Sims General Help,Screen Issues/Refresh Rate? Sims Graphic's issue too.

[Kataxenna]

Computer Information, That i know to my knownlage.
Microsoft Windows XP,Professional.
Pentium (R) 4 CPU 2.40GHz
2.39 GHz 512MB Of RAM.

Graphic's Card.
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX/MX 400 (Microsoft Corporation)


Hi, I am having a problem with the sims in general, >_< I have a few problems i'd like to try and get solved as soon as possible. ^_^

First problem has something to do with the Centering of my Sims game, Its off center, and i believe that it has something to do with the Refresh Rate, I reset it, but it didn't work, and i still cannot figure out how to center the sims screen too its fullest, I believe the Refresh rate is at 60, Or 85. I cannot remember.. What should i do to fix this?


Second problem has to do with my sims texture/detail. Every time i go to make a sim its all cool, when i place hair and make up on, Sometimes the Hair i choose goes all blurry and fuzzy... same for the clothes, eyes you cannot see them either, the sims detail in general is really bad... I do have the CEP installed on my computer, But i need some other help!

I have all the sims expantion packs cept for Celebration stuff.

I would like too not to have to reinstall the sims completely on my computer, Please, Someone help me!!! I can take Screen shots if anyone needs them, to show what i mean....


Thanks.
 :cry:  :cry:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~EDIT BELOW~~~~~~~~~~~~~






In these pictures  you can see my house, The loading screen for my Neightborhood, And you can see the black uneven boarder around the screen. It use to fill out the ENTIRE screen of my computer. And you can see my Sim, And how badly the Graphics are. They change back and forth from good too bad..but they stay bad..

Here is what my screen use too look like.



Here is basically what it looks like now... Only its more pushed too the left, and down more.


                  Someone help!!!

[MaryH]

It looks like and sounds like your monitor might be going-they do. When monitors or TV's start going bad, the picture will shrink, or the clearness level will decrease. How old is your monitor? That might be the key, and you might need a new one.
I don't know if the graphics problem is with the game settings itself-perhaps someone can enlighten you on that.

[DarkAmaranth]

You need more memory, 1 gig at least and a better cpu, 3.0 ghz min with FT.

[Kataxenna]

My Monitor is not even a year old yet. Its not the Monitor i know this because my friend was messing around with my Sims graphic settings and i seen her clicking around in the Refresh rate area, and she screwed the screen up too the side like that. My monitor is less than a year old, Maybe just going on a year.

Im getting a new Graphic's card sooner or later here, With the computer i have i cannot get any of the NEW Graphic's cards that've come out, Because my computer is too old, and doesn't have the right spots for newer cards,

As for memory, I have almost 36 gigs left on my computer, Between The Sims and the stuff packs, and Adobe Photoshop CS3,My music and photos. As for a CPU I have no idea.

[Kataxenna]

UPDATE!I got a new Graphic's card moments ago, The best i could find for my computer. Its a ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro AGP.


Heh.

[Tenshii~Akari]

You mean 36GB of hard drive space, right?  Memory is the same as RAM.  Up above you mentioned you had 512MB, which is usually what the game requires to run.  Sometimes, if your game is running a bit low on available memory, it'll do that type of "texture changing" stuff.  

As for the monitor... have you tried manually repositioning the screen with the buttons on your monitor's frame?  (One of those buttons should call up a menu when pressed, and give you options like Brightness, Contrast, Horizontal/Vertical Adjustment, etc.)  Try adjusting the Horizontal adjustment until the screen is centered the way you want it.  It also could be that the screen resolution was changed in game, too.  :angel:

[BeosBoxBoy]

ok - not an issue now that you have the ATI card - but the problem was you were using the Microsoft reference driver for your video card - not one of the full function drivers from nVidia - the reference driver is enough to do very basic 2D stuff, and maybe base-line 3D but completely inadequate to do real 3D DirectX gaming.

[Kataxenna]

Okay, Now with the new Card im not having issues on Screen problems, Other than everything is small. I want to use the 800x600, But it wont center itself so i can, Its always off too the side, my computer itself, the monitor, is centered right now, Its just offcentered on the game itself. Sooner or later, I will be getting more memory, But right now, I droped all my money into a brand new Graphic's card, and i can already tell the differance between em both.

I still would prefer using 800x600 vrs the one im using now which is the Middle of three. and the 800x600 is the BIGGEST.