Fallout 3 on Windows 7.

Fallout 3 runs flawless to me with HD textures, and i am using SLI which is a pain to get it right on Bethesda Games.
What i do:
-Install Fallout 3 Stutter Remover
-Install CF Explorer Suite, and make fallout use more than 2 GB.
-Force V-Sync and Triple Buffering in Nvidia Control Panel.
-Change some settings in the .ini to force 60 FPS with the help of TweakGuides.
-Run in Realtime Priority (Context Menu is the best way, IMO)

And finally, remember that fallout 3 is extremely moddable, if you have got a problem there might be a mod to fix it. So search Fallout 3 Nexus and go ahead and try new things. Example: HD Audio Overhaul .

EDIT: PM me if you want some cool mods.

Wishmaster said:

Yes, stutter remover is a excellent choice unless you have the D2D version.


Just thought of this, Im wondering if it might be a sorting issue for some?
Sometimes if DLC or a mod loads in the wrong order, it can cause the game to crash.

I have found for the most part, using FOMM helps a great deal. Check all the DLC you want and hit the autosort button.

It crashes because if there is a file conflict, the last one overrides the first.
For example:
DLC 1 Uses original w_wasteland.dds and Mod 1 uses modded w_wasteland.dds
The mod requires the modded w_wasteland.dds, so the original won't work.
If the Mod 1 is loaded first, then it would be replaced by the original one, which makes the mod not work and makes the game not work.

Load Order:
DLC 1) w_wasteland.dds (Original)
MOD 2) w_wasteland.dds (Modded)
w_wasteland.dds (Modded)

Load Order:
MOD 1) w_wasteland.dds (Modded)
DLC 2) w_wasteland.dds (Original)
w_wasteland.dds (Original)

Over the last 3 days I have read this entire thread, I'm sorry to say I don't have a solution to everyone's unique problems. All I can do is contribute to the list in hopes that my experiences will help narrow down the culprit and help put this to rest.

I recently installed FO3 on my Win7 Pro x64, never having done so before I expected the worst. To my surprise everything went great, the only thing I had to complain about was some minor stuttering whenever I panned around too fast in the outdoor environment, or when a car exploded. As picky as I am, I decided I wanted to try and fix this irritation, I should have left well enough alone. After playing for a couple weeks, and never crashing once, I updated my FFD Show and to the newest Nvidia drivers. This quickly put a halt to any future hopes of playing FO3. In a mad panic to restore my system to a playable state, I un-installed the updates to FFD show, and rolled back my Nvidia driver. Sadly this had no effect. FO3 was toast...

So, I re-installed 7 Pro x64 on another HD. The following is the sequence in which I did things, and after doing so, FO3 was just as playable as it was before (including my outdoor/explosion stuttering).

1) Install Win7 (Pro) x64 (obviously)
2) Install the Nvidia driver (the older one I was using, 196.21, NOT the latest 257.21 one from Nvidia's site)
3) Install Klite Codec pack v2.10

At this point I verified in device manager that all my hardware was recognized and functioning, It was. Basically using Windows default drivers for everything other than the video card(s).

4) Enable SLI (if applicable)
5) Install FO3

Something to note here: I do not have an original dvd (mine was lost/broken). So, I have a copy of the contents of the disc on one of my HDs, with a no-cd exe of the Fallout3Launcher.exe. Yes, I install the game from a HD location, not a disc, to another HD.

6) Copy in the DLC packs and use the launcher to activate them (if required)
7) Install the FO3 v1.5 update
8) Install the FO3 v1.7 update

I do not know why, but in the past when installing the 1.7 update immediately after a fresh install of FO3 I have had mixed results. Going from 1.5 to 1.7 has worked every time.

9) Play the game

In my case with dual 8800 GTX's in SLI (liquid cooled) I was able to run everything on the "Ultra" setting with 4x AA and 8x AF @ 1920x1200, (further specs available in my profile) these are the same settings I was able to use when I played the game in XP. I did have to re-route my "My Documents" folder in Windows to get FO3 to see my previous save games, but once that was done, everything worked as well as I could hope for.

