Nvidia control panel?

[Tanith]

I was looking over the specs for my newly installed video drivers and noticed this.  Can't find it anywhere on the computer though.  What is it, and how does one get into it?  I ask because DirectX keeps failing a couple of its diagnostic tests, and I'm being told this is the reason I can't get Guild Wars or Diablo II to run since installing these drivers.  

Is there something I can adjust that might correct this, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Thanks,

Tanith  

[soybean]

If you go to Windows Control Panel, you should see NVIDIA nView Desktop Manager.  Also, if you right click on your desktop, you should have some NVIDIA/nView options.  

What video card do you have installed?  Have you verified that it supports the DirectX version you need to play the game?

[Tanith]

From my Everest report...

Display:
      Video Adapter                                     NVIDIA GeForce4 MX Integrated GPU  (64 MB)
      3D Accelerator                                    nVIDIA nForce2


According to Nvidia's website, it supports it.  I can post more from Everest and/or DirectX, if needed.  Thanks!

Tanith  

[soybean]

Your info does not provide much detail about the exact GPU.  Exactly what GeForce4 MX GPU is it?  According to http://arstechnica.com/reviews/games/guildwars.ars, the system requirements for Guild Wars calls for DirectX 8.0.  According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_NVIDIA_Graphics_Processing_Units, GeForce4 MX cards, except MX4000, are DirectX 7 cards.  

Also, the following info on your system seems odd, compared to my system:

      Video Adapter                                     NVIDIA GeForce4 MX Integrated GPU  (64 MB)
      3D Accelerator                                    nVIDIA nForce2

In my system Video Adapter and 3D Accelerator are the same Device Type.  I don't know whether your info indicates something abnormal or not.

I see you're also using an Integrated Video adapter; an add-on video card usually yields significantly better performance, especially for video-intensive games.

[Tanith]

Hmmm...here is more detailed info about the GPU, again from Everest.  

Video Adapter Properties:
      Device Description                                NVIDIA GeForce4 MX Integrated GPU
      Adapter String                                    GeForce4 MX Integrated GPU
      BIOS String                                       Version 4.1F.20.02.05
      Chip Type                                         GeForce4 MX Integrated GPU
      DAC Type                                          Integrated RAMDAC
      Installed Drivers                                 nv4_disp (6.14.10.9371 - nVIDIA Detonator 93.71)
      Memory Size                                       64 MB

I have been advised to get a video card...and I will, when I can afford it.  

I'll make inquiries about whether I've got the wrong version of DirectX on here...if I need to change it, I assume I can just download it and it will overwrite the one here now?  There doesn't seem to be any "uninstall" option for DirectX.

As to the video adapter and 3D accelerator listed as two different devices...I don't know enough about these things to be able to answer that, but it seems to be the case.   Maybe that's just the way Everest lists them?

I'll keep digging around, and let me know if there's anything else you need to know.

Tanith  

[soybean]

Here's what I believe I know about DirectX.  You basically have two things to consider when determining whether you have the correct version to run certain software.  DirectX is created by Microsoft and is part of Windows.  As new versions of DirectX are released, versions of Windows still supported by Microsoft can be updated.  

However, even if you have the latest version of DirectX installed in Windows, this still does not mean you will be able to play games requiring the latest version of DirectX.  Why?  Because the specific GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that is embedded in your motherboard if you use Integrated video, or embedded in the video card if you use an add-on video card, is also designed to support a certain version of DirectX.  This is hardware-dependent; it can not be updated by software.  Take another look at the link I previously posted, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_NVIDIA_Graphics_Processing_Units, and look at the column labeled DirectX in the table.  

You can see what version of DirectX is installed in your Windows system by running dxdiag (Start, Run, and enter dxdiag in the Run box) and looking at the System tab.  But, again, your GPU must still support the DirectX version required to run your software/game.  

[Tanith]

Okay, I understand now what you mean when you questioned exactly which GPU I have...odd that it's not listed in that Everest report.  But it's the same one that came with the computer, it hasn't changed.  And I USED to be able to run both Guild Wars and Diablo II on this machine.  It was when GW started crashing and lagging so badly on me that a friend and I decided I should try updated video drivers.

I should point this out...the first time I went to uninstall my old video drivers, I accidentally uninstalled my chipset drivers.  With Fed's help, I found the unified driver on the Nvidia site and reinstalled them, then the updated video drivers.  Would all of this have had any bearing on my situation now?

And according to Microsoft, at least, it's not possible to revert to an older version of DirectX.  They only want you to run version 9.0c.  I suppose older ones still exist on "unofficial" sites, but who knows what's in them?

