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Unique bug running Sam and Max?

silverlizardsilverlizard
edited November 2006 in Game Support
Hi there,
I've checked the FAQ, support forum, and other threads - most problems seem to be with activation. I've downloaded and installed the game just fine. Now every time I use to launcher it tells me:
"Could not initialize Direct3D. Make sure you have current video drivers and close any other applications that may be running"
I'm running on a GeForce4 420 Go, fully updated drivers. I have DirectX 9.0c installed, and have run dxdiag with no problems. Haven't encountered this problem with any other game. Are notebook graphics cards just not supported or something?

Hope someone can help. Have waited a long time to try this game :)

Comments

  • MitkeyMitkey
    edited November 2006
    Hi,
    same problem here. This is what I've got according to dxdiag:

    DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904).
    NVidia GeForce4 MX 440 (nv4_disp.dll, 6.14.0010.9147)
    Win XP Home Edition 5.1, build 2600
    AMD Athlon XP 1600+
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2006
    Hi guys,

    This is going to seem like a weird suggestion, but could you try it with older drivers and let us know what happens?

    I once had a problem like this when updating to newer drivers caused the same error. Rolling back to older drivers fixed it. (This was not with Sam & Max.)
  • silverlizardsilverlizard
    edited November 2006
    Emily wrote: »
    This is going to seem like a weird suggestion, but could you try it with older drivers and let us know what happens?

    To be honest, I hadn't updated the drivers since I bought the thing, only did so because the Sam and Max error message recommended it. I'm downloading the original drivers now and I'll try going back to them...

    Edit: Nope, same problem. Could not initialize Direct3D, etc, etc.
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2006
    Okay, thanks for trying it.
  • exceptexcept
    edited November 2006
    I got that same thing, even after it ran fine 5 minutes before... then I closed firefox, and it went away... try closing all your applications...
  • silverlizardsilverlizard
    edited November 2006
    Having reverted to original drivers, I was then unable to run any other games :(
    So I did a system restore, and am back to having to download S&M all over again. Which I'm not certain how to do now, but I'm sure I'll work it out.

    Pretty sure I wasn't running firefox or anything, but I'll give it another go once it's reinstalled

    Edit: Nope, still nothing. No other programs running clear tray and everything. Tried installing the Demo, same thing happens on launch.
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2006
    This thread describes a problem that isn't the same, but it's the same video card you have. You might try the drivers linked to at the end of the thread and see if they also fix the problem you're having.
  • MitkeyMitkey
    edited November 2006
    Hi,
    I solved the problem.

    First, I tried to upgrade the nVIDIA drivers to the latest version (9371), but to no avail. I kept on getting the same symptoms.

    But then I realised that my desktop colour depth was 16 bits. When I set it to 32 bits and ran the game again, it worked. Weird!

    This applies to the demo, I haven't bought the full game yet. :)
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2006
    Woo! Thanks!

    We've seen a problem with 16-bit color before, but it manifested itself in a different way. Good to know that this is a potential solution for this error in Sam & Max.
  • silverlizardsilverlizard
    edited November 2006
    Emily wrote: »
    This thread describes a problem that isn't the same, but it's the same video card you have. You might try the drivers linked to at the end of the thread and see if they also fix the problem you're having.

    Downloaded those drivers. I no longer get the direct3d error box. Now, I click on "launch game", the launcher closes, and nothing happens whatsoever!
    I'm very confused.
    Checked that my desktop is set to 32bit, so that's not the problem either.

    Edit: I tried resetting and starting up the game again. I managed to get the first credits screen! Woo! Then the game minimised to desktop, and can't be brought back up. Which is odd, because I think that's the problem the other guy was having *before* he downloaded the new drivers.
    Also, other games now display the same problem.
    I'm considering buying a new damn computer :(
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2006
    Argggh. Sorry. :(

    For clicking on "launch game" and having nothing happen, I suggest deleting prefs.prop from the game folder before you launch. But I'm not sure if going back to the newer drivers is going to introduce any other problems for you.
  • silverlizardsilverlizard
    edited November 2006
    Woo! I've finally got it working.
    I downloaded new AGP chipsets from the Intel website. Now all games are working, including Sam and Max. I have a 1.5cm dead black strip down the side of my screen, but I can live with a squashed picture, given the alternatives I've cycled through in the past week ;)
    Emily, thankyou very much for your time.
    Hope all the others with similar laptop issues resolve their problems. Huzzah!
  • EmilyEmily Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2006
    Woo! Glad to hear it.

    Laptops don't let you recenter and stretch out your picture the way desktop monitors do, huh? That's too bad. :(
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