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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Crashes to the Desktop

"Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" is a game in the free-roaming "Grand Theft Auto" series that takes place in a fictionalized version of 1990s Los Angeles. The game is available for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and the PC. The PC version of the game may occasionally crash, reverting users back to the desktop with an error message. This is undoubtedly very frustrating for players and there are literally dozens of reasons this may occur. Try these steps to fix some of the more common issues.

Instructions

- 1
  Uninstall and then reinstall the game. "San Andreas" may not have loaded properly on your initial install and several files may have been corrupted, which leads to crashes.
- 2
  Click the "Start" button then type "msconfig" into the search bar followed by the "Enter" key to bring up the Systems Configuration Utility. Navigate to the "Selective Startup" menu under the "General" tab. Uncheck the "Load Startup Items" box. Check the "Hide All Microsoft Services" and "Disable All" boxes under the "Services" tab. Click "Ok" and restart your PC. The PC will start up with no background programs that may interfere with the game. Proceed to Step 3 if the game still crashes.
- 3
  Right-click on the game's primary icon (not the shortcut icon) and select "Properties." Select the "Compatibility" tab and then check "Run This Program in Compatibility Mode For" then select "Windows 98/Windows ME." This will tune down the game's graphics so that your PC can handle it. The game may be crashing because it features graphics that are too advanced for your particular computer to render.
- 4
  Update the graphics card drivers. The graphics card on your PC is what handles the 3D rendering in games. Your card's software may be out of date. Look up your card and download the latest drivers from the manufacturer's website.
- 5
  Run a malware removal tool to clean your computer of spyware or other viruses. These programs may be interfering with the game, which is what causes it to overload the CPU and crash.
- 6
  Download the latest version of DirectX 9 from Microsoft. DirectX 9 is a packet of information that helps control graphics processing on your computer. The game may crash if the latest version is not installed.

Computer Games