about this issue on Asus and other notebooks, too.

The last thing - cutting power to the HDD, sorry but - it can damage HDD content, but not the HDD. As posted above, I also run a lengthy chkdsk to ensure no issues have arisen due to this. Not that we have a choice, as BiiF noted.

 

Couple of things:
1) The 335m is not capable of DX11, period. It can only utilize DX9 and DX10. All games you are able to play on the M11x either uses DX9 or DX10.
2) Now the kicker: From my experience, only DX9 games freeze. DX10 games do not freeze, even at high OC of GPU (they are merely throttled the GPU if the OC is too high)
So, if my findings are correct (and you are welcome to test this yourself), then we need to find a solution to eliminate freezing in DX9 games, and i suspect that Windows 7 is to blame (since it does not utilize DX9 at all, but instead DX10 and above). Games that use DX9 are actually through a hybrid between DX9 and DX10.

 

Shader 3.0 uses DirectX 9.0c but with it enabled EQ2 does not freeze. Make of that what you will.

At this point I am pretty sure it's the Nvidia driver, but would not care if it's W7's fault either. It's delivered defect. Also: everything works on other PCs and the Intel GPU. Never forget that.

 

Well obviously it's a problem particular to M11x, otherwise this would be pretty big right now
Optimus just doesn't play well with Windows 7, and the issue has something to do with the way it handles DX9 games. That's the main point I want to get across.
I am pretty sure my next laptop will either be Optimus-less or with an ATI graphic card.

 

Id just like to add that it can't entirely be W7's fault, as my desktop running W7 64bit runs every game I throw at it flawlessly, and not once has it locked up like this. It runs a 4870 (ati) without any of that Optimus crap.

As zephir noted, I also think it has to do with Optimus running DX9 games. If this is definitely the issue, I believe a better driver could fix it for sure.

 

Im gonna run some more tests on my current setup when i get home and later on this week. If by the end of the week all works il post all the specs, cannot really be sure its fixed until ive really tested it.

Looking forward to hear from mx11r2-Strider about what Dell will say about this issue. Please dont forget us if you get this fixed

 

Don't be too sure of that; as I stated there are enough people that just move on to another game. But it's specific to the 335m or 3xx series.

Nah, I won't forget you. However, a technical fix doesn't seem close to me. So it's more about handling the other options.

 

Just get Dell to acknowledge this issue, its a big win right now.

 

Well, they did, towards me. Admitting and handling this as a widespread issue is a whole different matter, though .

 

True, just tell us what you end up with in case we wont solve this.

 

Since our national law is pretty clear on consumer rights I will get this resolved. Just how cooperative or complicated is open.

I'm very sure only a driver update can fix this completely, but I won't wait until then. Yes, I'll post how it went.

 

Thank you very much for your help Strider, keep us updated

Well, I'm off for a holiday tomorrow, and I get back Sunday. Hopefully some new developments will arise while I'm gone

 

if you want to get dell's attention make sure you post here and often:
M11x Games Freezing - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community

 

First off, review the forum rules and do not bypass the language filter again.

Second, regarding DirectX... Just because DX11 is 'updated by windows' does not mean it will handle previous versions. Remember, some titles take advantage of certain runtime libraries of DX. This is why when you run the installer for a given title, you may see it checking and then updating DX with specific runtime libraries. When I suggested running the runtimeupdater, it was to assist you guys. As was mentioned previously, the GPU is not a DX 11 GPU.

Third -

Please, do not say 'confirmed' unless you can support this with documentation - be it your own test case or something straight from Dell. This only serves to confuse people.

Not true. There are many who have the R2 (in fact, my guess would be more R2 owners now than R1) and many are doing just fine. They are also very capable of troubleshooting issues. Just look at some of the other threads.

Finally, no worries regarding the drive. Again, only trying to help and yes, it can lead to physical issues with the drive but regardless, we all have our own opinion.

In any event, I'll keep an eye here on the thread and if anything strikes me as something I can help with, I'll chime in.

