i just bought a new HP laptop that I just love, and yes I love Vista too. However I have one problem. When running FS9 all of my aircraft looks as if they are in the shade, even on a sunny day. The aircraft are darker than they should be. I've tried various setting in the display and still same problem. I will tell you that I tried vista a few months ago on my old laptop (gateway, a POS, don't ever buy gateway) and had the same problem. My video card is your basic intel 945gm integrated doohicky and my old laptop had the same ony a 915gm. I've got the latest drivers and just wondered if this problem has been seen elsewhere because i've seen it on two straight notebooks. New here so maybe this should be in the hardware forum? if so move it. thanks for any help as this has been the only problem I've had with vista.Thx,Tim

I seem to remember some lighting problem with the 945GM from a different game sorry I dont know witch one or where it was.

I just wanted to move this up to the top to see if anyone has experienced this problem. It's funny noboby else has seen it because I've had the same problem twice on two consecative laptops and have searched the internet and no one else seems to have this problem. Any suggestions?

I don't have experience with your laptop, but strongly suggest adding a screenprint to the thread. That would help identify whether it's a gamma issue, a monitor/lcd issue (if the shot looks normal to us, for exapmple) or perhaps a hardware issue.Regards,John

>I don't have experience with your laptop, but strongly>suggest adding a screenprint to the thread. That would help>identify whether it's a gamma issue, a monitor/lcd issue (if>the shot looks normal to us, for exapmple) or perhaps a>hardware issue.>>Regards,>>JohnWell one time when vista's snipping tool has come in handy. This is the way my aircraft look like, like it's in the shade. My last laptop was a gateway running XP with an integrate Intel 915GM video card and I had no problems when running XP. However when I installed a trial version of Vista Basic I had this exact problem. My gateway finally gave out after only owning int for 18 months and I bought a new HP with Vista Home premium and an integrated Intel 945GM card and the aircraft look just like this, as if they are in the shade and not bright and white like they should be. I've tried every Display setting and updated latest video drivers to no avail. Dxdiag says I have version 10 so the problem has to be with Vista I'm guessing. I love the new laptop and Vista and this is the only problem I have but it pretty much makes FS9 unenjoyable. I don't plan to get FSX. Yeah I know I should have went for a laptop with a better video card but if laptops are only going to last 18 months I'm not going to spend a lot of money on them. hope this helps but I doubt if there is a solution out there. I have 1gb memory installed. Again no problems with XP, just Vista.Tim

Is there any way you can provide a screenshot from within the sim itself? I'd be curious to see what aircraft look like set against the rest of the scenery.One option to try would be in turning off aircraft reflections--possible your video card doesn't handle them well. Regards,John

Here you go. The video card works fine with XP and the aircraft are shiny and white. I only have the problem running Vista. I've tried every possible setting in the display panel. I'm thinking of writing to Intel and MS, as if that will do any good.Tim

oops, let's try that again.

I have this very same problem. I just installed FS9.1 on a new computer with Windows Vista Home Premium and all of the aircraft and some scenery objects are shaded dark. It seems as if a light is turned off.When FS2004 starts up, I am in the "Create A Flight" menu. The image of the Cessna is fine, no darkness/shading. I then click "change" under Selected aircraft, and I am now in the "Select Aircraft" menu. The image of the Cessna still looks normal, no shading. Now, just as soon as I hit "OK" to load the Cessna, I am taken back to the "Create A Flight" menu, but the image of the Cessna is shaded dark, almost black. The model retains this darkness in the game. All aircraft models, whether they are AI, static or user models, are shaded dark.Any assistance is greatly appreciated.Fausto

I found the solution to this frustrating problem.In the FS2004 menu on top, click on "Options", then scroll down and click on "Settings", now click on "Display". Click on "Hardware" located to the far right side of the menu bar. Now, under "Hardware- rendered lights", slide the bar all the way to the right until it reads 8.Thats it. Hope it works for you, it did for me...finally.Fausto (happycapt)