Possible Solution for Splash Screen Freeze

[Dragoon_jefy]

Ok, so I can finally post messages now after about two weeks of waiting for verification e-mail... I was experiencing a lot of the same problems as others on this site, let me explain my computer I just built.

Asus P35ke wifi deluxe
Pentium Q6700 @3.4ghz/core
2gb ddr2 800 Ram
Nvidia 8800gtx 768 626/1000
Sound Blaster Audigy SE

The game installed fine, loaded up for the first couple of days completely innocently. Then, when I wanted to show a friend the game, it wouldn't load past the splash screen on the desktop. No errors or anything, the program just stopped responding. After trying all of Ultron's Tweaks to no avail, I did this:

Remove 'Host OpenAL Driver' from the add/remove programs list!!!

I think it interferes with the sound card somehow, because I could load the game if I disabled the sound card, but removing that driver fixed it all!!!

Let me know if this helps, and mods please don't duplicate thread this, that thread you link to is confusing as heck and I am trying to diagnose a specific problem here.

[Idiot]

That did it, thanks Dragoon, I was having trouble with my Xonar D2 card. Do you know if this disables OpenAL at all though? I've been out of the loop for a long *** time, I still have yet to know what OpenAL is all about. Eh whatever.

[Skinner]

Ok, so I can finally post messages now after about two weeks of waiting for verification e-mail... I was experiencing a lot of the same problems as others on this site, let me explain my computer I just built.

Asus P35ke wifi deluxe
Pentium Q6700 @3.4ghz/core
2gb ddr2 800 Ram
Nvidia 8800gtx 768 626/1000
Sound Blaster Audigy SE

The game installed fine, loaded up for the first couple of days completely innocently. Then, when I wanted to show a friend the game, it wouldn't load past the splash screen on the desktop. No errors or anything, the program just stopped responding. After trying all of Ultron's Tweaks to no avail, I did this:

Remove 'Host OpenAL Driver' from the add/remove programs list!!!

I think it interferes with the sound card somehow, because I could load the game if I disabled the sound card, but removing that driver fixed it all!!!

Let me know if this helps, and mods please don't duplicate thread this, that thread you link to is confusing as heck and I am trying to diagnose a specific problem here.

Thanx you so much I switched back from onboard sound to Xfi and I think it was an old onboard openAL emulation driver or something for the onboard ADI chip. This fixed it !

[Dragoon_jefy]

Glad it helped..

Honestly, I too have been away from gaming a bit too long, I suppose. I have no clue wtf OpenAL is, I've never heard of it before this game. I'm assuming it was something that our onboard sound card used to emulate EAX?? Either way, unless someone tells me it's really ****ing cool and I shouldn't have removed it, I'm not missing it!

[Dragoon_jefy]

bump

See if this helps others

[Arathrax]

Nope didn't work for me. Didn't have it OpenAL installed.

I can not for the life of me get this game to go past the splash screen.

Tried all the .ini tweaks.
Disabled sound
Clean install of the latest beta Nvidia drivers
Tried launching from the DVD
Reinstalled UT3.
Reinstalled UT3 to another drive.
Uninstalled Windows Blinds.

Nothing is working. Game refuses to launch. Splash screen 3 secs gone.

My system:
WinXP SP2
Dual core 3800
2 gigs of ram
8800 GTX
Onboard soundcard

<sigh> I am baffled and am in no mood to do a clean install of XP.

I'm running a boatload of other games fine:
Oblivion (heavily modded), Morrowind(heavily modded), WOW, Guild Wars, CoD4, Gears, Vampire: Bloodlines.

[joechef]

i have the same problem and i dont understand all this stuff about bios n everything ughhhhh

[alcom77]

Have either of you Anthrax or jochef overclocked or overvolted anything? I've heard of this being an issue. Have you tried reseating your RAM modules or if you have more than one, have you tested them one at a time? Bad memory has been blamed for crashes as well. When you say "clean install", do you mean you completely wiped your Forceware drivers and installed (or reinstalled) 169.28? This is not an official final release so it's not the one you get when you go to nvidia.com and go through the drill down. You have to get it elsewhere, like www.guru3d.com, for example. Have you tried disabling unecessary programs such as Riva Tuner/Coolbits/nHancer/ or AVG Anti-virus? I don't think a reinstall or your OS is necessary, nor will it likely solve anything, but there are several other ideas to try in Ultron's sticky that you have not listed as tried.