I just reformatted my Windows Xp because it sucked so bad and now it just seems worse. 3 problems now

1. When I try to play Diablo2 it says "A critical error has occured when initializing Direct Draw" and I cannot play

2. It seems like there is more to the screen. When I move my mouse to the left,right,down, or up alot the mouse disappears from the screen as if there is more to the picture but it cannot be seen because the monitor isnt big enough. THIS IS VERY ANNOYING!

3. When clicking the scroll down button (on internet) the comp. goes extremely slow and you can see it on screen (like school computers do). And when dragging a window the same thing happens, as if your moving it to fast and multiple window-clones appear and disappear (like leaving a trail behind each dragged window

Plzz help me!!

Remember, just reformatted computer

OK, I don't know your level of computer skill/ability, so I will start with the basics-if non of these are the issue, we will continue on to more advanced areas.

1)Did you install the correct, most current motherboard drivers? They would be on a disk that came from your motherboard-or read your motherboard for manufacturer and model.

2)Did you install the most current video card driver-assuming you have a separate video card. (this is a major issue)

3)Did you install direct x 9C from microsoft site-if not here is alink.( This is a major issue)

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...&displaylang=en

this will download a small program onto your computer. run the program-double click it, and it will connect to microsoft and update your direct x as needed.

4)did you download the correct, most current driver for your monitor -it will not cause this error, but the proper driver will improve you video performance-really!

Because it wants to use direct draw and not 3D-I think it is your video driver and direct x issue. I have played this game for a long time.

Provide feed back on your results and I hope these ideas resolve your problem.

Yes I installed Direct X but I cant find it anywhere on my computer and diablo still doesnt work.

I installed it again but I still cant find it anywhere

Diablo 2 worked before the reformatting... so i obviously have a graphics card.

Have you loaded the latest driver for your video card? (this was my best guess as to the problem)

I realize windows can find a driver for the card, but trust me download the most current driver from the video card manufacturers site and reboot.

BTW, some motherboards have video built into them-called onboard video.

and you do that... how?

Do you know the Brand and model of your video card-I am guessing not from your reply. Here is how you can do it from windows XP. (this assumes you have the "stock" xp start/programs setup)

hit the start button, find the "my computer" and right click it. A menu will pop up. click on the "properties". a new box should pop up called "system properties"-it says it at the top. There is a tab-second row, third from the right, that says "hardware", click it You should now be able to see a large button that says_Devise Manager_click it.
Forth item from the top should say"display device" and have a + infront of it. click on the + sign and it should tell you what card you have-for example"Nvidia Gforce 4200" or ATI 9200. Those are the two big manufacturers-they account for 85% of the market.

Nvidai drivers
http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
just answer what card you have-second box and your operating system-third box and follow directions from there.

ATI drivers
https://support.ati.com/ics/support/default...dge&folderID=27
pick your type of card and follow directions.

Greeaat News... I just installed the Nvidia driver because thats the thing I had/have before the reformat... now my computer starts up, then the screen just stays black.. cant see the mouth, nothing. Just black. You cant do anything...

why did you reformat your computer anyway? i hate when people format thier computers, thats usually not the answer to the problem....im not A+ certified but im 100% positive i can be if i took the test, and formatting is the last resort method of fixing a computer problem, i just really wish you asked about the problems you were expieriencing before you decided to take this step

Check to make sure the video card is well seated. check the video cable at both the computer and the monitor. Even a bad video driver should not cause a back screen. BTW, what exact video card do you have? When you turn on the computer, does it makes any beeps?

Doesn't Windows XP have a restore point?

You are correct. Your turn to take him/her through the step by step process.

Although they have to resolve the blank screen issue first.

I thank everyone for their help but this computer is so awful even when it was working... slow as hell, all my games lagged. Hewlett Packard's are the worst computers ever and I do not reccomend it to ANYONE! And it gives major headaches...

Im buying a new computer I was wondering if this one would be fast, reliable, and most of all: works well with games and hopefully NO LAG!!
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/f...s=19&l=en&s=dhs

most definetly, however he reformatted his hard drive....this is why you should never format, system restore will be useless now

Hey, I didn't know. Just throwing an idea out that I thought would help.

Does the screen say video card connected or whatever? I had problems awhile ago while playing games, it would black out and lag like crazy or a blue error screen would pop up. I had all the drivers and everything installed...it was just that my video card wasn't compatible with my mother board. It worked fine for the first few months though. Once i got a new video card, everything worked fine after that. Dunno if this helps you any..

For number...

1. Get a crack for diablo, i had that problem and it worked for me

2. change the resolution of your monitor to a higher one. Right click on desktop>properties>settings

3. Maybe too many programs are loading up when windows starts up causing it to slow down. Get more RAM or remove some programs

Those are just basic solutions. You know what they say, 'the simplest solution is usually the correct one' or something like that

Im not even bothering to fix it now guys.

I think the lesson here is: Dont do something stupid like reformatting your computer when you don't know what the heck you're doing...

lol, seriously


---



send me your old one

I didn't reformat it. My sister did. (a long time ago)

But its been reformated like 6-10 times so far... lol... oh well.

You MUST know someone nearby who can help you, surely? Its not actually THAT difficult, just needs someone with experience...