Have All Requirements But SL Not Working

K, we just got a new computer and it's a Sony VIAO. It's a desktop and it has an Nvidia graphics card, plenty of everything else (I checked the wiki to see if my computer could run SL and I'm well above the requirements).

However, a few problems: I'm getting the "GDI Generic" error message, but when I try to update with Nvidia drivers, Nvidea tells me I don't have the correct hardware for it and exits the installation.

The Device Manager tells me that the graphics card is working fine. Apparently it is an Nvidia RIVA TNT2 Model 64/Model 64 Pro, whatever that means.

I have 2 devices that are as yet unidentified and I can't locate the drivers for them or install them correctly. I have no idea what they are, but one has been labelled "Multimedia Video Controller" which probably has something to do with SL.

One more note: this computer, while new to me, was given to us by a friend so I don't have all the software that is already installed on this computer.

Can anyone help me???

As a sidenote -- HalfLife 2 runs perfectly.

According to http://secondlife.com/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=Identifying+your+graphics+card, the TNT card is not supported. You should be able to pick up an NVIDIA FX5200 PCI card (if your computer doesn't have an AGP slot), for under $50.

First, what model of Vaio do you have? The Nvidia driver SHOULD detect a TNT2. Is it possible it's not really a Nvidia card? Which driver did you attempt to install?

The quickest way to actually find out might be to check the card itself. Have you ever poked around inside a computer before? If so, just power down and take the card out to see what it says.

How long ago did you get this computer? Is it used? (I have to assume it must be, if it has a TNT2.) What CPU and how much RAM does it have?

Also, Alan is right -- the TNT2 isn't supported, but you do have a much better chance of getting SL working with it than say, someone with an Intel Graphics system. There's "not supported" and then there's "will not work, ever."

I'm at work right now but I'll find out what sort of VIAO it is as soon as I get home.

When I look at the device manager, it says the date that the card was installed was 5/04, so the computer and the card are at least nearly a year old. (Hey, that's when I joined SL! )

Anyway, that's disappointing to learn that TNT isn't supported by SL. SL really needs to work on that. I'll check on the CPU and RAM (I think it's 512) later on.

Catherine, how do I remove a graphics card? I don't have the computer in front of me now, but is there usually a slot that says "Graphics Card" on there?

Thanks for the help!

It's not that the Lindens are lazy or don't think it's worth trying to get SL to run well on a TNT, it's more that the TNT is a really, really old card.

The TNT GPU has around 15 million transistors. That sounds like a lot, but a top of the line card sold today like the GeForce 6800 Ultra has more like 222 million. Even the very slowest cards in the $50-$75 range have 75-100 million transistors.

Compare these benchmarks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The five sets of tests aren't done on comparable systems, but there's overlap on each chart. As you can see, the TNT2 is in the very bottom of the first chart. It just doesn't have the computing power to meet SL's needs.

Try to find out the model of computer first -- it may be that the TNT2 was standard on that model, and so, you can avoid poking around in there. If you can't find anything conclusive, I can point you to some helpful guides.

Is it possible that the VIAO has onboard graphics, and that older card was put in by the previous owner? I have the same card that was bought a couple of years ago for an older machine just so I could play some low end 3D games. At the time, it was the cheapest 3D card at around $30.

Catherine, thanks for the info about not-supported vs. not usable. It is good to know that, if all my other cards blow out, I still might be able to get my fix with the TNT2!

Yeah, that's why I'm curious to know the exact model, to find out if it has onboard video, or what.

TNT cards are not compatible, as they don't support the rendering standard Second Life uses. The GeForce series was a major step above and beyond the TNT cards, as they added a hardware Transformation and Lighting (T&L) engine as well as pure speed. The GeForce2 expanded the feature set to include many other features as well as full support for the rendering standard we're using. From what I've seen, most OpenGL games using the same standard all require GeForce2 or better (or ATI of course).

Thank you

I guess Lo's goin' shoppin'!

Is this a "new" new computer or an "old" new computer (meaning previously owned)? I was just wondering since that Riva card is a few generations behind.

Believe it or not, new machines still ship with them, sometimes onboard. There's plenty of TNT2s, Intel Extremes, and S3TC/SIS cards out there still to keep me busy for some time. ;^)