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Stella not working (crashes at startup) in OpenGL mode (Windows Vista)


alb3530

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The application simply crashes when i try to use it in OpenGL mode.I've tried to change all OpenGL parameters i could find in stella ini file, but no luck.

The only thing i got unsure about was the "libGL.so".

There's no file with this name in my PC.Eventhough i didn't google for it to know what it was exactly, i supposed that library was for Linux, judging by its name.

 

 

The main reason why i want to use OpenGL is, in software mode, the game doesn't run smoothly.

There're small "distortions" in game display, like if the game WERE running at 60 FPS, but with occasional frameskipping.

 

Of course, emulators of newer systems (like "Fusion" and "ZNES") run just perfect in my PC.

Stella, z26, and PCAE don't.

 

Z26 is the one that's closer from running quite smoothly.There are the same problems Stella has in software mode, but they happen less often.

 

Maybe such "complexity" of Atari 2600 explains why no emulator was created for Symbian based phones so far.They can emulate SMS, Genesis and SNES pretty well.Even the GBA.But no one developed an Atari 2600 emulator yet (after years of Symbian phones)

 

 

Back to the topic, my PC:

-Pentium Dual-Core 1.6 GHZ

-64MB on-board video (dxdiag shows 128MB as video memory).

-DirectX 10, DDI version 9Ex (according with dxdiag)

-VIA P4M900 chipset, default video adapter (no third-party graphics card installed)

-512 MB DDR2 SDRAM (Windows uses almost all the physical memory)

-and very important: Windows Aero disabled.

 

Is Stella supposed to work with Windows Vista in OpenGL mode?

 

 

Thanks

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The application simply crashes when i try to use it in OpenGL mode.I've tried to change all OpenGL parameters i could find in stella ini file, but no luck.

The only thing i got unsure about was the "libGL.so".

There's no file with this name in my PC.Eventhough i didn't google for it to know what it was exactly, i supposed that library was for Linux, judging by its name.

 

Is Stella supposed to work with Windows Vista in OpenGL mode?

Make sure you're using the most recent version of Stella (2.5.1) and that you've downloaded the latest video card drivers from the manufacturer of your video card. I've personally tested on Intel, ATI, and Nvidia OpenGL hardware in Vista 32 and 64, and it worked fine for me.

 

Also, I suggest you completely uninstall Stella and remove all config files (in My Documents\Stella) and try with a fresh 2.5.1 install.

 

I just thought I'd add that your PC seems very underpowered for running Vista, as you've mentioned that (a) almost all your RAM is used, and (b) Aero is turned off. It's possible that OpenGL mode is also stressing the system too much. I've run Stella in OpenGL mode on a 600MHz system with no problems (but not in Vista). I don't personally use Vista, but now I'm wondering if disabling Aero also disables all 3D support (including OpenGL).

Edited by stephena
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The application simply crashes when i try to use it in OpenGL mode.I've tried to change all OpenGL parameters i could find in stella ini file, but no luck.

The only thing i got unsure about was the "libGL.so".

There's no file with this name in my PC.Eventhough i didn't google for it to know what it was exactly, i supposed that library was for Linux, judging by its name.

 

Is Stella supposed to work with Windows Vista in OpenGL mode?

Make sure you're using the most recent version of Stella (2.5.1) and that you've downloaded the latest video card drivers from the manufacturer of your video card. I've personally tested on Intel, ATI, and Nvidia OpenGL hardware in Vista 32 and 64, and it worked fine for me.

First of all, thanks for your reply.And for having created that great emulator too.

 

I'm using the latest Stella.

And i'm using the latest integrated graphics' driver too... ...well, it was until last month.I've just realized there's a updated driver at via website, released april, 22 (or 28, can't remember)

 

Will check all this later and let you know

 

Also, I suggest you completely uninstall Stella and remove all config files (in My Documents\Stella) and try with a fresh 2.5.1 install.

I will try it, and let you know what happened

 

I just thought I'd add that your PC seems very underpowered for running Vista, as you've mentioned that (a) almost all your RAM is used, and (b) Aero is turned off. It's possible that OpenGL mode is also stressing the system too much. I've run Stella in OpenGL mode on a 600MHz system with no problems (but not in Vista).

That's why i mentioned emulators of more advanced systems run just fine.

 

I don't personally use Vista, but now I'm wondering if disabling Aero also disables all 3D support (including OpenGL).

No, it doesn't.Or at least i think so.

The other emulators i have that support OpenGL run just fine without Aero.A good example is Mame.

In both DirectDraw and Direct3D modes, it runs games like Out Run and Street Fighter Alpha 2 with sound (sampling rate set to 48000HZ), at 60 FPS and with no frameskipping.All this with either:

 

A) double resolution, windowed (my favorite)

 

or

 

B) full-screen (1280x1024) without interpolation or any other blitter effect.

 

 

Best regards

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The application simply crashes when i try to use it in OpenGL mode.I've tried to change all OpenGL parameters i could find in stella ini file, but no luck.

 

Is Stella supposed to work with Windows Vista in OpenGL mode?

There were problems with OpenGL and Vista in previous releases, but I thought I fixed the issue (at least it's fixed on my system). It's possible I didn't fix it entirely, and it may have nothing to do with your hardware or environment. I'll try to test on a 32-bit version of Vista and see what happens, but this may take me a week or so, since I need to find a system to install Vista32 (I only have access to Vista64).

 

WRT the libGL.so issue, it looks like I mistakenly removed the Win32 name of the GL library, and used the Linux one instead. It really shouldn't matter, since Stella is supposed to auto-detect the name. But just to make sure, after you do a clean install (and assuming it still doesn't work), edit stella.ini and change gl_lib to 'opengl32.dll' and see what happens. I'm guessing it won't matter, but I've been wrong before :)

Edited by stephena
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The application simply crashes when i try to use it in OpenGL mode.I've tried to change all OpenGL parameters i could find in stella ini file, but no luck.

 

Is Stella supposed to work with Windows Vista in OpenGL mode?

There were problems with OpenGL and Vista in previous releases, but I thought I fixed the issue (at least it's fixed on my system). It's possible I didn't fix it entirely, and it may have nothing to do with your hardware or environment. I'll try to test on a 32-bit version of Vista and see what happens, but this may take me a week or so, since I need to find a system to install Vista32 (I only have access to Vista64).

 

Oh, my mistake.I THOUGHT i had the latest Stella...i've just checked and it's 2.4.2 ...sorry...

 

I thought it was the latest cause i've downloaded it last month i think, and now i see the release of the latest version was posted at the beginning of april here in the forum.

 

Sorry again, i'll get the latest version.

 

Thanks

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The application simply crashes when i try to use it in OpenGL mode.I've tried to change all OpenGL parameters i could find in stella ini file, but no luck.

 

Is Stella supposed to work with Windows Vista in OpenGL mode?

There were problems with OpenGL and Vista in previous releases, but I thought I fixed the issue (at least it's fixed on my system). It's possible I didn't fix it entirely, and it may have nothing to do with your hardware or environment. I'll try to test on a 32-bit version of Vista and see what happens, but this may take me a week or so, since I need to find a system to install Vista32 (I only have access to Vista64).

 

Oh, my mistake.I THOUGHT i had the latest Stella...i've just checked and it's 2.4.2 ...sorry...

 

I thought it was the latest cause i've downloaded it last month i think, and now i see the release of the latest version was posted at the beginning of april here in the forum.

 

Sorry again, i'll get the latest version.

 

Thanks

Well then, barring any other problems, this is almost definitely the issue. OpenGL support in Vista wasn't fixed until version 2.5.

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The application simply crashes when i try to use it in OpenGL mode.I've tried to change all OpenGL parameters i could find in stella ini file, but no luck.

 

Is Stella supposed to work with Windows Vista in OpenGL mode?

There were problems with OpenGL and Vista in previous releases, but I thought I fixed the issue (at least it's fixed on my system). It's possible I didn't fix it entirely, and it may have nothing to do with your hardware or environment. I'll try to test on a 32-bit version of Vista and see what happens, but this may take me a week or so, since I need to find a system to install Vista32 (I only have access to Vista64).

 

Oh, my mistake.I THOUGHT i had the latest Stella...i've just checked and it's 2.4.2 ...sorry...

 

I thought it was the latest cause i've downloaded it last month i think, and now i see the release of the latest version was posted at the beginning of april here in the forum.

 

Sorry again, i'll get the latest version.

 

Thanks

Well then, barring any other problems, this is almost definitely the issue. OpenGL support in Vista wasn't fixed until version 2.5.

i've just tried and Stella worked.

 

But in OpenGL, some games are slower, running sometimes faster than normal.

 

Are the games supposed to work normally in OpenGL with Vista, or you're still improving OpenGL support?

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The application simply crashes when i try to use it in OpenGL mode.I've tried to change all OpenGL parameters i could find in stella ini file, but no luck.

 

Is Stella supposed to work with Windows Vista in OpenGL mode?

There were problems with OpenGL and Vista in previous releases, but I thought I fixed the issue (at least it's fixed on my system). It's possible I didn't fix it entirely, and it may have nothing to do with your hardware or environment. I'll try to test on a 32-bit version of Vista and see what happens, but this may take me a week or so, since I need to find a system to install Vista32 (I only have access to Vista64).

 

Oh, my mistake.I THOUGHT i had the latest Stella...i've just checked and it's 2.4.2 ...sorry...

