Bad_pool_caller

[JPEG_]

Hi.
I've bought this game last week, and I can start it randomly.
I have posted a message to the support and still wait the answer, so here I am.

When I start the game i have a BSOD caused by a BAD_POOL_CALLER.

I patched the game with the 1b, tried with catalyst drivers 5.2 and 5.3 with no succes.

Any idea ?

Windows XP Pro Sp2
Asus A7V8X-X - Bios 1010
AMD Athlon XP2400+ [ 13*166 ]
2x256 PC2700 + 512 PC3200
120 Go ATA 100 7200 - 8 Mo Seagate
Toshiba SD-M1222
LG GDR8162B
Pionneer A06D
Winic W-8212 [ 40 Go ATA 100 7200 - 2Mo Seagate ]
Sapphire Atlantis 9800Pro 256 bits 128 Mo
Leadtek WinFast DV2000
Sound Blaster 128
Logitech Cordless Desktop Optical (USB)
Philips PCVC840 ToUcam Pro II

[JPEG_]

Is it related to securom pb ?

[BIG D]

damn im trained in in computer tech but just saying aloud of words tell us what they are i can work out ya ram size an graphics dats it

[JPEG_]

Maybe I was not clear enough....

OK, When I launch the game, I have a Windows' blue screen with BAD_POOL_CALLER (sometimes BAD_CALL_HEADER) error.
But sometimes, the game works.

Is it clearer ?

Anyway, I don't understand your question.


PS: Sorry for my English, I am french

[Kiev_Axe]

Sounds like hardware related issue not a software...
Anything sharing IRQ? any incompatabilties...do u get it in any other games programs?

If its a blue screen its usually bad drivers or hardware.
Its unlikely the game would be casuing the blue screen..without their being an underlying reason from your side...ie drivers or hawrdware.

[Warspite]

Do you have the error code the BSOD generates? have you looked at the Event viewer in Administrative Tools in your Control Panel? Those error codes will help too.Once you have the error code, google it :tup:

if you get completely stuck, put the text from your BSOD here, and we'll find it for you :)

[JPEG_]

Hi guys.
Thanks for the answers.

I have Half life 2, Frar cry, Warcraft3, and World of Warcraft, installed on my machine, and they work very well.

I have also benched the graphic cart with 3D mark (2001 -14000 pts- and 2005 -2300 pts-) without any problems.

I also tested the hardware with sandra sisoft and everest, ran the Dxdiag tests without any trouble.

It may be a driver problem, you're right, but which one ? I updated the graphic card (catayst 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3), the VIA chipset (4.55p1).

I used 2 sound cards (the integrated one and a soudblaster). I tried to disable the integrated one. Same probleme.

I disabled the VPU recover... Same probleme.

The strange thing is that the game can sometimes be lauched, and sometimes the BSOD appears.... confusing

The Stop information is not always the same....

I tried to search on internet "BAD_POOL_HEADER" or "BAD_POOL_CALLER" ... nothing helpful...

Only AOW makes my machine crash.... I may be a compatibity problem... but which one ?

[Warspite]

The stop information changes? what about the Event Viewer - is that showing the same error every time you BSOD, or is that showing different errors too?

With an intermittent problem like yours, the 3 most common causes are bad memory, failing hard drive or a CPU that is too hot. I would chesk on the CPU first -AoW is more processor heavy than FPS games, because there is much more going on. It may be that your CPU is just being overworked by the game! If you fitted the CPU yourself - double check the cooler is on properly . Honestly -you might surprise yourself! :lightbulb

[JPEG_]

When I saw the BSOD, I imedialty though the CPU or the RAM were involved.
Indead I use 2 PC700 (256 Mo each) & 1 PC3200 (512 Mo) in order to overclock the CPU for 15*133 to 13 *166
However when the Game works, the CPU is around 51°C (I use MBM5 to follow the CPU T° and the voltage).

Fisrt I put the CPU to the original timming 15*133.
--> BSOD

Then I took out the PC3200
--> BSOD

The invert the 2 PC2700's Slots
--> BSOD

There's nothing about this crash in the event log, but I will check again tonight....

[Warspite]

Is there anyway you can take a picture of the screen, using a digi camera or something?

can you run another program that is very processor heavy, and see if you can make it crash? try scanning something on very high resolution - that would max out your memory and CPU...

[JPEG_]

I could take à picture.

I have a flat screen LG1920P :
--> the max resolution is 1024*1280
--> I am not sure that the whole message appears on screen (sometimes i could read the BAD_POOL_CALLER or HEADER on the top of the screen with the message saying blablabla if it is the 1st time blaablabla reboot in safe mode pressing F8, uninstall recently installed software, drivers or harware, sometimes I don't see the reason of the failure, only the blablabla)

I already try to used all the RAM launching multiple programms --> I managed to "use" 1500 Mo of RAM in order to swap on HDD.

I have also bench the CPU / Multimedia with sandra sisoft

3DMark 2005 also bench the CPU... and no crash....

