Bioshock Crash, Resolution, Change Language, No Sound and FOV fix

Hi, everyone! :) I made this simple troubleshooting guide for fixing the game crashing on start up on Windows 7 and Windows 8 OS, which seem to be the most common issue on most of the modern Systems/Computer. You can find most of the common fixes and tweaks here.

This fix is for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users. The same might apply to Windows 10 users.

Solution 1:

• Right-click Bioshock on Steam > Properties > Under the General tab > Uncheck Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.
  
• Click on Set Launch Options > then add "-nointro" without quotes.

Note: Enabling the Steam in-game Overlay will make your game crash (for some users). You have to disable the Steam in-game overlay to play the game.

Or, you can just leave the steam in-game overlay on and download the fix below which let you play the game with the overlay on modern PCs. (As reported by some users)

Download[drive.google.com] For 32-bit OS
Download[drive.google.com] For 64-bit OS

If you are having trouble downloading from the links above. You can download the file from here
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XJDA2qo2L1On5Rab9yi3jMrv1UU6Navf

Extract it and copy openal32.dll in Builds\Release folder, where the main Bioshock.exe is located.

Note: Tested the fix myself. The game works with the overlay on but the game still crashes randomly.

Solution 2:

If the above fix doesn't work for you then try running the game in DirectX 9 mode.

• Right-click Bioshock on Steam > Properties > Set Launch Options > Type "-dx9" without quotes.

Note: If you want to run the game in DirectX 10 mode, remove "-dx9" from Set Launch Options and follow the instructions on Solution 3 and Solution 4.


Solution 3:

Enable Stereo Mix and try running the game again.

• Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound > Click on Recodring tab > Right-click and enable Show Disabled Devices > Right-click on Stereo Mix and Enable it.

Note: If you can't find Stereo Mix under the recording tab, download the latest audio driver from your motherboard's manufacturer website and install it.


Solution 4:

• If you have a Headphone, try plugging it in on the front jack and try running the game again.

If the above fix doesn't work

• Right-click Bioshock on Steam > Properties > Set Launch Options > Type "-dx9" without quotes and try running the game again with the Headphone still plugged in.

Note: See Solution 2 for images.


Solution 5:

If none of the above fix worked for you then try this.

• Locate BioShock.exe
  
  In my case, its in
  
  

  D:\Program Files (x86)\SteamLibrary\SteamApps\common\Bioshock\Builds\Release

  (as seen in the picture below)
  
  If you haven't changed the default installation directory, it should be in this location
  
  

  C:\Program Files (x86)\SteamLibrary\SteamApps\common\Bioshock\Builds\Release

  (or depending on which drive you installed the game)
  
  
• Right-click on Bioshock.exe > Troubleshoot Compatibility > Try recommended settings > Click on start the program and see if the game still crashes.

Note: You have to disable the Steam in-game overlay before you start to Troubleshoot Compatibility as the Steam in-game overlay make the game crash.


Solution 6:

• Right-click Bioshock on steam > Properties > Set Launch Options > Type "-nosound" without quotes.

Those facing the problem with no sound in game try "Solution 3 and 4" from the "Crash on Startup in Windows 7 64-bit & Windows 8-64bit" section or alternatively you can try the fix below.

• Download OpenAL from here OpenAL[drive.google.com].
  
• Extract the archive and install the program.
  
• Go to

  C:\Windows\System32

• or

  C:\Windows\SysWoW64 for 64bit OS)

• Copy over wrap_oal.dll into the same folder where Bioshock's executable is located

  (Bioshock\Builds\Release\)

  (Right-click Bioshock on Steam > Properties > Local Files > Browse Local Files)
  
• Rename the file wrap_oal.dll to openal32.dll and run the game again see if the game has sound this time

Can't change the resolution from 1024x768. Changing the resolution make the game crash.

• Locate Default.ini in
  

  C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Bioshock\Builds\Release

  (or depending on which drive you installed the game)
  
  In my case, its located in
  

  D:\Program Files (x86)\SteamLibrary\SteamApps\common\Bioshock\Builds\Release

  (as seen in the picture below)
  
  
• Edit with Notepad and press Ctrl + F to search for "Fullscreen" in [WinDrv.WindowsClient] section without quotes).
  
• Edit the FullscreenViewportX and FullscreenViewportY values to your desired resolution then save the file.
  

Example:

FullscreenViewportX=1920
FullscreenViewportY=1080

Locate

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Bioshock\Builds\Release

• Edit Default.ini with notepad. Press Ctrl + F then type "Engine.Engine" without quotes.
  
• Click on Find Next then scroll down a bit and look for "Language=int".
  
• Change it to "Language=xxx" accordingly (see below for language codes) then save the file.

Language Codes

• Language=int (English)
  
• Language=esp (Spainish)
  
• Language=deu (German)
  
• Language=fra (French)
  
• Language=ita (Italian)

For Example: The default language is in English. If you want to change the language to German. Edit

"Language=int" to "Language=deu." (without quotes)

The default FOV makes my head hurts and make me feel dizzy. The FOV looks much better after turning off the Horizontal FOV Lock.

• Go to the in-game Options > Graphics Settings > Turn off the Horizontal FOV Lock
  
  
  Screeshots comparison with Horizontal FOV Lock On and Off.
  
  Horizontal FOV Lock On:
  
  Horizontal FOV Lock Off: