Black Screen Issue--Solution Here

[Brian Monday]

Some Gamers playing the Fran Bow game have experienced a black screen when starting up the game. There are several ways to solve this issue and play the game. Here they are:

1. This seems to affect only some Gamers playing on mostly Windows 10 computers. It only happens when trying to play the game in Full-Screen mode. This is the mode that the Fran Bow game defaults to when first trying to play. A temporary solution is to switch to Windowed mode when you see the black screen. To do this, at the black screen, do the following:
   
   * Press and Hold down the "ALT" key on your keyboard.
   * While still holding down the "ALT" key, press and release the "ENTER" key.
   * Then release the "ALT" key.
   
   This "ALT-ENTER" key combination will switch you to Windowed mode if you're playing in Full-Screen mode and will switch you to Full-Screen mode if playing in Windowed mode.
   
   If you see only a black screen in Full-Screen mode, using "ALT-ENTER" to switch to Windowed mode will display the game screen for you.
   
   
2. A more permanent fix is to download this file called "options.ini" from this location: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OkQqEU0jG7ZNjaWeOuIsR1Nh_CeZEWQ2/view?usp=sharing and copy it to your Fran Bow game folder and overwrite the file already there with the same name. The default location for this file is here:
   
   c:\Program Files (X86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Fran Bow\options.ini
   
   Once you've downloaded and copied this "options.ini" file to your Fran Bow game folder, start up the game. You should then see the game screen whether you're in Windowed or Full-Screen mode. If the game is now playing in a Window, you can use the "ALT-ENTER" key combination to switch to Full-Screen mode and the game screen should still be visible.
   
   
3. Another way to make a permanent fix is to set the Compatibility for the "Fran Bow.exe" file to Windows 8. To do this, in Windows Explorer, locate the "Fran Bow.exe" file which, by default may be found here:
   
   c:\Program Files (X86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Fran Bow\Fran Bow.exe
   
   When you've found the "Fran Bow.exe" file, right click on it and select "Properties" from the resulting menu. On the "Fran Bow Properties" screen, left click on the "Compatibility Tab". Then select "Run this program in compatibility mode for" and select "Windows 8". Then left click the "OK" button to finish this configuration. Now play the Fran Bow game and the game screen should appear while playing in Full-Screen mode. If you're in a Window, use the "ALT-ENTER" key combination to switch to Full-Screen mode.
   
   
4. One more method to make a permanent fix is to first play the game in a Window temporarily. If in Full-Screen mode, use the "ALT-ENTER" key combination to switch to Windowed mode. The game screen should appear. If the game's "Language Selection" screen is on screen, then select the Language you wish to play the game in. Then the game's "Main Menu" should appear. On that menu, select the "Options" menu. On the "Options" menu, left click on the button next to "V-SYNC" to turn it "ON", then left click on the button next to "FULLSCREEN" to turn it "ON". Then left click on the Arrow pointing to the left in the upper left corner of the "Options" screen to return to the game's "Main Menu". The game should now be in Full-Screen mode with the game screen visible.

If these solutions don't work for you, please reply to this thread and we'll try to help you get the game running.

Killmonday Games hopes that you enjoy playing Fran Bow and thanks you for your purchase of the game and for your support of the Fran Bow game.

[MeowLovers]

Thank You! I will update after i played the game!!! So glad it is fixed! I been wanting to play it badly!!!!

[Ant.]

Hey!

I've tried your possible solutions, including editing the textfiles, verifiying the files, making sure onlly one driver is active etc etc, unfortunately to no avail.

What happens is:
I open the game, then at first I see a very small screen (it's only approximately 400x400) of what I assume is a loading screen (it closes rather quickly),
I believe I can see the developers' logo. Then It cuts away and I have to alt tab to get to the game, Once I'm on the menu, I cannot move my cursor at all (It's in spanish as well?), I do hear the music playing in the background. When I alt tab and move my cursor on my desktop and then alttab back to the game, my cursor has moved slightly but I cannot click or do anything on the menu screen.
In short, it starts but I can't do anything except for admiring the static menu page.

