# another computer question re graphics



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

How can I tell what "products" are on this Windows 10? I'm attempting to update the graphics and the options showing for download are as follows:

Graphics for 8th Generation Intel Processors
Graphics for 7th Generation Intel Processors
etc for 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd Generation Intel Processors
Graphics for Previous Generation Intel Processors
Other Graphics

I have no idea which of the above options this "refurbished Windows 10" computer has. Can someone tell me where I can find this information on my computer?


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

Why are you trying to update it? Is something not working right? Is something telling you something needs to be updated? Drivers rarely need to be updated; most of the things that tell you otherwise are malware.

P.S. You might want to delete the other thread to avoid duplication.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

You can see your processor type in the This-PC properties. To see that, right-click on the This-PC icon in the upper-left of your desktop screen and select properties. In that page look in the System section next to "Processor." That will tell you the type of processor you have. The image below shows my processor type, which happens to be i7-2620M.










Instead of i7 you might have i3 or i5, but that doesn't matter for what you're looking for. It's the number you're interested in. In my case it's 2620, which means I have a 2nd generation Intel processor. The numbers go like this this:

<1000 (like maybe 740) is first generation
2000-2999 is second generation
3000-3999 is third generation
and so on.

The "M" at the end of my processor type just means it's a mobile processor model, which is designed for low power consumption to allow longer battery life in laptop computers.

If you don't have a This-PC icon on your desktop then you can get to that information by right-clicking on the Start button in the bottom left of your screen, and then select System.

Another method would be to go to Start, then Settings, and click on the System icon. In the menu on the left, click About.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Thank you so much.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I did find "Device specifications" which stated the following:
Device name DESKTOP-ONNTBUH
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz 3.00 GHz
Installed RAM 4.00 GB (3.90 GB usable)
Device ID A69FF864-115E-4BE9-B377-5F2352ACEC5E
Product ID 00326-00759-78477-AAOEM
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display

So I don't have a number with an "M" after it. Can you tell from this what generation my PC graphics is?


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

motdaugrnds said:


> Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz 3.00 GHz


The Core 2 Duo processor is older than the current i3, i5 & i7 generation of processors. It's from 8 or 10 years ago. Select this option.


Graphics for Previous Generation Intel Processors


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Will do. Thanks Nevada. (Years ago when I needed a distraction from being 24/7 with my mother who was dying of Parkinson disease, I found a "multiplayer" game that permitted me to create an imaginary character, develop her skills and even create a house for her in that game. I made friends from all over the world, was asked to be a "player moderator", accepted and simply enjoyed a few hours of my day. Mother passed away in 2008 and, since then, I've been busy creating a real-life homestead that I can survive on. Now with the weather being such as it is...and my income not permitting me to crochet/knit as I would like, I'm re-acquainting myself with this game. It suggested I update the graphics drivers for a better experience; and this is what I'm attempting to do.)


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

What people are trying to say is that there are no updates to drivers four or five years out of the chute. Oh win10 may try to autoupdate your drivers, but more likely than not it will mis-identify your hardware and try to install some newer driver for newer version of your hardware that wont function at all on your older computer. 

If you want to play the update game for real, you need a new fresh out of the box computer with latest greatest newest hardware available. The old hardware has drivers already updated as much as they are ever going to be updated.

In other words, dont try to fix what aint broken.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

HermitJohn said:


> What people are trying to say is that there are no updates to drivers four or five years out of the chute. Oh win10 may try to autoupdate your drivers, but more likely than not it will mis-identify your hardware and try to install some newer driver for newer version of your hardware that wont function at all on your older computer.


Microsoft has become much better at backward driver compatibility. I've found that most Windows 7, 8 & 8,1 drivers work fine with Windows 10.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Ok so no updating graphics drivers...got it. Thank you


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Well I dislike bringing this up again; but don't know what else to do....

I've been enjoying that "multi-player" game of RuneScape now for a few months without any significant problems with graphics or anything else that the "settings" in game could not fix. Today was different! When logging into the game I discover many "icons" in my bank (the bank in the game) are not showing up. If there are more than one of the same item, the number shows up; and if I let mouse hover over empty space it says the item is there; but it is invisible. I've reported it as a "bug" and hopefully Jagex (creators of RuneScape) will fix it; but even when reporting the situation, I got the message it is probably caused by outdated "graphics drivers". [Awhile back when thinking I needed to update graphics drivers just to get in the game to play, I posted about this on that game's forum and one of their technicians told me my computer was too old to update its graphics; that I should simply close off the "Windows Client" (to game) I was using and re-load it; and if I am able to get into the game, then do nothing about graphics. In following his suggestion, I was able to get in the game and have been enjoying it for several months now. Only today has this problem with invisible icons for items in bank shown up.]

