Hello oh gurus of eveything flightsim,

It seemed that with every add on I put into FS2000, my frame rate dropped further. Trying to land in Kai Tak with 3FPS is like trying to eat a poached egg with chopsticks (which I've also done) so I decided it was time to go and get a video card.

I read up as much as I could beforehand - I'm not much of a techie - and listened carefully to advice from no less than three different "assistants" in CompUSA. I ended up with a Nvidia TNT2 64, 32MB. Yes, I know it's old hat but I'm one of those dinosaurs with a three year old computer with only PCI slots, and you try finding good, affordable PCI cards today. I run a Compaq Presario 7598 with 600MHZ, 128MB RAM, that had standard Intel 810 chipset graphics.

So having deciphered the useless instructions that came with the card, it was duly mounted in a spare slot and basically everything worked fine .... except FS2000. I can get in to it, use menus, do settings, etc ... but as soon as I try to release the PAUSE and start flying, the system hangs.

I have gone to Nvidia's website and downloaded the latest drivers ... gone to MS for FS2000 and read that these cards regularly cause the system to hang. They recommend inserting a section at the end of the FS2000.CFG which I did as follows:

TextureAGP=0
TextureManagment=1

They do not, of course, explain what this means or what to do if it doesn't work ... which it doesn't. I even tried changing "AGP" to "PCI"

I have tried disabling the default card under my DEVICES menu, and gone repeatedly through the SETTINGS for the new card. Everything seems hunky dory, but it still doesn't work for FS2000.

Importantly, this morning my AOL hung for the first time after about ten minutes of use (I'm hoping it won't now, before I finish this). So maybe it's not just FS, and there's some other kind of conflict.

Any ideas, please, please, please, before I stuff this card somewhere interesting in CompUSA's Customer Relations Department? Just joking ....

Mark Beaumont

"Hang on in there, but not out there"

• RE: Nvidia Riva TNT2 Model 64,Mark Beaumont [Passenger], 06:26z, 06-25-01
  • RE: Nvidia Riva TNT2 Model 64,Ben Chiu, 13:27z, 06-25-01
• RE: Nvidia Riva TNT2 Model 64,Madape, 12:33z, 06-25-01
  • RE: Nvidia Riva TNT2 Model 64,Madape, 12:36z, 06-25-01
    • RE: Nvidia Riva TNT2 Model 64,Mark "Dark" Beaumont "Moment" [Passenger], 14:16z, 06-25-01
      • RE: Nvidia Riva TNT2 Model 64,darkmoment [Passenger], 14:30z, 06-25-01
        • RE: Nvidia Riva TNT2 Model 64,Madape, 15:07z, 06-25-01
        • RE: Nvidia Riva TNT2 Model 64,Ben Chiu, 17:55z, 06-25-01
          • RE: Nvidia Riva TNT2 Model 64,darkmoment, 19:02z, 06-25-01
            • RE: Nvidia Riva TNT2 Model 64,Ben Chiu, 00:02z, 06-26-01
              • RE: Nvidia Riva TNT2 Model 64,Madape, 03:17z, 06-26-01

When I wrote my last, I put HARDWARE in brackets where I wrote a new section into the FS2000.CFG file, but of course the HTML of this posting removed the word because of the brackets. So it should have read:

HARDWARE (in brackets)
TextureAGP=0
TextureManagement=1

Mark

____________________

Greetings Mark:

First things first.

If you logon to the message board before reading or posting messages, you'll find there are some added features that are not otherwise available to you.

You didn't say which processor you're using. I know that there are some problems with TNT2's and some motherboards. The most notorious is the TNT2 and Athelon compatability problems. If you're running a VIA chipset motherboard there's an AGP miniport driver that seems to fix the compatability problems. Note that I realize that you're installing a PCI video card, but I can't help wondering whether your onboard video is AGP and if that may be the cause of the problem(s).

Other things you didn't mention is whether you installed the FS2K patch and which version of DX you're running. I know that the patch isn't supposed to fix specific graphic problems with nVidia cards, and although DX7a isn't the latest, we need to start with a baseline that's known to be stable in order to solve your problem. (Note that DX7a is only for Win9x installations--you didn't mention which operating system you're running.)

If you've done all of the above, although the following link is for HP Pavilion computers with 810 and 815 onboard chipsets, the procedures for adding a new video card here should be similar:

http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/cposupport/get_doc.pl?SNI=hppavilion24539&LC=personal_computing&Tfile=bph06273

If all else fails, consider picking up a GeForce2 MX PCI card. There are a couple of manufacturers that make these:

http://www.inno3d.com/product_mx.html

http://www.evga.com/eVGA/evga.ihtml?page=/www/specsheet/032-P1-NV29-01.inc&ss=032-P1-NV29-01.pdf

http://www.evga.com/eVGA/evga.ihtml?page=/www/specsheet/032-P1-NV30-01.inc&ss=032-P1-NV30-01.pdf

http://www.3dblaster.com/products/Anni2mx/system.asp

http://210.66.3.2/web/product_inside.asp?prd_id=CMX6PPCIMX400

http://www.visiontek.com/products/video.htm

To shop for the best price on one of these cards, check out http://www.pricewatch.com Most of these cards can be had for about $100. But as always, shop from a company that allows returns, and of course, use all of the precautions that you normall would when you order anythng online.

(Just FYI, I run a eVGA AGP GF2MX and like it very much.)

Hope this helps and let us know how it goes.

