Changed video cards and now have problems

[SSgt Matt]

Ok, guys and gals...I changed my video card from voodoo3 to a Nvidea mx400 geforce 2 64mb. The game will occasionally go black and drop back to the desktop and/or the start screen of the game. Normally I can just click on the bottom of the screen and bring the game back up. Sometimes the screen goes black and I use the mouse as a eraser and clean the black off and find the game underneath (remember the days of the clown at the bottom of your cereal bowl. I am running version 7.1

System: Pent 3 500mhz, 384 ram, windows 98se, all drivers are updated and appear to be running fine.
I did notice that some games I could run with voodoo3 won't work with the nvidea.

anyone offer any patches or suggestions?

email me at

traffic179@yahoo.com

Thanks

[Tankhead]

What driver are you using for your new vid card?
Also make sure you have deleted the old driver and all related files from the Voodoo card.

[Bing]

Try running the Version Conflict Manager - it has saved many a gamer, including the last fellow I helped with problems similar to yours.

Bing

[SSgt Matt]

what conflict manager? I am using the latest approved driver, however it is not approved by microsoft yet. suggestions? and how can I find the conflict manager on mycomputer?

[Belisarius]

Originally posted by SSgt Matt
what conflict manager? I am using the latest approved driver, however it is not approved by microsoft yet. suggestions? and how can I find the conflict manager on mycomputer?

Go to the control panel, find the "system" icon. In the system manager, go to the Hardware tab. There you'll find a list (under Device Manager) of your hardware items. Make sure there's not an exlamation mark (!) next to your graphics card. The graphics card is under your "display driver" tag. If there is one, there might be an IRQ conflict. (many devices calling the same port). Go into the BIOS (hit "delete" during bootup) and check the graphic card settings.

Btw, is it an AGP or PCI card? An AGP card is less likely to cause a conflict.

The ol' voodoo cards used Direct3D, which is not supported by newer generation cards. Some older games may have to use that, or can be switched to OpenGL. With OpenGL all games should work on the new card, given that they also work under the DirectX version you're running. (REALLY old games won't work)

As I'm using XP I might confuse some things, but generally it should look the same. :p

[Supervisor]

Are your running from the autorun menu or directly from the mech.exe file?? Delete the steel.prf file in the :\MatrixGames\Steel Panthers World at War\save folder and let the game recreate it. Also make sure the computer has removed the old video card from the system. Under system properties check the device manager and make sure the proper video card is installed and doesn't have any stop signs or exclamation points attached to it. Tinker with the video adapter settings under display properties and see if it helps.

[Bing]

Version Conflict Manager has nothing to do with your video drivers, current or otherwise.

What happens is an app - could be any app - replaces a DLL (I assume you know what these hellish things are, at least in theory) the system needs and has been using with one that is OLDER than the one that was there and doing the proper job.

When this happens - which is more often than MS will probably admit and more often than most of us care to think about - all kinds of screwy things happen. After eliminating every other possible cause of symptoms very much like yours, I finally directed my friend to the conflict manager - he restored the correct DLL (there are sometimes a dozen that were replaced in this manner) and the problem was solved.

Also, the advice to make sure ALL the old video drivers and associated files have been removed is VERY good advice.

Up to you if you don't want to try the Version Conflict Manager. The IRS won't get you if youi don't.

Bing