I've done some searching on both this forum (Technical Assistance) and Bugs, but I can't find a situation that seems to resemble my problem. The closest I have found are things like shutters (often, every 4.5 seconds), which isn't really what I have...

So far, I've only run in Single Player (to get a feel for the cars), because with this issue, I'm thinking Multiplayer would be difficult to run (probably also wreck other people...). It happens in training, it happens in Single player races with just me, with me and AI, and with just the AI running by itself.

The best I can tell, at random intervals for... 10-15 seconds, all output from the game freezes. My screen stays frozen in place, my audio freezes (it doesn't really loop, but it sounds like the engine is running on a constant level. However, I've yet to have it happen with another sound [say, a skid] so I'm not sure if that would repeat as well), and my force feedback kills to zero. The game, however, continues to run in real time. When the 'freeze' is over, the game catches up, having accepted any input I gave it while driving (example include, slamming on the brake, or once I tried to follow the course... Didn't work ). In replay mode, during the moments I 'froze', the game continues as normal, so I can see what happened when my output ceased to update. However, even DURING replay, I'll have the occasional output freeze just like while in game.

As far as how often it happens, it seems pretty random, yet consistantly there. I've never run more than a single lap without it occuring, but sometimes I'll get a whole lap in, sometimes it will happen again before I turn my car back around to face the right direction (facing wrong direction is the not so nice park about simply 'yanking' the hand-brake). As far as my computer goes....

Pentium 4 (Intel) - 2.59 GHz, '504' MB of Ram
Windows XP Home Edition Version 2002, Service Pack 2
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 (Driver Date: 11/4/2005, Version 8.1.9.4)
(Not sure what other specs are 'handy' to have....)

Everything but the graphics card came with the PC. I've never had this issue with any other games, yet with LFS its happened since start up. This seems to be like a problem on my end, rather than a bug, which is why I choose this forum to inquire if anyone could offer a helping hand with solving it =D

I've tried to close all background programs, didn't help. I tried to restart, didn't help. I tried letting the computer sit off all day, and half the night, and tried at 1am incase it was a tempeture issue (I live in Florida ). Didn't help.

For a few years now, I've been getting more and more involved with cars, but racing is an issue for me. The closest track is an hour and a half away, and I'd make the drive if I had a car that wouldn't embarrass me to show up with on the track (having only saved 4/5ths of the money for my 'new' car, and currently behind the wheel of a 2001 PT Cruiser. Ha, try being taken seriously in one of those ). When I heard about how 'realistic' LFS was from a friend, I decided to give the demo a try. I was very happy, until I realized the problem I was facing wouldn't go away.... I'd love to support the game by shelling out some money for it, but not if this problem won't go away. Its impossible to play multiplayer with it, and that kills most of the fun

Problem update. I was reading the technical help forums again in hope that someone might reply, or have a similar problem, and I found a peice of advice I tried. Someone suggested using process explorer to discover what kept causing LFS to hickup (which program in the background). Figuring I had nothing to use, I tried it, ran laps until it 'froze up' again, and Alt-Tabed to the process explorer. For the most part, LFS was using 60-70% of my CPU speed. THen for the time it froze, there was a spike in usage that peaked at 100% and stayed pretty high, then dropped back down. The instant it caught up, the Deferred Procedure Calls (DPCs) peaked to 50% for a second or two before dropping back down to near zero.

So best as I can tell, something with my settings is causing LFS to occasionally attempt to do more than the CPU can handle. As thus, the game stops outputting signals until it catches up...

Also, I've tried in Multi Player on a demo server (my word, those things are like auto-racing nightmares come true), and I didn't manage to get a full lap in (partially because I couldn't go very long before the guy running laps backwards hit me, and partially because its difficult to predict where the 'drifters' will be next (as most of them had no control period) so I could pass them. But it froze up there too.

Additionally, I've had it happen while my tires are skidding now. Its definatly a 'looping' audio track while I freezes. And the force feedback continues to 'force' in the last direction it was told (say, it'll keep pushing left until it wheel locks if I was oversteering in a right hand turn).

