Email from reader

[tlr online]

Hi folks. Just received this email from a reader. Can anyone help? Thanks.

I'd be really greatful if you could help me with a technical issue related to TR3. When I open the executable file to start the game, the objects in the menu are all snowy white, the same as all surroundings and Lara during the game. Also, in the start screen I can hear an annoying scratching sound, like nails on a carton surface repeating over and over again. I can hear normal sounds dring the game, although sometimes they are replaced by the repeated scratching sound.

Yes, I do use a Sound Blaster card. Although installing the SB patch from your website in the patches & updates section of the game didn't change anything. I am running the game on Win XP Pro and a GeForce 2 video card. I have also installed the XP patch for TR3 on your website, but again, nothing changed. Same snowy graphics and scratching sound.

I have also tried turning off z-buffer as well as all the other options and tried running the game under every resulution available. Nothing worked. I have also tried to set the compatibility option in exe file properties to every option it had regarding OS and still nothing worked. Some weren't supported at all, of course.

I have tried downloading patch v 1.1 and ESCAPEplay (I know the latter doesn't have anything to do with my problem, just saying) and the hyperlinks are wrong I think, because I get pop-ups with the same faq window and not with the download start window. So I couldn't install patch v 1.1, but instead, like I said, I tried the sound blaster patch and xp patch and neither worked.

Please help me, I don't know what else to try to solve this problem... I have tried everything I knew :(

[Joseph]

Because reader says to have done all he could think of i would suggest he starts with sending in his dxdiag report. Lat's start there.

[Joseph]

and the hyperlinks are wrong I think, because I get pop-ups with the same faq window and not with the download start window. Strange. On this page (http://www.tombraiderchronicles.com/windowsxp2.html) is this line: Tomb Raider III -- Windows XP -- VIEW FAQ -- DOWNLOAD Clicking on VIEW FAQ brings me to the faq, and clicking DOWNLOAD launches the download. So, everything looks normal to me. Download and install the patch.
So I couldn't install patch v 1.1, but instead, like I said, I tried the sound blaster patch and xp patch and neither worked.
Which sound blaster patch and which xp patch. :confused:

[Lily Beith]

The Sound Blaster patch is the one here http://www.tombraiderchronicles.com/tr3/fixes.html and it's called "AWE 64 & TR3 Update".
The XP Patch is the one here http://www.tombraiderchronicles.com/windowsxp2.html (where it says download for TR3).

Apparently you can't use both patches at the same time, because with each you need to replace the tomb3.exe and you can only replace it with either one at a time. The XP one is newer than the SB one, yet I don't know if it contains it.
I have also tried the links for the (DOWNLOAD) on the FAQ page again, and it still loads the same FAQ page in a different window instead of the download page. I use IE6 and no download helper programmes, just basic XP one. Other download pages on TRC work just fine. It's weird...

Anyway, here's my dxdiag configuration:
O/S: Microsoft XP Pro (5.1, Build 2600)
Language: English
System Manufacturer: Intel
System Model: Tehama
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 CPU 1.50 Ghz, ~1.5 Ghz
Memory: 128 MB RAM (could this be the problem...? :(
Page File: 211MB used, 805 MB available (yes I know that's weird, but since I don't have much RAM I have to keep increasing the page file)
DirectX V.: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904

DirectX Files: No problems found.

Display Device Name: WinFast Titanium 200 Display Driver
Manufacturer: Leadtek Research Inc.
Chip Type: GeForce3 Ti 200 (heh, sorry... I thought it was GF2)
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Approx. Total Memory: 64 MB
Current Display Mode: 1280x1024 (32 bit) (60 Hz)
Monitor: Flatron 775FT

Main Driver: nv4_disp.dll
Version: 5.13.0001.2183(English)
Date: 14.09.2001 16:52:00
WHQL Logo's: n/a
Mini VDD: nv4_mini.sys
VDD: n/a
DDI Version: 8

Direct Draw Acceleration: enabled
Direct3D Acceleration: enabled
AGP Texture Acceleration: enabled
Notes: No problems found.
DirectDraw test Results: All tests were successful.
Direct3D 7,8,9 test results: All tests were successful.

Sound Device Name: Emu10Kx Audio (B800)
Device ID: PCI\VEN_1102DEV_0002SUBSYS_80611102_REV_0
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Default Device: Yes (ok, I'm not very good with computers... but shouldn't it say Sound Blaster over here somewhere? or did it accidentally switch to my motherboard sound device by accident??)

