My system specs are as follows:
ASUS P3V4X Mainboard (VIA chipset)
PIII 550E Intel CPU (Slot 1)
512MB SDRAM
ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon 32MB DDR (4xAGP)
Sound Blaster Live
2 Ethernet Cards (1-internet, 2-shared)
Windows ME (tried in Win98SE too)
DirectX 8.0a
The problem is that I can’t run any OpenGL or Direct3D games. When I run a game that uses hardware-based rendering, I get the start of the game (ie. in Freespace 2 I get the startup menus) but when the game starts, the computer freezes but the audio continues or starts to loop. This happens in all games requiring hardware acceleration…even with a Shockwave game that needs OpenGL.
In testing out this problem, I have run DXDiag testing the DirectDraw Acceleration…that’s ok…Direct 3D Acceleration…seems fine…but the AGP Texture Acceleration crashes every time. I tried a similar test using a graphics card diagnostic tool in Ontrack Fix-it Utilities where I am supposed to get a spinning 3D image of a rollerblade…same result…the computer freezes and not even Ctrl-Alt-Del will bring it out of that. Have to soft-reboot everytime.
In researching this problem, I found that several people suggested changing the AGP option in BIOS down from 4x to 2x as the Radeon drivers don’t support 4x…did that - no effect. I tried installing the VIA 4in1 drivers 4.20 both in Turbo mode and in Standard mode. I even tried the uninstall option and then re-installed Standard mode. Still no effect. In BIOS the option AGP Fast Write (not really sure what that is) does not seem to have any effect in any of it’s settings either.
I have tried changing the video card display modes from 1280x1024 (normal) to 1024x768 and 800x600 within Windows but that doesn’t fix the problem. I have tried changing the display modes in the games I have tried to play but that doesn’t work either. Similarily, I have tried in 32-bit, 24-bit, 16-bit, and 256 colors but no change.
I know what you are about to say…Windows ME has problems. Oddly enough, I have tried all this within Windows 98SE as well with the same result. I have tried upgrading the ATI Radeon drivers several times although someone just suggested that I should go back in driver revisions. I have tried this with the drivers that were on the CD I got with the card too so that can’t be it. I am currently using the most recent version of the ATI Radeon drivers (4.13.01.7075) available on the ATI support website. I have tried some beta versions of the video card drivers I have found on the net but I’m not too sure whether I should be using those…the ones I did try didn’t have any effect either. Everything about the card seems to work fine except this. Someone did suggest to me I should try installing Windows 2000 and see if that fixes the problem but I don’t really want to go buy Win2000 on the eve of WindowsXP coming out. I am hopeful that WindowsXP (Home edition) will solve my problem but I am also doubtful.
I think my main problem is a ASUS P3V4X Mainboard and video card conflict. I have a computer at work which has the ATI AiW Radeon video card and a ASUS CUSL (genuine Intel chipset) motherboard running Win98SE and I have no problem playing games on that computer. I can’t though because it is at work - but I have “tested” some games and the DXDiag AGP Texturing option works fine.
The VIA Chipset may be a problem and I have heard the ATI card writes it’s own GART drivers over top of what should be there. This seems reasonable to me but how do I get the other drivers back? I have tried some of the versions at of VIA GART/4in1 drivers at http://www.viahardware.com/download/index.shtm#agp but I’m not sure which one I should use as some say going back in time is the way to fix it.
Please help!!!
Thank you.