What makes games sometimes exit to the desktop?

[coolcps]

This seems like a pretty common problem, for me at least. When a game exits to the desktop with no errors or anything. I was playing No One Lives Forever 2 and it does that once in awhile during load screens. This has happened to me at one time or another on most computers i have ever played a game on. Anyone know what the likely causes are?

[DrZaius]

Sounds like the game is crashing and closing for some reason. Since it's not locking up completely it doesn't sound like a hardware problem, rather a driver problem. Make sure all of your drivers (motherboard, sound, video) are up to date.

[coolcps]

Yeah it just did it again, it happens when you try to load a saved game after you die. I have all the latest drivers on all of my hardware.

[FantasySoul]

what os you are using?

[Alienware_Dude]

That happens to me as well; randomly, when I'm loading a saved game in N.O.L.F2, it crashes to the desktop. This also happens with Hitman 2 and S.O.F. II.

[Horsepwr]

Try deleting some of your saved games this has helped me not only load saved games faster but have less problems

[DragonNOA1]

maybe its a combo of certain programming running w/ certain background programs. who knows. i would sometimes get a dump to the dsktp w/ unreal, but a restart fixed that for me.

[coolcps]

I am convinced it is software, because patch 1.3 has fixed that and it loads twice as fast (2 seconds for saved games!)

[grasshopperbe]

from my personal experience, seems like its also OS dependant. for what i tested, my win98se has always been a better games os than my 2kpro (dont have xp, so cant decide on that myself)
NOLF2 doesnt have this prob on my pc.
several other games do.

98 doesnt only seem to have less probs with games dropping to desktop now and then, but i havent been able to get any of the ea f1 series running on my 2k pro they install, when i start, i get a few secs blackscreen, and then back to desktop.
i had some more games that did the same, but i dont remember if they were all EA (think not)

[casey]

Often it is software (Game related)
For instance Max Payne, had this problem and Patch 1.02 fixes it.

[Propain]

Maybe your system needs an upgrade? read your books on your hardware and set them to default specs. did ya check the Video settings on the game? did that to me once because monitor resolution couldnt handle it.

[coolcps]

It started doing it again, but its not that bad, because with the speed of this computer it gets back in the game within a few seconds. And all my settings are fine (all maxed out on 1024x768).

[Propain]

Is your card OC'ed by any chance?

[coolcps]

everything is stock. BTW i just beat NOLF2, great game, alot more than i expected. The mimes are hilarious!

[grasshopperbe]

yep, one of the best games i played in the last years. the only thing i really missed was the opportunity to give that male chauvinist pig of a colonel a kick against his ass :) . I really wanted to punish him for talking like that :)

[Alienware_Dude]

Wasn't it enough seeing him cowering like an idiot when UNITY headquarters was invaded? :D

[coolcps]

Is the coop thing any cool, or shall I move on to the next piece of media to devour?