At this point, some comments:

1. The pause preceding every move forward in Revelation is due to the game reading from the DVD and/or the hard drive. The pauses and hourglasses are a function of the Inspiron’s CPU (slow), DVD drive (slow), and hard drive (slow), so no matter what else you do, you’re essentially stuck with the Revelation move-forward pauses you’re experiencing.

2. I continue to believe that most of your startup problems are due to not having a battery installed. If you plan to keep the Inspiron instead of investing in a new PC, you should buy a battery!

However, having a battery installed won’t solve all of your startup problems, because even with a battery, you still have that (tiny) 20 MB hard drive - which is most likely also causing startup problems. And since the drive has essentially no free space available, you’ll not be able to do anything further (like installing additional software) with your Inspiron unless you install a larger hard drive.

Dell has an Inspiron 8200 battery here for $139, plus shipping.

Batteries are also available from lots of on-line suppliers. Google Dell Inspiron 8200 battery, and you’ll get over 200,000 hits. For example, tBatt.com has the exact same battery here for $89.99, plus shipping. Not that I’m saying Dell will rip you off, big time, but….

Dell will sell you an internal 60 GB 4200 RPM (slow) hard drive here for $99.00, plus shipping. As I said earlier, a new internal drive will require that you transfer everything from your existing drive to the new one.

In my mind, the (tiny) size of your current hard drive is the biggest drawback to your Inspiron. Did you ever ask your son exactly why he got a new PC? I’d be willing to bet that the Inspiron’s (tiny and slow) hard drive was one of the major factors!

With regard to upgrading said Inspiron with a new hard drive, IMHO ‘tain’t worth the $$$, time, and hassle! (I’m especially reminded of the old saying about abusing deceased equines.) Bottom line, you *REALLY* should invest in a new, current-technology PC!!


With all that said, we can try the NVIDIA video driver, which may – or may not – solve the Revelation video problems. Want to give it a go?

Heimdall
Semper ubi sub ubi.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Heimdall G,

Anything that doesn't require $$$ is worth a try. So . . depsite -or because of- the unfortunate limitations of my computer and my pocketbook, let us continue with installing the NVIDIA Driver (and updating the BIOS? Is that still the additional step?)
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btw, the improved video synch was NOT my imagination. I tried launching another new game to check it out, and the new one was back to the choppy video that I'd had orininally. So it seems there is inconsistency in how well the computer handles the videos.

OK, let’s install the NVIDIA driver. It may give you the black screen like previously, so establish a Restore Point first. (You won’t be able to roll back the driver, because removing the existing Dell driver is part of the NVIDIA driver installation.) Also, since you just installed the latest end-user runtime release of DirectX 9.0c, you don’t need to install it again.

Pending results of the driver installation, installing the video BIOS update may be appropriate. However, there’s some risk that the update will cause a BIOS malfunction - resulting in a dead Inspiron - so let’s leave that until later.

