Need help badly!

[kroth]

Hi everybody, my friend told me you guys could maybe help me out. Ok, I have had this video card for quite awhile. It is a radeon 9600 series, and has been awesome until about a week or two ago. At first I din't realize think it was my video card, thought it was a bug or something. I play WoW, and my comp ran perfectly, without lag, until those two weeks or so ago. I then started having continual disconnections due to high latency. It became unplayable, so I started palying on my laptop. It ran fine, which ruled out my internet, because they both have the same connection. So I decided to take some steps to address my problems. I defragged my harddrive, and then went to the ATI site and was updating my drivers. DL'ed the Catalyst Central Control Package, since I already had .NET. I then restarted, and that is when everything got really bad.

When it booted up my colors were distorted and so was the size of everything. It was bad. I did a lot to try and fix it. First I messed with resolution. Instead of setting to the new resolution, it would go right back to what it came in as, 6x4 or something. I uninstalled all the ATI drivers, DL'ed all the stuff tried it again. Same huge and poorly colored screen. If you guys have any suggestions, please help me out. I tried a ton of other stuff (under the direction of my friend) but none of it worked. I currently have no drivers installed, so pretty much no graphics card, and it makes it look kinda normal, but there are many limitations w/o a video card, so help me out please.

 

[Kholonar]

I suggest you try and go into windows update and from there download the signed drivers. If you still get the error, come back with your system details (CPU, RAM, Motherboard, Windows version, video card settings, as much as possible) and we can discuss further options.

 

[kroth]

k, I have done the windows updates and drivers, and I get the same results. Here are my system specs:
AMD Athlon XP 2100+, MMX, 3DNow, ~1.7GHz
1536 MB Ram
Microsoft XP Professional
DirectX 9.0c

I cant get graphics card settings because inorder for me to be able to function the I have all no drivers installed, so vitually no video card, I cant check something that isnt there. If you need anything else let me know what and how to find out, I'm not much of a computer whizz. Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[waylander]

ok now give us the rest of your system, motherboard, hard drives, power supply... etc.

Did you add any new hardware or change any settings right before you started having these problems?

Also, give us the temperatures.

 

[cleeve]

Try using an Ati driver removal tool, and re-install the drivers after that...

 

[Slava]

I tried a ton of other stuff (under the direction of my friend) but none of it worked.

Okay. My girlfriend and I play WoW on two machines with totally different specs. Hers has a Radeon 9600 Pro. As for latency, I think you messed up. We are on two different networks and from time to time we have terrible latency issues. She once reported having her latensy in mid 20K range. The highest I ever saw was over 10K. She and I both have cable.

The fact that you did not have latency issues with your laptop does not necessarily indicate that you have a problem with your PC or its video card. In the case of my girlfriend and myself we may be having terrible latency for 10 minutes and then things return to normal. Blizzard servers/latency may have returned to normal in your case by the time you switched to your laptop.

You began messing with your PC and made things worse. As Cleeve suggested above you will have to use a Catalyst removal tool which will get rid of all traces of ATI drivers on your machine and then reinstall the drivers.

But before you do that, do this:

!!! Check Blizzard web site for tech support. In some cases deleting certain folders in the directory where WoW is installed will resolve whatever issues you may be having with the game. These folders will be recreated by the game when you run it again but you will have to manulally select your preferred video, sound and interface settings. If this does nothing for you, proceed with the following:

1. Reboot your PC in Safe Mode with Networking Support. Then Download Ad-Aware SE Personal, Spybot - Search & Destroy, Spywareblaster. Install them in the same order as listed here, update their definitions and scan your PC. After that reboot in normal mode, update your Anti-Virus and do a full system scan. Once you are certain that the PC is clean =>

2. Make sure you have the latest version of Microsoft .NET installed (ATI claims on its web site that it is required for proper driver installation. If your version listed in Add/Remove Programs is older than the one to which ATI links you at their web site, uninstall your version and install what ATI wants you to.

