install help

[bakurasama]

hi. I bought a new laptop yesterday specifically for gaming, and i cant get sims 2 to run on it. When I try to run the game, i get this error

"Failed to find any DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics adapters in this system. Please make sure you have a DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics adapter and have installed the latest drivers provided by the manufaturer. the application will now terminate."

when I run direct X it wont tell me what kind of graphics card I have.

these are my specs:

OS: Windows vista home premium
system model: HP pavilion d5 notebook pc
Processor: AMD Turion x2 Ultra dual-core Mobile ZM 82 (2 CPUs) ~2.2ghz
Memory: 3070MB RAM
Direct x version: Direct X 10

The only information it gives me for display is this-
current display mode: 1024x768 (32bit) 1hz

the rest says n/a, not available or unknown.

I have done a search on google and the forum. But usually the responses to this question are "download directx 9"... but i have 10, which should be better and work?

[callistra]

Your specs are incomplete. What kind of graphics do you have?

It's unfortunate you chose that laptop specifically for gaming because it's not a gaming laptop.. There are two graphics options with that laptop. One is entirely unsuitable for gaming and the while other would be okay for at least something as demanding as TS2,that laptop actually has a significant problem with overheating which makes it not ideal under any circumstance.

As for that particular error, that is most commonly associated with a directx problem, a driver issue, or an actually failing graphics card/chip.

The best advice to you would be return the laptop and get something else.

Short of this, make sure you have actually patched the TS2 base game and every expansion. This is required to have TS2 work under Vista. Secondly I would go to HP.com and download the latest graphics drivers.

[bakurasama]

I asked for help from the staff in choosing this laptop. I told them I wanted it for gaming and they said this one was "the best they have" for gaming -.-
So I'm not very happy now....

as I said directx wont tell me my exact graphics card, but its a radeon ati HD, from what I remember of being told at the store. Not sure of the numbers...

I looked among the documents I got with the laptop and cant find the specs on there either.

so unless someone can tell me how to have dxdiag tell tell me thats all the information I can give you =/

[callistra]

Unfortunately we get lots of stories like that from people. That's why it's always good to do your own research before buying. Staff at places like Best Buy, Circuit City, etc are for the most part clueless and they just want to sell you something.

Right click on 'My Computer' and select 'properties'. Look to the left and you will see a link labeled 'device manager'. On the window that pops up, expand the box that says "display adapters". What does it say there?

[bakurasama]

it says "Standard VGA graphics adapter"

[bakurasama]

Ah, I just finished updating the driver software and it says I have ATI mobility radeon HD 3400 series

[callistra]

I think your problem was that HP forgot to install the graphics driver before shipping the computer out. Does it work now? I still say return it if you can but if that's not an option hopefully it will at least load?

That graphics card is not a gaming card. It is an entry level card suitable for not much more than watching Blu Ray movies. It's definitely not up for playing the latest demanding games, but it would work for older games and should be good for the TS2 base game, and possibly even through Seasons with expected reduced performance, however it's not up for the task of running the last few expansions, and especially if you plan on using a lot of custom content. If you're going to keep the notebook I recommend uninstalling FT, and investing in a good cooling pad.

[bakurasama]

yes it works now, but ugh...
i need my custom content so i guess I'll return this thing -sigh-

what would you recommend for a gaming pc? I have about $2000 for one if I get a full refund on this...

[callistra]

WOW! You paid $2000 for that? Holy cow..

Does it have to be a laptop? If so do you care what size? 15.4" standard, 17" large, 13.3" compact.. You'll pay a lot more for for a laptop than you will a desktop.

We don't really do computer support here but if you follow that link at the end of the onboard graphics guide it links you to our sister site, S2C, where we do provide computer support and can help you select a good machine to run TS2. Make sure you read all the stickies in the computer forum because we already have tons of recommendations for laptops, desktops, and just general specs to look for when trying to get the most out of the game.

For a 15.4" laptop this would be my top choice:
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np2096-custom-laptop-built-compal-jhl90-p-2409.html?wconfigure=yes (configure with P8600 or P9600 CPU)

If you're looking for something else check out the S2C site. good luck!

[bakurasama]

No, I paid $1200 AUD for this.
But I have another $1000 in savings.

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out :)