rec.autos.simulators

Hi!

I recently updated from Voodoo 3 to GeForce 2 MX, but I have had a few
problems with GPL. With the D3D patch the game would freeze after 0-10 minutes
of driving. The computer will freeze completely and I would have to reset it.
Then I tried the OpenGL patch and I haven't had that freezing problem anymore
but there is this "menu screens are half way down the screen" problem that
seems to be quite common problem with the OpenGL patch as I found out by
looking at the news archives. But I couldn't find any solution to this
problem, is there any way to fix this?
--

 < Tero Turtiainen    |      Yes Sir, may I*** your boots or do your Highness   >
 < turtiain at iki.fi |      use dry cleaning?  - Stone                           >

i hope this is an isolated case, as i was considering upg from voodoo 3 3500
tv to a geforce 2 mx... i think what you describe is a driver problem,
though.

http://www.papy.com/downloads/gpl_d3d.exe

try this

Well, that is the D3D patch that gives me the freezes...
--

 < Tero Turtiainen    |      Yes Sir, may I*** your boots or do your Highness   >
 < turtiain at iki.fi |      use dry cleaning?  - Stone                           >

Did you completely un-install the Voodoo drivers?  I would concentrate on
getting D3D stable, there isn't a fix for the OpenGL menus yet that i've
heard of.

btw to make sure you've removed the V3 drivers - uninstall 3dfx tools,
delete 3dfx*.* in windows/system, delete glide*.* in windows/system

If that doesn't help, try switching from agp 4x to 2x, since agp 4x makes
virtually no difference to speed but can cause problems.

Also a fresh install of GPL may help, and check you have the right core.ini
settings for d3d.
:)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=->

  Why?  The mx is a lower cost slightly less perfomance version of the
Geforce 2.  You might see a little gain but not much.  Either save a bit
more for a GeForce Pro level board, or grab a faster CPU.  By going to the
MX you would be making a sideways move.   The one sim out right now that
'might' benefit would be N4 since it does take advantage of the the tnl
included in the Geeforce cards.    Other than that...seems like a waste...
dave henrie

I agree, getting a GF2 MX doesn't make sense when you look at how cheap you
can get a GF2 GTS / PRO or a Kyro 2.

I completely uninstalled the Voodoo drivers and then I also made a complete
reinstall of the Windows and GPL just to be sure. And it didn't help :(

I guess I'll have to try messing around with BIOS-settings. Currently the
best thing I can do is to use the OpenGL renderer at 640x480, because I
dont want to lose my nerve every time the system freezes and I also want to
be able to see the menus :)
--

 < Tero Turtiainen    |      Yes Sir, may I*** your boots or do your Highness   >
 < turtiain at iki.fi |      use dry cleaning?  - Stone                           >

I'd advise to work at fixing d3d, it definitely runs better than
OpenGL. When you say d3d "freezes" the computer, what exactly do you
mean? Do you lose video but the sound continues? Or is it just a total
freeze? Wat's your PC? Specs?

Try even setting AGP 1x if possible. Some have also found that
lowering the AGP aperature can help some systems.

And the usual trick of latest bios, updated drivers, etc.

Another trick that may help is to increase the AGP voltage (if your
mobo allows this). More voltage can aid stability, but does increase
the heat output. So you need to have reasonable cooling on the gf2 ie
a small fan at minimum. 3.3v is standard, the system specs allow for
up to 10% deviation, so 3.6v is still "within spec" and will aid
stability.

Rafe Mc

If you have a Via chipset motherboard, check you have up to date Via 4-in-1
drivers.  Also make sure you have fairly up to date MX drivers (6.50 onwards
should be fine), DX8a, and that GPL is patched to 1.2.   Check your cpu and
video card aren't overclocked too.

It's strange that it only happens in d3d though.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=->

Oh yeah, also I found GPL crashes with AGP aperture on 64 MB, and I have it
on 128 MB now, so you might want to try that too.

The freeze is like the screen is frozen, except for mouse pointer which is
visible and moves. The sound continues playing the same "note" (which gets
very annoying :) Ctrl-alt-del does nothing and I have to press the reset-
button.

I have upgraded to the latest versions of everything I can think of but I
havent yet played with the voltage settings. The motherboard is Asus P5A-B
and the dip-switches for the voltage are pain in the ass to set, in a very
uncomfortable place. The processor is AMD K6-2 at 500MHz and nothing is
overclocked. Yeah, my PC is getting quite old...

What really confuses me is the fact that it works fine with the OpenGL
renderer, which makes me think that the hardware may not be the problem.

But excuse me, I have to go now. Colin Chapman wants me to test his Lotus
in Zandvoort.
--

 < Tero Turtiainen    |      Yes Sir, may I*** your boots or do your Highness   >
 < turtiain at iki.fi |      use dry cleaning?  - Stone                           >

I have had the same problem since installing the GeForce 2 Ultra --
computer locks up so ***ly the power button works to turn it off.
I followed the advice to delete my old 3Dfx and Glide files from the
\Windows\System directory and set my BOIS's AGP Apture Size to 128
from 64 and within a minute GPL locked up.
Then I rebooted, and made a change to the GPL core.ini, setting:
D3DDevice = 1
where it had been zero.  I rebooted, did NOT login to my LAN, and did
NOT touch the mouse as I began to drive.  After a few thousand feet
the mouse cursor went away and I continued to drive for about 25
minutes, which is the longest that I've gone since installing the
GeForce 2.
Hope this helps.  THANKS for the advice here!  
Jette
aka Pace' Cargo

Well, thanks to Tiku for telling me about this:
http://www.racesimcentral.net/#hw:gef:troub:inst:mobo:asusp5a

I downloaded the AGP utility and set the AGP to 1x and now I managed to
drive at least 30 minutes with no freeze. I hope that the problem is
now fixed and I can get back to serious racing! :)
--

 < Tero Turtiainen    |      Yes Sir, may I*** your boots or do your Highness   >
 < turtiain at iki.fi |      use dry cleaning?  - Stone                           >