Hi Folks,I have a problem on another system running FS9. I have an nVidia 8500 GT card w/1GB VRAM installed on this machine, running WinXP Pro SP3 & all current updates. Windows sees the card just fine, but when I go to start FS9, an error message appears concerning not enough video ram, and it switches to 3-d mode. When I go to FS9's display settings and click on the hardware tab, there is no card listed in the devices drop down--it's blank, and no resolutions/no way to change settings other than adjusting the frame rate.....very weird! Does anyone have any ideas on this?Thanks,Jim

What video driver are you running and have you tried a different one yet?

What video driver are you running and have you tried a different one yet?

Hi, I have the 190.62 driver installed, release date 8/17/2009....had 169.xx installed previously, but upgraded to latest one...still not seen by FS9, but seen ok by windows.....Jim

Hi, I have the 190.62 driver installed, release date 8/17/2009....had 169.xx installed previously, but upgraded to latest one...still not seen by FS9, but seen ok by windows.....Jim

Have you tried disabling your FS9.cfg file (just rename it with a BAK extension) and letting FS rebuild a new one when you start it again? That usually will force FS to "see" a new video card.

Have you tried disabling your FS9.cfg file (just rename it with a BAK extension) and letting FS rebuild a new one when you start it again? That usually will force FS to "see" a new video card.

Hi Mr. Marshall,No, I have not tried that, but in the meantime, here is the current FS9.cfg file:_______________________[PANELS]IMAGE_QUALITY=1UNITS_OF_MEASURE=0QUICKTIPS=1PANEL_MASKING=1PANEL_STRETCHING=1[Weather]WindshieldPrecipitationEffects=1MinGustTime=10MaxGustTime=500MinGustRampSpeed=1MaxGustRampSpeed=200MinVarTime=5MaxVarTime=50MinVarRampSpeed=10MaxVarRampSpeed=75TurbulenceScale=1.000000DefaultVisibility=0DynWx_MedianDewPointSpread=10.000000DynWx_ProbCloudFormForMedianDewPoint=0.000500DynWx_MaxDewPointSpread=50.000000DynWx_ProbCloudFormForMaxDewPoint=0.000125DynWx_ProbCloudFormForMinDewPoint=0.100000DynWx_DryTempLapsePer1000Meters=9.000000DynWx_ProbCloudFormForDryTempLapse=0.000500DynWx_MoistTempLapsePer1000Meters=3.300000DynWx_ProbCloudFormForMoistTempLapse=0.040000DynWx_MaxProbCloudChangePerMinute=0.040000DynWx_MultiplierForDynamicWeatherLevelMild=0.500000DynWx_MultiplierForDynamicWeatherLevelNormal=1.000000DynWx_MultiplierForDynamicWeatherLevelHigh=3.000000DynWx_MultiplierForDynamicWeatherLevelExtreme=10.000000DynWx_TempChangePercentageForOvercastClouds=0.750000DynWx_TempChangePercentageForMinDewPoint=0.700000DynWx_MaxTempChangePerMinute=0.060000WeatherServerAddress=fs2k.zone.comWeatherServerPort=80WeatherGraphDataInDialog=0DynamicWeather=2LOADWEATHER=1MAX_UNLIMITED_VIS=96560CLOUD_DRAW_DISTANCE=43D_CLOUD_PERCENT=100DETAILED_CLOUDS=0CLOUD_COVERAGE_DENSITY=6CloudsImpostorRingRadius=64000.000000DownloadWindsAloft=1DisableTurbulence=0[iNTERNATIONAL]ASLAT=2ASLON=0MEASURE=0[MISC]COM_RATE=7LOG_TIME=0FOREIGN_TRANSLATOR=0LOG_FILE=[sTARTUP]DEMO=0LOADSIM=1LOADWINDOW=1SHOW_OPENING_SCREEN=1STARTUP_DEMO=[GRAPHICS]FULL_SCREEN=0PERFORMANCE_MODE=0DEF_PERF_MODE=6TEXT_SCROLL=1AUTO_LOD=0DETAIL_TEXTURE=0WATER_EFFECTS=0TERRAIN_USE_VECTOR_MAP=1TERRAIN_USE_VECTOR_OBJECTS=1EFFECTS_QUALITY=1GROUND_SHADOWS=0SMOOTH_VIEW=1IMAGE_SMOOTHING=1TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=1024COCKPIT_HIGH_LOD=1AIRCRAFT_SHADOWS=1LANDING_LIGHTS=1IMAGE_QUALITY=0TEXTURE_BLDG=1TEXTURE_GND=1TEXTURE_WATER=1AIRCRAFT_TEXTURE=1SEE_SELF=1TEXTURE_QUALITY=3LOD_TARGET_FPS=28NUM_LIGHTS=8[REALISM]INDASPD=0PFactor=0.480000Torque=0.490000GyroEffect=0.510000CrashTolerance=1.000000General=1.000000UnlimitedFuel=FalseTrueAirspeed=FalseAutoCoord=FalseRealMixture=TrueStressDamage=FalseGEffect=FalseManualLights=TrueGyroDrift=TrueCrashWithDyn=FalseCrashDetection=0[CONTROLS]KBDAIL=64KBDELEV=64KBDRUD=64PAN_RATE=400[uSERINTERFACE]MAP_ORIENTATION=2PAUSE_ON_LOST_FOCUS=0PROMPT_ON_EXIT=1PageID=8OpenATCOnCreate=0SITUATION=C:\Documents and Settings\jblake\My Documents\Flight Simulator Files\Cold & Dark @ KSEA - C172 - New Default FlightSelectFlightLevel=0SelectFlightTitle=0[sOUND]SOUND=1SOUND_FADER1=0.500000SOUND_FADER2=0.100000SOUND_FADER3=0.300000SOUND_FADER4=0.000000SOUND_FADER5=0.500000SOUND_FADER6=0.800000SOUND_QUALITY=1[DISPLAY.Device.NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT.0]Mode=1024x768x32AntiAlias=1TriLinear=1MipBias=8[DISPLAY]UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=40TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=40DisableSoftwareWarning=0[TERRAIN]TERRAIN_ERROR_FACTOR=60.000000TERRAIN_MIN_DEM_AREA=10.000000TERRAIN_MAX_DEM_AREA=100.000000TERRAIN_MAX_VERTEX_LEVEL=19TERRAIN_TEXTURE_SIZE_EXP=7TERRAIN_AUTOGEN_DENSITY=2TERRAIN_USE_GRADIENT_MAP=1TERRAIN_EXTENDED_TEXTURES=0TERRAIN_DEFAULT_RADIUS=9.500000TERRAIN_EXTENDED_RADIUS=4.500000TERRAIN_EXTENDED_LEVELS=4[sCENERY]IMAGE_COMPLEXITY=5DYNAMIC_SCENERY=1DYN_SCN_DENSITY=4DAWN_DUSK_SMOOTHING=0SUNGLARE=0LENSFLARE=0[AIRtoCONTAINER]SIM1=Cessna