Issues with Direct3D Acceleration and Games Minimising

[Guest]

I am having problem with a number of games not running properly. What happens
is that the game (this problem affect several games) which all have
previously worked without problems doesn't start properly. The screen try's
to reconfigure to the appropriate graphiocs mode as required by the game but
after a the screen shuddering and a message saying "adjusting screen" (or
something like that) the game just minimises to the task bar and i am
returned to the desktop. I cannot alt-tab or switch to the game to make it
work - the computer tries but drops my right back to the desktop.
I have changed resolutions, refresh rates, updated drivers, loaded XP SP2. I
have tried running DXdiag and it claimes that there are no problems - however
when i run the tests, Direct Draw works ok but the Direct3D Acceleration
starts to adjust the screen but then reverts back to the DXdiag window saying
that a key was pressed and the operation was cancelled. This occurs for all
the Direct3D tests.

My machine is a ShuttleX SS51G
P4 2.4GHz
756Mb RAM
120Gb Disk
DVD+RW Sony DRU-120
WinXP Pro (all updates and SP's)
NVIDIA Geforce4 MX 440 (V6.14.0010.6177 drivers)
DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

any suggestions to fix this would be aprpeciated - i have even tried
re-installing the OS (not a clean install) but that didn't work either.
Perhaps a reset of all DirectX settings but i don't know how to do that....

My kids are about to have a mutiny if i don't get this fixed soon.

Cheers,
Bob

 

[Malke]

I am having problem with a number of games not running properly. What
happens is that the game (this problem affect several games) which all
have previously worked without problems doesn't start properly. The
screen try's to reconfigure to the appropriate graphiocs mode as
required by the game but after a the screen shuddering and a message
saying "adjusting screen" (or something like that) the game just
minimises to the task bar and i am returned to the desktop. I cannot
alt-tab or switch to the game to make it work - the computer tries but
drops my right back to the desktop. I have changed resolutions,
refresh rates, updated drivers, loaded XP SP2. I have tried running
DXdiag and it claimes that there are no problems - however when i run
the tests, Direct Draw works ok but the Direct3D Acceleration starts
to adjust the screen but then reverts back to the DXdiag window saying
that a key was pressed and the operation was cancelled. This occurs
for all the Direct3D tests.

My machine is a ShuttleX SS51G
P4 2.4GHz
756Mb RAM
120Gb Disk
DVD+RW Sony DRU-120
WinXP Pro (all updates and SP's)
NVIDIA Geforce4 MX 440 (V6.14.0010.6177 drivers)
DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

any suggestions to fix this would be aprpeciated - i have even tried
re-installing the OS (not a clean install) but that didn't work
either. Perhaps a reset of all DirectX settings but i don't know how
to do that....

You've just about exhausted all the software troubleshooting, so I would
now look at hardware failure. Try each thing below one at a time and
test after each change:

1. Open pc and reseat the video card. Obviously the machine must be off
when you do this.

2. Swap out the video card with a known-working one.

3. If the substitute video card does the same bad behavior, connect the
machine to a different monitor.

The video card you have is an inexpensive one not particularly good for
3D gaming. You might want to try a better one anyway.

Malke

 

[Guest]

I feel awful. You are the 1000's person to point out that my hardware is
cheap
I don't think that is a good reason to stop trying to get something that did
work working again do you? Actually - last night when i did the Nvidia
upgrade - it did work once. I played RVS and put to shame a few people. I
tired using it again to day and it has gone back to its depression.
Whilst it might not be the latest and greatest - for the most part it does
the job.
Anyway - lets not get into the perpetual argument of justifying repeated
costs of buying hardware upgrades to support MS and Nvidia updates...
Just to throw another spaner in the works. My other PC (A real monster -
about 700Gb Disks SATA raided 1GB rab and a 3GHz HT PIV and a (lowly - i know
it is crap compared to what everyone else CLAIMS they have) GeForce4 Ti 4200
AGP8X
and it exhibits much the same problems.
Both systems are current (as i described originally) in terms of SW and
updates.
All Games worked on both machines originally.
Both machines have MS office 2003,
netsnap (a web cam - and yes I have tried disabling this!)
and NIS2003 Pro.
Other than that - they are as disimilar as Mr Bush and a peice of dust.
er perhaps not the best analogy.
oh well.
Anyone get any other ideas?
Bob

 

[Jerry Undead]

I am having problem with a number of games not running properly. What happens
is that the game (this problem affect several games) which all have
previously worked without problems doesn't start properly. The screen try's
to reconfigure to the appropriate graphiocs mode as required by the game but
after a the screen shuddering and a message saying "adjusting screen" (or
something like that) the game just minimises to the task bar and i am
returned to the desktop. I cannot alt-tab or switch to the game to make it
work - the computer tries but drops my right back to the desktop.
I have changed resolutions, refresh rates, updated drivers, loaded XP SP2. I
have tried running DXdiag and it claimes that there are no problems - however
when i run the tests, Direct Draw works ok but the Direct3D Acceleration
starts to adjust the screen but then reverts back to the DXdiag window saying
that a key was pressed and the operation was cancelled. This occurs for all
the Direct3D tests.

My machine is a ShuttleX SS51G
P4 2.4GHz
756Mb RAM
120Gb Disk
DVD+RW Sony DRU-120
WinXP Pro (all updates and SP's)
NVIDIA Geforce4 MX 440 (V6.14.0010.6177 drivers)
DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

any suggestions to fix this would be aprpeciated - i have even tried
re-installing the OS (not a clean install) but that didn't work either.
Perhaps a reset of all DirectX settings but i don't know how to do that....

My kids are about to have a mutiny if i don't get this fixed soon.

Cheers,
Bob

Since the ShuttleX SS51G has built in SIS651 VGA you could try to pull
out the GeForce card and enable the built in VGA just to rule out a
problem with the GeForce card. That's what I would do in a case like
this.
Also, if you haven't done it already, check out if you have to disable
the built in VGA once you put in an external VGA card. Shuttle may
claim (I don't know about this case) that the machine will run with
both internal and external VGA enabled, but it's probably just asking
for trouble.
Another thing, if you did the DX9.0c upgrade not too long ago, you may
be able to revert to a system restore point prior to this upgrade. I
don't think DX9.0c is needed for anything yet.

I sure hope you will get this fixed, I know how kids are!

JU