"Display Driver stopped responding and has recovered"

[Minorious]

noluuk wrote:

I dont know if this is related but I lost my hard drive Saturday morning. We'll see what happens after I reinstall. Anyone else having this problem still?

What does this have to do with Video issues?

[noluuk]

Just seeing if the temeratures changed any

[zaknafene]

If it was a heat issue the symptoms would occur and not stop when the card overheats. Heat kills it does not recover, symptoms would persist. In my case and what appears to be happening to most is that the driver recovers and then game play is resumed. My experience of this has been limited to certain areas. For the last week I have not had this happen. I hope it never returns. I did switch to a SSD drive with a fresh re-install of windows 7, the latest graphics driver and directx. With the exception of the hard drive all components remained the same.

[Egeis]

Been having this issue since DoV and I suspect since i returned back in septermber.

According to the frys "techs" my computer is fine however this issue is no longer just Eq2 problem.  Occurs in windows while in Dreamweaver of all places. Make that photoshop...

[TSR-JoshuaM]

Myoria@Butcherblock wrote:

If it was a heat issue the symptoms would occur and not stop when the card overheats. Heat kills it does not recover, symptoms would persist. In my case and what appears to be happening to most is that the driver recovers and then game play is resumed. My experience of this has been limited to certain areas. For the last week I have not had this happen. I hope it never returns. I did switch to a SSD drive with a fresh re-install of windows 7, the latest graphics driver and directx. With the exception of the hard drive all components remained the same.

Not necessarily true at all.  Windows Vista/7 implemented that feature by design.  When your video card locks up, Windows attempts to continue operations without having to restart the PC (due to a hard lockup).  If heat caused the issue, nothing would be processing while the video card stopped responding, thus the heat would subside and operations would continue until the thresholds are hit again.

Again, heat is just one of many causes of such an issue and due to how easy it is to identify or rule out, it has to be asked.

[TSR-JoshuaM]

Arianah wrote:

TSR-JoshuaM wrote:

noluuk wrote:

Why do you keep going back to temps when so many of us have the same issue but our temps are fine?

Mainly because everyones causes are different and temperature related issues have been the majority of all reports of this issue since it was reported the very first time with us.  Ruling it out does not harm anything here

So I was just staring at the room my guildmates and I have been having the display driver crash in one day, when I noticed the glass sculptures I had placed in the room. Remembering that I figured transparent textures (glass, ice, water, etc...) were causing this issue, I took them out of the room.

None of us have been experiencing this display driver crash in that room of the guild hall since.

For the record, the items were the Azurite Entwined Sculpture and Azurite Tall Entwined Sculpture (I had completely forgot they were a glass texture since they're golden and not quite as transparent).

Kind of feels futile to keep trying to share my findings to get this problem fixed to be honest though...................................

For you specifically, could you send me your DXDIAG information (if you have already posted it, just let me know where)?  I had the same issue with a GTX260, driver stopped responding when near glass/reflective textures, but I did manage to work out of the problem through a few needed updates at the time.  

[TSR-JoshuaM]

Baedian@Antonia Bayle wrote:

Been having this issue since DoV and I suspect since i returned back in septermber.

According to the frys "techs" my computer is fine however this issue is no longer just Eq2 problem.  Occurs in windows while in Dreamweaver of all places. Make that photoshop...

In your specific situation, as it occurs out of game, I believe that the stress that EQ2 and Photoshop put on a video card may be emphasizing an existing issue.  Can you PM me your DXDIAG information as well?

[Bacci]

Windows Vista and Windows 7 have a feature called Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR).

TDR attempts to detect problematic situations and recover to a functional desktop dynamically. In prior operating systems these situations would have resulted in a system freeze and forced customers to reboot their PC. More information about this Vista feature can be found here: http://www.microsoft...dm_timeout.mspx.

Therefore, when you see the TDR error message "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered", you know that the display driver is being reset without requiring a reboot. Why does it happen?

TDRs can occur for a variety of reasons, many of which are unrelated to the graphics card or graphics driver.

Checklist:

- Run memtest (memtest.org). This should complete with NO errors. - Check your PSU ratings. Is it providing enough power, and most importantly enough Amps on the 12V rail. - Check temperatures. Its important you check these at load, which is generally when a TDR event will occur. Everest Ultimate Edition is a good tool for this. If things are too hot, you can use tools such as EVGA Precision to increase GPU fan speeds on graphics cards. Cleaning your system of dust can help temperatures significantly. Common sense will normally tell you if something is too hot, but if you aren't sure, the information is generally available online. - Test with stock clocks. This includes memory, CPU and GPU (even factory OC'd cards). Best to try each separately so you can be sure if one solves the issue. - If you are using SLI, try each card separately to see if the fault lies with one. - Try graphics card/cards in another computer if you can. - Check for newer driver version. - Check for patches to the specific game with issues.

Since Vista launched, NVIDIA has been working hard to address TDRs issues that are specific to the graphics driver.

There is the NVIDIA Vista/win 7 Quality Assurance Site to record and address user issues: http://www.nvidia.co...yassurance.html.

Also, if your game falls below a certain FPS and something graphically complex occurs, it could trigger a TDR too.

So it might be wise if we check our FPS in those areas.

[Finneli]

I got the driver stop error message as well as the screen flickering and turning black just now in the enchanted lands at the docks. Monitoring my temp at the time, it was at 145F. I use an 8800GT with windows 7 ult 64bit.

[Narsikus]

Arianah wrote:

So I was just staring at the room my guildmates and I have been having the display driver crash in one day, when I noticed the glass sculptures I had placed in the room. Remembering that I figured transparent textures (glass, ice, water, etc...) were causing this issue, I took them out of the room.

None of us have been experiencing this display driver crash in that room of the guild hall since.

For the record, the items were the Azurite Entwined Sculpture and Azurite Tall Entwined Sculpture (I had completely forgot they were a glass texture since they're golden and not quite as transparent).

Kind of feels futile to keep trying to share my findings to get this problem fixed to be honest though...................................

Wow, I have the exact 2 items in the zone in room of my guild hall.  Like the exact 2 items, tall one on left and regular one on right.  And when you zone in, they are right there in view.  And as I stated in an earlier post, I was getting the "DDSRAHR" error msg about every other time zoning into guild hall.

This error is something to do with those particular textures and complex shader distance, IMO.

[Fa1cor]

ive had this problem too. is it a coincidence ive had 2 video cards die within the past 2 weeks?

[Arek]

I'll have to post the directx info when I am home later, but I have been having this problem since DoV also.

I run an 8800GTX on Win7 64. It has been an annoyance to say the least with it seemingly getting worse. Yesterday I got the error 3 times and it reset just fine. 2 times yesterday I got all of these little red specs all over my screen, it kinda of reminded me of the green Matrix thing except it wasnt moving. It seemed as though the whole PC froze, but then I could hear people in vent but it was very very slow and drawn out. Almost like something satanic and robotic.

I play Black-Ops, Crysis, GTA4, Fallout3/Vegas and tons of other games with no issues at all.

MY GPU is running at 59-65 celsius while playing games, so I don't think it is a heat issue.

[Miun]

I didn't bother reading every page.

I had posted about issues in Thurgadin weeks ago:

         http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/...75&#5510497

and to make a long story short someone came up with going to Advanced water settings and check the box for reflections. I have been fixed from the driver crash for several weeks now once I did that. It was in no way a heat issue someone tested on a water rig had same problem. But fixed for most hope this is helpful.

Edit: People with ATI cards may still have the issue even after reflections get turned on.

And make sure to restart game from desktop once you change options, even if not prompted to.

[Arek]

Well...can't post the DX info as of yesterday my card died. 

Sucks, I was able to play everything and only EQ2 was having issues, went to log on after work yesterday and it crashes at character select. Tried some other games and I get crazy anime seizure artifacting going on.

