System crash or crash to desktop

[greybeard_52]

I have had a serious problem with the game for some time now that either causes a system crash with a blue screen and automatic restart in windows 10 at some point in the simulation, or simply a crash to desktop. I tried everything: cleaning and defragmenting the hard drive, except the program in Avast, running IL-2.EXE as administrator, but there is nothing to do, it keeps crashing. About one in three missions ends up doing this. Before (but I can't say "first of what") it was fine.

[ItsBillyFrazier]

Hi,

When posting an issue such as the one you're experiencing, I recommend posting your full system specifications and also that you can confirm the issue is isolated to just il-2. ( i.e you have tested other games/programmes extensively without issue).

Have you verified the games files through steam? (should be your first step!) Are you using any mods?
You need to provide further information to get any worthwhile assistance. When you get the blue screen, what is the error code windows is throwing up?

More often than not, blue screen crashes are hardware related. If it was a software issue, il.2.exe in this case, there would be a large number of issues logged with il-2 technical support. I have looked on the official forums and cant see any similar issues.

Also, i recognise your name from the il-2 forums.

Really you should be posting the issue there rather than here on Steam. You are likely to get better support as the devs are more active there than here on Steam.

[shadowgravy]

I'm also guessing it is hardware related. It could be drivers too. When I built my gaming rig last summer everything ran great for a week and then I started getting the game crashes. I discovered my new Seasonic PSU was already going bad and needed to be replaced.

[ProgramTheta]

My game crashes to desktop when my CPU usage hits 100%, but as long as I keep google chrome closed while I play this doesn't happen.

[cretedog]

Game just started crashing for me too. i7 8700, 2060 RTX, SSD WH 1 TB, 32GB ram memory. No error codes. Screen just freezes..never had the problem before with IL2.

[greybeard_52]

Originally posted by ItsBillyFrazier:

I recommend posting your full system specifications

I would have done by images, but how to attach screenshots here?

and also that you can confirm the issue is isolated to just il-2.

Yes, it is.

Have you verified the games files through steam?

I don't know what you mean.

Are you using any mods?

Only skins.

When you get the blue screen, what is the error code windows is throwing up?

Sorry, I didn't take note

[greybeard_52]

Thanks to all the other gents who tried to help; I can only add that it looks to me that this trouble started with version 4.6 of the game, but I'm unsure.

[ItsBillyFrazier]

@Greybeard_52

To verify Steam files, right click on il-2 in your Steam library:

Then click on Properties>Local Files>Verify Integrity of game files.

***Just to note: It is certainly worth making a copy of the contents of the "input" folder first before verifying the files. This will ensure that if files need to be updated, you will not lose your keybindings and custom views you may have set up in the sim. ***

You just need to make a copy of the input folder and save it somewhere safe. After the game files have been verified, you can copy the contents of the folder back into the game directory input folder. (There are 8 files in total in the input folder).

The path to the input folder is:
C:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\data\input\

FYI - If you ever have problems with ANY Steam game such as crashes etc, verifying the games files in Steam is probably the first step you take.

Good luck.

[greybeard_52]

Thanks a lot!

I performed Steam files check finding 8921 (!) anomalies whose files where redownloaded and reinstalled; it looks to me a false error - maybe due to all skins with swastika I had installed...

In the meantime I got WhoCrashed report:

System Information (local)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer name: DESKTOP-E3GFFSI
Windows version: Windows 10, 10.0, version 2004, build: 19041
Windows dir: C:\Windows
Hardware: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC., P8Z77-V LX2
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz 8664, level: 6
4 logical processors, active mask: 15
RAM: 17121935360 bytes (15,9GB)




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crash Dump Analysis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crash dumps are enabled on your computer.

Crash dump directories:
C:\Windows
C:\Windows\Minidump

On Tue 18/05/2021 09:34:47 your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\051821-6078-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x3F5210)
Bugcheck code: 0xFC (0xFFFFCD0D85DA6A80, 0x8A00000100E008E3, 0xFFFFF8022EE7A6D0, 0x3)
Error: ATTEMPTED_EXECUTE_OF_NOEXECUTE_MEMORY
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that an attempt was made to execute non-executable memory.
This may be a case of memory corruption. More often memory corruption happens because of software errors in buggy drivers, not because of faulty RAM modules. Memory corruption can also occur because of overheating (thermal issue). There is a possibility this problem was caused by a virus or other malware.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.



On Tue 18/05/2021 09:34:47 your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP
This was probably caused by the following module: nvlddmkm.sys (nvlddmkm+0x113CAB)
Bugcheck code: 0xFC (0xFFFFCD0D85DA6A80, 0x8A00000100E008E3, 0xFFFFF8022EE7A6D0, 0x3)
Error: ATTEMPTED_EXECUTE_OF_NOEXECUTE_MEMORY
file path: C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\nv_dispi.inf_amd64_5364881c934f6ce8\nvlddmkm.sys
product: NVIDIA Windows Kernel Mode Driver, Version 466.11
company: NVIDIA Corporation
description: NVIDIA Windows Kernel Mode Driver, Version 466.11
Bug check description: This indicates that an attempt was made to execute non-executable memory.
This may be a case of memory corruption. More often memory corruption happens because of software errors in buggy drivers, not because of faulty RAM modules. Memory corruption can also occur because of overheating (thermal issue). There is a possibility this problem was caused by a virus or other malware.
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: nvlddmkm.sys (NVIDIA Windows Kernel Mode Driver, Version 466.11 , NVIDIA Corporation).
Google query: nvlddmkm.sys NVIDIA Corporation ATTEMPTED_EXECUTE_OF_NOEXECUTE_MEMORY





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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:

nvlddmkm.sys (NVIDIA Windows Kernel Mode Driver, Version 466.11 , NVIDIA Corporation)

If no updates for these drivers are available, try searching with Google on the names of these drivers in combination with the errors that have been reported for these drivers. Include the brand and model name of your computer as well in the query. This often yields interesting results from discussions on the web by 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 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.

