PC hanging and restarting.

[windmike]

PC hanging and restarting.

Hello

I still experience crashing of game while playing. Its very random. Sometimes I can play for few hours without problem at all. Other times it crashes after few minutes or so.

The cras itself its freezing of screen-weird sound of pc speaker and reboot of system.

I have tried different settings when it comes to graphics but it does not really help. I have been checking my temps but both cpu and graphic card look ok.

I know many ppl point out towards PSU but it's been rock solid in any other game (like GTA,Crysis,Destiny 2)

Basicly crashes occour only in the Witcher 3. It has been like this since I bought the game-but I have impression that with the latest version of nVidia drivers it's even worse.

My specs are :

CPU 6700K
GPU 980TI MSI
PSU Corsair AX 1500i
OS Win 7 x64

Is there any way/settings that can help to fix it or the game is this way ?

 

[SigilFey]

Welcome to the Forums, windmike!

While TW3 may be the only title to put your system into a situation where the hang occurs, a system reboot is always the result of a hardware / system config issue at its core. (Programs cannot restart Windows.) You can open up a ticket with CDPR Support here:
http://en.cdprojektred.com/contact-support/

Please, include the requested information and the following:

1.) Whether you are using any mods or have ever used any in the past (for this playthrough).

2.) Whether any part of your system is overclocked.

3.) Your Windows version, GPU driver version, and total RAM. (Also, where did you download you Nvidia drivers from? They were pre-installed, nvidia.com, manufacturer website, etc?)


And post the above here as well. Troubleshooting here:

1.) PSU or voltage would be my first guess, and not necessarily because anything is "wrong". Ensure that all "Power Options" are set to Maximum Performance / Never shut down / Favor programs / etc. Check Windows Power Options and the options in Nvidia Control Panel. (TW3 is a very demanding game -- much more so than GTA V, for example -- and it could simply be draining your system of resources in ways the other games you listed don't. That's why a "power issue" may only manifest here.)

2.) Check to ensure that your Audio Sample Rate is 16-bit, 48000 Hz (DVD Quality). Higher settings are almost useless and may cause issues for the average program. Unless you have studio-grade equipment, you won't detect any difference in sound quality.

3.) If on WIndows 10, ensure the Permissions for the game's installation folder and ...Documents\The Witcher 3\... are set to "Everyone". Also, ensure the game is not installed anywhere under Program Files or Program Files(x86).

4.) Ensure the same folder paths above are added to the exceptions list of your anti-virus. If using an "aggressive" form pf protection (Norton, McAffee, Comodo, etc.) try turning it off completely before playing the game.

5.) What are you using for RAM (make and model)? Do you have a matched pair in the first two slots on your motherboard?

 

[Vhalyr]

PC rebooting - mod issue?

I am encountering a problem which i never had before. My game reboots when i play witcher 3.
It's not an hardware issue, because no other games do that. Thus, i wonder if having too many mods can cause this, or if it's a specific mod that causes this....
Anyone have any idea?

 

[SigilFey]

Threads merged, title changed. Welcome to the party!

 

[windmike]

Thank Your for feedback.

Regarding those points :

1. No mods ever have been used.

2.CPU is overclocked til 4500 (stable as a rock and cold as cucamber,even during W3).

3.Win 7 Ultimate x64. Drivers from nVidia website.Drivers version is 388.31

When it comes to RAM itsCorsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 2400MHz 32GB

When it comes to PSU I have to say that I got one of the strongest on the market. I mean if 1500W Titanium standard is not enough then I do not know what is.

Regarding Hardware and the fact that it must be HARDWARE problem. I have been playing W3 on two completely different PCs and there was exactly the same problem. I had my old PC which I was playing W3 on then I bought completely new one but the problem is exactly the same (all new parts).

Regards

Mike

 

[windmike]

erged, title changed. Welcome t

Thanks...I guess. Ehh

 

[Vhalyr]

Thanks!

Regarding me: no overclock, no mods used in this playthrough (in facts, this is happening at the campfire with Vesemir, at the very beginning of the game. I installed mods to use within this playthrough, but havent used them yet), using win 10 to the latest upgrade, and just upgraded my gpu drivers too.
I have 16GB RAM + 8gb VRAM from my gpu (msi 1080gtx armor)

 

[Vhalyr]

After some tests, i'm convinced tat mods are not the cause of this.