A sidenote: I'm not sure but the menu's screenresolution is on the lower side, I don't know if this is the case because the game is just programmed that way or if it's perhaps part of the problem, but I thought i'd let you know regardless!

I'm quite excited to play this game as it seems to be right up my alley, but so far I haven't found a way to play it.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Ps. A lot of respect for trying to help a user who's name i've forgotten, that threat was 2 pages long of you just you trying to help him :')

[Ant.]

As for my specs

Windows 10
Nvidia GTX860
Intel i7
I can't recall RAM, but for this type of game it really should be more than suffice

[Brian Monday]

Originally posted by Mr. Freeware:

As for my specs

Windows 10
Nvidia GTX860
Intel i7
I can't recall RAM, but for this type of game it really should be more than suffice

Hello Mr. Freeware,

Sorry the game won't run for you (so far). Your processor and video card seem to be very powerful, so I believe Fran Bow should run easily on your system.

I don't see any entry on the web for a NVidia GTX 860, only an NVidia GTX 860M. If that's correct, you're playing on a laptop, and your video card has 4 GB of dedicated VRAM. Is that correct?

Are you playing on the laptop's screen or do you have this laptop connected to another monitor? If so, what resolution is this monitor? If playing on the laptop monitor, what is the default resolution of the laptop's monitor.

When you see the "very small screen (approx. 400 x 400), it's probably this screen: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-V4ozvekwP4a3kwWlBjd0c3X0E, right?

This screen is centered on the monitor you're using, right? I'm trying to see if you are using a very high resolution monitor. I don't have experience with these ultra-high definition monitors, but have seen reports of games behaving badly with them--I believe the game screens only occupy a corner or a portion of the full screen.

The screen you said was in Spanish must be the Fran Bow Main Menu screen. The Spanish version looks like this: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-V4ozvekwP4NTVVQ190b0UySmM. Is this the screen you saw? If you start up the game now, do you get to that screen and then the game freezes (no mouse control)?

Let's reinitialize the game and try to get the English version of that screen to appear. Please download this file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-V4ozvekwP4VzBVWVNKZFFiUWM. Then, using Windows Explorer, navigate to this location:

c:\users\<your windows login name>\appdata\roaming\Fran_Bow\

Copy the file you downloaded in the paragraph above ("savedata.ini") and replace any file there with the same name. This will put the game into the lowest possible resolution (854 x 480) and in windowed mode with shaders off.

If you don't see this folder, it may be because "appdata" is hidden and you'll need to unhide it using the instructions in the original post of this thread.

Then please navigate in Windows explorer to the Fran Bow game folder:

c:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\Fran Bow

and delete the "options.ini" file that you previously copied from the Google drive location before you posted. If you still have the "options.ini-original" file, then please rename that file back to "options.ini". Otherwise, after deleting the "options.ini" file from the game folder, verify integrity of game cache again. This will copy the original "options.ini" from the Steam server back into your game folder. Please check to make sure that happened.

Then try to play the game again.

If it still locks, then please send me some system information by running these two things:

Direct X Diagnostic Tool (instructions here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/233250/discussions/2/648814845450819657/). Copy the DXDiag.txt file you create to a cloud service (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc) and post again with the link to the file.

MSINFO32 (instructions here: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=1376-WTZN-9132. Copy the .NFO file to a cloud service (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc) and add that link to the file to the post).

These reports should verify the video card make/model, whether you're playing on a laptop, and amount of video RAM, You'll still need to tell me what monitor you're using (laptop monitor or another monitor), and what the default resolution any external monitor you're using is running at.

I await your reply post.

[Ant.]

Hello!
Thank you for such an immediate response! It is much appreciated!
I've done what you've told me to do and it works quite well,
The only issue that I've left now is that I can't seem to get it to work in fullscreen? I can get the resolution to 1366x768 but I can't go fullscreen? If i select the fullscreen function on the options menu it freezes my cursor again. and I would have to close the application.

As for the NVIDIA, that was my fault, it was a typo, i've got the Nvidia GTX960M not the 860.

these are my pc specs as requested.
https://www.sendspace.com/file/zokwrk

I'll hope to hear from you soon!

