# Morrowind computer glitch **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 12, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688 "2019-10-12T18:50:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688/1 "2019-10-12T18:50:56Z")
When I run Morrowind on my computer sometimes the game crashes and I get the message “Display driver not responding”. It seems to be getting worse. I’ve looked around online and they only fixes I’ve been able to find involve a level of computer expertise that I don’t feel I have. So, if you don’t mind, could somebody list a simple step by step process on how to fix it? I have Windows 10 and a NVIDIA Geforce 770 if that makes a difference… ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688/2 "2019-10-12T19:08:39Z")
Have you seen if your GPU driver is up to date? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688/3 "2019-10-12T19:57:53Z")
Latest GeForce driver is here: > **[Download The Latest Official GeForce Drivers](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/drivers/)** > > Download the latest official GeForce drivers to enhance your PC gaming experience and run apps faster. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688/4 "2019-10-12T20:00:16Z")
Have you tried running it in compatibility mode? It was probably designed to work on Windows 98 or XP, somewhere around there. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688/5 "2019-10-12T20:16:46Z")
Compatibility mode is a very good idea. [Also, don’t run it in full screen.](https://steamcommunity.com/app/22320/discussions/0/451848854978259311/) Apparently running the game in full screen mode doesn’t work in Windows 10. That right there _might_ be a reason for the graphics driver crashing. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688/6 "2019-10-13T18:04:07Z")
Thanks for your replies. I’ll try these. How do I keep the game from running on full screen? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688/7 "2019-10-13T18:12:20Z")
Here’s how to run a program in compatibility mode: > **[Get your old programs running with Windows 10 Compatibility Mode](https://www.lifewire.com/run-older-programs-with-windows-10-compatibility-mode-4587064)** > > Windows 10 Compatibility Mode can help you fix misbehaving applications that used to work on older versions of Windows. And here’s how to change Morrowind’s settings to windowed mode: > **[How do I set Oblivion or Morrowind to run in windowed mode?](https://help.bethesda.net/app/answers/detail/a_id/17500/~/how-do-i-set-oblivion-or-morrowind-to-run-in-windowed-mode%3F)** > > If your video card and monitor configuration support it, you can force the game to run in Windowed mode. Launch the game, and choose Options. Under Mode, put a checkbox in the Windowed mode option. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688/8 "2019-10-13T20:15:25Z")
If the game runs for a while and _then_ some hours later crashes with a driver error, I’d wager it’s not \*actually \*a driver problem but an overheating one (especially if it grows worse with time). Try dusting off your graphics card and ideally also replace the thermal paste for good measure. If you don’t know how to do that and don’t trust yourself to learn (it’s really not a big complex thing, but I understand the thought of rooting around inside a computer can seem like a brick wall of danger to some) any local tech shop will do it for you. If your computer is a laptop, then just go directly to the shop, those are really not root-around friendly and just opening them up might void your warranty. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688/9 "2019-10-14T18:39:10Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > If the game runs for a while and _then_ some hours later crashes with a driver error, I’d wager it’s not \*actually \*a driver problem but an overheating one (especially if it grows worse with time). > > Try dusting off your graphics card and ideally also replace the thermal paste for good measure. If you don’t know how to do that and don’t trust yourself to learn (it’s really not a big complex thing, but I understand the thought of rooting around inside a computer can seem like a brick wall of danger to some) any local tech shop will do it for you. If your computer is a laptop, then just go directly to the shop, those are really not root-around friendly and just opening them up might void your warranty. It seems really random. Sometimes it won’t do it at all, then the other day it did it twice. I rarely ever play for more than an hour straight, but it seems like it’s getting worse. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688/10 "2019-10-14T19:49:21Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > It seems really random. Sometimes it won’t do it at all, then the other day it did it twice. I rarely ever play for more than an hour straight, but it seems like it’s getting worse. Sounds like overheating to me. Those issues do often appear like they’re random, but they aren’t. They’re tied to how hot components (like your video card) are getting. Depending on what your computer is doing it might heat up quickly and fail, or you could go for a long game session without a glitch. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morrowind-computer-glitch/841688/11 "2019-10-14T22:06:11Z")
Yeah, “random” or non-replicable issues (i.e. problems that cannot be stated as “whenever I X, it does Y”) are very often due to overheating. Another possible cause would be failing RAM - but the first steps I’d take would really be “thoroughly dust off the case’s air intakes and outflows, scrub the fans & radiators”. If that doesn’t solve the problem, replace the thermal paste next - also make sure you haven’t got a dead fan somewhere. If the problem still persists, then start looking into possible hardware or software problems.