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This document is intended to help you determine if you need updated drivers for your computer's hardware, and if so, how to find them.
Please note: Each manufacturer has a different method of updating device drivers. When contacting a manufacturer to get a driver, you must also get specific instructions for updating those drivers.
The first thing we need to do is get the information we need to know what drivers are currently in your system so we can determine if there are newer ones available. You'll want something to write on and something to write with here:
NOTE: If you are running DirectX 9.0a or higher, this process is greatly simplified, and it's generally a good idea to be running the newest version of DirectX available for your operating system to preserve compatibility with future drivers and applications. You can determine what version of DirectX you have by performing Steps 1 and 2 below and checking the bottom line of the "System Information" box that reads "DirectX Version". If it is less than 9.0a, click the Exit button and get the newest version of DirectX at http://www.microsoft.com/directx. Windows 95 users who do not have access to DirectX 9.0a or higher will need to follow the Special Instructions below.
- Click Start, then Run. Type "DXDIAG" into the Open box and click OK.
- The DirectX Diagnostic Tool will open, and will start on the System tab. On this tab, the bottom half of the screen is encased in a box labeled "System Information". The third line in this box starts with "Operating System", and tells us what version of Windows you are running. Write this down.
- Click the Display tab. The upper left corner is a box named Device. The first three lines are the Name, Manufacturer, and Chip Type of your video hardware. Write these down.
- On this same tab, in the upper right corner, is a box named Drivers. The second line is the video driver's version number, and the third is the date of release. (Windows 95 uses will not see a date. Read on.) Write these both down.
- Click the Sound tab. Write down the Name on the top line of the Device box in the upper left.
- In the upper right corner is also a Drivers box, with the version number and dates in the same place. Write these both down. (Again, Windows 95 users will not see a Date line.)
- We have everything we need from the DirectX Diagnostic Tool now, so click Exit in the lower right hand corner of the window.
If you are running DirectX 9.0a or higher, skip ahead to step 8.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR WINDOWS 95 USERS:
If you are running Windows 95, you've noticed that Dates aren't available via DXDIAG. Because of this, we will have to obtain that information through Device Manager, as follows:
- From the Desktop, right click the My Computer icon and select Properties.
- Click the Device Manager tab, and click the plus sign (+) next to the Display Adapters subject header
- A line should drop down that reads like the Device Name on the Display tab of DXDIAG you wrote down earlier. Right-click that line and select Properties.
- Click the Driver tab, and write down the information next to Driver Date. This is the release date of your video driver. Click OK.
- Repeat steps b-d with the Sound, Video, and Game Controllers subject header, right-clicking on the Device Name you wrote down from the Audio tab of DXDIAG earlier, to obtain the release date of your sound driver.
- Close the Device Manager window and return to the Desktop.
- Finally, we need to get your Desktop display settings. Right-click anywhere on the open Desktop, and then left-click on Properties. This will open a Display Properties box.
- Click the Settings tab. On this tab there is a slider for Screen Resolution and a drop-down box next to it for Color Quality. Write down where both of these are set. This is all we need here, so click Cancel when you are done.
Once you have the information acquired in Step 1, you are ready to go online and see if newer drivers are available. Where you go depends on whether the computer is a name brand (such as Dell, HP, Gateway, Compaq, etc.) and whether the hardware in the machine has been upgraded or not since you bought it.
If you have a name-brand system with all of its original equipment…
…then you will need to go to the Web site of the computer manufacturer, locate the Driver section for your model of computer, and check to see if the sound and video drivers available are newer than the ones you have, based on the information you took down in Step 1. If either is newer, then you'll want to download and install them. There should be instructions for doing so on the site, but you'll need to contact your system manufacturer directly if you need assistance with this. For your convenience we have listed a number of system manufacturers at the end of this document, but if your manufacturer is not listed or the information has been updated, please check with your system documentation for contact information.
If you have built your machine from component parts, or you have updated the video or sound card in your name-brand system…
…then you will need to go to the Web site of the manufacturer of the particular piece of hardware you are checking on, and check and see if the driver available for your particular video or sound card is newer than the one you have, based on the information you took down in Step 1. If so, then you will want to download and install it. There should be instructions for doing so on the site, but you'll need to contact the manufacturer for that particular piece of hardware directly if you need assistance with this. For your convenience we have listed a number of hardware manufacturers at the end of this document, but if your manufacturer is not listed or the information has been updated, please check with the documentation that came with your video or sound card for contact information.
Usually this isn't a problem with sound drivers, but often with video drivers, after you install the new drivers and reboot, the Desktop doesn't look right…the colors are strange or the icons may still be larger than expected. These steps should get you back to where you were:
- Your driver may have some kind of tutorial or settings wizard for you to go through. Once you have done this, or declined the opportunity to do so (in most cases you can always do it later), right-click on the open Desktop, and then left-click on Properties. This will open the familiar Display Properties box.