3. Run the Catalyst removal tool, also available from ATI's web site.

4. Reinstall drivers.

If none of this helps, I dunno then. Could be a problem with your PC's network card or some other hardware component.

 

[kroth]

k, thank you very much for the tips. I have already asked blizz for help and they suck at life. I ran through all your steps, all the programs, wipe my comp of all ad/spyware/viruses, and then made sure everything ATI was gone (I cant use Catalyst because it requires ATI drivers being used, and with them being used I cant see anything, so I used Control Panel and Driver Cleaner Pro). I reinstalled the new drivers from the website. Same result. I am now trying to reinstall the old drivers from the original CD as if it were a new card but I'm getting some errors.

Error #1: INF Error
No video driver found

Error #2: Setup was unable to complete this installation. Try to setup your display adapter with a standard VGA driver before running setup.


k, how do I do error 2. Thanks for helpin me, keep it comin guys

-Kroth

 

[Slava]

Error #2: Setup was unable to complete this installation. Try to setup your display adapter with a standard VGA driver before running setup.


k, how do I do error 2

If you are trying to install the drivers from the original CD after installing new Catalyst drivers you will get errors. You need to

1. Unistall everything related to ATI from Control Panel => Add/Remove Programs;

2. Run the Catalyst removal tool again.

3. After you do this go to Device Manager and check what Display Adapter is listed. If it still shows the name of your card, right click it and choose "Uninstall"

4. Now reboot and go into Safe Mode. In safe mode click Start => Run. In the dialogue window type "regedit" (without the quotes) and press Enter. Registry editor will pop up. In the drop down menues at the top of the screen select "Edit" => "Find"

5. In the "Find" window type "ATI" (without quotes) and click "Find Next" button. When an entry related to ATI is found press "Delete", then "Enter" to confirm deletion. Then press the F3 key to find the next entry. Repeat this until you get the message "Finished searching through the registry".

IMPORTANT: As you use the "Find" feature, sometimes Registry entries unrelated to ATI video card may be found. For example, word "applicATIon" has ATI in it. Look carefully before you press "Delete". Thankfully, you will always be asked to confirm deletion. Still be careful not to delete anything unrelated to ATI. If what you find is not related to ATI, just press F3 to find the next entry containing ATI.

Once you've deleted every mention of ATI in the registry reboot the PC. Windows will find "New Hardware" at startup and offer you to install drivers for it. Decline the offer (click "Cancel"). Now check in the Device Manager that VGA Compatible Video Adapter or Unknown Device is installed. Now run the installation from your CD.

If THIS does not allow you to install original ATI drivers then copy messages from this thread for ATI tech support reference and email them to ATI with your questions. Good luck.

NOTE: I would not recommend installing the drivers from the original CD. Once you've done the above steps you should be able to install new drivers from ATI web site. They are better anyway. Just make sure that the drivers you download are

1. For your operating system (such as Windows XP)
2. The drivers support your Radeon 9800.

 

[kroth]

k, I tried all that and when trying to install off CD I still get the same two errors. I have sent a ticket to ATI and will call them tomorrow, since today isn't business day. This makes me sad Thanks for all the help you guys, I tried most everything you all said, I just messed up too bad

 

[cleeve]

In retrospect... check to see if the fan on the video card spins when the computer is on.

If it used to work fine, it could be a heating problem...

 

[Alyarbank]

since I already had .NET

What version? There's more than one Version of .NET, ATI drivers need the right version to function properly. I have an All-In-Wonder 9600 and had simular issues then realized I had newer version of .net driver suite needed
.NET 1.1.

 

[kroth]

k, I sent ATI an e-mail, and they linked me to some generic site that didnt help at all, so I called em up. As you can probably tell I'm about retarded when it comes to technology. He told me to update my motherboard chip drivers or something and than try the new catalyst. How do I do that, and is there a possibility of it messing up my computer more? I checked fan on the card and it is pumping out air, so I assume it's working properly. I dont think it has to do with overheating because I lagged, but didnt crash, and the new problems are only since I tried getting the new drivers.

 

[cleeve]

Overheating can cause lag.

Pretty easy to open the case and see if the fan is spinning, yo.

 

[kroth]

k, I I checked fan on the card and it is pumping out air, so I assume it's working properly.

I did check inside the case and the fan is running

 

[cleeve]

Ah.

Well there you go.

 

[Slava]

He told me to update my motherboard chip drivers or something and than try the new catalyst. How do I do that, and is there a possibility of it messing up my computer more?

1. Considering how proficient you are with computers , forget about updating your motherboard BIOS. The possibility to make the PC completely inoperable is very real. Do not mess with the motherboard, its BIOS, drivers or anything else related to it.

2. Call ATI techs and tell them that they are morons. Here's why:

- You DO NOT want to update your motherboard BIOS just to install the latest Catalyst drivers;
- You DO NOT want to install the latest Catalyst drivers;
- What you DO WANT is to reinstall the old drivers from the original CD that came with your video card when you first bought it.

I suspect that you've always used the original drivers and never installed any updates until your PC began to lag in WoW. Explain this to ATI support person and ask them how to reinstall the old drivers from the original CD and nothing else.

(I thought about your situation and I figure that while the latest drivers are usually better you may NOT need them if your PC used to work to your satisfaction with the original drivers.)

3. Someone wrote above that it is possible that the OLDER version of Microsoft .NET may be needed for your older drivers. So when you talk to ATI tech support find out which version of Microsoft .NET is needed for the drivers on your CD to work properly.

4. Once you have this information, uninstall the latest version of Microsoft .NET (if you installed it recently by following the link on ATI site) and find the older version on Microsoft web site or just use Google to find it. Install this older version of Microsoft .NET then try to reinstall the video card drivers from the original CD. If this does not help then I am afraid I cannot do anything else for you. I am officially out of ideas.

Oh, WAIT: There is one more thing you can try but only after you've dealt with ATI support. You could back up all your user files (such as MP3s, pictures, documents you've typed with Microsoft Word and such), format the hard disk, reinstall Windows and all the programs (including games, video card drivers, Microsoft Office, Anti-Virus and whatever other programs you currently have) since everything will be erased from your hard drive when you format it and reinstall Windows.

If you choose to do this also make sure that

1. You have the original Windows installation/reinstallation CD;
2. You have MS Office installation CD(s);
3. You have CDs for all the programs you will want to reinstall.
4. (Once the reinstallation is complete) you download all Windows updates, such as Service Packs and security updates. Service Packs are available for direct download from Microsoft web site if you have a legal version of Windows. Other updates will be installed automatically if you enable Automatic Updates - See Windows help re: how to do this.

 

[kroth]

You're my hero lol. Messing up this comp more=bad, so I shall keep as far away from my motherboard as possible. And business hours are forthe lose because now I have to wait until tomorrow to call Thanks for all your help guys. As far as wiping my comp and redoing everything, I think that would be far too 1) Time consuming 2) I'd forget to back something up and I'd die 3) I'm sure most of my CD's are lost, or with someone else, so this would probably be a bad idea. If I dont get it figured out I'll probably just go ahead and buy a new card. I'm already lookin since ATI seems so capable...thinkin an 800gto or and 850pro. Haven't really looked into nVideas yet. Anything in that 90-150 price range that is recommendable? Thanks again everyone, hopefully I'll get this sorted out

 

[Slava]

Buying a new video card may not solve your problem. It is possible that something is messed up in Windows. You should make an effort to back up all your files and find all the CDs for reinstallation of Windows and your programs. Then format the drive and reinstall Windows (time consuming or not, the knowledge you gain doing all this will be useful to you in the long run). If you still cannot install drivers for your Radeon 9800 after reinstalling Windows then the card is broken and is not properly recognized by Windows.

Anyhow, if you decide to buy a new AGP video card, click this: Radeon X850 Pro

This card is very powerful for an AGP card. It is comparable to GeForce 6800 Ultra for which I paid US$600.00. Granted, I bought my card over two years ago when it first came out, but it is still plenty powerful today. In any event, with Radeon X850 Pro you will be able to run WoW at 1600x1200 (if your monitor supports this resolution) with 4x AA and 16X AF with EVERY graphics detail set to maximum.

JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A 300 Watt power supply in your PC. I would think that this is the absolute minimum you will need. ATI recommends a 350 Watt or greater power supply for this card.

If you have a Dell with a 250 Watt power supply it will not be enough to support this card as I just found out.

 

[kroth]

Alright, I'm actually getting a decent response out of ATI now that I have told them to stop giving me BS generic answers and actually read what I sent them. Heres what they just told me, and I just barely missed the phone line times by 15 minutes So I need your help. Here is what he said to me. Makes sense:

If you get any errors during display driver installation such as

"Severe: INF Error/ Driver Not Found"

You will need to install the drivers manually as follows;

First, uninstall the ATI display drivers from Add/Remove Programs if there is one listed and please DO NOT reboot when prompted.

1. Go into the Device Manger:

2. Expand the "Display Adapters" section and right click on the first item listed and select "Update Driver". If the "Display Adapters" section does not exist then check for "OTHER" Devices and the two items listed should be "Video Controller" and "Video Controller (VGA Compatible)".

Example:
Radeon 9800 Pro <--- Right click on this and select "Update Driver"
Radeon 9800 Pro Secondary

OR

Video Controller <--- Right click on this and select "Update Driver"
Video Controller (VGA Compatible)
3. Select "Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)" and click "Next".
4. Select "Don't search. I will choose the driver to install" and click "Next".
5. If you are asked to select the "TYPE" of the device you want to install, select "DISPLAY ADAPTERS" then click "Next".
6. Click on the "Have Disk" button, click "Browse". Point it to the C:\ATI\SUPPORT\(Driver Name)\Driver\2KXP_INF\CX????
7. Select Open then OK and continue with the installation
8. Do not reboot if you are prompted.
9. Repeat steps 2 to 7 for the remaining item listed then REBOOT if prompted. Reboot manually if you are not prompted to do so to ensure system stability.



Here is what I said to him and what I need help doing (my noobiness is apparent yet again)


k, awesome, I think we're actually getting somewhere When I do step 6, I cannot find C:\ATI\SUPPORT\(Driver Name)\Driver\2KXP_INF\CX????. Can you give me more specific directions on how to get to it? Yes, I know I am not very techy. Thank you for the indepth response though, hopefully we'll get it figured out. By more specific I mean should I open up my C: drive, or my D: Drive which has the CD in it? And after that where do I go etc. Thanks man.

 

[Slava]

should I open up my C: drive, or my D: Drive which has the CD in it?

Dude, now this is a dumb and lazy-ass question. I would imagine that if you downloaded Catalyst drivers from ATI and ran the *.exe it would first extract multiple files to your C:\ and I would imagine that it would create \ATI directory on your C:\

If you specified a different directory, look there.

Finally, if you are trying to install the original drivers from your original CD then, of course, you should browse the drive in which your CD is inserted.

Regardless, browse your drives.

Also, if you don't know how or which location to browse, during driver update the installation will ask you for files with specific names. Write down the file names and find them by doing a Search: Start => Search => For files and folders ...

In any event, use your head. ATI instructions are very detailed and specific. Do a little bit of work yourself. What kind of a dumb question is

should I open up my C: drive, or my D: Drive which has the CD in it?

Open BOTH, dammit. Just keep in mind that your C:\ is likely to contain the newer drivers while your CD contains the original ones. Decide which you want to install and go ahead. If there is nothing on C:\ download from ATI again and run the file. Then you should be able to find C:\ATI\

P.S. In this thread we have pretty much explored all possible and impossible scenarios. You have more than enough information to figure it out for yourself. Re-read everything, try everything, google every concept/term. Learn and act accordingly.