Install the NVIDIA driver as follows:
-- a. Reboot, and close all open applications.
-- b. Download the ForceWare 93.71 driver file, available here, to a folder and NOT to your Desktop.
-- c. Uninstall the existing Dell video driver using Control Panel's Add or Remove Programs.
----- 1. Click on Start > Control Panel, then double-click Add or Remove Programs.
----- 2. In the Currently installed programs box, click on the Dell video driver. There are probably other Dell drivers installed, so be certain to click on the correct driver.
----- 3. Click on Change (or Change/Remove).
----- 4. If prompted to confirm the removal of the program, click Yes.
----- 5. Close Control Panel back to the Desktop, and reboot.
-- d. During bootup, Windows should want to install a video driver.
----- 1. If given a choice, select 'Standard PCI Graphics Adapter (VGA)' to install.
----- 2. Do not allow automatic installation of a Version 52.16 driver instead of the 'Standard PCI Graphics Adapter (VGA)' driver.
----- 3. Reboot when prompted.
-- e. Close all open applications, and close all anti-virus/adware/spyware/pop-up software running in the background.
-– f. Click on Start > Run.
-- g. Browse to the ForceWare 93.71 file, and double-click on it to put it in the Open: box.
-- h. Click on OK to start the installation process.
-- i. Follow the extraction Wizard's instructions. Accept the install defaults.
-- j. Reboot when prompted.
-- k. If you don’t get a black screen on bootup, play Revelation. If you do get a black screen, restart and press F8 repeatedly to get to the Boot Menu screen.
----- 1. Select the Last Known Good Configuration option.
----- 2. Press Enter and follow the Wizard’s instructions.
-- l. Reboot into normal Windows, and close all open applications.
-- m. During bootup, Windows should want to install a video driver.
----- 1. If given a choice, select 'Standard PCI Graphics Adapter (VGA)' to install.
----- 2. Do not allow automatic installation of a Version 52.16 driver instead of the 'Standard PCI Graphics Adapter (VGA)' driver.
-- n. Re-install the Dell video driver as detailed in my post of Thu April 12 2007 12:18, above, starting with step e.

The restore process can be lengthy, so don't get impatient. And you may need to reboot more than once.

You could also boot into Safe Mode and apply the Restore Point you created.
-- a. Restart and press F8 repeatedly, then select Safe Mode as the boot option.
-- b. In Safe Mode, click on Start > Help and Support.
-- c. Click on Pick a task, Undo changes to your computer with System Restore > Restore my computer to an earlier time > Next.
-- d. Select the desired Restore Point, and follow the Wizard's instructions to apply it.
-- e. Reboot into normal Windows, and close all open applications.
-- f. During bootup, Windows should want to install a video driver.
----- 1. If given a choice, select 'Standard PCI Graphics Adapter (VGA)' to install.
----- 2. Do not allow automatic installation of a Version 52.16 driver instead of the 'Standard PCI Graphics Adapter (VGA)' driver.
-- g. Re-install the Dell video driver as detailed in my post of Thu April 12 2007 12:18, starting with step e.

Uh-oh . . . not sure how to proceed.

When I looked under Add or Remove Programs, the Dell Driver was not listed. There was a Dell ResourceCD and NVIDIA Windows DisplayDrivers.

I vaguely remembered some of your previous instructions (on the Riven board, when we were working on my Sound Drivers on the old computer) so I followed those steps into Device Manager, the Hardware tab, where I did find the Dell Driver listed. On that tab I have an uninstall option, but --not being sure whether this would be your next step-- I thought I'd better come back and check in first.

Should I uninstall from Device Manager and follow the other steps as you listed them?
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And tell me . . . once the video driver has been uninstalled, what is it that will allow me to *see* in order to close the Control Panel and reboot? Is there still some kind of default driver running a video display?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LynComeLately,

Q. Is there still some kind of default driver running a video display?
A. Yes, Windows will use a built-in default video driver if the video chipset’s driver is uninstalled.

Q. Should I uninstall from Device Manager and follow the other steps as you listed them?
A. First, use Control Panel’s Add or Remove Programs to uninstall the “NVIDIA Windows Display Drivers”. Also check the list for “Dell 8200” or “GeForce4 440 Go”, and uninstall if present. Close Add or Remove Programs.

Then, Control Panel > System > Hardware tab > Device Manager > Display adapters > GeForce4 440 Go Properties > Driver tab > Uninstall. Complete the driver uninstall, reboot, and follow the rest of the steps (d through n).

OK. My next adventure.

This evening I should have time to follow through and report back.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

All-l-l-l-l righty then . . .

From Add or Remove Programs, I uninstalled the NVIDIA Wiindows Display Drivers. There was no listing for the Dell 8200 or the GeForce 4 440 Go.

Using Device Manager, the Hardware tab under Display Adapters, I uninstalled the GeForce 4 440.

