SIS Driver Problem

[MadsDad]

I've got a problem with the video drivers on my PC and would appreciate any advice.

The situation is this. I bought the PC about 3 years ago and it came with Windows 98, with SIS video drivers installed. About a year ago I installed XP Pro and everything continued working fine. A couple of weeks ago I installed Google Earth and started geting a problem with the screen 'freezing' after a few minutes. The Windows help reports pointed to a problem with the drivers. I then checked with the SIS site and the diagnostics told me that the drivers I had were incompatible with XP and wouldn't work and that I needed to download new drivers. So far so good.

What then did is download the new files (which turned out to be a complete new load, a copy of the CD). I then uninstalled my existing SIS installation (this appeared to go ok, I lost my video drivers anyway) and installed the new one, from the SIS 'CD', which went ok.

The problem is it is reacting exactly like the previous (Win 98) version, freezing in Google Earth, and the diagnostics indicate that I still have the Win 98 version loaded although I definitely installed the XP/2000 version (I have tried twice, same both times).

Anybody got any ideas what I am doing wrong (or an alternate set of video drivers to use? - unfortunately I can't remember which card I've got and am not at home to check).

[Conan the Librarian]

Given the aggro factor, it might well be worth investing in a cheapish video card and quicker too. It is a piece of cake to hammer in and could well give you a better experience anyway. No need for anything flash unless someone is planning to use it as a gaming machine, but there again, with SIS installed at the moment, that seems very, very unlikely....

Conan

[MadsDad]

Thanx Conan. The answer I was dreading but expecting (being a cheapskate). The thing came with SIS and I've had no need to get anything posher (it's only a 256meg AMD1200 anyway. The screen is worth a lot more than the main box).

I have been thinking about investing in something new anyway (the basic problem is I only use it for internet access and typing the occasional document and it's fine for that normally. As for using it as a gaming maching I do regularly. In fact the kids have just got me to upgrade from Solitaire to Minesweeper).

[Conan the Librarian]

As an internet terminal it still has plenty of life in it -so don't worry. less than 30 quid would get you a card with better manners than your SIS but if you have time, then persevere with it and keep googling for something like sis drivers+xp and see what comes up.

For Minesweeper, I suggest something from messrs. Cray.

Good luck!

Conan

[MadsDad]

Thanks again, I'll keep trying.

And as a point of interest I did once write some stuff that ran on a Cray, about 20 years ago. (It was very strange, commercial stuff calculating depreciation, not the normal stuff that was run on it, but the Cray was all the company had to run my stuff on.).