[saraface]

So I bought The Sims 2 and I'm trying to install it. Everything went great until I tried running it and it gave me an error that said:
'Failed to find a Direct X 9.0c compatible graphics adapter' or 'Graphic Adapter failure'


whaaa? help!

I've attatched a full system report.

Attached Files

•  Report.txt   182.53KB   458 downloads

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Your computer looks like it should be able to run the Simms with no problems. What's your desktop resolution running at. If it's 32bit, you might try 16bit.

[makai]

Your computer looks like it should be able to run the Simms with no problems. What's your desktop resolution running at. If it's 32bit, you might try 16bit.

[saraface]

I changed it to 16bit and I still got the same error when I tried running the game.

the directx diagnostic tools say DirectDraw is "not available"

Is this possibly the problem? How do i fix it?

[Neil Jones]

Two issues here:


Display:
Video Adapter Intel Extreme Graphics

System Memory 247 MB (PC2100 DDR SDRAM)

This is Intel's rage of "budget" onboard graphics with which you'll be lucky to either get it working at all with this game OR see any decent graphics.

Also your computer has 256Mb of memory, with 8Mb taken out for the onboard graphics. Sims 2 will crawl on this as it stands.

My advice to you, considering you have a spare AGP slot according to the report, research the costs of some more memory and a decent graphics card. Compaq and co like this Intel graphics stuff as its painfully cheap and brings the costs of the systems down.

[makai]

saraface,

Please go to THIS WEBSITE and download the Sims test program Version 2.5. It will tell you whether or not your system can run the game.

I believe it should be able to and that something else is going on. My daughters computer's specs are less than yours and she has no problems running Sim2.

Edited by makai, 22 December 2005 - 06:13 PM.

[saraface]

That program is telling me that I need 256MB of RAM and all I have is 248 That seems silly. Could it possibly be 8MB of RAM that is stopping me from playing this game? If so, why is it giving me a DirectX Error? If I need a new RAM stick, I'll gladly go get one.. no problem. I'm just a little confused.

[gerryf]

Sims2 will run with that videochip, but not very well. Sims2 is very CPU intensive and is designed to run on lower end GPUs with all the eye candy turned off, but I get a lot of complaints on it.

The directx error sounds like the install routine erred during installation, but it could be RAM related.

Bare minimum ram is 256MB RAM, which you have, but your videochip in this machine is using shared ram, taking 8megs of it

I would install more ram

Uninstall Sims (I'm tempted to stop here )

Go to Compaq and download the latest drivers for your videocard

reinstall sims

install the sims2 patch

http://thesims2.ea.com/update/

[saraface]

I've installed more RAM (I now have way more than enough) and the sims system checker program says everything is just fine. I've uninstalled and reinstalled and I am STILL getting the same error. I have no idea what's wrong. It's driving me mad.

[makai]

When you installed the Sims game, did it also install DirectX9... or did you install DX9 by itself before you installed Sims2?

[saraface]

Resolved! I noticed that in directdag it said directdraw wasn't available. So, I googled directdraw and discovered that i had to fix a setting somewhere that pushed my hardware settings to the max. As a result, directdraw was enabled and poof! the sims works.

Now, I'm just kicking myself for spending $40 on a new RAM chip! At least my machine is running faster now!

Thanks for all your help.

[makai]

I'm glad you got it fixed! You seem pretty sharp with computer related things! Keep it up!!

[Neil Jones]

Now, I'm just kicking myself for spending $40 on a new RAM chip! At least my machine is running faster now!

You'd have probably needed it anyway but the speed increase you now have by just putting a stick of memory in will do you good.