D3DERR_NOTAVAILABLE error. Please help me!
I get this error everytime i play the sims 2. Last week it was playing fine, and now i get this error everytime i play. I have done the following to try and fix it myself:
1. I did a clean uninstall of my graphics driver and reinstalled it in case it was corrupted. This did not work.
2. I uninstalled all expansions and reinstalled them twice. This also had no effect other than instead of 15 minutes the error showes up , it showed up once in 1 hour, and then back to every 15 minutes.
3. I cleaned the cache files under sims 2. This had no effect.
4. I installed the Direct x Runtime web installer
:http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35
This also had no effect.
5. I also looked around on the internet and it appears others have had issues with this error and never found a fix hopefully on here we can find one.
6. Some websites say if you change something recently on your pc, it can also cause this error. Since i did not change anything on my pc, other than install another game called "Siege Of Avalon", this should not effect Sims 2.
7. I did find some malware on my pc that may have been responsible for doing something to sims 2, but i got rid of it...and from the description of what this particular malware did on my pc was only to download other malware. So far Spybot 2 has not found any additional malware on my pc.
Any help would be appreciated please..Thanks!
OS: Windows XP SP3
Updated: I asked EA for help with this. They did try, but they said it was a microsoft problem. I got sent to Microsoft, and they sent me to NVIDIA. NVIDIA sent me back to the game manufacturer.
Also the help i received i list:
EA had me change the version number of direct x under registries...this did not work. They said it was microsoft issues and sent me to ask them..
Microsoft had me try a system restore, which also did not work. They said it was not their software, but my graphics card software..so they sent me to NVIDIA...
NVIDIA had me install a beta driver which also did not work, sadly. Also, NVIDIA said it might be from a corrupt OS on my pc. I installed a new version of the OS to fix this, but it did not fix the issue. I also wrote a report to NVIDIA about their new driver crashing games on a regular bases, at least on my pc, especially version 306 drivers and higher.
NVIDIA then sent me to EA games because according to NVIDIA, it is a game issue and not a graphical issue.
From the looks of it, no one know what causes it and im getting the run-around. I wonder if this might be some kind of virus? Maybe this is one of those riddles like what came first the chicken or the egg?
This is a transcript of the NVIDIA conversation stating it is a game issue in their chat:
Your question has been received. You should expect a response from us within 24 hours.
[09:02:29 AM] : Hello Sen. I need assistance
[09:02:50 AM] Sen: Please be assured that I will do my best to help you or point you in the right direction.
[09:02:57 AM] : This is also in regards to incident ticket ##130910-000099
[09:03:35 AM] Sen: Please give me a moment, while I check the availability of the agent.
[09:03:52 AM] : also i have this crash report. It also may help:
[09:03:54 AM] y: Crash Dump Analysis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crash dump directory: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump
Crash dumps are enabled on your computer.
On Tue 9/10/2013 3:52:44 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\Mini091013-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: nv4_disp.dll (nv4_disp+0x1BE96D)
Bugcheck code: 0x1000008E (0xFFFFFFFFC0000005, 0xFFFFFFFFDE99B96D, 0xFFFFFFFFEE683A64, 0x0)
Error: KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED_M
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\nv4_disp.dll
product: NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79
company: NVIDIA Corporation
description: NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error. It is suggested you look for an update for the following driver: nv4_disp.dll (NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79 , NVIDIA Corporation).
Google query: NVIDIA Corporation KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED_M
On Tue 9/10/2013 3:52:44 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\memory.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: nv4_disp.dll (nv4_disp+0x1AA429)
Bugcheck code: 0x8E (0xFFFFFFFFC0000005, 0xFFFFFFFFDE99B96D, 0xFFFFFFFFEE683A64, 0x0)
Error: KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\nv4_disp.dll
product: NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79
company: NVIDIA Corporation
description: NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79
Bug check description: This bug check indicates that a kernel-mode application generated an exception that the error handler did not catch.
A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error. It is suggested you look for an update for the following driver: nv4_disp.dll (NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79 , NVIDIA Corporation).
Google query: NVIDIA Corporation KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 crash dumps have been found and analyzed. A third party driver has been identified to be causing system crashes on your computer. It is strongly suggested that you check for updates for these drivers on their company websites. Click on the links below to search with Google for updates for these drivers:
nv4_disp.dll (NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79 , NVIDIA Corporation)
If no updates for these drivers are available, try searching with Google on the names of these drivers in combination the errors that have been reported for these drivers and include the brand and model name of your computer as well in the query. This often yields interesting results from discussions from users who have been experiencing similar problems.
