engine error : failed to lock vertex buffer in CmeshDX8::LockVertexBuffer

just bought Half-Life2 and tried to run it on my brandnew laptop computer (NEC PC-LR500AD, Pentium 1.4 MHz, ATI RADEON 9700).
First got message that I have to update the video driver (checking on ATI's website, there seems to be an update... but I cannot install it.... & NEC tells me there is no update on their side).
So, this was no solution yet.
When Half LIfe2 is loading, when the word 'loading' appears... it blocks/freezes and gives me following error message '"engine error : failed to lock vertex buffer in CmeshDX8::LockVertexBuffer"'....

Contacting Valve technical support... they bluntly tell me that it is because I have a DVD writer on my laptop... ?"#$%&' (meaning that HL2 could not be played on most of the new laptops available now????)... what a crap....

Still looking for a solution! HL2 in the box only would not be nice ==> want to play it!

Can anybody help me... as Valve seemingly cannot....

I hope someone can answer your question because I'm getting the exact same message

I have a Dell Inspiron 8200 with DVD/CD-R player.

I have the same problem. I will post the error messages I have come up against, just for fun. In addition to the "LockVertexBuffer" error, I also got (please note my video card is an ATI Radeon 9000) "Display Driver Stopped Responding: The ati2dvag display driver has stopped working normally." AND "Engine Error- hl2.exe-Application Error: The instruction at "0x241f94b7" referenced memory at "0x0106f5c0". The memory could not be "read".


I have been to ATI's website and they do not support diver updates for Mobile/Laptop computers. They tell you on the website to go to the computer manufacturer and retrieve your update from there. The trouble is that the last update that Dell provideed was back in 2003.


So if ATI, my computer manufacturer, and Steam cannot help, then can I return this useless software back to Steam or Valve of whoever will give me my cash back?

What frustration! I should have downloaded the cracked version to see if I could even use this game.

STEAM is not helping me out either.... neither do ATI and NEC (notebook computer)....
Have already HL2 for two months now... but it is getting really frustrating as I cannot play it.... and nobody can help??

[FireCrack]

Ah, i had this problem quite recently, the solution is simple...


restart your computer.


Well, atleast this worked for me, i got bothe errors mentioned in your last post.

http://www.omegadrivers.net/

They work for notebooks.

[Ames]

Interestingly enough...

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=72098

Originally Posted by MrCharlie007

I have a Dell Inspiron 8200 with DVD/CD-R player.

In addition to the "LockVertexBuffer" error, I also got (please note my video card is an ATI Radeon 9000) "Display Driver Stopped Responding: The ati2dvag display driver has stopped working normally." AND "Engine Error- hl2.exe-Application Error: The instruction at "0x241f94b7" referenced memory at "0x0106f5c0". The memory could not be "read".

After spending a few hours trying to get rid of a similar error (LockVertexBuffer) after a reinstall of Windows, I worked out another factor - I'd enabled Terminal Services (Windows 2000). So if you're still getting this, or someone's Googling for solutions, try uninstalling Terminal Services or disabling Remote Desktop on XP.

i had the same message as well...but now it works perfectly fine.

first things first, i tried re-installing directx and botching that...so i ended up re-installing windows. after i had reinstalled windows, i tried with halflife 2 again. no joy.

then i got an idea!

i have two hard drives...andi had put halflife 2 on the slave drive, the one without windows (and therefore the drive without directx)...i re-installed halflife 2 to the master drive and viola! i was butchering headcrabs in no time.

i am on a desktop though...dell dimensions with a radeon 9550...if that helps at all....i dont know much about your notebook problems.
-tk

Whether residing on the master or slave drive makes a difference with hl2 I don't know, but DirectX availability to programs residing on either drive doesn't change; DirectX is part of the operating system.

I was receiving the error mentioned in this topic's subject, and a suggestion by Shens provided me with a workaround. Adding " -dxlevel 70" to the launch options did it. The following is a link to my full post:

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/show...32#post1425632

hey now,

This appears to have worked for me, running a dual athlon MP system
with an nvidia 6600GT. Are the rest of you having problems also running dual monitors like I am?

If so - disable your second monitor in nview so that you are running a
single monitor system. I was just able to play for an hour with no crash
and no audio screwups either.


ref: failed to lock vertex buffer CmeshDX8:LockCVertexBuffer

hope this helps someone else

the error will occur when you Alt+Tab to switch between windows while playing a game and your machine is unable to allocate sufficient memory to render graphics when you switch back to your game window.

The best solution for this behavior is to properly exit the game to return to your desktop so you may work with other applications.

ATI Video Card Users
This issue may also be related to an outdated driver for your video card. To address this issue, it is recommended that you uninstall the current Catalyst drivers, then install the Catalyst 6.2 drivers.

Download the ATI Catalyst Uninstaller
http://support.ati.com/ics/support/D...f28&deptID=894
Install the ATI Catalyst 6.2 Drivers
https://support.ati.com/ics/support/...questionID=640

Hello,
I think i have the solutionWell, that´s what worked for me ;-) )

Try to change your "graphics aperture size". (this is an option in the "BIOS"... mosty fund under "Advanced Chipset Options" )


My CS:S worked fine, until I changed my "GaS" from 128MB to 256MB. Then all this "vertex-trouble" began...
I just changed it back to 128 Mb, and CS:S is running again ;-)

I hope, i could help you..

Aphex



P.S: I am sorry for my bad english, I am not a native speaker :-P (to be presice, i am German). I just registered here, to tell you my solution, because I think, that ist the origin of all that trouble....

Well I tryed everything.I tryed to change my resolution,graphic effects,restart
my laptop,delete file "vidcfg",I tryed it to delete with BAT file,I scaned my computer for viruses,spywares and adwares......and nothing.I even reinstall my whole windows.......it just doesn't work.
NONE of that didn't work!!! :@
I only made it on Half-Life 2....but on Counter-Strike Source,Half-Life 2 Death
Match.....and other things from steam didn't work!
But I noticed something......I already have this games longer then 1 year....
and before it was working.....but after this new updates came in STEAM for
counter-strike source,half-life 2 deathmatch ...and all other games in steam...
that error started to coming all the time.Before this new updates for games in
steam came...everything was working totally normal.But after this new updates
came...that error "failed to lock vertex buffer in CMeshDX8::LockVertexBuffer"
is just coming in the middle of the loading the game!!!
Maybe that updates for games in steam are the reason why that error
is coming and the games don't work!!!
Anyway...like I said I made only the Half-Life 2 works.Just go in--->
C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\SteamApps\(then in your account)\half-life 2\
bin\vidcfg.bin

THATS IS!!! Now...delete that file "vidcfg.bin" then delete it from Recycle Bin
then again go in that BIN folder,(where you deleted that file "vidcfg.bin"),and create an empty folder.Rename that folder in "vidcfg.bin"
THATS IT!!!
Now...turn of all that and try to turn on the Half-Life 2 game.It should work
every time.

AND PLEASE IF SOMEONE KNOWS HOW I CAN PLAY COUNTER STRIKE SOURCE
AND HALF-LIFE 2 DEATHMATCH PLEASE TELL ME!!!


Thanks in advance

[99.vikram]

The new updates shouldn't affect you this way.Are your drivers up to date? Did you load a new program recently?