My Really Annoying TF2 Problem

[Sirnak]

I don't know why, but 50% of the times I play TF2 I end up having a weird graphic bug that changes that textures of the game andor that puts weird filters in my screens. The effects are really random. Letters can appear in my screen, sprays can start replacing game textures, everything can become, bullets/rockets/any kind of weapon and projectile becomes invisible, etc. Even weirder, I've almost never seen the same graphic bug twice though it often replaces character textures and that I can't identify enemies or allies when it does so... It's always a new kind of stuff that changes on my screen. I have some screenshots to show you the kinds of bugs I suffer:







Last screenshot was taken yesterday night on Barnblitz. I had to Medic my team and I couldn't restart my computer immediatly since I was pretty vital for everyone's survival... I played as I could with my screen like that, but I couldn't see much... I often end up like that and often keep playing even with my game messed up. If you've been wondering why I sometimes played incredibly shitty or couldn't airblast shit when other times I do much better, my graphic bugs could explain a thing or two. :/

Please help me out if you can.

[Techercizer]

Looks like your Graphics Card, Graphics Drivers, or Card/Mobo interface is borked. Or maybe D) all of the above

Also, the top screenshot is fucking hilarious.

[Shadow the Past]

If you're running a desktop, try opening it up and making sure your graphics card is properly seated in the slot. If it's not correctly in there, it could cause problems, although these are the weirdest problems I've ever seen. It may just be a faulty graphics card all together, and you may want to try and test a new one.

Have you tried fiddling with the graphics settings in TF2? It should be under Options on the main screen.

[Techercizer]

If you're running a desktop, try opening it up and making sure your graphics card is properly seated in the slot. If it's not correctly in there, it could cause problems, although these are the weirdest problems I've ever seen. It may just be a faulty graphics card all together, and you may want to try and test a new one.

Have you tried fiddling with the graphics settings in TF2? It should be under Options on the main screen.

It's not processing file paths correctly; that top one isn't even from the .gcf. The problem is almost certainly somewhere between when the data is sent into his Graphics Card and when it receives a rendered version back.

[Sirnak]

If you're running a desktop, try opening it up and making sure your graphics card is properly seated in the slot. If it's not correctly in there, it could cause problems, although these are the weirdest problems I've ever seen. It may just be a faulty graphics card all together, and you may want to try and test a new one.

Have you tried fiddling with the graphics settings in TF2? It should be under Options on the main screen.

It's not processing file paths correctly; that top one isn't even from the .gcf. The problem is almost certainly somewhere between when the data is sent into his Graphics Card and when it receives a rendered version back.

I somehow doubt it's a bug coming from my graphic card. After all, I play The Witcher 2, possibly the game with the most beautiful graphics up to now, at "High" in graphical options without any slow downs. Nor to mention I didn't have these weird glitches until my 300 or 400 hours of TF2 play time. I didn't change computer since nor did I change anything in it since I've started playing TF2.

Knowing all these facts, can it still be my graphic card that causes the problem? I can always try to lower my TF2 graphical settings to see if it'd solve the problems, though.

Also, Tech, the inside of my computer was inspected last week by a professional (I wanted to boost my RAM for The Witcher 2...) so it's pretty unlikely that my graphic card wouldn't be properly seated since the guy looked at everything inside (and yes I've been having these weird graphic bugs way before this inspection).

Any other suggestions? o.o

Edit: Konfy kills someone with a bodyshot in the first image. What a noob. ^^

[Rustic Apple]

The only thing (the I know of) that causes these things are dying/fucked graphics cards. The only thing I would think to do is verify the cache and/or defrag the files.

*edit* Friend that has the same problem said that alt + tabbing helps sometimes.

[Techercizer]

Edit: Konfy kills someone with a bodyshot in the first image. What a noob. ^^

Konfy obviously headshot someone with more than 150hp before a second sniper bodyshotted them.

Also, do you entirely understand what your TF2 client is doing? This isn't the sort of thing caused by a .dll somewhere or a poorly formatted custom skin.

In normal cases like this I would agree with Rustic's suggestion to check your files; however, the top image isn't an image from the TF2 .gcf archives; it's completely unrelated to TF2. This means your problem is bigger than just this game alone.

Also, saying you can run the Witcher 2 is like saying that your computer can support a 100lb stack of books without bending; it's very nice, but it has little to nothing to do with the unique ways that the TF2 and Source engine access and transfer data through your card. Heck, my card is fucked to hell. I can't even play my own game without getting graphical glitches in perfectly functioning textures; that doesn't stop me from getting a perfect 120fps with no bugs in TF2 though.

