Please Read this Before Posting:
It should first be noted that TTLG is not a hardware Technical Support website. You may want to try other sites (computing.net, Microsoft Knowledge Base, or Experts-Exchange) as well as your computer's manufacturer (HP, Gateway, Dell, IBM, and others) before posting here.
Furthermore, please do not post help if you don't know what you're talking about. Getting bad advice sucks, so please don't post stuff like "Flash your BIOS!" if you're not sure that will fix it. Please let people know your own technical knowledge when giving advice.
It should also be noted that the Thief and System Shock series both have their own FAQs, which include hardware troubleshooting sections. Here is the Thief Series FAQ and the System Shock Series FAQ. If you have a question pertaining to these games that isn't in either of those FAQs, please make use of the forum search function. If nothing turns up there, feel free to post.
For the purposes of this site, System Shock 2 is not abandonware. You cannot distribute it. Any threads requesting cracks for it (be it No-CD or anything) will be closed and/or deleted. Piracy of any sort is not tolerated on these forums. Please be aware of this and make sure you have read the TTLG Forum Guidelines.
Tips for Posting
- Please post your System Specifications.
- Please include the exact Error Message.
- Please be Patient.
- Please Post Follow Up.
- Please Know the Risks.
- Please include problem-specific information.
- Please don't be offended.
- General Tech Nomenclature.
Utilities
- SpyWare Removal/Prevention
- Personal Firewalls
- Virus Scanners
- Online Virus Scanners
- Ultimate Boot CD
- Take Ownership
Information
Tips for Posting
Please post your System Specifications
Knowing what your system has in it is a great help to anyone trying to diagnose a problem. Please include your video card, sound card, processor, Operating System (with Service Pack #/Release #) and any other information we could possibly need. To automate this process, you can use Everest.
Please include the exact Error Message
An error message saying INVALID PAGE FAULT: 0x0000176-0x0000196 may not mean much to you, but it helps other people get a sense of what your problem may be. If possible, upload a screen shot of your error. If the error occurs on boot, (such as a blue screen) hit the Pause/Break key on your keyboard and copy down the error by hand. It really helps.
Please be Patient
The problem can be as simple as clearing a checkbox, running a program, or changing a setting. However, some can be quite complex, and may take a while to even comprehend. Please allow at least a few hours before reposting your problem.
Please Post Follow Up
Let us know what worked. Not only does it help the people providing the help, but people in the future who use the search function.
Please Know the Risks
Accepting computer advice over the net is relatively safe, but there's always a chance that something will go horribly awry and your computer will have to be rebuilt from the ground up. If this happens to you, keep in mind that we were only trying to help and that every Tech Support line and Help Desk has a disclaimer.
Please Include Problem-Specific Information
Make sure you are updated to the latest version of whatever you are having a problem with. It is also helpful to have the latest version of DirectX. Older versions can be found here.If you are having graphical problems, please post your game resolution and rendering method along with your Video Card. (Direct3D, OpenGL, Glide, Software) For printers and other peripherals, please post the Make and Model along with the connection type. (Parallel port, RJ-45, USB) Anything that would help diagnose and fix the problem.
Please Don't be Offended
When explaining problems of a technical nature, it is always best to assume the end user knows nothing. If you get offended because it sounds like we're talking down or over generalizing, please don't be upset, but let us know. We can't gauge a person's technical knowledge based on one or two posts.
General Tech Nomenclature
We will always try to make the steps to solve a problem clear. For the most part, Italics denote an exact name, such as My Computer or Telnet Server Administration. Bold indicates a key or action, such as Pause/Break or Alt-F4.
Everest
What is Everest?
Everest is a professional system information, diagnostics and benchmarking program. It extracts details of all components of the PC. It can display information on the screen, print it, or save it to file in various formats such as plain text and HTML. Everest has been discontinued but is still available for download (see below). Best of all, Everest is free.
If you prefer, you can use the successor to Everest which is called Aida64 but it is not free.
Why should I use Everest?
It makes the task of solving your technical problem much easier! It allows you to generate a total system report which will allow others to see where a potential problem may lie. It is especially useful if you are not very computer savvy. Just a few clicks will generate a report which will provide all relevant system specifications for the troubleshooters in this forum to use while assisting you.
Where do I get Everest?
You can download Everest here.
How do I Use Everest?
(Note: The following instructions are for inexperienced users. Experienced users may wish to use the custom report features in Everest.)
Once you have downloaded and started Everest, you need to perform the following steps to give a good report:
[*] Turn off Debug info in reports:
Click File
Click Preferences
Click Report
Uncheck 'Include debug information' in the right-hand window
Uncheck 'Enable report footer' in the right-hand window
Click OK
[*] Generate a report:
Click Report
Click Quick Report - All pages
Click Plain Text or HTML
When the report has been generated, click Save to File, choose a place to save it and click Save.
Upload the file to some website and post the link in your Tech Help post (preferred), or simply copy and paste the report into your post.
Here is a sample report generated using an earlier version of the Everest tool.
Utilities
SpyWare Removal/Prevention
Personal Firewalls for Windows XP and older
Virus Scanning Utilities
Online Virus Scanning
Ultimate Boot CD
Take Ownership
- Take Ownership - For resolving UAC permission conflicts while using Vista/7/8.
Information
PC Safety and Security
Help Sites for Infected PCs
FAQ Thanks to: David for the Everest stuff, and Omega for suggesting we use it in the first place! Hooray! And many thanks also to Tannar and Renzatic for helping with this update.
Last edited by nickie; 17th Jul 2012 at 04:19.
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