Maybe the additional information will help someone brainstorm up a solution. I'm clueless...

OK, I will start with simple things.

- Is anything in your PC overclocked? As I saw the CPU freq it looks overclocked.
- It still might be an overheating issue, because LFS is quite senstitive to overheating AFAIK.
- Do you have installed latest drivers for your motherboard? It looks a lot like MoBo drivers problem, I had something like you some time ago.
- Also try to install as much as possible recent drivers. Graphics, sound, game controllers, everything.
- How do you play LFS? If you have a wheel, try to disconnect it. It might be faulty and messing up something.

About that 100% CPU usage. It is not that the CPU cannot suddenly handle something, it is the LFS that hooks up, and every hooked process causes 100% CPU usage. Just for explanation.

Check out these basics and let us know, if it doesnt help, we will think up something more.....

Quote from MadCatX :

- Is anything in your PC overclocked? As I saw the CPU freq it looks overclocked.

By my hand, nope. Its all pretty much right out of the box (the .59 is from the computer report itself. The sticker on the case says its a 2.60 GHz Processor with 512 MB of RAM, but I knew those weren't the actual figures). I considered over the years Overclocking, but decided against it. Usually I can run anything I need to on it with the occasional small exception (Sims2, for example. Thats why I bought a new video card)... Hrrm.... You know....

Speaking of the video card. It doesn't say it on the hardware information in the game, but I just recalled back when I bought it, it had "OC" on the end of it's long name. If I had the box, I could quote word for word... But iirc its something like "safely overclocked at the factory to give you the most of your gaming experience without voiding your warrenty!".

Honestly? I just thought that was a marketing ploy and paid little attention it it. I do hope thats not my problem. =\

Quote from MadCatX :

- It still might be an overheating issue, because LFS is quite senstitive to overheating AFAIK.

I guess its possible. It does happen more frequently the longer it runs. I guess no amount of room climate control (placing the CPU right under the AC duct, turning on the fan) can negate the fact that I live in a state where 90 is a 'cool' tempature. Go figure. Anyway I can check the PC's Tempature? Or the Graphics Card's tempature? I know the Card has a fan attached to it too... But hey, there is always more cooling options (namely, move my CPU into my other room. Closer to the central AC duct, and better insulation. Makes for a cooler room). But I'd like to somehow see if the tempature is whats doing it before I go moving it.

Quote from MadCatX :

- Do you have installed latest drivers for your motherboard? It looks a lot like MoBo drivers problem, I had something like you some time ago.

Not sure, I'll get right on that now. Though I'm going to try and be more careful... When it first happened, I tried to update my driver for my graphics card using windows device manager. Windows found an older version and installed it, and my video output died =D. I was able to fix it (the drivers that it came with were still on the CD), but it was potentially disaterous.

Quote from MadCatX :

- Also try to install as much as possible recent drivers. Graphics, sound, game controllers, everything.

Graphics, Checked (with interesting results, see above). Game Controller, Check (first thing I did when I undusted my wheel. I had to reinstall it from the website cause I no longer had a CD). The rest I'll get right on (along with the Mother Board)

Quote from MadCatX :

- How do you play LFS? If you have a wheel, try to disconnect it. It might be faulty and messing up something.

Wheel (MOMO Logitech, with pedals!). I'll try without it... If its faulty, I'll just get a new one ^.^ I've been eyeballing that H-Stick pretty hard from Act-Labs. Perfect excuse to get it (my wheel is faulty!). Maybe I'll grab a wheel with more than 270 degrees of turning too. Ohhh... And pedals with a clutch.

Thanks for the help. I'll repost shortly with the results...

Okay, that didn't work as planned...

So I got up this morning and hopped on my Desktop to update my drivers... Starting with the Motherboard driver. A good hour later, it dawned on me.

