Friday, April 5, 2013

Bioshock Infinite random crash fix for I7 processors

If you purchased Bioshock Infinite and have an I7 processor computer you may have noticed your game randomly crashes while playing. If your game is crashing before you even get to the menu, try my Bioshock Infinite Crash on startup fix and game tweaks download post.The problem with the random crashing while playing Bioshock Infinite is not related to Steam or your video card. The problem is the I7 processor usage for video by the game. How exactly the game is using the I7 processing power for your video even when you have a high end video card is unknown to me, but the devs at 2k Games/Irrational Games are aware of the problem and looking into a fix. (right?)

For those of you that don't want to wait, here is an easy temporary fix.

What are the symptoms?

On windows 7, you may see a screen flicker, then freeze. Windows 7 will disable your video and reinitiate the drivers.

During this process your monitor will briefly shut off or show a "no signal" error then turn back on - showing your desktop and an error message that Bioshock Infinite has stopped responding.

Your mouse will appear unresponsive, and hitting the enter key for the error dialogue box will not work. Let me assure you the mouse is working, and if you alt+tab until you are focused on the error message and run your invisible mouse around the screen randomly, it will eventually focus in the dialogue box and become visible. At which time you can navigate it to the close program button.


Why is it crashing?

The reason for the crashing is not completely apparent, though it often happens when load rendering a new area in the game. It may have something to do with the shared memory exchange from desktop to full screen rendering in the game itself. That, however, is just wild speculation on my part. I'm no programmer and my thoughts may be outlandishly incorrect. However, the fix is simple. Read below for that.

How to fix it?

The simplest fix is to disable full screen mode and run the game at a resolution slightly less than your desktop resolution. This method works, and is perfect for the next section I am working on - How to hack Bioshock Infinite for unlimited Silver Eagles and lockpicks using Cheat Engine.

Complications.

When this crash happens, there is a possibility of corrupting your game save, and uploading that corrupted file to the steam cloud - potentially making the save unplayable, and forcing you to start over again. When the game shuts off, it automatically sends the save to the Steam Cloud. If the crash was during a save and load point, your save may become irreparable. Two things can be done about this. First, creating a backup save, which you can learn how in my post; Bioshock Infinite - How To Backup Your Savegame, and second, playing without Steam.  

Creating backup saves is a great idea, but playing without Steam is a personal preference that may set you up for all kinds of grief from Steam. Do it at your own risk!

Stay Creative, It's Good For You.

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