[X3] A tool to fix your directshow codecs (sound problems and performance)

[Jokey77]

Actually posting my experiences is all I can do to support your efforts

By having msctf.dll by-passed I appearently really have fixed my problems...

and of course I have a back-up copy

@ BaronDeKalb:
http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/proce ... n.exe.html -->
some claim, that this file would cause lag, but personally this whole issue seems to be rather unique to X³ and "foreign" experiences will not help us too much...

And I prefer my work-around to deinstalling it


Just in case anyone wants to know what I have done:

1.) go to your windows\system32\ folder
2.) back-up your msctf.dll file
3.) rename you msctf.dll
4.) copy any other *.dll file into your folder, which is named msctf.dll
5.) reboot your machine

for some reason windows keeps on creating a new msctf.dll file over and over again, so you cannot just rename/delete it...

[MadBoris]

Actually posting my experiences is all I can do to support your efforts

By having msctf.dll by-passed I appearently really have fixed my problems...

and of course I have a back-up copy

I will make a note of that. Now that makes me wonder if text services runs scheduled events in the background, hmm.
Please provide an update later if anything changes with your freezes.
Thx again

[strude]

for some reason windows keeps on creating a new msctf.dll file over and over again, so you cannot just rename/delete it...

Would this relate to the windows System File Checker thingy it does. As I understand it (which isn't much mind you), Windows has a database of System files that it keeps copies of. If these files are deleted of changed, it replaces the original file. By renaming the file, when windows checks, it doesn't find it and so replaces it.

MadBoris: My sound card is just a standard SB Audigy (not 2) as far as I know. The term ZS rings familiar, but I think that was the Aud2 I didn't end up bothering with, but likewise could apply to this card. It displays in SiSoft Sandra as "SB Audigy Audio [B400]"

[MadBoris]

Yes that is File Protection, which is why it's probably best to just shut off the service rather than remove the files.

I also have the Audigy, that file is not used on my system I searched all loaded DLL's on all running processes. Anyway, it probably is set to be used for the sound effects as mentioned for some reason, since it is initialized by the game.

[Mr. K]

Unfortunately, I can't see the offending codecs themselves but I wouldn't want all that.

As it happens, those are the only entries, I scrolled the box to make sure before I took the shot and posted, it just looks like there's loads due to the scrollbar at the side.

If you cant spot anything dodgy there or see anything that's known to be a Very Bad Thing(tm) then I'll be content with how things are.

I'm guessing the video for windows dll is possibly causing an issue but other than that, the rest of those showing up on my list are totally beyond me as to why they'd be there.

Thanks for your time MB, oh, and merry xmas

[MadBoris]

Unfortunately, I can't see the offending codecs themselves but I wouldn't want all that.

As it happens, those are the only entries, I scrolled the box to make sure before I took the shot and posted, it just looks like there's loads due to the scrollbar at the side.

If you cant spot anything dodgy there or see anything that's known to be a Very Bad Thing(tm) then I'll be content with how things are.

I'm guessing the video for windows dll is possibly causing an issue but other than that, the rest of those showing up on my list are totally beyond me as to why they'd be there.

Thanks for your time MB, oh, and merry xmas

Looking closer, there are 2 that are initiating the other 4 probably as dependencies.
wmidx.dll
msvfw32.dll
Looking at the DLL's in detail, they revolve around ASF and video playback. They may just be normal video files for Media Player 9 with the game. If you have no video issues or other strange issues, don't give it a second thought. If I find I later need to add them to the media player 9 exclusion list, I will do that. I did less and less testing with media player 9 over the last month because Microsoft no longer even has a download available for Media Player 9 for XP anymore, only MP10 now.

[Jokey77]

weird, weird :/

I had another few freezes on one certain savegame...
when I used another one things were fine again...

I have changed a few things with this msctf.dll...
A bit to early to post my experiences, but I will keep you updated...

What I can say for sure is, that deactivating that odd dll HAS improved things a lot...

[strude]

Just a quick thought MadBoris, could those extra files be due to using a gameport joystick rather than USB? The joystick is connected through the soundcard. Don't know why this would be but since you asked about the soundcard, I figured you might think it's related.

[BallistaSlim]

My culprits seem to be:

MSCTF.DLL - Already handled.

LGSCROLL.DLL - Logitech Setpoint, no codec am using both LT mouse and Joystick though.

MPEG2DMX.AX - Ah, a video codec, Moonlight Elecard MPEG-2. Anyone who knows anything about this?

[MadBoris]

My culprits seem to be:

MSCTF.DLL - Already handled.

LGSCROLL.DLL - Logitech Setpoint, no codec am using both LT mouse and Joystick though.

MPEG2DMX.AX - Ah, a video codec, Moonlight Elecard MPEG-2. Anyone who knows anything about this?

You can look up the Mpeg2dmx.ax in the DSFMgr tool. Check it's merit and see if you want to turn it down. The other way is to rename it, but X3 might pick another unpreferred filter. All I can say is third party filters may give poor performance results at the least, I obviously haven't tested all of them.
Thanks for reporting the logitec setpoint, so if your not getting any adverse results from that driver in mouse operation or the game, then all is good.

