Chapter 2: Getting Games to Run Right
Out-of-the-box solutions to gaming's most vexing problem
Nothing is more troubling than buying a hot new game only to find that you can't get it to run. This chapter tells you what to do to target the problem in your computer (or in the game) and things you can do to fix it - like getting the latest drivers and patches, dealing with software conflicts, refreshing and reinstalling Windows, and more.
How Not to Be Among the Chosen Few
There are more computer games out there than ever before. That must mean more people are playing games. While this is a good thing, the ultimate result is that more people are having problems with their games right out of the box. A lot of people tell me that it's because Windows 95/98 and DirectX are more complex. But I'm not entirely convinced. It may be the game. It may be your system. Or both. Regardless, I am sure that many people seem to have no problems at all, which makes it even more frustrating when you seem to be one of the "chosen few" who can't get his games to work or run right. And if you're among the latter group, you've come to the right place.
Divided into three distinct sections, this chapter covers all big bases in an effort to get your games (and your systems) to run the way they ought:
The Easy section discusses the simplest things you can go to get that darned game to run right. It's here where I talk about things like reading all the documentation that came with the game, how to go about looking for the latest drivers and patches, and how to handle software conflicts.
The Hard contains information about performing a refresh install of Windows 95/98 or, if that doesn't help, a complete reinstall of Windows 95/98.
The Expensive is the chapter to turn to when all else fails. It's here I talk about purchasing and using uninstaller software and replacing outdated hardware.
One last word before we get busy: I recall endless hours of trying to squeeze out enough lower memory with arcane DOS memory managers, futzing around with VESA TSRs, and trying to figure out which sound driver would actually work. But it was very easy to get into the guts of MS-DOS and figure out what was going on. With Windows 95/98, there are a lot of layers that can hide the actual problem - plus, there's more stuff going on in your system that may have nothing to do with games but can cause conflicts.
Next: The Easy
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