Here's a few fixes I've had to find, figured I'd jot them down since it was a chore to find them all. I'm sure it'll help a few fellow gamers.
Just installed the game but GFWL won't let you play?
Finally get GFWL working but then you max out your graphics and you get sound but a blank screen?
Find the blank screen fix but then it crashes after the first race?
Find the DX fix but then your controller isn't found?
HAHA! Yeah I just had to fix all these to get this game in working condition (retail boxed version, not steam) and here's how.
GFWL FIX:
Just keep rebooting your system. The GFWL profile will eventually update your profile, every time it crashes, give it a reboot. GFWL tries to download the latest patch and install it for you, so you can try manually downloading the patch from bigdownload.com and installing it yourself.
If you've changed your 'Saved Games' and 'My Videos' folders then you may find that the GFWL Client crashes at the start of the game but it still lets you play, there's a fix for that too.
SOLUTION - thanks to Billzer:
Here's the diagnosis for this situation:
If you relocate your Videos directory, or your Documents directory, then you must manually tell GFWL Client where to store any videos you download. This is done via the registry, using the entry posted above
Turns out the "VideoBasePath"="%USERPROFILE%\\Videos\\Games for Windows - LIVE" Pathway did not even exist in the registry.
So i went into the registry on my laptop next to me, Copied it over to this computer then changed the directory to list "T:\Video\Games For Windows - LIVE" (T:\ is my Videos partition)
Now it works fine. For Future Problems for others, (seems from forums a lot have this issue)
1. Open Regedit
2. Find [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Software\Microsoft\XLive]
3. See if "VideoBasePath"="%USERPROFILE%\\Videos\\Games for Windows - LIVE" Exists
4. If not, Right click screen> Click new> Click String Value
5. Name it "VideoBasePath"
6. Right Click new "VideoBasePath"> Chose Modify)
7. In "Value Data:" type: "%USERPROFILE%\\Videos\\Games for Windows - LIVE" (your User Profile, aka C:\User\Joe Bloggs\) Or if using different Partion for you Video folder: "Drive suffix (eg C:\)"\Video\Games for Windows - LIVE
BLANK SCREEN FIX:
So you've got a fancy VGA that supports DX11 and you wanted to give it a bash. Ohhh look the graphics option gives you Multisampling 16 x QCSAA, you picked it and... oh wait there's sound but the screen went blank. You restart and the screen is blank no matter how many times you restart.
SOLUTION - thanks to solidlystated.com
Simply use one of the 8x settings if you just started to play Dirt 2. The game still looks great.
However, if you messed up your profile and can’t get back into it, follow these instructions.
Go to Documents\My Games\DiRT2\hardwaresettings\
Open the file hardware_settings_config.xml in text or word program
At the end of line 11, switch the value of multisampling to be multisampling="8xqcsaa"
Save the file and restart your game
CRASHING FIX:
You've finally got this thing running, navigate through the menus and die of old age while you're forced to watch the intro vids and listen to the instructions and the race is on... nope it crashed. You try it again and watch all the intros again and rrraaacceeeee nope same crash again.
SOLUTION - thanks to Sgt. Drake
for anyone with problems loading grid or dirt 2 within windows 7 using an i7 or any other type of problem.. after running tests and stripping back the script, heres the fix and how ..
make sure you there is no hardware settings xml in your "save game folder" (in documents)
find your game installation directory (ever disc install or steam) locate "system folder" , find
'hardware_settings_config.xml'
on the third/fourth line were it says "workerMapFile="system/workerMapCore. put the number of cores you have . ie mine is 8. so to make the game read the correct mapped cores, should look like .. (marked in red)
workerMapFile="system/workerMap8Core.xml" (do not forget to put .xml at the end of it.
an extra part, under graphics find , "forcedx9=false change to "forcedx9=true
once this is done, make sure this file is saved under the same title and replaces the original. under all files.
from this point, using the desktop game icon or game folder icon, or even start menu game icon, youl have right click the icon and use program under administer user. (or set the game to load every time with this priveledge)
CONTROLLER FIX:
Sheesh after all that you can finally play your game. Lets go to control setup and... aaahhh my joypad was recognised before... wh.... only option is keyboard.... but... fffff.
