Quake 4 help please !!!!

Kennieyk

Kennieyk

Joined
Feb 5, 2003
Messages
959
I installed this game and when I click on run ,, it looks like it starts ,,quake comes up and then screen goes black then back to my normal desktop !
Anyone know what I can do ?? Sucks cause I cant return it :(
 
Kennieyk said:
well i have a new gateway ... not even a month old !
Click to expand...

Ok , but still doesnt matter... What specs ? I'm almost willing to bet your bottleneck is in your video card , which hopefully you didnt buy a Dell with built in video on the mainboard.
 
Kennieyk said:
this is my computer ! I dont know :( Specifications down a little on the page.. I guess its my video0 card :(

http://www.gateway.com/products/GCo...&system_id=dx210s&seg=hm&sg=hm&ph1=8773622210
Click to expand...

Check iDs website for a patch or hotfix. Also check the known issues area in the support sections, perhaps they have a forum you can post a question on.

Assuming your using Windows XP, you may want to go to ATIs website and download/install the latest video driver for your card. You could be using the generic XP based driver by default.

If none of those work, search google for identical or similar failures such as, "Quake 4 startup crash" or "Quake 4 ATI video" and see what type of responses you get. If you're lucky you may get a few hits with information on causes, troubleshooting, fixes and workarounds.

If you just bought the game, go to the iD site and register. That should qualify you for at least the one-time support. They have a number on the site also.
 
That's easy to fix, isn't it? He can just pop a real video card into a slot and use that instead of the puny one built into the motherboard.
 
If that's the issue then yes that alternative method should work also.
 
That's easy to fix, isn't it? He can just pop a real video card into a slot and use that instead of the puny one built into the motherboard.
Click to expand...
Yep, that computer does not have a real graphics card, only "Onboard" or "Integrated" components. That's perfectly fine for someone who only needs a computer for Internet or office work, but it sucks for games.

Fortunately your computer's motherboard does have a PCI-Express x16 slot, says so right here:
2) PCI expansion slots (1 slot available), (1) PCI-E x1 expansion slot (available). (1) PCI-E x16 expansion slot (available)
Click to expand...
So you simply need to install a PCI-Express x16 card. On some motherboards you'll need to disable the onboard junk in the computer's BIOS; in other motherboards the onboard components are automatically disabled when a real card is inserted. You'll have to read your computer documentation to find out.

By coincidence I just received a new graphics card in the mail today for a new computer I'm snapping together. I bought this one, and it'll work in your computer:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130033

Best Wishes,
-Bob
 
Cougar Allen said:
That's easy to fix, isn't it? He can just pop a real video card into a slot and use that instead of the puny one built into the motherboard.
Click to expand...

Yea , what G3 said.
I didnt know if I should mention it or not , I didnt know how much experience
Kennieyk had with disabling/enabling jumpers or messing with bios and I didnt want to cause him to mess his computer up if he wasnt comfortable , if that makes sense.
Good luck Kennieyk, let us know what happens from here.
 
the new cards (video and mobo) usually don't require much fiddling with jumpers except for master/slave
you also don't have to get such a good video card like the x1900 radeon series
x1600 is perfectly fine unless you're one of those people who like to click their sliders to the extreme right and choose all the hellish options in video options
my 1600 autodetected fine
just make sure u have ms .net framework 1.1 or 2.0 and dl the latest catalyst drivers
 
I dont know if I should get a new video card or not .. Is the game really worth it ??? I might just hold onto it and play it when I get a new computer :(
Thanks Guys
 
I'd say it's not worth it, just to play one game. Haven't played Quake 4 though. You could send me the software, then I could say for sure. :D

The thing is, without a real graphic card you'll have a difficult time playing any modern commercial game. If you don't play games or use the computer for other graphic-intense applications (CAD, video, photo, etc.) you probably don't need a graphic card at all.

-Bob
 
if you're ever planning on playing 3d games, i'd say get one
it's not expensive at all
an entry level card costs less than 180 usd
i'd say it's pretty worth it
besides, the pictures are so pretty :D
 
CompUSA has 3rd party cards using name brand chipsets for less the $100. I have a Maddog Graphix 256mb agp NVidia GeForce 5500 clone card. It cost me $80 6months ago. May be a bit cheaper by now. PCI cards should be even less expensive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top