Skylane 182R RGSIM2=Learjet 45SIM3=Schweizer 2-32 SailplaneSIM4=Sopwith CamelSIM5=Extra 300SSIM6=Boeing 737-400[APL]CACHE_WAV_FILES=1[TrafficManager]TrafficDensity=20IFROnly=0EnableAirline=1EnableGeneralAviation=1[AContain]ShowLabels=0ShowUserLabel=0ShowLabelManufacturer=1ShowLabelModel=1ShowLabelTailNumber=0ShowLabelDistance=1ShowLabelAltitude=1ShowLabelAirline=0ShowLabelAirlineAndFlightNumber=0ShowLabelFlightPlan=0ShowLabelContainerId=0ShowLabelAirspeed=0ShowLabelHeading=0LabelDelay=1000LabelColor=FFFF0000[sLEW]MaxLateralRate=40000.000000MaxVerticalRate=1000.000000MaxPitchRate=360.000000MaxBankRate=360.000000MaxHeadingRate=360.000000[VirtualCopilot]VirtualCopilotActive=0[MULTIPLAYER]ALWAYS_SHOW_INITIAL_DIALOG=1SESSION_NAME=My SessionPLAYER_NAME=Unnamed PilotGUARANTEED_MESSAGES=0MAX_PLAYERS=8MAX_OBSERVERS=0TICKS_PER_SYNC=90PACKETS_PER_SEC=4COLLISION_SECS=2FOLLOWING_MULTIPLIER=5ALLOW_PLANE_MODEL_SEND=0ALLOW_PLANE_MODEL_RECEIVE=0ALLOW_TEXTURE_SEND=0ALLOW_TEXTURE_RECEIVE=0MAX_SEGMENT_SIZE=100MAX_SEGMENTS_PER_SEC=1CONNECTION_TYPE=0PROTOCOL_SELECTION=0ALLOW_DESCRIPTIVE_SEND=1ALLOW_DESCRIPTIVE_RECEIVE=1AUTOPILOT_LOCK=0DISTANCE_DISPLAY=0ADF_TRACK=0ALLOW_NAME_TAG_DISPLAY=1CLIENT_CONNECT_USE_CUSTOM_PORT=0CLIENT_CONNECT_PORT=23456CLIENT_HOST_USE_CUSTOM_PORT=0CLIENT_HOST_PORT=23456HOST_CONNECT_USE_CUSTOM_PORT=0HOST_CONNECT_PORT=23456[sIM]SYSCLOCK=1[ATC]AutoOpenAirTrafficWindow=1UsePilotVoice=1ShowATCText=1PilotVoice=1[MAIN]Location=187,235,835,769HideMenuNormal=0HideMenuFullscreen=1Maximized=1[FACILITIES]COUNTRY=STATE=CITY=GTL_BUTTON=6225[FSTraffic2004::Explorer]update_rate=1000window_pos=00000000,00000000,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0gridlines=0[FSTraffic2004::Map]update_rate=1000draw_waypoints=1draw_on_ground=1draw_labels=1short_name=0draw_wp_labels=1draw_help=1draw_grid=0dpp=0.003000bgc=0,0,0fgc_player=255,255,128fgc_ai=0,0,255fgc_ai_ground=128,128,128fgc_wp=255,0,0fgc_wp_line=192,192,192fgc_grid=0,128,128fgc_help=0,255,0ccl=00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFF,00FFFFFFwindow_pos=00000000,00000000,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0gridlines=0[OldModules]fssound.dll=1[KEYBOARD_MAIN]SELECT_1=49,8SELECT_2=50,8SELECT_3=51,8SELECT_4=52,8MINUS=189,8PLUS=187,8ZOOM_1X=8,8SOUND_TOGGLE=81,8ENGINE=69,8SIM_RATE=82,8XPNDR=84,8SLEW_TOGGLE=89,8EGT=85,8SMOKE_TOGGLE=73,8STROBES_TOGGLE=79,8PAUSE_TOGGLE=80,8ATC=192,8ADF=65,8VIEW_MODE=83,8HEADING_GYRO_SET=68,8DME=70,8GEAR_TOGGLE=71,8ANTI_ICE_TOGGLE=72,8JET_STARTER=74,8JOYSTICK_CALIBRATE=75,10ALL_LIGHTS_TOGGLE=76,8SITUATION_SAVE=186,8VIEW_WINDOW_TO_FRONT=222,8AP_MASTER=90,8FREQUENCY_SWAP=88,8COM_RADIO=67,8VOR_OBS=86,8BAROMETRIC=66,8NAV_RADIO=78,8MAGNETO=77,8BRAKES=190,8SPOILERS_TOGGLE=191,8SITUATION_RESET=186,10FLAPS_UP=116,8THROTTLE_FULL=115,8THROTTLE_INCR_SMALL=114,8THROTTLE_DECR=113,8FLAPS_DOWN=119,8THROTTLE_CUT=112,8VIEW=111,8ELEV_TRIM_DN=36,8ELEV_DOWN=38,8INCREASE_THROTTLE=33,8AILERONS_LEFT=37,8CENTER_AILER_RUDDER=12,8AILERONS_RIGHT=39,8ELEV_TRIM_UP=35,8ELEV_UP=40,8DECREASE_THROTTLE=34,8VIEW_FORWARD=38,41VIEW_FORWARD_RIGHT=33,41VIEW_RIGHT=39,41VIEW_REAR_RIGHT=34,41VIEW_REAR=40,41VIEW_REAR_LEFT=35,41VIEW_LEFT=37,41VIEW_FORWARD_LEFT=36,41VIEW_DOWN=12