Solving Common Technical Issues

[Joe Biden]

Introduction

This thread is applicable to both Steam, digital and physical DVD-ROM copies of the game. (Not applicable to Windows Store, Xbox/PlayStation Android or iOS) It includes solutions to the most common issues people experience.

If you follow the solutions and still experience issues, feel free to write a comment, make a new thread or even add me as a friend and provide detail towards the issue.

Grand Theft Auto SA requires at least DirectX version 9.0

This error is greeted to you during start-up and prevents you from launching the game because you are running on a modern OS such as Windows 10 and the the depreciated part of DirectX, "DirectPlay" is disabled.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1465162233
Solution

Press the Windows Key + R to open the "Run..." menu.
Type "OptionalFeatures.exe" and click "OK"
In the window that opens, find "Legacy Components" and expand it by clicking "+".
In Legacy Components, tick "DirectPlay". (If DirectPlay isn't shown in Legacy Components, tick the entire folder. Make sure the box contains a tick and not a square.)
Click OK, the window will close and you have to restart your PC to enable DirectPlay.
If you can't enable DirectPlay due to an error whenever you try to enable it, enable .NET Framework 3.5, you may have to restart your computer after doing this. Once it's enabled, you will now be able to enable DirectPlay.

After carrying out the steps above, your game should now launch and not give this error.

Game Doesn't Launch / Crashing At Start-up

If nothing happens when you launch the game, or it crashes on one of the loading screens leading up to the main menu, your issue is likely due to a corrupted or incompatible settings file. (After a downgrade.)

Solution:

Open the GTA San Andreas User Files folder (Usually found in your Documents folder, if not, check C:\Users\Public\Public Documents.) and delete "gta_sa.set".

After deleting this file, your game should work.

Black Screen Freeze, Can't Swim / Can't Shoot & Move

The game is designed to run at 25 FPS (26 for Steam). As the framerate increases, the game will experience timing-related issues.

Relevant issues:

• Some missions such as Amphibious Assault or Driving School missions are impassable or incredibly difficult.
  
• Vehicles & bicycles handle like brakes are always on, decelerate almost immediately, and seem feathered whenever in-air.
  
• Inability to dive underwater.
  
• Aiming while walking is silly.
  
• Inability to walk while aiming a rifle/desert eagle.
  
• Climbing walls results in sudden deaths.
  
• Vehicles and/or pedestrians move extremely fast.
  
• Crashes when listening to User Radio.
  
• Cutscenes not ending.

Solution:

To fix these timing-related issues, enable the frame limiter in the advances video options. This will cap your framerate to 25/26.

If you can't put up witth the low FPS, I recommend enabling V-Sync using your graphics control panel.

Crashing When Car Explodes

This game has poor support for multi-monitor setups, which causes crashes whenever a car explodes.

Solution:

Disable your other monitors and only have one enabled. Another is to enable compatibility mode for Windows XP (Service Pack 2) for the game.

SilentPatchSA[www.gtagarage.com]also fixes this problem while also allowing you to keep your extra monitors enabled.

Cannot find 800x600 video mode

This issue only occurs on Windows 10. It happens when your game's settings file is corrupted or missing.

Solution:

Find your game install location. This can be done with the following steps: Open the Steam client and click on your library. Look for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, right click it and click "properties", then go into the "Local files" tab on the top and click on "Browse local files".
Look for "gta-sa" or "gta-sa.exe", right click and click "properties", then go into the "Compatibility" tab on the top, "Compatibility mode" should be near the top, tick "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" and then out of the options select "Windows 8".
Click OK. 
After performing the steps described above, your game should launch correctly.

Save File Not Working

Many of the save files on the internet for GTA: San Andreas are for the retail DVD copy or the old steam version, they will not work as it is a different version of the game and will either crash the game on save load or will just load a new game and vice-versa for different versions. Fortunately, there is a solution to this.

Converting save files from Steam (Old) & Retail 1.00 to Steam (New) & Retail 2.00

Go to gtasnp.com.
Upload your downloaded save file.
Open modification tab and find "Script/SCM Version", "IPL Flags Version" & "Binary/EXE Version" fields and select "Standard 2.00" and "v2". (German 2.00 & Austrian 2.00 if either) Leave everything else as it is.
Select your slot of choice and download.
Move the file to your GTA San Andreas User Files. (Usually C\Users\<Your User>\Documents\GTA San Andreas User Files)

Converting saves from Steam (New) to Retail

Go to gtasnp.com.
Upload your downloaded save file.
Open modification tab and find "Script/SCM Version", "IPL Flags Version" & "Binary/EXE Version" fields and select "Standard 2.00" and "v2" and select "Standard 2.00" and "v1". Leave everything else as it is.
Select your slot of choice and download.
Move the file to your GTA San Andreas User Files. (Usually C\Users\<Your User>\Documents\GTA San Andreas User Files)

Run the game at screen refresh rate

Install Special K by following the Unofficial Special K Guide. Manual local installation is recommended.
Go to the installation folder and rename SpecialK32.dll to dinput8.dll.
Start the game once and close it to allow the configuration file of Special K to be created.
Open <path-to-game>\dinput8.ini.
Change RefreshRate=-1 to RefreshRate=0 under [Render.FrameRate].