SOLUTION
There's an early edition free XBox 360 Controller Emulator designed by Evaldas Jocys (i think), it works amazingly well. If you need to download it just search for a file named xbox360ce.exe either on google or filecrop.
I've tried it before and never was able to get it working. Turns out, the game executables look for a controller xml file and if it has trouble finding them they shrug their shoulders and give you a keyboard to use.
Here's how I got it working:
1. The trick is to copy the emulator into your game directory and run it.
2. When setting up you'll see two rows of tabs, top row select the Controller 1 and second row select the last tab.
3. At the bottom of the window you'll see PRESETS, hit that and select your controller.
4. Go back to the GENERAL tab and check that all your joypad controls are functioning correctly
5. I all is recognised, at the bottom right of the window hit the SAVE button.
6. You will notice that this generates a file (located in the same folder as the exe) named 'xinput1_2.dll'.
Now the emulator's work is complete, close it down as you will never need to run this again. The file it has generated is a file that the game executable will search for controller settings. Now some games may be looking for a different named file so...
6. We want to have three copies of the 'xinput1_2.dll' file in that same folder (I just highlighted 'xinput1_2.dll' then hit Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V then Ctrl+V). Now rename these files to the following:
xinput1_2.dll
xinput1_3.dll
xinput9_1_0.dll
Now run DiRT 2 and check in your controller options, if all went well you'll see the 360 Controller as an option for presets.
AND PRESTO YOU CAN FINALLY PLAY YOUR GAME.
*wipes forehead* Hope that helps someone at least.
- Trent
EDIT: After reinstillation of this game, I've come to find the above 360 emulator method didn't work the second time. Maybe it will for you but an alternate method I found was;
1.) Download the x360ce updates file from the original developers site
http://www.tocaedit.com/IB/index.php?automodule=downloads&showfile=44
2.) Run the program in a seperate directory (not inside the game directory as before) and it should detect your controller automatically
3.) Copy the following files to your game directory
x360ce.ini
xinput1_3.dll
4.) Play the game and the you should be able to control the menus now (don't forget to go into control options in the game and select the 360 controller from the PRESETS option.
EDIT EDIT: And completely by random the game stopped recognising my controller after the second day of play. Pffft!
Just installed the game but GFWL won't let you play?
Finally get GFWL working but then you max out your graphics and you get sound but a blank screen?
Find the blank screen fix but then it crashes after the first race?
Find the DX fix but then your controller isn't found?
HAHA! Yeah I just had to fix all these to get this game in working condition (retail boxed version, not steam) and here's how.
GFWL FIX:
Just keep rebooting your system. The GFWL profile will eventually update your profile, every time it crashes, give it a reboot. GFWL tries to download the latest patch and install it for you, so you can try manually downloading the patch from bigdownload.com and installing it yourself.
If you've changed your 'Saved Games' and 'My Videos' folders then you may find that the GFWL Client crashes at the start of the game but it still lets you play, there's a fix for that too.
SOLUTION - thanks to Billzer:
Here's the diagnosis for this situation:
If you relocate your Videos directory, or your Documents directory, then you must manually tell GFWL Client where to store any videos you download. This is done via the registry, using the entry posted above
Turns out the "VideoBasePath"="%USERPROFILE%\\Videos\\Games for Windows - LIVE" Pathway did not even exist in the registry.
So i went into the registry on my laptop next to me, Copied it over to this computer then changed the directory to list "T:\Video\Games For Windows - LIVE" (T:\ is my Videos partition)
Now it works fine. For Future Problems for others, (seems from forums a lot have this issue)
1. Open Regedit
2. Find [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Software\Microsoft\XLive]
3. See if "VideoBasePath"="%USERPROFILE%\\Videos\\Games for Windows - LIVE" Exists
4. If not, Right click screen> Click new> Click String Value
5. Name it "VideoBasePath"
6. Right Click new "VideoBasePath"> Chose Modify)
7. In "Value Data:" type: "%USERPROFILE%\\Videos\\Games for Windows - LIVE" (your User Profile, aka C:\User\Joe Bloggs\) Or if using different Partion for you Video folder: "Drive suffix (eg C:\)"\Video\Games for Windows - LIVE
BLANK SCREEN FIX:
So you've got a fancy VGA that supports DX11 and you wanted to give it a bash. Ohhh look the graphics option gives you Multisampling 16 x QCSAA, you picked it and... oh wait there's sound but the screen went blank. You restart and the screen is blank no matter how many times you restart.