[Brian Monday]

Originally posted by Mr. Freeware:

Hello!
Thank you for such an immediate response! It is much appreciated!
I've done what you've told me to do and it works quite well,
The only issue that I've left now is that I can't seem to get it to work in fullscreen? I can get the resolution to 1366x768 but I can't go fullscreen? If i select the fullscreen function on the options menu it freezes my cursor again. and I would have to close the application.

As for the NVIDIA, that was my fault, it was a typo, i've got the Nvidia GTX960M not the 860.

these are my pc specs as requested.
https://www.sendspace.com/file/zokwrk

I'll hope to hear from you soon!

What is the native resolution of the screen you're playing on?

Are you playing on the laptop or on an external monitor? If external monitor, how is it connected?

I can't open the file you posted. It's being filtered as I try to download.

[Ant.]

I'm playing on a laptop yes, not using an external monitor. The native resolution is 1920x1080
and the specs:

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 9/3/2016, 17:53:34
Machine name: MSI
Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64-bit (10.0, Build 10240) (10240.th1.160802-1852)
Language: Dutch (Regional Setting: Dutch)
System Manufacturer: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.
System Model: GE62 6QC
BIOS: E16J5IMS.106
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700HQ CPU @ 2.60GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.6GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 8092MB RAM
Page File: 2901MB used, 6471MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: 12
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 120 DPI (125 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: UnKnown
Miracast: Available, with HDCP
Microsoft Graphics Hybrid: Supported
DxDiag Version: 10.00.10240.16384 64bit Unicode

------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Display Tab 2: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.

--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics 530
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
DAC type: Internal
Device Type: Full Device
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_191B&SUBSYS_115A1462&REV_06
Display Memory: 4174 MB
Dedicated Memory: 128 MB
Shared Memory: 4046 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: unknown
Monitor Id: CMN15D2
Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (60.008Hz)
Output Type: Internal
Driver Name: igdumdim64.dll,igd10iumd64.dll,igd10iumd64.dll,igd12umd64.dll,igdumdim32,igd10iumd32,igd10iumd32,igd12umd32
Driver File Version: 10.18.0015.4256 (English)
Driver Version: 10.18.15.4256

This should be enough i suppose.

[Brian Monday]

Ok, maybe you truncated the DxDiag.txt report, but I only see the Intet(R) HD Graphics 530 with 128 MB dedicated memory on this report:

---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics 530
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
DAC type: Internal
Device Type: Full Device
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_191B&SUBSYS_115A1462&REV_06
Display Memory: 4174 MB
Dedicated Memory: 128 MB
Shared Memory: 4046 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)

Are you sure, you updated the NVidia Control Panel to use the NVidia GTX 960M for the "Fran Bow.exe" file?. Will you try posting a screenshot (hopefully I'll be able to download that) of the NVidia 3d Settings screens for both default operation as well as for specific programs?

Here's a .pdf file which shows a couple of screens from my computer for this info:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-V4ozvekwP4S1RTcFVRVTlnb1U.

I'll assume that your DxDiag.txt report only shows the Intel(R) HD Graphics 530 because you either truncated the data on the report or because you use that card for non-graphics intensive programs. The NVidia control panel screens will show me the settings I am looking for.

And, at the risk of being seen as "flip", might I suggest that you just leave the resolution at 1366 x 768 in a window, or drop down to the next lower resolution (1280 x 720) so you can play fullscreen?

The graphics were originally drawn at 854 x 480, and upscaled (not redrawn) for the other resolutions available on the options screen. Even if you provide me with the other information requested, if you do have your computer running the "Fran Bow.exe" using the NVidia card, I don't really know of any configuration change to make to allow you to keep the game from crashing with the "1366 x 768 fullscreen" configuration.

As a guess, maybe it is a NVidia driver issue? Do you have the latest driver installed. That information is not shown on the part of the DxDiag.txt file you posted (it only shows the Intel card driver info).

But I'm glad you got the game running. I'm not sure what accomplished that. You reverted the "options.ini" file back to default, so the only thing that might be different from before you posted is that I gave you a "savedata.ini" file that defaulted the configuration to 854 x 480 in windowed mode. Perhaps that's what did it.

