Troubleshooting

This page describes common problems you may encounter when installing or running Apocalypse 3Dx.

Click the bullet below for the solution.

	The application display is corrupted.
	The Start menu and Windows menus contain corrupted text, or text is missing.
	When running an application that uses PowerSGL or Direct3D, the system freezes or restarts.
	I am not given the D3D Hal option with the D3D demos.
	When running an application that uses PowerSGL the system restarts.
	The Use Hardware Accelerator option within an application is grayed out.
	The application display is corrupted, textures are corrupted or missing, rendering is corrupted, the machine crashes.
	The Apocalypse 3Dx Display Properties options are all grayed out.
	Some textures within the game are corrupt.
	All game menus are displayed correctly but when playing a game, it fails to display the screen correctly.
	Mouse control in D3D applications is very jerky.
	When using Apocalypse 3Dx with AWARD BIOS and the S3 968 or 868 chipset the system crashes.
	When using a Matrox display card, my computer hangs when a Direct3D game goes into full screen.
	When running MageSlayer parts of the introduction screens are corrupted.
	I have enabled bilinear filtering in an application, but the graphics still look unfiltered.
	Nightmare Creatures runs slowly.

The application display is corrupted.

Your graphics system may not support the required DirectX version. Reinstall DirectX from the Apocalypse CD-ROM, which you can do through the Drivers option on the Apocalypse Home Page. If the problem persists, contact your graphics card vendor.

The Start menu and Windows menus contain corrupted text, or text is missing.

After playing a game in 8-bit display mode, your computer has changed from 8-bit to 16-bit display mode automatically, which your display driver may not be able to support.

Restart your computer in 16-bit mode. Refer to the documentation supplied with your graphics card if you need help with this.

To avoid this problem in future, your PC should be in a 16-bit display mode before playing a game.

When running an application that uses PowerSGL or Direct3D, the system freezes restarts.

You may have installed Apocalypse 3Dx into a PCI bus slot that does not have bus-mastering capability. Install the card into a slot that supports bus-mastering.

I am not given the D3D Hal option with the D3D demos.

Ensure that you have the DirectX graphics drivers installed, and that your computer is in a display mode greater or equal to 16 bits per pixel (65,536 colors). If your system reportean Invalid Page Fault or a General Protection Fault, restart your system.

When running an application that uses PowerSGL the system restarts.

The display driver may not support buffer flipping. To support flipping the amount of free off-screen memory must be greater than the current on-screen memory.

The Use Hardware Accelerator option within an application is grayed out.

The application is currently set to run in a graphics resolution that cannot be accelerated by Apocalypse 3Dx. Setting the application’s graphics mode to a lower resolution mode makes the check-box available.

Apocalypse 3Dx is not being recognised by the system. If you have sufficient technical knowledge, check that it is in System Properties, check the BIOS, IRQ allocations etc, otherwise contact VideoLogic through one of the points listed in the technical support section of the user guide.

The application display is corrupted, textures are corrupted or missing, rendering is corrupted, the machine crashes.

These are general 3D rendering problems that might be solved by using the Apocalypse 3Dx Display Properties page.

The Apocalypse 3Dx Display Properties options are all grayed out.

You have probably disabled PowerVR with another utility, such as the 3D Control Center (3DCC). Re-enable PowerVR with the utility.

Some textures within the game are corrupt.

Try adding the game to the application list on the Apocalypse 3Dx Display Properties page, and switching on Automatic MIP mapping.

All game menus are displayed correctly but when playing a game, it fails to display the screen correctly.

Try adding the game to the application list on the Apocalypse 3Dx Display Properties page, and switching on Render Overlap.

Mouse control in D3D applications is very jerky.

Try changing 3D Acceleration to Standard on the Apocalypse 3Dx Display Properties page.

When using Apocalypse 3Dx with AWARD BIOS and the S3 968 or 868 chipset the system crashes.

Try changing the memory allocation for the Apocalypse 3Dx card to a range outside the 64 MB used by your graphics card.

When using a Matrox display card, my computer hangs when a Direct3D game goes into full screen.

Update your Matrox display drivers to v3.63 or later.

Try changing 3D Acceleration to Standard on the Apocalypse 3Dx Display Properties page.

When running MageSlayer parts of the introduction screens are corrupted.

Try adding the game to the application list on the Apocalypse 3Dx Display Properties page, and switching off Render Overlap. The executable for MageSlayer is called mageslay.exe.

Disabling Render Overlap will make the MageSlayer gameplay slightly slower.

I have enabled bilinear filtering in an application, but the graphics still look unfiltered.

Try adding the game to the application list on the Apocalypse 3Dx Display Properties page, and switching on Dithering.

Nightmare Creatures runs slowly.

Add the switch -NOVBLWAIT to the command line when starting the game. This will increase the speed, but may cause some textures to appear differently.