What's happened to my RPG Maker XP?

[Batman]

So I'm a frequent user of RPG Maker XP. It passes time easily when I'm bored, and then some. But I stopped using it for about a month, and I tried using it again recently. Mind you, the program worked fine for me before I took a break from it. But now I'm having a problem and I can't figure it out. Now here's the problem:

I would go and work on my game, and everything works fine, up until I go to test the game. After I'm done testing, I'll close the game test window, and my computer will immediately restart. I find this incredibly annoying. Any idea whats happened?

I've tried to reinstall it, and I've tried numerous ways to close down the game test window. Nothings working.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks 

 

[King Moogle]

Right, some questions for you... just do the best you can, no pressure.

1. Do you remember if you installed or uninstalled anything during the timespan in question?

2. Have you tried this with games made by others (encrypted)?

3. Have you tried this with other unencrypted, from the RMXP GUI games you are making or have downloaded?

4. What Operating System (XP, Vista, Mac, Linux, etc.) are you running? (Never hurts to ask...)

5. When's the last time you've defragmented your PC? Run an antivirus? Deleted adware/spam?

Hopefully, one of those five questions will provide the answer. If not, then we'll go from there.

 

[Deathbreak]

One more good question-

What color is your game editor based on? Is it blue (Poastality knights edition) or Orange (legal edition)

 

[Batman]

Alright, the answers...

1. Do you remember if you installed or uninstalled anything during the timespan in question?
-I'm positive I have installed stuff onto my computer during this timespan, can't remember what they were though.

2. Have you tried this with games made by others (encrypted)?
-I have downloaded games by others, and played them.

3. Have you tried this with other unencrypted, from the RMXP GUI games you are making or have downloaded?
Probably. Not positive though.

4. What Operating System (XP, Vista, Mac, Linux, etc.) are you running? (Never hurts to ask...)
Windows XP

5. When's the last time you've defragmented your PC? Run an antivirus? Deleted adware/spam?
I normally run an antivirus every week.

And Deathbreak, it's based on orange.

 

[Kraft]

try replacing one of the orange .exe files (that looks like a sun, and I think is called game.exe) with one from a game that works (like a demo that you can download or something like that)

Just take the sun-looking exe, copy it (control + c) and then paste it into the directory of the game that you are trying to play that you created.  If there is not one there, than that is your problem, and you can just place the exe file in there.

If not, just paste it in there and replace the old one.

Does that help at all?

Also, try downloading Direct X 9c and re-installing that.  That usually helps ^_^

~Kraft

 

[King Moogle]

Swick, here's what I would suggest. Take it or leave it. I would suggest doing all of them, step by step, in order. In between each step, I would suggest trying your project again to see if it has had any effect. For simplicity's sake, I'll refer to the project you're having trouble with as the "Old Project".

1. Defragment your computer. Do this by going to the Start Menu, Selecting "All Programs", Selecting "Accessories", Selecting "System Tools", and Selecting "Disk Defragmenter". Before doing this, close all open programs; I would actually unplug your PC's Ethernet/Internet Connection cable (or disable your wireless router) and turn off your antivirus as well. You PC cannot defragment programs that are running. Reboot your PC upon completion, and turn back on anything that you turned off.

2. Let's see what your PC looks like. Open the Start Menu. Select "Run", and type <dxdiag> without the <>'s. The following comes from the default tab that opens up: how much memory does it say your PC has? How much is "available" in your Page File? What DirectX Version are you running? How much of your Page File is "Used"? Now, open up RMXP. Create a new project and try to play it (add a single line of text or something if you so desire). From here on out, I'll refer to this project as the "New Project". Does your computer reboot? If not, while the game is running, right click on the blue bar to the right of the Start Menu (to the right of where program names appear) and select "Task Manager". Click the performance tab. See where it says "PF Usage"? What number/letter combination is printed there?

3. If you were able to do as number 2 specified, we can really knock this out. Find the folder that contains the "Old Project". Make sure you're looking at the level that has the actual game executable in it. Select everything (Control+A, or use your mouse) and copy it (Control+C or Right_Click+Copy). Now go to the folder that contains the "New Project", which worked correctly. Paste (Control+V or Right_Click+Paste) your "Old Project" into the "New Project" folder. Overwrite everything, when prompts come up. Try running your "Old Project" from within your "New Project" folder. Does your PC still reboot? If it does, then that's pretty revealing, and if not, problem solved.

 

[Batman]

Surprisingly King Moogle, after I've done everything you've suggested, my computer still rebooted on me!

 

[King Moogle]

Swick, read number 2 again; there's some information I asked you to gather for me about your computer. Will you post that? As well-- did you say that you made a new project, and it worked fine?

 

[Batman]

For memory, it says I have 192MB RAM
-129MB available in page file
-DirectX 9.0c
-335MB page file used
-345MB PF usage

Yes, the "New Project" works fine when I use it.

However, when I copied and pasted the "Old Project" into the New Project folder, I tried out the game, and my computer restarted in the middle of the first battle of the game.

 

[King Moogle]

However, when I copied and pasted the "Old Project" into the New Project folder, I tried out the game, and my computer restarted in the middle of the first battle of the game.

Ah, ha! This is huge! It's not immediate; it only occurs after a certain problem occurs. Definitely sounds like a problem with system resources.

...and I'll tell you what; I'm pretty sure the problem is that you don't have enough RAM/Memory. Here's what's up.

Basically, the minimum requirements in terms of memory are 256 MB. They say it's only 128, but that's more or less false advertising. It'll run, but not well.

I am especially sure of this because of your page file-- I had a hunt that would be the problem, which is why I asked for it. Basically, when your PC runs out of RAM/Memory, it uses your hard drive using a destructive (and bad for your PC) method called disk thrashing to use hard drive space like RAM. The amount of disk thrashing used is determined by your page file, which should NEVER be more than 1.5 times the amount of RAM in your PC.

Your max page file is already higher than the 1.5 multiplier (it ought to be about 200, not 335). I'd walk you through how to change it, but it's somewhat messy and I don't want to be liable in case you accidentally break something permanent. However, you PC has too little RAM to run the game you're wanting to.

Solutions are to either have a less memory-intensive game or to have RAM installed on your computer. I assume you don't know much about that sort of thing, so I would suggest you have it done for you. It's worth it... although it may just be time to upgrade the old PC.

Sorry I don't have an easy answer for you, but at least we've diagnosed the error.

 

[Batman]

Alright thanks alot King Moogle, I decided I need to buy more RAM.
Any idea where I can get ahold of these RAM chips? Or how much they cost?

 

[King Moogle]

Swick, I can advise you, but I'll simply be honest-- I don't think it's wise if you're not familiar with what you're doing. A single ESD (electro-static discharge, from your environment or yourself) can fry your computer, and RAM is notorious for going bad early in its lifecycle if not properly installed. If you are willing to risk your computer, then I'm happy to help. Probably best to email me or PM me, though; I don't want to get in trouble for advertising, even if I'm only answering questions. You'll probably end up spending about $70, though.

 

[Batman]

I was actually just thinking of getting someone to install it for me