Radeon issues - Too much for a descriptive title

Okay, to start off, I'm aware that this thread could fit well in the Hardware, Software, and Drivers forum, so please feel free to move if necessary.

That being said, let me get started.

Roughly a week ago I tried to update to the newest version (version 7.11) of the Catalyst Drivers for my Radeon 9550 256MB AGP card. I am well aware that the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" saying holds true to drivers, but I was having trouble playing a game I hadn't played in a while (Max Payne. haha), and thought a driver upgrade would remedy the situation.

I was wrong.

After the upgrade, I had a ridiculous amount of problems. Some of them were: video signal loss after logging into Windows, a monitor error saying that the frequency was out of range, and random crashing.

After doing days and days of reading on several forums, and FAQ's I found out that dealing with ATI drivers is usually a very tricky process and should be done with caution (I really love that hindsight thing). I fairly adept at digging around in the registry, and getting around stubborn programs, so I was able to clear all traces of the old drivers (and drivers for an old Rage Fury Pro card I haven't used in ages). And so, I reinstalled the drivers.

Same problems as before, just fewer crashes, and the frequency error never came back. Out of frustration, I searched for some sort of alternative to the ATI drivers. I'm not one to stray away from the manufacturer suggested drivers, but third party drivers don't void a warranty so I figured what the hell, right?

It was then that I found the Omega drivers. These drivers are great--for the most part. I haven't crashed, or had any other sort of serious problems like that. BUT, through all the chaos of the ATI drivers, I never saw that DirectX wasn't working properly.

DirectDraw works fine, however Direct3D is where I have the problems. When I run dxdiag, it tells me that Direct3D is working fine. However, when I try to test D3D it gives me these error messages:

"Direct3D 7 test results: Failure at step 40 (Creating flipping primary surface with one back buffer): HRESULT = 0x8876024e (error code)"
"Direct3D 8 test results: Failure at step 5 (GetDeviceCaps): HRESULT = 0x8876086a (3D not available)"
"Direct3D 9 test results: Failure at step 5 (GetDeviceCaps): HRESULT = 0x8876086a (3D not available)"

Now, I should note that I've seen tests on D3D 8 and 9 fail at different steps (don't remember the numbers) where the step was "Creating 3d object" or something similar.

Also, for the most recent version of Catalyst drivers, I had to upgrade my .NET framework to 2.0. Could that have an effect? I don't need the upgrade for my Omega drivers.

Also, I'm certain the problem doesn't lie with the Omega drivers. I just think there's something I've missed.

Sooo...that's about it. D3D isn't working right, and I can't play my games.

And, before you ask, some specs:

Radeon 9550 256 AGP
Omega Drivers version 3.8.421
Running Windows XP Pro w/ sp2
Also, i'm running the Litestep shell on top of windows. I doubt that's an issue, but someone may know something I don't.

If you need any other info from me, just ask. I'd love to get this fixed, even if it means I have to downgrade drivers (though I've tried it).

Thanks in advance, and Thanks if you actually read this far. =)

 

Hmmm you could try completely uninstalling directx just incase it has become corrupt:confused

http://www.majorgeeks.com/DirectX_Happy_Uninstall_d4347.html

EDIT updating your motherboard chipset drivers may help also

 

To be honest, the problem may be that you went to a newer version of drivers rather than an older one. While ATI/nVidia recommend the newest drivers, it isn't always the case when you don't have a new video card.

For example, I just RMAd my 7900GT and received a 7950GX2 in replacement. I decided to update to the newest drivers (163.xxx) at the same time. But, I wasn't able to even boot into Windows. So after uninstalling, I went back to a much older version (93.71, I think) and it works much better. You might try going back to an older version of Catalyst Drivers. (I think somewhere around version 5.x should be a good place to start)

Also, if you haven't downloaded the newest patch for the game, you should do that. But, revert the drivers back to 5.x first, then move up from there.

And, I would agree with Rikky that uninstalling/reinstalling DirectX would be a good thing to try as well.

If none of that helps, I would get in touch with ATI tech support. They should know the most about which drivers you should use for your video card.

Worst case scenario: Backup important data and reinstall Windows. This usually fixes any driver problems. (at least for me)

 

Thanks for the replies.

I'm going to try the DirectX uninstall utility now to see if that helps.

I tried another tool like this before, but it gave me an error saying that it wasn't compatible with my version of windows (SP2 I assume).

So, let's see if it works.