Some 2D games stutter.

[Guest]

I've been having a problem with a 2D game for a long time and I can't figure
out how to stop it. Recently I got another 2D game that has the same problem
on my PC.

The problem is the game stutters every couple of seconds. For example, a
character will be walking then the game will stop for less than a second and
resume when the character is a few steps ahead. The music skips with one of
them, too, but not with the other. This doesn't happen with every 2D game,
only two of the ones I have. The games that have this problem are called RPG
Maker 2000 and Ocarina of Time 2D. These games don't have this problem on the
computers of my friends.

Yesterday I was messing around with things, trying to fix the problem, and I
actually got it to stop a few times. I would make some changes, restart the
PC then play the game. When I played the game the stutter stopped, but
unfortunately it came back after I exited the game and started it again. I
don't know why.

This problem doesn't occur when I run the games while in Safe Mode. I tried
copying the settings of Safe Mode by doing things like disabling sound
devices, uninstalling the video card from Device Manager, running only the
same programs that run in Safe Mode, and so on. I don't know everything that
Safe Mode changes, though, so I might be missing a few things.

I also want to note that I recently got a new video card (the problem was
present with my old video card as well as my current one).

Does anyone have any ideas what is going on? I can't think of anything else
to try, and this problem is really aggravating me.

 

[Jimmy S.]

Hi Jason,

Try updating your driver (generic instructions pasted below) and if the
problem persists, try reducing hardware acceleration and / or updating
your chipset drivers. (That info is also in the generic instructions). ;-)

Updating video card drivers can solve most gaming issues. Here's some
simple abc's to always keep in mind. a. Shut off download accelerators,
firewalls and antivirus programs when downloading or installing updates;
b. Check for game patches: www.avault.com/pcrl/patches_list.asp?letter=a
c. Make sure you meet the game's minimum video and system requirements.

Before you update your drivers, I recommend that you update DirectX from:
www.microsoft.com/directx

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 extract 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 NOT a (.exe)program file, GO TO step 11.

9. When Windows prompts you to install the video adapter, click
"Cancel" and Double click the driver program to begin installation.
* Even if not prompted, doubleclick the driver and install it.

10. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
That's it! Scroll down to the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

11. 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.

** If you are not prompted, or if the driver was updated automatically:
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\ folder with the driver in it
Click OK and click Next to begin the update.

12. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
That's it! Try the advice in the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

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

Your program might not support dual monitors, or "dual head" video cards
You can disable the extra video output in your display properties control
panel. Click Start>Settings>Control Panel>Display>Settings>Advanced.

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 Video drivers did not completely uninstall. If that's the
case, use these utility to completely uninstall the drivers and go to step
7:
nvidia: http://content.guru3d.com/index.php?page=detonatorrip&menu=0
or for all cards including nvidia use: http://www.driverheaven.net/cleaner/

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.
_________________________________________________________


| I've been having a problem with a 2D game for a long time and I can't figure
| out how to stop it. Recently I got another 2D game that has the same problem
| on my PC.
|
| The problem is the game stutters every couple of seconds. For example, a
| character will be walking then the game will stop for less than a second and
| resume when the character is a few steps ahead. The music skips with one of
| them, too, but not with the other. This doesn't happen with every 2D game,
| only two of the ones I have. The games that have this problem are called RPG
| Maker 2000 and Ocarina of Time 2D. These games don't have this problem on the
| computers of my friends.
|
| Yesterday I was messing around with things, trying to fix the problem, and I
| actually got it to stop a few times. I would make some changes, restart the
| PC then play the game. When I played the game the stutter stopped, but
| unfortunately it came back after I exited the game and started it again. I
| don't know why.
|
| This problem doesn't occur when I run the games while in Safe Mode. I tried
| copying the settings of Safe Mode by doing things like disabling sound
| devices, uninstalling the video card from Device Manager, running only the
| same programs that run in Safe Mode, and so on. I don't know everything that
| Safe Mode changes, though, so I might be missing a few things.
|
| I also want to note that I recently got a new video card (the problem was
| present with my old video card as well as my current one).
|
| Does anyone have any ideas what is going on? I can't think of anything else
| to try, and this problem is really aggravating me.

