Computer Hope

Microsoft => Microsoft Windows => Windows XP => Topic started by: Scooter90 on August 09, 2007, 01:51:25 PM

Title: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 09, 2007, 01:51:25 PM
I have no good way of explaining the problem, but I will do my best.
It happens with any game, flash or CD-Rom or DVD-rom, whatever it may be, online mostly. For example when playing Halo, the game will eventually slow down as if it were lagging, then stop entirely, and continue forward bit by bit. All the while the sound cuts in and out, not repeating the same thing, but as if the song playing had bits of silence in between (if that makes any sense?)
So basically the game acts like a damaged record sometimes. Afterward it says "Network Connection Lost" and I can just immediately go back to playing, but it happens again later.
I do however notice that it seems to be when there's a lot of things going on in the game at once, i have turned off particles, turned the texture down, etc etc. I do not think it is my graphics card, because it is a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500, and even games that came out before that card (I.E Red Alert 2) do the same thing while online.
If it helps to get an answer it is a Compaq 5000 computer, using wireless routed broadband (if I'm thinking correctly)
Can anyone help me? I'm at a loss of what to do and it is ruining my gaming experience.

Thank you. Brian.
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: patio on August 09, 2007, 01:58:53 PM
Could be the connection speed...
Could be not enough RAM...
Could be the wireless signal itself...

I'm afraid more details will be neccessary.
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Deerpark on August 09, 2007, 04:35:44 PM
Do you have any way of trying a cabled connection instead? I know from experience that some wireless adapters/routers aren't very good at handling online gaming. I'm not saying this is definitely the problem, but from the info you've given us so far this would be my best bet.

Else we need more info on your system.
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 09, 2007, 05:46:55 PM
Do you have any way of trying a cabled connection instead? I know from experience that some wireless adapters/routers aren't very good at handling online gaming. I'm not saying this is definitely the problem, but from the info you've given us so far this would be my best bet.

Else we need more info on your system.

kay, here's the system info....
1.5GHz Pentium 4 processor
256 Mp SyncDRAM(added another 256, so 512 total)
40GBUltraDMA hard drive
48X MAX CD-Rom (taken out and added a DVD player)
16X Max  CD-RW drive
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 Graphics Card

That was all on the side of the tower (excluding Graphics Card and things in parenthesis)

the wireless gear is NETGEAR WG111 V2 54 Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 adapter

I would use a direct cable line, but one i don't know if that's possible with our router, I think it is, i saw ports for it in the back, but we chose wireless because the master computer is on the top floor, and we have 2 computers feeding off it's internet. Mine is in the basement, two stories below the router, but still manages 36 Mbps, 64% of the signal.

A friend suggest it might be that the graphics card drivers are not updated.... but I don't think that's the problem.

P.S. thank you for responding so quickly, i didn't think anyone ever would. Your help is much appreciated.

P.S.S I discovered earlier today that Videos (Such as YouTube, or Google Video) do the same thing, all on the internet....if that helps any more.
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Quakky on August 10, 2007, 07:32:00 AM
lol u seem to have a similar problem as me, but you also havnt done alot fo diagnostics.

first u gotta try a wired connection or try playing games offline. if offline games work fine then you should try a wired connection and just connect your pc straight to your modem, and try to play online. if the problem is solved then its probably the wireless connection that might be doing that to you.
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 10, 2007, 10:36:54 AM
lol u seem to have a similar problem as me, but you also havnt done alot fo diagnostics.

first u gotta try a wired connection or try playing games offline. if offline games work fine then you should try a wired connection and just connect your pc straight to your modem, and try to play online. if the problem is solved then its probably the wireless connection that might be doing that to you.


diagnostics? Sorry I have limited intelligence with computers >_<.  As for a wired connection, well i'll try it, but is there a cord that could reach that far??
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 10, 2007, 12:09:11 PM
okay! I've got more info, it is not the internet, so this should really help narrow it down. This only happens when a lot is going on at once, for instance Halo, only happend because there were explosions happening, all the while shooting a gun, and others as well, and on Red Alert 2, i had about 60-80 GI's on the screen at once, and it happend again, and i disconnected the wireless internet entirely when that had happend! Ok, so that should help, my guess is the graphic card drivers, or the ammount or RAM.
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Quakky on August 10, 2007, 12:28:57 PM
Well since u d/ced ur pc from the internet and played offline, and ur still having problems then its something u have done recently that is related to videocard or maybe drivers to a component in ur pc. Have u updated ur drivers lately?
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 10, 2007, 12:33:57 PM
Well since u d/ced ur pc from the internet and played offline, and ur still having problems then its something u have done recently that is related to videocard or maybe drivers to a component in ur pc. Have u updated ur drivers lately?

no, i don't know how....
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 10, 2007, 01:49:04 PM
K, figured out how, and only on of all the drivers needed an update, and that STILL did not fix it....
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: lil_falco on August 10, 2007, 06:10:01 PM
Make sure that Windows Firewall isnt popping up in the background asking whether or not to block the program.
^^^That applies for full window apps.