[Warspite]

This help?

http://www.uk.atari.com/third_party/forum/showthread.php?p=185588#post185588

[JPEG_]

Hope it is not RAM problem.....
Logically not....other applications / games work fine.

I will try to turn out sound card hardware acceleration or updtate sound card driver... It may work.

I will try tonight....

[JPEG_]

Not a RAM problem.

I am going crazy with this bug...

I finished the game, but have to launch the game, again and again, untill it works.

When it finally lauches, I can pay during hours and hours without pb....

[Warspite]

Harumph :sour: No idea then :frownblue

Next time it breaks, go to to Control Panel/Administrative tools/Event viewer

There shoule be either a System or Application error code, or both.
Let us know what they are :tup:

[JPEG_]

Humf....

Here is the error code :

0x000000C5 (0xFFFFFEFA,0x00000002,0x00000000,0x8054AF32)

0xFFFFFEFA is "variable", the 4 others are always the same

I also have the associate dmp, but how can I view it ?

[screetch]

You may want to try the following :

* disable/remove your sound card and see if the error still happens
* disable/remove the network card and see if it works

it seems it's a hardware conflict, and many users have reported that either the sound card or the network card is causing the problem.

If you can guess what the cause is, then i have no clever answer to this issue except not using the integrated network/sound card and get a new one :'(

some people have reported that underclocking the CPU has solved the problem too.

[DUTCH-BUDDHA]

dit u update ur windowes media plyer or wat video plyer u use.
i use windowes media plyer 10

[JPEG_]

Thank for answering me guys...

Well, I use 2 sound cards :
--> A PCI 128 Sounblaster for speakers
--> The VIA integrated one for head and micro phones.

I disabled in the bios the integrated one, but no change.
I disabled in the bios the integrated network card, but no change.
Still crashes

I will try to disable the PCI sound card and see if it is better.

I will try to download the media player's update... maybe

By the way, as I use a flat screen, I can't read the firsts lines on the blue screen so that I can't read the driver (dll) involved...

Do you know a program able to read the dmp created by windows just after the crash ?

[JPEG_]

Ok Guys.

I reinstall everything, and it rocks...

Anyway, i should have done this before....

I good re installation of windowsXp cannot be a bad thing...

Thanks for your help

[juggernaught]

I found this http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/Default.asp?url=/resources/documentation/Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/prmd_stp_czgw.asp
good luck :)

[Jacuro]

Hey guys,
i dont know if this problem has been solved yet. as i stopped reading half way.
nice replies till now. i regged to send you the truth about slim shady.

Bug Check 0x19: BAD_POOL_HEADER

The BAD_POOL_HEADER bug check has a value of 0x00000019. This indicates that a pool header is corrupt.
Parameters

The following parameters are displayed on the blue screen.
Parameter 1 indicates the type of violation.
The meaning of the other parameters depends on the value of Parameter 1.
Parameter 1 Parameter 2 Parameter 3 Parameter 4
Cause of Error
0x3 The pool entry being checked
The read-back flink freelist value The read-back blink freelist value The pool freelist is corrupt.

(In a healthy list, the values of Parameters 2, 3, and 4 should be identical.)

0x5 One of the pool entries Reserved The other pool entry
A pair of adjacent pool entries have headers that contradict each other. At least one of them is corrupt.
0x6 One incorrectly-calculated entry Reserved The bad entry that caused the miscalculation The pool block header's previous size is too large.
0x7 0 Reserved The bad pool entry The pool block header size is corrupt.
0x8 0 Reserved The bad pool entry The pool block header size is zero.
0x9 One incorrectly-calculated entry Reserved The bad entry that caused the miscalculation The pool block header size is corrupt (it is too large).
0xA The pool entry that should have been found Reserved The virtual address of the page that should have contained the pool entry The pool block header size is corrupt.

Cause

The pool is already corrupt at the time of the current request.

This may or may not be due to the caller.
Resolving the Problem

The internal pool links must be walked to figure out a possible cause of the problem.

Then you can use special pool for the suspect pool tags, or use Driver Verifier on the suspect driver.


I know there is alot of BLA BLA here, BUT its also telling you what to do ;0)
the error your receiving is a driver error.

and the reason because you dont always see it is cause your not always running the same things at the same time,

some programs can cause this error, example: virus scanner starts running while you start the game & you have msn, icq or another prog open, BOINGGGGG error occured, ****, now you play the game and your virus scanner isnt running ( background checks ) no error,

Solve this by uninstalling the following drivers: Graph, Sound, and the hardware you need for example TV cards, webcams etc.
then restart your comp but make sure your computer doesnt automaticly install the drivers again !!!

download the newest drivers for your cards ( driversguide.com registering is free, takes a while to signup and if you it correct you wont erceive any spam *gg* )
re-install all drivers and restart, restart then when all drivers are installed again.

then try the game again..


hope this is understandable,

if questions, mail me i will check again.

[Xp67]

I had the exact same problem. Reformatting did the trick!

[seanet1310]

reformating would probably mean it was a fulty driver like mentiond above