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Display Driver Crashes


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#1 Heavy Money

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Posted 21 April 2021 - 04:51 PM

I periodically get a Display Driver crash when playing certain maps: Any Frozen City, Rubellite, and Canyon Network. Never on River City, HPG, Mining, or Crimson.

My system is an Nvidia TitanX with my main display used for the game, and 2 secondary displays on an Nvidia770. It was windows 7, but I recently upgraded to windows 10, which has changed the behavior somewhat. Here's how it breaks down:

When I first started playing, I had settings on Very High, Borderless Window, and was running DirectX11. When I suffered the crash, the screen would go black, and then the game would close after ~10 seconds. I'd have a popup on the taskbar informing me that my display driver had crashed and recovered.

After some research, I switched to DirectX9. After that when I got the crash, my screen would go black for 8-12 seconds, and then the Display Driver would recover without the game being affected, and I could continue playing. It was still annoying, but rare enough that I just put up with it.

Now I've upgraded to Windows 10. I haven't changed any settings. Now when I get the crash, the display driver does not recover. The screen goes black, and the monitor goes into standby. The system can no longer even see my TitanX until I reboot the computer. So I can't ignore the issue anymore.

As my first troubleshooting step, I have tried running in Fullscreen mode instead of Borderless Window. I don't know if the display driver crash will still happen, because like this I often get a different crash. When tabbing back into the game, the screen will remain black. Or, even if I'm already tabbed in, when loading a map, i'll load into a black screen. I have to quit and relaunch the game. So I've gone back to Borderless Window and this new issue has stopped.

For now, I have tried turning my graphics settings down to medium, and we'll see if the Driver Crash still occurs. I'm looking for any other ideas to try. Does anyone else have an issue like this?

My drivers are up to date, and I've had steam verify the game files. I don't have issues like this with any other games.

#2 Tarl Cabot

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Posted 21 April 2021 - 11:17 PM

Just to confirm the error being generated is something like DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_RESET ? GPU/drivers/memory components arent stable.

0. Set system power options to High Performance.
1. Confirm that Windows 10 is setup to not automatically download/install drivers
2. Completely uninstall then reinstall Nvidia drivers. Be prepared to roll the drivers back a series if necessary, since newest drivers arent always the best route to go.
3. Titan X - reset clock to Stock settings and power options to normal if currently set to exceed 100%.
4. What else, if anything is OC, ie memory or system BLCK speed? generate dxdiag and post the top section, down to sound drivers.

#3 Heavy Money

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Posted 22 April 2021 - 12:59 PM

View PostTarl Cabot, on 21 April 2021 - 11:17 PM, said:

Just to confirm the error being generated is something like DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_RESET ? GPU/drivers/memory components arent stable.

0. Set system power options to High Performance.
1. Confirm that Windows 10 is setup to not automatically download/install drivers
2. Completely uninstall then reinstall Nvidia drivers. Be prepared to roll the drivers back a series if necessary, since newest drivers arent always the best route to go.
3. Titan X - reset clock to Stock settings and power options to normal if currently set to exceed 100%.
4. What else, if anything is OC, ie memory or system BLCK speed? generate dxdiag and post the top section, down to sound drivers.


Thanks for the reply! Where would I view the error to confirm that?
Power options are set to high performance. Everything else is stock settings (is DXDiag needed if they are stock?)
The same problem has occurred over several driver updates, going back to when I started playing in September. So rolling back an update or two won't help.

I still have yet to see if I still have the crash with now lowered settings. It would sometimes be days between occurrences, so it'll take awhile to say for sure.

#4 MrVaad

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Posted 22 April 2021 - 02:21 PM

View PostHeavy Money, on 22 April 2021 - 12:59 PM, said:

Thanks for the reply! Where would I view the error to confirm that?


1. Look at MWO's log after crashing. I think i've seen some logs here with "card lost" or something like that.
This would confirm that the driver crashed and restarted (which is the case 90% of the time when you see a temporary black screen).

2. Try to erase your shader cache in C:\Users\[your windows account name]\Saved Games\MechWarrior Online\Shaders

2. Check in MWO's logs if the game is using your best video card.
If not, i can give you some help to force the graphic card used by MWO by using an MWO custom config file (user.cfg).

3. You can also force disable NVIDIA SLI (just in case) in that same config file.

Those DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_RESET errors can be a pain to fix. Sometimes it's just the card that is not stable like Tarl said. But it can also be a lot more complicated.

Edited by MrVaad, 22 April 2021 - 02:36 PM.


#5 Tarl Cabot

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Posted 22 April 2021 - 06:53 PM

Heavy Money,

Since there has been a issue with both Win7 then Win10 and over several driver updates, it is most likely a system instability than anything else.
  • Is the system a prebuilt or not?
  • Is the GPU overclocked at all? And if so what software is being used for it?
  • is the CPU overclocked? And if so is it locked at its speed or have Turboboost enabled?
  • How much system memory is there, and if more than one stick are they matching sticks?
  • Bios settings for Memory, what are they set at?

a Dxdiag information is primarily to see all the components, bios version/mfg/etc, and usually one of the pieces of information asked for when troubleshooting computer issues. There is a section that will also show error reports but they are a hit/miss at times.

Have you utilized any Benchmark/Testing programs?

Troubleshooting is used to identify potential problem area/components, because what a user does not want to happen is to have one device's instability to take out other, more expensive parts.

How long have you had the system? How old is the motherboard? Open up the side case, clear out all of the dust buildup, and look over the motherboard and GPU for potentially swollen capacitators, etc. Remove and reseat the GPU. If more than one slot is available, and appropriate for its rating, move slots.

#6 Heavy Money

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Posted 25 April 2021 - 10:56 PM

Thanks again for the response. I didn't get to play for a few days, so I was only just able to see if clearing the shader cache helped. It did not. I did get a card lost error pop up (but I don't usually.)

The system is a custom build from 2015. 32GB ram, 4 matching sticks. I use it as a 3D graphics work station. It regularly runs renders that use 100% of both GPUs and has never had any instability. Nothing is overclocked or ever has been. The system has been completely stable while rendering, and while running lots of other games (many much more demanding.)

Usually when I crash, I don't get the MWO crash reporter. I didn't even know it existed. But I happened to get it a few days ago (but have had crashes since that didn't pop it up.) Here is the crash log which has a lot of info, including dxdiag. I'm not sure where to look in it for things or what it all means:
https://drive.google...iew?usp=sharing

Considering that I have perfect stability in other graphically demanding tasks, and that this crash only occurs on certain maps, I can only conclude that its a game issue, not a system stability issue.

Any idea what else I can try? Or can you glean any info from that crash report?

#7 MrVaad

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Posted 26 April 2021 - 06:03 AM

View PostHeavy Money, on 25 April 2021 - 10:56 PM, said:

Any idea what else I can try? Or can you glean any info from that crash report?


It seems you're running MWO using directx9. Can you switch to directx11 and see if it improves stability ?

#8 Tarl Cabot

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Posted 26 April 2021 - 06:31 AM

Actually, the issue may very well be a recent Windows update, kb5001330. Windows 10 users began reporting a range of issues while gaming, such as reduced and unstable frame rates, v-sync not working properly, BSODs, and other annoyances. They are finally pushing out a stealth update.

https://hothardware....aming-slowdowns

#9 Heavy Money

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Posted 26 April 2021 - 10:16 AM

View PostMrVaad, on 26 April 2021 - 06:03 AM, said:


It seems you're running MWO using directx9. Can you switch to directx11 and see if it improves stability ?


In the past, it was worse with DX11 as it wouldn't recover from crashes at all, whereas on dx9 i'd just have a black screen for ~10 seconds and then it'd be fine and I could continue playing. At the moment, it doesn't matter which I have on. I've been testing different combinations of settings to see if the crash would stop (currently I'm trying everything at the lowest), and I happened to have DX9 on for that particular crash. It is the only one the crash reporter came up for.

#10 Heavy Money

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Posted 26 April 2021 - 10:20 AM

View PostTarl Cabot, on 26 April 2021 - 06:31 AM, said:

Actually, the issue may very well be a recent Windows update, kb5001330. Windows 10 users began reporting a range of issues while gaming, such as reduced and unstable frame rates, v-sync not working properly, BSODs, and other annoyances. They are finally pushing out a stealth update.

https://hothardware....aming-slowdowns


Well, I've been getting this crashes since I started playing back in September, so I doubt it can be something so recent. And I've checked the registry entry in that article, so it looks like I have that fix. Thanks for mentioning it though!

#11 Tarl Cabot

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Posted 27 April 2021 - 06:03 PM

Still digging into the dump file.

