Another Sims 2 DirectX 9.0c problem; but with a twist!

[MikaRocksMySock]

Hello there, erm, another Sims 2 question regarding DirectX 9.0c:
I, too get the whole “Failed to find any DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics adapters in this system! Please make sure you have a DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics adapter and have installed the latest drivers provided by the manufacturer. The application will now terminate.”

What is strange is that my DirectX is above “9.0c,” so I’m wondering why it won’t work. Recently I tried to turn my screen upside down using the Ctrl + Alt + Down arrow key, which just changed my resolution to 800x600, I restarted my system and although everything looks normal, if I go to personalize - > Display settings, it first tells me that “The currently selected graphics display driver can not be used. It was written for a previous version of Windows, and is no longer compatible with this version of Windows. The system has been started using the default VGA driver. Please contact your hardware manufacturer to get an upgraded driver, or select one of the Microsoft provided drivers” and then when I click OK saying that the resolution is now -1x-1 ???

I run the Sims 2 deluxe, Freetime, Bon Voyage, Seasons, Pets, Family Fun stuff, Open for business, Christmas Party pack and university. I normally run off of Freetime but I then bought University and that’s when the problems started. So I installed University but I still get the same problems. So I then uninstalled everything (Down to double deluxe as I borrowed that from a friend and we no longer have contact) then reinstalled in the order you’re supposed to apparently.

Computer Make/Model: Acer Aspire 7730 (Laptop) [Vista Home Premium x32]
Processor/Speed: Intel(r) Core (tm) 2 duo cpu, t5800 @ 2.00 GHz(2 cpus) ~ 2.0 GHz
Memory Amount: 3000 RAM
DirectX: DirectX 11
Video card name: Mobile intel(r) 4 series Express chipset family.
Video card amount of memory 1308mb.

My DirectX is more than 9.0, if I select the display adapter thing on Device Manager, then try to update it, it says that it’s up-to-date.

Could anyone tell me what to do? Any handy tips or anything? Could it be something to do with the -1x-1 resolution that I supposedly have? How do I change that anyway – are they related? Also, what’s this “Hardware acceleration” thing? How do I change that?

Finally, I’d rather not run with the “-w” extension Thanks so much [hopefully] in advance!

 

[mailpup]

I don't know if I can solve your problem but one thing I want to point out is the error message says, "Failed to find any DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics adapters..." That doesn't mean you have the wrong version of DirectX or that it's missing. It means it can't find a compatible or supported graphics adapter which is the graphics card.

In your case the graphics "card" is integrated and not a separate card. Since you can't upgrade your graphics card the best you can do is update your graphics driver. Uninstall the old driver from Programs and Features before installing the new one.

 

[MikaRocksMySock]

Thanks so much for answering What just bugged me was that my graphics adapter is capable of a DirectX above 9, but not 9 itself :/
If I were to uninstall then re-install a new graphics driver then that didn't work or something like that, would I be able to 'roll back' to the previous one. If so, do i need to create a back-up/restore point or something?

 

[mailpup]

You could create a restore point and use System Restore if the driver update went bad. Although installing the new driver ordinarily results in the creation of a restore point automatically, it wouldn't hurt to manually create one too. You can also just uninstall the new graphics driver and reinstall the old one if you wanted to do it that way.

Your graphics adapter might be capable of higher than DirectX 9 but the game probably doesn't need it and the error message came from the game. So the game is only concerned with its needs and doesn't care if your card is capable of more.

 

[MikaRocksMySock]

So I need to find what is written next to "Main Driver:" under the 'display' tab in diaxdag?
Then to uninstall then reinstall is just uninstall via Device Manager or Add/remove programs?
So how do I then reinstall it?
Sorry for all the questions, I have no idea how to do any of this

 

[mailpup]

Uninstall in Add or Remove Programs (XP) or Programs and Features (Vista, W7). Uninstalling through the Device Manager will only "disconnect" the driver from the graphics card and as soon as Windows restarts, Windows will automatically install it again.

Before uninstalling anything, make sure you have located and downloaded the new graphics driver first. If it is a zip file, unzip it first. After uninstalling the old graphics driver, locate the "setup.exe" file of the new driver and double click on it to begin the installation process. Alternately, you can run the setup.exe from the Run box.

It might fix the problem but it might not. Give it a try and see.