Microsoft KB Archive/925722

= The known graphics-related issues that you may experience when you play Flight Simulator X =

Article ID: 925722

Article Last Modified on 11/14/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Flight Simulator X Deluxe
 * Microsoft Flight Simulator X Standard

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INTRODUCTION
This article describes the known graphics-related issues that you may experience when you play Microsoft Flight Simulator X.



Install the latest drivers
If you are experiencing graphics issues, a black (blank) screen, or slow performance in Flight Simulator X, download and then install the latest video card driver.

The video card lets you see graphics on the screen. A driver is a piece of software that enables the operating system (Microsoft Windows) to communicate with the hardware in the computer. A driver acts as a translator between your hardware and the operating system. The latest driver for your video card can enable more efficient use of your video card features to improve the performance of the game. Generally companies release their drivers regularly for the cards to keep up the pace with the ever-changing software technologies.

To download and install the latest drivers, contact the computer or video hardware manufacturer. See the &quot;References&quot; section for more information about how to contact the video hardware or computer manufacturer. To see whether applicable driver updates are available for download, visit the following Microsoft Windows Update Web site:

http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

To view a video presentation about how to install the latest video card drivers from the Windows Update Web site, see the &quot;Additional information&quot; section.

To identify the name and the manufacturer of the video adapter, follow these steps on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows XP:
 * 1) Click Start, click Run, type dxdiag, and then click OK.
 * 2) Click the Display tab.
 * 3) Under Device, look for Name and Manufacturer.
 * 4) Click Exit.

To identify the name and the manufacturer of the video adapter, follow these steps on a computer that is running Windows Vista:
 * 1) Open the Direct X Diagnostic Tool. To do this, click Startvistastartbutton.jpg], type dxdiag in the Start Search box, and then click dxdiag.exe in the Programs list.
 * 2) Click the Display tab.
 * 3) Under Device, look for Name and Manufacturer.
 * 4) Click Exit.

Portable computer displays in full-screen mode
The display cards on some portable computers may let you select a resolution that is larger than the LCD device can support. In these cases the view may be truncated when you run Flight Simulator in full-screen mode. To see the full-screen image, either reduce the resolution or use windowed mode (press ALT+ENTER). Driver updates do not resolve this issue.

Press ALT+TAB
Pressing ALT+TAB to switch between Flight Simulator X and another program minimizes Flight Simulator X to the task bar. In some instances, Flight Simulator X may not restore to the desktop or take a long time to restore. To enable the correct behavior, exit Flight Simulator X, and then restart the computer.

Visual Experience with AMD processors
The initial visual experience on a computer that has an AMD processor may be lower than expected. To improve the visual experience, follow these steps.

Note Adjusting these settings may affect performance.
 * 1) On the main menu, click Settings.
 * 2) Click Customize.
 * 3) Move the Global slider on one or more tabs to the right.

ATI
To download ATI video cards, visit the following ATI Technologies Inc Web site:

http://www.amd.com/

When you use the ATI Radeon X1800 CrossFire Edition video card, the screen may flicker or appear black.

NVIDIA
To download NVIDIA video cards, visit the following NVIDIA Corporation Web site:

http://www.nvidia.com

When you use NVIDIA video cards, you may experience the following issues:
 * Fireworks have defined, square borders and appear blocky when you use the NVIDIA GeForce2 video card. This issue occurs with all driver versions.
 * De Havilland Beaver windows appear opaque in spot plane view on computers that use NVIDIA GeForce2 video cards.
 * Dolphins may not appear in Missions on computers that use GeForce2 GTS or GeForce2 Pro 32 MB video cards.

NVIDIA MX 4000, NVIDIA MX 440, NVIDIA MX 420, NVIDIA MX 400, NVIDIA MX 100, and NVIDIA MX 200
When you play Flight Simulator X, the game performance is slow or choppy. To resolve this issue, try updating the drivers. To do this, visit the following NVIDIA Web site:

http://www.nvidia.com/page/home.html

If the issue continues to occur, reduce the game settings to a minimum. To do this, start the game, click Settings, and then click Reset Defaults. If the issue continues to occur, try reducing the settings options on the Setting screen all the way to the left.

S3 UniChrome
On computers that are using the VIA S3 UniCrome video cards, you may experience the following issues:
 * Special effects (fireworks, fire, and so on) do not display correctly on computers that use S3 UniChrome video cards.
 * The game runs slow
 * Error when you start the game &quot;Invalid hardware drive detected, flight simulator will not work with your video card verify that you have latest video card driver installed, Flight simulator will now exit&quot;

To resolve these issues, download the latest drivers. To do this, visit the following S3 Graphics Co., Ltd Web site:

http://www.s3graphics.com/en/resources/drivers

If the issues continue to occur, upgrade the video card that is installed on the computer. For more information, see the &quot;Additional information&quot; and &quot;References&quot; sections.

S3 Deltachromes
If you experience issues when you use the S3 Deltachromes video card, try to update the drivers. If the issue continues to occur, you may have to upgrade the video card.

Intel 945, Intel 815, Intel 915, and Intel 845
If you experience slow performance when you use one of the following Intel video cards, set all the game options to Defaults:
 * Intel 945
 * Intel 815
 * Intel 915
 * Intel 845

To do this, start the game, click Settings, and then click Reset Defaults. If the issue continues to occur, try reducing the settings options on the Setting screen all the way to the left. If the problem continues to occur, you may have to upgrade the video card. This issue occurs because of the video card drivers. See the &quot;Additional information&quot; section for more information about how to upgrade your video card.

Additional information
For more information about how to update your graphics adapter drivers by using the Windows Update Web site, click Play to view this streaming media presentation:

For more information about how to upgrade your graphics hardware, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/expert/dunn_03august11_vc.mspx

Additionally, you can view and compare features and prices of different video cards. To do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://windowsmarketplace.com

After you open this Web site, type graphics adapter in the Search box, and then press ENTER.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

