PC hard crashing on load and while playing

[Danteska]

Just bought the game on Steam. So far liking it a lot but I can't play due to some issues. This started when I got the omnitool (thought the first crash happened in that area before grabbing it) and headed through the open fence door to the left where a vent breaches open, but it looks like the game crashes in random locations or even while loading the game (at the end of the bar).

Computer hard-crashes with a sound-loop and then reboots itself (I don't think it creates a crash dump, but I can check if needed and attach it), but without recognizing the GPU. A shut down (by maintaining power button pressed for a few seconds) and 'fresh' boot is needed for the GPU to be recognized again.

My Specs:
OS - Windows 10 Pro, 64-bit, build version 14393
GPU - Sapphire HD 7950 Boost Vapor-X (basically an R9 280)
CPU - AMD FX6350
Drivers - AMD Crimson 16.10.2
Monitor - 120 Hz BenQ XL2410T

Things I've tried to do:
- Disable Steam overlay. Keeps hard-crashing.
- Disable RTSS overlay (application detection level for SOMA: None). Keeps hard-crashing.
- Disabled in-game VSYNC and forced it through GPU control panel. Keeps hard-crashing.
- Validated Steam files. No errors were found so I didn't try launching the game.
- Tried Soma_NoSteam.exe, this forced me to adjust settings again as it created a new cfg file. Hard-crashed again, way sooner than I thought I would.
- Updated to AMD Crimson 16.12.2, clean install. Hard-crashes even while loading the last checkpoint.

I'll upload the phl.log file.

If I can't fix this I'll have to redeem it, and I don't want to

[Romulator]

Have a look at Problem E and Problem F in the SOMA Troubleshooting Guide

[Danteska]

Have a look at Problem E and Problem F in the SOMA Troubleshooting Guide

This troubleshooting guide was of course one of the first things I checked. The first 3 steps of my first post were done after I read that. But I read it again and it looks like giving it admin rights somehow solved the issue: I played for a good hour with no hard-crashing.

I'll post here again if it keeps happening. Thanks.

[Romulator]

No problem! Sorry about the issues!

[Danteska]

I thought I'd register so I can edit my messages. I'll continue describing the things I've tried in this one. I'm kinda copying of a reddit post I made.

I had fixed the system freezing (Kernel-Power event Id 41 (63)) at the end of the load screen and was able to play for a good 2-3 hours, right until the point where the shuttle crashes to your way to Lambda station and you have to crawl through a tunnel and get up a ladder to some kind of hatch. The moment I reach the top of the ladder, PC instantly freezes with a sound loop and doesn't recognize the GPU, so it needs a shutdown and a fresh boot. This happens with both executable files: Soma.exe and Soma_NoSteam.exe

Things I've tried to do after reading the troubleshooting guide on frictional games forums:

• Disable Steam overlay. Keeps hard-crashing.
  
• Disable RTSS overlay (application detection level for SOMA: None). Keeps hard-crashing.
  
• Disabled in-game VSYNC and forced it through GPU control panel. Keeps hard-crashing.
  
• Validated Steam files. No errors were found so I didn't try launching the game.
  
• Tried Soma_NoSteam.exe, this forced me to adjust settings again as it created a new cfg file. Hard-crashed again, way sooner than I thought I would.
  
• Updated to AMD Crimson 16.12.2, clean install. Hard-crashes even while loading the last checkpoint.
  
• Disabled Game DVR as it's known to cause issues to some games. Keeps hard-crashing by freezing the system.
  
• Gave admin rights to both Steam .exe and NoSteam.exe. Didn't help.
  
• Found out that a public beta version exists on Steam, so I tried it. Still hard-crashes.
  
• Someone had a game crash issue fixed with windows 7 and dpi scalling disabled modes. Even though mine is a PC crash issue, I'll try this today to see if it works, but I fear that the more this game crashes my PC the more possibilities there are of my PC going RIP. Tried this too, didn't work, keeps hard-crashing.
  
• Tried previous save files in case it's a corrupted file. Keeps hard-crashing 10s, 30s after loading the level.
  
