You could have the most awesome computer and the latest graphics card, and it still will happen to you one day for no reason whatsoever: A game will give you an error or it will just throw you into a blue screen of death (BSOD). There’s no exception to this, especially if you’re a heavy gamer. Then, you try to replay the same part of the game that previously crashed and (surprise!) it just crashes again. What should you do in these situations? Today, we’re going to narrow the problem down to the most probable cause and then go on to rarer cases that happen in freak accidents, just in case yours is one. Let’s get started!
1. Your Game’s Not Up To Date
Many games, especially those ported to the PC (such as Grand Theft Auto), have a tendency to bug out very frequently from the initial launch of the game. This is due to the rush that happens when people try to make a PC release soon after the console version has launched. PC releases take a lot of work to port, and you seldom get a bug-free game. Even if the game was made originally for the PC, you’ll still have a few bugs that could lead to a total catastrophe. It’s usually something very small, like one of the developers forgetting a semicolon somewhere. But, sometimes, it’s a very big problem that needs to be fixed almost immediately.
Solution: If your game’s crashing, check the producer’s website for new releases. The game’s brochure should mention a URL somewhere. Just go to it and find out if there are any new patches. That’s the best you can hope for in this situation.
2. Your Graphics Drivers Are Not Up To Date
You might think that the problem has nothing to do with your drivers, but I’ve fixed many problems in games by simply updating my nVidia 550 Ti’s drivers. You’re going to have to do some searching to get this done, but you’ll be glad you did when it’s over (hopefully). Games that have very buggy graphics or just stop working with a “driver not responding error” can usually be fixed by a simple update. Graphics card manufacturers make several mistakes in their code and don’t really have the luxury of foresight in new game technologies. That’s why they often patch up their drivers and release new versions very rapidly.
Solution: You have to know your graphics card model to complete this. Go ahead and visit your graphics card manufacturer’s website and look for your card’s model on their site. Updating the driver can fix a lot.
3. Your Memory Is Blown
If other things also cause your computer to crash, your memory might also have problems. You should definitely run a memory test on your computer. Memtest is a great tool for this. Although the site sells a hard copy of the software, you can also download it to your computer for free. You’ll have to burn a CD from the image file you download and reboot your computer with the CD inside. The test will initiate and you’ll find out if your memory has any errors. If you find any, you’ll need to get new RAM for the computer.
Solution: Run a memtest and check if your memory is working fine.
4. You’re Not Using The Latest DirectX
DirectX is the one thing helping your computer communicate with your graphics card and render all the cool stuff you see in your game. If you’re not using the latest patch, your game isn’t going to work properly.
Solution: Click here to download the latest version.
5. Windows Isn’t Updated
It might sound kind of dumb, but Windows updates are sometimes necessary to properly make some calls to your hardware. Updates that affect your hardware are usually the most crucial in this case. Go ahead and start up Windows Update. Get all the latest software to see if that somehow fixes the game. I’ve fixed a few problems in games by updating to a new service pack. Some KB updates can also help.
Solution: run Windows update
When Nothing Works…
Don’t feel discouraged. Leave a comment below if you still can’t solve your problem. You’d be surprised how far that actually gets you!
Miguel has been a business growth and technology expert for more than a decade and has written software for even longer. From his little castle in Romania, he presents cold and analytical perspectives to things that affect the tech world.
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