HDR Gray Screen

[Zodiark10]

Would I be able to bypass creating a profile? The program has several errors and I haven't an idea how to configure this thing. I reset it to default and the culprit is still when HDR is ticked under Screen Effects. I have antialiasing off as well as you said to do...

Edited November 27, 2014 by Zodiark10

[Striker879]

My only reason for requesting you use a profile for Oblivion is hoping that all settings in your graphics card control panel are set to values that will work with Oblivion.

 

Your mention that "the program has several errors" brings me to suspect something originating with your graphics card drivers, rather than a problem with Oblivion and HDR (that problem is merely a symptom of the real problem). With NVidia drivers you can uninstall them, reboot and then either re-install the same ones or install the latest drivers (I'm on an older card so I often use older drivers that I know work well with that card and Oblivion). You should be able to find some driver updating instructions on AMD/ATI's website.

 

Was the new PC custom built or an off-the-shelf model from a computer store chain (e.g. Future Shop or Best Buy)?

 

- Edit - Also, will HDR work on any other games (which would then suggest that drivers aren't the problem)?

Edited November 27, 2014 by Striker879

[Zodiark10]

I bought the PC online. Newegg off Amazon, brand new. I looked up how to create a profile after you requested I do so and it said to install some program called Radeon Pro. ( http://www.radeonpro.info/download/ ) Then when I launched it I got an error message "Index was outside the bounds of the array." That statement has me stumped. I hit continue and I get what appears to be a very complicated program. I tried to create a profile but when I load the Oblivion executable into the program I get yet another error message. "Object reference not set to an instance of an object." After lowering my standards and repeating several times, re-installing Direct X and Microsoft.Net, re-installing Radeon Pro, and basically doing everything but flat out raging, I decided it wasn't worth it :wallbash:

I haven't had much time with this PC yet, the only games I have installed are Oblivion and Minecraft ( and if that runs in HDR then I'll buy you a sweetroll ). I could install Skyrim and check the HDR on that? Tedious process but I could if you needed me to check. In the meantime I'll check for driver updates.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Zodiark10

[Striker879]

No don't install another game just to check if HDR works. Driver updates was where I'd head to next. I'm surprised that there isn't an option to create game profiles right in the Control Panel applet. I admit, I haven't even laid eyes on an ATI/AMD driver in probably 20 years (screw me around once, and you get a lifetime ban ... obviously ATI and I didn't see eye to eye).

 

I'm pretty old school when it comes to driver updates. I prefer to download the driver to a folder, extract if necessary and then do my driver update, not letting Windows do anything beyond handle the reboots (I've had some bad experiences with Windows handling the updates, though only once on video card drivers).

 

I also have no experience with Windows 8/8.1 (beyond my impression that it's a phone/tablet operating system retasked to PC ... probably not true but that's my impression). I know that when Windows Vista came out there were quite a few issues with drivers. The older hardware would work it just needed Vista compatible drivers. Could be a similar situation with Win 8.

[Zodiark10]

Well I went to the AMD/ATI site and downloaded the AMC Catalyst Control Center, which updated my drivers. I'm still really new to this, this is actually my first PC. I've had a laptop my whole life :confused:
Yeah, I've always had Windows 7, and dreaded getting 8 but it's actually a lot more convenient in some ways, although the layout is a bit irritating.

I launched Oblivion again with the updated drivers, still no change.

[Striker879]

A couple of requests for more info. Could you post the contents of your RendererInfo.txt (found in Users\[username]\Documents\My Games\Oblivion for Win 7 and Vista, and the same I imagine in Win 8). Copy and paste into your post will be fine, it's not a big long thing.

 

Could you copy and paste the line and value displayed in your Oblivion.ini for the following variables:

 

bAllow30Shaders

bFullBrightLighting

iLastHDRSetting

and all of the variables found under each of the following sections:

[blurShaderHDRInterior]

[blurShaderHDR]

[blurShader]

Simplest way to find each of these is to use the "Find" found on the Edit menu of Notepad (not sure if Notepad even still exists on Win 8 ... hope so) ... just copy each from this post and paste into the Find box. Be sure to move your cursor back to the start (top) of Oblivion.ini before the next search.

