Screen just goes black while play, 1-10 FPS

Well, this problem has been around for...well, a LONG time now. Around 1-4 months after Faction was released.

My problem is this:
I start up Guild Wars. Everything's loading up fine. I log in, select my character, and here I am, in a town. The thing is, first off, it does take a while to load. When it finally does load everything, my FPS is like 8, STANDING STILL. When I move around, my FPS is literally 1-5 FPS. After a few minutes of playing, I get this really odd thing. The screen just goes black. I can hear Guild Wars playing, and when I Alt+Tab, I can here the sound stop because GW was minimized. Then I Alt+Tab again and it starts because GW is maximized, meaning everything is working but the visuals.

Guild Wars used to work perfect. Things ran smoothly and fine, but around Faction's release, things have been so bad. I haven't been able to play GW

Microsoft Windows XP
AMD Semphron
1.10GHz
512 MD of RAM
RADEON 8500 / RADEON 8500 LE
64 MB

When I play games like Flyff, GunZ, etc. it runs fine (although there was one day when I played Flyff I got a Direct sound error thing and there was no sound when playing. And I have no lag when I get that error, and some lag when the sound does work. Maybe it's my sound?)

EDIT: I have tried -nosound, but I still get the same problem.

PLEASE HELP! (sorry for the length)

What kind of video card do you have? (Type and amount of memory it has)

It's a RADEON 8500 / RADEON 8500 LE
64 MB

Just a bump, to try and move it up.

With that card I would use the directX 8 switch on your shortcut path, altering it to look like this

"C:\Program Files\Guild Wars\Gw.exe" -dx8

Maybe also toning down some other graphical settings in the options menu

Thanks, but I tried it and it didn't help. Luckily I managed to close GW before it went to the black screen. But yeah, it's still just as bad =\

If you haven't done so already, update your drivers. Also your system is a little weak for Guild Wars especially with nightfall. -noshaders could also be useful (don't remember is dx8 supports shaders but i don't think so, as a result you might not have to use -noshaders if you are forcing dx8). Also check how much ram the background tasks are taking when you aren't using any program although i don't think you problem is ram related, it can't hurt to check.

Alright. Yeah, I've been using -noshaders and -dx8, but it hasn't helped. Nothing is running in my background either. With nothing running, my CPU usage is 0-4%

I used to be able to play Guild Wars for 7 months, but then I couldn't. It was so long ago, I don't know what happened.

I had that same ATI graphics card (higher memory, however) and I used to have issues with getting black triangles all across my screen and it would also just randomly restart my computer. I downloaded catalyst, updated my drivers and I just got so fed up I replaced it with another graphics card I had around the house. My new ATI works fine, but the 8500 series just seemed to mess my computer up. If you are seriously at the end of your rope, buy a new one. You can find cheap ones on pricewatch.com

All right. Thanks. I might just buy a new one.

I have the exact same problem. After a while when I'm playing, my screen freezes up and it goes black. I can still hear the music going but my screen is just black. I can not alt+tab out of it or anything so I always have to restart my computer. Any suggestions? I'm running the below..

AMD athlon (tm) xp 2000+
1.66ghz
1.0g of ram
ati 9600/x1050 series

try this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N560NCIsaS8

A friend of mine just had the same problem. its aparently something they tryed fixing with the last patch

I mean RAM usage, and you most likely have some sort of anti-virus etc. program running in the background that's not using the CPU much but using RAM instead. But in any case, i think we've determined your problem is not related to that it's just to clear things up a bit.

Also if you can, try reverting to an older driver. If the problem is a bug in recent drivers, that might just fix it.

EDIT: fixed some typos.

Usually a black screen is a sign that there's a driver malfunction or hardware problem producing an infinite loop in the video feed. I would try downloading the updated drivers for your card, and using the catalyst uninstaller to get rid of the old stuff, then installing the new downloaded driver.

Catalyst uninstaller http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/Oth...aller-10.shtml

I'm a bit of a hardware newbie, so I might need a little help with the updating.

Do I download an update for a later RADEON card, like 9000, or do I find an 8500 update that's after 6/6/2001? And I'm also having a bit of trouble finding an update. I've Googled for one, but I haven't had any luck.

No, download the most recent driver version for the radeon 8500 series from here

http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html

and then use the catalyst uninstaller, after that's done you may need to reboot, then install the most current driver that you downloaded.

I'm actually having the same issue on my 7800. I've tried different drivers and even reformatted my hd and still no luck. My other games run just fine, so i believe it may be an issue with the latest Guild Wars update.

Ill use this thread to post my similiar problem.
I can run gw in fullscreen mode longer than I can in windowed. In windowed mode I can run gw maybe 20 min to 2h without crashing. This crash is that the computer just shuts off, the screen has a ?Hz sign over it.. i restart the computer and put hz to 75.. I log in on gw, the computer shuts off again. And it doesnt restart. In fullscreen mode I can run the game 3-4h, and when I crash on fullscreen the game just stops responding. I cant tab out, I cant do anything else than to manually restart the computer. Gw worked fine a while ago.. I have formated, reinstalled drivers, vacuumed the computer and checked the fans.. what is this problem suddenly occuring? And I have checked for viruses..

