hammer freezes

I was using VHE3.4, but when I started a new map, it freezes, and the old "Hammer has performed an illegal operation" pops up. So, I downloaded the 3.5beta and used that. That slo freezes after I draw three polygons, and when I tried to use an older version, (3.3) My pc toally crashed with a mouse freeze an everything. So what am i doing wrong? Its all very well wanting to map, but then something like this happens, and I just totally start pulling my hair out! Help would be apprieciated.

turn your hardware acceleration down 1 notch on your vid card..

Dont install VHE on a 486 :razz:

no, what is its like i just can't draw more than two polygons before it toaly freezes, and my pc is better than a 486, Wild card!

till you get a solution, do not mark mine as wrong.. i am fairly sure of that responce..

• what is your video card?
• you DO have the newest drivers? correct?
• un mark mine as incorrect till you are sure.

Thats a very good point Orpheus - I had DX 9 before, I'll get that reinstalled and see what happens. I just id dxdiag and it says i have ver5, which is event lower than when half life was released!

You managed to down-date DirectX ?

Whew ... I had tons of problems uninstalling 9.0b :razz:

Ontopic: just reinstall your DX-version (9.0) ... the installer will automaticly update files and registry ... cuz DX 5.0 ... that's waaaaaaay back :razz:

Hmm now its behaving even odder now i've got v9 installed. Oh, and v5 was pre installed on my copy of WinXP, but I got mine when XP was launched, just over two years ago. I guess Microsoft really doesn't care about us gamers.

I "down-dated" Dx9.0 with no problems...my card is really meant for 8.1 anyway. Just gotta wait until I get my new Radeon for me to actually want to get Dx9

Actually, Hammer editor automatically uses OpenGL to render its in-edit 3D. Check your status on that arm...

Rough PC specs please? If it's old, you might have to stick with 2.1 :/ If you're not running WinXP, try going to start ? run ? drwatson; when WC crashes it'll tell you what caused it, so you can usually tell if it's the program or the graphics card..

Offtopic:

Leperous said:
Rough PC specs please? If it's old, you might have to stick with 2.1 :/ If you're not running WinXP, try going to start ? run ? drwatson; when WC crashes it'll tell you what caused it, so you can usually tell if it's the program or the graphics card..

What is this "Dr. Watson" thing?

Built in crash detection/event log for windows. If your PC crashes, DrWatson produces a log of some klnd that will tell you where the fault was, and in what process / dll (I think).

Wow, my pc just frooze like never before! I tried using the Start >> Run >> drwatson thing, but it just said no errors detected. I tried running Hammer and it looked my pc into this totally frozen state, I couldn't even move my mouse! (had to restart after that.) Here the spec of my pc if it helps :

P4 1.5Ghz with 256Mb SDRam. My graphics card is a GForce 2 MX400 (Remember I got it 2 years ago!) I'm running Windows XP. (not service pack 1 though)

Its doing it every time i go into VHE, help!

Reinstall ?

weird prob ...

Use a free online virus scanner: http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan

format c:

1. Norton Systemworks -> One Button Check Up
2. SpyBot Search and destroy.

I know both are unlikely to solve the situation, certainly the last one, but Spyware has killed my brother's PC before, and System works would almost definately find something at least.

Other than that theres nothing much I can say. Sorry. Are you running any other programs in the background? If so which ones?

This is the error:

http://www.snarkpit.com/pits/matt/pictures/myeror.JPG

You see a problem with Hammer crashing. I see no problem at all.

Maybe you should try:

• Installing Service Pack 1 (didn't hurt my comp ... it even made the boot process that tiny bit faster ... and my l33t USB 2.0 hardware is working now ... )
• Restoring your system. (To a date when Hammer was still working.)
• Re-installing Hammer.
• Sometimes, even defragmentation or scandisk saves the day ...

When you try to run hammer, does it show the camera window ? (Try to load a map into hammer before it crashes, maybe by using windows explorer, selecting the hammer file and choosing "open with" ...) If not, your graph drivers may be causing your hammer-problem.

I think Half-Life Model Viewer uses the same rendering technique as the camera window in Hammer ... download that tool and try to view some models ... if that doesn't work either ...

You may need the latest GF drivers for better OpenGL performance. I think they're called "Forceware"... Not "Detonator". Anyway, it fixed a few problems with my GF4, it may work with your GF2 too.

And definitely install SP1. There is one known OpenGL fix in it, I think.

Problem solved, I had this program called "Simply 3d" Which was b0rking up Hammer in some way. Unistalled it and hammers now behaving again!

normally i would frown on self appointed snarkmarks, BUT in this case, you did give a valid effort in solving your problem and eventually you solved the issue..

thanx for at least posting the correct solution for future issues.

i have found that hammer is fairly stable, people who have issues with it either do not have a video card that can handle it, or like you, have driver or program resource clashes..

people should remember this when hammer crashes next.

I didn't know you could answer your own question and get points for it!?

plans evil way to get 65536 snarkmarks

Orpheus said:
normally i would frown on self appointed snarkmarks, BUT in this case, you did give a valid effort in solving your problem and eventually you solved the issue..

thanx for at least posting the correct solution for future issues.

@scary_jeff: as Orpheus said: He has given an effort to solve the problem, it's not that he just posted the problem, sat down, wait a couple of weeks and jumped in with the solution, erh ... :smile:

@ forceflow

jeff is an ex-moderator, he knows the ins/outs of snarkpit..

he would be the last person you need be concerned about.

he was joking, i promise :smile:

Whoops. (sorry Jeff, I'm just another noob)

lol I marked it correct, because technically it is :razz:

Yeah, Realised afterwoods it was a bit pig headed of me, but Couldn't log in on a colege computer, so I had to leave it.