And it is not overheating, either: i pushed my gpu fans to the max, and thhe temperature was at 58-60 at max.

 

[SigilFey]

2.CPU is overclocked til 4500 (stable as a rock and cold as cucamber,even during W3).

Definitely return this to default clock speeds while troubleshooting. Overclocking can cause a bouquet of issues that do not manifest as "performance" symptoms. It's extremely important for everything in TW3 (and most big RPG and strategy games) to remain in sync, not run "quickly".

3.Win 7 Ultimate x64. Drivers from nVidia website.Drivers version is 388.31

Dang! I was hoping it could be a Windows 10 issue. Try rolling back the drivers to 381.65. I'm using those on a 980 ti, Windows 7 x64 myself without issue. Can't hurt to rule that out. Just be sure you reinstall them using the CLEAN installation option.

The rest of your present config looks good from a distance! But, obviously, there's something going on...somewhere...

I had my old PC which I was playing W3 on then I bought completely new one but the problem is exactly the same (all new parts).

Curious. How long ago was this and what were the specs. Are you, by any chance, using the same saved games as you were using on the old system?

The long and the short of it is, programs cannot directly cause a PC to reboot or power down. Only Windows can do so. Malicious programs can get into the Windows kernel and circumvent Windows itself, but even that is modifying Windows -- it's not the virus itself. What you're describing sounds like an I/O issue between hardware components. It's very possible that the OC on your CPU could be causing it (doubly likely if you were also overclocking a similar way before). It's also possible that it's simply two totally different issues that are exhibiting similar symptoms. But the fact remains that nothing TW3 or any other game can do can directly force a PC to restart. They can only highlight a system config issue that already exists. I'm afraid I still don't have any clear idea yet where the problem could be. A closer comparison between the old / new system may reveal something. Your present system looks pretty good! There are absolutely no components that you carried over from the old system to the new one?

If you haven't done so already, do contact Support, and include a dxdiag run using the 64-bit option.

 

[SigilFey]

Regarding me: no overclock, no mods used in this playthrough (in facts, this is happening at the campfire with Vesemir, at the very beginning of the game. I installed mods to use within this playthrough, but havent used them yet), using win 10 to the latest upgrade, and just upgraded my gpu drivers too. I have 16GB RAM + 8gb VRAM from my gpu (msi 1080gtx armor)

After some tests, i'm convinced tat mods are not the cause of this.
And it is not overheating, either: i pushed my gpu fans to the max, and thhe temperature was at 58-60 at max.

Goody good. It sounds like a similar issue to windmike's. Can you post your specs as well?

 

[Vhalyr]

Goody good. It sounds like a similar issue to windmike's. Can you post your specs as well?

Operative System: Windows 10 Home 64bit
Mother Board: MSI Z97 Gaming3
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 CPU @ 3.6GHz (8 CPUs)
GPU: MSI 1080GTX Armor (8GB)
16GB RAM DDR3 Corsair Vengeance Pro Series (2x8GB, 1600MHz)
PSU: NiloX SRM 850W

I also add that i updated my GPU drivers today, and the reboots occurred even with the older one, so i think that can be ruled out too...
Right now, i am reinstalling the game from scratch, to see if, with a vanilla installation, the problem still occurs. If it doesn't, i will try and pinpoint the mod that was causing it.

I even thought that it might be a memory issue cause of the high details i was using, but with my specifics that shouldn't be a problem in the slightest, i think.
Lastly, i had a Geforce 980GTX before this one, and this problem never occurred. However, i only had reboots issue with Witcher 3 and, at times, Witcher 2 (although it was quite rare and i am pretty sure that was mod related)

Reinstalled GPU drivers. No use.

EDIT: Yes, it occurs even with a clean installation. I am pretty positive it is a game related problem, at this point...

 

[Vhalyr]

Update: i tried disabling the automatic reboot option to see which error was occurring, but no error, just reboot. The event viewer simply reads: ''Kernel-power''

 

[Vhalyr]

Update 2: i noticed that, after pc reboots, the save file can get corrupted, if that's of any relevance.
The game cannot be played at the moment, and i am pretty sure it's not an hardware problem. Any other ideas?

