D3DERR_NOTAVAILABLE error!

[prettiammie2005]

I'm sorry, the search wasn't working! I searched google as well, and it returned a couple hits on the subject but I don't think those posts apply to me at all.

I recently reinstalled TS2 and opened it up to play. It worked fine for a little while, before I got an error message that said directx had returned the D3DERR_NOTAVAILABLE error.

I thought maybe it had to do with my drivers so I updated them. Still got the error. I thought maybe my computer was overheating so I cleaned out the fans. Still got the error. I tried running my other games and none of them are giving me any problems and that includes games that are brand new like Sims 3 and Dawn of Discovery both of which were just released a few months ago (only Sims 3 was run at the highest graphic settings for the most part, but DoD is too intensive for my computer to handle at high graphics).

While my computer does heat up when I play the sims 2, I always have a couple fans aimed at it from outside to keep it cool and like I said... no other games are giving me problems. I have not had a single crash with any other game!

My system exceeds the minimum AND recommended requirements (I just bought a new one so I could run the sims 3!) and the graphics card is BRAND NEW (I bought it at the beginning of June!). I don't know what the problem could be, and I really want to play the sims... I don't want to have to go back to 3, as 2 is by far my favorite!

Can SOMEONE help me solve this problem?

I have an Intel Pentium 4 (3.06GHz) that I believe is dual core (as my dxdiag screen says 2 CPUs). I have 2 gigs of RAM, and the latest version of directx (I just updated a few days ago to solve this problem). I have a NVIDIA GeForce 8300 GS (512 MB, and again it's brand new!).

[callistra]

This error is usually indicative of directx corruption, driver corruption, or graphics card failure.

Your P4 is a single-core 7-year old tech. For TS2 purposes, it's plenty good though. That 8300 GS on the other hand is also several year old discontinued tech, but it's quite weak and I am not surprised that it would have a hard time handling later expansions. The 8300 is not a fully dedicated card. It only has a small amount of vram and the rest it steals from the system RAM. The card is also unsupported. That doesn't' necessarily mean it won't work but you're the first person I've seen with the card so there's nothing to indicate it will be ok either.

Since you mentioned that you just installed this card recently, then it could also be a problem with your installation. Please go into BIOS and make sure onboard graphics are disabled. Also run this program: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/desktop_software/other_tools/driver_cleaner_pro.cfm Then restart your computer. Install the latest drivers from here: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us Restart again, then try the game. Also please make sure your power supply is up for running the card. If you're not sure how to do that then this guide talks about how: http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=330401 Your card needs at least 350W power supply with 18A in the rail.

[prettiammie2005]

The first thing I did was to check the power supply, and it's up to handling the graphics card so that's not the problem. I'll try the rest of the suggestions and see what happens.

ETA: ....I searched google on how to use BIOS, but I'm not having any luck. I'm afraid I've never used it before!

[callistra]

Accessing BIOS depends on your particular motherboard. Sometimes it's the delete key or esc. Often times it will tell you as the computer starts to hit a certain key to access setup or bios or something like that. Again, exactly what it looks like varies by board as well.

If you still can't figure it out then refer back to documentation on your computer. If it's a custom build then look up the website for the manufacturer of the motherboard. If it's a mainstream build (like Dell, HP, etc) then look up the manufacturer of the whole computer. Under support they should have documentation which should include how to access BIOS.