Blue Screen of Death?

[BeckerCheez]

For the past few weeks I've been getting the infamous Blue Screen of Death whenever I play my Sims 2 game or any other game for that matter.  It usually occurs between the main loading screen and when I'm loading a family.  I know it's a driver error but I have attempted to reinstall whatever driver I can think of.  I even reinstalled the Sims 2 and all of its expansions and the following day I had TWO BSDs in a row.  Usually I have to manually turn the computer off in order to get out of the screen. 

I probably ought to take a pic of the BSD but...any ideas of what could be wrong? I may have to reinstall Windows XP or reformat my computer as a last resort, and I don't want to have to do that again.   

[idtaminger]

I know it's a driver error but I have attempted to reinstall whatever driver I can think of.

Have you tried installing new drivers?

[MutantBunny]

I had to replace my graphics card to stop the blue.

[BeckerCheez]

I know it's a driver error but I have attempted to reinstall whatever driver I can think of.

Have you tried installing new drivers?

Ah I mistyped that.  I tried updating whatever driver I could think of.  Whoops.   

[bluecatvon]

have you checked if your graphics card is compatible with the game?

[KellyQ]

I started experiencing the BSD last year around this same time, I about went insane (it would shut down after many hours playing TS1, losing all my work). I spent a couple of hundred dollars having a tech "repair" it after I had spent countless hours researching the problem and trying to fix it myself. Turns out the "tech" only reinstalled windows and after about 5 wks I started getting the same exact problem (and no, they wouldn't waive the diagnostic fee to look at it again ). Anyway, I ended up just buying a new computer. Several months later I took the old computer to a different tech place, described the problem to them, they found it odd and took off the case.....where the discovered a wad of dust/dirt/hair trapped that was causing the computer to overheat, resulting in the BSD. Aaaargh!! It's been running fine ever since. So, I would check out the inside of your tower and see how clean/dirty it is and also the fan to make sure it is working properly.

[BeckerCheez]

1.  The graphics card is compatible with the game...a Radeon 9600 I do believe.  I've had the base game for a year and the graphics card was in the computer before I installed the game.

2.  Hmm that could be a problem, dust...maybe that would also explain why my CD-RW does not open anymore...

I attempted to play Nightlife today and there were no BSDs.  Maybe the computer didn't like the fact that I hadn't updated MS Office, I didn't have Outlook Express open directly to the inbox, or the fact that I didn't have the Volume Controll in the taskbar.   

[themaltesebippy]

I was having that problem and it only happened when I was in the regular or college neighborhood screens.  I haven't been able to play in a while but I did have to take apart my computer to instal a PCI card and did some cleaning up in there.  I played for some time today and it seems to work ok now though it might be a hit and miss type of thing.