In order to run this program with the best possible performance, your video card and sound card should be DirectX-compatible with certified DirectX drivers properly installed. If you experience sound or display difficulties, a likely source of the issue is an outdated or incompatible driver.

To verify that you have DirectX certified drivers installed on your system, run the DirectX Diagnostics (DXDIAG) program. This program displays version and status information for your sound and display drivers, as well as all other DirectX components installed on your system.

To open the DirectX Diagnostics Tool, proceed as follows:

1. From the Windows Taskbar, click on Start and select Run.

2. In the Open: field, type DXDIAG. Click on OK or press the Enter key on your keyboard. The program will begin to gather information about your system and the Diagnostics Tool will open with the System tab in the foreground.

NOTE: If your system is unable to locate a copy of DXDIAG, it most likely means that a recent version of DirectX is not installed on your computer. You may download a recent version of DirectX from the Microsoft web-site at the following address:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/downloads/default.asp

When DXDIAG starts, the following tabs will be displayed: System, DirectX Files, Display, Sound, Music, Input, Network, and More Help.

The System tab contains system information about the computer and specifies the version of DirectX installed on your computer. The system information includes: system date, computer name, operating system version and language, processor type, memory, swapfile size, and DirectX version.

The DirectX Files tab contains the filenames and version numbers for all DirectX files installed on the computer. If DXDIAG detects any problems with any DirectX files, a warning will be displayed in the Notes box.

The Display tab contains detailed information about your display settings, and allows you to disable hardware acceleration for DirectDraw, Direct3D, and AGP Texture. On this tab, you may also test DirectDraw, Direct3D, and AGP Texturing. If DXDIAG detects any problems with any display settings or driver files, a warning will be displayed in the Notes box. Be sure to note the Name of your video card and the amount of video RAM that it contains.

The Sound tab contains detailed information about the sound card settings and driver. On this tab, you can test DirectSound and lower the Sound Hardware Acceleration Level. If DXDIAG detects any problems with the sound card or driver files, a warning will be displayed in the Notes box.

The Music tab contains the current MIDI settings. On this tab, you may test DirectMusic. If DXDIAG detects any problems with any MIDI settings, a warning will be displayed in the Notes box.

The Input tab contains the input devices (Joystick, Gamepad, Steering Wheel) connected to the computer and the input drivers installed on the computer.

The Network tab contains a list of the Network drivers installed and running on the computer. From this tab you may test DirectPlay.

The More Help tab has troubleshooting information that will assist you is resolving compatibility and conflict issues. It includes sections for general DirectX troubleshooting, sound card issues, detailed system information, and disabling DirectDraw (Graphic Feature.)

At any time during the troubleshooting, the DirectX information can be saved to a text file by clicking on the Save All Information... button.

NOTE: If your sound and display drivers are not listed as Certified or WHQL Logo'd, contact your computer manufacturer to verify that the drivers currently installed on your system are the latest available and that they are compatible with DirectX. If Certified drivers are not available, drivers that are compatible, but not certified, should run the program with an acceptable level of performance. If your sound and video card drivers are not compatible with DirectX, the program may not run properly.