Let us help you solve any problems you might have with TNM. This forum should remain spoiler-free - if your problem is spoilery in nature, please post in the forum above.
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Please only use this forum for problems of a technical nature. If you're stuck somewhere in the game, post in the TNM Spoiler Zone forum. If the game crashes, you can't load a savegame, or something just plain isn't working, this is the place to post.
I've suddenly lost all in game SFX and menu sounds, though the music still plays albeit with a lot of crackling (that's new.)
I have been running a ton of virus and spyware checks lately to figure out why my laptop had slowed to a crawl while running at 100% all the time and finally disabled Windows Update which seemed to fix the speed problems. The audio worked fine before this.
I have game saves ranging from PDX to ABI, all with no sound. I've tried various combinations of settings to no avail.
Yeah. I didn't have time before but I'll see if it's a problem in vanilla DX and any other games.
New discovery: after several minutes, the audio starts crackling to life, gets better and better, and several more minutes later is normal. But if I save the game, I lose the sound again. Rinse. Repeat.
I'm pretty sure it's a problem with my comp, not the game. Just hoping somebody knew a fix.
I once got something similar by loading up a number of different levels using legend, but restarting the game made that go away.
It does sound like your Windows install is going South. That, or the audio jack has a loose connection or a short in the wire. Try disabling any resident/running antivirus/antispyware that you've recently added. After that, there's always updated audio drivers and dxdiag.
I took out the anti-virus last night (the only new variable over the weekend I could think of). AVG had a component running even when it was shut down, so I thought that might be causing issues, but it's been removed and the problem is still there.
I tried vanilla DX and it has no sound issues. It's not the audio jack because it does the same thing on my laptop speakers.
I agree that it's probably time for a Windows refresher, but unfortunately my discs are 400 miles away because I only dusted off this pc to play TNM. I may just have to eat this for awhile.
Ok, the discs have been acquired and I'm attempting to reinstall Windows. The PC has crumbled to the point that it won't boot without a bootup disc anyway. I'm working according to these instructions (the full reformat version), but I'm not getting the any key prompt that goes to setup. I can hit Esc and go to the boot order menu and start up the way I've been doing, but that doesn't help me reformat. You can't reformat C within the OS. Any ideas?
Without having read the instructions you linked to, it sounds like you need to change your boot order so the disc drive has priority over the harddrive. Immediately after powering on your PC, you should see a note somewhere on-screen for entering setup (it's generally F1, F2, or DEL you have to press). Your window for pressing this may be quite short, so pay attention. Then you find the boot settings and rearrange the boot order so the disc is checked first. Then save and exit and you should get the any key prompt.
That's how to do it. Just put the optical drive ahead of the HD, and make sure the CD isn't scratched. Last week I had a problem where my ABit board ignored the selected boot order, and resetting the CMOS fixed that right up.
Anyway, depending on your familiarity with computers, I might recommend downloading a copy of the OS you own and using that instead of using a OEM-branded Windows Restore CD. A lot of those have helpful drivers, but they often have helpful bloatware/spyware that can install a semi-broken system. Still, that can be difficult, and using HP's instructions can help bring familiarity with the install process.
I had already tried changing the boot order to no avail. My brother thinks it's the hard drive and is going to give me a spare. In the meantime, you guys had better port TNM to mac, because I now have nothing to play it on.
Intel or PowerPC mac? Given Deux Ex and TNM work fine in linux on wine, it should work in wine on an intel mac as well. I think there's a thread somewhere.
Time to resurrect my own personal bitching thread, because I know you all care...the laptop in question died a horrible death of some hardware-related sort back in September. I am now home on break where a decently functioning desktop awaits, and after failing to download a fresh copy of TNM with our craptastic satellite internet I managed to stay in a house with real broadband over Christmas. Damn it's been a long wait.
That's trippy, reading a "new" thread, and then reading something I said months ago. Don't do that.
A laptop dying a hardware-related death, combined with the slow system, is likely the HD. I'd recommend Spinrite to recover data, but today it told me it would take 374 hours to test 2Tb while giving no errors, so I'm using the Hitachi Drive Fitness Test (edit: both of my Hitachi drives failed. Wow). If the HD fails either test, replace it. There's also the possibility of bad memory (memtest86 & replace), or overheating, which way too many PC laptops suffer from. Otherwise, laptops usually get issues with batteries, screen hinges, and the screen itself if you're talking general laptop death.
There should be a standard diagnostic method for PCs. I see so many RAM errors on new sticks, and I've bought dead HDs. I can't imagine the number of machines people use that have these damaging yet common hardware issues. I'd tell everyone to run memtest86+ but it confuses the hell out of them.
I'm drinking a cup of Caf-Lib tea with lavender. I need to get back to reading my Top Gear magazine before I put on a large blue hat.
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