Read the topic general suggestions for troubleshooting system crashes for more information.
Note that it's not always possible to state with certainty whether a reported driver is actually responsible for crashing your system or that the root cause is in another module. Nonetheless it's suggested you look for updates for the products that these drivers belong to and regularly visit Windows update or enable automatic updates for Windows. In case a piece of malfunctioning hardware is causing trouble, a search with Google on the bug check errors together with the model name and brand of your computer may help you investigate this further.
[09:05:03 AM] Hi, my name is Sonal. How may I help you?
[09:05:04 AM] 'Sen' disconnected ('Participant Left').
[09:05:09 AM] : hi
[09:05:31 AM] i did as reported in incident ##130910-000099
[09:05:50 AM] : i also installed the new driver, but now i get a crash error. Here is the error information:
[09:06:05 AM] : Crash Dump Analysis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crash dump directory: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump
Crash dumps are enabled on your computer.
On Tue 9/10/2013 3:52:44 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\Mini091013-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: nv4_disp.dll (nv4_disp+0x1BE96D)
Bugcheck code: 0x1000008E (0xFFFFFFFFC0000005, 0xFFFFFFFFDE99B96D, 0xFFFFFFFFEE683A64, 0x0)
Error: KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED_M
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\nv4_disp.dll
product: NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79
company: NVIDIA Corporation
description: NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79
Bug check description: This indicates that a kernel-mode program generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error. It is suggested you look for an update for the following driver: nv4_disp.dll (NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79 , NVIDIA Corporation).
Google query: NVIDIA Corporation KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED_M
On Tue 9/10/2013 3:52:44 PM GMT your computer crashed
crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\memory.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: nv4_disp.dll (nv4_disp+0x1AA429)
Bugcheck code: 0x8E (0xFFFFFFFFC0000005, 0xFFFFFFFFDE99B96D, 0xFFFFFFFFEE683A64, 0x0)
Error: KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\nv4_disp.dll
product: NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79
company: NVIDIA Corporation
description: NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79
Bug check description: This bug check indicates that a kernel-mode application generated an exception that the error handler did not catch.
A third party driver was identified as the probable root cause of this system error. It is suggested you look for an update for the following driver: nv4_disp.dll (NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79 , NVIDIA Corporation).
Google query: NVIDIA Corporation KERNEL_MODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 crash dumps have been found and analyzed. A third party driver has been identified to be causing system crashes on your computer. It is strongly suggested that you check for updates for these drivers on their company websites. Click on the links below to search with Google for updates for these drivers:
nv4_disp.dll (NVIDIA Windows XP Display driver, Version 304.79 , NVIDIA Corporation)
If no updates for these drivers are available, try searching with Google on the names of these drivers in combination the errors that have been reported for these drivers and include the brand and model name of your computer as well in the query. This often yields interesting results from discussions from users who have been experiencing similar problems.
Read the topic general suggestions for troubleshooting system crashes for more information.
Note that it's not always possible to state with certainty whether a reported driver is actually responsible for crashing your system or that the root cause is in another module. Nonetheless it's suggested you look for updates for the products that these drivers belong to and regularly visit Windows update or enable automatic updates for Windows. In case a piece of malfunctioning hardware is causing trouble, a search with Google on the bug check errors together with the model name and brand of your computer may help you investigate this further.
[09:06:34 AM] Sonal: I am sorry to see this.
[09:06:39 AM] Sonal: When did you get this?
[09:06:43 AM]: i told ya the new drivers do not work.
[09:06:55 AM] : i just got it after fixing the os and trying to play a game
[09:07:10 AM] : this is same thing that happened in the past when i installed the new drivers
[09:07:26 AM] : i get different error instead of d3derr_notavailable error
[09:07:35 AM] : i know it is the driver probably
[09:07:44 AM] : i told ya in the other chat that the new drivers will not work
[09:07:48 AM] : there is your proof
[09:07:58 AM] Sonal: This is a strange issue.
[09:08:15 AM] Sonal: Have you reinstalled the OS?