,41RUDDER_LEFT=45,8RUDDER_RIGHT=135,8BRAKES_LEFT=122,8BRAKES_RIGHT=123,8AP_ATT_HOLD=84,10AP_LOC_HOLD=79,10AP_APR_HOLD=65,10AP_HDG_HOLD=72,10AP_ALT_HOLD=90,10AP_WING_LEVELER=86,10AP_BC_HOLD=66,10AP_NAV1_HOLD=78,10EXIT=67,10ABORT=3,10READOUTS_FLIGHT=90,9PANEL_TOGGLE=219,9VIEW_MODE_REV=83,9PANEL_LIGHTS_TOGGLE=76,9LANDING_LIGHTS_TOGGLE=76,10PARKING_BRAKES=190,10MINUS_SHIFT=189,9PLUS_SHIFT=187,9FLAPS_INCR=118,8FLAPS_DECR=117,8PROP_PITCH_LO=115,10PROP_PITCH_INCR_SMALL=114,10PROP_PITCH_DECR=113,10PROP_PITCH_HI=112,10MIXTURE_RICH=115,11MIXTURE_INCR_SMALL=114,11MIXTURE_DECR=113,11MIXTURE_LEAN=112,11SCRIPT_EVENT_1=219,10SCRIPT_EVENT_2=221,10YAW_DAMPER_TOGGLE=68,10CENTER_NT361_CHECK=57,11CLOSE_VIEW=221,8NEW_VIEW=219,8NEW_MAP=221,9NEXT_VIEW=9,10PREV_VIEW=9,11VIEW_TYPE=83,10VIEW_TYPE_REV=83,11RADIO_VOR1_IDENT_TOGGLE=49,10RADIO_VOR2_IDENT_TOGGLE=50,10RADIO_DME1_IDENT_TOGGLE=52,10RADIO_ADF_IDENT_TOGGLE=53,10GEAR_PUMP=71,10SPOILERS_ARM_TOGGLE=191,9PITOT_HEAT_TOGGLE=72,9AP_AIRSPEED_HOLD=82,10AUTO_THROTTLE_ARM=82,9AUTO_THROTTLE_TO_GA=71,11LANDING_LIGHT_UP=38,11LANDING_LIGHT_DOWN=40,11LANDING_LIGHT_LEFT=37,11LANDING_LIGHT_RIGHT=39,11LANDING_LIGHT_HOME=12,11PAN_RESET=46,9KNEEBOARD_VIEW=121,8MP_PLAYER_CYCLE=84,11MP_PLAYER_SNAP=70,11MP_GO_OBSERVER=79,11MP_CHAT=221,11MP_ACTIVATE_CHAT=13,8PANEL_1=49,9PANEL_2=50,9PANEL_3=51,9PANEL_4=52,9PANEL_5=53,9PANEL_6=54,9PANEL_7=55,9PANEL_8=56,9PANEL_9=57,9AP_MACH_HOLD=77,10VIEW_FORWARD_UP=38,42VIEW_FORWARD_RIGHT_UP=33,42VIEW_REAR_RIGHT_UP=34,42VIEW_REAR_UP=40,42VIEW_REAR_LEFT_UP=35,42VIEW_FORWARD_LEFT_UP=36,42VIEW_UP=12,42INVOKE_HELP=191,10TOGGLE_AIRCRAFT_LABELS=76,11ENGINE_AUTO_START=69,10INC_COWL_FLAPS=86,11DEC_COWL_FLAPS=67,11USER_INTERRUPT=27,8AILERON_TRIM_LEFT=37,10AILERON_TRIM_RIGHT=39,10RUDDER_TRIM_LEFT=45,10RUDDER_TRIM_RIGHT=135,10TOGGLE_FLIGHT_DIRECTOR=70,10TOGGLE_AFTERBURNER=115,9TOGGLE_MASTER_BATTERY_ALTERNATOR=77,9INCREASE_CONCORDE_NOSE_VISOR_FULLY=120,10DECREASE_CONCORDE_NOSE_VISOR_FULLY=121,10TOGGLE_AIRCRAFT_EXIT=69,9PANEL_HUD_TOGGLE=87,8SNAP_TO_PANEL=45,41MARKER_SOUND_TOGGLE=51,10TOGGLE_WATER_RUDDER=87,9TOGGLE_PUSHBACK=80,9KEY_CHASE_VIEW_NEXT=87,10KEY_CHASE_VIEW_PREV=87,11HEADING_BUG_SELECT=72,11ALTITUDE_BUG_SELECT=90,11CHASE_VIEW_TOGGLE=81,10EYEPOINT_UP=13,9EYEPOINT_DOWN=8,9EYEPOINT_RIGHT=13,11EYEPOINT_LEFT=8,11EYEPOINT_FORWARD=8,10EYEPOINT_BACK=13,10EYEPOINT_RESET=32,8AIRSPEED_BUG_SELECT=82,11TOGGLE_TAILWHEEL_LOCK=71,9ROTOR_BRAKE=66,9ROTOR_CLUTCH_SWITCH_TOGGLE=190,9ROTOR_GOV_SWITCH_TOGGLE=188,9VIRTUAL_COPILOT_TOGGLE=88,11VIRTUAL_COPILOT_ACTION=88,10[KEYBOARD_SLEW]SLEW_TOGGLE=89,8SLEW_ALTIT_UP_FAST=115,8SLEW_ALTIT_UP_SLOW=114,8SLEW_ALTIT_FREEZE=113,8SLEW_ALTIT_DN_FAST=112,8SLEW_ALTIT_PLUS=81,8SLEW_ALTIT_MINUS=65,8SLEW_PITCH_DN_FAST=119,8SLEW_PITCH_DN_SLOW=118,8SLEW_PITCH_FREEZE=117,8SLEW_PITCH_UP_FAST=116,8SLEW_PITCH_PLUS=57,8SLEW_PITCH_MINUS=48,8READOUTS_SLEW=90,9SLEW_BANK_MINUS=36,8SLEW_AHEAD_PLUS=38,8SLEW_BANK_PLUS=33,8SLEW_LEFT=37,8SLEW_FREEZE=12,8SLEW_RIGHT=39,8SLEW_HEADING_MINUS=35,8SLEW_AHEAD_MINUS=40,8SLEW_HEADING_PLUS=34,8SLEW_RESET=32,8TOGGLE_AIRCRAFT_LABELS=76,11EYEPOINT_UP=13,9EYEPOINT_DOWN=8,9EYEPOINT_RIGHT=13,11EYEPOINT_LEFT=8,11EYEPOINT_FORWARD=8,10EYEPOINT_BACK=13,10_______________________________________I can't see anything amiss, but maybe someone else can??I will try removing this and letting FS9 rebuild a new cfg file tomorrow....will report back.Thanks,Jim