[Brian Monday]

Hello again Mr. Freeware,

I did finally download your uploaded DxDiag.txt (had to use a different browser--sorry that I didn't think about that sooner).

Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce GTX 960M
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Type: Render-Only Device
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_139B&SUBSYS_115A1462&REV_A2
Display Memory: 6065 MB
Dedicated Memory: 2018 MB
Shared Memory: 4046 MB
Current Mode: n/a
Driver Name: nvd3dumx,nvwgf2umx,nvwgf2umx,nvwgf2umx,nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um
Driver File Version: 21.21.0013.7270 (English)
Driver Version: 21.21.13.7270
DDI Version: 12
Feature Levels: 11.0,10.1,10.0,9.3,9.2,9.1
Driver Model: WDDM 2.0
Graphics Preemption: DMA
Compute Preemption: DMA
Miracast: Not Supported by Graphics driver
Hybrid Graphics GPU: Discrete
Power P-states: Not Supported
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 8/26/2016 01:27:49, 17619464 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes

I see that you have 2 GB of dedicated video RAM, and that the driver was updated very recently, so upgrading won't help. I would suggest to you that sometimes recent driver updates can cause problems that are solved by downgrading to the prior version. That seems overkill in this situation since we don't know that is the case here, and you ARE able to play the game, just not at the resolution you want in Fullscreen mode.

I think my suggestion is to stop here and play at 1280 x 720 Fullscreen, or 1366 x 768 in a window. I am unaware of any way to do any better here.

Please post again if you want to discuss further.

[mshadows]

Hello is there any way to change the resolution of the game before startup the game won't start when i click on it and i suspect my 4k tv to be the culprit

[Brian Monday]

Originally posted by mshadows:

Hello is there any way to change the resolution of the game before startup the game won't start when i click on it and i suspect my 4k tv to be the culprit

Hello mshadows,

I don't know if this will fix the issue you are experiencing or not, but here is the info you requested:

The resolution for the game starts at 854x480 in full screen mode (by default). As the game starts up, a few variables are written to the same file that records your gameplay progress--the "savedata.ini" file. This file is stored on Windows computers at this location:

%userprofile%\Appdata\Roaming\Fran_Bow\savedata.ini

I would check on the computer you are trying to play the Fran Bow game on to see if this file has been created. If so, then the game successfully started and took you to the Fran Bow Language Selection Screen (even if you don't see it on your 4k TV). But if the file is not there, then the game didn't start up.

The "savedata.ini" file uses these variables for screen resolution:

[Bow]
xres="854.000000"
yres="480.000000"
Scroin="0.000000"
hdmode="1.000000"


The Scroin variable controls full-screen/windowed mode (1=Full Screen, 0=Windowed)
The hdmode variable (if set at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6) actually controls the xres and yres variables. So if you don't have any savedata.ini file saved, you can create one using only the Scroin and hdmode variables (the xres and yres variables will automatically be written as the game starts up IF the hdmode variable is already present).

Here are the other resolution choices (below shows windowed mode--change Scroin="1.000000" if you wish full-screen mode):

[Bow]
xres="1024.000000"
yres="576.000000"
Scroin="0.000000"
hdmode="2.000000"


[Bow]
xres="1280.000000"
yres="720.000000"
Scroin="0.000000"
hdmode="3.000000"


[Bow]
xres="1366.000000"
yres="768.000000"
Scroin="0.000000"
hdmode="4.000000"


[Bow]
xres="1600.000000"
yres="900.000000"
Scroin="0.000000"
hdmode="5.000000"


[Bow]
xres="1920.000000"
yres="1080.000000"
Scroin="0.000000"
hdmode="6.000000"


There are no other resolutions available through the game's configuration menu for the Fran Bow game. I did successfully use one "non-standard" resolution (480 x 240) by inserting those values for xres and yres (with a value of "0.000000" for hdmode). So, if you want to try to play the game at 4K resolution, you could try setting the xres and yres variables to the appropriate numbers for 4K resolution (apparently 3840 x 2160) with the hdmode="0.000000" and see what happens.