Hopefully, these solutions have helped you. If not, feel free to add me!

Resources, sources, credit & thanks to:

• HalfOfAKebab
  
• SilentPL & Lucky
  
• PCGamingWiki
  
• Vadim M
  
• Philips_27 & SaH4PoK

[Infinity]

please help my game won't start i tried deleting gta_sa.set but the game still won't even launch

[Infinity]

when i launch the game this error pops up " failed to start process for grand theft auto san andreas : " ???? ????? ??????? ?? ??? ????????." (0x4C7) " please help me

[Joe Biden]

Originally posted by Mercury_FE:

when i launch the game this error pops up " failed to start process for grand theft auto san andreas : " ???? ????? ??????? ?? ??? ????????." (0x4C7) " please help me

Have you tried a reinstall? What's your OS?

[Golden Bat ☆*]

the resolution problem seems to be unable to fix since in my pc (after going on properties of gta-sa) doesn't appears the compatibility part

[Fulldasher95]

Even after doing the following solution, it still can't find 800x600 video mode

[HRRoach]

thank you steamedrevenge solved my starting issue, however, I still do not have the ability to use the buttons on my logitech gamepad. It works with other games and windows device configuration see all the buttons but i cannot remap any controls in this game using buttons. When i set the game to use the controller, the button 2 says it is to accelerate a vehicle, (bicycle), and as i said, trying to remap it, no button will register.

[Joe Biden]

Originally posted by HRRoach:

thank you steamedrevenge solved my starting issue, however, I still do not have the ability to use the buttons on my logitech gamepad. It works with other games and windows device configuration see all the buttons but i cannot remap any controls in this game using buttons. When i set the game to use the controller, the button 2 says it is to accelerate a vehicle, (bicycle), and as i said remapping it, no button will register.

The game only supports an Xbox controller.

[Alexis The Endless]

so i'm experiencing this weird graphical glitch that makes everything look with a flikering effect and a bunch of colors like a rainbow or something how do i fix this?

[Joe Biden]

Originally posted by Alexis The Resilient:

so i'm experiencing this weird graphical glitch that makes everything look with a flikering effect and a bunch of colors like a rainbow or something how do i fix this?

Change resolution and change back to the one you want to use.

[-3xA'Lu©κy the disappearing act]

Nice to see a pinned thread on the San Andreas hub. Great stuff SteamedRevenge.

[ƘǏȴ_ȴƎƦ_Ƥǻȵ_ԃдΖ]

Can I use gta san andreas cheats when I playing?

[Makin]

Originally posted by Fulldasher95:

Even after doing the following solution, it still can't find 800x600 video mode

Same problem here, it's getting frustrating...

[HRRoach]

Originally posted by ѕтeαмedreveɴɢe:

Originally posted by HRRoach:

thank you steamedrevenge solved my starting issue, however, I still do not have the ability to use the buttons on my logitech gamepad. It works with other games and windows device configuration see all the buttons but i cannot remap any controls in this game using buttons. When i set the game to use the controller, the button 2 says it is to accelerate a vehicle, (bicycle), and as i said remapping it, no button will register.

The game only supports an Xbox controller.

The controller worked in a non-steam version of the game.

[-3xA'Lu©κy the disappearing act]

Originally posted by Fulldasher95:

Even after doing the following solution, it still can't find 800x600 video mode

Have you tried applying Silent Patch to your game? Simply drag and drop all the files (from the download link below) into your game's folder and tell me if that helps:
https://www.gtagarage.com/mods/show.php?id=25368

Originally posted by ★ 彡+KiL_LeR_PaN_DaZ+彡 ★:

Can I use gta san andreas cheats when I playing?

Of course. A full list of cheats for PC can be found here:
https://www.gtasanandreas.net/cheats/pc.php

Originally posted by Camp Master Noob:

Originally posted by Fulldasher95:

Even after doing the following solution, it still can't find 800x600 video mode

Same problem here, it's getting frustrating...

Try what I recommended above in this post of mine. I realise an external fix is extra unnecessary work, but it should help you.

Originally posted by HRRoach:

The controller worked in a non-steam version of the game.

I'm not too sure about Logitech gamepads but there's some official controller support implemented by Rockstar for NewSteam r2 versions of San Andreas (non-downgraded Steam version) but better controller support can be obtained by using GInput (which requires you to downgrade to 1.0 and paste files from Silent's ASI Loader into the game's folder). I've linked GInput and Silent's ASI Loader below (links 1 and 2 respectively):
1. http://www.gtagarage.com/mods/show.php?id=21709
2. http://www.gtagarage.com/mods/show.php?id=24272 - Silent's GInput (download "GInputSA 1.11 (for GTA SA)")

[Makin]

I tried the silent patch, and I also downloaded the ASI loader program-thing, it still didn't work... I may have done something wrong, I'll retry and keep you posted. At any rate, thanks for the help bro.
Edit: come to think of it, I also have Vice City on Steam, and although it necessitated some patch I managed to make it work. I'll keep trying stuff