*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for MWOClient.exe
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for fmodex64.dll
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for nvd3dumx.dll
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for ts3client_win64.dll
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for directsound_win64.dll
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for windowsaudiosession_win64.dll

Just notating files that were listed in that dump file.

On the maps listed, did the crash also happen just a live game, or would it happen in the Proving Grounds?


1. As a double check, are you using any 3rd party tools/packs (like a sound pack) with MWO?

2. Disable Xbox overlay (crash report in the dxdiag file)

3. Perform a clean boot, no loading up any other programs. It wouldnt be the first time that another installed program and MWO did not play well together. From other users it was usually graphic related programs which had installed their own driver versions. Had one player that did a fresh system install and went about installing 2 programs at a time, rebooting/updating then testing MWO until it crashed. Redid the fresh OS install again, installed one of those programs and MWO, crashed. Repeat and installed the other program, no issue. Went about installing all the other programs he was using, updating, etc, MWO was no longer crashing. Turned out the problematic program had an update to it that was causing the conflict. He could install the previous version and didnt run into any issues when running with MWO. /shudders.. to have the patience to do that though.. dang...but he was determined.

4. Uninstall GPU drivers for both GPU and reinstall JUST the driver itself, no GF Experience, no physics, no sound drivers

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 27 April 2021 - 06:06 PM.


#12 Heavy Money

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Posted 29 April 2021 - 10:50 PM

Okay, tried a few things and some more testing. I've tried:
- MrVaad's config (which does help in other ways!)
- Running on all minimum settings in Fullscreen and Window mode.
- Disabling VOIP and unchecking all the ingame sound options.
- Uninstalled all of the Nvidia stuff and re-installed only the graphics driver.
- Disabled XBox overlay.
- Done a clean boot and played with a minimum of open programs.
- Played in -safe mode.

None of these have stopped the crash :(

I would like to try fully disabling Audio just to rule that out, but I don't know how to do it. Is there a way to properly disable it, not just mute it?

There are no custom sound packs or anything. And I would have said I'd never experienced it in the testing grounds before, but I did for the first time today.

If disabling audio doesn't do it, then I guess testing individual programs is the next step. But that list shouldn't be too long as I've had the same issue on my previous windows 7 install, and on a totally clean windows 10 install. (I did a full reformat and fresh install, not an upgrade.)

#13 Tarl Cabot

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Posted 30 April 2021 - 06:06 PM

Actually, I believe there is a way to completely disable MWO sound, done via the user.cfg. And it works, just double checked on my install. It doesnt stop the music/sound effects at the log in screen but after that.. nada at all!! Was weird running through the Proving Grounds with no sound/music at all.

View PostTarl Cabot, on 01 March 2018 - 06:57 AM, said:

Just to add. What are your in-game setting details?

Update sound drivers.

Now for testing only, disable sound/music completely for the game.

Create a file called user.cfg and place it in your MWO folder. Open it with notepad and add these two lines.

s_SoundEnable 0
s_MusicEnable 0


Edited by Tarl Cabot, 30 April 2021 - 06:06 PM.


#14 Heavy Money

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Posted 30 April 2021 - 06:40 PM

View PostTarl Cabot, on 30 April 2021 - 06:06 PM, said:

Actually, I believe there is a way to completely disable MWO sound, done via the user.cfg. And it works, just double checked on my install. It doesnt stop the music/sound effects at the log in screen but after that.. nada at all!! Was weird running through the Proving Grounds with no sound/music at all.


Excellent, i'll try that next.

My in-game settings would ideally all be at very high, 1920x1080, and Fullscreen Window. I've tried many combinations of settings to see if they prevent the crashes, but even going to lowest hasn't helped.

#15 Heavy Money

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Posted 30 April 2021 - 11:36 PM

View PostHeavy Money, on 30 April 2021 - 06:40 PM, said:


Excellent, i'll try that next.

My in-game settings would ideally all be at very high, 1920x1080, and Fullscreen Window. I've tried many combinations of settings to see if they prevent the crashes, but even going to lowest hasn't helped.


I haven't had any crashes since disabling sound (although this could just be luck, i've only done ~10 games and many on maps I don't crash on), but I notice now I frequently get very bad frame rates for 3-5 seconds several times a match. It doesn't coincide with anything either, its just totally random. This is entirely new.

#16 Tarl Cabot

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Posted 01 May 2021 - 10:03 AM

View PostHeavy Money, on 30 April 2021 - 11:36 PM, said:


I haven't had any crashes since disabling sound (although this could just be luck, i've only done ~10 games and many on maps I don't crash on), but I notice now I frequently get very bad frame rates for 3-5 seconds several times a match. It doesn't coincide with anything either, its just totally random. This is entirely new.