My video display now did not show "Run" on the Start Menu because of the change to such low resolution, so instead I simply used My Documents to go to the folder with the NVIDIA ForceWare 93.71 file and double-clicked it. The Wizard started loading but then stopped and gave me a window that said " NVIDIA Setup program could not locate any drivers that are compatible with [my] current hardware. Setup will now exit."

So, that was that.

I proceeded to use my Restore point to return to what I had after we'd reinstalled the Dell drivers.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LynComeLately,

So I assume that until the funds become available to upgrade to a new computer, I'd better hang on to the Latitude, which, though slow, at least shows me what's supposed to be there instead of windy skies.

Yeah, don’t let go of the Latitude!

There are a couple of things you can try to speed up Revelation, sort of as a last resort. They may not help, but are worth at least a try.

If Win XP sees more than about 6 read errors when reading a disc, it gets unhappy and automatically drops the Transfer Mode from DMA to PIO. (Remember setting DMA Mode?) PIO is extremely slow in terms of disc reading and gives hourglasses. Read errors can result from a scratched disc or one with a haze invisible to the naked eye, or dirty/hazy laser lenses in the DVD drive. The thing to do is clean Revelation DVD 2 and the Latitude’s disc drive laser lenses.

First, make certain that the DVD is free of smudges, fingerprints, any sort of haze, etc. Don't just look at the disc and say "yeah, clean". Actually clean it using either water-clear (additive-free, no witch hazel or whatever, no green or blue color) rubbing alcohol or a warm mild detergent solution. Dry with a soft, lint-free cloth using a center-outward motion, NOT circular around the disc. Remove any scratches deep enough to catch a fingernail using one of the repair kits available at CompUSA, Best Buy, Circuit City, from an Internet supplier, et al.

Second, use a DVD laser lens cleaner to clean the lenses in the Latitude’s drive. The lenses can build up a haze coating over time which fouls up drive read operation, particularly if the laptop has been used in:
-- A dusty area.
-- An area where people smoke.
-- A house that doesn’t have a vent hood over the kitchen stove or cooktop.
-- A house where burning-candle or plugin oil-dispersing room deodorizers are used.

A DVD laser lens cleaner is essentially a disc with tiny brushes on it that take the haze off of the lenses. The best ones come with a cleaning solution used to wet the brushes, but this isn't a strict requirement. Run the cleaning cycle at least 3 times in succession, as a first pass.

I use the 3M Scotch Laser Lens Cleaner, but several brands are available. Some are for both CD and DVD drives, some for CD only or DVD only. There are various suppliers, both online and local computer stores. From Amazon, for example:
-- Scotch Laser Lens Cleaner for CD and DVD Players/CD-ROM and DVD-ROM Drives
-- Memorex CD/DVD-Player Laser-Lens Cleaner
-- Memorex Laser Lens Cleaner For DVD Only
-- RCA Discwasher 6-Brush Dry CD/DVD Laser Lens Cleaner
-- GE Laser Lens Cleaner Wet/Dry System
-- Philips CD/DVD Laser Lens Cleaner

Excellent idea, thanks. Any little thing may help, and here's something I can afford to do (and ought to do).

In-ter-est-ing . . .

My computer at work was replaced last week (it was on a lease). Now I no longer receive the Ubisoft error message about my IP address being blocked, and I can access the discussion boards here again.

How 'bout that! Sounds like a setting that was part of the replaced system didn't get ported over to the new one.

Don't tell anybody, though. No doubt your nice IT folks would just love to "help" you....

And apparently it was a temporary situation.

I had to be out of town for over a month on a family emergency (no Revelation while I was gone - too busy juggling home health care and offsite work). Now that I'm back, I find that I am blocked on both my new PC and the laptop.

Sounds like your IT folks are slow, but thorough.

Well, this should be interesting . . .

Now I will finally be given a laptop as my PC at work. Will I be able to access this forum the first few times I try and then be shut out?

Stay tuned.