Problemo with ATI x1600 and dual screens?

Hi ive got an acer TM 8204wlmi (xp pro,2gb ram, T2500) with the ati x1600 card and im running omega drivers 6.9, previously catalyst 6.8 and omega 6.8/7. On top of this im using two 20inch dell widescreen monitors. one on VGA and one on DVI.

I got a few q's so pls bear with me!

1
the screen flickers momentarily sometimes on one screen for a few times then to the other, and sometimes not at all. why is that it gets a bit annoying!

2
when i game in CS. Source i get steam engine errors which minimizes the screen adn loops the sound (sometimes it just loop sound and freezes so i have to hard reset), after some research i think ive gathered that its a driver issue with my card even though its quite capable of playing.

3
when i use programs like photoshop its wont let me screen capture and dump into photoshop.
Sometimes it will crash both displays (gaming or design work) and will clone to the primary and become highly pixelated in a really low res. almost looking as if its running in 256 colours!? i cant read anything on screen when this happens jst stripes and colours across the screen, i can make out the start menu etc and when mouse over it refreshes to show the text/icons, albeit in bad resolution and colour.

so what gives, im sure some might have had isssues with this card and the half life series if so what have u done to rectify it? with the other problems ive removed ultramon (dual screen program) and all other drivers which i deemed to be giving it faults but ive narrowed it down to just the ATI driver or my card is bugggered! i have updated bios if it helps!?

thx in advance!

 

Are all the displays running with the same refresh rate?

I use dual monitors with my X700 256MB. I do have problems with the printscreen, similar to what you describe. I found a solution is using the Alt + Printscreen button to only capture the current window, or use another program besides Paint.

Did these problems only start occurring after you installed the latest driver suite?

 

"(sometimes it just loop sound and freezes so i have to hard reset)"

does it crash to a blue screen with messages?

If so the same thing happens to me. I think its the new ati catayst 6.9 drivers. i just installed them. time to go to omega 6.9s or the old stock drivers

 

i used to get blue screen but now it jus loops and freezes. when im lucky i can get an hour or so play out of it before it crashes :s ive tried all the drivers! the catalyst 6.9 cant be installed for some reason it says:

INF error - video driver not found then

Setup was unable to complete the installation. Try to setup your display adapter with a standard VGA driver before running setup.

ive used the ati driver cleaner and everything! and also tried to install catalyst 6.4 to avoid the crashing problem but still get this error?!

wtf gives, ati surely sux, no?

 

Which drivers are you trying to install? The desktop Catalyst drivers will not install on a laptop unless they are cracked using the DriverHeaven.net Mobility Modder. There are directions on the site on how to use it.

Also consider using the Omega drivers. Check this guide for more help with drivers.

 

ssorry, all problems have occured since i hooked them up and since then i have tried all drivers that i can install catalyst and omega.

the refresh rates are the same.

screen capture only fails on some occasions. if it doesnt paste into photoshop it wont let me paste into paint! but i gotta say screen capture from both screens is amazing! even when i disable a monitor it still fails (gives an error in paint...cant recall what atm)...then on occasion it will clone the displays into that low res and low colour situation as i said above.

anymore suggestions welcome!!!thx

 

thx for the link ive used the modtool however when i update the driver to CCC 6.9 it prompts me to

files needed
The file ati2mtag.sys on ati technologies Inc installation DISK (VIDEO) is needed then underneathe a browser to copy files from :s

sorry im a noob

 

Maybe it doesn't have the power to drive two 20" widescreen monitors chief?

Honestly, if you're gonna use two 20" widescreen monitors, you may need at leat an x800. I may be wrong, but...

You could try a 20" and a 19" (widescreen or non widescreen), see if that helps... likewise, plug the monitors into another pc, see if they work...

Other then that, I dunno.