Known graphics-related issues that you may experience when you play Shadowrun for Windows Vista

This article describes the known graphics-related issues that you may experience when you play Microsoft Shadowrun for Windows Vista.

General troubleshooting information

Install the latest drivers

If you experience graphics-related issues, such as a black (blank) screen, or slow performance in Shadowrun for Windows Vista, download and then install the latest video card driver.

The video card lets you see graphics on the screen. A driver is a piece of software that enables the operating system (Microsoft Windows) to communicate with the hardware in the computer. A driver acts as a translator between the hardware and the operating system. The latest driver for the video card can enable more efficient use of the video card features to improve the performance of the game. Generally companies release their drivers regularly for the video cards to keep up the pace with the ever-changing software technologies.

To download and install the latest drivers, contact the computer or video hardware manufacturer. See the "References" section for more information about how to contact the computer or video hardware manufacturer.

To determine the name and the manufacturer of the video adapter, follow these steps on a Windows Vista-based computer:

1. Open the Direct X Diagnostic Tool. To do this, click Start
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   , type dxdiag in the Start Search box, and then click dxdiag.exe in the Programs list.
2. Click the Display tab.
3. Under Device, look for Name and Manufacturer.
4. Click Exit.

To see whether applicable driver updates are available, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
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   , type Windows Update in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
2. Click Check for updates.
3. After the scan is complete, click View available updates.
4. Select the update that you want to install, and then click Install.

The graphics hardware error message

General graphics issues

Gamma display

When the display is not in full-screen mode, you cannot adjust the gamma display, even though you can change the gamma slider. No resolution exists for this issue.

Screen resolutions

The following resolutions are not supported:

• 1152 x 648 pixels
• 1440 x 900 pixels

Multiple monitors

Multiple monitors are not supported in Shadowrun for Windows Vista.

For information about how to contact a graphics hardware or software manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: