CSS too dark in Windows Vista - Page 2

USHazard · 03-24-2008, 08:31 AM

I have this issue in both XP and Vista with:

E8400
8800GTS G92 512MB
Different forcewares: 169.28, 169.32, 174.16, 174.51, 174.60
4GB RAM

Setting the dxlevel to 81 (it defaults to 95, and 90 is also too dark) works and the models etc. are just as bright as they should be.

It has to be a driver issue... right?

dfhellraiser4td · 03-24-2008, 08:49 AM

my CSS looks perfectly fine with vista. have you tried using the gamma/contrast in game? you do know there is one, right?

USHazard · 03-24-2008, 09:35 AM

If that had any effect then changing dxlevel wouldn't cause things to get brighter.

I use mat_monitorgamma 1.6 (the left edge of the game brightness slider).

jo232 · 03-30-2008, 12:05 PM

I to have the same issue with vista with hl2 i use a old 19 crt monitor , I did try a direct x 10 game out lost planet and is has the same issue its way too dark but i noticed when it played in a window its ok ? which suckks big time . Hl2 when the menu starts up its bright as it should be and then once it gets to the main screen after the steam intro its back to darkness as if the desktop setting switches back to default!

It could be some sort of shader issue as if there is a light / bulb in the game it projects the light ok in the light area but when no lights are there its just too dark and i would say its unplayable

It seems all steam games with vista have this issue on my machine cs/hl2/ges/hl2d/csdd/lp Nothing i do in the Nivdia control panel helps the monitor is maxxed out on all levels brightness / contrast and I have tried powers-trip and others and all different forceware drivers but no joy allso set in game contrast to maxx! luckily i have dual boot and all these games work fine with xp on the same system so leads me to think this is a driver issue with steam and vista ! or it could be the monitor as its old , I will try it out on a friends lcd soon ! , And finally I have installed Timeshift out on vista and its fine once the gamma and contrast in game has been turned upp ! PEACE . JO

8600GTS / Asus p5w dh deluxe

jo232 · 04-02-2008, 04:35 PM

For anyone who is interested I tryed it out on a friends DELL Lcd monitor and its cool no darkness issues what so ever so it looks like it was the old monitor after all, vista must require modern displays ,Kinda glad as its not a hardware issue and still thinking xp is so much better at sorting things out, shame on microshaft for not releasing directx 10 for xp and forcing gaming people to move to a unjustified buggy operating system , BAR to the MICRO MUSH !!!

Punisher!|ITA · 08-18-2008, 01:39 AM

Same problem... I up the thread seeing that no solution are present.

ŁΣØИ · 08-18-2008, 06:23 AM

As far as I know, this problem is present only on 64 bit vista, not 32.
Anyway, my friend has this problem too, and cannot get it brighter on any way, not even with powerstrips. So..no solutions, yet?

Punisher!|ITA · 08-19-2008, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ŁΣØИ

As far as I know, this problem is present only on 64 bit vista, not 32.
Anyway, my friend has this problem too, and cannot get it brighter on any way, not even with powerstrips. So..no solutions, yet?

In fact I have Vista 64 but I find ABSURD that there's no fix for it.

Mid 2008, SP1 for Vista and I still have to play on XP (problem free).

Hawky · 08-19-2008, 05:26 AM

Turn HDR off if you are having problems seeing dark spots on maps like nuke & train.

TinHead · 11-07-2009, 03:42 PM

sorry to bring a dead thread back up but anyone found a solution for this yet lol...

it brightens my desktop but not any of my in game stuff?

iv tryd a few other programs that suppose to increase gama but i get the same problem.. works on desktop but not in game =\

cheers.

Yzord · 11-07-2009, 05:22 PM

Had it too on Vista...changed to win7 and everything was ok, strange enough

TinHead · 11-07-2009, 06:27 PM

hmm.. its been a year since this topic was made and still no solution lol :< dont have windows 7

and dont wonna go back to xp.. ><

Lundra · 11-08-2009, 05:10 PM

Try selecting "Let 3D application control graphics options" setting under the Nvidia control panel, that should override the Nvidia options and let CS:S control brightness/gamma.
good luck.

TinHead · 11-08-2009, 09:05 PM

hey thanks for the reply, but still no such luck :<

almost feels like vista is forcing the gama/brightness to game settings and not allowing third party apps to change in game. =\ ><

iv tryd running everything as admin but doesnt really do much lol.

when im in game and try the hotkeys for powerstrip, it does nothing but when i push the windows key and go back to my desktop its really brightn its driving me nutz -_-

bandit8623 · 11-09-2009, 07:36 PM

rhis is an issue due to geforce 8 and greater. and mostly becaue crt run the games a bit darker. this si the same for vista or 7 for me.

The problem is your graphics card. You must enable "Write driectly to palette DAC" and this is not supported on post-GF7 GPUs. also the new ati 5xxx will nto work. nvidia needs to fix this

03-30-2008, 12:05 PM	#19
jo232 Join Date: Mar 2008 Reputation: 0 Posts: 2	I to have the same issue with vista with hl2 i use a old 19 crt monitor , I did try a direct x 10 game out lost planet and is has the same issue its way too dark but i noticed when it played in a window its ok ? which suckks big time . Hl2 when the menu starts up its bright as it should be and then once it gets to the main screen after the steam intro its back to darkness as if the desktop setting switches back to default! It could be some sort of shader issue as if there is a light / bulb in the game it projects the light ok in the light area but when no lights are there its just too dark and i would say its unplayable It seems all steam games with vista have this issue on my machine cs/hl2/ges/hl2d/csdd/lp Nothing i do in the Nivdia control panel helps the monitor is maxxed out on all levels brightness / contrast and I have tried powers-trip and others and all different forceware drivers but no joy allso set in game contrast to maxx! luckily i have dual boot and all these games work fine with xp on the same system so leads me to think this is a driver issue with steam and vista ! or it could be the monitor as its old , I will try it out on a friends lcd soon ! , And finally I have installed Timeshift out on vista and its fine once the gamma and contrast in game has been turned upp ! PEACE . JO 8600GTS / Asus p5w dh deluxe Last edited by jo232 : 03-30-2008 at 12:13 PM.

04-02-2008, 04:35 PM	#20
jo232 Join Date: Mar 2008 Reputation: 0 Posts: 2	For anyone who is interested I tryed it out on a friends DELL Lcd monitor and its cool no darkness issues what so ever so it looks like it was the old monitor after all, vista must require modern displays ,Kinda glad as its not a hardware issue and still thinking xp is so much better at sorting things out, shame on microshaft for not releasing directx 10 for xp and forcing gaming people to move to a unjustified buggy operating system , BAR to the MICRO MUSH !!! Last edited by jo232 : 04-02-2008 at 04:53 PM.

11-08-2009, 09:05 PM	#29
TinHead Join Date: Nov 2009 Reputation: 0 Posts: 6	hey thanks for the reply, but still no such luck :< almost feels like vista is forcing the gama/brightness to game settings and not allowing third party apps to change in game. =\ >< iv tryd running everything as admin but doesnt really do much lol. when im in game and try the hotkeys for powerstrip, it does nothing but when i push the windows key and go back to my desktop its really brightn its driving me nutz -_- Last edited by TinHead : 11-08-2009 at 09:08 PM.

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03-24-2008, 08:31 AM	#16
USHazard Join Date: Mar 2004 Reputation: 0 Posts: 192	I have this issue in both XP and Vista with: E8400 8800GTS G92 512MB Different forcewares: 169.28, 169.32, 174.16, 174.51, 174.60 4GB RAM Setting the dxlevel to 81 (it defaults to 95, and 90 is also too dark) works and the models etc. are just as bright as they should be. It has to be a driver issue... right?

03-24-2008, 08:49 AM	#17
dfhellraiser4td Join Date: Aug 2006 Reputation: 0 Posts: 471	my CSS looks perfectly fine with vista. have you tried using the gamma/contrast in game? you do know there is one, right?

03-24-2008, 09:35 AM	#18
USHazard Join Date: Mar 2004 Reputation: 0 Posts: 192	If that had any effect then changing dxlevel wouldn't cause things to get brighter. I use mat_monitorgamma 1.6 (the left edge of the game brightness slider).

08-18-2008, 01:39 AM	#21
Punisher!\|ITA Join Date: Jan 2004 Reputation: 6 Posts: 732	Same problem... I up the thread seeing that no solution are present.

08-18-2008, 06:23 AM	#22
ŁΣØИ Join Date: Dec 2006 Reputation: 32 Posts: 563	As far as I know, this problem is present only on 64 bit vista, not 32. Anyway, my friend has this problem too, and cannot get it brighter on any way, not even with powerstrips. So..no solutions, yet?

08-19-2008, 05:26 AM	#24
Hawky Join Date: Jan 2007 Reputation: 281 Posts: 4,022	Turn HDR off if you are having problems seeing dark spots on maps like nuke & train.

11-07-2009, 03:42 PM	#25
TinHead Join Date: Nov 2009 Reputation: 0 Posts: 6	sorry to bring a dead thread back up but anyone found a solution for this yet lol... it brightens my desktop but not any of my in game stuff? iv tryd a few other programs that suppose to increase gama but i get the same problem.. works on desktop but not in game =\ cheers.

11-07-2009, 05:22 PM	#26
Yzord Join Date: Nov 2007 Reputation: 0 Posts: 6	Had it too on Vista...changed to win7 and everything was ok, strange enough

11-07-2009, 06:27 PM	#27
TinHead Join Date: Nov 2009 Reputation: 0 Posts: 6	hmm.. its been a year since this topic was made and still no solution lol :< dont have windows 7 and dont wonna go back to xp.. ><

11-08-2009, 05:10 PM	#28
Lundra Join Date: Nov 2009 Reputation: 2 Posts: 16	Try selecting "Let 3D application control graphics options" setting under the Nvidia control panel, that should override the Nvidia options and let CS:S control brightness/gamma. good luck.

11-09-2009, 07:36 PM	#30
bandit8623 Join Date: Nov 2008 Reputation: 0 Posts: 2	rhis is an issue due to geforce 8 and greater. and mostly becaue crt run the games a bit darker. this si the same for vista or 7 for me. The problem is your graphics card. You must enable "Write driectly to palette DAC" and this is not supported on post-GF7 GPUs. also the new ati 5xxx will nto work. nvidia needs to fix this