[EM 2.728] Crash on launch *INFO*

[Shevek]

hi,

I've recently purchased Evochron Mercenary When I run it, I immediately get the error message below:

"Evochron Mercenary has stopped working"

View problem details:
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: EvochronMercenary.exe
Application Version: 1.0.0.0
Application Timestamp: 4d460aea
Fault Module Name: d3dx9_31.dll
Fault Module Version: 9.15.779.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 451c48f1
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 00041798
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.768.3
Locale ID: 2057
Additional Information 1: 0a9e
Additional Information 2: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
Additional Information 3: 0a9e
Additional Information 4: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789

Previously, I had the demo installed and ran it without problem, then at some point it also started getting the above message and failed to run. Perhaps optimistically, I thought if I bought the latest full version it would be bound to run... but no. Anyway, I'm pretty sure there must be something on my system that's changed to make EM no longer run, but I can't think of anything major I've changed.

My machine is an HP Pavilion dv6. 4gb ram. Windows 7, 64 bit. The graphic card is an ATI Mobiity Radeon HD 5650.

Graphic card drivers and DirectX are up to date. (DirectX 11).

I have installed As Administrator and Run As Administrator. Tried various compatibility options. Still get the same error message. Unfortunately can't roll back the system far enough to get back to the point when EM last ran.

Any advice?


[Edited on 1-4-2014 by Vice]

[Vice]

Hello,

The failing module of d3dx9_31.dll indicates a display problem of some kind (the error code suggesting some kind of memory issue). It's possible that something changed your system recently to prevent your ATI/AMD display device from activating when it is supposed to. So the game can't access the display system it needs to run, resulting in a DirectX related crash. First, I would suggest making sure the Radeon display device is the only one active, then test that way. You may need to go into the BIOS to shut off the Intel display device to test this way.

Then if the problem continues, I would recommend the following steps in this order:

- Update your display driver to the latest available for your ATI/AMD system/chipset (specifically from your manufacturer designed for switchable graphics). Having the wrong driver installed or failing to install can result in display problems. You can get the correct driver for both display devices here: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/drivers.html

- Check for any mods you may have used with the demo earlier. If you find any folders for those custom files, remove or rename them so that the game will be using only default media.

- Locate the sw.cfg file in the game's save data folder (default is c:\\sw3dg\\EvochronMercenary) and either delete that file or rename it to something like sw-bak.cfg. Do not yet try to launch the game.

- Perform a system file check (will need to be done with an admin account or in safe mode). Start > Run/Search > type in SFC /SCANNOW and press enter. You should see a message that stays on the screen for a while as the scan completes.

- Lastly, inspect your system for the HP software program Cyberlink Media Library Service (background task filename is CLMLSvc.exe). This program was pre-installed on some HP computers and has been confirmed as being a cause for some problems in this and other games. To check to see if it exists, press Control-Shift-Escape to open the task manager, then click on the Processes tab, then look for the filename. If you find it there, you'll need to uninstall/terminate it completely before continuing.

- Once these steps have been completed, reboot your system completely, verify that the Cyberlin program did not return in the task manager, then launch and test the game.

If the problem persists, follow the steps here to prepare a msinfo report and send it to me:

http://www.starwraith.com/evochronmercenary/faq.htm#8