NWN on Windows7

[Nighthawk4]

I have just installed NWN (all three parts) on Windows7. I had to use the critical rebuild to patch as it seems there isn't a patch from a new install to 1.69.

I double click the icon, I get the menu. Update confirms it is fully patched.
I select either Play or DM and it drops me back to the desktop.

Any ideas please?

I can play Sims3 and several other 3D games, so I don't think it is the graphics drivers.

This hardware has run NWN before - I just replaced the hard drive with a spare and installed Windows7 to replace Vista.

[Nighthawk4]

Oddly enough, if I double click on NWMain.exe, it runs fine - apart from the missing haks and tlk.

Even more odd

[Gorgon]

Sounds like some of the old video driver issues on vista and xp. I have no experience with Win7, so update them and search Google?

[Talwin Hawkins]

not sure what the problem is, but i have been running nwn on win 7 for 6months at least with no issues, other than the annoying one where you have to turn off the intromovies otherwise it freezes.

[Nighthawk4]

Even better.

After spending most of the week setting this machine up, with a replacement hard drive, Windows7, a variety of games installed, only requiring the haks so I can use it for Avlis - I switched on this morning and .......


........ no picture!!


It has started up and is running. I heard the sound when it logged into Windows7, but the screen is blank. The monitor says 'no signal'. I plugged the monitor into my Macmini and tried that and it is fine, so it seems that after all that work the video card has failed.

Unfortunately, it is one of those small sized PCs, so I think the graphics card is probably integrated into the motherboard.

What perfect timing

[Albion]

If there is actually a video card its worth taking it out, giving it a clean escecially the part that goes into the PCI/AGP slot and reseating it.

Sometimes the card will work loose and not be making proper contact with the slot.

[Nighthawk4]

It is a very small footprint HP computer, so I am pretty sure the graphics card is integrated, although it is an nVidia one, not Intel.


Edit - I opened it up and it is not integrated. However, it is a very small card - clearly a special one for the small footprint PCs - so probably not the sort of thing easily replaced. I blew the dust off it and reseated it - same result

Anyone know if you can buy replacements for those? Would it be worth the cost?

[Buddha]

Is it in a PCI-E slot? If all you need is a low-profile PCI-E card, they can be had for anywhere from ~$35 - $110 on Newegg.

Low Profile Cards

[S?retur]

A low-end card shouldn't cost more than £20-30. Ports are standard, so all you need to know is whether you have an AGP or PCIE slot in there.

[Xaila]

I had some weird graphics card errors/crashes when I first started using Windows 7 too, but since it's officially gone retail there have been new drivers and it works fine now. I'd say look for some driver updates, but I imagine that'll be kind of hard if you're not getting a picture at all :\

[spool32]

if nwmain.exe works to launch the game I'm not seeing the problem

[Nighthawk4]

if nwmain.exe works to launch the game I'm not seeing the problem

That was last night. Today there is no picture at all.

[Nighthawk4]

According to the HP site it is:

PCIe graphics card (ComancheD) - nVIDIA G72GS 7500LE, 256MB, low profile (Exchange)

If I use the US site, it is available. However, the UK site says it is not.

[Albion]

Just make sure it is the card before you replace it.

Do you know anybody who has a simular machine you could try the card in that machine then see what happens.

[Trole]

According to the HP site it is:

PCIe graphics card (ComancheD) - nVIDIA G72GS 7500LE, 256MB, low profile (Exchange)

If I use the US site, it is available. However, the UK site says it is not.

good news this means you can use any half size card as a replacement, most half sized grafics cards come with either full size or low profile plates for adapting them to your low profile case.. How do you tell if its a half sized /low profile adaptable card? take a good look at the pic on the box it'll look smaller and only be 2.5 -3( give or take) inches wide.. full sized are ( give or take)5 inches wide... you don't need to go with the exact replacement of said 7500 le.. you can put a better card in it ..but when you reboot after the new card is installed you will want to either start in safemode so you can pull out the old vid drivers or hope like hell it ignores the installed vid drivers and lets you uninstall them then install the new drivers for the new card..