Sorry for this lengthy post, I hope it sheds some light on the situation. Oh, and IF anyone knows how to fix my outdoor/explosion stuttering problem, I'm all ears! I did try cleaning out my saves directory as suggested by sygnus21.

PS. Im sorry to see that some of the original posters of this thread have stopped making posts, they seemed very knowledgable in with the subject. But I guess constantly being asked the same questions over and over by new users would get annoying...

sygnus21 said:

Kjellis85 said:

I'm experiencing what i believe is referred to as stuttering in open areas outside. All my drivers are fuly updated and GOTY is patched to version 1.7, no mods. I have tried turning of the v-sync, both in game and forced through the nvidia controls, but nothing really changed. My system should be more than able to play the game problem free. Any ideas?
<-sys specs

Two things that's been suggested by me earlier in this thread...

If you have a large save folder for the game, clean it out to no more than the last five saves.

If you have the radio turned on, turn it off.

I had a problem with both micro stuttering and crashes and both these fixes worked for me so give it a try.

Also, I would highly suggest that anyone looking for help with issues dealing with the game look through this ENTIRE thread as there are many many suggestions which may have helped someone fix their issue(s).

Good luck.

I'm 99% shure that the loop I'm getting is because of permissions. What happens is I hit new game and it loads 1 slide then "stops working." I am pretty shure the program does not have permission to make changes in the Saved Games folder, making it go into the loop. How would I assign permission to the program?

Fallout32103 said:

How would I assign permission to the program?

Answer on page 47 of this thread.... Fallout 3 on Windows 7.

BTW...

sygnus21 said:

Also, I would highly suggest that anyone looking for help with issues dealing with the game look through this ENTIRE thread as there are many many suggestions which may have helped someone fix their issue(s).

I can understand it's a chore reading through the entire 49+ pages, but you "might" actually find an answer in there.

Lastly.... my guide on Tips on Troubleshooting Game Issues :)

Good luck

sygnus21 said:

Fallout32103 said:

How would I assign permission to the program?

Answer on page 47 of this thread.... Fallout 3 on Windows 7.

BTW...

sygnus21 said:

Also, I would highly suggest that anyone looking for help with issues dealing with the game look through this ENTIRE thread as there are many many suggestions which may have helped someone fix their issue(s).

I can understand it's a chore reading through the entire 49+ pages, but you "might" actually find an answer in there.

Lastly.... my guide on Tips on Troubleshooting Game Issues :)

Good luck

Nope doesn't work.

I'm sorry to hear that. At this time I have no further suggestions other than what's already been offered in this thread.

Good luck.

Ok, I know you get a lot of 'my fallout 3 game keeps crashing on Windows 7' complaints, and I'm not usually one to add on to something without trying to fix it myself first. I've been told I'm a nerd, so I figured it should've been easy to figure it out.

I tried running it as admin on every compatibility mode listed. I tried to make it work using previous versions of Windows. That was a helpful hint from a microsoft guy, but, alas, it didn't work for me. I even installed Virtual Box, installed XP so I could duel boot, and I got a whole new mess of errors there. It won't even let me LAUNCH the game in XP. Go figure.

I'm almost certain it has something to do with the compatibility of Fallout3/Windows 7. Maybe they had a fight and dragged me into the middle of it. Who knows?

My video drivers and sound drivers are all up to date, and every other forum I have been to, which have been a lot, offer nothing else. I really don't want to wait until October to play Fallout again. I mean, I will. That's not a problem. Yay, Vegas! I just want to play it before then.

I'm not exactly sure what it is you're asking, or even what the issue is, but unfortunately, just about every suggestion to get the game going has been mentioned in this thread. If none has worked for you, sorry.

Also, it doens't help that you don't list system specs, or what the problem is....

See the first two guides in my signature.

Good luck.