ATI Mobility 9200 problems

[cadamus]

Hey all,

I have a Presario X1000 with an ATI Mobility 9200 card. I have 1.5 GB of memory, and an Intel 1700 M proc.

I was able to get the tutorial to run and I played one game on a standard size map. Now whenever I try to start a game the game hangs right after the click to start playing prompt. I can see that it has my settler selected, but I can't center the map, I can't scroll and the gui doesn't appear. I end up with a black screen with the icon that indicates my settler unit is off the screen somewhere. The only thing I can do is actually turn off my PC. The funny thing is that the tutorial still runs. I have tried setting all the graphics setting all teh way to low and still nothing. I did also have to use the unpak utility to get the game to run. Any ideas?

TIA

Cad

[linuviel]

hey, i also have a presario x1000 with a mobility 9200 andi have the exact same problem as you, however i did manage to get the game to run if the map size is set on duel. =/, but it just freezes with the black screen if i start a standard sized game =(

[SuperMario]

Really clutching at straws here, but have anyone of you solved this problem? I cannot get rid of it, even after the patch.
I have an ati mobility radeon 9200 64Mb card, intel centrino 1,6ghz, 512 mb ram.

[Firehawk77]

exact same problem

I have a hp pavilion zt3000 1.5 Centrino with 512MB of RAM and a 64MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9200. I've noticed that when I can get through the intro without spock talking, I'm able to play for about 2 turns before it crashes. If not, then he keeps talking as the start game button or whatever comes up with the black background screen, and eventually the sound stops, the mouse pointer disappears, and I have to shut down the computer with the power switch. Patch helped NOTHING on this (and it was done from a completely clean install with no playing before installing the patch). Upon restart, the computer tells me there was a critical error with my video card. I have the latest drivers (which you have to get through HP because ATI doesn't support this version card apparently, just through the HP people. I'd really like it if the twits who sold me this game would get off their duffs and fix the rampant problems, as I meet the minimums and would like to play sometime before Civ V comes out.

[SuperMario]

I have an hp comaq nx7010 and found out (with help from sgarg at civfanatics forum) that the catalyst 5.6 (omega 2642) driver works with my mobility radeon 9200 graphics card.´
I installed and now I am able to start games! Every time! I haven't played for any long time yet, but hopfully the omega drivers does not cause any other problems...

I believe that that driver is the one for the pressrio x1000 also. The zt3000 I don't know, but it should maybe be woth a try?

[danb@mailme.dk]

HP pavilion zt3000

I have a HP pavilion zt3000 1.5 GHz centrino with 512 MB ram and a mobility radeon 9200 graphics card. When I start Civ4 I hear only the music, no graphics appear whatsoever after the loading screen disappears.

It seems my system is almost identical to Firehawk77's. Could you PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me if and how you've fixed the problems? I would be very grateful.

I've tried downloading Catalyst drivers version 5.13 from ATI, but the won't install om my system. Have you tried version 5.6 as suggested and did that work?

One more thing: where did you find that update from HP you spoke of? Maybe I need that as well.

Thank you.

Dan

[Firehawk77]

reply

I have just tried downloading and running the new 1.52 update and it doesn't seem to be working (though after a reinstall I didn't even get the videos, which was new and weird, but I got the videos after that and nimoy's voice still causes the lockup). I have uninstalled everything and am rerunning the 1.52 setup WITHOUT loading the game first to see if I can maybe get it to work that way. Ugh. I hate this freaking company. Pathetic. I don't think it's going to work, but that's where I stand. Anyone with any knowhow about making the game work with the new patch would be greatly appreciated.

[Firehawk77]

just tried

to get the thing running with the uninstalled (and deleted cache and everything) and I did get the tutorial to run properly (a nice change of pace at least). But anytime I try and start a new game, after I click on start game, I just get the head (of the warrior I assume) with an arrow pointing to him, the autosave message thing is there, the rest of the screen is black. Nimoy then starts speaking, but then the audio cuts out and the entire program quits running and I have to power the system down, same as before. I really cannot express how much I HATE THIS STUPID COMPANY because I have gotten zilch for help from their tech support and on here. The entire experience has been pretty much lousy from start to finish. I'd like to start cursing, but will go ahead and stop this rant before it degenerates any further.

[danb@mailme.dk]

same problems here

Thanks for your answer.

After getting updated graphics drivers from HP's american website (these drivers were not available from the danish HP site, which was weird because they actually have danish language support), I was able to start the game, watch the intro movie and run the tutorial with no problems at all.

BUT! When I try and start a proper game I have the exact same problems as you. Black screen except for the arrow pointing to the settler, the autosave info and a few other things. The voice starts speaking, but after a few words the game crashes and I have to boot.

Anyway, if you work something out I would be very happy if you would let me know.

Dan

[Firehawk77]

Pyrrhic victory?

So I decided on an experiment. I loaded up a game and got it going some on another computer which this POS game works on. I then e-mailed the saved game to myself on the laptop with the specs posted above. And voila! The game works, with the only minor bug that the "window" around where you are in the world map is messed up (it shows two long white bars that extend all the way to the right (it's not a square like it should be, just two lines). Anyway, I can generally see where I am anyway on it, so no big deal. The wonder movies work, as does spock's voice on a new technology being discovered (I had thought this might be the problem since that's where it freezes on a new game). Basically, I've done the techies' work for them at 2K and the problem and freezing is located only at whatever is running when you start a new game. OTHERWISE, THE GAME WORKS FINE. Sorry for the caps, I'm trying to get the attention of someone who knows far more about computers than me. Anyhoo, a patch that fixed the obviously widespread problems on ATI Mobility Radeon cards (someone else with a 9000 card has the problem too apparently) so that I can play this game when I go back to school. Instead of, you know, actually studying. This game is like crack.

[Firehawk77]

sorry

meant to say that a patch that FIXED the widespread problems in ATI mobility radeon cards would be nice

[KeeperDave]

Patch for video card

go to http://www.omegadrivers.net/ and use their drivers, fixed my problems straight away, that with the 1.5 patch made the game a lot more tollerable

[KeeperDave]

if this works we need to sticky it as a fix for all fellow civ4/ati mobilty users

[Fondue]

Hi
I also have a mobility radeon 9200 and i also encounter the same problems (main menu appears, but my computer crashes when starting a game).
but if i chose the smallest map size (duell), i am able to play without problems.
but it is unsatisfying to play always the smallest mag size, so there should be an other solution....

[KeeperDave]

Originally posted by Fondue
Hi
I also have a mobility radeon 9200 and i also encounter the same problems (main menu appears, but my computer crashes when starting a game).
but if i chose the smallest map size (duell), i am able to play without problems.
but it is unsatisfying to play always the smallest mag size, so there should be an other solution....

did you try the drivers I suggested?