Graphics display help please

[Quest4Less]

A friend of mine recently installed an "older" game (Fallout) on his new laptop and he tells me the display keeps cutting out... the game runs fine but every few seconds the picture goes black - if you move the cursor around you can "scrub" the black away and get back the display again - but it keeps happening again and again.

Any ideas as to the cause - and a fix?

Thx....

 

[chuck007]

I'd bottom out the following as the first places to investigate and update if required:

1. Does he have the latest video drivers for that laptop & OS installed? (Check vendor's website).

2. What version of DirectX does the game require (on the box or game makers website) and does he have that version (or higher) on the laptop? You can query the directX version on any windows PC by using Start Menu / Run/ DXDIAG.

 

[Quest4Less]

Apparently the game only requires Directx "3" - he has "9.0"

 

[chuck007]

Wow - That is one very old game. It may not be a video problem, but a windows to dos compatibility issue.

I wonder if it wants to run in a dos emulator such as dosbox? I'm thinking you might want to do a bit of research on http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/download.php?main=1 or google the game to see what others with it are doing to make it run. Lots of info here at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallout_(computer_game)

 

[chuck007]

I just read that Fallout does run under Dosbox. See http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/comp_list.php?letter=F

Hope this helps. You're on your own... Good luck.

 

[Quest4Less]

The game box apparently says it will run in "dos" or in "windows 95"

 

[IggyP]

The game box apparently says it will run in "dos" or in "windows 95"

And you're running XP now right?

 

[MarkII]

I'm not a gamer...but when you right click on the program icon...you get the properties and from there you can select compatability, that includes win95. Would that help?

 

[Quest4Less]

I'm not a gamer...but when you right click on the program icon...you get the properties and from there you can select compatability, that includes win95. Would that help?

No - tried that, didn't help.

 

[Quest4Less]

And you're running XP now right?

Yes - he has XP running.

 

[MarkII]

Then it sounds like an old game that may no longer run under XP etc. Maybe he has an old computer box sitting around that will run win95 only and just use that.