[Zodiark10]

Renderer Device Information:

Intel® HD Graphics 4600

igdumdim32.dll

RenderPath : BSSM_SV_2_0

PSversion : 300

VSversion : 300

VStarget : vs_2_0

PStarget : ps_2_0

PS2xtarget : ps_2_0

maxPS20inst : 512

3.0 Shaders : no

Image space effects : yes

Nonpowerof2textures : yes

FP16ARGB blending : yes

FP16ARGB filtering : yes

High dynamic range : yes

Bloom lighting : no

Refraction : yes

2.0 hair : yes

SLI mode : no

Water shader : yes

Water reflections : no

Water displacement : no

Water high res : no

Multisample Type : 0

Shader Package : 2

I couldn't find bAllow30Shaders or iLastHDRSetting, but earlier when I was looking at if my card supports 3.0 shaders I turned 30Shaders to 1, and then back to 0 when I found out it didn't. So wherever it is, it should be set to 0. As for the other I have no idea.

bFullBrightLighting=0

[blurShaderHDRInterior]

fTargetLUM=1.0000

fUpperLUMClamp=1.0000

fEmissiveHDRMult=1.0000

fEyeAdaptSpeed=0.5000

fBrightScale=2.2500

fBrightClamp=0.2250

fBlurRadius=7.0000

iNumBlurpasses=1

bDoHighDynamicRange=0

[blurShaderHDR]

fTargetLUM=1.2000

fUpperLUMClamp=1.0000

fGrassDimmer=1.3000

fTreeDimmer=1.2000

fEmissiveHDRMult=1.0000

fEyeAdaptSpeed=0.7000

fSunlightDimmer=1.3000

fSIEmmisiveMult=1.0000

fSISpecularMult=1.0000

fSkyBrightness=0.5000

fSunBrightness=0.0000

fBrightScale=1.5000

fBrightClamp=0.350

fBlurRadius=4.0000

iNumBlurpasses=2

iBlendType=2

bDoHighDynamicRange=0

[blurShader]

fSunlightDimmer=1.0000

fSIEmmisiveMult=1.0000

fSISpecularMult=1.0000

fSkyBrightness=0.5000

fSunBrightness=0.0000

fAlphaAddExterior=0.2000

fAlphaAddInterior=0.5000

iBlurTexSize=256

fBlurRadius=0.0300

iNumBlurpasses=1

iBlendType=2

bUseBlurShader=0

[Striker879]

I think I see the problem right on the second line of your RendererInfo.txt ... Intel HD Graphics 4600. The game is using the on-the-motherboard-not-worth-two-cents graphics chip instead of your kick-ass card. Unless you have some compelling reason to have the Intel HD graphic chip enabled I'd disable it altogether (probably need to dive into the BIOS at boot-up for that). Baring that, I'd look for some way to make sure that it isn't used for games (perhaps some kind of Control Panel applet or similar).

 

If your computer came with the manuals for the motherboard you should find info on disabling the on-board graphics there (the section on the BIOS is usually near the end of the manual). Often retail computers have a BIOS screen that replaces the actual BIOS screen that shows you the boot-up process. Normally the Delete key brings up the BIOS changing menus when pressed during the POST (Power on Self Test), but check the manual if you have one.

[Striker879]

Something else occurred to me ... there may be an option to set priority of graphics devices in the BIOS. If so set your AMD/ATI card to primary and the Intel to secondary (I've never bought a motherboard with on-board graphics, so I'm a little out of my element here).

[Zodiark10]

Okay, I need help badly. I've been researching for an hour and long story short, I can't access BIOS on windows 8.1. It boots up too fast to do anything, and my UEFI firmware ( I'm still not sure what that is. It's apparently a s#*! substitute for BIOS ) settings are completely missing in my system settings. I have been getting thrown back problem after problem. I looked at my motherboard manual and all it says to do is to hit del upon boot, but for windows 8 there isn't even a boot. I have no idea what to do here, I can't access BIOS.