EverQuest II Memory Leak Fix
EverQuest II Memory Leak Fix by Chimerical
How I caused my memory leak, and how I fixed it.
Two Words: Windows Services
I bring to you an example of how I caused what appeared to be a memory leak while running EverQuest II, as well as the solution to the problem for me..
I have spent a considerable amount of time to re-create the memory leak and fix it to confirm for myself the real cause of the problem in this case.
This week I was probably the only person in the world trying to create a memory leak with EverQuest II. If you care to read the entire story, then follow the link below.
EQ2 Story: A Typical User Caused ‘Memory Leak’, Including a Happy Ending.
(Link Will be Added when I complete the other post)
Symptoms: An Apparent Memory Leak present only while running the EverQuest II client.
Game Crashing to Desktop, Random Computer Reboots, Network Lag after xx
x number of hours/minutes of play, Random Game Pauses, Erratic/Sub-standard Video Card behavior, compared to other high end games. As well as, random and various “Out of Memory Error” messages.
Description:
Available Physical RAM drops at a steady rate and is never released until your game crashes to desktop or you restart it manually. My system has 2G of RAM, and I would last about 3 to 4 hours when set on ‘balanced’ quality.
I could watch my available physical RAM drop approximately 10mb per minute, while running the game Full Screen at the character select screen. Moving about the Various Zones would greatly increase rate that I lost available RAM.
Eventually the game would crash to desktop.
Explanation:
Many people on this forum and elsewhere believe this is caused by an EverQuest II memory leak, because it does not appear to affect any other game. I can not say if the EverQuest II has a memory leak at all, I simply do not know. I do know that I did have a memory leak while running it, and I have fixed it, and it was with my system, and not with the game.
I also had NO other issues on my system with ANY other game, and could pass any stress test or burn in test you could throw at my machine, yet before I could lay blame on SOE, I had to be double sure it was not something on my end.
Which I did, and I am glad I did, because if I waited for a patch to fix it, it most likely would never get fixed, since the issue was on my end.
General Cause:
I had my Windows Services set to ‘NON DEFAULT’ settings.
(I.E. Settings that were NOT the same as when you first install Windows, Services that should automatically turn on when you boot your computer, I had disabled.)
More Information:
I use Black Viper’s Windows XP 2 Service Configurations to configure The Services running on my machine. I do this on every new install of windows; I’ve been using his pages for a long time, and I have never had an issue with any other game, including online games.
This is the address, and good information for many people.
Windows XP Services Configurations < If you use this page, make sure you are set up to the DFAULT settings. NOT ‘safe’, power user’ or ‘barebones’.
http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm
For those people who check the black viper page and feel it is too much for them, here is a link to a Guide that exist right here on our very own forums. I do not know why it is not listed up at the top with the other very useful documents that have been fixed at the top.
I tested Tigerj configuration last night on my machine and it does not cause the memory leak issue on my system. I will be using his configuration in the future for EverQuest II.
Tweaking your system XP Pro SP2 (Updated Dec. 16)
http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=tech_support&message.id;=27957&highlight;=tweaking+your+system+xp+pro#M27957
Even though those are both great sources, I highly recommend everyone set back to Default Windows Service settings for your version of Windows and restart the computer and game and see if your problem is gone.
Also, be smarter than me and pay attention when you see comments such as:
“NOTE: Remember, use this to your own discretion. Make sure you know what you are doing before making changes. If you aren’t sure, ask someone who does know so you don’t mess things up mistakenly” – Tigerj
What, you have never changed ANY of your services, and you don’t even know what I am talking about? Well, casual users be aware, if you have ever run any program that claims to optimize, clean, speed up, configure or tweak your system, then there is a very good chance that it changed some of you’re windows services. Follow the directions above to check your services. You can also create a Windows System Restore Point before you do anything, just to be safe.
Specific Cause:
With the exception of the Human Interface Device Service, which I did not disable, I had my Services set to Black Viper’s ‘Power User’ Service Configurations.
Most tweakers, overclockers, or power gamers have probably followed some guide such as Black Vipers to eliminate previously superfluous Windows overhead and free up RAM for games or other applications. Apparently one or more of these is now being used by the EverQuest II client, probably using the net .NET Framework software services offered by Microsoft.
Check your services and/or set them back to defaults or Tigerji’s recommendations. Restart your computer, and see if you still have your memory leak when playing EQ2.
I also highly recommend downloading the optional .NET Framework 1.1 and .NET Framework 1.1 SP1 from Microsoft. You can use auto update if you select the Custom Option, you will have to go back a couple of times, as it has to install the components separately and requires a restart.
Alternatively you can download it here and install it yourself.
Microsoft .NET Framework Version 1.1 Redistributable Package
Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1
Good Luck guys!
– Kosmos
I hope this fixes some of you up. If it doesn’t work for you I’m sorry.
The reason I had such a hard time tracking this down, is because I have been making the same changes to services for so long, that I don’t even think about it any longer.
It’s jsut something i do on install of windows. I’ve never had any adverse affect or wierdness like this, and man these issues just SCREAM, overheating, or hardware issues. So these services were the very last thing I checked.
I have confirmed this was my problem by setting up multiple hardware profiles, and using each one while monitoring the RAM usage of the game.
Black Viper’s ‘Power User’ Profile = Memory Leak (Not really a ‘leak’ but it acts like one)
Tigerji’s Profile = No Memory Leak
Windows Default = No Memory Leak
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