Tech FAQ and Your Common TF2 Issues SOLVED

FAQ and Your Common Tech Problems SOLVED

Flowchart for Problem Solving (click for larger image):

© 2008

Can My Computer Run TF2?
It might, test it out here. Expect to run the game on low if you have a single core processor and a nVidia 6-series/ATI X series or below, on medium if you have a single core/dual core processor and a nVidia 7-series/ATI X1K series, and on high if you have a dual-core processor and a high end card, such as the nVidia 7800 or above, or ATI X1950PRO or above.

Common Fixes:

1. Restart your Router:
Go stand in front of your router. If you have a desktop it's probably near your computer, and if you have a laptop its somewhere in your house, and will have antanneas sticking out of it. Simply unplug the power cord from the router and wait 60 seconds. Plug it back in.

2. Renew your IP address:
Click Start > Run. Type in cmd and push OK. The Command Prompt will open, and type in ipconfig /release. Wait for that to finish, and when you can type again, type ipconfig /renew. Done.

3. Reinstall your graphics card driver:
First figure out what kind of graphics card you have, then:
-AMD/ATI
Visit the Driver page at AMD's website and fill in your system information. The site will spit out the latest drivers. Download and double click the program to begin.

-nVidia
Visit nVidia's driver finder page and fill in your system information. The site will give you the latest drivers. Download and double click the icon to begin.

-Intel/VIA
Dont bother reinstalling. It wont help solve your problem because Intel/VIA don't provide updated drivers.

4. Changing advanced graphics settings:
Open up Team Fortress 2. Click on Options, then click the Video tab. Click the Advanced Button. A plethora of settings will appear in a new window. If you are getting low FPS, try turning down all the settings to "Low" or "Medium" and turning down Anti Anaylzing and Anti Scropic filters to "Off" or "None" and clicking OK twice.

5. Defragement your Game Cache Files:
Open up the Steam Games window. Right click on Team Fortress 2, click on Properties. From there, click on the Local Files tab and push the Defragment cache files button. Wait, then exit out of the properties window.

6. Add a command line launch option to Team Fortress 2:
Open up the Steam Games window. Right click on Team Fortress 2, click on Properties. Click the Set Launch Options button. Type in what you were instructed to. Examples:
-console: Enables the console
-window: Runs the game in a window
-dxlevel 80: Forces DirectX 8.0 mode, good to improve FPS on low-end systems.