Problem with NVIDIA card

[Private Bluebottle]

I just installed a new NVIDIA GeForce FX5500 in my PC and I can't play CM. All I get is a constant rolling, at high speed image on the screen when I start the game in order to set the screen resolution. Its unreadable. Any suggestions?

[Schrullenhaft]

When CM displays resolutions to select from it starts with your current desktop resolution. However it doesn't necessarily use your current vertical refresh rate. Instead it starts with the maximum vertical refresh rate that is available at that particular resolution from your videocard. This may be a vertical refresh rate that your monitor can't properly handle. For example, you may be running at 1024x768 with a 85Hz vertical refresh rate on your desktop. However your GeForce FX5500 may be capable of displaying 1024x768 at 160Hz vertical refresh rate, which your monitor may be incapable of handling.

What you need to do is just wait during the resolution selection process. Each resolution with its specific vertical refresh rate times out in approximately 5 - 10 seconds. At that point the next lower vertical refresh rate at that same resolution is tried. In the above example that could be 1024x768 at 120Hz vertical refresh rate. Just keep waiting until you can properly see a resolution on your screen and then select that one. CM will keep trying lower vertical refresh rates until it reaches 60Hz. At that point the next lower resolution is tried, but again at the highest vertical refresh rate offered by the videocard's driver (for example 800x600 at 160Hz, etc.).

Assuming that your videocard can handle running CM at a potentially higher resolution, it's probably easiest to select your current desktop resolution and refresh rate in order to avoid needing to adjust the monitor's display (centering, etc.). However some monitors can auto-adjust better than others, so this advice may not be completely applicable.