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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
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