No longer able to run CM

[Caesar]

I just tried to run Strategic Command and it failed to run saying it could not set my system to 1024 x 768 x 16.

Since this attempt I am no longer able to run CM either. I am runnning a GeForce 3 200Ti graphics card on Win2k using the default monitor drivers.

I tried to check the display settings and the only 2 modes it offered were 640 x 480 and 600 x 800. I loaded the WinFox utility that I had not previously needed and using that utility was able to set my resolution to practically anything I liked though if I looked under display settings 640 x 480 & 600 x 800 still showed as the only 2 valid modes. If after setting my resolution to a higher setting, I try to run CMBO it comes up with a warning that it cannot access my 3D card and the resolution is set back to 640 x 480.

I know that this probably does not really belong in this forum as the problem obviously was caused elsewhere but the hardware knowledge here seems very high and the primary problem I am having now is that I cannot run CMBO.

Has ayone got any ideas?

[ May 27, 2002, 09:59 AM: Message edited by: Caesar ]

[Schrullenhaft]

You have a problem with your display drivers.

Did this problem only occur after installing Strategic Command or did you just upgrade to Windows 2000 too ?

I would suggest following the instructions I provided at the end of this thread (though some things are a bit different for Win2K/XP).

[Caesar]

The problem only occurred after I attempted to install SC. I am running Win2K and it is a recent installation (the same time that I got my GeForce 3 200Ti)

I have followed your instructions and I ended up in the same situation. I am a bit stumped as to what to do now. Any further ideas?

[Schrullenhaft]

Uninstall SC.

However I doubt that will fix your situation. I wouldn't really think that installing SC would have screwed up your computer in such a manner. If it did, then you may want to send in a bug report since other players should be seeing this behavior too.

What resolution and color depth were you running when you installed and attempted to play SC ? Were you able to recently play CM before the installation of SC ? Were you playing CM in Win2K with your GF3 Ti200 ?

Go to Start Menu > Run > type in C:\PROGRAM FILES\DIRECTX\SETUP\DXDIAG and click Run > confirm that you're running DirectX 8.1 (listed near the bottome of the first tab) > go to the Display tab and make sure that the three settings there are 'enabled' ('disable' will be raised like a button if they are enabled) > run the two DirectX tests, especially the Direct3D one. If you have problems with these tests, then there is still something wrong with your drivers/DirectX.

What version of the NVidia drivers do you have installed ? While none of the versions that are out should completely prevent you from playing CM, some of the earlier drivers do have some problems in Win2K/XP.

[Caesar]

I have been playing CM for a few weeks before installing SC. Before buying the card I did a bit of lloking around for issues with CM and since installing the card and running CM on it, I have experienced no problems at all.

I then installed SC and ran it. It changed my refresh rate to 120 which my monitor couldn't handle and so I had a blank screen. I fixed this by starting in VGA mode and resetting the refresh rate to 85. I was then able to run CM. This bug was fixed in SC and they released a patch which I downloaded. Note, this was just a replacement exe. When I first ran it, it came up with an error saying that I didn't have the resolution 1024 x 768 x 16 available. Subsequent attempts to run it caused an exception. This is when I noticed that I only had the 800 x 600 x 16 or 640 x 480 x 16 modes available when I went into the display setup. I tried reinstalling the driver for the card and various other ideas. I then noticed I couldn't play CM either and since then have posted here.

The driver CD that came with the video card has the DirectX 8.1 drivers on it and I am running them. One thing I have not mentioned is that my PC is dual boot and if I boot into Win98 I can run CM there. The fixes I attempted last night did seem to screwed things up (it would run but the colours were weird), but I reinstalled DirectX 8.1 and that fixed things.

I have posted on the SC board but have not seen this problem there. The hardware knowledge there does not seem to be as high there, which is why I am posting here.

I am not at my home PC so I can't check the version of the drivers. From memory, my card is a WinFast GeForce 3 200TDH.

[ May 28, 2002, 05:23 PM: Message edited by: Caesar ]

[Schrullenhaft]

So right now you can't run either SC or CMBO ? Did the Direct3D test work ? SC typically shouldn't care about Direct3D, but CMBO will.

[Caesar]

No I can't run either. I assume this is because the only to modes available are 800x600 & 640x480 and SC requires 1024x768. I can run WinFox (the utility that came with the card and set the resolution higher in that and after a reboot it will be at the higher resolution, but if I then go into the display->settings and click OK I revert back to the low res again until I set it again through WinFox. This seems strange to me. It is almost as though the drivers etc are all there but that Windows can't quite find them all and so the games are not able to use them.

I am not at home so I can't try the DirectX 3D tests until tonight (about 5 -6 hours from now, I am at GMT + 12.00)

[Schrullenhaft]

You may want to consider removing the WinFox utility. It may be incompatible with what SC was trying to do. However I have no idea why your resolutions should be limited to 800x600, unless your monitor definition maxed out at that resolution.

[Caesar]

The WinFox Utility was only installed after the problems as this is the only way that I can get the resolutions changed now. I am not really sure where to go to from here. I suppose I can reinstall Windows, but that seems a bit over the top for a Graphics card problem.

What do you mean by the monitor definition. I have run it at 1200xXXXX (cn't remember exactly what that resolution is) in true colour and it handled that OK. I am using the default Win2K monitor drivers. I would try and get more specific drivers for the monitor but I don't know what brand it is. Believe it or not, I can't find it written anywhere on the monitor. It has a stylised red YP on it (or at least I think that is what it is) & 750NLG but I haven't found anything on the Web about it.

Can the monitor driver be affecting this?

[ May 29, 2002, 04:08 AM: Message edited by: Caesar ]

[Schrullenhaft]

You'll most likely have to use the 'Plug and Play' monitor definition in Windows. The monitor definition/'driver' defines the resolutions that the monitor can handle (it's part of the .INF file). The Plug and Play monitor driver should be able to detect/read the resolutions that the monitor can support (so they don't have to be pre-defined in the .INF file). I'm not sure what the 'Default' monitor definition defines and how it may be different from the Plug and Play version.

There should be an FCC ID# on the info tag on your monitor. This number can be used to identify the original manufacturer (or the original company that applied for the FCC ID - some Taiwanese/Chinese companies don't apply for unique FCC ID's on each of their products). You can input your FCC ID number into this FCC ID Database.

The steps I outlined in the other post should usually fix a number of display problems. If they don't, then you have more in depth problems that a simple file installation won't fix. A complete wipeout of your file system and a reinstall of the OS and other programs may be the simplest solution.

[ May 29, 2002, 01:40 PM: Message edited by: Schrullenhaft ]