Hello all
There is always a huge number of threads in this section that are asking for help due the fact that the user is having technical problems playing FM. I thought it may be a good idea to make a thread where all members who are having problems can look and follow instructions on how to fix there game. It gets tiresome saying the same thing on multiple threads so hopefully members will look at this thread first to try and solve their issues. Anyway here is an 9 step guide that will hopefully solve any computer issues you may be having:
Netbook users This guide may not solve your issues. I suggest you use this thread instead to hopefully solve any issues you have. I know it's FM10 but it should hopefully still help you.
1. Check your computer specifications against the game specifications
Some people on this site complain of their game not running properly/at all simply due to the fact that their laptop/pc doesn't have high enough specs to run the game. If this applies to you then the only advice I can give is to buy a new laptop/pc or upgrade your current one (if your PC allows you to). The list of FM 11 specifications can be found here. you can easily check the specifications of your pc by typing 'dxdiag' into 'run' on your computer. Post the results on this thread and I will tell you if your pc is good enough. Equally you could use canyourunit which will tell you if you can run the game.
2. Try reinstalling the game itself
If your pc meets the system requirements of the game then move onto this step. Sometimes certain files in the FM folder (or any game for that matter) can become corrupt and not allow the game to run properly/at all. This could be down to a bad installation or a file just randomly becoming corrupt. Therefore a simple reinstallation of the game can solve this problem and allow you to play problem free. This problem could be especially likely if your pc can run games of similar intensity with no problems. Make sure you back up your saved games to memory sticks or similar to allow you to continue them after the reinstallation. You can find your saved games at 'My Documents'/'Sports Interactive'/'Football Manager 2011'/'games'
3. Try installing with steam
This only applies to those who install using the disc. If you installed FM 11 using a disc then your multiple reinstallations may not be doing any good to helping you to get your game working. This could be due to your disc having a scratch/mark which is making certain files corrupt when they are installed. I suggest downloading steam and using that to install FM11. You can simply go to your library and install FM using your serial key. It will download the files from steam. This will be faster/slower depending on your internet speed.
If you are already using steam then you can try a couple of things to try and fix your game. Go to your games library and right click on Football Manager 2011. Choose the option 'properties' and when the box appears choose the tab 'local files'. Here you can try the options 'Defragment cache files' or 'Verify Integrity of game cache'. Doing these may stop you experiencing problems
4. Download the latest drivers
It is amazing how much having outdated drivers can affect your game. If you don't know what a driver is then you have probably never updated them and then they are probably out of date. Use dxdiag to find out your graphics card and then post back here and I will try and find the latest drivers for you.
5. Make sure you have the latest patch installed
This may sound simple but it solves many problems you may be encountering with your game. You can download the latest patch on this website here. PLEASE NOT ALL USERS OF STEAM DON'T HAVE TO MANUALLY DOWNLOAD THE LATEST PATCH, STEAM WILL DO IT FOR YOU.
6. Try running a different saved game
By the far the most frustrating thing about the FM series is when you get really into a saved game and then suddenly your game stops working. This could be due to your saved game becoming corrupt. You may be able to fix your corrupted game by making a post on the SI forums, after following the proper template. Your saved game is probably corrupt if it works fine but the game always crashes at certain date, no matter how many times you try. If your other saved games work fine then your saved game has probably become corrupt. You can prevent corrupt saves from being too disastrous by constantly backing up your game so you can reload to a point that's not too far back from the affected save.
7. Check Temperatures
If your computer, especially the processor, is running at high temperatures then this can cause your game to crash. You can find out your temperatures of your processor by using a program called coretemps. Report your temperatures in this thead and i will tell you if they are high or not. You can decrease the temperatures of your computer by either buying more fans to put in your computer and therefore creating a better airflow. Buying a new fan called a heatsink which goes on your processor and keeps it cool. Or the best way of decreasing temperatures and increasing airflow (especially in laptops) is by removing dust. Remove it from all fans as it can clog them up and stop them from working properly. You can remove dust from laptops by using compressed air in a can. This is an example of what I mean.
8. XML problems/ crash dumps
These are 2 very common problems that cause users games to stop working. I have never actually got one (touch wood) so can't really help on being able to fix them. All I can do is tell you to visit previous threads that seems to help a lot of people. This thread and this thread may be able to solve your problem
9. If all the above has failed...
Then all I can say is I am out of ideas
However PM me if this is the case and I will make a post on a brilliant computer troubleshooting forum that will hopefully be able to help you solve your problem. If you have not done all the previous steps I have mentioned in the guide I will not post your problem
Thank you to anyone who actually read through all that, sorry I went on a bit. I just tried to add as much detail as possible to help. If anyone has anything to add/correct/comment on me on then feel free to post and I will add it to the OP Also if I think of anything else to add then I will add the OP so keep an eye out.
The official SI FAQ about problems running the game can be found here.
There is always a huge number of threads in this section that are asking for help due the fact that the user is having technical problems playing FM. I thought it may be a good idea to make a thread where all members who are having problems can look and follow instructions on how to fix there game. It gets tiresome saying the same thing on multiple threads so hopefully members will look at this thread first to try and solve their issues. Anyway here is an 9 step guide that will hopefully solve any computer issues you may be having:
Netbook users This guide may not solve your issues. I suggest you use this thread instead to hopefully solve any issues you have. I know it's FM10 but it should hopefully still help you.
1. Check your computer specifications against the game specifications
Some people on this site complain of their game not running properly/at all simply due to the fact that their laptop/pc doesn't have high enough specs to run the game. If this applies to you then the only advice I can give is to buy a new laptop/pc or upgrade your current one (if your PC allows you to). The list of FM 11 specifications can be found here. you can easily check the specifications of your pc by typing 'dxdiag' into 'run' on your computer. Post the results on this thread and I will tell you if your pc is good enough. Equally you could use canyourunit which will tell you if you can run the game.
2. Try reinstalling the game itself
If your pc meets the system requirements of the game then move onto this step. Sometimes certain files in the FM folder (or any game for that matter) can become corrupt and not allow the game to run properly/at all. This could be down to a bad installation or a file just randomly becoming corrupt. Therefore a simple reinstallation of the game can solve this problem and allow you to play problem free. This problem could be especially likely if your pc can run games of similar intensity with no problems. Make sure you back up your saved games to memory sticks or similar to allow you to continue them after the reinstallation. You can find your saved games at 'My Documents'/'Sports Interactive'/'Football Manager 2011'/'games'
3. Try installing with steam
This only applies to those who install using the disc. If you installed FM 11 using a disc then your multiple reinstallations may not be doing any good to helping you to get your game working. This could be due to your disc having a scratch/mark which is making certain files corrupt when they are installed. I suggest downloading steam and using that to install FM11. You can simply go to your library and install FM using your serial key. It will download the files from steam. This will be faster/slower depending on your internet speed.
If you are already using steam then you can try a couple of things to try and fix your game. Go to your games library and right click on Football Manager 2011. Choose the option 'properties' and when the box appears choose the tab 'local files'. Here you can try the options 'Defragment cache files' or 'Verify Integrity of game cache'. Doing these may stop you experiencing problems
4. Download the latest drivers
It is amazing how much having outdated drivers can affect your game. If you don't know what a driver is then you have probably never updated them and then they are probably out of date. Use dxdiag to find out your graphics card and then post back here and I will try and find the latest drivers for you.
5. Make sure you have the latest patch installed
This may sound simple but it solves many problems you may be encountering with your game. You can download the latest patch on this website here. PLEASE NOT ALL USERS OF STEAM DON'T HAVE TO MANUALLY DOWNLOAD THE LATEST PATCH, STEAM WILL DO IT FOR YOU.
6. Try running a different saved game
By the far the most frustrating thing about the FM series is when you get really into a saved game and then suddenly your game stops working. This could be due to your saved game becoming corrupt. You may be able to fix your corrupted game by making a post on the SI forums, after following the proper template. Your saved game is probably corrupt if it works fine but the game always crashes at certain date, no matter how many times you try. If your other saved games work fine then your saved game has probably become corrupt. You can prevent corrupt saves from being too disastrous by constantly backing up your game so you can reload to a point that's not too far back from the affected save.
7. Check Temperatures
If your computer, especially the processor, is running at high temperatures then this can cause your game to crash. You can find out your temperatures of your processor by using a program called coretemps. Report your temperatures in this thead and i will tell you if they are high or not. You can decrease the temperatures of your computer by either buying more fans to put in your computer and therefore creating a better airflow. Buying a new fan called a heatsink which goes on your processor and keeps it cool. Or the best way of decreasing temperatures and increasing airflow (especially in laptops) is by removing dust. Remove it from all fans as it can clog them up and stop them from working properly. You can remove dust from laptops by using compressed air in a can. This is an example of what I mean.
8. XML problems/ crash dumps
These are 2 very common problems that cause users games to stop working. I have never actually got one (touch wood) so can't really help on being able to fix them. All I can do is tell you to visit previous threads that seems to help a lot of people. This thread and this thread may be able to solve your problem
9. If all the above has failed...
Then all I can say is I am out of ideas
However PM me if this is the case and I will make a post on a brilliant computer troubleshooting forum that will hopefully be able to help you solve your problem. If you have not done all the previous steps I have mentioned in the guide I will not post your problemThank you to anyone who actually read through all that, sorry I went on a bit. I just tried to add as much detail as possible to help. If anyone has anything to add/correct/comment on me on then feel free to post and I will add it to the OP Also if I think of anything else to add then I will add the OP so keep an eye out.
The official SI FAQ about problems running the game can be found here.
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