And also I can post what I usually run while playin gw.
MSN
Firefox (sometimes when I need wiki)
And those are the programs, the only icons in my taskbar are windows sound options and msn. Sometimes I run the ventrilo server also.. when needed for AB and such.
I run on AMD 2400+
512 mb ram
40 gb disk
GeForce fx5200.. the problem was never as bothering as it is now =\

The problem you're experiencing Batmaniii, sounds more like an overheating issue. That's typically how a computer reacts to an overheating processor. See if you can download a temperature monitoring program, and check your temps when idle, and also while guild wars is running. Other things would be to clear the dust off of the heatsink and fan of the CPU, and make sure there's enough airflow into the case. Also, check that your heatsink is properly mounted on the CPU.

I'm bumping this. Perhaps I'll have luck.

Could try searching for some answers on the web, but I think you'll probably run into the same result... to update the drivers. Here's something I found just browsing around on the topic if it sounds like what you're experiencing

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/games...opict3846.html

Hmm, it does sound exactly like my issue.

I'll attempt to update my drivers again soon. Last time I did it I had a problem.

I am having the exact same proplems with my Geforce FX5600XT it's only started to hap after the updates, i know it's not overheating cuz my temps are fine what haps with me tho is when it freeze's it turns abit darker like the gamma is reset to normal an i here everything thats going on the only thing i can do is restart PC, done it about 5 times last nite in urgoz me was not to plzed even after format doing the exact same thing so i gonna test this card in another system just to make sure it is G-Card forgot to test me other games before format ^^

Sounds to me like Anet did something that is placing a little more demand on the gfx card, and its pushing low end cards over the edge.

Like other people suggested, make sure you have the latest drivers, and if that fails, you can pick up a vastly superior card pretty cheap.

This is important information that all computer users, that have had thier computers in service or built between the years 2000 - 2005, like many of those that have posted requesting help. Please read this post, and the following links throughly, and examine your system board and all the hardware in your system to see if you have the signs


_

There is a disticnt possibilty, for computers built between 2000 and early 2005, as I would assume that yours is, and many of the posters, that it has succumb to dust build up, or the more important point of this thread, Capacitor Plague


Capacitor plauge is a very very unkown problem, that usually only tech people have heard of, but more importantly It is estimated that between 70-85% of all electronic devices built between those years have !

Here are a few links to back up my claim, and I will continue to explain below for those that are a little on the lazy side to look up that info

Wikipedia entry
A website that I used to repair a few of my systems, (USA Only), and contains information
Google search for capacitor plague, so I dont seem like some raving wierdo
Geek.com post about the subject
Cnet.com article #1
Cnet.com article #2

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OK! Everyone belives me now right? Now I dont look like some guy holding a sandwich board, standing on the corner of a busy street, yelling that the Lords of Agaroth are coming to spin us all into a garbage can filled with cream cheese & toothpicks! (I hope)

Incase you did not look at the links, Capacitor Plague is world wide, where "Plague" = super spread problem all over the globe, and "Capacitor" = very vital electronic part that contains charges to be released in timed bursts to other components.

Here is an example of a healthy capacitor :

Oobby

And here is a few bad ones:

Dooby

Review the websites I linked to see if you have fallen to the plague.

Do not think that "Im cool, I dont need to wear protection baby!" .. ... I mean, "Im cool, I probabbly dont have it!". Dont fool yourself, the numbers do not lie, and belive it or not the industrys that have produced the faulty capacitors have been under rigirous legal action so severe it would cause even our favorite boss Glint to cry like a 4 year old trapped in a briar-patch o' rattlesnakes! (yee-haw!)


Open your case, and see if this is not the problem for you.
Dont touch anything that looks like the capacitors that the above websites have discribed.
Help others and post if you have had this happen to you. It will help others to realise that they may be at risk.


My suggestion, if this has happened to you, is that you search the web, and pray to god that you can find a guy that has the ka-jo-nez to solder to a 6/8 ply system board to get it back to normal.

As for your other devices, you may not have any luck with anyone doing those, but try to see if you can find anyone.

If this is your problem, and all else fails, your only recourse is to purchase a new system.

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I thought that due to the response to this thread, and the age of many of the hardware suggested, that this may be relevant.

I hope that gave a little insight, and good luck!

From what I've heard about that issue, most of those motherboards were recalled. The ones that actually made it out and got sold didn't last very long to even be functioning today. A bad capacitor is a bad capacitor, and won't function properly if connected to an electronic circuit for long without popping or cracking and leaking out fluid. But yes, normally they were dome shaped at the top instead of flat. It's really not much of a big deal anymore these days, but something to look out for when buying pc components such as motherboards, vid cards, etc.

Actually the number of recalled boards is in dispute since those types of records did not exist for the years 2002-2004 worldwide.

As those links show, many electronic devices, even some built in 2007, and those devices that are very underused built as early as 2000, have a possibilty of this problem occuring.

I just had a phone go out a few weeks ago at a buddys house, that he bought back around 2001 a few days before the New York disaster, fail, and from further inspection saw that almost all of the capacitors were damaged.

Lots of guys that I used to work with in the computer field, still have this problem, and even as late as 4 months ago, had to recall over 500 of a "Major Distributors" systems, (Starts with a "Dude! You're getting a ..") at his office from Tiwaneese capacitors.

My computer that I built in the middle of 2002, had the capacitors replaced last year, along with a notebook bought in 2003, and both systems were on almost 18 hours of 6 days a week.

It can happen almost anywhere, and chances are if you are reading this, you have read about someone else having a problem that was caused by this, and they may not have even known about it.