Oldman contemplates animal sacrifice

[Oldman731]

At wit’s end (not a long journey, now that I think of it):

Problem:  

Objects on the screen look like you’re shaking the monitor up and down - letters rise and fall back into place, as do the instruments on the instrument panel, the cockpit frame...everything, basically.  You have the sensation that you’re driving fast over a very bumpy road - magnified a great deal.  The planes are basically unflyable for this reason.

The onset of the problem coincided with the most recent AH2 release.  However, my sons also play a game called “Dark Ages of Camelot,” and they got the same problem in that game when they downloaded the most recent DAC patch.  This was at least a month before the AH2 problem (nice father, ignoring his kids, raising hell when his own game gets greased).

Oddly, I only see the problem in these two games.  Regular word processing, e-mailing &c. is unaffected.  Can even play the other animated game (Combat Mission Afrika Korps) without ill effect.


Attempted fixes:

At first I suspected that there might be a corrupted file in one or both of the games.  Uninstalled, reinstalled, in a wide variety of ways.  Didn’t make a difference.

Then I thought it might be Direct X, so I downloaded the most recent version of that.  No luck.

Then I thought it might be the video card.  Current card is a GEForce...er...3, I think, maybe 4, Titanium something-or-other, very good card, 64 mb.  So I bought a Radeon 9600XT.  No difference.  In fact, I have switched these cards back and forth during my increasingly frenzied attempts to fix this glitch, without any effect on the problem.  Old drivers, most recent drivers, no difference.

Then I decided to reinstall the operating system - no mean feat on an old Compaq computer - Win 2K Professional.  Did that.  No change.

The computer, as mentioned, is a Compaq Evo D500 desktop, P4, 1.8, nearly 1 gig of RAM (9++).  I’ve updated the AGP driver.  I’ve updated the chip drivers.  I’ve tried two different hard drives.  I’ve unplugged and uninstalled the iEEE1394 card.  I am about to burn incense and sacrifice a goat, because nothing else seems to work.  The worst thing is, I just KNOW that it’s some simple setting on the graphics card or in the registry.

Any ideas?

- oldman

[Seeker]

Does this effect manifest it's self in AH films? Is it something you could record so we could analyse it?

[DoctorYO]

The monitor is going.... I have a 19in crt that has a slight shake on the bottom right but is not that bad so im going to run it until failure...

If you changed the video card and it still shakes that only leaves one other thing..  (monitor)

Double check the power cable to the monitor and your machine and make shure they are secured..  (faulty power cable is least probable but possible.)


Test a new monitor to see if it goes away..

If that still doesn't work break out the lamb for your favorite diety ...

I suggest  the following :

St. Expedite

http://www.wired.com/news/roadtrip/riverroad/0,2704,65184,00.html




DoctorYo

[Skuzzy]

Just a wild guess, but make sure the INF files for the monitor are installed.  The video cards may be using the wrong vertical/horizontal information for it.

DirectX uses its own video settings, so it is possible to see one thing in DirectX and not in Windows desktop.

[Grits]

Goats are best for sacrifice to the PC gods.

[Oldman731]

Originally posted by Seeker
Does this effect manifest it's self in AH films? Is it something you could record so we could analyse it?

Good question, haven't tried it.  Will see this weekend, with luck.

- oldman

[Oldman731]

Originally posted by DoctorYO
Test a new monitor to see if it goes away.

Did that.  It didn't go away, or even vary at all.

- oldman

[Oldman731]

Originally posted by Skuzzy
Just a wild guess, but make sure the INF files for the monitor are installed.  The video cards may be using the wrong vertical/horizontal information for it.

DirectX uses its own video settings, so it is possible to see one thing in DirectX and not in Windows desktop.

This raises questions:

- How do I know if the inf files are installed?  Where might I look?  If they aren't, where might I find new ones?

Thanks for the DirectX observation, didn't know that.

- oldman

[Oldman731]

Originally posted by Grits
Goats are best for sacrifice to the PC gods.

True.  They're getting tougher to find in these urban areas, though.

- oldman

[MOSQ]

Here's a few things to check:

Have you recently added a new appliance to the same electrical circuit the monitor/computer is plugged into? Something with a motor or ballast, like a fluorescent light?

Same question, but something nearby your computer/monitor?

Try this: Move your computer/monitor to a different room in the house, far from where it is now located, and see if the shaking stops. If so, there's an electrical field in your current room or circuit that's causing this.

If that doesn't help, locate your monitor as far from your CPU as possible and see if that helps. It's possible your power supply is going bad and emitting weird electrical fields.

Consider trying a new power supply in your computer.

[Skuzzy]

In the hardware device manager, there is a "Monitor" item you can expand to show what type of monitor Windows thinks is installed.
If it shows "Default" or "Plug N Play", then you do not have the INF files installed for the monitor.

[Seeker]

Originally posted by Oldman731
This raises questions:

- How do I know if the inf files are installed?  Where might I look?  If they aren't, where might I find new ones?

Thanks for the DirectX observation, didn't know that.

- oldman

Right click on the desk top and choose "properties".

Then click the "settings" tab

Then the "advanced" button.

You should see a tab that's called "monitor".

This should correctly state your make and model of monitor. There should also be a button on the monitor tab labeled "properties". This will allow you to change driver (inf. file) if needed,

These drivers can of course be downloaded.

[StarOfAfrica2]

Also might want to check what resolution has been selected ingame, what refresh rate you are using, and whether your monitor can support that combo.  Most monitors are only good for certain refresh rates at any given resolution.  Generally, the higher the resolution, the fewer refresh rates are supported by the monitor, and the lower they are.  Say your desktop is set at 800x600 but you bumped the refresh rate up to 85hz for better fps in the game.  Then when the game starts, you select 1024x768 for your ingame resolution, but the monitor doesnt support 85hz at that resolution, it only supports 75, or maybe even 60hz.  Windows will hide refresh rates and resolution combos your monitor doesnt support, game interfaces usually wont.  I had this problem with a different game I played.

[StarOfAfrica2]

Originally posted by Grits
Goats are best for sacrifice to the PC gods.

Originally posted by Oldman
True. They're getting tougher to find in these urban areas, though.

You guys should know better.  Sure, Goats may be preferred for sacrifice to the PC gods, but when you have a flight sim involved, especially a combat flight sim, it MUST be SHEEP!  Nothing else will do to appease them.  Woulda thought that was a no-brainer.

[Roscoroo]

I think it sould of been a rabbit at a full moon .... (note save the ears to fix the monitor problem)