 

[Guest]

I tried a lot of the troubleshooting steps that seemed relevant, but sadly
the problem is still present. It seems like a lot of these solutions are a
bit too drastic, considering that a couple days ago I got these games running
without the stuttering problem a few times with my normal PC settings.

Do you have any other idea what might be causing this? Could it be a program
that's running that I don't know how to end?

Hi Jason,

Try updating your driver (generic instructions pasted below) and if the
problem persists, try reducing hardware acceleration and / or updating
your chipset drivers. (That info is also in the generic instructions). ;-)

Updating video card drivers can solve most gaming issues. Here's some
simple abc's to always keep in mind. a. Shut off download accelerators,
firewalls and antivirus programs when downloading or installing updates;
b. Check for game patches: www.avault.com/pcrl/patches_list.asp?letter=a
c. Make sure you meet the game's minimum video and system requirements.

Before you update your drivers, I recommend that you update DirectX from:
www.microsoft.com/directx

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 extract 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 NOT a (.exe)program file, GO TO step 11.

9. When Windows prompts you to install the video adapter, click
"Cancel" and Double click the driver program to begin installation.
* Even if not prompted, doubleclick the driver and install it.

10. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
That's it! Scroll down to the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

11. 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.

** If you are not prompted, or if the driver was updated automatically:
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\ folder with the driver in it
Click OK and click Next to begin the update.

12. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
That's it! Try the advice in the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

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

Your program might not support dual monitors, or "dual head" video cards
You can disable the extra video output in your display properties control
panel. Click Start>Settings>Control Panel>Display>Settings>Advanced.

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 Video drivers did not completely uninstall. If that's the
case, use these utility to completely uninstall the drivers and go to step
7:
nvidia: http://content.guru3d.com/index.php?page=detonatorrip&menu=0
or for all cards including nvidia use: http://www.driverheaven.net/cleaner/

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.
_________________________________________________________


| I've been having a problem with a 2D game for a long time and I can't figure
| out how to stop it. Recently I got another 2D game that has the same problem
| on my PC.
|
| The problem is the game stutters every couple of seconds. For example, a
| character will be walking then the game will stop for less than a second and
| resume when the character is a few steps ahead. The music skips with one of
| them, too, but not with the other. This doesn't happen with every 2D game,
| only two of the ones I have. The games that have this problem are called RPG
| Maker 2000 and Ocarina of Time 2D. These games don't have this problem on the
| computers of my friends.
|
| Yesterday I was messing around with things, trying to fix the problem, and I
| actually got it to stop a few times. I would make some changes, restart the
| PC then play the game. When I played the game the stutter stopped, but
| unfortunately it came back after I exited the game and started it again. I
| don't know why.
|
| This problem doesn't occur when I run the games while in Safe Mode. I tried
| copying the settings of Safe Mode by doing things like disabling sound
| devices, uninstalling the video card from Device Manager, running only the
| same programs that run in Safe Mode, and so on. I don't know everything that
| Safe Mode changes, though, so I might be missing a few things.
|
| I also want to note that I recently got a new video card (the problem was
| present with my old video card as well as my current one).
|
| Does anyone have any ideas what is going on? I can't think of anything else
| to try, and this problem is really aggravating me.

 

[Jimmy S.]

Let's try some basic troubleshooting. If the problem still persists
please post back and we'll try some more steps. Good luck!
(Of course, you've started Step 5 already.. ;-)

1. To see if it's a software conflict: Temporarily disable Startup
programs one at a time, starting with Firewall, Antivirus, and ad
blockers using: http://new.jtsoft2001.com/windows/startup.php

You can lookup what a program does before you disable it here:
http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php

2. Run a virus scan at: http://housecall.antivirus.com Afterwards
Download & Run Spybot from: http://security.kolla.de to find any
Trojans, Adware, or Spyware which could clog up your system.

3. Click My Computer / Rightclick the Drive & Choose Properties
/ Run the "Disk Cleanup..." / Next Click the "Tools" Tab and run
the "Error-Checking" and "Defragmentation" utilities.