*Stubbornly beats on the keyboard*  Gotta be a solution to this.  Gotta be.

Tanith  

[Fed]

I feel your pain Tanith, it used to work so it should work again.
To my way of thinking you have installed the latest motherboard drivers then installed the latest vidio drivers over the top so all should be ok.
You also checked the game websites for patches so now I'm running short on ideas.
If you hunt around the nvidia website you will find legacy (older) drivers for everything, perhaps you should try a few of them for both mobo & video.
It's a lot of fooling around though, seeing as how you're probably frustrated with this.

[Tanith]

Actually, it's rather funny...I was just hunting around on Nvidia's site, and had forgotten I'd submitted a question to them about the same time I registered here with my troubles.  Someone there says that I should try Version 84.21 of the ForceWare driver, rather than the Version 93.71 that I have now.  He (or she) says that it is the most compatible driver with the Nvidia GeForce4 MX Integrated GPU.  

I assume someone from Nvidia would know what they're talking about, but I'd like opinions before going through this rigamarole again.

Thanks for putting up with me,

Tanith  

[Fed]

I'd try it.

[soybean]

And according to Microsoft, at least, it's not possible to revert to an older version of DirectX.  They only want you to run version 9.0c.  I suppose older ones still exist on "unofficial" sites, but who knows what's in them?

You do not need to revert to an older version of DirectX to use video card that only supports an older version of DirectX.  Your limitation in running games will be the version of DirectX that the video card supports.  It does not matter that you have a higher version installed in Windows.  In other words, the latest version of DirectX is backwards compatible with older hardware.

[Tanith]

Here's the official word from Nvidia...

Hello Elaine,

I am sorry, the GeForce4 MX Integrated GPU supports Direct x7.0. You wii need to upgrade the graphics card to support Direct x9.0.

Regards,

NVIDIA Customer Care.

So that's that.  However, they do tell me that the driver ForceWare Release 80 84.21 is the most compatible with my system.  Which I have discovered is actually the original video driver.  In other words, I never needed to change it at all.

Well, I will try that, and see if I get anywhere with these games.  As soon as the weather clears.  We have storms moving in here, and I don't want to be in the middle of a download if the power goes out...

I'll keep ya posted,

Tanith   :-/

[Tanith]

Nope, no dice.  GW still looks like a psychedelic nightmare, and I didn't even try D2.

Ran a DxDiag test, and this was part of the results:

 Display Tab 1: The file nv4_disp.dll is not digitally signed, which means that it has not been tested by Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL).  You may be able to get a WHQL logo'd driver from the hardware manufacturer. DirectDraw test results: All tests were successful. Direct3D 7 test results: All tests were successful. Direct3D 8 test results: Failure at step 32 (User verification of Direct3D rendering): HRESULT = 0x00000000 (error code) Direct3D 9 test results: Failure at step 32 (User verification of Direct3D rendering): HRESULT = 0x00000000 (error code)
        Sound Tab 1: DirectSound test results: Failure at step 20 (User verification of hardware): HRESULT = 0x00000000 (error code)
          Music Tab: DirectMusic test results: All tests were successful.
          Input Tab: No problems found.
        Network Tab: No problems found. DirectPlay test results: All tests were successful.

Apparently a new conflict...I've already contacted Nvidia, and will browse around while waiting for a reply.  

This is certainly a learning experience for me.

Tanith  

[Tanith]

Well, Nvidia tells me (not that I needed to be told at this point) that my GeForce driver will not work with DirectX 9.0c.  The aggravating fact that these games had been running before I started tinkering with the drivers came to mind...and I realized something.

Guild Wars and Diablo II stopped working after I installed the unified driver from Nvidia.  Even when the system had no chipset drivers, the games would run...slowly, but they would run.  Could it be that there's something in the Unified Driver that's preventing DirectX from being "backwards compatible", as it's supposed to be?  And if so, what would be my best options?

The two I have come up with are either System Restore...restoring the comp to a point before I started any of this, preferably.  The other one is my original chipset drivers, which I've located in System Recovery under "applications and drivers".  Emachines SAYS that's my original chipset drivers, anyway.  Apparently they don't go away after you uninstall them.

But before attempting anything I'm trying...again...to learn all I can.  Repeatedly installing and uninstalling drivers can't be good for a computer, and I don't want to do it if it's unnecessary/ineffective.  Opinions?

Thanks once more,

Tanith   :-?

[Fed]

Swapping drivers around won't hurt your computer, keep on trying until you find a combination that works for you.
If you get into trouble re-start in safe mode, remove the drivers and re-boot to get back to square one.