Windows 7 64bit + 3D Games + Deskscape = Hard Crash

from WinCustomize Forums

Please see HD Video I made of how stable :rofl: Windows 7 is before Deskscape is enabled:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=autuL26VoZg&

 

Then see how unstable :omg: Windows 7 get after Deskscape is enabled:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3BEea1n1tA&

 

It would also Crash :waaaa: if no winamp was running.

 

Anything you want me to try out to help make stable :banhammer: ?

 

Im Running Windows 7 Build 7600 64-bit

2 Geforce 8800 GTS in SLI

AMD's Phenom II X4 940 i got a Experience Index 7.3

Your computer has a Windows Experience Index base score of 5.3
Your Windows Graphics Experience score is 5.9

Deskscapes appears to be activated on this PC
Deskscapes engine appears to be running
(Samsung SyncMaster 1100p Plus(T)) 1 is attached to NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS

Deskscape.dll                  2009/08/27 13:19:46
Deskscapes.dll                   2009/08/25 13:55:35
DreamControl32.dll                 2009/08/25 13:54:24
DeskscapesConfig.exe                  2009/08/27 13:19:49
UI\Deskscape.dll                2009/08/27 13:19:40
UI\DeskscapesVideo.dll         2009/08/25 13:54:54
Activate.exe                     2009/08/25 13:54:32
DreamTasks.exe                   2009/08/25 13:54:57
DeskscapesVideo.dll              2009/08/25 13:55:44

 

my Other post is at: https://forums.wincustomize.com/363529

 

deskscapes
11,431 views 17 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top

If you are running the 190.xx Nvidia drivers, unload them and install 186.18.

Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I have had no problems with Deskscapes on Windows 7, when running games at all. But I do have ATI CrossfireX instead of Nvidia SLI. I would would with the above suggestion first. Try a couple of different versions fo the Nvidia drivers to see what happens. I would recommend trying both newer first, then older drivers. Download driver sweeper from Guru3D and use it to remove the drivers before each new install.  It can be found here:  http://downloads.guru3d.com/Guru3D---Driver-Sweeper-%28Setup%29-download-1655.html.

 

Another slight chance could be power supply how much power are you feeding your system? Deskscapes should stop animating as soon as the fullscreen game launches. If you aren't running the game full screen set it to do that and try again to see if it makes a difference.

Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I installed 186.18 as per you and  Hawkeye666 instructed

Ran DeskScapes, and the Nvidia driver still crashes but not a Hard Crash, just the game Crashes.

IF I run full Screen, the game runs fine :thumbsup: with DeskScapes running.  If I  then go back to windowed mode the Game Crashes :thumbsdown: .

 

Thanks for your Suggestions

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

DeskScapes is designed to pause when a fullscreen application is running.  Most likely when playing in windowed mode the combination of DeskScapes and the game is causing the crash.  If you pause DeskScapes before starting the game in windowed mode, does the issue persist?

Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

"If you pause DeskScapes before starting the game in windowed mode, does the issue persist?"

No it does not, if I pause DeskScapes, the game runs fine in a window.

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Shirley, reply 4
DeskScapes is designed to pause when a fullscreen application is running.  Most likely when playing in windowed mode the combination of DeskScapes and the game is causing the crash.  If you pause DeskScapes before starting the game in windowed mode, does the issue persist?
End of Shirley's quote

Great logic Shirley :sun:  

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

I think this is one for Neil to look at.  If there is a way that we can detect a DirectX heavy application and pause DeskScapes accordingly, we'll probably add it.

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

Hi there, sorry to resurrect an old topic, but I have a bit of a slow down problem when running Deskscapes in Windows 7 64Bit. The .Dream (Green Cosmic Power - my fave) seems to be very juddery, and one of my CPU cores is pumping out at about 70-80% load. This didn't happen in Windows Vista 32 bit on a lesser specced system.

Are there any hints or tips to sort this out please?

System Specs:

CPU: Intel Q9650 Quad OC'ed to 3.6Ghz (water cooled)

RAM: 8Gb @1600Mhz

GPU: GTX280 (Driver version 8.17.12.5896)

MB: Asus Striker II Extreme

 

Thanks all, great desktop software,

Brian :)

Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

(Green Cosmic Power - my fave)
End of quote

It could be the way the video in the Dream was encoded...do you have a link to it so I can check it out? 

Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top

There is nothing wrong with the .Dream, I have used it for a few years, and it's perfect. The problem is with Deskscapes. The dream used to run beautifully on Vista, and 32bit windows 7. The Deskscapes program seems to have grown so much since it first came out (free for Vista Ultimate users) I think it needs to go o a diet!

 

Forgot to mention that I am running two monitors (but I allways have been and its never been a problem before) Monitor 1 at 1680/1050, and monitor 2 at 1440/900.

 

Cant find the .Dream any more. I could send it to you by email if you want, it's only 4.43Mb unpacked. Plus it has a nice relaxing slow moving laziness about it :)

 

Thank you very much for your interest in this problem,

Brian :)

Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Did your old machine have a different video card?  It might be the video card is downclocking to save power and isn't detecting DeskScapes as needing the GPU to increase clockspeed.

If a video dream is eating cpu and you only have it running on a single graphics card (two different cards would use more cpu) then it sounds like the drivers have not enabled hardware acceleration for some reason.

Is the cpu high if you disable the dream and then preview it in the UI?

BTW the only version of DeskScapes which works on 32 bit Windows 7 would have been DeskScapes 3.

Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top

The old rig had the same GTX280. And yes, the CPU does run high when viewing the preview with the dreamscene on pause. It is only CPU core that is running high. Is there a way to make Deskscapes use all 4 cores? This might spread the load out, and help keep my temps down (I think??)

The previous version I had was running on 32 bit Windows Vista Ultimate, it was the one that we got to use for free when Vista Ultimate first came out.

 

Thanks again for your help guys,

Brian :)

P.S. The Green Cosmic Power .Dream was a free to download file from wincustomise.

Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Typically, since the only apparent change to your OS choice is going 64bit....it's more than likely a codec and/or GPU driver issue.  The fact it works/worked on Vista 32 and win7 32 but not on 64.....that'll be it...;)
Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top

Ok, driver changed (rolled back) and that has solved the problem!!

 

Thank you very much guys, you must be the most patient people in the world here, helping idiots like me out all the time!!

 

Have fun all,

Brian :)

 

P.S. I'll make a quick vid of my fave .Dream in action....