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RAM Minidump fix (SOME COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE REQ'D!)


sloosecannon
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As many of you know, Sins is coded only to be able to handle 2GB of RAM. While this is fine for normal Sins, and even for some small mods, large mods such as SOGE, SoA2, and so forth tend to hit this hardcoded limit. This is a cause for many of the minidumps our mod has experienced since the addition of NovusUniversum.

 

However, with the advent of 64 bit systems that can handle more than 2GB per program, a fix for this issue can be achieved. By activating the "Large Address Aware" executable flag, 64 bit systems (and 32 bit systems that have been hacked to allow more than 2 gigs allocation) more RAM can be allocated, removing the problem completely.

 

HOWTO:

 

Requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7 (64 bit preferred, but not required)

More than 2 gigs of RAM. Actually, more than 4 is advised, but if you have less than 2, then just ignore this post. IT WILL NOT WORK!!!!!!

 

 

There are 2 ways to achieve this. The first way is less complicated, but I find it slightly quirky. I use the second one myself.

 

1st way:

Use the "Large Address Aware" program created by "FordGT90Concept" on the PowerUp forums.

 

Link with instructions here: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112556

 

2nd way:

Mod the .exe yourself. There is a tutorial on this on the Civilization IV forums (Civ IV has the same problem).

It can be found here: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=224178

Just change the exe you're editing to Sins instead of Civ, and you're set!

 

This also gives instructions on how to allow 32 bit systems to be able to assign more that 2GB for a program.

 

For reference, the file path to Sins Entrenchment is as follows:

 

For 64-bit systems:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Sins of a Solar Empire Entrenchment.exe"

 

For 32-bit systems:

"C:\Program Files\Stardock Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Sins of a Solar Empire Entrenchment.exe"

 

If you have any questions about this, feel free to PM me. When you do, please tell me the specs of your system, including RAM and OS, OS version (x86 or x64), and which way you used.

 

As a final note, the reason I recommend 64 bit systems is due to the lack of allocation in 32 bit systems. Even if you make it capable of handling more than 2 gigs for a program, there is a hard memory limit at 3.5 GB. This includes system RAM (RAM sticks), VidRAM, and anything else that might require memory addresses. This severely limits system capabilities.

 

More information on the 64 vs 32 bit systems can be found here, at microsoft's support site: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/946765

Sins of a Galactic Empire Mod Team Staff
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I strongly recommend doing this, as it will greatly reduce the number of minidumps one experiences, and perhaps is the reason I'm not experiencing ingame minidumps like some are. In addition, the first method is extremely easy to use and apply.
Sins of a Galactic Empire staff.
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Okay, so I tried both and it seems I still get the minidump on my save. I'll start anew, just to see if it still happens.

 

You mentioned you wanted to get peeps trying these fix to post their specs. Here are mine:

Acer AM3400-E2212

AMD Athlon II x4 core

4 GiB RAM

Windows 7 Familial 64-bit

1 TiB space disk

Nvidia GT-220 or something along these lines (not an internal shit)

Edited by MrPhildevil
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never reload an old saved minidump, start a new game always.

This. Starting an old minidump'd save will still cause a minidump, no matter what, unless the thing (like giving fighters shields) that you know is the minidump source is removed.

Sins of a Galactic Empire staff.
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Sir Yes Sir! Gonna try again then!

 

Still got a minidump on SW Lite Galaxy (upon loading/starting..............)

 

Just got another one on Random Medium Extra planet. This one about 20 minutes ingame, I unzoomed and bing: minidump :(

 

Yet another dump loading SW Lite Galaxy.

Edited by MrPhildevil
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There's got to be something on your end... The amount of minidumps you are experiencing makes no sense and is considerably more than most.

 

Also the SW Galaxy Lite is loading fine on my end, not sure why it isn't on yours. What's your checksum? I'll compare it to the current one.

Sins of a Galactic Empire staff.
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That is REALLY odd... that's a nice machine... are you running anything else that *could* be a memory hog? If there's no mem to allocate, then it will still MD... but that STILL doesn't make any sense... my laptop doesn't throw MDs at me like that and it's got worse specs than yours...

 

EDIT: I'm gonna assume you've done all the normal debugging strategies like removing the mod, re-downloading, and so on right? If not then maybe it could be like a partial install (although that STILL doesn't make sense)

Sins of a Galactic Empire Mod Team Staff
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What is the checksum and how can I transfer-it here?

 

Well, I've got an Anti-Virus, "Kaspersky". I'll try without, but I already tried and still got the md loads of time (before the fix).

 

I could re-download the whole mod and re-install, but I doubt that is the issue. Can't find-out what is on my end. If only I could find back the folder containing the dumps, maybe we could find out what's wrong.

 

Heh, I've got 56 dump stored there. Occupies 422 MiB's, and I remember I've deleted around 30 before I had those.

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What is the checksum and how can I transfer-it here?

Go to Options -> Mods. On the right you will see a number titled "Checksum". Post that number here.

Sins of a Galactic Empire staff.
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869074303

 

Would it help to mention that my copy of Soase has been bought from Taiwan (or something like that)? I did get it for less than the regular price, and could still install-it in english. However, I've had problems using my serial to get the updates (don't remember how I finally got them. I think I got the updates on filefront...). Do you think buying a brand new (american or canadian) copy would be worth a try, or a waste of money?

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Your checksum is off... Though there was an update earlier today. If this checksum is from revision 590 (latest), then your copy of SoGE is missing some files. If not, update and repost your checksum. Being bought from Taiwan may present an issue; the two Chinas are both rather well known for being counterfeiters, the copy of SoaSE you have may be a bootleg version. The fact that you could not get your Sins updates easily is not a good sign.
Sins of a Galactic Empire staff.
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I may just buy another one then. Here's the new checksum:

 

869079040

 

And I just got another minidump right after the update. I took note of the number and started a new game. Not 3 minutes into the game, I got a dump...

 

Where should I look for a legit copy? Would digital version available on stardock's website work for SOGE?

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Your checksum indicates that you have extra files. I would strongly recommend doing a clean install of SoGE before trying anything else.

 

Though yeah, getting Sins through Impulse (don't get Trinity) will work just fine, that's what I use myself.

Sins of a Galactic Empire staff.
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Uh, I have Trinity. Could this be the reason all this is acting Fuzzy? In any case, would you care to provide me with the link to the versions you think are appropriate, or at least indicate me their names?

 

Basically, to rule the problem:

-Where can I get the SOGE pack again, in case I don't find-it back in my SOGE comp?

-What version of Sins I should have (including patch number, as I think I run SOGE on sins 1.042 or something like that....)?

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Trinity might be a reason. I've heard from one or two people of some issues with running SoGE on it, though there shouldn't be any.

 

To get SoGE, follow the instructions here. For SoGE you should have Entrenchment v1.051.

 

Once again, while I would highly recommend doing a clean install of SoGE, as your current one is borked, you can get Sins+Ent here.

Sins of a Galactic Empire staff.
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  • SWR Staff - Executive
Yes, the digital copy from Impulse absolutely works. I use it.

Evaders99

http://swrebellion.com/images/banners/rebellionbanner02or6.gif Webmaster

http://swrebellion.com/images/banners/swcicuserbar.png Administrator

 

Fighting is terrible, but not as terrible as losing the will to fight.

- SW:Rebellion Network - Evaders Squadron Coding -

The cake is a lie.

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Okay, following all your advices, got the digital version of sins and entrenchment, plus I'm re-installing SOGE from scratch (deleted the old crap...). Hope this one's the charm!

 

New checksum: 869078588

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  • 2 months later...
  • SWR Staff - Executive
Yes, stickied

Evaders99

http://swrebellion.com/images/banners/rebellionbanner02or6.gif Webmaster

http://swrebellion.com/images/banners/swcicuserbar.png Administrator

 

Fighting is terrible, but not as terrible as losing the will to fight.

- SW:Rebellion Network - Evaders Squadron Coding -

The cake is a lie.

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  • 10 months later...

Hey, I downloaded the latest version of the mod yesterday, and it's minidumping after 10-15 mins, doesn't seem to be affected by faction at all.

 

Just wondering if this is the issue? I have 3gigs of RAM and my computer runs most games just fine. Is it just not powerful enough for the mod?

 

Of the 15 or so minutes I've got each game the Mod looks great though :) And I would really like to be able to play it!

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