[GoDM1N]

Restart steam.......



Other than W2 are there any other games you play without problems? Or is it JUST TF2 that has these problems. Assuming Its only TF2, maybe reinstall, if that doesn't work uninstall steam and try reinstaling that.

Also having your computer inspected by "professionals" generally means someone just looked inside and said "yep theres a CPU, GPU, Ram ect ect, let me blow some air inside (pshhhhhhh) K we're done here"

[Mangachu]

i like the first one pretty well, any idea as to if i can make that legit?

[Hatred]

in my opinion i seems like your hardwarse is about to break ... probaly your RAM its unable to re-write over other files its storing properly even if its stuff from the web and corrupting your attemps to do other things .... or your HD is trying to use file paging and getting stuff mixed up for some reason ... i cant say for sure .... but a virus wouldnt do this or other ppl would have the problem and i seems isolated to you ... pay the $45 to take it to a specialist is my best guess try BESTBUY or whatever you have thats like that .... steam doesnt seem like the problem other than volty's roblem of trying to identify his files and the could be related ....

bottom line you have 1 of 2 problems .....

1, HARDWARE MALFUNCTION (seems most probable) maybe delete all TF2 files use a HD cleaner and re-install

2, it's steam cause ramdom bugs in ppl's stuff cause they are always changing things and it cant use every hardware config to troubleshoot before a patch ...

.... sigh .... rant rant rant ....

but witcher 2 and TF2 are steam games right ?

try playing non-steam games not through steam and see if persists .... i hope its just steam needing a patch for your sake if not THEN take it to a tech for a hardware annalisis of is condition you have to specify the diagnostic or they will derp you....

lulz

[Techercizer]

in my opinion i seems like your hardwarse is about to break ... probaly your RAM its unable to re-write over other files its storing properly even if its stuff from the web and corrupting your attemps to do other things .... or your HD is trying to use file paging and getting stuff mixed up for some reason ... i cant say for sure .... but a virus wouldnt do this or other ppl would have the problem and i seems isolated to you ... pay the $45 to take it to a specialist is my best guess try BESTBUY or whatever you have thats like that .... steam doesnt seem like the problem other than volty's roblem of trying to identify his files and the could be related ....

FUCK no. Don't take this offensively hatred, but saying that idea is retarded is an insult to the very real difficulties that mentally challenged people struggle with every day. It is stupid beyond words.

You want it looked at? Take it to a friend who knows computers and ask them if they'll help you for free. If you really want incentive, tell them that if they can concretely find the source of the problem, and pin it down to a specific fault or part, you'll give them $5-$20 as a thank-you (don't tell them the range, just pick a number and offer it).

The tech support industry is a massive parasite designed to leach money off of customers without putting any more time in than a blanket OS reinstall or driver updates. NEVER, EVER take your computer to them. Not only will they not fix anything that isn't the most simple problem, there is a very real chance your computer will come back worse for wear. Find someone who knows computers. Get in good with them. Use them to make your digital life better.

If parse were here, he'd back me up on this.

[Mike808]

Wait for hard ass tony to come back from vacation he knows hardware very well

[Hatred]

in my opinion i seems like your hardwarse is about to break ... probaly your RAM its unable to re-write over other files its storing properly even if its stuff from the web and corrupting your attemps to do other things .... or your HD is trying to use file paging and getting stuff mixed up for some reason ... i cant say for sure .... but a virus wouldnt do this or other ppl would have the problem and i seems isolated to you ... pay the $45 to take it to a specialist is my best guess try BESTBUY or whatever you have thats like that .... steam doesnt seem like the problem other than volty's roblem of trying to identify his files and the could be related ....

FUCK no. Don't take this offensively hatred, but saying that idea is retarded is an insult to the very real difficulties that mentally challenged people struggle with every day. It is stupid beyond words.

You want it looked at? Take it to a friend who knows computers and ask them if they'll help you for free. If you really want incentive, tell them that if they can concretely find the source of the problem, and pin it down to a specific fault or part, you'll give them $5-$20 as a thank-you (don't tell them the range, just pick a number and offer it).

The tech support industry is a massive parasite designed to leach money off of customers without putting any more time in than a blanket OS reinstall or driver updates. NEVER, EVER take your computer to them. Not only will they not fix anything that isn't the most simple problem, there is a very real chance your computer will come back worse for wear. Find someone who knows computers. Get in good with them. Use them to make your digital life better.

