Windows Support I can't get the game to run
Updating your system with Windows Update
All about dxdiag
Updating drivers
General recommendations
Issues with laptops
I can't get the game to runI've downloaded and installed the game, but when I try and use it doesn't work. What
do I do then?
Have you checked the game is compatible with your system? Some games are not
compatible with all versions of Windows for example. Go to the respective games
page and go to its support section for details of what it requires.
When a game doesn't start up properly - for example it stops with an error
or waits doing nothing with a blank screen, the problem is almost always
to do with drivers. Most usually its the drivers for the graphics card, but occasionally
it is the sound card.
The first thing to try is to download new drivers using Windows Update.
If this doesn't work you can try and get the latest drivers for your system from
the manufacturer.
Graphics card drivers
Sound card drivers Updating your system with Windows UpdateIt's always a good idea to keep your computer up to date. Doing so will mean
that software as well as games will run more smoothly on your system. Additionally
keeping your computer up to date will help avoid it getting viruses.
Microsoft has a system to keep your system up to date called 'Microsoft Windows Update',
you can get to it by clicking here.
You can also access this site by running Internet Explorer, going to 'Tools' and selecting
'Windows Update'. Once in Windows Update....
- You may be asked to install some software - click 'Yes/Ok' to the dialog that appears
- Click 'Scan for changes' and wait
- At this point there may or may not be updates. If there are click 'Review and Install updates'
- Now click install now
Once you have clicked install now, the updates will be downloaded and installed. Note that this
can take some time - as the downloads can be quite big. Often once the download and install is
complete you will be asked to reboot. It is a good idea to check for updates after you reboot by
the same process, as sometimes not everything that you need is installed before the reboot is required.
Not checking may mean there are still updates you have missed.
Using Windows Update is typically a painless way to keep you computer update. The system will
even update some drivers on your system. Generally when a driver is installed it isn't the latest -
you need to go to your hardware manufacturers website in order to get the latest drivers. All about dxdiagDxDiag is a program that can find out detailed features on how your system
is configured. It is a great tool in trying to find out what features of
your system might be causing problems. DxDiag comes as part of DirectX
and is part of all current versions of Windows.
To run DxDiag do the following:
- From the Windows Task bar click on START
- Select 'RUN...' from the menu that now appears
- Type 'DXDIAG' in the command line window that opens then click 'Ok'.
The application that now runs allows you to view the current hardware settings of you machine.
To save a report out to your hard drive by clicking on the button entitled SAVE ALL INFORMATION. Updating driversIf any sound or video problems are encountered, we recommend updating
to the latest sound or video drivers. If you aren't very techinical, then the
easiest way to do this is through windows update,
although doing it this way means you won't have the latest drivers - or drivers
from more obscure manufacturers.
To check which video drivers are currently being used,
run DXDIAG (this can be done by selecting the ‘Run’ option on the START
menu and typing 'DXDIAG') and select the ‘Display’ tab. This will list
the device name and driver version. General recommendationsIf problems are encountered when running the game, users are advised
to close down all other programs that may be running. Doing this will
ensure the game is able to use the maximum system resources available.
To check which other programs are open, press the CONTROL, ALT and DELETE
keys at the same time. This will bring up a menu titled ‘Close Program’.
This menu lists all the programs currently running, a completely clean
system should only have Explorer and Systray listed on this screen.
N.B. If you are unsure what the programs currently running are,
do not close them unless you are having problems running the game (with
either game stability or speed).
Users are advised to refrain from minimising games using ALT/TAB
or any other program minimizing key combination. If access to the Windows desktop
is needed we recommend that the game be quit first. This is because on some
older versions of DirectX or older video card drivers, they have a problem restoring
the game correctly when it is returned to. Issues with laptopsUnfortunately we cannot offer support to users with laptop systems.
Due to the wide variety of hardware configurations found in laptops, it is not
possible to guarantee compatibility. As each laptop machine can have greatly varying
configurations of memory, video, sound, keyboard and most importantly internal architecture
it is currently not possible to configure a game that is guaranteed to work on all of
them.
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