SOLUTION - thanks to solidlystated.com
Simply use one of the 8x settings if you just started to play Dirt 2. The game still looks great.
However, if you messed up your profile and can’t get back into it, follow these instructions.
Go to Documents\My Games\DiRT2\hardwaresettings\
Open the file hardware_settings_config.xml in text or word program
At the end of line 11, switch the value of multisampling to be multisampling="8xqcsaa"
Save the file and restart your game
CRASHING FIX:
You've finally got this thing running, navigate through the menus and die of old age while you're forced to watch the intro vids and listen to the instructions and the race is on... nope it crashed. You try it again and watch all the intros again and rrraaacceeeee nope same crash again.
SOLUTION - thanks to Sgt. Drake
for anyone with problems loading grid or dirt 2 within windows 7 using an i7 or any other type of problem.. after running tests and stripping back the script, heres the fix and how ..
make sure you there is no hardware settings xml in your "save game folder" (in documents)
find your game installation directory (ever disc install or steam) locate "system folder" , find
'hardware_settings_config.xml'
on the third/fourth line were it says "workerMapFile="system/workerMapCore. put the number of cores you have . ie mine is 8. so to make the game read the correct mapped cores, should look like .. (marked in red)
workerMapFile="system/workerMap8Core.xml" (do not forget to put .xml at the end of it.
an extra part, under graphics find , "forcedx9=false change to "forcedx9=true
once this is done, make sure this file is saved under the same title and replaces the original. under all files.
from this point, using the desktop game icon or game folder icon, or even start menu game icon, youl have right click the icon and use program under administer user. (or set the game to load every time with this priveledge)
CONTROLLER FIX:
Sheesh after all that you can finally play your game. Lets go to control setup and... aaahhh my joypad was recognised before... wh.... only option is keyboard.... but... fffff.
SOLUTION
There's an early edition free XBox 360 Controller Emulator designed by Evaldas Jocys (i think), it works amazingly well. If you need to download it just search for a file named xbox360ce.exe either on google or filecrop.
I've tried it before and never was able to get it working. Turns out, the game executables look for a controller xml file and if it has trouble finding them they shrug their shoulders and give you a keyboard to use.
Here's how I got it working:
1. The trick is to copy the emulator into your game directory and run it.
2. When setting up you'll see two rows of tabs, top row select the Controller 1 and second row select the last tab.
3. At the bottom of the window you'll see PRESETS, hit that and select your controller.
4. Go back to the GENERAL tab and check that all your joypad controls are functioning correctly
5. I all is recognised, at the bottom right of the window hit the SAVE button.
6. You will notice that this generates a file (located in the same folder as the exe) named 'xinput1_2.dll'.
Now the emulator's work is complete, close it down as you will never need to run this again. The file it has generated is a file that the game executable will search for controller settings. Now some games may be looking for a different named file so...
6. We want to have three copies of the 'xinput1_2.dll' file in that same folder (I just highlighted 'xinput1_2.dll' then hit Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V then Ctrl+V). Now rename these files to the following:
xinput1_2.dll
xinput1_3.dll
xinput9_1_0.dll
Now run DiRT 2 and check in your controller options, if all went well you'll see the 360 Controller as an option for presets.
AND PRESTO YOU CAN FINALLY PLAY YOUR GAME.
*wipes forehead* Hope that helps someone at least.
- Trent
EDIT: After reinstillation of this game, I've come to find the above 360 emulator method didn't work the second time. Maybe it will for you but an alternate method I found was;
1.) Download the x360ce updates file from the original developers site
http://www.tocaedit.com/IB/index.php?automodule=downloads&showfile=44
2.) Run the program in a seperate directory (not inside the game directory as before) and it should detect your controller automatically
3.) Copy the following files to your game directory
x360ce.ini
xinput1_3.dll
4.) Play the game and the you should be able to control the menus now (don't forget to go into control options in the game and select the 360 controller from the PRESETS option.
EDIT EDIT: And completely by random the game stopped recognising my controller after the second day of play. Pffft!
Last edited:
