g2d.dll makes FS2004 crash! Help!

[ardypilot]

For some reason, FS2004 suddenly won't run for me. It gets up to 51% whenever I load a flight, then either freezes, BSOD's or gives me the 'g2d.dll' Error, then freezes/BSOD's after I click 'dont send error report'.

I've got no idea what has caused this- On Sunday afternoon I played around with Recorder Module and everything was A OK, then two nights ago I installed some Fijian mesh/airport scenery and everything was fine until I ended the flight and tried to reload at Auckland. Tonight I can't load at any airport, it just freezes at 51% no matter where I am. I unactivated all my recent scenery addons but it makes no difference so I'm completely stumped..

I googled the problem and found this response at simradar:

Mircosoft says to correct this error: disable video
caching or shadowing in the BIOS settings for your computer.

Should be no problem to do, usually when you boot the computer, it tells you
to hit "del" or the "F2" key to enter BIOS.

Do that and find where video caching is listed and disable it, usually by
highlighting it, then hitting "Enter" on the keyboard. Then selecting
"Disable".

Do the same with "video shadowing", some motherboard BIOS's don't have this
setting.

When done hit "ESC" and save the changes and continue the re-boot.

That's all.

Is this really necessary? Has my video card finally given up the ghost? If I disable the video caching, what will happen? Will my graphics look worse? Is this occurring because of overheating or little space free on my HDD (20gb free on my 180gb FS9 drive and 13gb free on my primary 80gb drive)? I tried defragging both drives and restarting but it didn't help.

Any help asap would be much appreciated- I'm very frustrated at my computer right now!

[Charl]

First thing is look for a system restore point prior to your last successful FS session.
If it works, you know you have issues with things you installed subsequently.

[ardypilot]

QUOTE

First thing is look for a system restore point prior to your last successful FS session.[/quote]
Ah, worked like a dream! Thank you very, very much

[ardypilot]

Argh, it's happened again

The problem cropped up after I loaded the VOZ South East textures for a flight, even after restarting, uninstalling VOZ textures and reloading FS, the same probelm occured. Now I think about it, I loaded up VOZ just before the original crash- this has never happened before with the VOZ switcher so I better get over to their own forums and see whats what...

[ardypilot]

After many restore attempts to get back to the Sunday 9th savepoint, the restore just stops at about 80% of the reload and I have to restore.

FS still won't work and I'm stumped- I guess my only option is to disable video caching or shadowing in the BIOS settings- although I have no idea to do that on my computer- can anyone please help me?

[ardypilot]

No one...?

I'm back to my present state of computer settings after many failed restores and 'un-restores' but now FS9 won't even load from the splash screen- just hangs there. My computer doesn't freeze up or anything, I can still move the mouse around and use other applications, but it has been sitting on the same splash screen for 2 hours this evening without any red lights flashing on the HDD active window on my actual computer case.

I tried deleting my FS9.cfg and allowing it to recreate a new one but this had no effect- would the system restore have deleted a key file or something? SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!

[Stumpy]

Perhapes a complete reinstall of fs could fix it?

[HardCorePawn]

To be completely honest, I do not bother with System Restore... its easier (and more reliable) to just reinstall windows... I've gotten so good at it I could almost do it blindfolded

That and I 'cheat' by using Ghost to just re-image the machine with a clean install of XP and 'basic' apps (like FireFox, Office etc.)... takes about 15 minutes... This is also why I install the OS on a dedicated partition...

Obviously, first up, I would try a complete reinstall of FS and see if that helps, but unfortunately at this stage you're really just taking potshots in the dark...

[ronindanbo]

Andrew how much HD space have you got, video Caching can use up alot of Virtual Memory, also when was the last time you defragged your disk? always go with the general maintenance solutions first and if they dont work you need to get more inventive, from there I would start looking at installing older versions of your Vid Card Drivers.

[ardypilot]

QUOTE

Obviously, first up, I would try a complete reinstall of FS and see if that helps, but unfortunately at this stage you're really just taking potshots in the dark...[/quote]
That's only going to be my last resort lol- say if I reinstall FS to the same location I currently have it (E:/Games/Flightsim), will it just copy new files from the disks over the old original files and my new modded files would stay the same?

