Video Cards

Voyager 4 is based on a Microsoft technology called DirectX that dramatically accelerates video (screen) operations by pushing most of the processing from the main CPU to the video card.  This same technology is used for Microsoft Flight Simulator, Google Earth and many games.

Between DirectX and the video card itself is a piece of software called a driver.  Manufacturers typically update the driver frequently to improve performance, fix bugs and add features.

In general, it's a good idea to check for updates to your video card from time to time.  The generic Microsoft Windows Update mechanism checks for some updates but misses many so you should check with your video card maker's Web site for the most current drivers.  In many cases, a new driver can make a dramatic performance difference.

Note:  Motion Computing LS 800 and LE 1600 users:  Click here for more specific information about your computer.  The rest of this page refers to all other computers.

If you're not sure what video card you have, you can check as follows:

If you're running Windows XP:

1. Right click on your Windows Desktop and select Properties.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. Click the Adapter tab.
5. This shows the name of your video card.  You may want to write it somewhere.
6. To see information about the video card driver, click Properties.
7. Select the Driver tab to see information about your video card driver.  Take note of the Driver Date and Driver Version.
8. Click the Update Driver button to see if Microsoft knows about a newer driver for your card.  Windows will prompt you through its Hardware Update Wizard.  Be sure to allow Windows to connect to Windows Update (step 1 in the Wizard) and install the software automatically (step 2 of the Wizard).
9. If Windows fails to find a better match, don't necessarily believe it.  Rather, visit your video card manufacture's Web site and search by the name of the video card (step 5 above) for a driver newer than the version you noted in step 7 above.  Common video card manufacturer sites are listed at the bottom of this page.

If you're running Windows Vista:

1. Right click on your Windows Desktop and select Personalize.
2. Click Display Settings.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Click the Adapter tab if not already selected.
5. This shows the name of your video card.  You may want to write it somewhere.
6. To see information about the video card driver, click Properties (Windows may ask you to authorize this action.  If so, say Yes.)
7. Select the Driver tab to see information about your video card driver.  Take note of the Driver Date and Driver Version.
8. Click the Update Driver button to see if Microsoft knows about a newer driver for your card.  Click the Search automatically for updated driver software choice.
9. If Windows fails to find a better match, don't necessarily believe it.  Rather, visit your video card manufacture's Web site and search by the name of the video card (step 5 above) for a driver newer than the version you noted in step 7 above.  Common video card manufacturer sites are listed below.

Common Video Card Manufacturer Web Sites

Intel

http://www.intel.com

Click the Support and Downloads link at the top of the page and choose Download Center.   Then type the model number of your video card and your computer's operating system into the Search Support box (e.g. for an Intel 915 Express chipset running on Windows XP, type something like 915 XP.

ATI (now part of AMD)

http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html

Select your computer's operating system from the list then select your card family (like Mobility Radeon) then the specific card (such as Mobility Radeon X800) and click the Go button.

NVIDIA

http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Use the selector to choose your video card and operating system then click Search.