Delay in starting game

[RogueSqdn]

70 processes and CPU usage at 16%. Keep in mind that a clean Windows install didn't fix this. ;)

 

I think a lot of these are added by Norton.

[Dmut]

Well, you have a lot's of things starting up with your system.

Let's make a tests and optimize it a little.

in "StartUp" tab please temporarely uncheck everything except "ctfmon"

also, in "services" tab set all "symantec" and "nortons" to "manual" startup mode.

and restart.

then start LO:FC.

any results?

[bflagg]

fyi.. i let me Object Desktop account (wincustomize..etc..) expire, because it

was a hog and really didn't do anything... (after 2 years)..

[RogueSqdn]

I'll give that a try, Dmut. I've got to hit the sack, though, I have an early day tomorrow. I'll let you know as soon as I have time to sort through it (will probably be sometime around noon on the US east coast).

[Shepski]

70 processes and CPU usage at 16%. Keep in mind that a clean Windows install didn't fix this. ;)

 

I think a lot of these are added by Norton.

 

70!!!

 

I think we have just found your problem. :)

[Merlin]

70!!!

 

I think we have just found your problem. :)

 

Holy dogshat!

 

thats insane!

[RogueSqdn]

Doing what you suggested dropped me down to 24 processes, but it didn't make a difference. :(

 

I had about 6 or 7 instances of svchost running.

 

Since a clean Windows didn't fix it, I'm thinking that there's something that Starforce doesn't like. ::shrug:: I've tried unplugging my DVD burner and tried turning off my router in case there was a net communications problem.

 

I suppose I could try another Windows install and a new download of FC... but I'll probably end up using another activation if I do that, and I only have one left. Which begs the question, "When is the announcement happening?"

 

I'll hold off on another install until hearing something from the devs.

 

After some of this talk of CPU hogs... should I leave Systemworks out of my next Windows install and just keep Internet Security? As for Object Desktop... the only thing I use is ObjectDock Plus... which is essentially a bar docked at the top of my screen that holds an email checker, google icon, and an XML weather checker. It uses 3316K of RAM.

 

Looking in my processes.. I see at least five that have something to do with my printer. I'll probably try and see if I can use an included Windows driver instead of installing the HP software next time.

[Han]

2 RogueSqdn:

contact me support@lockon.ru please.

E-mail me also the full info file on your system (start -> run -> msinfo32 -> save)

[WhiskeyRomeo]

I'd hold off the re-install of XP for a while. Probably not get a different result from the last clean install. I guess I was a bit shocked too -LOL- not your typical gaming environment. I think your guess that its hardware driver related is correct and because of that just disconnecting a piece of hardware wont automatically stop the driver from loading. Starforce isnt the only driver that hides itself from casual inspection. Will take a couple days to look up just the stuff you have listed there and its not a wholly complete list by any means.

 

For a system configured like your I think you should take a hard look at FSAutoStart

http://www.kensalter.com/fsautostart/

FSAutoStart gives the user the ability to automatically shutdown services and programs to provide as much resources to running today's most demanding games and applications. It also provides the ability to launch selected programs after the selected application is launched. Lastly, it can automatically restart those programs and services previously shutdown, thus bringing the computer back to its original state. It also adds performance enhancing options like Defragment Memory.

 

FSAutoStart was originally written for users of Microsoft Flight Simulator, but is flexible enough to handle any game or other demanding application that needs as much computer power as possible.

Highly Recommended! You can have multiple profiles (example 1 profile for offline play and 1 profile for multiplayer) even having it load up specific profiles for other programs (like Shoot or Joystick profiles). It can give you the lean mean gaming machine when you want it and still let you run your highly customized system setup other times. It's not likely to fix your problem all by itself. That will take ID'ing the culprit driver causing a starforce conflict. Hopefully there will be new software or driver to be found once the "bad actor" is located.

[RogueSqdn]

Captain Solo, your email is on the way. ;)

 

WhiskeyRomeo, I think I've heard of that prog before but have not tried it. I'll give it a shot though.

 

I'm off work for Thursday through Sunday, so I'd like to get this figured out before or during that time. :)

[RogueSqdn]

Bump.

 

I got an email from Eagle, and if they don't get the response I sent them, just want to let them know here that I will try what they asked to do, tomorrow.

