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Troubleshooting

Have a question or problem that isn't addressed here?  Use the feedback form.

My TrayGames Manger is crashing

If your TrayGames Manager crashes at start you need to re-install it.  Some users may be experiencing a crash that prevents the manager from performing updates.  So although the problem is fixed, the manager is unable to update itself to the latest version which has the fix.  In order to correct this problem you will need to manually uninstall and re-install the client.

If you experience a crash without being able to connect to TrayGames you should try re-installing.  Remove and then re-install the client.  If you have a version of the client that was installed prior to September 2006 you may need to perform a manual removal.  See "How do I uninstall TrayGames?" on this FAQ page for more information.

Members with Windows Vista who installed prior to March 10, 2007 or who installed from a CD-ROM received with a new computer should re-install.  The version that was shipped with computers and available for download prior to March 10, 2007 was suceptible to a problem introduced by the final release of Vista.  This problem was corrected and users who do not have this correction may experience problems starting the TrayGames Manager.  Be sure to uninstall, and then re-install from a new download of the installer.

If you have a crash that shows a dialog saying the problem has been reported to TrayGames, then we have received an error report about it and will investigate.  If you have information that you think is relevant to our debugging the issue please (i.e. if you can describe what you were doing at the time) please send feedback.

I Get a message "Your computer needs updated graphics card drivers or has too old of a graphics card to support TrayGames." what do I do?

All of the games on TrayGames require DirectX 9.  The error may indicate that the correct version of DirectX was not available.  The TrayGames installer attempts to install DirectX 9 on your computer before it installs the TrayGames Manager.  There are three likely causes:

  • The DirectX 9 Installation failed or was cancelled by you.  You can try installing the client again.
  • Your video drivers are not up to date or do not match your video card.  This may be the case if your computer has had Windows re-installed on it since you purchased it.  You will need to determine the manufacturer of your video card, then go to their web site and download the latest available drivers.  After installing the new drivers you can then re-install the TrayGames Manager (see the rest of this FAQ).
  • Even computers as much as 6 years old should be able to run TrayGames games, but only if they have a sufficiently capable video card.  If your computer does not have a video card that can handle Direct3D it will be unable to run our games.  If you computer is a desktop system more than 4 years old, or a laptop more than 2 years old, this may be the case. 

What kind of video card do I need?

There are many video cards that can handle the graphics needed for TrayGames.  Any video card purchased in the last five years that was a popular card at the time will work, for example the GeForce 2 Pro which was widely available in 2001 works fine, the TNT2 which is a little older, does not.   In the case of laptops there is a similar situation, and depending upon the age and cost of your laptop at the time it was purchased it may or may not have a modern graphics chipset.  You should determine the type of graphics card you have, and ensure that you have the very latest manufacturer drivers for it.

How can I determine if I have good video drivers?

(If you have a brand name system, such as Dell or HP, and it is still in its original configuration, you should contact the manufacturer for updated video drivers.)

Try running the DXDiag tool.  Any computer that has DirectX installed on it has this tool.  Do the following:

  1. Click on the Windows Start button and pick "Run..."
  2. A small dialog labeled "Run" will appear, in it type "dxdiag" and hit Enter or click OK.
  3. The DirectX Diagnostic tool will appear, if it does not, you do not have DirectX installed on your computer.  If it does appear on the first screen at the bottom of the list of System Information it should say "DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c".

If the DXDiag tool did not appear then you very likely need new video drivers, or you have a video card that does not handle DirectX.  You can determine the type of video card you have by right-clicking the "My Computer" icon on your desktop or in your Windows Start menu.  In the right-click menu you will see an item "Manage", select it.  A dialog labeled "Computer Management" will appear.  Pick the "Device Manager" item from the left hand pane, then on the right hand pane expand the "Display Adapters" list node.  You will see the name of the video card (display adapter) that is installed in your computer.  By searching for that card name on the web you should be able to easily find the manufacturer site and download the latest drivers for your card.

How do I uninstall TrayGames?

Like all certified Windows applications, the TrayGames Manager puts an 'uninstall' option into the Add/Remove Program control panel.  To access it simply select "Control Panel" from your Windows Start menu.  Then pick the Add/Remove Programs item in there.  You will see a "TrayGames Client" in the programs list.

In the unlikely event that the automatic install does not work, report what happened and then follow the manual uninstall instructions.