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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> Tech Support >> Error: Can't exclusively control screen

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Error: Can't exclusively control screen - 10/12/2010 6:12:42 PM

johnjohn

Posts: 186
Joined: 9/18/2010
From: Arvada, CO
Status: offline

I have a screen problem with my new computer. Alienware, i5 CPU 760 @2.80GHz. 64bits. ATI Radeon HD 5670, adapterRAM: 1024mb.

The game takes forever to load. Screens load in background, text only by scrolling over screen. Maps come up, but information does not. Sub screens, ie ship information, does not come up even with scrolling. All I get is background, the ship picture, the name, but no info. I still cannot exit game from Map screen, but have to use Task Manager. The game is not playable as is. Shifting to compatibility mode (Vista), this is Win 7, made it work better, but the screen problem remains. I continually get ERROR: CAN'T EXCLUSIVELY CONTROL SCREEN. Any ideas out there?

Post #: 1

RE: Error: Can't exclusively control screen - 10/12/2010 6:20:35 PM

Sardaukar

Posts: 9847
Joined: 11/28/2001
From: Finland/Israel
Status: offline

Try some switches in shortcut, like -dd_sw, which means Direct Draw via Software mode. That has cured graphics glitches in AE for me. You find instructions and explanations for that in WhatsNew.pdf which also show patch notes etc.

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RE: Error: Can't exclusively control screen - 10/12/2010 11:00:23 PM

pompack

Posts: 2582
Joined: 2/8/2004
From: University Park, Texas
Status: offline

I have gotten this error (sometimes) when I have two or more WitPs running simultaneously.

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Post #: 3

RE: Error: Can't exclusively control screen - 10/12/2010 11:39:20 PM

johnjohn

Posts: 186
Joined: 9/18/2010
From: Arvada, CO
Status: offline

OK--I updated the switch to -Cpu2 -multiaudio -dd_sw and got rid of the error. However the game is just as unresponsive as before and still unplayable. I dont get it. This machine is 10 times faster than my laptop and it cannot play this game--the LAG or whatever it is is astonishing. And the map screens and all supplementary screens, ie ships, still dont work. I am stumped.

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Post #: 4

RE: Error: Can't exclusively control screen - 10/13/2010 12:26:36 AM

wdolson

Posts: 10398
Joined: 6/28/2006
From: Near Portland, OR
Status: offline

It sounds like you have multicore issues. There is a switch to set the game to run in single core while in orders mode. That helps with some systems.

The multicore issues are different on each computer. Intel processors are not as good at dealing with programs written for single cores (the DirectX functions used by AE (and WitP) were originally developed on single core systems and were not updated with more recent releases). AMD is better at handling these programs on multi core systems.

There are also problems with some video cards on multi core systems. These problems affect AMD and Intel processors equally. One of the command line flags you added may have dealt with the Intel duel core issue, but the video card issue is still there.

Bill

_____________________________

WitP AE - Test team lead, programmer

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RE: Error: Can't exclusively control screen - 10/13/2010 12:59:51 AM

Nomad

Posts: 5905
Joined: 9/5/2001
From: West Yellowstone, Montana
Status: offline

Which version of directx do you have installed? If you don't have one of the version 9s, you might have to install it. Sometimes older games have to have it instead of 10 or 11(?). As far as I can remember, you can have both installed with no problems.

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RE: Error: Can't exclusively control screen - 10/13/2010 2:03:29 AM

johnjohn

Posts: 186
Joined: 9/18/2010
From: Arvada, CO
Status: offline

Thx to both of you. I tried the singlecpuorders switch and it had no effect. Nomad offers something I did not think about. I will install Directx 9 and see if that doesn't resolve the graphics issue. I appreciate your input.

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Post #: 7

RE: Error: Can't exclusively control screen - 10/13/2010 3:08:04 AM

jwilkerson

Posts: 10525
Joined: 9/15/2002
From: Kansas
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: johnjohn

I have a screen problem with my new computer. Alienware, i5 CPU 760 @2.80GHz. 64bits. ATI Radeon HD 5670, adapterRAM: 1024mb.

The game takes forever to load. Screens load in background, text only by scrolling over screen. Maps come up, but information does not. Sub screens, ie ship information, does not come up even with scrolling. All I get is background, the ship picture, the name, but no info. I still cannot exit game from Map screen, but have to use Task Manager. The game is not playable as is. Shifting to compatibility mode (Vista), this is Win 7, made it work better, but the screen problem remains. I continually get ERROR: CAN'T EXCLUSIVELY CONTROL SCREEN. Any ideas out there?

I have a similar Alienware and run with no switches. But you might try XP mode (instead of VISTA).

_____________________________

AE Project Lead
New Game Project Lead

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Post #: 8

RE: Error: Can't exclusively control screen - 10/13/2010 11:15:32 PM

johnjohn

Posts: 186
Joined: 9/18/2010
From: Arvada, CO
Status: offline

Thx to all of you. The switches work fine and the game is working. What a great group of gamers you all are. Thx.

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Post #: 9

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> Tech Support >> Error: Can't exclusively control screen

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