little different problem same result after playing sims2 from the beginning, all of a sudden the screen freezes or goes black after taking an inordinate amount of time to load. Have gotten a message about the graphic accelerator not being adequate or something like. So my question is how do I find the file concerning the accerator and what settings should I be using? Display Devices --------------- Card name: VISIONTEK Xtasy 9200SE 128MB Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc. Chip type: RADEON 9200 SE AGP (0x5964) DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz) Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5964&SUBSYS_7C131545&REV_01 Display Memory: 128.0 MB Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz) Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200 Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6483 (English) DDI Version: 9 (or higher) Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Michelle, the problem might well be due to the card overheating and/or failing. If you've been playing TS2 since the year dot on that set-up then maybe it is just getting tired. Try to establish if the card's cooling fan is running. Most of the generic Windows error messages about graphics devices and accelerators occur when the device is failing to interact with the operating system due to an internal failure of the graphics card (caused by overheating and usually reset by a reboot). Secondary failures, which result in similar error messages, are operating system errors caused by hardware or software conflicts which result in the graphics device being shut down or disabled. (Note that although the graphics card has been shut down or has ceased to work, does not result in no picture on the monitor, basic desktop operations can be shunted through an almost incinerated graphics card by the motherboard's built-in operating system. Have to admire the genius of the hardware designers, don't we? (Well ... we could, except that modern chips are now designed by other chips. There are no longer any warm, wet, red-blooded sentients capable of accurately describing how the average chip's design results in it performance. My advice, bat those eyelashes girl (or raid the emergency savings) and see about a serious upgrade.
well it's not a huge upgrade but he said he would upgrade the card to what I need to play simCitySocieties... so I'm looking at a Radeon 9600 or Nvidia FX 5900... maybe I'm going to have to start squirreling away $50.00 a month for a long, long time and get a separate rig just for games.
