Mobile Intel 945GM Chipset Graphics Diver/Video Game Conflict

[Iv3]

Alright, I have a Sony Vaio laptop with Windows Vista Home edition installed.

Using the Mobile Intel 945GM Chipset graphics driver.

Now for general use, it's fine : Web surfing, Photoshop, chatting, etc.

But I also play World of Warcraft, and when I have he game running every 2-3 minutes the game will freeze, and the screen will blackout for a second.

When it first started happening, I'd minimize the game the see a "!" icon on my tray, saying that the graphics driver experienced and recovered from an error.

I've tried rolling back the driver, completely uninstalling the driver, and making sure it's up to date with the latest one available.

Anyone have an idea, or suggestion?

Edited August 1, 2007 by Iv3

[JuMz]

When you say using the latest driver available, did you use Sonys' latest or Intel's latest? In the past, I have found that your manufacturur is usually late in posting the newest driver. I usually go to Intel's site and get the Integrated Video Driver from there (GMA950)...

[Iv3]

Yeah, I went straight to Intel and just looked up the driver for that graphics card there, still the same problem.

The computer was even taken to Best Buy where it was purchased, they analyzed and double-checked everything I did, they only suggested that I checked forums like this online, or consult Blizzard.

[Kef_86]

I have exactly the same problem with my new vaio VGN-C2S W. Notice though, it doesn't happen when you are in a building which would suggest that it is to do with loading distant scenery. I tried turning the distance for scenery down but it did not help. I also get the same task bar message when i quit the game.

I tried downloading from Intel but they say it's not compatible, so i downloaded from Sony and their latest one is December last year.

When i was studying, I worked for a tech support call center for Eidos, Rockstar North and a few others and allot of people had problems with Intel chip sets and other manufacturers like ATI, nVidia etc where much better for gaming. If this is the case in this matter and our graphics card is simply not compatible with the game, there is nothing we can do.

Let me know if you find a fix, I will keep trying!

Kef

[justdontpanic]

I just had to fix the same problem on a friend's Gateway MT6828 with Windows Vista Home Premium, and I was able to pull it off by installing the latest device driver update directly from Intel:

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Product_Fi...?ProductID=2301

When I first tried to install it, it told me the driver wasn't 'validated for your system', but I worked around that by rolling back to the crappy default VGA driver (Start Menu > Control Panel > System > Device Manager > Display Adapters > Mobile Intel 945GM > Driver tab > Update Driver > Browse my computer for driver software > Let me pick from a list of device drivers on this computer > Standard VGA Graphics Adapter). Once the computer restarted with the old driver it let me install the updated one, and World of Warcraft runs great.