Ben

____________________

Hi Darkmoment,

Ok so your system is hanging when you start to fly, to my knowledge the nVidia TNT2 Chipset (although not the fastest) is fully supported under FS2K.

What could be causing system performance degredation could be something running in the background that could be causing the system to hang, it always recommended when playing FS2K or any other processor intensive apllication is to kill all other applications that run in the background, on Win95/98/Me this can be done by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del and Ending All tasks except Systray & Explorer (on NT4/5 Press Ctrl-Alt-Del and Select Task Manager). You'll have to do this everytime before you Start FS2K

Although we have got a Nifty little program that will do that for you, in the downloads section called EndItAll,
Click Here To Goto Downloads Section of FA.

Options after that are, take the card back to CompUSA, and get a GeForce2, you can get one for around £50 ($85).

Hope that helps, please keep us informed on how you get on

Sam

____________________

Oh I forgot to mention you can get PCI Versions of the GeForce2 Mx, check out Creatives Website.

Sam

Dear Ben and Sam

Well I couldn't wish for better, quicker advice than you've both given me today. Wow. Thank you very much indeed.

Sorry I didn't explain enough about my system. In summary:

Pentium III
600 MHZ
128MB RAM
40GB hard disk (7GB gone to FS so far!)
DirectX 8.0 (TNT2 came packaged with DirectX7, however, which I didn't load, obviously, but maybe DirectX8 not adequately supported?)
FS2000 standard, Patch 2b
I run EnditAll before FS2K
Latest Windows, Compaq updates
Latest Nvidia drivers (I suppose .. a month old) and the Gainward (dealer's) site is a joke.

Ah well, I'll work through all your suggestions. This is a pain, though. If this was a car, I would have driven it through the dealer's window by now. I did manage to get FS started this afternoon with minimum hardware acceleration enabled, but what's the point of that? It gave me 3.6FPS out of Meigs default flight.

Mark

"Don't lower your standards. Just your gear"

Hmmmmm .... on browsing on through your site I find that YOU say DirectX8 is for Windows ME ... I run Windows 98 SE. Could that be it?

In which case, can I reload DirectX7 over X8 without turning my computer into a nuclear warhead?

Ben .. I try to log in every time, but my password must be wrong ... and when I try to change it, you site reports a fault. It won't let me reregister under darkmoment either, as the name is taken.

Mark

"What goes up, should stay up. Read Ben Chiu"

____________________

There are 2 versions of DirectX 8a;

One for Windows 95/98/Me
One for Windows 2000 (NT5)

So the answer to your question is no, DirectX 8 will work with Windows 98 SE

Sam

____________________

Greetings Again, Mark:

If you're running DX8, make sure you update that to 8a. Note that there are different versions of DX8 as Sam pointed out for the various versions of Windows.

Reinstalling an old version of DX is a cumbersome process, but it can be done. Since you've taken the plunge already, it's probably easier to update to 8a.

Regarding your password, I've had the system reset it and send you a new on to your aol account.

Drop me an email if you don't receive it within 24 hours.

Finally, if FS2K runs okay with hardware acceleration turned down, you might be running your PCI bus too fast. You can try mucking with your bios settings, but to be honest, I'd dump the card if you can still return it.

Please keep us posted.
Ben

Ben

I had already updated to DirectX8a. And yes, I've been clever enough to check the MS DirectX website myself (duhhh...yet another hunt) and confirm that what I downloaded was indeed a fit with Windows 98 SE.

Password ... I'm in already. Thanks.

Anyway, the upshot of all this is that 1) you fellas are terrific in your efforts to help and 2) stuff it. Why should I go out and spend good money just to have to spend 24 hours over a sunny weekend trying to fit a bit of kit that totally upsets my system, my wife, wee Katherine and finally me? I don't give up easily, I can assure you, but that's when I know things SHOULD work and WILL work eventually; but the combination of this wobbly card, dumb instructions, an errant support website and a very unhappy computer (on which I have to work, too) has led me to remove the offending object. It will be returned. And my li'l old computer is fairly racing along, now that it's been allowed to reset its delivery parameters. Funny that.

But GeForce2 MX, here we come. If I can find the PCI version, that is. I feel like a dinosaur but, for God's sake, my computer is only three years old. CompUSA look at me as though I've been in Castaway with Tom Hanks.

Fly upright or, if not, up high. Thanks again.

Mark

____________________

Greetings Mark:

Good to see you online as a VPC member now. Looks good!

Good luck finding a new video card. They may be hard to find, but they're out there. Even so, don't expect to run FS2K with your new card at 30+ FPS. Your Intel vid system is lacking, but even if you triple your current 3 fps, it'll still be borderline unplayable unless you start turning some stuff down.

Just FYI, with the AGP version of the GF2 MX, on a P2-400, I was getting about 20fps with a lot of the sliders set to mid levels. I don't know how much difference the'll be between the AGP and PCI versions, if any, so you might get a little better than that with your faster CPU.

Actually, in the world of technology, 3 years is quite a long time as you've discovered. But take heart in knowing that we're all behind the curve--technology is one of those things that you'll never get ahead of the curve, and even if you're fortunate enough to ride the bleeding edge, it'll only be for what seems like a split second.

Please keep us posted on your progress.
Thanks!
Ben

____________________

Unfortunately FS2K was not made for low spec machines (I hate to think how FS2002 is going to be), the lowest spec I would recommend someone running it at would be:

Pentium III/AMD 500
128Mb RAM
32 Mb Graphics Card (Preferably Geforce I/II/III)
Full Installation of FS2K

Nice to see you've signed up Mark!

Sam