"[DISPLAY.Device.NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT.0]"The config file has your graphics card listed. Very odd situation here. I wouldn't expect deletion and auto re-creation of the config file to fix this issue but it's a harmless fix, so you might as well do it.

Is the card in question a "new" card"? - i.e. did it recently replace another, older card?If so, I understand there is a free utility which can be used to clean the registry of all references to that old card.I am not sure, but I believe the name of the utility is CCleaner.Perhaps someone can chime in and confirm or correct the name of the utility.I any case, I have seen numerous posts which recommend removing any traces of the old card which may still be in the registry.Hope that is helpful.

Ccleaner does indeed clean up the registry but I'm not sure it would help in this case. Also given the OP's description of the problem it appears as though the card is functioning properly in Windows, just not in FS. If this were a registry problem it seems likely it would be a global issue, rather than an application-specific one.

Is the card in question a "new" card"? - i.e. did it recently replace another, older card?If so, I understand there is a free utility which can be used to clean the registry of all references to that old card.I am not sure, but I believe the name of the utility is CCleaner.Perhaps someone can chime in and confirm or correct the name of the utility.I any case, I have seen numerous posts which recommend removing any traces of the old card which may still be in the registry.Hope that is helpful.

Hi Opa - yes, it is a replacement for an older ATI 128MB card...this nVidia 8500 card was the one in my other main FS system that I upgraded to a GTX280 (and am still messing with, due to severe texture rendering problems after I've been flying a while in FS9 (FSX works fine)...my post about that problem is on page 2 of this forum). I will try that CCleaner program to see if there are any remnants of the ATI card still in the registry...I did uninstall those drivers via control panel, but maybe the uninstaller missed something.@TechguyMaxC - yeah, I know, the card is listed properly in the cfg file....that's why it's been driving me nuts the past couple of days trying to figure it out!Thanks for the suggestions, and I shall report back my findings--hopefully positive ones!Jim

