Shadow and graphics flickering

[rudds1231]

Hello fellow Dragonborn

 

Here is the issue with my game

After I updated my Nvidia driver (GT 540M) and installing directx 9.0c on windows 8

the game starts very smoothly and everything looks great, after a while the video crashes while the game is still running (Audio still working with no lag) after I restart the game, the graphics and shadows flicker, only when moving. also, shadows move in a strange way (shadow on the roof of a house in the day)

 

I tried many of the tweaks in this forum and other websites, nothing worked

When I reinstall directx and restart my pc, it works fine but again does the same thing as above

I am a newbie in this game and honestly I do not know much about modding or tweaking the game, I might did something wrong without even knowing, so please if you're writing instruction be as detailed as possible.

 

Thank you :D

[aralin]

Did all these issues start when you updated the driver and installed directx? If so, that would seem more likely to be the problem than the game or mods. Did you try rolling back to your old driver? Why are you installing directx? Windows comes with directx, so you shouldn't need to install it. You could also try running the game in compatibility mode, if you haven't already.

[Belial666]

Youj're on a lowend laptop,so you shoujld probaly only use Low quality graphics to start,and see if issue keeps happening.

[BornDownUnder]

Greetings rudds1231,

 

As Aralin stated, there is no need to re-install DirectX as the operating system has it pre-installed, only update it using dxwebsetup.exe , you can get a copy of it from here: http://directx.en.softonic.com/

It will scan your version of DirectX and its associated run-time components with the latest version available from Microsoft before updating.

 

This sounds to me more like a driver conflict issue, where you have a previous driver still partly installed on your operating system, which is conflicting with the current drivers you recently installed, however:

 

First thing I would try as Aralin also stated in his/her reply, is to attempt running Skyrim in compatibility mode for Windows 7 (I have Windows 7 and it works flawlessly here) To run an application in compatibility mode for another operating system:

 

1. Right-click on the application shortcut

2. Click on Properties, select the Tab 'Compatibility'

3. Select the operating system you wish to have the application run under in the drop-down box

4. Press Apply and close the Properties box.

 

Note: I have no experience at all with Windows 8 so could not proceed further with troubleshooting for you if it is indeed a compatibility issue with Windows 8, however compatibility mode will run the game without any drawbacks at all.

 

Second thing I would try is verifying the game cache through Steam:

Note: This can impact on your downloads, if you have a low bandwidth plan then be certain you can afford the data usage before proceeding.

 

1. Open Steam client.

2. Right click on Skyrim in the Library tab, select Properties.

3. Select the Tab 'Local Files'

4. Select the link 'Verify Integrity of Game Cache...'

 

This will have Steam check every file Skyrim has on your computer for validity to the Steam Skyrim installation, it is more or less like a backup in case something goes horribly wrong. If any file does not pass the verification check, it will be re-downloaded automatically, with the Verification tool informing you how many files failed to pass the check.

 

Third thing I would try seeing as this has only just started eventuating after a graphics driver update is to:

 

1. Download Driver Fusion (Formerly Driver Sweeper) It can be found here: http://www.majorgeeks.com/Driver_Fusion_Driver_Sweeper_d6171.html

2. Uninstall the graphics driver.

3. Restart the system and enter Safe Mode, use Driver Fusion to remove all traces of the graphics drivers.

4. Restart and let Windows boot normally, reinstall the up to date drivers.

 

If the issues still occur then you can rule out the driver installation as the above procedure is a clean driver installation procedure.

 

As Belial666 noted quite bluntly, your laptop is quite low-end in terms of capability. However there are a number of tweaks you can make to your Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini files in your 'My Documents/My Games/Skyrim folder. If you would like, I can give you a hand in helping you tweak those two files so you have better performance.

Edited February 28, 2013 by BornDownUnder