3d Pinball Space Cadet

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mark Betz
  • Start date Start date
M

Mark Betz

My Windows XP pinball game and a few other games are playing slow and
choppy, might this be a hardware or directx issue?

I'm using:
1Ghz Duron
512 MB ram
Asus A7V8X mobo
8.1 directx

Thanks for your help.
 
Hi Mark,

Updating video card drivers can solve most gaming issues. Here's some
rules of thumb though to always keep in mind. Shut DL accelerators, fire-
walls and antivirus programs off while downloading or installing drivers and
updates. Also check the game's website (or Fileplanet.com) for patches.

Before you update your drivers, I recommend that you install DirectX 9.0b:
http://download.microsoft.com/downl...-4c98-baf3-0c67e7f3751f/dx90update_redist.exe

Here are the steps I recommend you use to update your driver:

1. To identify the make and model of your card, right click your
Desktop, choose Properties / Settings / Advanced / Adapter.

2. Download the latest video driver for your card online, using
http://www3.sympatico.ca/nibblesnbits/Video.html#drivers
to find the website to download from. I also have advanced
video driver and direct X troubleshooting steps on that page.

3. Save the .exe driver (or uncompress the zip file) to a folder
in My Documents named after the driver version number.

4. Restart the computer in Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key
about once every second as it's rebooting to pick Safe Mode.

5. Click Start / (settings) Control Panel / System / Hardware
Device Manager / expand +Display Adapters / right click on
the adapter, pick "Uninstall", and click No if asked to reboot.

6. Use Control Panel / Add-Remove programs to uninstall the
previous driver (exe)software which may have been installed.

7. Restart the computer in Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key
about once every second as it's rebooting to pick Safe Mode.

8. If the driver is a (exe)program file, GO DIRECTLY TO step 10.

9. When Windows prompts you to install the video adapter, click
"Install from a list or specific location", click the "Browse" button,
browse to the My documents folder where you saved the driver,
and finally click on one of the driver files to begin installation.
Skip step 10 and go directly to step 11.

10. When Windows prompts you to install the video adapter, click
"Cancel" and Double click the driver program to begin installation.

11. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 1024x768 Screen Resolution.

TROUBLESHOOTING:

Test your drivers using DXDiag: Click Start / Run / type: DXDIAG
Click the "Test" buttons in the Display, Sound, Music & Network Tabs;
If any of the Display options are Disabled and you cannot Enable them,
your most likely solution would be to update your Chipset Drivers as per
my website: http://www3.sympatico.ca/nibblesnbits/Video.html#v11

Along with your Video card, Sound Cards, Motherboard Chipsets,
and Video Monitors may also require updated drivers. Even your
motherboard's BIOS may need to be updated for compatibility with
your Video card. These steps are listed at: http://NibblesNbitsVideo.tk

Perhaps the old Nvidia drivers did not completely uninstall. If that's the
case, use this utility to completely uninstall the drivers and go to step 7:
http://content.guru3d.com/index.php?page=detonatorrip&menu=0

The latest video drivers sometime don't work with a particular game.
(Check the Video suggestions in the readme.txt file in your game folder/CD)
If there's no suggestions, try an older (WHQL) driver, and/or if you still
experience problems try a Beta driver, or even an Omega driver instead:

BETA Drivers: http://download.guru3d.com/
OMEGA Drivers: http://www.omegacorner.com/

There you have it, if you have any questions feel free to post them! :-)

--
Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
Visit my Zone.com / Gaming Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk or Call / Contact
MS Support at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| My Windows XP pinball game and a few other games are playing slow and
| choppy, might this be a hardware or directx issue?
|
| I'm using:
| 1Ghz Duron
| 512 MB ram
| Asus A7V8X mobo
| 8.1 directx
|
| Thanks for your help.
|
|
 
Jimmy, I printed out the information you gave to Mark on 12/21/03 and followed the directions. I did run into a problem so I'm not sure the driver loaded or not. At step "6. Use control panel/ Add-Remove programs to uninstall the previous driver (exe) software which may have been installed. " Would it say SIS650 exe or am I looking for something else? Ok, if there is nothing there - I restarted the computer in safe mode - step 7. - 10. When I started it back up it says that the video adapter has been installed - it didn't give me a chance to put in the "new" downloaded driver .

