Second Life Client won't load

For the last week or so I haven't been able to get the Second Life application to load beyond the frame. It previosly loaded fine. The only difference is I added a new video card to my system. Would that cause the application to load the frame only? I have tried uninstalling the SL application and loading the latest version, but the problem remains. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

System specs?

The answer to your video card question is potentially yes. What card is it, and what driver version are you using for it?

Selectively copied from DxDiag:

Operating System: Windows Vista™ Ultimate (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.vistasp1_gdr.080917-1612)
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) X2 Dual Core Processor BE-2350 (2 CPUs), ~2.1GHz
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
Driver Name: nvd3dum.dll,nvwgf2um.dll
Driver Version: 7.15.0011.6371 (English)


Not sure what other specs you need ... :-\

Looks like you're using a 163 series driver. Try upgrading to a newer version. The 175 series is the most SL-friendly right now.

If you're using 32-bit Vista, try this one: http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x86_175.19_whql.html

If it's 64-bit, this one: http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x64_175.19_whql.html


For best results when changing driver versions, follow these steps:

1. Download your new driver, but don't try to install it yet.

2. Go to drivercleaner.net, and purchase a copy of DriverCleaner for $10. It's well worth the investment. I usually say I'd gladly pay at least 10 times the price for it.

3. Uninstall your current driver via Control Panel -> Programs and Features

4. Reboot to Safe Mode. Do this by tapping F8 repeatedly as the computer is first starting, to get to the boot manager screen, and then pick Safe Mode from the list.

5. Run Driver Cleaner.

6. Reboot normally. Windows may prompt you at this point to automatically install a driver for your video card. Don't let it. Just cancel out of the New Hardware wizard.

7. Now double-click on the new driver you downloaded, and follow the on-screen prompts to install it.


With any luck, SL should be a lot happier now. If it still doesn't work, then something other than the video driver must be at fault.

YAY! Thank-you very much ... although I didn't follow your steps excactly. I am very lazy, you see, and instead just went to the device manager and tried to update the drivers for my graphics card ... don't know why I didn't think to do that when I installed it ... anyway, to make a long story short, I now have a second life again.

Thanks again

Glad to hear it's working.

Just be careful with upgrading drivers the way you did it. It can sometimes lead to problems. Here's are few things worth keeping in mind:

1. Upgrading via Device Manager doesn't give you a choice of which specific driver version to install. It will just pick the newest one Microsoft has listed. That won't necessarily be the best one available. Device maker's websites, on the other hand, typically archive all driver versions, going back at least several years, so you can install any specific version you need. Not all software works best with the "latest and greatest" drivers. In SL's case, nVidia drivers from around 6-8 months ago work better than nVidia drivers released more recently.

2. Device Manager doesn't do a very thorough job. It will install base components, but not always all supporting components. As a result, not all features of your device may be functional or accessible. To make sure all options continue to work, it's always best to download drivers directly from the vendor, and install them manually.

3. Perhaps most importantly, it's not generally a good idea to install new drivers on top of old ones. In most cases, it will work if you just do it once or twice, but over time, it can lead to serious problems. To keep your computer healthy, always thoroughly uninstall an old driver before installing its replacement. Otherwise, you can end up with conflicting file versions, which eventually will cause trouble.


I hope that helps.