[Nighthawk4]

According to the HP site it is:

PCIe graphics card (ComancheD) - nVIDIA G72GS 7500LE, 256MB, low profile (Exchange)

If I use the US site, it is available. However, the UK site says it is not.

I am not good with these things, but I think this one would work - and would be better than the broken one. Is that correct please?

[Buddha]

That one is lovely, unfortunately, it doesn't "go up to eleven."

Win 7 fields Direct X 11, but then again, Direct X 10 is way beyond what you need for NWN. That card should work fine and be fairly impressive.

EDIT: Now that I actually look, I'm not sure that there IS a viable video card that supports Direct X 11 yet (or that at least specifically states that it does). I stand by my recommendation that the card you picked will work amazingly well.

[Nighthawk4]

That one is lovely, unfortunately, it doesn't "go up to eleven."

Win 7 fields Direct X 11, but then again, Direct X 10 is way beyond what you need for NWN. That card should work fine and be fairly impressive.

Thanks - for £22.28 it is worth a try.


Are there any low-profile PCIe nVidia cards which can do DX11 please?

[Buddha]

Are there any low-profile PCIe nVidia cards which can do DX11 please?

See my edit. I'm not sure there are even full sized cards that advertise support for 11.

EDIT TO THE EDIT: Looks like Radeon has some out. But, meh. Direct X 10 will be fine.

[Nighthawk4]

Are there any low-profile PCIe nVidia cards which can do DX11 please?

See my edit. I'm not sure there are even full sized cards that advertise support for 11.

EDIT TO THE EDIT: Looks like Radeon has some out. But, meh. Direct X 10 will be fine.

This one says Windows7 compatble and looks even better, although it does not say DX11.

[nwmblondy]

On subject (ish) How is Windows 7? If the new rig gets the go ahead next week I'll be looking to get either a 64 bit version of XP or Win7, not Vista as everything I've read abotu it just says that XP or Win7 is more what I'm looking for, actually a lot of websites say that XP and Win7 perform much better than Vista in almost all cases, I do like XP but possibly Win7 is the way forwards?

Either way it has to be, to my understanding, 64 bit to make use of all the wonderful 4 gig of RAM as 32bit will only use 3.2 gig and thats wasting a whole 0.8, almost the same as my old system had in total! (and that 0.8 is important to me as I play a lot of Football Manager, or simular, where I think RAM plays a large part of the runnign speed of the game, I think...)

[Cougar]

NH4 - a word of caution to you low profile does not always mean width but height when it comes to video cards. I did check the manufacturer's website and you are in lck that is the right size card for your case, but if you plan on spending the cash I would recommend spending the additional and go for this one and double your video RAM. The performance boost is well worth the small additional fee.

As far as it working for Win7 - it will do fine I have a system at work we have been using obsoleted Intel video with and not having any issues with, granted we are not attempting to play games on it but you get the idea. And for anyone else wondering Win7 is far superior to Vista in performance. Things that would perform sluggishly on Vista now are incredibly better. Microsoft actually listened to the business/gaming communities for once. For instance a system with only 1 GB of RAM in Vista was terribly slow, especially loading. The same system loaded with Win7, loads in the same amount of time as XP does on the exact same system.

Our test system at work is common business system we use at work and has the following spec;
Celeron E1500 2.2 GHz
1 GB DDR2 667 RAM
Intel 945G Motherboard with onboard graphics
160 GB SATA hard drive
16x DVD-Rom


This is a very basic system yet does tremendously well for most applications we have on it.


Good luck with what ever you decide on NH4

[Nighthawk4]

Just a thought - is there any way that NWN could have blown my graphics card up?

Or was it just coincidence?

I don't want to risk doing that again

[spool32]

coincidence. More likely you accidentally jostled or shorted something swapping the hard drives.

[Nighthawk4]

I ordered the one Cougar suggested.

Unfortunately, I am on a Training Course for the next two weeks, so it will be a while before I will be able to install and try it. At least it meant I could take the cheapest option for delivery