Drivers Name: ctaud2k.sys
Version: 5.12.0001.0252 (English)
WHQL Loho'd: n/a
Other Files: (nothing)
Provider: Creative

Hardware Sound Acceleration Level: Full acceleration
Direct Sound test results: All tests were successful. (When I do the DirectSound test, at the end of it it tells me "Your sound card does not support hardware buffering. Sounds will only play from software buffers." That's kind of strange from SB, isn't it? I remember the last time I did this test in dxdiag everything worked properly and I didn't use to get this message. Could it be because my default sound device was exchanged with the one on my motherboard? Or... did the drivers somehow got messed up?)
DirectMusic test results: All tests were successful.

[Joseph]

Emu10Kx Audio is Creative Soundblaster anyway. Maybe you have the onboard version. Why do you expect to see "soundblaster"? Do you have a soundcard? in that case it looks like your onboard sound isn't disabled.
No hardware support:
Click Start / Run...
type in dxdiag, OK, and this time go to the sound tab, drag the slider to the left for "basic or no hardware accelleration." this could solve the problem.
A game can crash just because the sound isn't well configured.

[Joseph]

About the soundblaster patch you used: you HAVE no "Soundblaster AWE64 card", so do NOT use that patch. ;)

[Joseph]

I have also tried the links for the (DOWNLOAD) on the FAQ page again, and it still loads the same FAQ page in a different window instead of the download page. No.
</font> Go to this page. (http://www.tombraiderchronicles.com/windowsxp2.html)</font> Click on Tomb Raider III -- Windows XP -- VIEW FAQ -- DOWNLOAD
, and the download of the patch will immediately start. Tested.</font>

[Joseph]

By the way, on my older pc, i have the same Leadtek Geforce 3 Ti 4200 /64 MB as you. On a Pentium 3 ~733Mhz. XP Home SP2, and 1024 MB of SDRam.

Your Ram seems to be the problem anyway. It is enough for minimal XP, but NOT enough if you are running games on top of it. Check that you have no other programs running in the background while gaming! Disable your antivirusscanner, printer, screensaver, etc... or study your msconfig / startup-items to see what is there.

[Lily Beith]

1. Could you please tell me how to disable my onboard sound? I'm not very good with computers. If I disable onboard, will it be able to support hardware bufferring? Yes I do have a soundcard.

2. I already have that patch. So basically the XP patch on the page you showed me is the same with patch v. 1.1?

3. If RAM really is the problem, then how come AOD and NFS7 work perfectly fine? TR3 is older, so there must be an incompatibility between my setting and the game somewhere... :(

[Lily Beith]

By the way, switching the slider to no acceleration fixed the sound problem! I can hear regular sounds in both the menu and the game, and no more ugly scratches. I experienced a bug where a while after I turned on the music in the living room at the mansion the music started to repeat itself as if the record jumped, but I'm sure it was only a bug, because all the other sounds worked just fine, and the music bug ceased after a while. So thank you so much Joseph!

But, what do I do about the snowy graphics now...?!

[Lily Beith]

Anybody?! :(

[Joseph]

It is strange. I have the exact same videocard on my other pc, and no problems like you describe with TR3.

Have you tried uninstall / reinstall the game?

[Lily Beith]

Yes, I tried that a couple of times, but there's nothing wrong with the CD or install file apparently. I remember having the game installed on this computer last year while I was running on win 98 and I had no problems back then. I'm just not sure what to do. It could be my RAM after all, since it may require too much memory for both XP and the game, but then how come newer games work properly? That's why it's so unusual...

[Joseph]

Yes, that is unusual, so forget my Ram-remark. This game should run normally on your pc, period.

[Joseph]

Go to Start / All Programs / Core Design / Tomb Raider lll / Tomb Raider lll - Setup. Press the "Test" button.

[Lily Beith]

Woohoo!! It works now! All I had to do was disable MMX (bows her head in shame)...
Thanks a lot Joseph! I couldn't have done it without you http://www.tombraiderforums.com/images/smilies/thumb.gif

[Joseph]

"Disable MMX"???
There is no such option in TR3/Setup. MMX is a instructionset integrated in the CPU.
Please explain?
:confused:

[Joseph]

Never mind. I see now what you mean: you must have had "Core Design MMX Hardware Card Emulation" instead of "Microsoft Direct 3D Hardware acceleration through Direct 3D HAL" under Output Settings. ;)