I have no idea what I'm doing . Because I know things like this are very computer specific (or maybe I'm wrong again :shrug would anyone be willing to walk me through it? I can be contacted via E-Mail, ICQ, MSN Messanger, YIM, AIM, and G-Talk (Google Talk. I think). Luckly, having a laptop and a PC, I can talk to you while the computer does what it needs to do without the possibility of restart interfearing with communication. If you'd be willing to help me out, PM me please! I'll try to be as quick and possible to use up as little of your LFS time as possible. Heh.

In the mean while, I'm going to try the 'run without a wheel to see if thats causing it' approach.

Many thanks to everyone who took the time to read my problem, and more thanks to anyone willing to work with me so that I can play online without having to worry about freezeing up and causing a wreck .

i can get the same issue in LFS (game contuinues, but video locks for a second or too).

however i know what the issue is that causes mine

quite simply, it happens when the hard drives spin up. this situation arises when the power saving kicks in and spins down the hard drive(s) to save power. At this point everything is fine. Later on (a few laps in LFS) the output freezes and i can hear the drives spin back up (presumably something, perhaps LFS, needs to write to the disk). Once that procedure finishes the game returns to normal. if this is the problem then it should also be quite easy to diagnose .. just listen for hard drives starting up when you're cursing your computer for locking up (you may have to curse quieter than usual however )

If this is your problem then the "fix" is quite easy. Before firing up LFS make sure that you go to the power saving applet in the control panel and make sure the hard drives aren't allowed to be turned off

Hope this helps you
CLP

Interesting... I'll try looking into that as well. I'm pretty sure (mostly because I just checked ) that my PC is already set to never turn my hard drives off. But I'll run it on Mute this time, prop my CPU on my desk, and plant my ear against it (its a lot of casing so I usually don't hear anything inside other than my fans).

Heres to the best of luck to discovering the origin of my problems! *raises a glass*

Wasn't the hard-drive spinning up (checked that).

Wasn't my wheel. Wasn't my drivers (I updated everything and it still happened).

And then I tried something that... well... I just hadn't though of before. I turned all the details as low as I could. Just flatlined everything and turned as much as I could off. Not sure why I had the urge to do it , but I did it. I think it may have had something to do with the fact that I just didn't care at the moment how 'pretty' it looked.

So I ran some practice laps. Lap after lap. After lap.
And then I realized...
It went away...

So I started an actual race (against the silly AI). 10 minutes of qualification. 20 laps of race. Didn't happen once....

So I guess my problem was a detail setting somewhere that didn't agree with my computer. My options at this point are: Experiment to see what single option did it, or just leave it all bottomed out...

I think I am going for option two for a while =D. Now just got to wait until payday, and the LFS License shall be mine!

Any update on this Shinrar? I've got exactly the same problem. If I watch a replay the freeze does not happen so I suspect it must be graphics related. I've got the latest drivers and will try the latest DirectX tonight. If that doesnt work I'll try turning the graphics down like you did as I have a league starting soon so can't afford for this to happen.

Next time it happens I'll also watch the replay to see if the car is responding to the controller (momo red).

i have the same problem too

Do you reboot your PC before playing LFS?

If not, I'd recommend doing that.

I've never had this particular problem but Windows is pretty flaky at the best of times and doing a complete reboot will clear everything out.

IF you have less than 1.5Gb of RAM it could be the virtual memory churning away in the background.

I’ve still not got this sorted. This is what I’ve tried so far:

Turned off Logitech Profiler
Unplugged unused USB devices
Reset before playing LFS
V-Sync on in LFS
Hard drives set to “never turn off” on power saving options
Then I used a separate hard drive to reinstall Win XP, SP1, LFS, GFX drivers etc – still no joy
Unplugged all PCI devices
Did a memtest – passed
Check CPU temp immediately after the problem occurred in LFS – only around 35C.

Tonight I’ll try updating the mobo drivers and do a CPU stress test. If that doesn’t work I think it must be a hardware problem. I think I’m going to try buying a new GFX card next. If that doesn’t work I might try the PSU.

Shinrar's problem was eventually solved as i found on another thread. I think he said it was the Haze Effect in LFS which was causing it. No such luck with mine and as my symptoms are slightly different and I really need to get it solved, i've started a new thread with much more info:

http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=26541