VGA Problems

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I've just had a new TFT LCD 17" monitor and on trying to play Baldur's Gate I get an error message flash on screen telling me that VGA is not supported.

Does anyone know what this means or how I go about sorting it out?

 

Knowing nothing about tft screens, all i could possibly say is check you have the most up-to-date drivers and direct-x. But i'm sure someone can help you out a bit more than I.

 

I've got all the latest drivers and I'm using Directx 9 so I don't think that's the problem.

Anyone know what VGA even means? Or how I go about adjusting the VGA settings on my computer? The message I get is "VGA Not Supported".

 

I would check 3 major things on your TFT

ad1. Resolution, maybe 640x480 not supported. Not too likely, because all the 17" TFTs know the 1280x1024... (multiple of 640...)

ad2. Windows bug. I read an article about a problem of the 98 and ME. Some program can't use the frequency set at the Control Panel\Display instead of it the default 60Hz is used. I don't remember it was a DirectX or Windows bug...or both I don't think this is a problem, because 60Hz should be OK. In case of 50Hz it's definetly a problem, most TFTs can't work at such a low speed.

ad3. Response time. As i remember at BG1 the frame rate can be set by program. Maybe your TFT is not fast enough to follow the program. Logicaly it's not a problem too, because the video card should make this problem transparent, and you would just see the trailing on the screen.

If you would detail you configuration, vido card, type of your TFT, operating system, that would be usefull...

By the way i haven't played BG1 a long time ago, but i'll go home, and try if it works with my TFT.

[ May 08, 2003, 08:25: Message edited by: Valer ]

 

I didn't think TFT screens had refresh rate settings. I know some flatscreens don't for sure, as my brother-in-law has one.

 

[I was wrong every time i write refresh rate i mean response time not the same! Excuse me i am overworked!]

Refresh rate: the time to switch a pixel on and off. This value i think depends on the type of the FET used at the production. Theese days (2003) its between 20ms and 40ms (my one has 25ms it is good until 50frame/sec)

What i wrote, that the frame/sec as i remember can be set by the BG1... this is the speed how frequently the program would like to show a new picture on the screen. For example at 30frame/sec, the BG1 would send every information to the video card 30 times every second. If the TFT has 33ms refresh rate, logicaly it won't trail. But a cheaper TFT with 40ms - for example - surely will.

The refresh rate of course set to stone, but you can play with the frame/sec settings...

[ May 08, 2003, 08:29: Message edited by: Valer ]

 

Okay, computer specs:

Intel Celeron, 801 mhz processor, 256 MB Ram

Windows ME upgraded to XP

Latest drivers and Directx 9

Refresh rate: 60 - 85 mhz

I tried changing the refresh rate in the game but it still didn't work. The game is playing because you can hear the intro but nothing displays on screen aside for a little box with "VGA not supported" inside.

 

Reformat to get rid of all the rubbish that ME left behind.

 

Make and model: Packard Bell I-Connect 1275.


I can adjust the resolution to 640*480 by messing around with the display in the control panel option. Everything then becomes hideously large but I can live with that for the sake of playing a game. But the game still won't play. Strangely enough I can get both of the demo movies to play just not the game itself.

Does anyone know what VGA stands for? I've had a look at the booklet that came with my monitor but it doesn't say.

EDIT: I'll try the window option though. That one never occurred to me.

2nd EDIT: I reinstalled everything a few months ago following a computer crash so whatever of the ME operating system that was around would have been wiped out completely then.

 

The display ranges from 800*600 to 1280*1024 although I can head into the advanced section of my graphics card and set it to 640*480. I've tried this and the display seems fine (if a little large) but the game still won't work.

I'll have to try setting the colour depth to 16 bit and see if it makes a difference.

 

What happens if you start the windows in VGA mode?

 

How do I start in VGA mode?

 

Still no joy. I've got the resolution at 640*480 and the colour at 16 bit and still nothing works. I even managed to drop the colour right down to 256 colours and then got a message flash up on screen telling me BG wouldn't work with that colour setting and it had to be at least 16 bit. So I reset it to 16 bit and got a blank screen for my troubles.

Maybe this monitor's cursed or there's some problem with the installation programme.


EDIT: Well, what do you know? It works! Seems if I start it in a window and then wait a few minutes it works fine - still won't work in full screen mode but I can live with that. Thanks for the hint about window, Tal. I'd never considered that.

[ May 09, 2003, 21:23: Message edited by: dshadow ]

 

I, too, have a 17" TFT. Can´t understand how you could even play a game that has been designed for 640x480 res when your monitor is at 1280x1024.

Yeah, windowed mode makes those old games so much more playable.