Saving Display Settings

Which file(s) needs to be saved in order to keep my Display settings whenever I install a new SL client within the release number? For instance, within the 1.22 series, which is in a separate install folder than the 1.21 series, every time I download a new fix to it, the next time I start it I get that message saying it set my Display settings to whatever it considered to be optimal, which means I have to reset them again.

Is there something I can save off and then put back after installing the update that will keep the settings I had?

x2 from a user with an "unsupported" video card which keeps resetting back to lowest settings.

The settings are stored in files with some variation of "settings.xml" as the name.

In XP, the files by default are in C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data\SecondLife\user_settings

The settings file I have there now are
settings.xml
settings_1.21.xml
settings_crash_behavior.xml
settings_firstlookslim.xml
settings_nicholaz_EC.xml
settings_releasecandidate.xml

Other clients may put their settings files other places.

Maybe. When I recently (re)installed the RC viewer, before starting it the first time, I changed the shortcut to point to my existing settings.xml file and everything *but* the graphics settings carried over. May be part of the "detecting hardware" thingie on startup?

It's certainly possible for the viewers to not behave properly.

Those files and paths are how the setting storage works.

One of the values stored in those settings files is ProbeHardwareOnStartup .

Possibly the RC isn't responding properly to that, or perhaps LL wanted it to check the hardware despite what that value is set to, or perhaps something caused that value to be stored wrong.

I seem to remember some recent comments in the forums on this problem but I'm having trouble finding anything of much value.

https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-5861

https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-9888

You could try adding the -noprobe argument to your SL shortcut's target field.

Thanks Suezanne - I've noted that location and the files so I can save them off before my next RC update and see if it works like I want.

Same here, will try it too.

There is another place where info that affects graphics is stored, featuretable.txt, which is stored in the program files folder for the particular viewer being considered.

This defines default graphics settings based on hardware capability categories of unknown, old, and 4 numbered categories 0, 1, 2, and 3, 0 being the least capable and 3 being the most capable. It also defines exceptions to these category based settings for specific brands and models of graphics systems.

I have at one time modified featuretable.txt to correct a mistaken assumption about the capabilities of my ATI Radeon x800. Once was enough. I think that was back when there was only 1 regular viewer and one beta viewer to have to fiddle with.

And there's another file in the program folder, gpu_table.txt, that contains a table that allows the viewer to determine capability categories based on how the video card identifies itself. For example, my card identifies itself as an x800, and this table says the x800 is a capability category 2.

That's all I can say on that subject. It will someone that knows more to figure out if any of this junk could be used to keep the system from senselessly resetting people's graphics settings.

Hey Lil, this is from the Knowlege Base...

https://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4417

If you ever wish to reset your graphics settings to the way they were when you first installed Second Life, you can do so by forcing the viewer to auto-detect your graphics hardware and adjust your graphics settings accordingly.

To force Second Life to auto-detect your graphics settings:

1. Go to Edit > Preferences
2. Click on the Graphics tab.
3. Select Auto-detect
4. Close Second Life, then log back in. Second Life will try to auto-detect your graphics hardware, and adjust your graphics settings accordingly.

The problem is I don't keep them set at the settings that it thinks are best based upon my graphics card. Something like "I know what is best for me (or at least what I LIKE best), not you you stupid program".