 

I thought it was the latest cause i've downloaded it last month i think, and now i see the release of the latest version was posted at the beginning of april here in the forum.

 

Sorry again, i'll get the latest version.

 

Thanks

Well then, barring any other problems, this is almost definitely the issue. OpenGL support in Vista wasn't fixed until version 2.5.

i've just tried and Stella worked.

 

But in OpenGL, some games are slower, running sometimes faster than normal.

 

Are the games supposed to work normally in OpenGL with Vista, or you're still improving OpenGL support?

Try enabling OpenGL vsync. This should tie the output to the refresh rate of your monitor, which on an LCD would be the same as a real NTSC system (60Hz).

 

As for the speed issue, this was mentioned in the release notes. OpenGL mode works in Vista, but isn't as fast as in XP (or other systems for that matter). I'm not sure what to do about that, or even if there's anything I can do. OpenGL has been reported to be slower in Vista overall anyway, due to the way MS has changed their graphics subsystem. You can try changing the 'gl_texrect' option in stella.ini from false to true and see what happens, but other than that there's nothing I can do for now.

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The application simply crashes when i try to use it in OpenGL mode.I've tried to change all OpenGL parameters i could find in stella ini file, but no luck.

 

Is Stella supposed to work with Windows Vista in OpenGL mode?

There were problems with OpenGL and Vista in previous releases, but I thought I fixed the issue (at least it's fixed on my system). It's possible I didn't fix it entirely, and it may have nothing to do with your hardware or environment. I'll try to test on a 32-bit version of Vista and see what happens, but this may take me a week or so, since I need to find a system to install Vista32 (I only have access to Vista64).

 

Oh, my mistake.I THOUGHT i had the latest Stella...i've just checked and it's 2.4.2 ...sorry...

 

I thought it was the latest cause i've downloaded it last month i think, and now i see the release of the latest version was posted at the beginning of april here in the forum.

 

Sorry again, i'll get the latest version.

 

Thanks

Well then, barring any other problems, this is almost definitely the issue. OpenGL support in Vista wasn't fixed until version 2.5.

i've just tried and Stella worked.

 

But in OpenGL, some games are slower, running sometimes faster than normal.

 

Are the games supposed to work normally in OpenGL with Vista, or you're still improving OpenGL support?

Try enabling OpenGL vsync. This should tie the output to the refresh rate of your monitor, which on an LCD would be the same as a real NTSC system (60Hz).

 

As for the speed issue, this was mentioned in the release notes. OpenGL mode works in Vista, but isn't as fast as in XP (or other systems for that matter). I'm not sure what to do about that, or even if there's anything I can do. OpenGL has been reported to be slower in Vista overall anyway, due to the way MS has changed their graphics subsystem. You can try changing the 'gl_texrect' option in stella.ini from false to true and see what happens, but other than that there's nothing I can do for now.

 

I'd tried vsync before, but no luck.

 

And what about software mode?

Do you plan to improve it for running better on Vista?Can't vsync be added in software mode?

 

It runs very well (better than previous release) but there still are slight problems with speed/video synchronization

 

 

Best regards

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And what about software mode?

Do you plan to improve it for running better on Vista?Can't vsync be added in software mode?

Software rendering mode doesn't support vsync in SDL on most platforms, so it's impossible for me to add it. And software mode is dying a quick death, really. Newer versions of DirectX don't even support it, and just use 3D mode anyway (similar to what Stella in OpenGL mode does). So unfortunately, I don't see software mode improving in the future, as everything is going 3D.

 

It runs very well (better than previous release) but there still are slight problems with speed/video synchronization

That's the thing; there's nothing I'm doing in Stella that's causing the slowdown. The exact same code runs without speed issues on 500Mhz Linux machines, Windows XP, OSX, etc.

 

The real issue is that Vista graphical updates are much slower than XP. This is partly due to the way Vista was designed, and perhaps partly due to SDL not being as optimized for Vista as it is for XP. The probable reason your other emulators are working fast is that they've been developed exclusively for Windows and Direct3D, and are not cross-platform or portable.

 

Look at it this way: my main development platform is a quad-core 2.4Ghz CPU with 8GB RAM and Nvidia 7950GT video card. In Vista64 it gets 5.9 on every test, and even with that system, Stella (and other OpenGL apps) show speed decreases compared to XP. My point in bringing this up is not to brag about hardware, but to emphatically state since Stella uses very little OpenGL resources on most systems, if I can see performance drops on such a high-end system, there must be something very strange going on :(

 

Now, I'm not closing the book on this issue, and will continue to research what's going on. But based on the many reports all over the Internet about how Vista is so much slower than XP, I'm not all that hopeful that anything can be done unless Microsoft releases a new service pack to address this issue.

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