Techno Wizards needed; new PC pains

[thanatos]

In an effort to be able to play the BCM Demo, after failed attempts on my other 2 PCs (one with the old Error 2355, the other impossible with VooDoo 2 SLI vcards), I decided to purchase a new PC. The specs are as follows:

• Motherboard - ASUS CUSL-c PC133 AGP4X, Intel 815EP Chipset, 256 MB DDR memory
• Processor - Intel 1000MHZ
• Videocard - ASUS GeForce2 Ultra, 64 MB memory, ASUS AGP-V7700 Ultra v5.33e, Driver 4.12.01.0533 dated 11-10-2000
• SoundCard - Creative SoundBlaster Live! X-Gamer 5.1, Driver 4.12.01.0905 dated 8-25-2000
• EIDE 75GB hardrive, 50X CD-ROM
• DirectX 8.0
• Win98 4.10.2222 A
• Monitor - Sony Trinitron 700ES

Problem #1: I have frequent, but random screen flicker, flutter, fibrillation with horizontal white interference lines lasting fractions of seconds to full second or so. The frequency can vary randomly from 2-3 times per minute, to once every 2-3 minutes. This occurs on the Windows desktop screen, on Windows game such as "Solitaire", and with all 3 games (JF4, Nascar4, and USAF) I've loaded which use D3D. The PC, hookup lines/cables and monitor are in the exact spot the past 3 newest PCs have set, so I think I can rule-out electrical anomalies. I'm using an UPS as well, so as to rule out electrical line flux/variations as an explanation.

Any ideas? Before I hold my breath on installing THE DEMO, I want a system that is working.

Problem #2: When I load Jane's USAF I have problems with proper executions of sound wav. files. This game plays almost all wav. files from the hardrive, not off the cd-rom. I frequently have no sound effects, partial sounds or only occasional, patchy sounds. When I load a mission I will frequently have a constant "whup-whup-whup" sound similar to a helicopter in the background. Running the game with full install and patched to v1.02.

I never saw this as a problem on the forums when this game came out. I posted on USAF forums, but they're mostly "ghosted" or frequented rarely at best.

Related to this, the wav. sound files are defaulted to play with "PlayCenter 2.0 Media", but they won't play from the desktop stating "Program Not Found". I changed them to play with MPLAYER and they will not work off the desktop, but are still dysfunctional in the game.

Any ideas, speculations, expletives, and demands will be appreciated. GeForce ASUS drivers versus NVIDIA reference drivers. Different drivers for the soundcard? Throw the whole system in the river? I'm going to be contacting the local PC people who slapped the box together, but hoped any info any of the gurus who post here would allow me to be forearmed. Guess I should've suspected I'd run into problems buying my new PC from a company called "Jeff's Auto Repair, Septic System Maintenance, and Fast Kumpooturs', eh?

Moderators: If this request for help is inappropriate to post on this forum, please delete without prejudice, and accept my apologies. I have nowhere else to go where I can trust the replies I might receive.

Cryptic message to Aramike: "Thanks again for your words of wisdom."

Doc Hoover

Another Computer Illiterate

In exile somewhere in the Sol System

SpellChecker, and I still have to edit!

[This message has been edited by thanatos (edited 04-06-2001).]

[Parias]

<--------- Demo Forum

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Commodore. Parias

ICV-Galatae, Sanctuary Storage Facility (Sygan)

Balor Fleet

External Tester

Battlecruiser Millenium

ICQ 1293359

Staff member at HardNews

[Kush]

The flicker could be hardware. Have you tried plugging in a different monitor? Does the same effect happen?

What sound card/drivers did you use the last time you played Jane's USAF? What version of Direct x? Sounds to me like a driver/direct x problem.

[aramike]

quote:

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Originally posted by Parias:

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Nah, he isn't asking for Demo tech support. Just computer tech support.

Doc: No problem!

Oh, and post what OS you're using (Win98, ME, NT, etc).

[This message has been edited by aramike (edited 04-06-2001).]

[thanatos]

Thanks! You're right, I'm looking for some help with the PC before I attempt the BCM Demo install.

Present system: Win 98 SE 4.10222A

DirectX 8.0

SB LIVE (suppose to SB16 emulate)

Old System (USAF worked):

Win 98 SE

DirectX 7.0

SB16

Old system was stock Falcon NW Mach V with SLI VooDoo 2 cards.

I have not tried a different monitor - I have 2 monitors but they are both Sony Trintron Multiscan 200ES, (not 700ES) as I originally wrote.

[This message has been edited by thanatos (edited 04-06-2001).]

[Gallion]

quote:

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Problem #1:

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1. Change ye monitor refresh rate to 100hz

2. Upgrade your video drivers - check v-card mfgr website.

3. System BIOS -disable Fastwrite, Sidebanding, and reduce AGP from 4x to 2x.

quote:

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Problem #2:

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Change sound hardware acceleration - try basic. See BCMDEMO FAQ for details - procedure is outlined there.

TTFN

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Rear Admiral Gallion

ICV-Graf Spee, Spectre (Antis)

Executive Officer, Spectre Fleet

"You can only love or hate something you truly understand."

Official Tester, Battlecruiser Series

Leader, Team 1

[thanatos]

Gallion,

Prob.#1: My monitor only supports a refresh rate max of 85hz. Is this possibly the problem - too old a monitor for the new GeForce2 Ultra card?

ASUS site lists v5.33 as their latest driver. NVidia has the more recent official v6.50 driver for this card. Is that worth a shot?

I'll try your other suggestions.

Prob. #2: Eureka! You fixed it. The problem I was having wasn't with the BCM Demo so I didn't think to look there on the info provided with the BCM FAQs. Thanks so much. This is why I posted a non-BCM/non-BC3K new PC problem here. I knew you guys would come through.

Now to find a video fix.

Doc Hoover

[Guest]

Quick video fix: Mail me that crappy vid card, i'll make a sacrfice and give you my voodoo 3 2000AGP which does work

Let us know if/how you fixed it, I may be running into that problem too in the near future

[Gallion]

quote:

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NVidia has the more recent official v6.50 driver for this card. Is that worth a shot?

---

Glad to be of assist Doc. nVidia 650 drivers will work well w/ BCM demo hint-hint

Manually set adapter refresh rate to 85hz. Invest in better monitor when spare change reaches required amount Fidle with BIOS settings. ASUS v-cards are crap in my experience. They make decent mobos but shoddy v-cards.

quote:

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..Mail me that crappy vid card, ...

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Dream on Tac Though in a few months the GF2U most likely drop to 250 range but dont hold ye breath

TTFN

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Rear Admiral Gallion

ICV-Graf Spee, Spectre (Antis)

Executive Officer, Spectre Fleet

"You can only love or hate something you truly understand."

Official Tester, Battlecruiser Series

Leader, Team 1

[thanatos]

Video Problems:

Made the recommended BIOS changes; updated ASUS driver from v5.33 to 6.31; made peace with my Inner Self, and still the horizontal flicker lines appear. They may not be as frequent(?) as they were, but that could be my projection and not reality.

Will DirectX 8.0 to 8.0a be of any value? Are NVidia 6.50 reference drivers likely to be better than ASUS 6.31 commercial drivers? Can God make a rock so big he can't lift it?

I'll smuggle my OptiQuest flat panel monitor home from work tomorrow, and give it a go, if I can slip it by Security without taking too much lead.

Thanks for all your help. Any medical questions posted on this forum will be promptly responded to, however, remember I'm a forensic pathologist, and don't know nothing about computers or birthing babies. By the way, what are mobos?

My continued gratitude, and thanks to the Moderators and SC for allowing this forum to support such nonsense as an ignorant boy and his new computer.

Doc Hoover

[Akira]

There are a good many things that could cause the flicker. First, however, if you're at anything 75hz or above, then you shouldn't experience any flicker. Some monitor's, though, do wear out. Try lowering your resolution while maintaining at least 75hz.

Also, look for unsheilded components near your monitor. Fans, speakers, power cables form other devices, etc. A good number of things can affect your monitor. Also, if you've got an old power-strip, you may want to upgrade that as well. UPS's don't last forever either.

Also, if you are getting white lines every once in a while then you may want to check the monitor cable.

Additionally, you may not be getting enough airflow in your case to effectively cool your GPU. Those guys run hot enough to fry an egg (don't try though, you'll void the warranty). If your vid card doesn't have a heatsink/fan combo on top of the GPU, you need to look into something to push air past the heatsink. Otherwise, you will in all likelihood smell some smoke in the future.

Good luck, cuz, by your description in your first post, I doubt it's a refresh rate issue. There should be NO compat. issues with your monitor, though.

[thanatos]

quote:

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Quick video fix: Mail me that crappy vid card, i'll make a sacrfice and give you my voodoo 3 2000AGP which does work.

---

Tac,

I'd send you that bad ol' GeForce card, but then I'd feel bad about myself for dumping my video problem on a pal.

Doc Hoover

[This message has been edited by thanatos (edited 04-07-2001).]

[thanatos]

Looks like I stumbled onto the answer, and it's not one I really wanted to learn. It would appear screen flicker is a common problem with the GeForce2 ULTRA videocards.

Now I find out, $500 later.

Everyone in the process of wanting to know more, go to the posts at the nV News forum:

http://www.nvnews.net/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000156.html

Thanks for your ideas and support on this flicker saga. Now I install the BCM Demo and see if that doesn't bolster my bruised spirits.

Doc Hoover

[This message has been edited by thanatos (edited 04-07-2001).]

[Mano Faber]

Nice research, guess that's it.

I have no such problems with my ASUS V7700 GF2 GTS. No problems with the Asus drivers 6.31 or Nvidia 6.50 drivers. Both work fine.

Don't have a fancy monitor Hansol 701A 17" was the cheapest when i bought it.

Just for reference:

ASUS P3B-F

ASUS V7700 GF2 32MB GTS

SB Live Value

Celeron

256 MB

Guess it's your Ultra , sorry thanatos

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Mano Faber

GCV Aegis

Official Tester

Battlecruiser Series