Some information about Graphics cards and drivers.

The graphics card (or video card) is the part of your computer which handles the images that you see on the screen. The more expensive graphics cards are separate components that fit into the mainboard (motherboard) of the computer, and can be take out and replaced. The cheaper graphics cards are integral- part of the mainboard. They cannot be removed, but in most cases it is possible to fit a separate graphics card to use instead. For most PCs, buying and fitting a new graphics card is a straightforward task. For laptops and older PCs it is often more difficult to find the right card.

The Graphics driver is a piece of software (code/ program) which tells the computer how to use the graphics card. The Sims 2 is a very demanding 3D program, and sometimes certain drivers can cause errors which appear as glitches on the screen. The drivers which come with your computer or graphics card are most likely not the newest, and so the most logical thing to try is to upgrade the drivers for the newest. However, occasionally the newer ones may not work so well with the Sims 2, so then it’s time to try some older drivers.

Graphical Errors:
Some of the errors which are possible are as follows:
Some/ all of the graphics options greyed out in game (Check in a lot, not in the neighbourhood screen!): If your graphics card doesn’t support some of the features, the only option is to buy a new card. Edge smoothing, reflections and shadows are features of the card’s capabilities.
Red water and/ or blank patches on the screen: This is usually indicative of outdated drivers (although blue flashing objects are NOT caused by this).
The screen goes black or freezes during the special event movies: This can sometimes be improved by new drivers, too.
The game is slow or jeky, especially when the settings are on high: This can often be helped by newer drivers, and there are lots of thngs you can do to improve the overall performance of your computer, too. LINK
There is a D3derr_invalidcall error when I try to run bodyshop: This is caused by some Intel graphics cards, and Intel claim it has been solved with later drivers. However, some people have still been reporting the error, and the only solution is to use the pre-release version of Bodyshop - download here. You can get the Starter pack from here. Please read this also: Pre-release Bodyshop skins. Some people have reported that with Nightlife and Open For Business they do not get the error.
I have an error saying there are no DirectX compatible graphics adapters in the system: DirectX is Microsoft’s graphics handling software. You may have an older version of DirectX, or installing new drivers may require re-installing DirectX. You can get the newest version here, free: Direct X
If the error persists, try reinstalling the graphics drivers.

If you are having graphical errors, move on to the next page.

Keywords: graphics card, video card, drivers