 

[windmike]

Update 2: i noticed that, after pc reboots, the save file can get corrupted, if that's of any relevance. The game cannot be played at the moment, and i am pretty sure it's not an hardware problem. Any other ideas?

Ya, I have the same problem. It's not a hardware. I monitor my hardware on every possible way and it's just fine.
When it comes to saves I just then load the "manual save" which is usually fine.

Actually the only thing that helped is that I came back to non-overclocked CPU and I did use the power option and sound option as the Admin says in this thread.

Aaa and the most helpfull thing was to download the drivers he wrote about. They seems to work quite ok. Today I just got kick out from game 1 time. And it was not reboot but I was just kicked out to desktop.

 

[Vhalyr]

Ya, I have the same problem. It's not a hardware. I monitor my hardware on every possible way and it's just fine.
When it comes to saves I just then load the "manual save" which is usually fine.

Actually the only thing that helped is that I came back to non-overclocked CPU and I did use the power option and sound option as the Admin says in this thread.

Aaa and the most helpfull thing was to download the drivers he wrote about. They seems to work quite ok. Today I just got kick out from game 1 time. And it was not reboot but I was just kicked out to desktop.

Problem is i am not overclocked...The rest is already set to performance, yet i get rebooted over and over.

 

[Vhalyr]

Tried installing an even older driver, but didnt make a difference.

 

[windmike]

Did You try those drivers that he mentioned?

They are quite old but seem to work just fine.

 

[SigilFey]

''Kernel-power''

That's not good. It's indicating your motherboard is not receiving the voltage it needs.

i am pretty sure it's not an hardware problem.

It's not a hardware.

It doesn't have to be, but it normally is. It's also possible that it's a borked Windows installation, improper BIOS, conflicting firmware, or really, really bad drivers (which I doubt is the case here).

Let me clarify that it is not the game, directly, that is creating the problem. It's only that TW3 is the only program you're running that puts your system into the situation that makes the problem present itself. The problem lies in your hardware config, Windows system config, or a very nasty virus of some sort (which I believe is also highly unlikely in this case).

Update 2: i noticed that, after pc reboots, the save file can get corrupted, if that's of any relevance.

This is happening because the PC is powering down while the game is still in operation. (Likely, while it's trying to load / save, in the cases that it becomes corrupted.) Whatever is happening is definitely outside of the game's functions.


I would find a good, custom PC shop, preferably one that builds gaming rigs. Have them take a look at it and run it through some stress tests. They should be able to figure out what's wrong.


In the meantime, something to try, just to see if it makes any difference at all, is to discharge your motherboard, then cold-boot.

1.) Shut the PC off normally (making sure it shuts down from Windows correctly).

2.) When it's off, wait about 10 seconds, then switch off the breaker on your PSU. (The little black switch next to the PSU fan vent.)

3.) Press-and-hold the main power button on the PC, and the PC should "flicker" on and off. (It will likely "flash" all the lights and the monitor.) Continue holding for another few seconds once it's quiet again, just to be sure. If you check the mo-bo, there is usually a main power light on the board (normally red, blue, or green) that stays on all the time. This should now be dark or going dark.

4.) Wait about 30 seconds, then switch the PSU back on and power up the PC normally.

See if that allows you to play for longer periods before the issue. (I do NOT recommend doing this directly after a crash or forced reboot, though. Always shut down from Windows properly before doing this.)

Keep us posted!

 

[windmike]

About all the has been said and done above in this topic.

I can not agree that it's hardware. I know W3 is demanding game but after using older / different drivers all problems dissapeard. I mean....that does not sound like hardware- that sounds like hell of a software.

Anyways - thank You for tips about drivers. They are work perfectly. The game has been stable for many many hours. Not even one reeboot.

 

[SigilFey]

About all the has been said and done above in this topic.

I can not agree that it's hardware. I know W3 is demanding game but after using older / different drivers all problems dissapeard. I mean....that does not sound like hardware- that sounds like hell of a software.

Anyways - thank You for tips about drivers. They are work perfectly. The game has been stable for many many hours. Not even one reeboot.

No sweat! Now...bring peace to the land! Or kill some stuff. Maybe just kill stuff. The kingdoms really don't get along, at all. Lost cause.