java freezes pc

[theBaptist]

hi to all - i am totally new but this seems like a great forum to maybe help me solve a big annoyance ..

i have 2 pc's at home and both my son and wife are Runescape
(online game that works through a browser) addicts and were happily playing until i had to format the old pc due to a hdd packing up.

so i got a new hdd and new installation, installed all the software that was on the pc before (like anti-virus, Office etc etc nothing out of the ordinary) and started Runescape .. well Runescape needs Java and it prompts you to d/l it which we did. the thing is as soon as a world is chosen the pc freezes on the security window that comes up only the 1st time the game is played on a particular pc.

i also tried starting up Java from the icon in the Control Panel but i get the same symptoms ... pc freezes incl mouse pointer and one would have to reset.

the problem seems to lie with Java itself, i have tried running Runescape with Mozilla but get the same 'freeze' as soon as Java launches itself ...

i have also uninstalled the latest version of Java and tried older ones but no luck - same result.

the pc in question is a PIII 1000MHz / 1 Gb SDram / FX5200 128Mb card / 5.1Live sound / WinXP Pro.

any help appreciated :cool:

[theBaptist]

hmmm just found out after installing Shockwave that the same thing is happening - so now its Jave AND Shokwave freezing pc ... any connection ?? :eek:

[pam123]

I wanted to check out the game forum but they won't let me on without an account/password.
Since you've got one go over there and 'search' the technical section, it seems to be a problem that many are having with the game.
If you can't find the answer there then e-mail the game support staff.
Shockwave, like Runescape, uses Java.
If you're having trouble with one it's no surprise that you're having trouble with the other.
The problem has also come up here before, and it's proved possible to get Runescape to work in IE, but you're right that the problem does appear to be Java and one of the other game players may have a fix.

PCMech thread : http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=151987

I'll keep hunting, now that I know it's a Java problem and not a game problem, and see what I can find.

edit : I think I found your answer. Read through this page : http://www.coffeebreakarcade.com/help.htm and then read this : http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=383069&highlight=java+freezes+firefox

[theBaptist]

thanks Pam for your answer - in the meantime i have figured it out and am ashamed to say it wasnt Java after all but DirectDraw & Direct3D on dxdiag were also crashing so i figured out it is not software but a gfx prob ...

so i went fiddling around with the BIOS (new hdd - pc just formatted) and changed some things around that i cannot remember offhand this morning but i DID change something from PCI to AGP since i have an AGP card ... i also remember raising he AGP ram from 32 to 128 but i think its the former that did it :D

thanks :)

[pam123]

It very likely was the former.
Glad you got it all straightened out.