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Step 1.
The first thing you need to know what
graphics card you are using. The most popular graphics card companies
are nVidia and ATi. Both these companies have an excellent range of
products and offer excellent service. Once you know what graphics card
you are using, then head over to the companies website where you can
download the latest drivers.
Drivers are software that runs your
graphics card, printer or scanner correctly. Being up to date with
drivers will help solve issues that may arise with modern PC games. Just
recently I had to update my drivers to fix a problem I had with a game I
recently purchased, and this solved my problem.
OK once you have downloaded your
drivers for your graphics card make sure you create a restore point
using the utility System Restore. This can be done my click
Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools and then System Restore. Then
follow the on screen instructions to create the restore point. By doing
this it makes sure that if a problem occurs after you installed the new
drivers, you can return to the restore point to see if the problem is
the drivers you installed.
Once you’ve finished creating your
restore point, you need to install your drivers. This can done by double
clicking on the file you downloaded and then you follow the on screen
instructions. After you’ve installed your drivers you will have to
restart Windows so the changes can take effect.
If everything goes according to plan
you should see an increase in performance in your games and you will not
need to go back to your restore point. If you do have problems, use your
restore point to go back and fix the problems. If the problem persists,
then contact the company that made your graphics card.
Step 2.
Make sure you have the latest version
of DirectX. This can be done by going onto the Microsoft website
http://www.microsoft.com and searching DirectX. Once you’ve
downloaded the latest version, you will need to create another restore
point. One person I know installed the latest version of DirectX and
then had problems afterwards, and because they didn’t create a restore
point they couldn’t fix the problem and so they needed to reformat their
computer to solve the problem. Again to create a restore point, go to
Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools and then System Restore.
Once you’ve created the restore point
install the latest version of DirectX by double clicking on the file you
just downloaded. Follow the on screen instructions and once you’ve
finished you will have to restart your Windows.
Step 3.
In this step I will guide you through
tweaking Windows XP. The first step will be changing the performance of
Windows, to do this right-click on My Computer and then
Properties->Advanced->Performance->Settings and select ‘Adjust for best
Performance’.
The next step is to change your Themes,
so right-click on your desktop and select Properties. Under the Themes
tab set your theme to Windows Classic.
I hope that’s helped you. If you have
any problems or comments please contact me |
