Bug WINDOWS 7 & Graphics

Rampager83 · #1 October 15th, 2009, 04:16 PM

Under Windows 7 RC the graphics are really messed up, as in colors are randomized and mostly "dark".

I'm using the latest nVidia WIN 7 drivers, too.

I know it's the RC and not the RTM, but anyone have any ideas?

Check six!
Rampager83

DRG · #2 October 15th, 2009, 04:34 PM

We've only had one other report from a Win7 user......

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=44044

......and it appears he had no problems with graphics. Until we get more reports in there's not much I can tell you. I understand there are compatibility settings in that OS. Try poking around with them.

Don

Mobhack · #3 October 15th, 2009, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rampager83

Under Windows 7 RC the graphics are really messed up, as in colors are randomized and mostly "dark".

I'm using the latest nVidia WIN 7 drivers, too.

I know it's the RC and not the RTM, but anyone have any ideas?

Check six!
Rampager83

Have you read this post on WinSPWW2 running Windows 7?
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=44044

Since it seems to work perfectly well then you have a platform issue. Therefore you should really be looking on Windows 7 and/or Nvidia support groups and not here, since it is not a programme bug.

Andy

Wdll · #4 October 15th, 2009, 09:15 PM

If it is in full screen, try to alt tab in and out of the game a few times. Some times I get very funky colours on my Vista installation, but it is usually fixed by alt tabbing or restarting the game.
At least for full screen that I play the game, try windowed mode and/or different resolutions.

Mobhack · #5 October 15th, 2009, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wdll

If it is in full screen, try to alt tab in and out of the game a few times. Some times I get very funky colours on my Vista installation, but it is usually fixed by alt tabbing or restarting the game.
At least for full screen that I play the game, try windowed mode and/or different resolutions.

Yes. Game Guide->Tuning Your Machine paragraph beginning "Unlike many full screen DirectX games, ...".

Worst case - exit game, restart the machine and it usually goes away if alt-tabbing or going into a non-cycling game screen as described there does not work.

Also- if getting psycho mode on alt-tabbing out and back, check any programmes you may have that animate icons in the windows task-bar. Avast certainly played with the 256 colour palette (probably for its animations?). Turning off it's annoying "spinning globe" animation and also checking its box to not do pop ups when in full screen DirectX mode (it was not the default behaviour!) stopped problems with the occasional psychedelic mode on my PC. So experiment with the settings of any such programme, if it has any such options.

However there is bound to be some graphics card out there that does not like you alt-tabbing out from full screen directx ever. If you have one (and you will soon find out!), then don't alt-tab out of full screen mode to windows and back to the game. Exit the game if you need windows (e.g. to check mail) if you have such a card.

Or simply use windowed mode, set to your desktop resolution or more (CD version only) and it will be a full screen window (with the windows task bar visible). No 256 colour palette problems then, it uses the windows settings. Adjust mouse scroll area settings in game options to allow for the task-bar height and you are set. (Remember not to use "auto hiding" windows task-bar, and to have it placed in the normal position at the bottom of the screen too!.). Then you can see the windows clock as you play

...

Andy

Imp · #6 October 16th, 2009, 12:24 PM

Had the same problem with Vista, cant remember the fix but if the above suggestions dont work try the workarounds in the Vista thread probably similar problems. Other programs mucking with the pallette as sugested is a likely cause if cant fix try running in a seperate screen. Same goes if system does not like Alt Tabing switch screens rather than Alt Tab.

EJ · #7 December 2nd, 2009, 07:00 PM

Don or Andy,
Here's an update to my win7 issues running winspmbt. As you've both said the game runs fine in full screen WINDOWED mode. The draw back is that everything is smaller and easier to miss. It also runs fine on WinXP full screen unwindowed. Once I try full screen unwindowed in win7 I get the following. 2 small WHITE box msgs in order: 1st)IpDD SetDisplayMode0failed, code 80004001. 2nd)Direct Draw could not be initialized! Error code 80004001. I get these msgs even after adjusting screen resolutions. My OS is Win7 home premium 32-bit. My cpu is a Toshiba satellite laptop L555D AMD Turion2 Dual core M500, Graphics card is an ATI Mob radeon 4100 256mb dedicated mem. Hopefully some cpu guru figures it out in the future. I hate NOT being able to play the game in full screen unwindowed mode. DAMN MICROSOFT!

Mobhack · #8 December 2nd, 2009, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EJ

Don or Andy,
Here's an update to my win7 issues running winspmbt. As you've both said the game runs fine in full screen WINDOWED mode. The draw back is that everything is smaller and easier to miss. It also runs fine on WinXP full screen unwindowed. Once I try full screen unwindowed in win7 I get the following. 2 small WHITE box msgs in order: 1st)IpDD SetDisplayMode0failed, code 80004001. 2nd)Direct Draw could not be initialized! Error code 80004001. I get these msgs even after adjusting screen resolutions. My OS is Win7 home premium 32-bit. My cpu is a Toshiba satellite laptop L555D AMD Turion2 Dual core M500, Graphics card is an ATI Mob radeon 4100 256mb dedicated mem. Hopefully some cpu guru figures it out in the future. I hate NOT being able to play the game in full screen unwindowed mode. DAMN MICROSOFT!

If it worked on XP, and does not after installing Windows 7, then it is a problem with your PC, not the game. Most likely graphics card drivers installed by W7?.

It would be rather handy to know what screen resolution you are trying to use. But the message you are getting is typical of trying to run the graphics card (drivers or hardware) at a resolution it cannot handle. Or the graphics drivers for Windows 7 cannot handle a resolution change 'on the fly' e.g from say native LCD wide screen 1280 by 600 to 800 by 600 interpolated mode. So try setting your PC screen to the 800 by 600 (or whatever res you chose) mode before launching the game. If that works - your graphics card or driver cannot do a resolution switch on the fly. (Not a problem with CRT monitors of course, but full screen is meant for CRT monitors, windowed mode for LCD).

So it looks to me like the drivers you had running under XP had better capability than the ones you got with Windows 7. Maybe the graphics card manufacturer has an updated driver set?. Check out their web site.

Cheers
Andy

EJ · #9 December 2nd, 2009, 11:07 PM

There was no upgrading. I went from playing the game on an old laptop with WinXP to playing it on a new laptop with Win7.I tried 4 different resolutions BEFORE launching the game on the new laptop. Non work. From what you are saying my new Toshiba lcd screen laptop can't handle running the game full screen but my 4 yr old crt screen HP can? Bummer....

THIS SUCKS! Thanks for trying to help. I'll keep checking back to see if someone found a work around for this. Hopefully in the future someone will find a solution.

DRG · #10 December 3rd, 2009, 12:28 AM

Will the game run windowed .....??? From what you have said it will. We have said many times the reason we included both windowed and full screen mode was to ensure the game will run in at least one mode. In this case it runs windowed therefore the game will run for you in Win7. I would be quite happy to remove full screen mode as an option. That was my preference from the day Andy sent me the first copy of the game that would run Windowed. Why people get bent out of shape becasue the task bar shows up at the bottom of the screen is beyond me really.

Don