Please note that I can't be responsible for any issues that result from making these configuration changes outside the game (including any damage to your computer or TV). I have not tried to play the Fran Bow game on a 4K TV. You make these changes at your own risk.

If this solves your issue and you get a game screen on your 4K TV, I'm sure that other gamers using a 4K TV would be interested in your results via another post. If this doesn't help, you may wish to consider trying to test the game on a standard computer monitor to ensure that there isn't some other issue preventing the game from starting. If that's the case, then some of the troubleshooting tips in the first post of this thread may be helpful to you.

[HolyPurple]

The "options.ini" worked for me!!! Thanks you!

[Nobody]

Doesn't ever boot up

Pardon if this has been addressed, I tried checking if it's in any of the recent posts but seems people have had other issues. Anytime I try to start it up it does the "running" on steam and then never boots up. I've validated files, cleared the steam cashe since it can effect games booting up, I've even messed with different compability modes and run as admin.

Is this a known bug with a fix or am I just doomed not to ever play this game?

[Brian Monday]

Originally posted by Fidget:

Pardon if this has been addressed, I tried checking if it's in any of the recent posts but seems people have had other issues. Anytime I try to start it up it does the "running" on steam and then never boots up. I've validated files, cleared the steam cashe since it can effect games booting up, I've even messed with different compability modes and run as admin.

Is this a known bug with a fix or am I just doomed not to ever play this game?

Hello Fidget,

It appears based on what you posted that you are trying to run the game on a Windows computer. If I guessed wrong about that, post again and let me know if you're trying to run the game on either a Mac or a Linux computer. In the meantime, I've moved your post to the Pinned Windows Gamers Troubleshooting Thread.

I agree with you that your symptoms appear to be slightly different (with the continuous "Running" in the Steam Client software). If you wish, you can try running the game outside of the Steam Client first to see what happens. To do this, just go to the folder where the game is installed--the default is:

c:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\Common\Fran Bow

and temporarily rename the file "steam_api.dll" to some other name (example: "steam_api.dll.original"). Then exit from the Steam Client completely, and then double-click on the "Fran Bow.exe" file in the folder the game is stored in (default is above) to start up the game. You may see the "Fran Bow.exe" file displayed only as "Fran Bow" if you have "Hide file extensions for known file types" checked in Folder options in your Windows configuration (this is the Windows default).

This should start up the game without Steam support if everything else is complete.

If the game does start up without the Steam Client running, then there is something that needs to be corrected within the Steam Client itself. Post again to let me know, and I'll do some more research about what that could be.

If the game still does not start up, then the other standard troubleshooting tips for Windows computers would still apply as explained below. You can then rename the "steam_api.dll.original" file back to "steam_api.dll" to run the game under the Steam Client software again.

Please take a look at the first post in this thread for the standard troubleshooting tips for Windows computers. It appears that you have already verified the integrity of the game cache, but if you have more than one video card in your computer, then you'll need to ensure that the discrete video card is being used when you try to run the Fran Bow game.

You can also make some configuration changes to the "options.ini" file to try to get the game running. These steps are explained in greater detail in the first post in this Windows Gamers Troubleshooting Tips thread. (where I've moved your post now).

If you are unable to get the game going after trying all the troubleshooting steps in the first post in this thread, then please create a DirectX Diagnostic Tool output or an MSINFO32 output using these links for instructions:

Direct X Diagnostic Tool (instructions here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/233250/discussions/2/648814845450819657/. Copy the DXDiag.txt file you create to a cloud service (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc) and post again with the link to the file.

MSINFO32 (instructions here: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=1376-WTZN-9132 . Copy the .NFO file to a cloud service (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc) and add that link to the file to the reply post)..

This will give me some idea about the specs for your computer. There are a couple of other things to try to get the game running, but let's start with these standard troubleshooting tips. Please post again if the game will still not start up for you.

You should not need to run the game using any compatibility mode or run the game as an admin under Windows.

[Nobody]

Oh my god you're a life saver! Yes running on windows, sorry forgot to mention which system. I never knew you could do that. This makes me so happy because I've been wanting to record this for my channel for a good six months now and have been unable to play it. Thank you so much!