SwingPractis Support: Upgrading DirectX and Video Drivers

First, run Windows Update. Windows Update finds updates relating to the Windows operating system. If your computer is set to run Windows Update automatically, you may skip this step. If not, there is usually an option for this somewhere in the Start menu, or you can run it online by visiting the Windows Update website. Install any critical updates you see. You make sure you have the latest Service Pack, and any updates to Windows Media Player and DirectX, both of which are tied to Windows's video systems that our software uses.

Once all updates are installed, you will probably be asked to reboot. Once rebooted, try running SwingPractis again. If you still get an error message, continue following these instructions.

Check your video memory. Lack of video memory is usually only a problem on older laptops, and is solved by decreasing your screen resolution to take less memory. Desktops and new laptops usually have plenty of video memory for our purposes, so updating drivers (see below) fixes most problems we've seen.

These images are screenshots from one of our development computers and do not reflect your computer's configuration.

Figure 1: Display Properties


Figure 2: Advanced Display Properties


Figure 3: Video Driver Properties

To check how much video memory your computer has, right click on any empty space on your desktop, and select "Properties" in the menu that appears. The "Display Properties" window should appear. Select the "Settings" tab in this window. This screen (see Figure 1) describes the monitors connected to your PC. From here, click the "Advanced" button to call up the advanced properties window, and click the Adapter tab there (see Figure 2). Here, under Adapter Type, we can see the manufacturer name and model of your video card. Remember this for later. Under Adapter Information, we can find the Memory Size. If this number is 16MB or higher, you should be fine. If it's lower than this, you should consider running at a lower resolution or upgrading your video card, if you can. If you have 16MB of memory or more and SwingPractis still doesn't work, keep following these instructions.

Check the age of your video drivers. Old video drivers may not support the advanced video features SwingPractis uses. Starting from the dialog we used to check the video memory in Figure 2, click on Properties under Adapter Type, and select the Driver tab. The Driver Date is listed here along with other information about your video card (see Figure 3). If this date is earlier than mid-2004, old drivers are probably causing any issues you might be having with SwingPractis and you should follow the instructions starting in the next paragraph. If your drivers are up to date and the application still does not work, please call us and/or your computer manufacturer's tech support line to try to chase down the problem.

Update your video drivers. Assuming you have determined you need a new driver, you need to go find it. Usually, you should start with your computer manufacturer. Dell, HP, et al have support areas on their web site that enable you to download updated drivers for various components in your computer. You will need to know your model number. It is also helpful to know what kind of video card you have in your machine. In the example in Figures 1-3, you can see that we have an NVidia GeForce FX Go5200.

Here are some good guidelines to help you figure out how to get an updated driver:

• If the computer is a laptop, usually the manufacturer is good about having updated drivers available on their web site. An exception to this rule seems to be when the laptop uses SiS chipsets. In that case go to SiS directly as explained below.
• If the computer is a desktop and you have not installed a video adapter yourself, then you should go to the manufacturer if it is a name brand - Dell, Gateway, HP, etc.
• If you don't find the driver at the manufacturer web site, go to the video adapter manufacturer site - see links below. You will need to know the model of the card or chipset as described above so that you download the correct driver.

Find the make and model of your video chip using either the method shown above. Here are instructions for specific makes of video chips:

• nVidia: Generic nVidia drivers may not work on integrated nVidia chips. nVidia's line of integrated chips are usually found on laptops and have "Go" in their name (for example, "GeForce 4 Go" or "GeForce FX Go"). If this applies to your system, go to your computer manufacturer's website (such as Hewlett-Packard or Toshiba), find the support or drivers page, and find the latest video drivers for your computer's model. Desktop computers using non-integrated nVidia chips should download the latest drivers from nVidia's website.
• ATI: Radeon Mobility chipsets should look for drivers on the computer manufacturer's website. Other chips should look for drivers on ATI's website.
• SiS: This driver will work for the following SiS chips: SiS650GL, SiS650, SiS661FX, SiS741GX, SiSM741, SiS760, SiS741, SiS651, SiSM661MX, SiSM661FX, SiSM650, SiS661GX, SiS760GX, SiSM760, SiS650GX, and SiS740. Drivers for other chips are available through SiS's website.
• Intel: Check the Intel website for your latest driver.
• S3: Check the S3 Graphics website for your latest driver.