No DKP for at least 3 weeks now...sigh

[Elizadeth]

Look, I haven't pored over every post in this thread, but after 9+ pages it's clear we're still hung up on the idea that this is a heat issue.

Let me make this perfectly clear, coming from another graphics dev: for 99% of the people experiencing this issue, it is absolutely, in no way, a heat issue or a power issue. Do yourself a favor and stop getting hung up on that.

I don't know exactly what's going on under the hood in EQ2's engine but this looks like a case of a buffer overrun (the app is writing to shared memory, likely owned by the driver, outside the bounds it was allocated, corrupting the state of the driver). Either that or the game just surfaced a nasty driver bug. But to reiterate, 99% of the time neither overheating nor inconsistent power makes sense given the behaviors we're seeing, so look elsewhere.

The heat idea actually makes less sense for EQ2 than it might for other games... EQ2 is still very CPU-bound compared to modern games, so a decent GPU will spend a lot of time just sitting around idle, and will not generate a huge amount of heat. If you can play CoD, Battlefield, DA2, or just about any other graphically intensive, modern game without heat issues, EQ2 isn't going to magically create them.

[Liavy]

With Complex Shader Distance set to any value above -1, my graphics drivers will crash with the "stopped responding and recovered" error. I set it to -1 and I don't get any errors. I was originally rolling with 266.58 drivers, 64-bit. I reverted to the EQ2 recommended drivers 196.21, 64-bit, and this was true for both.

[Neiloch]

I sat down today and tried every fix and work around suggested in this very thread. I am trying these on my Windows 7 Notebook computer with a GeForce 280M. For clarification here is what I tried:

• obtain a diagnostic utility from your video card manufacturer (Nvidia).  The Nvidia Control Panel should have the necessary tools but you can use any official application to monitor video card temperatures.  What you want to keep an eye on are the temperatures of your GPU at the time of a 'crash'.

  • Result: No overheating at the times of the error. Matter of fact no overheating at all. I even went as far as using the tool to monitor gameplay of other games, and watch the temperature exceed that of what EQ2 was putting out. I had no errors during the other games.

• I may have found a potential fix, a guild m8 of mine came with the suggestion to delete your "Everquest2.exe", your "ms322.dll" (can't recall exact name should check at home but something like that one) and your complete "miles" directory. Then use station launcher and redownload these files. I did this yesterday and when i went into solusek eye bottom level i didn't get any graphic failure whatsoever, might have been a fluke but worth giving a shot. So let us know if this worked for you too !! 

  • Result: No improvement.

• We checked to make sure that Steroscopic 3D was disabled in the Nvidia Control Panel then went into EQ2 and disabled all 3D tools. ......So far, our computers seem stable. We hope this will be a permanent fix and not a fluke.

  • Result: No Improvement.

• Setting Complex Shader Distance to -1 in Options (Advanced) / Performance section, stopped those display driver resets for me. So deadly combination is Complex Shader Distance at anything else than -1 and Water Reflections turned off.

  • Result: No Imporvement

• I reverted to the EQ2 recommended drivers 196.21, 64-bit, and this was true for both. 
  • Result: Not applicable. I'm trying to run EQ2 from a 'gaming' laptop. It has a GeForce 280M, the desktop drivers are different from the notebook ones.

• My own 'why not since nothing else worked' attempt was to actually increase my graphical settings.
  • Result: Inconclusive. This seemed to result in a slightly lower rate of error, but still existent. So any lower rate could have simply been my imagination.

So. Now what?

[Te'ana]

During this past week my computer started having issues with EQ2 again. I went into Options and found that 3dD functions had been turned on again, probably by some update. I disabled everything in the 3D list of options again via the Advanced mode and everything is back to normal.

[ccarro]

This is stupid.

There are many places in many zones where this error only happends while facing a certain direction. Even with graphics all messed up or a black screen you can still turn your character away from the direction of the error and everything starts working fine (before the driver error). But, if you turn your toon back to face the direction where the error occured it gets all messy again and will continue to do so until the driver resets.  After that everything will work great for hours.