4. Go to the Windows Update site for everything under Critical and
Recommended: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com Some games
require a patch: http://www.avault.com/pcrl/patches_list.asp?letter=a

5. Update DirectX and your Chipset, Sound, &Video Drivers:
For all Video / DirectX / Game and Hardware Issues, I have a
Checklist of Solutions at: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits/Video.html

--
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.
_________________________________________________________

I tried a lot of the troubleshooting steps that seemed relevant, but sadly
the problem is still present. It seems like a lot of these solutions are a
bit too drastic, considering that a couple days ago I got these games running
without the stuttering problem a few times with my normal PC settings.

Do you have any other idea what might be causing this? Could it be a program
that's running that I don't know how to end?

Hi Jason,

Try updating your driver (generic instructions pasted below) and if the
problem persists, try reducing hardware acceleration and / or updating
your chipset drivers. (That info is also in the generic instructions). ;-)

Updating video card drivers can solve most gaming issues. Here's some
simple abc's to always keep in mind. a. Shut off download accelerators,
firewalls and antivirus programs when downloading or installing updates;
b. Check for game patches: www.avault.com/pcrl/patches_list.asp?letter=a
c. Make sure you meet the game's minimum video and system requirements.

Before you update your drivers, I recommend that you update DirectX from:
www.microsoft.com/directx

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 extract 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 NOT a (.exe)program file, GO TO step 11.

9. When Windows prompts you to install the video adapter, click
"Cancel" and Double click the driver program to begin installation.
* Even if not prompted, doubleclick the driver and install it.

10. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
That's it! Scroll down to the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

11. 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.

** If you are not prompted, or if the driver was updated automatically:
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\ folder with the driver in it
Click OK and click Next to begin the update.

12. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
That's it! Try the advice in the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

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

Your program might not support dual monitors, or "dual head" video cards
You can disable the extra video output in your display properties control
panel. Click Start>Settings>Control Panel>Display>Settings>Advanced.

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 Video drivers did not completely uninstall. If that's the
case, use these utility to completely uninstall the drivers and go to step
7:
nvidia: http://content.guru3d.com/index.php?page=detonatorrip&menu=0
or for all cards including nvidia use: http://www.driverheaven.net/cleaner/

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.
_________________________________________________________


| I've been having a problem with a 2D game for a long time and I can't figure
| out how to stop it. Recently I got another 2D game that has the same problem
| on my PC.
|
| The problem is the game stutters every couple of seconds. For example, a
| character will be walking then the game will stop for less than a second and
| resume when the character is a few steps ahead. The music skips with one of
| them, too, but not with the other. This doesn't happen with every 2D game,
| only two of the ones I have. The games that have this problem are called RPG
| Maker 2000 and Ocarina of Time 2D. These games don't have this problem on the
| computers of my friends.
|
| Yesterday I was messing around with things, trying to fix the problem, and I
| actually got it to stop a few times. I would make some changes, restart the
| PC then play the game. When I played the game the stutter stopped, but
| unfortunately it came back after I exited the game and started it again. I
| don't know why.
|
| This problem doesn't occur when I run the games while in Safe Mode. I tried
| copying the settings of Safe Mode by doing things like disabling sound
| devices, uninstalling the video card from Device Manager, running only the
| same programs that run in Safe Mode, and so on. I don't know everything that
| Safe Mode changes, though, so I might be missing a few things.
|
| I also want to note that I recently got a new video card (the problem was
| present with my old video card as well as my current one).
|
| Does anyone have any ideas what is going on? I can't think of anything else
| to try, and this problem is really aggravating me.

 

[Guest]

I've already tried pretty much all of that (latest drivers, latest DirectX
version, disabled all startup prgorams and firewalls, etc.). I'm thinking
this problem is probably particular to my PC, and I should just keep trying
different things.

But thank you very much for helping, Jimmy! I'll remember some of your
troubelshooting steps when I have problems with other games.

Let's try some basic troubleshooting. If the problem still persists
please post back and we'll try some more steps. Good luck!
(Of course, you've started Step 5 already.. ;-)

1. To see if it's a software conflict: Temporarily disable Startup
programs one at a time, starting with Firewall, Antivirus, and ad
blockers using: http://new.jtsoft2001.com/windows/startup.php

You can lookup what a program does before you disable it here:
http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php

2. Run a virus scan at: http://housecall.antivirus.com Afterwards
Download & Run Spybot from: http://security.kolla.de to find any
Trojans, Adware, or Spyware which could clog up your system.