[09:08:18 AM] : yes
[09:08:29 AM] : and put on the new driver you gave me
[09:09:07 AM] : the crash report indicates it is nv4 file..that is directly linked with the new driver
[09:09:15 AM] : i know the new driver is causing it
[09:09:27 AM] : this is same problem i had 2 years ago
[09:10:32 AM] Sonal: This could be an issue with the driver or an issue with the graphic card itself because the issue is occurring with all the drivers.
[09:11:05 AM] : well i was told before by nvidia it was the driver and that i should stay with an older driver
[09:11:27 AM] : unless you think reinstalling my os again will work?
[09:11:40 AM] : but i just tried that
[09:12:09 AM] Sonal: I would suggest you to continue using the same driver that works fine in your computer.
[09:12:21 AM] Sonal: I request you to kindly file a bug report by visiting the below mentioned link to help us analyze the issue, as when you update the driver feedback it will be reviewed by the driver development team. We will try coming up with a fix in our future driver release. http://nvidia-submit.custhelp.com/app/answers/list
[09:12:55 AM] : well even the newest patch causes this issue unfortanetly.
[09:13:03 AM] Sonal: Regarding the D3D error with games, please contact the game developer once and check with them if they have any troubleshooting steps or the settings that can help you fix the issue.
[09:13:10 AM] : i already asked them
[09:13:22 AM] : they referred me to microsoft, which referred me to nvidia
[09:13:40 AM] : so i got the run-around
[09:13:47 AM] : now your referrring me back to the game company
[09:14:57 AM] : where do i file the bug report?
[09:15:20 AM] Sonal: You need to file the bug in the above provided link.
[09:15:38 AM] : that link leads me to the answer page..there is nothing about filing a bug report on it
[09:15:43 AM] : that is why im asking
[09:16:08 AM] Sonal: Click on the submit issue/ feedback tab.
[09:16:53 AM] : i don't see a tab or anything about submitting a issue
[09:17:13 AM] Sonal: Once you click on the link, what do you get?
[09:17:29 AM] : i found it. i had to click on the topic list..thanks
[09:18:28 AM] Sonal: Yes.
[09:18:41 AM] : ok writting out a bug report now
[09:19:02 AM] Sonal: Ok
[09:21:17 AM] Sonal: Once you submit it, it will go to our driver development team.They will have a check on the issue and will try to reproduce it at their end.
[09:22:00 AM] : ok
[09:22:23 AM] Sonal: Is there anything else I can help you with today?
[09:23:17 AM] : should i uninstall it and reinstall the old driver to fix the game issues currently?
[09:23:24 AM] : this is happening in several games
[09:23:35 AM] Sonal: Yes please, you can try with that.
[09:24:00 AM] : the only problem is that the D3DERR_NOTAVAILABLE! error may come back. What should i do if it does?
[09:24:31 AM] : i cannot upgrade to newer drivers due to the issues im having with em crashing my games to BSOD
[09:24:58 AM] Sonal: It seems to be a game specific issue.
[09:25:30 AM] Sonal: Since we cannot install any driver in your computer ( another issue), contact the game developer once again, let them know that you contacted us and check what they say.
[09:25:36 AM] : according to EA support, it has to do with NVIDIA
[09:25:43 AM] : they told me in chat
[09:25:48 AM] : and on the phone both
[09:26:04 AM] : then they referred me to MS
[09:26:17 AM] : and MS said same thing..this is NIVIDIA problem
[09:26:27 AM] : since d3d is a graphic driver error
[09:26:49 AM] : if i go back to them, they will just refer me back to MS or you guys
[09:27:15 AM] Sonal: For this time, try uninstalling-reinstalling the driver and check.
[09:27:46 AM] : ok ill try that. If it fails again...ill come back and ask for more help
[09:27:59 AM] Sonal: Sure
[09:28:08 AM] : ok then bye
[09:28:26 AM] Sonal: Thank you for contacting NVIDIA Customer Care.Have a good day.
[09:28:50 AM] : bye
[09:28:53 AM] : and thank you
[09:28:55 AM] disconnected ('Concluded by End-user').
EA's response has been courteous, but again, there referring me back to microsoft again. And it continues..but i won't give up that easily..ill keep gathering info and posting it on here while i try..
More and more i feel like this was done on purpose and somebody maybe made a EA games specific virus or something that messes up all their games...
I figured out that this was probably caused by updating your C++ library. Apparently, the game does not recognize some of the updates done with c++ with other games libraries, so when installing them, be aware of this.