Best of luck folks.

 

Got another update for you guys.

Im still in the clear after about 4,5h gametime yesterday. Il be testing everyday this week, but since it took LOTRo about 30m to crash before it looks good.

Still cant pinpoint what exactly did this. From the last freeze until now the things i have done are:
LAN-drivers
Chipset-drivers
Setting game to DX10 (Both DX9 and DX10 caused freezes before)

And to BatBoy, dont take our comments in the wrong way We know you are trying to help but hearing "Dont force shutdown" when we know its the only way to reset the comp is kinda frustrating. Specially since most of us has done it about a billion times already

 

Well guys the problem is back :'( I was able to play for 7 hours 2 days ago but last night it crashed twice on WoW :'(

 

Ahhw....Seems just a fluke when you get this to work a while.

Could you post your issue on:
Re: M11x Games Freezing - Alienware Forum - Alienware Club - Dell Community

We really need some more activity there if Dell is going to get their eyes open on this.

 

Grr i cant post here, i made an account and verified it, but i cant post, we need more people to post here to get attention from dell

 

Report of the day:

Been playing and letting the game run AFK for about 7h and still no freezes.
3d day im freeze-free.

 

could you elaborate on your fixes...i saw you posted above, but what do u mean 'updated chipset drivers'....lan drivers too...just a little more details would be appreciated =)

thanks!

 

Go over the list and see if there are any which need to be updated (meaning, an older one on your system and a newer rev on the support site) -

Drivers & Downloads

FWIW, looks like the LAN and the Chipset drivers are the original rev - no updates since release.

 

I apologize for 'bypassing' the language filter. Let me put it this way: you're wrong. Sorry. DirectX is not the issue here. Take another approach: I can take any other DX10 GPU, do a fresh Windows 7 install, install any affected game, and not have the issue.

And yes, I have it confirmed that only that series or specific card is affected. Any and every information from anyone is subjective and may or may not be taken with a grain of salt. I'm a technician though and have it confirmed, like Dell confirmed (towards me) the issue is there and currently no solution is available. What documentation would suffice, as I could make anything up as well? It's just my personal experience.

Regarding the drive... doesn't matter anyway, since we have no choice when a game has frozen.

I still want some m11x R2 owners to chime in and say they never experienced these freezing issues. Haven't seen that yet, but maybe you could encourage some. I'm very curious, too. Until that happens I'll stick to my opinion .

Sorry to hear but I'm not surprised.

 

Chipset:
Intel_QS57-Express-Chipset-_A00_R266776

LAN:
Atheros AR8132 LAN 10/100 Driver Version: A00

BIOS:
A04 for M11XR2

Nvidia:
257.30

Intel HD Graphics:
8.15.10.2182

As stated by BatBoy some of these fixes are the same from factory setup. Im just stating what worked for me.

AGAIN, it might just be a fluke.

 

I worked over the last few days with tech support on this issue. They checked the machine, ran benchmarks, checked drive, and temp. After giving the machine a clean bill of health. He determined the application (Everquest 2) running at high settings was exeeding the capabilities of the machine. I was immediately pissed, and said "You market this machine as as highend gaming machine". His response was, for its size and the hardware included it IS as high end gaming machine. A machine will have it's limits. Interestingly I also own a M17x and I can run the same application all day long at high settings with no issue. It however has 3 graphics cards. So in the end I can understand where he was coming from, and have decided to just run at the lower settings. The M11x was never meant to be a desk top replacement like the M17x. So for me my strategy we will be to determine the most stable configuration that allows for the maximum of graphics features for each application. This was not what i hoped for, as i was looking for the silver bullet fix.

 

My war with the 1520 LAN card is over. I replaced it with this card for $35.

Amazon.com: Intel Ultimate N 633ANHMW IEEE 802.11n (draft) Wi-Fi Adapter - Mini PCI Express - 450Mbps: Electronics


Best feeling ever to uninstall that card lol.