Crashes before I even get to any title screen

[SineSwiper]

I'm getting a standard MS "Error Report" crash from BioShock after the 2K logo movie. My computer acts like it's going to switch resolutions (HDTV; so that sort of thing is pretty noticeable), and then crashes.

Here's my specs:

Dual Pentium 4 3GHz
1.5GB of RAM
Windows XP SP2
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 with 256MB of VRAM
Latest NVIDIA drivers (beta driver for BioShock)
DirectX 9c
HDTV running 1176x664

Verbose info from my NVIDIA control panel:

[Display]
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz (2998 MHz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
DirectX version: 9.0c
GPU processor: GeForce FX 5700
ForceWare version: 163.44
Memory: 256 MB
Video BIOS version: 4.36.20.21.00
IRQ: 16
Bus: AGP 8X

[Components]

nvCplUIR.dll 1.4.700.07 NVIDIA Control Panel
nvCpl.cpl 1.4.700.07 NVIDIA Control Panel Applet
nvExpBar.dll 1.4.700.07 NVIDIA Control Panel
nvCplUI.exe 1.4.700.07 NVIDIA Control Panel
nvViTvSR.dll 6.14.10.9371 NVIDIA Compatible Windows 2000 Display driver, Version 93.71
nvViTvS.dll 6.14.11.6344 NVIDIA Video and TV Server
nvDispSR.dll 6.14.10.9371 NVIDIA Compatible Windows 2000 Display driver, Version 93.71
NVMCTRAY.DLL 6.14.11.6344 NVIDIA Media Center Library
NVOGLNT.DLL 6.14.11.6344 NVIDIA Compatible OpenGL ICD
nvDispS.dll 6.14.11.6344 NVIDIA Display Server
NVCPL.DLL 6.14.11.6344 NVIDIA Compatible Windows 2000 Display driver, Version 163.44
NV4_MINI.SYS 6.14.11.6344 NVIDIA Compatible Windows 2000 Miniport Driver, Version 163.44
NV4_DISP.DLL 6.14.11.6344 NVIDIA Compatible Windows 2000 Display driver, Version 163.44
nvGameSR.dll 6.14.10.9371 NVIDIA Compatible Windows 2000 Display driver, Version 93.71
nvGameS.dll 6.14.11.6344 NVIDIA 3D Settings Server

[Plowking74]

Your graphics card from what I know would die trying to run the 3.0 shaders in the game. And that's probably what's happening here. Because the menu uses the ingame graphics, its dying when trying to load it.

see this thread

http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8072

[HeinzHarald]

Your graphics card from what I know would die trying to run the 3.0 shaders in the game.

Die or not it can't do SM3.0 at all. nVidia's first SM3 capable cards were the 6xxx series, and for ATi it's the X1xxx series.

[Darth_Angelus]

I'm having the same problem but I'm using a GF 7900 (updating the drivers didn't help), so I'm not sure what the cause is.

[SineSwiper]

No go. Changed the HighDetailShaders=False and it still crashes. Even turned off everything else, and it still crashes:

HighDetailShaders=False
Shadows=False
RealTimeReflection=False
PostProcessing=False
HardwareOcclusion=False
UseRippleSystem=False
UseHighDetailSoftParticles=False
UseSpecCubeMap=False;
UseDistortion=False;

Also, I kinda find it inexcusable for it to not have some sort of video config for this sort of thing. After all, why turn on every setting and force it into the menu for changing the video options (or before then)? It causes problems like this. (Of course, if the INI edit isn't working, it must be something else.)

I am also disappointed that the minimum card required (the NVIDIA 6600, according to the box, etc.) is less than 3 years old when it first came out (Nov 2004). You kinda screw your profit model when you force most people to shell out money on $150-200 video cards. (Heck, even the Joe Average user with a standard Dell/Gateway/Compaq/etc. has a much worse computer than I do.)

So, is this a lost cause because of the video card, or is there another way around this? Otherwise, I'm taking this game straight back. No point in wasting money on a game that doesn't work, and no point in spending an extra $100-200 to get it to work.