Blank Screen (Booting BIOS)

[IanWright83]

I thought I'd start a new thread, as my original problem has actually been solved and it'll just make it harder for others to find useful information.

The place I've got to is I can boot my BIOS and I get sound, however I don't get any video output. I've tried each of the three graphics plugins that come SSE2, SSE3, SSE4.1 and switched between DX9 hardware/software. If I try to use DX10 then PCSX2 crashes. Nothing I seem to try gives me any video output thought.

All the settings are at their defaults from installing PCSX2, I've tried toggling things to no avail and left all the hacks etc turned off...

I'm also installed in C:\Emulators rather than program files now... Here's my log file (although it looks fairly blank).

PCSX2 1.0.0.r5350 - compiled on Aug 1 2012
Savestate version: 0x9a080000

Host Machine Init:
Operating System = Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Edition Service Pack 1 (build 7601), 64-bit
Physical RAM = 4095 MB
CPU name = Intel® Core™2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz
Vendor/Model = GenuineIntel (stepping 0A)
CPU speed = 2.996 ghz (2 logical threads)
x86PType = Standard OEM
x86Flags = bfebfbff 0c08e3fd
x86EFlags = 20100000

x86 Features Detected:
MMX.. SSE.. SSE2.. SSE3.. SSSE3.. SSE4.1

Reserving memory for recompilers...

Loading plugins...
Binding GS: C:\Emulators\PCSX2 1.0.0\Plugins\gsdx32-ssse3-r5350.dll
Windows 6.1.7601 (Service Pack 1 1.0)
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+ (9.18.13.697)
Binding PAD: C:\Emulators\PCSX2 1.0.0\Plugins\lilypad-r5350.dll
Binding SPU2: C:\Emulators\PCSX2 1.0.0\Plugins\spu2-x-r5350.dll
Binding CDVD: C:\Emulators\PCSX2 1.0.0\Plugins\cdvdGigaherz.dll
Binding USB: C:\Emulators\PCSX2 1.0.0\Plugins\USBnull.dll
Binding FW: C:\Emulators\PCSX2 1.0.0\Plugins\FWnull.dll
Binding DEV9: C:\Emulators\PCSX2 1.0.0\Plugins\DEV9null.dll
Plugins loaded successfully.

(GameDB) 9640 games on record (loaded in 220ms)
HLE Notice: ELF does not have a path.


Initializing plugins...
Init GS
Windows 6.1.7601 (Service Pack 1 1.0)
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+ (9.18.13.697)
Init PAD
Init SPU2
Init CDVD
Init USB
Init FW
Init DEV9
Plugins initialized successfully.

Opening plugins...
Opening GS
Opening PAD
Opening SPU2
Opening CDVD
Opening USB
Opening FW
Opening DEV9
McdSlot 0: C:\Users\Ian\Documents\PCSX2\memcards\Mcd001.ps2
McdSlot 1: C:\Users\Ian\Documents\PCSX2\memcards\Mcd002.ps2
Plugins opened successfully.
EE/iR5900-32 Recompiler Reset
Bios Found: USA v02.20(10/02/2006) Console
BIOS rom1 module not found, skipping...
BIOS rom2 module not found, skipping...
BIOS erom module not found, skipping...
(UpdateVSyncRate) Mode Changed to NTSC.
(UpdateVSyncRate) FPS Limit Changed : 59.94 fps
Closing plugins...
Closing DEV9
Closing FW
Closing USB
Closing CDVD
Closing SPU2
* SPU2-X: Waiting for DSound thread to finish... Done.
Closing PAD
Closing GS
Plugins closed successfully.
Decommitting host memory for virtual systems...
EE/iR5900-32 Recompiler Reset
Shutting down plugins...
Plugins shutdown successfully.
(GameDB) Unloading...

[nosisab Ken Keleh]

There is no image even starting the BIOS? sounds like a case of bad BIOS dump.

let's follow a start up procedure:

1 - Make sure no DVD is mounted at any drive, physical or virtual.

2 - make sure "No disc" is selected under CDVD tab

3 - go system and try "Boot CDVD (full).

This should bring the BIOS, if it does not, I can think only it is corrupted or the dump failed.

[IanWright83]

There is no image even starting the BIOS? sounds like a case of bad BIOS dump.

let's follow a start up procedure:

1 - Make sure no DVD is mounted a any drive, physical or virtual.

2 - make sure "No disc" is active under CDVD tab

3 - go system and try "Boot CDVD (full).

This should bring the BIOS, if it does not, I can think only it is corrupted or the dump failed.

Those are the same things I've been doing (although I did have a virtual clone drive empty mount in the background so I ran through again). Exactly the same happens, the PS2 sound but no video.

I happen to have 2 BIOS dumps from different systems to try, both of which behave exactly the same.

[IanWright83]

Hmm, after reading about some other issues I tried rolling back to PSCX2 0.97.1 and using the ZeroGS plugin which seemed to work, I then tried the Gsdx plugin which also works...

Re-installing PSCX2 1.0.0 then also works... I noticed that the install of 0.97.1 ran a DirectX setup (even though I had it) and also installed some C++ redistributables... I'm wondering if there was a missing dependency that wasn't installed by the newer version somewhere?

[nosisab Ken Keleh]

Hmm, after reading about some other issues I tried rolling back to PSCX2 0.97.1 and using the ZeroGS plugin which seemed to work, I then tried the Gsdx plugin which also works...

Re-installing PSCX2 1.0.0 then also works... I noticed that the install of 0.97.1 ran a DirectX setup (even though I had it) and also installed some C++ redistributables... I'm wondering if there was a missing dependency that wasn't installed by the newer version somewhere?

I think I start to see what was the problem, despite having directX10 you still needed the DirectX 9.0c.

On the other side was still needed to update "both", because the directX10/11 that comes with Windows is outdated and then are those from most games.

Backward compatibility is granted in DirectX, that means an updated runtime will run applications developed with outdated SDKs. The inverse is not valid. PCSX2 uses the newest DirectX SDK and then will fail to work with outdated DirectX runtime.

[IanWright83]

I think I start to see what was the problem, despite having directX10 you still needed the DirectX 9.0c.

On the other side was still needed to update "both", because the directX10/11 that comes with Windows is outdated and then are those from most games.

Backward compatibility is granted in DirectX, that means an updated runtime will run applications developed with outdated SDKs. The inverse is not valid. PCSX2 uses the newest DirectX SDK and then will fail to work with outdated DirectX runtime.

Does that need logging as a bug somewhere?

[jesalvein]

Nope, since pcsx2 full installer will let you install all you need.

[nosisab Ken Keleh]

Nope, since pcsx2 full installer will let you install all you need.

Indeed, and with an advantage to boot, it forces the user to have the latest DirectX available

[IanWright83]

Indeed, and with an advantage to boot, it forces the user to have the latest DirectX available

OK, I don't quite understand which it didn't work then, until I used the old installer... that would suggest somethings not quite tight in the newer one.