[Skeletal]

Good tools MadBoris. Thank you for your efforts!

I’ve not been X3ing recently…I have not even downloaded the new patch yet!

However, I have just run the tools (on 1.21) and all is well except that when I attach X3 I (like others) get:

MSCTF.DLL
MSLBUI.DLL
SERWVDRV.DLL
UMDMXFRM.DLL

Now, as has been pointed out, MSCTF.DLL and MSLBUI.DLL are related to ctfmon.exe which is used by Microsoft Office alternative user input text input processor and XP language bar.

I am a “power user” of Office (i.e. I am one of the 0.1% of Office users that do actually use more than 1% of its capabilities!) and would not want to disturb these dlls. There is, however, another way: simply open up task manager and view Process. You will find ctfmon.exe listed there. Select it and then click “End Process”. If you run X3/DShow again, the 2 nuisance dlls will be gone (until you re-boot or start Office).

I’ve not found the “modem” ones yet.

However, for those of you who have kept an eye on my “freezing” thread will know, it has been said a few times that a good way to improve performance and to reduce the probability of a freeze, is to “End Process” on as much as possible (including Explorer, and most definitely all virus/spam/malware checkers after disconnecting from the internet). I normally do this (but deliberately did not before using DShow), and thus have unwittingly, already removed ctfmon.exe for normal play. Sadly, I still have had a freeze so it is still not “the” answer.

Thus, in conclusion, for those of you who have a list of strange dlls that may (or may not!) influence the game, try disabling various processes, until hopefully the dlls no longer appear. I now need to do this to try to find the modem ones!

Skeletal

[TinkerBell]

My problem
The first few seconds of speech are missing. eg "...system established" instead of "Trading system established". All other sounds are fine, as are graphics.

My computer
This is a new computer (built on xmas eve) with one or two components reused from previous machine.

AMD 64 4000+
BFG 7800GT PCI-e
Audigy 2 Platinum EX
2G Corsair RAM
Antec 550W PSU
WD 500GB SATA2
Pioneer DVD-R
Lite-on DVD
Windows XP SP2 (not XP 64!) + all updates

What I've tried so far
X3 worked with the Audigy in the previous machine.

Tried X3 1.0, 1.2.01 & 1.3
Tried with media player 9 and newly installed MP 10
With & without K-Lite Codec Pack
Tried software from the orignal Audigy CD (with & without updates) and tried a drivers only install

DShow and DSFMgr output
DShow shows two red items: ASF ACM Handler & Windows Media Source Filter. DSFMgr screenies are here and here

Great diagnostic tool MadBoris

[Skeletal]

Update: I can’t find the process that fires up the modem dlls. I know they are original Windows ones (going back many years) and, of course, I can’t turn all process off.

I have renamed them though, so they no longer appear. I’ll just have to see if there is any improvement.

Skeletal

[MadBoris]

Tinkerbell,

First off nice, christmas present you got there.
You definitely diagnosed the cause of your speech issues, it's in the DShow Viewer picture you sent. I've run into the ASF ACM Handler issue, but in the past the fix was a Media Player 10 reinstall. Your DSFM pics look fine, so I am still unsure why this problem comes up periodically for some people, except somewhere there are some registry keys probably that need updating I imagine.
Do an 'attach to X3' to see if anything else shows up.
First, try a MP10 reinstall one more time, I am aware you mentioned you did that already.
Keep your eyes open for a Private Message.

[TinkerBell]

Tinkerbell,

First off nice, christmas present you got there.

Yes I know. And so does my bank manager I didn't dare say which new monitor I got with it

I've being playing FEAR tonight. I'll post again tomorrow about X3.

Night night...

[strude]

Just an update. Played a 3hr session last night with no problems whatsoever, starting from a new game in 1.3. That was with the visial studio and two modem files showing up in the list. I can now safely conclude that for exactly one person that I know of, these files cause no problems to the gameplay.

Regards Simon

[TinkerBell]

OK, here's my mornings activities. Nothing has made any difference, I still get the two reds showing up in DShow

1. Created a system restore point
2. Uninstall WMP 10 *
3. Reinstalled WMP 10 *
4. File Checker shows 5 errors
5. Used DSFMgr to register new filters: windows\system32\wmpasf.dll and windows\system32\wmspdmod.dll *
6. Attach to X3 shows 13 reds! (image is 3 screendumps merged)

* I checked DShow after these steps and there was no difference (still got ASF ACM and WM Source Filter in red)

[MadBoris]

Yes the ASF ACM Handler isn't an easy issue to fix otherwise the pre-packaged response would have been already given.
Let's keep troubleshooting this via PM or this thread will become far too clogged up.
Thanks

[MadBoris]

Just an update. Played a 3hr session last night with no problems whatsoever, starting from a new game in 1.3. That was with the visial studio and two modem files showing up in the list. I can now safely conclude that for exactly one person that I know of, these files cause no problems to the gameplay.

Regards Simon

Cool. Thanks for the info and testing.

[L_B_P]

stupid questing where the link to file checker, tried clik on all the link in first post.