FS2K2/Win2KPro Graphics problems

[Guest]

I have searched the board but haven't come up with anything. My problem is this...I just went from Win98SE to Win2KPro (clean install) and reinstalled FS2K2 to try out my clean new system. Immediately ran into a problem with the graphics - they don't really "stutter" as in quick pauses but rather the screen seems to randomly "skip" - sort of like a laggy online session. It doesn't occur at the same rate all the time, but it happens in every flight. It's driving me nuts as I love win2K and hope I don't have to go back to 98SE. I've tried AGP settings (even disabled), toggled fastwrites, changes Aperture, tried two different nVidia drivers (28.90 and 29.20) - all to no avail. Any ideas? I though it could be my SCSI setup in Win2K but not sure. I may install my Radeon8500 to see if the same happens to eliminate a driver/graphics card problem. Thanks for any suggestions.Gino CoughranWin2KPro SP2DX8.1Athlon T-Bird 1Ghz o/c to 1.53Ghz stableASUS A7V133 at latest BIOS384M CAS2 Mushkin PC133 SDRAMVisiontek GF4 Ti4400 w/ detonator 29.20 (LOD=-0.8, Aniso 32-tap vsync enabled)TB Santa CruzAdaptec 19160 SCSI U160 controllerPlextor UltraMax40 CD-ROMSeagate Cheetah X15 36LP 15K Drive (18G)Netgear FA311 NICCH Flight Yoke USB, USB PedalsThrustmaster Cougar (on order) with TM Elite Pedals

[Guest]

Gino,Having been there and done that (Win 98 to Win2K PRO), I can only say this. Make sure that you have gone to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and it will automatically scan your system to ensure you are up-to-date with all updates (Service Packs 1 & 2)and any other critical updates required for Win2K.Until you do that, don't bother worrying about your graphic drivers. After going through the update routine, my graphics woes (similar to yours) cleared up automatically.I have a GeForce 4 Ti4600 with 512MB, and I pulled my hair out trying to figure out the graphic problems after I installed Win2K. Hopefully, you will have a similar recovery. Good luck!Let me know if it works! Since the upgrade, it has been smooth flying. You will love it!Keith

[Guest Max Cowgill]

>Gino, >>Having been there and done that (Win 98 to Win2K PRO), I can >only say this. Make sure that you have gone to >http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and it will automatically >scan your system to ensure you are up-to-date with all >updates (Service Packs 1 & 2)and any other critical updates >required for Win2K. >>Until you do that, don't bother worrying about your graphic >drivers. After going through the update routine, my graphics >woes (similar to yours) cleared up automatically. Keith, if you'll notice Gino's system specs in his sig it does mention that he's running Win2k Pro w/SP2 installed so no worries there. Gino, are you ABSOLUTELY sure your CPU is running stable at 1.53GHz? That's quite an o/c you've got going there... What is your FSB? Memory timings? Running the latest Via 4-in-1's? The amount of memory you have could be the culprit... Do you notice any disk access when FS2k2 pauses/skips? Check the task manager in Win2k (press ctl-alt-del, click task manager, "performance" tab) and see how much physical memory is being used by Windows and any applications/processes that are running. Win2k (no apps running) on my system takes up about 70-80MB RAM on a fresh boot-up, and with FS2k running I don't even approach 200MB system RAM being used (512MB PC133 SDRAM installed). FS2k2 uses a bit more ram than FS2k does, and if you've got other processes running you may be dangerously low on available physical RAM. Max Cowgill

[Guest]

Thanks everyone...it looks like the problem has been resolved. With Win98 I spent many hours configuring my cards so as not to have any IRQ conflicts. The Santa Cruz, GF4, and SCSI controller ALL hate to share, and with win2K using ACPI (sp?) all were shared under IRQ9. Many posts exist claim "this is normal...this is the way win2K works...leave it alone" But, I decided to start again with a fresh load with a "Standard PC" (therby disabling APCI)installation so that my BIOS could assign all IRQs just like win98. Then, I reloaded FS2K2 and tried it out...AND IT WORKS SMOOTH AS SILK!!! Nothing else was different from my previous installation. Now I'm a happy camper!BTW - my 1Ghz IS stable at 1.53GHZ...I purchased an O/C'd CPU/MB/RAM setup through Outside Loop Computers. They burn everything in and test so they can gaurantee stable setups. I've never had a problem with it. Anyway...thanks again for everyone's help.Gino