I'll check the drivers - would be curious, though, that they cause crash only with Great Battles.

Thanks again,
GB

[ItsBillyFrazier]

Good that you have detected the issue and also learned a little along the way. Hopefully you will be back flying soon without issue.

[greybeard_52]

Of the 8921 "incorrect" files, 8878 were the files contained in the "radio" folder, in front of which I had put a minus sign ...
The video card driver has been updated; fingers crossed...

Thank you ItsBillyFrazier for the kind assistance.

[greybeard_52]

AGAIN!!!

This time even WhoCrashed report can't offer any clue:

System Information (local)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer name: DESKTOP-E3GFFSI
Windows version: Windows 10, 10.0, version 2004, build: 19041
Windows dir: C:\Windows
Hardware: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC., P8Z77-V LX2
CPU: GenuineIntel Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz 8664, level: 6
4 logical processors, active mask: 15
RAM: 17121935360 bytes (15,9GB)




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crash Dump Analysis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crash dumps are enabled on your computer.

Crash dump directories:
C:\Windows
C:\Windows\Minidump

On Fri 21/05/2021 20:15:40 your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\Minidump\052121-5953-01.dmp
This was probably caused by the following module: ntoskrnl.exe (nt+0x3F5210)
Bugcheck code: 0x50 (0xFFFFF7DEC0001000, 0x11, 0xFFFFF7DEC0001000, 0x2)
Error: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
file path: C:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
company: Microsoft Corporation
description: NT Kernel & System
Bug check description: This indicates that invalid system memory has been referenced.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.



On Fri 21/05/2021 20:15:40 your computer crashed or a problem was reported
crash dump file: C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP
This was probably caused by the following module: ntkrnlmp.exe (nt!memset+0x722E5)
Bugcheck code: 0x50 (0xFFFFF7DEC0001000, 0x11, 0xFFFFF7DEC0001000, 0x2)
Error: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
Bug check description: This indicates that invalid system memory has been referenced.
This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
The crash took place in the Windows kernel. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver that cannot be identified at this time.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 crash dumps have been found and analyzed. No offending third party drivers have been found. Connsider using WhoCrashed Professional which offers more detailed analysis using symbol resolution. Also configuring your system to produce a full memory dump may help you.


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 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.

It's a disaster! A waste of time and money!

[ItsBillyFrazier]

That's disappointing, sorry to hear it hasn't gone smoothly GB.

Is the game launching at all for you? Is there any pattern to the crashes? Does it crash right after loading? Are you flying for a bit and then it suddenly crashes?

I'm not a computer expert by any means so unfortunately my advice from this point on wards will be limited providing you have followed my previous suggestions without success.

I strongly advise posting the issue over at the il-2 forums in the technical support section as there are more knowledgeable folk there that might be able to help or the Developers might chime in with assistance.

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/forum/89-technical-issues-and-bug-reports/

Just post your computer specs when posting over on the forum as well as a brief summary as to what happens prior to crashing. Post any Windows error codes that are displayed on the Blue screen.

No need to make an image of your specs just follow my specs as an example while filling in your own computer specs (You can find your OS version, processor and RAM specs by right clicking the Start button on windows >Settings>About)

Example of specs:
Windows 10 Pro
i7 6700k @ 4GHz
32GB RAM
GTX 980ti

Good luck.

***EDIT***

Looking at the Crash Dump, you are getting the "Error: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA" message.

This is likely a corrupt driver or a potential hardware failure, so very unlikely an issue with the sim (So maybe don't expect developer assistance!)

You could perhaps try the suggestions in the following article if you feel comfortable doing so:

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/how-to-fix-page-fault-error-windows-10,36234.html

[greybeard_52]

Thank you so much for your continued help. I have the crash always during simulation, in the middle of a mission. I'll consider your suggestion to post this issue on the forum, but (as you mention) I doubt to get any substantial help. "Error: PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA" is only the latest error code of a sequence apparently regarding my drivers and (possibly) hardware and I can only observe that these severe troubles happen ONLY with Great Battles while IL-2 1946 and Cliffs of Dover Blitz + Tobruk (for instance) run rock-solid on my rig, like did BoS itself prior of version 4.6. Seemingly no other user has these problems, but maybe I was so unlucky to get one of those rare incompatibility between a program and a single PC.

[ItsBillyFrazier]

I understand, it must be very frustrating especially given Clod/Tubruk are working without issue.

I really cant offer you more assistance on this Greybeard as I'm all out of suggestions at this point.

You should report the problem on the official forums though.

Read the first post in the following thread carefully before reporting the issue.

https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/21111-finding-the-cause-of-a-random-crash-issue-special-thread-1/

Provide as much information as you can in a clear and concise way and you are likely to get some assistance from the developers or some informed community members.

In addition to whats requested in the OP, include your system specifications and any logs that may be of assistance.

If you can identify any pattern to the crashes, that would be helpful. E.g it crashes usually after 5-10 minutes of gameplay, when playing a specific campaign etc. or anything you think might be useful or relevant to solving the issue.

Best of luck and hopefully you get it sorted.

***EDIT***

One final thing you could try, (while it wont fix the issue, it might offer some clarity where the problem lies) perhaps install a live monitoring app such as MSi Afterburner. This can provide a live readout in game via an overlay which details CPU/GPU/RAM usage and temperatures (as well as other useful info such as FPS and frame times). It may help identify a problem with CPU spikes, memory usage or overheating.

[greybeard_52]

Thanks, I'll follow your suggestion.