Computer help forum: Half-screen problem

You seem to be relying on Microsoft to tell you the display drivers are current and updated. Let me be blunt and tell you its a dang lie.

To see if there is a new driver for this motherboard and onboard video, you find the motherboard makers web site and download their latest and install it.

Microsoft only supplied video drivers good enough for you to find newer ones.

Bob

There are two ways.

1. Look at the outside of the machine. If it's a Dell, HP or other, then tell what model number it is. Next stop? dell.com or hp.com or compaq.com

2. Open up the PC and scour the board for Asus, Viatek, Apetek, Asus, Gibyte and other names and markings. This does no good if it's some HP/Dell/otherbigname.

You can try AIDA32, but I have too much luck with the visual methods.

Best of luck,

Bob

This is one of the issues that surround Sony. They don't support people loading any OS that didn't come with the machine. They CUSTOMIZE the machine so the only supplier of the driver will be SONY.

The exit? -> Install a video card.

The driver?
http://ciscdb.sel.sony.com/perl/swu-download.pl?template=EN&upd_id=900&os_id=7&mdl=PCVRS310
"6/23/2003 IN-B34850801EG.EXE Video

The original (shipped) Intel 82845G/82865G Graphics Controller Driver for the Microsoft Windows XP Operating System.

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP"

Bob

Also, I'm using the OS the computer came with. It came with Windows XP Home Edition, and that's what I'm using, although I am using SP1. Does SP1 make it count as a different OS, and so I had this problem?

I will not know if this will solve the issue. Sony is rather annoying in this respect. If you change anything from stock, even DirectX to the latest, they may walk out on you.

You don't have many options here. So install the maker's driver, retest and if it fails, ask Sony for a refund to go get another machine. Or get another video card and use that.

Bob

First of all, the computer came with DirectX 9.0b, and I updated it to 9.0c. Second of all, why would putting the driver back to the original version work if it didn't work with that version before? When this computer was bought, it had the half-screen problem. The updated driver didn't cause the problem.

No, what I'm saying is that it doesn't make sense that using the older driver version would make it work, if it wasn't working with that version before.

Now, I would install the driver, but I can't. I'm not the direct owner of this, and the owner says, I can't install the driver until I get a reason from you why using the driver might make it work, otherwise, the owner's afraid it might screw something up.

So all I'm asking before I install this is that you:
1) Tell me whether the driver is reversible if it causes problems, and
2) Tell me why using this older version MIGHT make it work.

If I have those answers and if it's reversible, I'll try downloading the driver, but until then, sorry, I'm not allowed to.

1. Games worked in 98.

2. Video drivers don't help, regardless of version.

3. Another video card has not been tried.

4. The OS is XP Home.

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Here's the final asessment. One of the complaints will be that older software will fail as we change the OS and hardware. Those old games may have used features that no longer find support. Look up the old GLIDE video drivers and you will find no real support today.

On top of this is you have a Sony and they supply the drivers. Sony may not offer updates and my lesson was that Sony may alter the hardware in subtle ways that Intel's drivers may or may not work.

If this is a burning issue and must be fixed, you need to load Windows 98, find 98 drivers and see if the issue is resolved.

Bob