Graphics problems

[Guest]

Hi,
I have a Fujitsu-Siemens d1840 amilo (80gb 512mb ati 9600 mob 128mb 3ghz)
and have developed choppy graphics on a number of game titles. Some things
I've done to remedy this include defrag hard drive, defrag mem, checked
driver updates, reinstalled titles, cleaned registry and done a complete
system overhaul with System Mechanic 4 but the problems remain. I have also
run three or four different virus and spyware checks which show up nothing.,
and brought the number of background tasks right down.
I wondered if this was a hardware problem but some newish titles like
Returrn to Castle Wolfenstein run perfectly smooth turned up high while
games like Call of Duty are unplayable most of the time. I also notice that
some games that I reinstall have a problem while new ones that I freshly
install are mostly fine.
Has anyone had similar problems and is there anything else I can do?
Thanks,
Maurice

 

[Guest]

I also wanted to ask whether any old residual files might exist when I
reinstall games, so is there some app I can use to wipe them out completely?
Maurice

 

[Guest]

Yes, there are usually files that remain behind every time you uninstall any
program, even with the built in uninstallers. You will need to delete those
files from the registry. That is not always a safe thing to do if you do not
know your way around the registry. I know that with NeverWinter Nights,
you'll be screwed if you don't get it out of the registry at least that is
how it worked for me...

You can useually do a search in the registry for specific game name files
like "Duty" or "Fallout" etc. and not have to worry too much about killing
something vital. If in doubt, you should leave it and then ask someone who
knows before you consider killing it. Aftter you uninstall the program, and
do a registry search and clean, then you should do your defrag. The defrag
should always be the last step if you are going to do it because everything
else you are doing creates fragmentation...

If you have a lot going on or running in the background you might also
consider going to a Gig on your system memory. Gameing is a lot more intense
than most office and surfing usage. I run pretty simple games and only one
thing at a time, so I didn't see any advantage to jumping up to a Gb, but
maybe it will help you out.

When you say that you checked driver updates, did you do it at MS or at the
component manufacturor site? You might be ahead to go to your vid card site,
and motherboard site and see if they have any informtation they are not
"sharing" with MS or the general public...

I hope this helps...

 

[Guest]

Hi Mylifesadream,
Thanks for your reply. I will try your recommendation with a few of the
titles that no longer work properly. . .I'll try uninstalling CoD completely
as you say, then try again followed by defrag. When my computer started going
wrong a month or so ago these titles that had been okay started getting
choppy. Maybe I've done something wrong in the registry.
On the question of drivers I have been to the manufacturers website, and the
automatic system update says all my drivers are up to date, although I find
it hard to believe because the laptop is two years old. Could there be
anything else?
Thanks for your time.

 

[Thomas Kuck]

Try these recommendations by Jimmy, especially step c!



Here's how to properly install or reinstall a game (and patch):

Step A: In Control Panel / Add-Remove Programs, delete the game and then
the game's folder especially if you previously experienced problems
with a patch, or if you installed the Trial, Mods, NO CD patches, etc.

Step B: Click Start to Search/Find your game. Many times there are two installs
of the same game on a system and the patch installs to the wrong one. Also if you
installed a Trial version of the game, this could be causing a conflict.. Uninstall it
and delete the folder.

Step C: Reboot your computer, Install and Run Regcleaner and if it finds any
stray registry keys for the game, delete them., and re-install the game.
Regcleaner Download: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download460.html

Step D: Play a single player game, using an administrators account if necessary.

Step E: Download new game patches or mods in case the old ones are corrupt.
Double click the patch/mod to install it. If it's a .zip file, unzip it into the
game's folder and follow the instruction in it's readme.txt file.

Step F: Reboot your computer, verify that your game is working properly, and
re-enable any programs that you disabled using the method in Step A.

Cheers,
Jimmy S.

 

[Guest]

Thanks, I will try your advice

Try these recommendations by Jimmy, especially step c!



Here's how to properly install or reinstall a game (and patch):

Step A: In Control Panel / Add-Remove Programs, delete the game and then
the game's folder especially if you previously experienced problems
with a patch, or if you installed the Trial, Mods, NO CD patches, etc.

Step B: Click Start to Search/Find your game. Many times there are two installs
of the same game on a system and the patch installs to the wrong one. Also if you
installed a Trial version of the game, this could be causing a conflict.. Uninstall it
and delete the folder.

Step C: Reboot your computer, Install and Run Regcleaner and if it finds any
stray registry keys for the game, delete them., and re-install the game.
Regcleaner Download: http://www.majorgeeks.com/download460.html

Step D: Play a single player game, using an administrators account if necessary.

Step E: Download new game patches or mods in case the old ones are corrupt.
Double click the patch/mod to install it. If it's a .zip file, unzip it into the
game's folder and follow the instruction in it's readme.txt file.

Step F: Reboot your computer, verify that your game is working properly, and
re-enable any programs that you disabled using the method in Step A.

Cheers,
Jimmy S.