I went back and deleted that SiS650 at step 5. and going through the routine all over again - didn't help. It would still say that the video adapter was installed and did I want to reboot. I wanted to kick it.

So, I just started the machine up again. and tried out the 3d pinball. It still stutters. So I am assuming that I haven't accomplished anything in the last half hour.

I am NOT a computer wizard - but I can do most of the stuff usually with relative ease. This all happened around the 15th of December when I did several updates "recommended" by microsoft on thewindows update. I tried "resetting" my computer to that date but it didn't help. I don't know whether to take this to a "computer expert" or just clean the computers clock and start over. I've just about backed up all my files and everything on cd - but it is a pain in the butt - to get reconnected to the internet and get my antivirus program back, etc. etc. (I had to do that on my last computer which had windows 98 in it. I still have it but it needs a new hard drive but I'm not sure it's worth the $250. that the "wizard" down the road wants to put it in.)

suggestions would be greatly appreciated, solutions would be really appreciated. thank you. rd
 
Hi rd,

Let me narrow it down a little and make the instructions a little more
specific for you driver. Hope this helps! :-)

1. Download this driver: (SiS 650 Graphics driver for Windows XP)
http://driver2.sis.com/graphic/integrated/650740/full/650_221_win2kxp.zip

2. Save the zip file and extract it to My Documents\sis650

3. Click Start / (settings) Control Panel / System / Hardware Device Manager
expand +Display Adapters / right click on the adapter,
pick "Update Driver" to start the Update Wizard.
choose the "Install from a list..." option
Browse to My Documents\sis650
Click OK and click Next to begin the update.

4. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.


--
Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
Visit my Zone.com / Gaming Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk or Call / Contact
MS Support at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________

| Jimmy, I printed out the information you gave to Mark on 12/21/03 and followed the directions. I did run into a problem so I'm
not sure the driver loaded or not. At step "6. Use control panel/ Add-Remove programs to uninstall the previous driver (exe)
software which may have been installed. " Would it say SIS650 exe or am I looking for something else? Ok, if there is nothing
there - I restarted the computer in safe mode - step 7. - 10. When I started it back up it says that the video adapter has been
installed - it didn't give me a chance to put in the "new" downloaded driver .
|
| I went back and deleted that SiS650 at step 5. and going through the routine all over again - didn't help. It would still say
that the video adapter was installed and did I want to reboot. I wanted to kick it.
|
| So, I just started the machine up again. and tried out the 3d pinball. It still stutters. So I am assuming that I haven't
accomplished anything in the last half hour.
|
| I am NOT a computer wizard - but I can do most of the stuff usually with relative ease. This all happened around the 15th of
December when I did several updates "recommended" by microsoft on thewindows update. I tried "resetting" my computer to that date
but it didn't help. I don't know whether to take this to a "computer expert" or just clean the computers clock and start over.
I've just about backed up all my files and everything on cd - but it is a pain in the butt - to get reconnected to the internet and
get my antivirus program back, etc. etc. (I had to do that on my last computer which had windows 98 in it. I still have it but it
needs a new hard drive but I'm not sure it's worth the $250. that the "wizard" down the road wants to put it in.)
|
| suggestions would be greatly appreciated, solutions would be really appreciated. thank you. rd
 
Well, that was accomplished - it had no effect on the playing of the 3d pinball game. It still stutters through it's flight path. I guess it's back to square one for this computer. I'll think about it for a little longer - but that is the only game I really play on this thing - the others that came with it - card games have gotten too easy and are somewhat boring. I just wanted to get up to where I had some more of the lights lit - the most I ever got was 3, one time. 2 every once in a while - usually just no growth.

Thank you for your help - maybe it helped somewhere else. enjoy. rd
 
Back
Top