Second Life doesn't work on Windows 8.1

Original Title: Windows 8.1 and Second Life

I am having some issues with my son's computer.

We have an ATI Radeon HD 4600 graphics card (or display adaptor). It seems that Second Life/SL viewers and Windows 8.0/8.1 do not play well together.

This is particularly troublesome for us because he is on Second Life all the time. His therapist actually uses Second Life as part of his therapy modality.

After being plagued by constant reminders that I needed to upgrade from XP I decided to go to Vista as I figured the learning curve wouldn't seem as insurmountable to him. But when Microsoft gave us a really good deal on 8.0, I figured why not.

Nope (bangs head on wall) I never figured Second Life wouldn't work on 8.0. Didn't even check. My bad.

I have spent hours diddling around with the driver. I have found newer drivers that reportedly allow the SL viewers to work in Windows 8 and 8.1

My problem is that the OS will not let me update to them. It keeps telling me that the driver we have is up to date. This is very frustrating because obviously it isn't.

I have uninstalled, reinstalled, changed and done things every which way. I even dream about it now. ha-ha.

So how in the heck do I get the Firestorm viewer to work in Windows 8.1? I did take advantage of the free upgrade to 8.1, but now am not so sure it was wise. This is the only issue I have with the OS. The only things this PC is used for are Second Life, Skype and Yahoo e-mail, so I don't have any of the other graphics issues I see on the support boards.

For me the learning curve wasn't steep at all. But then I work on the need to know method. So I am able to have both our accounts (me as admin) and other personalized things set up for him. But the Second Life situation is a real deal breaker. I have been over to their support website and tried some of those fixes. None have worked and it seems most are for laptops anyway.

I am now investigating using it in Win 7 mode or Vista mode, but since we jumped from XP to 8.0 I am not sure if we even have this option. I will be working with that after I get off here.

OS: Windows 8.1 Pro

2013 Microsoft Corporation

Dell OptiPlex 360

Pentium Dual-Core CPU E5300 @ 2.60GHz 2.59GHz

Installed memory (RAM): 2.00GB

32-bit Operating System, x64-based processor

ATI Radeon HD Series 4600 display adaptor

Windows is activated.

All drivers up to date-or so they say. ;)

All Windows updates installed and current.

This thread is locked. You can vote as helpful, but you cannot reply or subscribe to this thread.

Answer

A. User

Hi,

I appreciate the efforts that you have put to try and fix the issue till now.

This issue might occur as the application “Second Life” isn’t compatible with Windows 8.1.

What are the troubleshooting steps that you have tried by referring to Second Life’s website?
What happens when you launch or try to install the application? Do you receive an error message?
Is the issue specific to Second Life application?

If you haven’t tried installing the latest driver from AMD’s website, then, you may try so. But, they haven’t released drivers for Windows 8.1. So, you can download the display driver for Windows 8 and then install it in Windows Compatibility mode.

Let’s first of all check if the Second Life application is compatible with Windows 8.1 or not. As per the latest updates at Windows compatibility center, Second Life isn’t compatible with Windows 8.1.

Refer to the link to find out the details:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/CompatCenter/ProductDetailsViewer?Name=SecondLife&vendor=Linden+Lab&Locale=1033%2c2057%2c3081%2c4105%2c16393&ModelOrVersion=1&BreadCrumbPath=secondlife&LastSearchTerm=secondlife&Type=Software&tempOsid=Windows+8.1

But, when you can change the version of Windows from the drop down menu on the website to Windows 7, it’s shows that the application is compatible with Windows 7. As you have already mentioned that you are monitoring the scenario of installing the application in Windows 7 mode, check if it makes any difference. Follow the methods mentioned below to troubleshoot the issue:

Method 1:

To know how to install the application in Windows 7 compatibility mode, follow the steps listed below:

If you haven’t installed the application, locate the setup file for Second Life.
Right Click on the setup file and select Properties.
Go to Compatibility tab and check the box which states “Run this program in compatibility mode for”.
Select the Windows 7 from the drop down list.
Click on OK. Double Click on the setup file and follow the onscreen instructions to install the driver.
If the issue still persists, you can try with other version of Windows.

If you still find the same issue, proceed to the next method.

Method 2:

On Second Life’s website, I see that few users have resolved the issue by installing the latest driver from manufacturer’s website of the display adater or the computer. For ATI Radeon HD Series 4600 display adaptor, here’s the latest Windows 8 driver:

http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop/legacy?product=legacy2&os=Windows 8 – 64

Now, after downloading the latest driver, install it Windows 8 compatibility mode. Follow the steps provided below:

Note: Make sure that you have downloaded the latest driver before following these steps.

Press Windows and X keys on the desktop screen. Click on Device Manager.
Locate the Display adapter and expand the driver icon.
Right click on the display driver icon and click on Uninstall.
Follow the onscreen instructions to uninstall the driver.
Locate the folder that has the setup file for the latest driver.
Go to Compatibility tab and check the box which states “Run this program in compatibility mode for”.
Select the Windows 8 from the drop down list.
Click on OK. Double Click on the setup file and follow the onscreen instructions to install the driver.