Problems - using Win 8

[Nifer]

Last week - I had the demo version .. which ran fine.

Then I got a GM license ... and the client has not worked since. The client opens in a small-ish window ... and when I attempt to expand it .. crash to desktop.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled 3 times now ... same problem .. which is irritating because it worked 4 DAYS AGO! Now - can't resize the widow .. and the window is so small it makes the client useless.

Has anyone else had a similar problem?

[grapper]

Some added information:

I had her run a dxdiag: dxdiag.txt (https://www.adrive.com/public/fxmvTd/DxDiag.txt)

It is a new machine
On Wednesday, installed the demo version and played in my campaign
Bought a Full license after that and installed it on Saturday.
Following the update links to update the program.
After that the program starts and runs fine as long as the window is not resized from the default start size either by stretching the window or by going to fullscreen mode.
Tried uninstalling and reinstalling the program several times using either the demo version or doing a full version install and the problem persists.

The crash is a windows "this program has stopped working..." box.

[Oberoten]

Just runing through the classic problems :

* Have you installed / updated direct X?

* Dito graphics drivers.

- Obe

[Vowels]

She's done that. We've decided the best solution to this issue and a few others, is to format and install Win7, hehe. We'll post the results. :)

[Doswelk]

I have been having a similar problem for the last week or so (since the last batch of MS updates), I find that if it happens a quick reboot fixes it.

As I say I have been using Windows 8 since before the beta and this issue has only just started.

[Vowels]

Reboots weren't helping.

FYI, her post here, and ours following, are somewhat after all the really really obvious stuff was tried, but I suppose it had to be said.

I'm wondering if there isn't something to the windows updates possibility? Whatever possible update they did for Win8, though, it apparently wasn't the same for Win7, so installing Win7 may still be the best bet.

Why every other OS Microsoft produces has be cludge, I have no idea, but the pattern appears to be holding. :)

I'm waiting on Windows 9, myself, hehe.

[Moon Wizard]

I develop FG on Windows 8 with an AMD Radeon graphics card, and I have the latest updates and drivers. I have not seen this issue on my machine.

Does it happen on resize during launcher, while loading after launcher, or after reaching the tabletop for the game? Or all of the above?

Regards,
JPG

[grapper]

I develop FG on Windows 8 with an AMD Radeon graphics card, and I have the latest updates and drivers. I have not seen this issue on my machine.

Does it happen on resize during launcher, while loading after launcher, or after reaching the tabletop for the game? Or all of the above?

Regards,
JPG

It is all of the above.

[Moon Wizard]

Hmm, at a bit of a loss here. Anyone have any ideas?

FG uses DX9 calls under the hood in order to maximize backward-compatibility to XP, along with Mac and Linux. It treats a tabletop resize just like a "graphics device lost" event, and attempts to reset the device. (i.e. release graphics buffers, reset graphics interface, reset graphics states, create graphics buffers, redraw)

Perhaps MS botched something with DX9 compatibility?

Regards,
JPG

[Trenloe]

Hmm, at a bit of a loss here. Anyone have any ideas?

FG uses DX9 calls under the hood in order to maximize backward-compatibility to XP, along with Mac and Linux. It treats a tabletop resize just like a "graphics device lost" event, and attempts to reset the device. (i.e. release graphics buffers, reset graphics interface, reset graphics states, create graphics buffers, redraw)

Perhaps MS botched something with DX9 compatibility?

Regards,
JPG
JPG - When you run dxdiag yourself, on the display tab in the top right (drivers) what DDI Version and Driver Model do you have? Looking at mine it's 11 and 1.1 respectively and mine works fine. The dxdiag.txt attached above for the user with the issue is 11.1 and 1.2 respectively. As you say, I'm wondering if it's an issue with this later DirectX version??

[JohnD]

Certainly sounds like a dx9 issue.

[Moon Wizard]

My DDI version is 11 and the Driver model is WDDM 1.2.

Perhaps an 11.1 issue?

JPG

[Trenloe]

My DDI version is 11 and the Driver model is WDDM 1.2.

Perhaps an 11.1 issue?

JPG
That would be the first place to look, certainly.

Is there anyone out there running 11.1 as well?

[Moon Wizard]

Well, I can not seem to find a way to update to 11.1. I tried Windows Update, as well as the DirectX web installer. Anybody else know how to get Windows 8 to update to 11.1 version of DirectX?

Thanks,
JPG

[grapper]

Well, it has been solved.... sort of....

Nifer removed Windows 8 and installed Windows 7. FGII is working fine for her now.

[JohnD]

My DDI version is 11 and the Driver model is WDDM 1.2.

Perhaps an 11.1 issue?

JPG
I may be wrong but if FG uses dx9 then a different version of dx shouldn't have any influence one way or the other.

[Trenloe]

I may be wrong but if FG uses dx9 then a different version of dx shouldn't have any influence one way or the other.
You only have one version of DirectX installed on a PC, so even if FG is using DirectX 9 code, the PC will more than likely be using a later version of DirectX. Later versions are supposed to be backwards compatible, but they *may* introduce compatibility issues.

That's why M_W and I are trying to isolate DX versions 11.0, 11.1, etc. and see if one of these is experiencing an issue with the FG DX9 code.

[JohnD]

Back in my NWN2 days, new people were always having trouble with getting the game to run on "newer" PCs. Invariably we always found out that they had either no version of dx installed, or a later version than what was needed (v9). My understanding from conversations back then, was that multiple versions of dx can be installed and co-exist perfectly fine on the same computer.

But I don't know - that may be different with W8, or my understanding of what was being discussed could be flawed.

If it was my system, I'd try to find a W8 version of dx9 and install that... it could very well be that later versions in W8 don't do a good job with emulating or whatever you want to call it.

[Trenloe]

My understanding from conversations back then, was that multiple versions of dx can be installed and co-exist perfectly fine on the same computer.
That may have been the case when DirectX was first being brought out. It is now an integral part of the Windows Operating system.


If it was my system, I'd try to find a W8 version of dx9 and install that... it could very well be that later versions in W8 don't do a good job with emulating or whatever you want to call it.
I think that is going to be much harder than it sounds (probably impossible on a Windows 8 machine) based on the fact that DirectX is now an integral part of the Windows Operating system. More info on what version DirectX is included with which version of Windows can be found here:

https://support.microsoft.com/kb/179113

[Moon Wizard]

I've run the updater from that KB article, and my DX version still reads 11.0. I'm not sure how to force my machine to update to 11.1 at this point.

Perhaps I need to install the latest version of the DX SDK?

JPG

[Trenloe]

I've run the updater from that KB article, and my DX version still reads 11.0. I'm not sure how to force my machine to update to 11.1 at this point.

Perhaps I need to install the latest version of the DX SDK?

JPG
That's really strange - all the articles I've read say that DirectX 11.1 is what you get with Windows 8. Did you upgrade from Windows 7 to get to Windows 8? Also, what version of IE are you using? If it's 9 that might be stopping DX 11.1 upgrading (although I have no evidence to support that other than IE 10 has portions of DX 11.1).

[Zeus]

We had this problem at work recently. Early Windows 8 builds shipped with DirectX 11. Microsoft then changed this to 11.1 to accommodate support for native stereoscopic 3D support.

JPG - Check your graphics card, if its supports stereoscopic 3D output, DirectX 11.1 should get installed when you update. If not, it may explain why your stuck with 11.

I have also heard rumours that some (not all) 11.1 functionality will be made available in a forthcoming update for Windows 7 systems.