QUOTE

Andrew how much HD space have you got, video Caching can use up alot of Virtual Memory, also when was the last time you defragged your disk?[/quote]
7.8GB on C drive (operating system and most other programs, 80GB total)
19.4GB on E drive (games including FS, 180GB total)

I try and defrag both of them at least once a week- although I don't have the needed 15% free space reserved on C to compleate succesfully, but FS is on E so I'm hoping that does not affect things.

I just checked my system's virtual memory setttings and discovered E didn't have a page file set up, so perhaps that is why I'm getting this error? I ticked the box for a system managed page file and hope that improves things- however I've found no mention of video caching anywhere and FS still wont load...

Thanks for the responses guys!

ardypilot

NZFF Pro

 

Topic author

Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:01 am

Posts: 6802

Location: Auckland

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[ronindanbo]

your problem is that your caching happens in your Windows directories so your C: drive and this will cause a multitude of problems, I have found in the past that if you havent got the room in you main drive to defrag it the you invariably get a whole heap of performance related issues and I would sugest this is exactly what your problem is. Have you tried turning off scenery caching in you FS config? If that works then look at freeing up more space on your C:

The last time I had space issues as you do (lets face it 19 odd gig on your secondary drive is not great these days either) then I actually decided an upgrade of HD's or even the machine was necessary.

[NZ255]

If you're trying to free up space on your C drive, try the "disk cleanup"
start, all programs, accessories, system tool, disk cleanup.

That cleans up a hell of a lot of stuff usually

[ardypilot]

UPDATE: After rebuilding the FS9.cfg and restarting my PC a few times, then reloading my original cfg, my sim is running again. However I still get the crash/freeze if I load my default flight being the Alphasim Harvard at Tauranga with clear weather, 20nm visability. If I load the default cessna in the middle of Texas it runs fine, then via the ALT menu I can change my location and aircraft to run a normal flight... its a long way around things, and works for the time being, but I'd like to get things back to normal if I can.

QUOTE

I have found in the past that if you havent got the room in you main drive to defrag it the you invariably get a whole heap of performance related issues and I would sugest this is exactly what your problem is.[/quote]
Ah ok- well recently I had 17gigs free in C:/ but I think the system restores I have been doing over the last few days used up a tonne of this- is there a way to get rid of the un needed backups?

QUOTE

ave you tried turning off scenery caching in you FS config? If that works then look at freeing up more space on your C:[/quote]
I've got no idea how scenery caching works, but I'll give it a go. Cheers Dan.

ardypilot

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Topic author

Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:01 am

Posts: 6802

Location: Auckland

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[ardypilot]

QUOTE

Ah ok- well recently I had 17gigs free in C:/ but I think the system restores I have been doing over the last few days used up a tonne of this- is there a way to get rid of the un needed backups?[/quote]
Ahh, I found this article here explaing how to do that and am giving it a try now. Looks like it's going to take all night so I'll post an update tomorrow.

[Stumpy]

Also remvoe the saved file and make a new one, it may be corrupt.

[ZK-LGD]

Andrew,

As I understand it, the main cause of g2d.dll errors (in FS) are the result of either a missing or a corrupt default texture. As you post that both CTDs occured when switching to VOZ, well ...

The usual remedy is to simply re-install your default textures from the original FS discs.

[ardypilot]

QUOTE

The usual remedy is to simply re-install your default textures from the original FS discs.[/quote]
Ah, well that explains a lot! Just the default FS9 texture directory, or folders like Scenery/World/Texture etc?

[NZ255]

QUOTE (Trolly @ Mar 27 2008, 04:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah, well that explains a lot! Just the default FS9 texture directory, or folders like Scenery/World/Texture etc?

If you go onto the VOZ switcher, are you VOZed or UnVOZed?

[ardypilot]

QUOTE

If you go onto the VOZ switcher, are you VOZed or UnVOZed?[/quote]
UnVOZed. Although I have a .bat file that loads the VOZ water by itself without the rest of the land textures, so perhaps that mucked things up.

Are all the ActiveSky graphics stored in the main FS9 texture directory? I'm just trying to think what I will loose if I copy the textures from my default sim to my main one..

[ZK-LGD]

Hi Andrew,

Scenery/World/Texture is most likely the culprit; of course, if that don't work, try the FS Texture folder as well. Remember that AS backs up your original textures (from FS/Texture) in FS/Modules/ASGraphics.