3. Click My Computer / Rightclick the Drive & Choose Properties
/ Run the "Disk Cleanup..." / Next Click the "Tools" Tab and run
the "Error-Checking" and "Defragmentation" utilities.

4. Go to the Windows Update site for everything under Critical and
Recommended: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com Some games
require a patch: http://www.avault.com/pcrl/patches_list.asp?letter=a

5. Update DirectX and your Chipset, Sound, &Video Drivers:
For all Video / DirectX / Game and Hardware Issues, I have a
Checklist of Solutions at: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits/Video.html

--
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.
_________________________________________________________

I tried a lot of the troubleshooting steps that seemed relevant, but sadly
the problem is still present. It seems like a lot of these solutions are a
bit too drastic, considering that a couple days ago I got these games running
without the stuttering problem a few times with my normal PC settings.

Do you have any other idea what might be causing this? Could it be a program
that's running that I don't know how to end?

Hi Jason,

Try updating your driver (generic instructions pasted below) and if the
problem persists, try reducing hardware acceleration and / or updating
your chipset drivers. (That info is also in the generic instructions). ;-)

Updating video card drivers can solve most gaming issues. Here's some
simple abc's to always keep in mind. a. Shut off download accelerators,
firewalls and antivirus programs when downloading or installing updates;
b. Check for game patches: www.avault.com/pcrl/patches_list.asp?letter=a
c. Make sure you meet the game's minimum video and system requirements.

Before you update your drivers, I recommend that you update DirectX from:
www.microsoft.com/directx

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 extract 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 NOT a (.exe)program file, GO TO step 11.

9. When Windows prompts you to install the video adapter, click
"Cancel" and Double click the driver program to begin installation.
* Even if not prompted, doubleclick the driver and install it.

10. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
That's it! Scroll down to the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

11. 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.

** If you are not prompted, or if the driver was updated automatically:
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\ folder with the driver in it
Click OK and click Next to begin the update.

12. After you reboot, go to Control Panel / Display / Settings and
choose 32 bit Color Quality, and 800x600 or higher Resolution.
That's it! Try the advice in the Troubleshooter if you have problems.

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

Your program might not support dual monitors, or "dual head" video cards
You can disable the extra video output in your display properties control
panel. Click Start>Settings>Control Panel>Display>Settings>Advanced.

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 Video drivers did not completely uninstall. If that's the
case, use these utility to completely uninstall the drivers and go to step
7:
nvidia: http://content.guru3d.com/index.php?page=detonatorrip&menu=0
or for all cards including nvidia use: http://www.driverheaven.net/cleaner/

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.
_________________________________________________________


| I've been having a problem with a 2D game for a long time and I can't figure
| out how to stop it. Recently I got another 2D game that has the same problem
| on my PC.
|
| The problem is the game stutters every couple of seconds. For example, a
| character will be walking then the game will stop for less than a second and
| resume when the character is a few steps ahead. The music skips with one of
| them, too, but not with the other. This doesn't happen with every 2D game,
| only two of the ones I have. The games that have this problem are called RPG
| Maker 2000 and Ocarina of Time 2D. These games don't have this problem on the
| computers of my friends.
|
| Yesterday I was messing around with things, trying to fix the problem, and I
| actually got it to stop a few times. I would make some changes, restart the
| PC then play the game. When I played the game the stutter stopped, but
| unfortunately it came back after I exited the game and started it again. I
| don't know why.
|
| This problem doesn't occur when I run the games while in Safe Mode. I tried
| copying the settings of Safe Mode by doing things like disabling sound
| devices, uninstalling the video card from Device Manager, running only the
| same programs that run in Safe Mode, and so on. I don't know everything that
| Safe Mode changes, though, so I might be missing a few things.
|
| I also want to note that I recently got a new video card (the problem was
| present with my old video card as well as my current one).
|
| Does anyone have any ideas what is going on? I can't think of anything else
| to try, and this problem is really aggravating me.