I'm wondering if maybe I should go back over to where I saw the driver downloads and choose the one "graphics for pervious generation intel processors". However, I lost the URL and have no idea how to find those downloads again.  I'm feeling so stupid!! Any suggestions/information would be appreciated.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Well just spent a good hour searching the web for this "graphics for previous generation intel processors". Then finally decided to "chat" with an Intel Technical Staff member. 

The conversation went like this:
I am running a "refurbished" Microsoft Windows 10 computer with "Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz 3.00 GHz" and am trying to update my graphics with "Graphics for Previous Generation Intel Processors" but have not been able to find this for a download. Can you direct me please?
*
This Intel Technical Staff person (Robert) told me "...That CPU has been discontinued; so it is highly improbable that you will find windows 10 drivers. We can search on communities.intel.com and maybe we can find there some drivers. Let me check that for you. No I found drivers only for windows 7; nothing for windows 10. You can either install windows 7 (not over your windows 10 but on a different hard drive giving you 2 operating systems on same computer) OR buy another computer. Even a cheap new computer will run that RuneScape easily."
*
Thus, it looks like I'm out of luck.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

The problem is that I am guessing nobody here is that familiar with this game. I googled Runescape and they have a support forum. This would seem the obvious place to ask technical requirements to run the game. I would guess they would know if any recent update that changes video card requirements. I also noticed there is an "old school" version. Runescape apparently started in 2001 so just about any PC out there still in use should support one version or another.

I even noticed there is a linux version, though not much info. The download link just described how to use apt-get package manager on Debian based linux to install it. No link to an actual package download.

I would suggest this being an old game that has worked for you in recent months, that there probably is no change in technical requirements, that either some Microsoft auto update changed something without asking (it doesnt ask) or something has corrupted.


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

motdaugrnds said:


> Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz


I didn't notice earlier that the computer was that old. It's still a perfectly good computer, it's even faster than some of the low-end stuff you can buy new today, but you've run into one of the potential problems with running a new Windows version on old hardware.

The best solution would be to reinstall Windows 7, which can be done if the computer still has its COA (Certificate Of Authenticy, the little multicolored Windows sticker with a very long number on it). Most any computer shop can do that for you, but they'd charge $50-$100. I'd do it for you if it were here or I were there, but it would cost at least $50 to ship it here & back, and even more to ship me there & back. So that's probably not doable.

Next best is @HermitJohn 's suggestion of seeing if the Runescape forum can be of help. If there's a way to keep it working on Windows 10, they'll be the ones to know.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

motdaugrnds said:


> *That CPU has been discontinued; so it is highly improbable that you will find windows 10 drivers.*


Most Windows 7, 8, and even Vista drivers work fine with Windows 10. There are exceptions to that but they are few and far between. Most computer vendors (including Intel) distribute drivers and driver updates through Windows updates. It used to be that I had to go to the laptop manufacturer's website to get drivers for a fresh Windows install, but today most drivers (sometimes all drivers) are installed along with Windows updates.

I doubt you have a driver issue. I don't know what's up with that game, but it doesn't sound like a driver issue to me. I'm not opposed to the idea that you get a newer model computer, but I don't think your computer hardware is causing your problem.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

I again say its highly unlikely this old of a game had some upgrade that suddenly requires newer hardware. Remember OP said its worked FINE on her old computer with win10 for several months now. Its most likely some problem introduced by some mandatory win10 update. It may have changed driver without you knowing. Or some other requirement. 

Also again this game HAS A LINUX VERSION. So that is always an option on older hardware.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Win10 is a pandora's box of fun, especially on older hardware. As I suggested many times on this forum, the best way to deal with it without newer mega computer with nearly unlimited resources, is to block ALL updates, the easiest way setting your connection to "METERED" or better way to block it phoning home using its own firewall.

I played with win10 quite a bit, but guess what, after I had my fun, I went back to using Puppy Linux 99.999% of the time. Win10 back to only use for running tax software once a year. Constantly battling my own operating system just gets really tiresome. Win10 could have been a truly nice operating system, I saw glimpses of that after locking it down and deleting bunch of marketing/spy garbage. But instead they made it serve their purposes for ongoing revenue stream.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Ok, this seems to be a game problem for some: http://services.runescape.com/m=forum/forums.ws?409,410,186,66027278


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Try doing a "system restore" back to the last date you know it worked like it should.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Bearfootfarm said:


> Try doing a "system restore" back to the last date you know it worked like it should.


