Problems with videos and animations are usually attributed to a display adapter driver that does not support DirectDraw. If videos and animations are not correctly displayed on the monitor, your first step should be to determine if the video card adapter driver supports DirectDraw.

This can be accomplished using the DirectX Diagnostic Tool. From the Run command type DxDiag.exe and click OK. From the Display tab, click the Test DirectDraw button. Windows XP will perform a series of tests. If your display does not pass each of the tests, you will need to update the video adapter.

If updating the video adapter driver does not solve the problem, verify that your video card is indeed supported by the operating system installed on your computer. If you are running Windows, you can check the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) to determine if the video card adapter is supported.

Updating Video Drivers
This is one of the most common problems with video cards. Faulty or incorrect video drivers can result in such things as operating system instability, video subsystem problems, and so on.

Most video cards will ship with drivers on a floppy disk or a CD-ROM. You can use the drivers that came with the hardware or visit the manufacturer’s Web site to obtain a more recent one. The drivers should come with a text file outlining the installation process.

The first step in updating the driver is to identify the make and model of your video card. In Windows XP, you can see a list of all the hardware components within Device Manager. The video card should be listed under Display Adapters. However, it is has not been recognized by Windows XP, it may be listed under Unknown Devices. Double click on the video adapter listed to identify the make and model. This information can be used to retrieve the latest driver from the manufacturer’s Web site.

If you are running Windows XP, you can update a device driver using the steps listed below:

1. Right click My Computer and click Properties.

2. From the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
3. Within Device Manager, double-click the video adapter listed under Display Adapters.
4. Click Update Driver to open the Hardware Update Wizard.
5. Accept the default option, Install the Software Automatically. Choose the Install from a List or Specific Location option if you have the updated driver so you can indicate the file location. Click Next.
6. Windows searches for an updated driver and instructs you if an updated driver has been found.
7. Click Finish once the updated driver has been installed.

As you can see, the majority of video adapter card problems can be solved by ensuring that the correct driver is installed and that the display settings are properly configured based on the capabilities of your hardware. If you are unable to resolve the problem using the recommendations described throughout this article, chances are the manufacturer of your video adapter card already has a solution.