- Click the Settings tab. Reset the slider for Screen Resolution and the drop-down box next for Color Quality to the settings for both that you wrote down in Step 1.
- Click Apply. The screen should go black, may flicker a couple times, but should ultimately come back up and should look like it did when we started this whole procedure, aside from a few icons being out of place. Click "Yes" in the box that comes up to indicate that you want to keep these settings, and OK to close the Display Properties box.
Congratulations! Your drivers are now up to date.
"This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down…"
These errors most frequently occur when Windows encounters a conflict with a driver in use in your system. Click on the "Details" button for more information about the error message. If the error is an invalid page fault in module KERNEL32.DLL or module GAMENAME.EXE (where GAMENAME is the file the game runs to initially launch the game), it is often indicative of a driver that is not functioning correctly.
The problem may also be the result of a conflict between the game and some other program that you have running on your computer. The best solution is to shut down any other applications that you may have running before you play the game. For detailed instructions on shutting down all of your other applications, please see our General Troubleshooting FAQ.
"Cannot locate DDRAW.DLL" error:
Many times, DirectX is automatically installed to your computer when you install the game. If for any reason you chose NOT to install DirectX when you installed the program, you will need to manually install DirectX now, or the game will repeat this error.
Usually this is done by double-clicking the DXSETUP.EXE file in the DirectX folder on the game CD. However, the location of this folder often changes from game to game. If you cannot locate this file, please check the Frequently Asked Questions document for the individual title for precise directions.
If you are absolutely sure that the correct version of DirectX (check with your game's system requirements for the version number) is already installed on your computer, then you may need to update your video hardware drivers in order for the game to work. You can determine what version this is by running DXDIAG and checking the bottom line of the System Information box.
"Sound Init Error", or "SOUND.REC could not be found"
DirectX has not been properly installed, or you need to update your sound card drivers. See the section above on installing DirectX manually from the game CD.
If this doesn't help, check with your computer or sound card manufacturer to see how you can get the latest DirectX compatible drivers for your card.
Listed below are some of the most common computer companies and their contact information. Below that are some of the most common sound or video card manufacturers. If your manufacturer is not listed, you must consult your Owner's Manual for the company's specific contact information.
| Acer America | www.acer.com | 800-445-6495 |
| Alienware | www.alienware.com | 866-287-6727 |
| Compaq | www.compaq.com | 800-652-6672 |
| Dell Computer Corp. | www.dell.com | 800-624-9896 |
| eMachines | www.emachines.com | 801-401-1419 |
| Gateway | www.gateway.com | 800-369-1409 |
| Hewlett Packard | www.hp.com | 800-474-6836 |
| IBM Corp. | www.ibm.com | 800-426-4232 |
| NEC Technologies, Inc. | www.nec.com | 800-632-4525 |
| Sony | www.ita.sel.sony.com | 888-476-6972 |
| Toshiba | www.toshiba.com | 800-457-7777 |
If your computer was configured with a sound card when you purchased it, you should try to obtain the appropriate drivers from the computer manufacturer. Many of the following companies supply sound chipsets which are often customized by computer manufactures. If you purchased a separate sound card or cannot obtain the appropriate drivers through the computer manufacturer you may be able to obtain updated drivers from the following companies:
| Creative Labs | www.americas.creative.com | 405-742-6622 |
| Cirrus Logic | www.cirrus.com | N/A |
| CMedia Electronics | www.cmedia.com.tw | N/A |
| ESS Technologie | www.esstech.com | Form on site |
| Turtle Beach | www.turtlebeach.com | E-mail on site |
| Yamaha Multimedia | www.yamahamultimedia.com | N/A |
If your computer was configured with a video card when you purchased it, you should try to obtain the appropriate drivers from the computer manufacturer. Many of the following companies supply video chipsets which are often customized by computer manufactures. If you purchased a separate video card or cannot obtain the appropriate drivers through the computer manufacturer you may be able to obtain updated drivers from the following companies:
| Albatron | www.albatron.com.tw | 714-893-8113 |
| AOpen | www.aopen.com | 510-489-8928 |
| ATI | www.ati.com | 905-882-3274 |
| EVGA | www.evga.com | Form on site |
| Gainward | www.gainwardusa.com | Email on site |
| Hercules | www.hercules.com | Forums on site |
| Innovision | www.ivmm.com | Form on site |
| Intel | www.intel.com | 916-377-7000 |
| LeadTek | www.leadtek.com | 510-490-8076 |
| Matrox | www.matrox.com | 514-685-0270 |
| MSI | www.msicomputer.com | 626-581-3001 |
| NVidia | www.nvidia.com | N/A (chipset only) |
| Palit | www.palitusa.com | N/A |
| PNY | www.pny.com | 800-234-4597 |
| VisionTek | www.visiontek.com | 800-434-1014 |
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