Software rendered games freeze when switching to desktop.

[VNast1]

(Switching to desktop meaning doing any of Alt+Tab, Win+D, etc).

We attempted to run a couple of games on two different computers, one's an old Panasonic CF-W8 toughbook running a GMA 4500, the other's a PC running an Intel HD 530, both running Windows 10.

The toughbook has no issues with the game it supports, while on the PC the graphics of the game freezes and becomes unresponsive. It behaves as if the game lost focus without Windows itself noticing. We have to manually open up the task manager and kill the process.

Testing a couple games, the ones that froze were definitely software rendered (Platypus, Re-Volt, etc), This info was found on the internet, and by testing ourselves by disabling the driver). Disabling the driver seems to fix the freezing, strangely.

The PC is has an Asus Z170A motherboard with an Intel i7-6700k processor.

[Alberto_R_Intel]

VNast1, Thank you for posting in the Intel® Communities Support. We recommend to install the graphics driver provided by the manufacturer of the computer since that driver was customized by them work with your specific platform. I looked in ASUS's web site and the latest Intel® graphics driver available is version 22.20.16.4691, please try to install it and test the games: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z170-A/HelpDesk_Download/ Since the processor works with Intel® HD Graphics 530, if the problem persists, we can always try to install the Intel® generic graphics driver version 25.20.100.6618: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/28646/Intel-Graphics-Windows-10-DCH-Drivers-with-Intel-Graphics-Command-Center?product=88345 I searched for the recommended settings for the games, but Platypus and Re-Volt are not listed: https://gameplay.intel.com/CPUSelectedGameSearch/Index/88195/0 This problem happens just with those two games or it happens with all the games? Please provide the SSU report if the issue remains after installing the graphics drivers provided previously: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility To attach the report, once you choose "reply" select the "clip" icon on the lower left corner. Regards, Alberto R. Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[VNast1]

We've tried ~30 games and only those two had issues. The hardware are diverse but the systems are identical (W10 1809).

[Alberto_R_Intel]

VNast1, Thank you very much for providing those details and the report. Just to let you know, most of the games that are not that new work or run using Direct X versions 9, 9C or even 10. Windows* 10 fully supports Direct X version 12 or higher, so the problem could be related to compatibility between the games and Windows*. In the following link you will find some details about running the games in compatibility mode, please follow the instructions in there to test the games: https://www.intel.sg/content/www/xa/en/support/articles/000030981/graphics-drivers.html Based on the information showing in the SSU report, we can see that the current graphics driver version installed is 25.20.100.6577, there is a newer Intel® generic graphics driver, version 25.20.100.6618, please try to install it: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/28646/Intel-Graphics-Windows-10-DCH-Drivers-with-Intel-Graphics-Command-Center?product=88345 If the problem remains after trying the steps above, then the next thing to do will be to get in contact directly with the developers of the games for further technical assistance or suggestions on this matter. Regards, Alberto R. Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[VNast1]

Alberto,

Thanks for the efforts, but it seems that the driver you sent does not exist yet. Or at least Intel is "fixing" it.

How can you explain that without the driver there are no issues? Can you reproduce it on a 6700k system? And sending me to the game devs, you are not serious i hope?

Regards,

Victor

[Alberto_R_Intel]

VNast1, You are very welcome. Yes, it seems to be that some fixes are being done to the driver and in this case, we will need to wait for it to become available once again. The games that were tested and validated by Intel® are listed in the web site provided previously since the games are not showing there, then we cannot guarantee that they will work with the generic Intel® graphics drivers. The reason why the game works without the Intel® driver is because, in that case, the game is using the Microsoft* basic driver and that driver does not use the full graphics capabilities for the game, to test the compatibility mode and see if the game works that way will be a good thing to do to confirm that information. I will try to reproduce the issue in our lab, I will let you know the results as soon as possible. Since the games are not that new, basically they were designed to work with a different architecture, that is why we recommend to get in contact directly with the game developers for further recommendations and assistance on this scenario. Regards, Alberto R. Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[Alberto_R_Intel]

VNast1, I just wanted to let you know that I ran the games on a Microsoft* Surface Pro 4, Intel® HD Graphics 520, Intel® Core™ i5-6300U. Platypus: I ran the compatibility tool and select Windows* XP as the operating system, the game runs fine without freezing. Re-Volt: It works fine without running the compatibility tool, using Windows* 10 as the operating system. For both of these games, if you press Alt+Tab or Win+D, they get paused which is expected, that is how it should work, but they did not get freeze or stop functioning. If the problem remains, to contact the game developers will be the next thing to do. Regards, Alberto R. Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[VNast1]

Alberto,

Thank you for your continuous efforts. Can you confirm that system was running windows 10 build 1809 or newer?

Regarding the authors, it might be quite hard for such old games, often with peculiar history.

Regards,

Victor

[Alberto_R_Intel]

VNast1, You are very welcome. Yes, the Microsoft* Surface Pro 4 is working with Windows* 10 1809. Based on that same fact, that the games are not that new, what we can recommend is to play them as an administrator using the compatibility tool with lower settings, to avoid any freezing problems. Besides getting in contact with the game developers, as an alternative, since the games were developed for a different hardware/software, you can also try to build a Virtual Machine in your PC using Windows* XP as the Operating System and run the games that way, that will be another option to try. Regards, Alberto R. Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation