Problems with DLing SC2 Internet cuts out, computer freezes etc. needs halp

hey everyone, ive got a mate that bought SC2 from the blizzard site. it took him about a week to get it to start downloading and even longer for it to complete. during this time of downloading he had numerous problems with his internet cutting out, his computer freezing and his modem actually freezing any time he'd try to start downloading the game, he could access the Steam Community however none of his web browsers would work. i dont know what he had to do to get it going, but since then hes uninstalled it and is trying to reinstall it now as blizzard has told him the payment has passed and the game is associated to his account, but he still cant play it. however, i believe this last problem is due to not patching, so that is one thing that you guys dont need to worry about.

anyone know how to fix this other stuff tho? its really bizarre

any help is infinitly appreciated!!

p.s. his computer is far more than capable of handling SC2

 

We need a DXDiag of his machine. Post it here in this thread. Also, how is he connect to the net at a collage/university campus, or an ordinary internet connection with a router? If he's got a router, find out the make and model.

To run dxdiag=> Windows_logo_key+r, dxdiag. If you have 64-bit windows, click the button at the button that says "Run 64-bit DxDiag," Then save all the data by clicking "Save All Information..." zip/rar the text file and attach it to the post. Instructions on how to zip here. To create a rar file, first download and install winRAR then read this guide here.

 

Heres the DX Diag, he connects Via ADSL2+, with Westnet, using either a D-Link DSL2642B or a 2Wire 2701HGV-W. The D-link plays up with SC2 for whatever reason, but the 2Wire works fine, all Ports have been forwarded correctly, and all modems are set up correctly. He connects to them Via Ethernet cable.

 

First off, just getting a basic outlook on his system, Windows 7 32-bit is a poor choice for this system. 64-bit would allow him to address all of his installed RAM.

Right now he's missing out on about 512MB's of his installed system RAM.

His creative headset driver appears to be generic with Windows. Go to Creative's support page and find the proper driver for his headset. I'd provide a specific link, but Creative's website doesn't allow direct linking so you'd have to dig it out anyway.

While it appears that you may have disabled the sound card (perhaps in device manager), the digital output on the onboard Realtek is still enabled (and without its proper driver). You can install the non-generic driver here, or go into the BIOS and disable the onboard sound (I would hold off on that until flashing a newer BIOS).

Here is a link to his motherboard page: the Gigabyte P35-DS4. On that page you will want to download and install the following software:

-Intel INF installation
-Realtek LAN Driver
-GIGABYTE SATA2 RAID Driver
-Intel SATA RAID/AHCI Driver

There is also a new BIOS available on the page. Award makes it impossible to figure out what version of the BIOS you are running in a dxdiag. The BIOS don't appear revision specific (meaning a 2.1 BIOS will work in any revision motherboard). You may want to look at his motherboard, and in small letters next to "P35-DS4" should be a revision number (such as 2.0, 1.1, etc). The newer BIOS improves support for newer hardware and hard drives above 1TB in size. Basically, the older the revision you got, the more helpful flashing the BIOS is going to be.

To sum it up looking at the BIOSs and different board revisions, unless you have a rev 2.1 motherboard, updating the BIOS may solve some 1TB+ hard drive issues. The drive in the machine is 2TB's... so... maybe that's the reason the machine is unstable?


I would start with the BIOS, upgrade/fresh install Windows 7 64-bit, then install all of the missing drivers (you'd have to also reinstall the nVidia driver on top of the list of drivers I've already put down).

What is he using for anti-virus protection? If nothing, get Microsoft Security Essentials and run a virus scan to see if there are any viruses on the system. Its free, awesome at its job, and low on resources.

 

yeh he was trying to avoid re-installing ...

 

If the machine is virus clean, then I would upgrade to 64-bit, which requires the 64-bit installation disc. Even then, a fresh install would be proper. I wouldn't even worry about that until we get the machine stable first.

Check those BIOS options I pointed out and install those drivers, and get back to me.