No high temps (ever) so please stop asking. There is more to this then such a noob tech support question about system temps (it would not be NEARLY as wide spread).

Most people with this issue seem to be running NVIDIA cards with up to date drivers.

The question here...is it a driver issue with certain aspects of the new shader or particle effects or is it an issue with the game?

[Neiloch]

I'm pretty convinced this has something to do with shaders, water or even lighting. These errors only occur in outpost type areas for me. Such as 'Thurgadin Harbor', 'Goahmari Village' and the Othmir camp in Icy Fingers.

When i'm out in the wilds of [Removed for Content] killing mobs and away from these areas, I get no problems.

EDIT: can still occur when fighting ice golems.

[Rainkng]

Dear SOE,

My video card fried and I'm sad.

Signed,

A Sad EQ2 Player

[Neiloch]

Neiloch@Kithicor wrote:

My own 'why not since nothing else worked' attempt was to actually increase my graphical settings.

• • Result: Inconclusive. This seemed to result in a slightly lower rate of error, but still existent. So any lower rate could have simply been my imagination.

This actually seems to be working quite well, I'm really not sure why. I'm trying to isolate settings to see which one being high is making the driver not crash as much.

[Te'ana]

There must be several different things happening to cause this error. I get the driver error in nearly any zone with no obvious connection between events. The only thing that works for me is to get rid of Stereoscopic 3D effects, which keep popping up with new updates. I wish whatever is causing it would just go away for good

[ccarro]

One place it happends a lot is in Sanctum of the Scaleborn at the bottom of the zone in the area where the x2 drakkota's are at. Many times as I would pull the golems in this area, I would get graphical problems if facing the wrong direction. Turn my character away to face a different direction and the problem would go away (but would come back if turned in the same direction again until driver reset).

[Neiloch]

So no new updates on this?

I hope it gets fixed by next billing cycle because if I can't play I see no reason to keep the subscription going.

[TSR-JoshuaM]

Neiloch@Kithicor wrote:

So no new updates on this?

I hope it gets fixed by next billing cycle because if I can't play I see no reason to keep the subscription going.

I do too.  Unfortunately with the hundreds of completely different causes for your drivers or hardware to stop responding, it may not be a fix SOE can provide as requesting your hardware to do standard calls and it failing isn't really something that is easily worked around, especially with hundreds of entirely seperate causes, nor does it address the issue to begin with, which is why does your drivers or hardware fail when asked to do something a majority of the hardware being utilized right now, even the same exact model, had no issues doing.

I've had this issue myself many times.  Each time, overheating video card or old drivers.  Failed PCI-E slots have caused it, bad ram has caused it, corrupt game files have caused it, corrupt DirectX or improper driver installations have caused it.

The only update that I can provide at this time is that every case seems to be unique and different solutions have been reached for every incident or are still being looked in to.  

What I suggest from anyone that has not already done so, please contact support directly and open a support ticket so that we can better track and trend this issue.  The more information the better due to the amount of contributing factors involved.  PM me your incident numbers as well.

[Arianah]

After PM'ing you the information you requested, I haven't had the issue since. I didn't change anything about my computer or my in-game settings, so I don't know how the problem was fixed for me, but I haven't had a display driver crash in a while now /knocks on wood.

[Leinna]

I also see this issue on a regular basis doing Public Quests. I am using 270.61 from nvidia on dual GTX 260 cards.

[TSR-JoshuaM]

Leinna wrote:

I also see this issue on a regular basis doing Public Quests. I am using 270.61 from nvidia on dual GTX 260 cards.

I do not believe EQ2 takes advantage of your dual video cards and in our testing it has caused a few issues.  Just test cases, nothing official.  Try it with one of the two disabled, let me know if it occurs again and how quickly.  If you can check your temps throughout that would also help identify or eliminate a potential cause.

[troodon311]

I have started getting this problem frequently as well.  Didn't exist 2 years ago when I took a break from the game.