firstly my system specs:

==System==

* Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600)
* Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz (2 CPUs)
* Memory: 2048 MB RAM
* Page File:649 MB used, 3295 MB available
* DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)

==Display==

* Name: Radeon X1950 Pro Secondary*
* Manufacturer: ATI Technologies, Inc.
* Chip Type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor AGP (0x72A0)
* Approx. Total Memory: 512.0 MB
* Main Driver: ati2dvag.dll
* Version: 6.14.0010.6727 (English)

==Sound==

* Name: Realtek AC97 Audio

* note: my card is the powercolor release with the arctic cooling and I have 3 case fans - a 120mm on the front, a 120mm on the back and an 80mm on the side.
------------------------------------------

okay, here's the problem - I recently did a windows update that decided that it wanted to wipe out my drivers and my plug-and-play monitor. thanks to a friend I managed to get windows to re-accept the stuff (by disabling the display in the system devices and then allowing windows to "find the new hardware") but ever since then the game and bodyshop seem to be failing to recognize that I have a video card (and a decent quality one at that).

my textures are blurred to non-existant in both game and bodyshop, my graphics are sluggish and jagged and getting jarring vertical refresh even on the lowest possible settings (and the option to smooth my edges is greyed out, as are the other "maximum" settings like shadows and lighting) in a windowed mode (I don't play on full screen).

I've gone through all the graphics card help in the game help wiki to adjust graphics rules files trying to fix the settings and nothing has worked.

my X1950 card is less than a month old and hasn't been given a remotely hard work out at all (the sims is the only game I play and I've played maybe 3 times since I bought the card - prior to the windows update I was getting brilliant quality from the card even on the lowest graphics settings in the game and I haven't tried to overclock or anything like that the catalyst control center is all on default settings) so I don't think it is the card itself burnt out or anything like that...or at least I really hope not because it took a lot of effort to track down this card in the first place in a store...I'd hate to have to replace it.

Last edited by lasciel : 5th Feb 2008 at 2:12 PM.

Are you using the latest drivers for your graphics card? Installing new graphics drivers may well make TS2 notice your card.

thanks whiterider, I downloaded the latest drivers from ATI and it seems to have restored me back to what it was like before (now I've just gotta wrestle the steam app it installed off my system lol).