If parse were here, he'd back me up on this.

if your that worried about $45 your very pathetic ... no i dont take offence but its that attitude that has the US unable to create jobs ... they can do it just make sure that before you take it there you clarify what u want tested ... dont just blindly take it to them and be like fix this and pay ... say this is what i want u to do or if you fix this problem or can tell me exactly whats wrong ill pay ...

stupid ppl trying to pinch every penny its sad ...

PS everything in this world is a parasite ... government, school, you, me, your friends, my friends, video games, movies, nature .. call it what u want but everything feeds off of other things ...

PPS if your dont piss away $45 in coffee alone every week and still have $ left move somewhere that doesnt suck there is LOTS of 40 hour a week jobs out here ...

[stanley]

in my opinion i seems like your hardwarse is about to break ... probaly your RAM its unable to re-write over other files its storing properly even if its stuff from the web and corrupting your attemps to do other things .... or your HD is trying to use file paging and getting stuff mixed up for some reason ... i cant say for sure .... but a virus wouldnt do this or other ppl would have the problem and i seems isolated to you ... pay the $45 to take it to a specialist is my best guess try BESTBUY or whatever you have thats like that .... steam doesnt seem like the problem other than volty's roblem of trying to identify his files and the could be related ....

FUCK no. Don't take this offensively hatred, but saying that idea is retarded is an insult to the very real difficulties that mentally challenged people struggle with every day. It is stupid beyond words.

You want it looked at? Take it to a friend who knows computers and ask them if they'll help you for free. If you really want incentive, tell them that if they can concretely find the source of the problem, and pin it down to a specific fault or part, you'll give them $5-$20 as a thank-you (don't tell them the range, just pick a number and offer it).

The tech support industry is a massive parasite designed to leach money off of customers without putting any more time in than a blanket OS reinstall or driver updates. NEVER, EVER take your computer to them. Not only will they not fix anything that isn't the most simple problem, there is a very real chance your computer will come back worse for wear. Find someone who knows computers. Get in good with them. Use them to make your digital life better.

If parse were here, he'd back me up on this.

if your that worried about $45 your very pathetic ... no i dont take offence but its that attitude that has the US unable to create jobs ... they can do it just make sure that before you take it there you clarify what u want tested ... dont just blindly take it to them and be like fix this and pay ... say this is what i want u to do or if you fix this problem or can tell me exactly whats wrong ill pay ...

stupid ppl trying to pinch every penny its sad ...

PS everything in this world is a parasite ... government, school, you, me, your friends, my friends, video games, movies, nature .. call it what u want but everything feeds off of other things ...

PPS if your dont piss away $45 in coffee alone every week and still have $ left move somewhere that doesnt suck there is LOTS of 40 hour a week jobs out here ...

i agree with broken/hatred/waspinator. after you try all the things you can think of, if youre still having the problem its something that you should get checked out by professionals. IF you dont personally know anyone that can help with you it, then definitely take it to somewhere like bestbuy

[Guy]

I am not a pro or anything but looks like your computer either got heat shocked and/or is getting old.

Make sure all the fans are on and are working, also make sure the computer is clean inside. If it is very dusty buy a can of canned air. If fans are broken or slow, buy new ones as they are very cheap. If your CPU fan is slow or broken buy a new one asap and have someone who knows how to replace them put it on for you.

Edit: Also make sure your CPU tower is in a ventilated area and not in a closed off tight area, as the heat will not be able to excape from it. If it is a notebook computer, and playing a CPU intensive game like TF2, make sure you have it sitting on an air cooling pad and not your lap. Notebooks can easily be heatshocked.

[Techercizer]

The problem is that "professionals" don't go to work at Best Buy; they get quality jobs in the IT industry with management perks and a decent salary. Best Buy repair technicians are specifically instructed not to fix computer problems they find; they go through the same Virus Scan, Check Drivers, Reinstall OS steps for each problem because those are the steps that allow them to charge the most for the least amount of effort. I know many people who have worked in consumer electronics repair and have read quite a few accounts from ex Geek-Squad members (one of whom lost his job because he was spending his down time actually finding and fixing problems on the machines he was told to fix). It isn't a "parasite" in that it draws its sustenance from consumers, it's a "parasite" in that its sole purpose is to bleed money out of people without providing any long term improvement.

It's not about losing $45, it's about wasting time and risking anything from minor data loss to actual long-term system damage at the hands of what is effectively the electronic industry's equivalent of a placebo. I dare anyone who built their own computer here to tell me that they'd take it to Best Buy to get it looked at.

