PA Hi Res isn't working

[Chapeau]

I need other minds to look at this problem.

Installed from SHII CD:

Silent Hunter II into C:\Program Files\Pacific Aces

Installed from Super CD (on M:\):

SH2Patch1.1.exe
PacificAces_RC4.exe
Pacific Aces 1.1 Patch.exe

Ran C:\Program Files\Pacific Aces\1024conf.exe - it told me to run the SHII Hi Res config first. Ran M:\Silent Hunter II\Hi Res Kit\SETUP.EXE. Ran C:\Program Files\Pacific Aces\1024conf.exe again, seemed to work fine.

Started PA and could not get 1024 x 768 resolution on the config screen, max is 800 x 600.

System:

5 year old HP Pavilion with onboard VGA - no graphics card because the onboard graphics can't be turned off in BIOS. I've not been able to discover how to physically disable it, if that can actually be done (jumpers on MB, for instance). Onboard VGA works fine in 1024 x 768 x 16 and 32 colors in just about anything I do.

I had an nVidia MX400 64MB PCI card that I couldn't get to work right because I can't disable the onboard VGA. I removed the onboard VGA in Device Manager, tried every available driver, nothing worked. The card never did anything better or faster than the onboard VGA did it and caused lockups. Some of the drivers caused serious problems as well.

Yes, I know I need a new 'puter. Other than that, can anyone see what I can do to get Hi Res to work in PA? What graphics cards might work in this system?

[aanker]

I just searched HP's website and couldn't find anything either... Strange! ... (at one time it was there)

When I installed an ATI PCI card on my 5 year old HP Pavilion 8755C I copied the following procedure from HP's site and saved it as this text document for future reference: (although this worked fine for me on my Win ME, do this at your own risk)

HP Pavilion Desktop PCs - Adding a Video Card to an HP Pavilion

Adding a new video card in Windows XP

Adding a new video card in Windows 98 and Me

This document contains the required steps to install an after-market video card into an HP Pavilion computer. Some models include AGP slots, while others have only PCI slots. Before purchasing a video card, open the case and look for a brown AGP slot above the other white or cream-colored PCI slots. If a brown AGP slot exists, it is recommended that an AGP video card be purchased and installed. If no AGP slot exists, purchase and install a PCI video card and install it into the top PCI slot.

CAUTION: HP cannot be held liable for damage resulting from improper installation of software and/or parts, or the installation of parts and/or software that were not supplied by HP.

Before you begin
Make sure that the new video card is not installed in the computer. If it is, remove it and its drivers per the video card manufacturer's suggestions.

Adding a new video card in Windows XP
Use the following steps to add a new video card on an HP Pavilion computer that has Windows XP:

Click Start and right-click My Computer.
Click the Hardware tab, and then click the Device Manager button.
Click View, and then Show Hidden Devices.
Click the Plus (+) sign next to the Display Adapters category to expand it.
Select a graphics controller under Display Adapters and click Disable. Click OK to confirm.
Continue to disable all of the graphics controllers until all are disabled. Do not restart the computer until all controllers are disabled.
Turn the computer off.
Install the new video card and software using the instructions that came with the video card. For help, refer to the HP Support document Taking Apart the Computer for Upgrade or Service .

Adding a new video card in Windows 98 and Me
Use the following steps to add a new video card on an HP Pavilion computer that has Windows 98 or Me.

Step 1: Uninstall/Disable the current video chipset
Before beginning to install an upgraded or alternative video card, reinstall the current video drivers and make sure they function. This will ensure that all current video driver files can be found, removed, disabled, and that a clean installation of the new video card drivers is performed.

Turn on or restart the computer.
At the blue HP screen, press the F8 key repeatedly until a start menu screen appears.
Select the number for Safe mode, and press Enter.

It may take a while for the safe mode version of Windows desktop to appear.
Right-click My Computer and select Properties.
Click the Device Manager tab.
Click the Plus (+) sign next to Display Adapters.
Select a graphics controller under Display Adapters and click Remove, and then click OK to confirm.
Continue removing the graphic controllers until all controllers are removed.
After removing all graphic controllers, close all windows, and restart the computer.
At the blue HP screen, press the F1 key repeatedly until the Bios Setup screen appears.
At the setup screen, press F5, then press Enter to reset all data to default settings.
Press F10, then Enter to save and exit.
When Windows opens it will detect and install the video card. Allow the installation to complete and the system to open to Windows. The current chipset is now installed correctly, the next step is to change the settings to use a standard driver.

Step 2: Change to a standard video driver
The following steps will replace the current video drivers with standard video drivers:

Right-click My Computer and select Properties.
Click the Device Manager tab.
Click the Plus (+) sign next to the listing for Display Adapters.
Double-click the graphics controller under Display Adapters.

A Properties window should appear.
Select the Driver tab and click Update Drivers. A Driver Update Wizard window should appear.
Click Next on the window that pops up.
Select Display a List of All Drivers and click Next.
Select the Show All Hardware option. Select Standard Display Types from the top of the Manufacturers window. Select Standard Display Adapter (VGA) and click Next. Do not restart the computer when asked to do so.
Click Start, Settings, and then Control Panel.
Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel.
Locate any listing for the current chipset and double-click the Add/Remove button to remove it from the system.
Close all windows, and restart the computer when done.

Step 3: Disabling the standard video drivers
Use the following steps to disable the standard driver.

Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel.
Double-click the System icon.
Click the Plus (+) sign next to the Display Adapter category to expand it.
Double-click Standard Display Adapter (VGA) to open the Properties window.
Remove the checkmark next to Exists in all hardware profiles.
Click OK and close all windows.
Turn off the computer and install the new video card per the manufacturer's instructions.

Step 4: Install the new video card and drivers
Use the following steps to disable the standard driver.

Turn off the HP Pavilion by selecting Start, Shut Down, and Shut Down.
Install the new video card and software using the instructions that came with the video card.

I suggest a lower end ATI card. (I apologize for these quoted instructions)

Art Anker

[Chapeau]

Originally Posted by aanker

I just searched HP's website and couldn't find anything either... Strange! ... (at one time it was there)

I suggest a lower end ATI card. (I apologize for these quoted instructions)

Art Anker

Many thanks for this, I never saw this doc either, guess I thought to look for it after it'd been removed. Seems to me I've tried most of this, the differences being I didn't remove the drivers in Safe Mode and didn't set the BIOS back to default settings. Maybe that's the trick. What would you suggest as a "lower end" ATI card?

[aanker]

I installed an ATI RADEON 9100 on that computer and it has enough power to run PA plus some of the eye candy; scope etc. I also upped the memory from their 128 by adding a 250 in the 2nd slot.

Art Anker

[Chapeau]

Originally Posted by aanker

I installed an ATI RADEON 9100 on that computer and it has enough power to run PA plus some of the eye candy; scope etc. I also upped the memory from their 128 by adding a 250 in the 2nd slot.

Art Anker

Cool, thanks. I already maxed the RAM at 512. I'll go look at 9100s tomorrow.