Even though disabling game sound (also try disabling system's sound devices completely and unplugging the headphones, not just mute) might help prevent crashes, the issues you are experiencing now may be occurring because system resources arent being used/loaded up, ie power/heat/memory.

Rereading this read, does those FPS drops now occur only in live drops or also in the proving/testing grounds also? Disable ALL in-game chats. These are troubleshooting steps, but narrowing down things, even if was only a symptom but not the actual cause can help.

0. Not mute but disable computer sound/devices completely, to see if those FPS drops continue.
1. Possibly CPU and/or GPU throttling down, either due to heat and/or power??
2. For the above VRM i(voltage regulator module), when it also overheats then it throttles the cpu/cpu which allows the vrm to cool down.
3. When was last time heatsinks were cleared of dust build up? Also check all fans, esp VRM fan, if applicable.
4. Last time heatsinks had their thermal paste reapplied?
5. Manual control of fans to ramp to a high speed?
6. Additional explanation for some of the above points. Turbo boost is meant as a laypersons temporary overclocking measure, which pulls more power while generate more heat per core. All it takes is for one core to trip the heat threshold, causing the entire CPU speed to drops around 1000 Mhz to call components to cool down before ramping back up.

3500 MHz - 4 cores - baseline actual cores, not threads

3700 MHz (4 cores)
3800 MHz (3 cores)
3900 MHz (1 or 2 cores)

7. Turboboost increase the clock speed primarily by increasing the BCLK frequency (base clock rate) not by a CPU multiplier.

The logs provided did not provide some info but can be obtained by running Speccy such as detailed Ram info and mother. Also what PSU brand/model?

#17 Biomechtric

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 12:23 AM

This might sound like a crazy thing to check but it's a problem MWO has & it has caused me many frustrating crashes until I figured out what was going on. Please check you internet is stable as any slight packet loss can & will cause a crash. It can seem there is no problems in other programmes but MWO really doesn't like even the slightest cut out of signal & will crash on you.

I am in no way saying it is the cause here but it's been the culprit for many of these random crashes over the years.
You are in good hands with Tarl Cabot, he knows his stuff in this area & would've asked this sooner or later, I've only ever seen help from him here so far.

Sorry, that's all I have for you but I hope it's of some help.

#18 Tarl Cabot

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 12:20 PM

I got carried away in my last post, as I was also working with someone in another thread.

At this point, since it has carried through two OS, Win7 to Win10 and various updates, as well as drivers and other programs including MWO, leads to how the system components mate up and interact with each other.

Just one thing, you do have an Amazon Basic type USB headset connected to your system? How long have you had it?

1. Power fluctuation, via PSU is providing to what the motherboard is dealing/handling out and/or what the GPUs are pulling
2. The above can effect memory, making it unstable
3. Turboboost can also factor in the above, since it changes the BCLK frequency, pulling power/generating heat.
4. Sound, being part of the motherboards nowadays, ties in with how the motherboard is handling things.

Since you have disabled game sound, and havent posted as to having crashes but FPS drops, the question raises, is the FPS drops due to CPU underclocking or the GPU underclocking? Though I have seen FPS drops due to extreme harddrive activity.

Would need monitoring tools to determine the above. HWMonitor would be one, and for just GPU MSI Afterburner. Afterburner will also allow you to see the GPU frequency and allow you to slightly underclock the GPU, primarily for testing. Prime95 Torture Test while monitoring the system would also be a step to take.

The above would be of better use, initially, since you mentioned you use your system for other types of work. Myself, I would remove the 770 and run through several drops. If no change the underclock the Titan X. Then I would remove sticks of ram and cycle through them,

#19 Heavy Money

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Posted 02 May 2021 - 03:05 PM

Thanks everyone, especially Tarl. I've ended up working this weekend, so I haven't had a chance to test further. I should be back with more testing done tonight or tomorrow!

#20 Heavy Money

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Posted 03 May 2021 - 09:03 PM

I've now had 2 good play sessions with sound disabled, at least 10 matches on maps where I generally crash, and I've made it through so far. It's possible its just luck, but its a good stretch to have made it. Too soon to say for sure.

I dropped my settings from Very High to High and the framerate issue I reported before has disappeared. So that doesn't seem to be related to disabling audio.





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