[RogueSqdn]

Bump.

 

After some major (unrelated) hard drive problems that I now have sorted out, I should be able to give this another shot soon.

 

Sorry for being incommunicado lately... but I nearly lost my entire music collection, documents, and downloads. Thankfully I managed to save everything. :cool:

[ovfatman]

try removing codec packs as i have found they interfere

[RogueSqdn]

HOLY..... THAT DID IT! THAT DID IT!

 

I had the Ace Mega Codecs Pack installed... mainly because it had a codec that made the Falcon4 videos work again. But after removing it and rebooting, I get to the main menu in about 10 seconds, instead of the previous time of well over an hour!

 

Thanks for the tip! :D

[Alfa]

try removing codec packs as i have found they interfere

 

Thank you very much for posting this! :D

 

This is very useful information - we will include it in an upcoming trouble shooting sticky :)

 

- JJ.

[Dmut]

Hey, glad to see you fine now, RogueSqdn!

 

and thank you for a tip, ovfatman!

[Skywall23]

HOLY..... THAT DID IT! THAT DID IT!

 

I had the Ace Mega Codecs Pack installed... mainly because it had a codec that made the Falcon4 videos work again. But after removing it and rebooting, I get to the main menu in about 10 seconds, instead of the previous time of well over an hour!

 

Thanks for the tip! :D

 

Good! :D Go for it now mate! ;)

[RogueSqdn]

Well, now that the problem is solved, I'd like to publicly thank those that have helped me figure it out. Ovfatman, I was at a loss and was going to wait and see about a cd, without your tip. Thank you.

 

Thanks also go to those at ED who helped: Dmut, Chizh, Tishin, Wags, Shepski, and Han. Also a big thank you to Lev Boiarsky and Kirill Lazarev at Starforce for their support (and in helping determine that it wasn't a copy protection issue).

 

Now I can finally relax. :D

[WhiskeyRomeo]

Very interesting troubleshooting report! Thanks for sharing your experiances. An eye-opener for sure.

[RogueSqdn]

I'm so happy right now I wanted to share a screenshot... of my Windows desktop. Yes, it's Windows. ;) With FlyakiteOSX 2.0, Objectdock Plus, and AveDesk 1.2. Resized from 1600x1200 to 1024x768.

 

Trillian contact list blurred out for their privacy. ;)

 

[Skywall23]

Hey. wheres the FC shortcut? :p

[RogueSqdn]

See the F-15C on the dock? That's it. ;)

 

The little toolbar on the lower right is called "DeskTool," by MetaProducts, I think. Each button pops up a menu that is customizable. You can put shortcuts there on each menu in whatever order you want, and they don't get reordered in alphabetical order.

 

The dock also has an email checker. The "G" let me click on it, type in a search, hit enter, and then it does a Google search for the term (so does the blue spotlight in the top right corner). The magnifying glass on the dock is for a Google image search. Dock's also got a calendar that doubles as a shortcut to Mozilla Sunbird, and a weather checker.

 

Avedesk handles the My Computer and Recycle Bin icons, as well as the iPod-looking mini player (that uses iTunes' scripting interface to display what's playing, plus control pause/play/next/previous. The cd cover below the iPod shows the current album art.

 

FlyakiteOSX is a program that will modify Windows defaults for skins, cursors, sounds, icons, and screensavers (and more)... and basically makes WinXP look like OSX without using up any system resources.

 

Lastly, in the my computer window, I found a FinderBar program that replaces the "Folders" view in explorer and makes it come up by default. I can still switch to the common tasks pane if wanted. Plus a little program named bxNewFolder puts a little icon on the explorer toolbar that creates a new folder in the current folder you're browsing.

 

I think that about covers it. I DID have to modify the iPod desklet extensively to get it the way I want it, but that's about it. I found the majority of this stuff at http://www.aqua-soft.org.

 

It's tough, it's addictive, but oh boy, does it look good. :D

[Shepski]

Glad to hear that you finally got it working Jared!!!

 

Thanks to you for remaining so patient and polite during this frustrating time.

 

Cheers

[RogueSqdn]

Thanks for that, I appreciate it.

[TekaTeka]

A man of the japanese LOMAC community had the same problem and I could tell him the solution you guys found here.

Thanks for sharing the information! :D