Mobile Catalyst Software

I'm running a Radeon 9100 IGP on my laptop and I'm trying to update my drivers. The reason for doing so is that recently the only game I have installed, Half-Life 2, has stopped working on me. At first it says, "launching HL2..." then it comes up with an error:
"hl.exe has encountered a problem and must shut down"
Send Error Report/Don't Send

Typical. So I troubleshoot this issue, removing mods one at a time and deleting the folder bin in an effort to get it working. I visit steampowered.net (you can tell that I'm running out of options) and I find a useful little diagnostic tool that reports whether your computer falls short in terms of hardware. Mine failed in the video section, saying the drivers are outdated, even though the game ran just the other day. But I remembered a news section announcing a new Catalyst driver, so it seemed to make senes. And so my journey/frustrations begin.

I downloaded off the news section link (search it up if you like) and successfully acquired the setup file "6-8-mobile_xp_dd_ccc_enu_35181" onto my desktop. I ran it and ran into this error at the ATI splashscreen:

Severe
INF error: video driver not found.

OK... I uninstall the video card from Device Manager. Same error. I uninstall from Control Panel. Same error. Stupid. It says I need to get a "standard VGA driver", or in other words, Window's default driver. But i can't get around this error. Maybe I have the wrong driver. On the other hand, maybe the driver is messed up. I googled this error and it seems that alot of people came up with this error. At this point, I'd like an end solution, but I'm still grategul for any progressive help.

Thanks

 

Can you continue the install by ignoring the error?

 

No. After the INF error it tells me to install a standard VGA adapter, then it exits setup. I might have overlooked something. Isn't the standard VGA adapter Window's video driver?

 

remove the ati driver in add/remove programs, restart and retry the install.

 

I've tried that too... same error and message comes up. I googled this error and read about some people downloading a modified catalyst setup file, although I'm not sure about this. I've removed the driver with Add/Remove Programs AND Device Manager, forcing Windows to revert to the standard VGA driver, but the OS still spits out the error, even though its using the default driver!

 

I had a Compaq with a similar integrated video card with the exact same problem you encountered. My work around was to install the latest Omega driver from here: http://www.omegadrivers.net/ati.php

Hope this helps!

 

... or:
1- driver cleaner for a good un.install
2- http://www.driverheaven.net/patje/

cheers ...

 

I have only one question regarding these two interesting sources - would they be considered an update from my current driver? This information is from Add/Remove Programs:

ATI Software Uninstall Utility
v6.14.10.1008

ATI Control Panel
v6.14.10.5103

ATI Display Driver
v8.01-040421a-015460C-Toshiba

 

I've troubleshooted plenty of problems before, but this one is pissing me off. I just tried both of the drivers you guys recommended. First, the modified driver:
Error: missing richtx32.ocx file.

I download this file, place it in the Windows installation folder at /system32, and I get the same error. Bring forth the Omega drivers! The site warns me to uninstall Control Center or "CCC", whatever the hell that is. I remove the former and continue on my way, ignoring Microsoft's warning of OS instability as instructed by the installer. Everything goes smoothly... I restart the laptop; then, a BSOD!! Good thing I have System Restore on. So I brought the OS back from the dead. None of the drivers will work.

Are there other alternatives to installing 3rd party drivers? Can anyone tell me which drivers to download from ATI, so that I can compare to the one I've been trying to install.

Another question: out of the two ATI apps there, which is the driver itself?

 

Sorry for posting again, but information for people helping is crucial. This is Valve's diagnostic utility that looks at your system to determine what may be causing the problem. Ignore the network issues, that's a firewall, as well as the ATI Hotkey Poller, as it is disabled.

Results

* General System Performance: Failed

Your system does not meet the system requirements for any Source games. This is critical in having an enjoyable play experience.
Your CPU: 3066 MHz
Recommended CPU: 2400 MHz

Total Memory: 447 MB
Available Memory: 110 MB
Recommended Memory: 512 MB

* Display drivers: Failed
Your ATI display drivers are currently out of date
For updated drivers, go to www.ati.com (thanks, as if I couldn't find the ATI website myself!)
Display Adapter: ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9000 IGP
Recommended Driver Version: 8.252
Recommended Driver Date: 05/24/2006
Severity: Very High

* DirectX: Passed

Your version of DirectX meets the minimum requirements

* UDP Ports: Passed

The following UDP ports were reachable.
UDP Port: 27000 - 27040

* TCP Ports: Failed

The following TCP ports were unreachable. This may indicate a problem with your connection, and can cause Steam and Half-Life games to fail to connect and update.
TCP Port: 27028, 27029, 27030, 27031, 27033
For more information, click here
Severity: Very High

* Background Processes: Passed

There were no processes found that conflict with Steam or the games.

* Loaded Modules: Passed

There were no loaded modules found that conflict with Steam or the games.

* Services: Failed

The following services were found on your system. Please try disabling the service or uninstalling the application assoicated with them, and see if that resolves your issue
o Service: Ati HotKey Poller
Ati HotKey Poller has been reported to cause mouse and keyboard lag.
Severity: Low

* Layered Service Providers: Passed

There were no LSPs found that should conflict with Steam or the games.

* Audio/Video Codecs: Passed

There were no audio/video codecs found that conflict with Steam or the games.

Additional Information

If Steam continues to crash, try deleting all files and folders in the Steam directory except for steam.exe and the SteamApps folder

If you continue to have problems playing the games, try using the launch options -nosound and -windowed.

Open Steam, then Play games
Right click the Souce game, click properties, then Launch options
add -nosound -windowed, click ok, then close.

If you continue to have problems updating Steam, please exit from Steam, and then delete the following files from your Steam directory.

C:\Program Files\Steam\Steam.dll
C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamUI.dll
C:\Program Files\Steam\ClientRegistry.Blob

If you continue to have problems finding any servers, please exit from Steam, and then delete the following files from your Steam\config directory.

C:\Program Files\Steam\config\serverbrowser.vdf
C:\Program Files\Steam\config\masterservers.vdf

Of course, the above suggestions do not apply; the problem does not lie with Steam, but with its applications.

 

The ATI (and maybe the Omega) drivers require MS' .Net framework. Do you have that installed? That could explain your problem with the .ocx file.

 

Yes, I have .NET Framework 2.0