[mrProtagonist]

You're having complaints about the top screenshot? I'd be laughing my ass off.

[stanley]

The problem is that "professionals" don't go to work at Best Buy; they get quality jobs in the IT industry with management perks and a decent salary. Best Buy repair technicians are specifically instructed not to fix computer problems they find; they go through the same Virus Scan, Check Drivers, Reinstall OS steps for each problem because those are the steps that allow them to charge the most for the least amount of effort. I know many people who have worked in consumer electronics repair and have read quite a few accounts from ex Geek-Squad members (one of whom lost his job because he was spending his down time actually finding and fixing problems on the machines he was told to fix). It isn't a "parasite" in that it draws its sustenance from consumers, it's a "parasite" in that its sole purpose is to bleed money out of people without providing any long term improvement.

It's not about losing $45, it's about wasting time and risking anything from minor data loss to actual long-term system damage at the hands of what is effectively the electronic industry's equivalent of a placebo. I dare anyone who built their own computer here to tell me that they'd take it to Best Buy to get it looked at.

you sound like genn beck...

[Hatred]

It isn't a "parasite" in that it draws its sustenance from consumers, it's a "parasite" in that its sole purpose is to bleed money out of people without providing any long term improvement.

It's not about losing $45, it's about wasting time and risking anything from minor data loss to actual long-term system damage at the hands of what is effectively the electronic industry's equivalent of a placebo. I dare anyone who built their own computer here to tell me that they'd take it to Best Buy to get it looked at.

that is saying the same thing twice but with leaving out a couple words the first time and add a couple more colorful words the second to try and make your point when it is my point...

you sound like genn beck...

and wow that is the meanest thing i have ever heard ....he doesnt deserve that for his opinion ....

[Failhorse]

Back on topic.

Open computer case.
Pull out video card
pull out ram.
take fan off CPU.

blow out dust.

Reassemble.

Test.

Issue continues?

Pull out ram
add 1 stick into first slot.
test
continues?
add 2nd stick to first slot (remove first.)

Test

continues?

Borrow V-card from someone.

Test

Continues?

------
Testing ram 1 at a time will determine if 1 or all is bad.
Until you test the video card you can't assume the ram itself is bad, unless only 1 stick is not performing.
To rule out the video card you must have a replacement to check if the system is still not performing to specified
operations.

If you are going to de-dust (haha get it.) you must remove hardware first. This ensures the first layer of dust is removed. Meaning new dust will gather at a slower pace. Generally this + reseating the video card can fix a lot of issues in TF2. (trust me.)

[Sirnak]

You're having complaints about the top screenshot? I'd be laughing my ass off.

Actually, on that screenshot, you only see the interior of the spawn. The spawn texture was replaced by the Black-Man-on-a-Scooter spray (it's my spray by the way ^^), but other textures were replaced by other more disturbing sprays. The rock textures were replaced by the spray of a Scout doing a handjob to a Heavy with an impressively enormous penis, all while smiling. Since we were on Gold Rush, I tell you there were lots of handjobs on my screen...

Testing ram 1 at a time will determine if 1 or all is bad.
Until you test the video card you can't assume the ram itself is bad, unless only 1 stick is not performing.
To rule out the video card you must have a replacement to check if the system is still not performing to specified
operations.

If you are going to de-dust (haha get it.) you must remove hardware first. This ensures the first layer of dust is removed. Meaning new dust will gather at a slower pace. Generally this + reseating the video card can fix a lot of issues in TF2. (trust me.)

Thank you for all these advices Faily. I think I'll try doing that before anything else.

But, surprisingly, TF2 is the only game with which I have these weird problems. Trust me The Witcher 2 asks for much much MUCH more ressources from everything you can find in a computer. It's hard to explain why TF2 would cause such a fuss, but by reading all these comments I believe the problem comes from my TF2 files. I'll take a look at that too and try to reinstall the game if nothing else works.

Thank you for all these advices.

Also, +1 to me for making another thread with lots of off-topics posts. Surprisingly, no boobs were inserted in this thread and Harri didn't pass by to drop another one of her perverted comments.

[Failhorse]

I had weird issues in only tf2. Was solved by cleaning my box out. Other games ran fine.

[Hatred]

do what failhorse said i knew non-senc that would annoy him would get his attention .......... yes .... that was my intent

[Techercizer]

you sound like genn beck...

I don't know who that is. Does he fix computers?

^Failhorse hit it right on the money if you want to try and do it yourself Sirnak, but take care when you're inside your computer, especially if you didn't build it yourself (I don't know whether you did or not).