• Installed Visual Studio runtime dlls listed inside the Frictional Games troubleshooting guide. Didn't help, keeps hard-crashing.
  
• Tried playing the game in borderless and windowed mode. Keeps hard-crashing.
  
• Tried playing the game with default GPU clocks. Keeps hard-crashing.
  
• Deleted the settings file and tried playing with everything set to default except gamma, mouse smoothing and sound volume. Keeps hard-crashing.
  
• Set graphics to lowest possible (disabled v-sync too on GPU control panel). Keeps hard-crashing.
  

EDIT 28th of december:

• A few friends tried loading the save file and it doesn't crash for them, so the save file is not corrupted, it's something else. One has NVIDIA, the other has AMD GPU with 16.2.1 drivers; game doesn't freeze their PCs for them.
  
• Reinstalled the game. Didn't help, PC still freezes with a sound loop and requires a reboot.
  
• Got a save file of a section that's right after you get up the ladder. Keeps freezing the PC.
  
• Installed the game on a secondary HDD. Same issue.
  
• Made Windows 10 automatically install selected drivers through windows update, Crimson 16.6. Same issue.
  
• Disabled every possible program that could interfere (Steam, MSI Afterburner, Lighshot, Windows Defender, sound card control panel, Sapphire TRIXX, Teamspeak...). PC still freezes at the same point.
  

Hpl.log doesn't seem to indicate that much but I could upload the savegame file if anyone wants to reproduce it...

• savegame: mega.nz link. Should crash the moment you go up the ladder and reach the top a friend tried loading this and it doesn't crash for him.
  
• hpl.log: mega.nz link. Indicates errors of folders that don't even exist, but every time it freezes the file has different EOF

Game is amazing and I'd love to keep playing it as you can see

[Danteska]

I fixed it. It's weird that I even came up with this idea because I had already tried it, but hey, I fixed it. Played for 3+ hours to make sure, so I thought I'd leave the solution here in case it happens to anyone else sometime.

I have two GPU monitorization/overclock utilities: MSI Afterburner and Sapphire TRIXX. For some reason, if I try to disable any overclocking I have through TRIXX, it won't apply, I'll have to do this through Afterburner and through TRIXX. But I didn't realize that because I had any monitorization in-game disabled just in case that was the issue. All I had to do was lower the overclocking a bit in both of them (from 1125/1600 to 1050/1350, default values being 950/1250).

It's also weird because as this game caps the fps to 60, it doesn't use my GPU at 100%, so it's not overheating nor anything, and I daily play other demanding games like The Witcher 3 and in 60 hours of playtime I've never had that problem. IMO the issue was more related to too high voltage and amperage when loading new zones, but just in this game...

[Romulator]

I fixed it. It's weird that I even came up with this idea because I had already tried it, but hey, I fixed it. Played for 3+ hours to make sure, so I thought I'd leave the solution here in case it happens to anyone else sometime.

I have two GPU monitorization/overclock utilities: MSI Afterburner and Sapphire TRIXX. For some reason, if I try to disable any overclocking I have through TRIXX, it won't apply, I'll have to do this through Afterburner and through TRIXX. But I didn't realize that because I had any monitorization in-game disabled just in case that was the issue. All I had to do was lower the overclocking a bit in both of them (from 1125/1600 to 1050/1350, default values being 950/1250).

It's also weird because as this game caps the fps to 60, it doesn't use my GPU at 100%, so it's not overheating nor anything, and I daily play other demanding games like The Witcher 3 and in 60 hours of playtime I've never had that problem. IMO the issue was more related to too high voltage and amperage when loading new zones, but just in this game...

Huh - well, arguably SOMA is not specifically designed to be overclocked or run with overclocking settings, so I am glad you got it solved and have been able to play the game a little more! It's also arguable that SOMA isn't optimized for every computer set up, hence why the Tech Support forum exists.

I'll look into adding some of this information into the Troubleshooting Guide, since, if others are having similar issues, it would give us another method to attempt.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but if you have any other issues, please feel free to post and we'll see what we can do!

Closing thread as you have specified the issue has been fixed. Please feel free to send me a PM if you would like this thread reopened.