# Sticky  BEFORE YOU ASK A QUESTION, Please read this!



## McTimson

Here are some simple guidelines and common fixes I've made for the TSG Games forum.

*First off, there is no support for illegally downloaded programs/games/cracks/whatever. This is covered in the TSG rules. That means we cannot help you with anything you got off of Kazaa/Kazaa Lite/Morpheus/WinMX/Limewire/DC++/BitTorrent/whatever. Downloading these games or cracks is illegal and not supported on the forums. This also applies to a copy of a game that your friend gave you, whether they downloaded it or not, it's still illegal. If you don't own the original copy of the game you need help with, then don't bother asking for help. This also applies to any game console ROM's or emulators that you have. We will not help you with these problems, so don't bother asking, as your thread will be closed very quickly.*

With that out of the way, here are the most common solutions to game problems here:

**Drivers and Updates**
The most common solution to game problems is making sure everything is up to date. Usually, video card drivers are the main cause of a game not working. Before you post, make sure that you have all of the latest driver updates for your video card. nVidia card owners can find drivers here, and ATI owners can find their drivers here. If your video card was not made by ATI or nVidia, go to the manufacturer's website, you should be able to find them there. Video drivers are updated every few months or so, so be sure to update them accordingly.

Also, be sure you have the latest updates and patches for the game(s) you are having trouble with. Many times it is a common problem with the game, and the developers will release a patch for it that fixes the problem. Check the game's official website for patch information.

If a game still doesn't run at all, you should make sure you have the proper hardware to run it - a free, easy test that does it for you is available here.

Posting a thread
If you still have problems getting a game to work, then please follow these instructions for posting a thread:

Be as descriptive as possible. Give as much information about the error as you can, when it happens, what game is happens in, does it always happen at the same spot in the game, how the computer responds, etc.
*Post your DXDiag report.* This gives us the detailed information of your computer so we can determine if you have the proper hardware to run a game, as well as the proper drivers. No personal information is collected here, it is merely a system report. To get your DXDiag report, follow these instructions:
Click Start -> Run, and type 'dxdiag' (without quotes), and hit OK.
If a dialog box comes up, click yes.
When the progress bar in the lower right corner of the program is done, click the 'Save All Information' button
Save the information to somewhere you'll remember (the desktop is the easiest choice).
Open the saved file, hit Ctrl+A (select all), and then Ctrl+C (copy).
Then, paste that information into your thread.

That's it! With this information, and your detailed problem, you should be on your way to getting help. Please remember that this is a forum, and people are here to help. If nobody responds right away, you can 'bump' your post after 24 hours, but please wait before doing so, don't be upset if you don't get a response instantly.


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## brianF

I am closing this post and sticking. Any additions and changes can be hammered out with McTimson and I will open it for updating


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