Otherthan that you need AT LEAST 1gb of ram for gaming. I think Halo reuiqres 1GB.

Personally I run 4Gb of ddr 667 OCZ GOLD ram for my gaming, but 2 will suffice for most games.
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 10, 2007, 06:25:29 PM
Make sure that Windows Firewall isnt popping up in the background asking whether or not to block the program.
^^^That applies for full window apps.

Otherthan that you need AT LEAST 1gb of ram for gaming. I think Halo reuiqres 1GB.

Personally I run 4Gb of ddr 667 OCZ GOLD ram for my gaming, but 2 will suffice for most games.

You have got to be kidding me..... it's not even Halo, it's the Trial thing, and Red Alert 2 says the minium requirement is 256, and it still skips with that.... ok ok, well here's what confuses me, this problem just surfaced about 2months ago, i've played red alert (and newer, more intense games) before that and never had this problem.... Maybe i'll try cleaning my PC up a bit more.

FYI, no, there is no windows firewall problems, when something comes up, it minimizes the game, and I take care of it right away on every new game that accesses the internet.

also, that can't possibly be the reason Videos on YouTube and Google Video, and other video engines do the same thing....can it?
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: lil_falco on August 10, 2007, 07:08:44 PM
I believe ram is your problem. End even though its the trial of Halo... ITS STILL HALO. ;)
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 10, 2007, 09:33:28 PM
would that do that to a single video on youtube too?
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: trouble on August 11, 2007, 01:02:28 PM
Look for running programs in the background...Then try video diagnostic procedures..

I play a online game also and i had the same trouble untill i switched to high speed wireless ..But anything you can stop from runing in background should help...


I hope i am allowed to give advice in forum.. :o
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 11, 2007, 06:24:33 PM
Any advice is welcomed by me, but how do i do  a "video diagnostics" thing you were talking about?
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 16, 2007, 11:38:06 AM
The problem still pursists here, and it seems to almost be worsening. I cleaned up my PC, i uninstalled the Halo trial, and tried a WWII flight simulator (IL2) that always worked perfectly fine before, and it still does the skipping thing.

But here's wierded, anyone played that "falling sand" game, it even skips on a game that simple. It does on an emulator too, for SNES i tried running Super Mario World (i own the actually copy, i just did this to test) and it not only skips, but the frame rate plumits too...

I don't know what to do, i've cleared my PC of hundreds of old files, uninstalled dozens of unused things, a Defrag, and cleanup has been run, as well as spyware and virus checks.

Someone out there has to know what to do, i'd ask microsoft directly but the jerks charge money for help (go figure...)
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: transporter on August 16, 2007, 01:44:54 PM
I believe ram is your problem. End even though its the trial of Halo... ITS STILL HALO. ;)

it's not the ram dude halo runs fine on my comp with 512mb
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: transporter on August 16, 2007, 01:51:25 PM
OK i not very experience but i have to agree with the people that said it was the drivers... cuz something isn't working like it should... i would update ur drivers... to do this go to the manufacturer website i would go to ur graphics card manufactures website first. i think that the problem because urs is better then mine and mine runs halo fine. i really don't think it's the ram......
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 16, 2007, 06:56:20 PM
Ok, 1 again, i uninstalled halo and cleaned my PC up a bit anyway, and can't even run simple FLASH GAMES...... well they run, but the skipping occurs... 2, i tried updating my drivers, i went to control panel -> System-> hardware -> Device Manager, and right clicked everything and hit "Update driver..." only one needed it, and it wasn't Graphic Card related.....that still didn't fix it....

This is driving me absolutely crazy, like out a window kill myself crazy! If no one knows, can someone at least direct me to someone who will?
Title: Re: Skipping during videogames
Post by: Scooter90 on August 21, 2007, 10:01:09 AM
ok little update, things are STILL happening, and i've updated the graphics card driver itself, straight from their site, i tried using "end it all" before playing a game to get it to work, no such luck.

and guess what, no it does this on photo editing software such as paint.NET....

i'm seriously lost here people, i'm thinking of backing up my important files on a disk, then just doing a factory restore.... anyone else got any better ideas?