SL and Firestorm viewers not even executing to open

[khoeler]

Hey, I am new to Second Life, I have never played the game before and have only heard about it and am considering it now as it seems like so much fun, but I have run into a problem, I signed up, downloaded and installed both the standard SL viewer and the third-party Firestorm viewer yet neither of them are opening when I double click them on my desktop, I am using an eMachines netbook, specifications are as follows: 

CPU: Intel(R) Atom(TM) CPU N270 @ 1.60GHz

RAM: 1.00 GB

Operating System: Windows 8 32-bit Developers preview (yet I can run other software only available for the lesser operating systems). 

Please bare in mind that I have limited knowledge about computers, I have tried to run them in compatbility mode for various systems and still nothing, I have updated all my dirvers to the latest versions and again, nothing, please can you can help me as I would rather much like to play Second Life,  thank you. 

[Theresa Tennyson]

That system sounds extremely underpowered for SL, especiallly because it probably doesn't have a built-in graphics processor. There will be very little you can do on SL with that netbook even if you get the viewer running. Do you have access to another computer?

[mikka Luik]

Also very curious as to what other software you have had up and operating on the system

[khoeler]

Indeed I do but it is my mothers, I'm saving up for a laptop anyway as I am also a recording artist and in dire need of a faster system to be able to handle all the CPU hungry programs I need, especially when running them all at once. 

[khoeler]

In reply to mikka Luik, I am able to run such software like Reason 5, Audacity, Amplitube 3, WMP, Chrome, MixPad Audio Mixer all at once with it lagging only a little bit, Reason 5 is rather dependent on CPU and RAM so I tend to use that alone with no other programs open apart from Chrome (I need to socialise somehow :mantongue:)

[Jennifer Boyle]

If you must use that computer, you would probably improve performance by adding RAM, which is easy and cheap.  Even if you don't know how to do it, you could easily find information about how to do it on the Internet.  The documentation that came with it, probably on the hard drive, should tell you if the RAM can be expanded.  You can enter the model of the machine on RAM manufacturers' Web sites and it will tell you what kind is compatible.

[khoeler]

@Jennifer, thats the thing, this was once an XP SP3 system which I then upgraded to 7 Ultimate about 2 months ago and now to the W8 developers preview. 

[khoeler]

The RAM or CPU cannot be expanded as it has that type of motherboard that doesn't allow upgrades as such apart from driver updates (which are all updated to the latest versions).

[Darrius Gothly]

Your computer (netbook) may not support the SSE2 instruction set. This page located on the Phoenix Viewer website explains how to tell if you can run SSE2 software or not; it is required to run the LL and Firestorm Viewers. (And I believe most other recent viewers as well.)

How to check if your computer can run SSE2 applications

[khoeler]

Darrius, I have downloaded and installed said program and also ran it and it says SSE (1, 2, 3, 3S) so I assuming my CPU is compatible. 

Edit: I have now installed Pheonix and still nothing is coming up, is it just better to wait and save up for a new system? 

[SappaDallagio]

khoeler, if it were me, I'd wait until I had the money to get a machine with a lot more power to it. But, keep trying as you may hit upon something that might work for you.

If you haven't read through this thread yet, you might wish to. It's a question about running SL viewers on previews of Windows 8:

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Second-Life-Viewer/Can-Second-Life-run-on-Windows-8/td-p/1414833

Those audio programs you are running don't make heavy duty use of the graphics software and hardware of your machine. Most of that software I can get to run in an emulated Windows environment on my old PowerPC based Mac tower, with the lag inherent in emulated machines, but they don't crash. However, the viewers lean absolutely on the graphics processing of a computer system and expect it to be able to handle intense 3D graphics processing. I'm not sure your netbook has either the hardware or the driver update capability to give the viewers a fighting chance of rendering SL in full visual impact.

 

[Linda Brynner]

Your netbook is very very very underpowerd, specially the graphic processor, but an Atom really is far below basic requirements too. It's as simple as that at this very moment with that computer i'm so sorry.

[septimusminimus]

That sounds like a first-generation netbook. After over-clocking the integrated GMA 900 on the one I had, running the netbook-optimized 1.19.5 Rainbow Viewer, and turning draw distance down to 16 (seriously, iirc - edited a config file) I recall seeing maybe 5 to 10 frames per second in a sim with few/no people. Naturally, even with 1.19.05, if it still works, higher-cost objects will make your experience even worse.

Before you hate on SL too much though, note that most AAA games of the last few (or more) years won't even launch on a GMA 950, never mind a lowly 900. Doesn't even handle Aero!

[PudgyPaddy]

1GB Ram is not enough to run Windows 8 let alone enough to run a memory intensive application like a SL viewer on top of the OS.  Your system is only capable of running email and simple web browsing.  

[PudgyPaddy]

In addition, your OS (Developers Preview) is not even an operational operating system...it is a freebie that has fake toolkits and dll's.  You got what you paid for!

[khoeler]

My netbook can handle Aero, with 7 Ultimate and still does for W8 and I didn't pay for it, I'm not hating on this game at all, it seems so good so I'm just going to hang up and save up for a better system and I promise you will see me around, thank you all for your help, I owe you. (Jobs = money to spend = start my own buisness (thinking guitars) and hiring people). 

 

Lets start a massive company! :matte-motes-big-grin-wink:

[septimusminimus]

Hmm. You really do have a first-generation netbook, and those have all the power of a last-generation Pentium III. Painful indeed, and I'm surprised Windows Vista and up are sufferable on it. If you want to run Secondlife, you could probably get buy to start on a cheap used dual-core desktop with an aftermaket video card. That would be fine for medium settings and maybe even high too. Should be ablke to get a used tested/working dual core desktop for about $75 if you wait a bit on Craigslist. Budget $50 for a video card. I'm thinking HD4770 or HD 4850 based upon prices/raw power, and the fact that they actually can run fine on stock 300 watt power supplies as they only draw about nine amps off the 12 volt rail (will need a 6 pin spliiter though). Geeks.com has both video cards, new/deadstock, for $50 shipped!