DirectDraw "not available"?

"Matt Ion" <soundy106@gmail.com> wrote in message news:nfr9j.7081$hQ3.5630@pd7urf3no...
> nospam@sbcglobal.invalid.net wrote:
> > "Matt Ion" <soundy106@gmail.com> wrote in message news:UIq9j.7052$hQ3.5099@pd7urf3no...
> >> nospam@sbcglobal.invalid.net wrote:
> >>> "Matt Ion" <soundy106@gmail.com> wrote in message news:KYm9j.12168$_r2.3840@pd7urf1no...
> >>>> First of One wrote:
> >>>>> Yep, try without write combining.
> >>>> Didn't help.
> >>>>
> >>>>> You can also try moving the Hardware Acceleration slider back one notch.
> >>>> Urgh... I'm gonna spend all day rebooting, one tweak at a time.
> >>> You're not tweaking. You're anti-tweaking. :-)
> >>>
> >>> Dump the AMD/ATI disaster and go Intel/Nvidia. You'll thank
> >>> me later.
> >> Yeah, well, next spare couple hundred dollars I have for a replacement
> >> card, that's the first thing I have in mind.
> >>
> >> For now, it would be really nice to get this thing working properly, or
> >> at least as properly as it used to be.
> >>
> >> I guess in fairness, I can't blame AMD for this particular junker, since
> >> it's pre-takeover.
> >
> > By chance have you recently installed any codec packs (such as
> > K-Lite)? These are notorious for causing video problems.
>
> None that I recall, at least not recently. This error is a relatively
> recent development (like, within the last three-four months or so, at
> least since it became noticeable).
>
> Are there any PARTICULAR codecs that are known to be problematic, that I
> could check for?

Hacked/cracked MPEG4/DivX codecs are by far the worst
culprits. Hacked/cracked MPEG2 codecs run a distant second.

FH wrote:
> First of One wrote:
>> Not to insult your intelligence, but the Hardware Acceleration slider
>> is set to full, right? Wonder if some app or driver installed
>> previously may have turned it down.
>>
>> Display Properties -> Settings tab -> Advanced -> Troubleshoot tab
>>
> Listen man, do not blame ati if you ate inadept technologically,

Yeah, I guess if 15 years working with PCs and 10+ doing IT
professionally makes one "inadept technologically"...

But then I suppose that level of experience should make anyone magically
able to compensate for ****ty manufacturer driver support.

> latast ati drivers are crud for older hardware like yours , they
seem to
> break 3d dx functions, especially d3d

No kidding.

nospam@sbcglobal.invalid.net wrote:
> "Matt Ion" <soundy106@gmail.com> wrote in message news:nfr9j.7081$hQ3.5630@pd7urf3no...
>> nospam@sbcglobal.invalid.net wrote:
>>> "Matt Ion" <soundy106@gmail.com> wrote in message news:UIq9j.7052$hQ3.5099@pd7urf3no...
>>>> nospam@sbcglobal.invalid.net wrote:
>>>>> "Matt Ion" <soundy106@gmail.com> wrote in message news:KYm9j.12168$_r2.3840@pd7urf1no...
>>>>>> First of One wrote:
>>>>>>> Yep, try without write combining.
>>>>>> Didn't help.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> You can also try moving the Hardware Acceleration slider back one notch.
>>>>>> Urgh... I'm gonna spend all day rebooting, one tweak at a time.
>>>>> You're not tweaking. You're anti-tweaking. :-)
>>>>>
>>>>> Dump the AMD/ATI disaster and go Intel/Nvidia. You'll thank
>>>>> me later.
>>>> Yeah, well, next spare couple hundred dollars I have for a replacement
>>>> card, that's the first thing I have in mind.
>>>>
>>>> For now, it would be really nice to get this thing working properly, or
>>>> at least as properly as it used to be.
>>>>
>>>> I guess in fairness, I can't blame AMD for this particular junker, since
>>>> it's pre-takeover.
>>> By chance have you recently installed any codec packs (such as
>>> K-Lite)? These are notorious for causing video problems.
>> None that I recall, at least not recently. This error is a relatively
>> recent development (like, within the last three-four months or so, at
>> least since it became noticeable).
>>
>> Are there any PARTICULAR codecs that are known to be problematic, that I
>> could check for?
>
> Hacked/cracked MPEG4/DivX codecs are by far the worst
> culprits. Hacked/cracked MPEG2 codecs run a distant second.

Only DivX on this thing is straight from divx.com

Matt Ion wrote:
> If ain't one thing it's another with this rig...
>
> So now I'm getting various different apps (most notably Nero ShowTime)
> reporting that "This application requires DirectDraw Acceleration, which
> is not available in your system."
>
> I have checked dxdiag, as the dialog suggests, and the DirectDraw
> Acceleration option is "Not Available", the Disable button greyed out.
> The "Test DirectDraw" button runs all the tests and returns: "DirectDraw
> test results: All tests were successful."
>
> I've run the ATI uninstaller and reinstalled the latest (7.11) Catalyst
> drivers, I've reinstalled the motherboard AGP drivers, I've reinstalled
> DirectX 9.0c, all to no avail.
>
> System specs:
> ASUS A8V-Deluxe
> 3GB RAM
> Athlon64 3000+
> Radeon 9800Pro All-in-Wonder
> XP Pro/SP2 (32-bit)
>
> NOW what???

Here are a bunch of people discussing the same symptoms back in 2006:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=436680

Maybe one of those suggestions can help.

Matt Ion wrote:
> nospam@sbcglobal.invalid.net wrote:
>> "Steph" <steph@vancouvers.island> wrote in message
>> news:JU_8j.8501$_r2.7497@pd7urf1no...
>>> "First of One" <root@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
>>> news:YN2dnWrd66NN6fnanZ2dnUVZ_vKunZ2d@giganews.com ...
>>>> Try Catalyst 7.8. Newer Catalysts are known to break DirectDraw (and by
>>>> extension D3D) for some users of AGP cards.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>
>>> Before that, I would reinstall directx 9c
>>
>> Also check the AGP Aperture size in your system bios. If it's
>> 64MB (or lower) it might cause this problem.
>
> I'll check that, but I don't think it will even go below 64MB on this
> board. Thanks.
>
> Fak, I DON'T want to backlevel the f'n driver AGAIN... it means running
> the f'n uninstall-f'n-everything-ATI program AGAIN.
>
> This will be my last ATI card EVER.


Reloaded ALL mobo drivers?