Ok, I ran ccleaner, but it did not find anything unusual in the registry. Here is the new FS9.cfg file that was created after moving the old FS9.cfg out of the folder and restarting FS9....note that no reference to the video card was created - _______________________________[PANELS]IMAGE_QUALITY=1UNITS_OF_MEASURE=0QUICKTIPS=1PANEL_MASKING=1PANEL_STRETCHING=1[Weather]WindshieldPrecipitationEffects=1MinGustTime=10MaxGustTime=500MinGustRampSpeed=1MaxGustRampSpeed=200MinVarTime=5MaxVarTime=50MinVarRampSpeed=10MaxVarRampSpeed=75TurbulenceScale=1.000000DefaultVisibility=0DynWx_MedianDewPointSpread=10.000000DynWx_ProbCloudFormForMedianDewPoint=0.000500DynWx_MaxDewPointSpread=50.000000DynWx_ProbCloudFormForMaxDewPoint=0.000125DynWx_ProbCloudFormForMinDewPoint=0.100000DynWx_DryTempLapsePer1000Meters=9.000000DynWx_ProbCloudFormForDryTempLapse=0.000500DynWx_MoistTempLapsePer1000Meters=3.300000DynWx_ProbCloudFormForMoistTempLapse=0.040000DynWx_MaxProbCloudChangePerMinute=0.040000DynWx_MultiplierForDynamicWeatherLevelMild=0.500000DynWx_MultiplierForDynamicWeatherLevelNormal=1.000000DynWx_MultiplierForDynamicWeatherLevelHigh=3.000000DynWx_MultiplierForDynamicWeatherLevelExtreme=10.000000DynWx_TempChangePercentageForOvercastClouds=0.750000DynWx_TempChangePercentageForMinDewPoint=0.700000DynWx_MaxTempChangePerMinute=0.060000WeatherServerAddress=fs2k.zone.comWeatherServerPort=80WeatherGraphDataInDialog=0DynamicWeather=2LOADWEATHER=1MAX_UNLIMITED_VIS=96560CLOUD_DRAW_DISTANCE=33D_CLOUD_PERCENT=20DETAILED_CLOUDS=0CLOUD_COVERAGE_DENSITY=5[iNTERNATIONAL]ASLAT=2ASLON=1MEASURE=0[MISC]COM_RATE=7LOG_TIME=0FOREIGN_TRANSLATOR=0[sTARTUP]DEMO=0LOADSIM=1LOADWINDOW=1SHOW_OPENING_SCREEN=1[GRAPHICS]FULL_SCREEN=1PERFORMANCE_MODE=2DEF_PERF_MODE=2TEXT_SCROLL=1AUTO_LOD=0DETAIL_TEXTURE=0WATER_EFFECTS=0TERRAIN_USE_VECTOR_MAP=1TERRAIN_USE_VECTOR_OBJECTS=1EFFECTS_QUALITY=0GROUND_SHADOWS=0SMOOTH_VIEW=1IMAGE_SMOOTHING=1TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=128COCKPIT_HIGH_LOD=0AIRCRAFT_SHADOWS=0LANDING_LIGHTS=1IMAGE_QUALITY=0TEXTURE_BLDG=1TEXTURE_GND=1TEXTURE_WATER=1AIRCRAFT_TEXTURE=1SEE_SELF=1[REALISM]INDASPD=0[CONTROLS]KBDAIL=64KBDELEV=64KBDRUD=64[uSERINTERFACE]MAP_ORIENTATION=2PAUSE_ON_LOST_FOCUS=1PROMPT_ON_EXIT=1[sOUND]SOUND=1SOUND_FADER1=0.500000SOUND_FADER2=0.100000SOUND_FADER3=0.300000SOUND_FADER4=0.800000SOUND_FADER5=0.500000SOUND_FADER6=0.800000SOUND_QUALITY=0[DISPLAY]UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=10TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=20[TERRAIN]TERRAIN_ERROR_FACTOR=20.000000TERRAIN_MIN_DEM_AREA=10.000000TERRAIN_MAX_DEM_AREA=100.000000TERRAIN_MAX_VERTEX_LEVEL=19TERRAIN_TEXTURE_SIZE_EXP=7TERRAIN_AUTOGEN_DENSITY=0TERRAIN_USE_GRADIENT_MAP=1TERRAIN_EXTENDED_TEXTURES=0TERRAIN_DEFAULT_RADIUS=0.000000TERRAIN_EXTENDED_RADIUS=0.000000TERRAIN_EXTENDED_LEVELS=0[sCENERY]IMAGE_COMPLEXITY=1DYNAMIC_SCENERY=0DYN_SCN_DENSITY=0DAWN_DUSK_SMOOTHING=0SUNGLARE=1LENSFLARE=1[AIRtoCONTAINER]SIM1=Cessna Skylane 182R RGSIM2=Learjet 45SIM3=Schweizer 2-32 SailplaneSIM4=Sopwith CamelSIM5=Extra 300SSIM6=Boeing 737-400[APL]CACHE_WAV_FILES=1[TrafficManager]TrafficDensity=0IFROnly=0EnableAirline=1EnableGeneralAviation=1[AContain]ShowLabels=1ShowUserLabel=0ShowLabelManufacturer=1ShowLabelModel=1ShowLabelTailNumber=0ShowLabelDistance=1ShowLabelAltitude=1ShowLabelAirline=0ShowLabelAirlineAndFlightNumber=0ShowLabelFlightPlan=0ShowLabelContainerId=0ShowLabelAirspeed=0ShowLabelHeading=0LabelDelay=1000LabelColor=FFFF0000[sLEW]MaxLateralRate=40000.000000MaxVerticalRate=1000.000000MaxPitchRate=360.000000MaxBankRate=360.000000MaxHeadingRate=360.000000[VirtualCopilot]VirtualCopilotActive=1_____________________________So, for some reason, FS9 doesn't even see this card, while Windows sees it....anyone have any ideas??Thanks,Jim

Did you ever uninstall the driver from your ATi card when you switched the 8500 GT? Check your add/remove programs section in the control panel to see if there's any reference to ATi software or Catalyst. If so, remove and reboot. Then recreate the config file once more. If there's no reference to ATi software in add/remove programs then you'll have to download a utility called Driver Cleaner and follow the instructions to clean up the old ATi software.

Did you ever uninstall the driver from your ATi card when you switched the 8500 GT? Check your add/remove programs section in the control panel to see if there's any reference to ATi software or Catalyst. If so, remove and reboot. Then recreate the config file once more. If there's no reference to ATi software in add/remove programs then you'll have to download a utility called Driver Cleaner and follow the instructions to clean up the old ATi software.

Yes, MaxC, I did uninstall the 3 listings in add/remove progs for the ATI card prior to upgrading to the latest nVidia drivers....I don't recall if I saw any listing for "catalyst" or not, but I will take another look on Monday. I will also check out the driver cleaner program you mentioned...I hope I can get this sorted out....will report back on Monday.Thanks for you help and suggestions (everyone),Jim

One more thought - a very long shot at best ............Have you checked your Bios to verify that any "onboard" video has been disabled?As I understand it, you cannot have onboard video and an addon card active at the same time.Might be worth checking.

To Opa - The system is a Dell Dimension, and has two BIOS options for video - auto and onboard, and it is set to auto, which should be fine for the 8500 GT card (since windows recognizes it ok). To MaxC - the driver cleaner program is no longer free, so I will try the free driver sweeper program suggested at that site when I get the chance, as work has been insane so far this week (school's wireless network is down and replacement parts need to be ordered and installed....not a fun time this week!) There are no catalyst drivers listed in add/remove progs, so that's not an issue.Will report back after trying driver sweeper prog to look for any remnants of the former ATI card....I hope this will get resolved!Thanks,Jim

Well, here's the situation, and I'm afraid it's not going to be fixed unless I do a complete kill and rebuild of the syatem (which I may do at the end of this school year, as I cannot take the time to do it now because I use it every day to teach)....I tried the driver sweeper program today, and it found numerous registry entries for the old ATI card, so I ran the driver cleanup, rebooted, deleted the FS9.cfg file and restarted FS9 - same problem as before - it won't see the 8500 GT card (no entry for the card in the newly created fs9.cfg) and I believe I know why....The system I'm using also uses another reguired video driver to run the SMARTTech Sympodium/SmartBoard software, which is a great package for education purposes, as it allows total control over all computers in a computer lab, as well as being used to display through a projector onto a large projection screen, which is ideal for the lab as well. When I first configured this machine 5+ years ago, I installed FS9 and all add-ons before my school bought the SMART software, and everything was fine (and doing FS on the huge projector screen was AWESOME!!) Last year, however, the HDD crashed, so I got another one, and reinstalled everything, but didn't install FS9 until AFTER I had installed the SMART software. I think that was the mistake - FS9 is confused by seeing two display drivers (GT 8500 & the SMART Mirror Driver), so it doesn't select either one, and ignores both....So, I don't think it can be fixed unless I do a complete rebuild....unless anyone has any other ideas, it's going to have to stay the way it is for this school year :( (This makes two different FS9 display-related problems I am unable to solve - see http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=260722 - any ideas on this one??!)Thanks,Jim