As HermitJohn pointed out in post 18, it's a Windows compatibility issue caused by a software bug. Since other users of the same product are dealing with the same issue I don't think screwing with the computer is a good idea.


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

Nevada said:


> Since other users of the same product are dealing with the same issue I don't think screwing with the computer is a good idea.


Rolling back to a restore point can hardly be called "screwing with the computer". Actually it's a pretty good idea, particularly since Windows 10 is really good at messing things up with a botched update, and rolling it back and letting the update reinstall often fixes it. At worst, it's not going to hurt anything, and it's one of the few things she can actually do herself without someone local to help.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Since this is a problem several Runescape people are having, probably wisest just to wait and follow that Runescape forum thread on disappearing icons. It will get fixed on their end sooner or later, whether it was some problematic "upgrade" or "patch" in their software or whether it was some update in win10.

It probably would do no harm to rollback, but also if this is a problem arising with Runescape software interacting with some win10 update then it also wouldnt do lot of good as the win10 update would just reinstall. Since most people dont block the win10 updates, including the original poster, the only real fix would be waiting until the Runescape software people fix the software to work with the win10 update if thats the cause. If its just a bad patch on Runescape software, then rolling back also would do no good.

No idea how this would effect the non-windows versions of software.

Oh found out more on running Runescape in linux. Seems there is an "unofficial" linux client written by Runescape players and this is probably best way to go. But also you can run the windows version in WINE, though this is slower and has some memory limitations. And I guess there is also a java wrapper to run windows version in linux through a browser that has java plugin installed.

I am just not interested in role playing games like this or I would custom make a live cd version of Puppy with unofficial linux Runescape client installed. Then just boot the live cd to play the game.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Nevada said:


> As HermitJohn pointed out in post 18, it's a Windows compatibility issue caused by a software bug. Since other users of the same product are dealing with the same issue I don't think screwing with the computer is a good idea.


That says it's a problem "for some".

I would think that means it could be dependent on how it interacts with the player's software.



> When in Compatibility mode, some item icons are missing in both bank and inventory, but otherwise the game runs fine.
> 
> When switching to normal mode, the icons return ... but the game lags to holy hell, even to the point of not redrawing graphics when moving most of the time, leaving the game visually unplayable. In this mode the minimap is also pretty much unreadable as it is overlaid with a heavy red tint.


If it worked fine before and doesn't now, restoring it to it's previous state may solve the problem. 

If it doesn't, it's simple to return to where it was.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Thank you all so much for not berating me about this. I do know how dumb I am were computers are concerned.

I did go to the RuneScape forum and did see the thread where posters are talking about it. I even posted on it. I also sent in "bug report" about it to the owners of the game. So all along those lines I've attended to already.

Am interested in a "restore" though. I've done that restore on my old Windows XP and it was quite easy. But on this Windows 10 I have no idea how to do it. Seems every time I attempt to find something on this computer, I wind up missing it. Then when I do find it, doing so was quite simple. Can anyone direct me as to how to find (and do) the "restore" on this Windows 10?


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

motdaugrnds said:


> Am interested in a "restore" though. I've done that restore on my old Windows XP and it was quite easy. But on this Windows 10 I have no idea how to do it. Seems every time I attempt to find something on this computer, I wind up missing it. Then when I do find it, doing so was quite simple. Can anyone direct me as to how to find (and do) the "restore" on this Windows 10?


I would not recommend doing a Windows restore point just for recreation, particularly when you aren't sure what you're doing.


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

One or both of these will guide you through it:

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use-system-restore-windows-10
http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2866655/restore-windows-earlier-restore-point.html

As one of them notes, Windows 10 has restore points turned off by default, so unless someone turned them on at some point they can't help you this time around. But I'd suggest turning them on in case of a future need.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Thank you so much backwoodsman7. Those URLS were quite helpful. 

I did a search and discovered the system restore "was" on already. It had not been disabled. It apparently had already had two restores set being only a couple of weeks apart (one July 1st and one July 17th). I chose the 17th one. Then after running it, the system rebooted itself and a window called "system restore" came up with the following information. "System Restore did not complete successfully. Your computer's system files and settings were not changed. Details: System Restore could not access a file. This is probably because an anti-virus program is running on the computer. Tempeorarily disable your antivirus program and retry System Restore. An unspecified error occurred during System Restore. (0x80070005) You can try System Restore again and choose a different restore point. If you continue to see this error, you can try an advanced recovery method." Then that window gave me two options, i.e. "run system restore" and "close".

Now the only antivirus program I think I have is one that came with this Windows 10 and I have no idea how to turn it off.  Seems one problem brings on another. Sure envy you guys/gals with computer savvy.


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