(APRIL 18, 2008) NOTE FOR USERS WITH AGP RADEON CARDS: AMD ATI has released a hotfix for users with AGP Radeon cards (PCIe users not worry) having issues with DirectX-based games failing to properly launch under Windows XP and Vista here. Please note this hotfix is not supported by AMD ATI, and should only be installed by users with the applicable issue as documented in the above link. If you do not have this problem, please do not install this hotfix.
UPDATED APRIL 4, 2008
It is not uncommon for problems with ATI cards and their drivers to come up on these boards. While ATI has been constantly striving to improve the stability and compatibility of its drivers, there have been times where a new driver release has been unstable. This is not an exclusive problem with ATI drivers - NVIDIA drivers have had this problem on occasion as well (see our NVIDIA Drivers thread above). Given complications due to driver/card complexity, a diverse range of systems, and deadline pressure, it happens. This thread will attempt to keep you up-to-date as to what drivers have proven to be stable and not based on reports from the general user populace. If you have the latest stable drivers and are still having issues with stability,
Alternative Modified Drivers are available as shown later in this post.
NOTE: The drivers listed are geared towards ATI's Radeon line of video cards. FireGL/MV, Rage, and IGP (Integrated Graphics Ports - onboards) will need to refer to their respective drivers on the official AMD ATI website.
When installing new drivers make sure to uninstall the previous ones using the ATI Uninstaller Utility in Add/Remove Programs or run the Omega Drivers uninstaller respectively, followed by installing the new drivers in Safe Mode (press <F8> repeatedly during boot to gain access to the selection screen).
As of April 4/08, the latest official Catalyst drivers for Windows XP and Vista is
Catalyst v8.3.
Reports have shown these drivers to be
stable. Version 8.3 is considered a major release by ATI, which introduces several new features and improvements.
- Introduction for support of the new CrossFireX Quad, supporting 3 to 4 GPUs running together in CrossFireX Quad mode (Windows Vista only).
- Support for Hybrid(tm) Graphics has also been introduced for those running an AMD 780G IGP or ATI Radeon HD 3400 video card (Windows Vista only).
- WHQL certified driver support for DirectX 10.1 introduced from Windows Vista SP1 for the ATI Radeon HD 3000 series has also been included.
- Proper Anti-aliasing (AA) support for Unreal Engine 3-based games running with DirectX 9, as well custom AA filters while applications running in CrossFire Super Anti-aliasing mode in DirectX 9 has been introduced.
- The ATI CCC now supports HydraVision in Windows Vista.
GPU accelerated scaling for widescreen LCDs as well as Advanced Video Quality controls in the CCC is now in.
- Tessellation is now supported for the ATI Radeon HD 3800, and a vast plethora of minor performance improvements and other fixes has been thrown in the mix as the cherry on top.
Catalyst Drivers Support page - Download your drivers here.
Models Supported with Catalyst v8.3:
Radeon HD 3800 through to standard 9500 series.
All-in-Wonder (AIW) X1900, X1800, X800, X600, 2006 Edition, 9800, and 9600 series.
Models NOT Supported with Catalyst v8.3:
Radeon 9250 to 7000 series
All All-in-Wonder (AIW) models within above range.
See Catalyst v6.5 for support of these models.
If your card is pre-9500, the latest stable version that supports your model is
Catalyst v6.5
Catalyst v6.5 - Windows XP
Alternative Modified Drivers
ATI officially recognizes the modified Omega Drivers to be an excellent alternative to their own. Angel "Omegadrive" Trinidad works on these in his spare time, tweaking settings and replacing parts with more stable ones to create his Omega Drivers. As an added bonus they currently support all ATI Radeon cards including all Mobile Radeons from M6 and up. They also replace the bloated and sometimes unstable Catalyst Control Center (CCC) with ATI Tray Tools.
As of April 4/08, the latest Omega Drivers for Windows XP are based on
Catalyst 7.12 (4.8.442).
Reports have shown these drivers to be
stable
Due to loss of support for legacy Radeon chipsets from ATI, the Omega Drivers no longer support Radeon (including Mobility variants) 9250 to 7000. The latest Omega Drivers which support these legacy chipsets is Catalyst 6.5 (3.8.252) which you can download at the Omega Drivers archive section linked below.
Omega Drivers Catalyst v7.12 (4.8.442) - Windows XP - MIRROR LINKS
Omega Drivers - Windows XP - ARCHIVE
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Obligatory Disclaimer: I nor TSF make any assurances on the actual stability or compatibility of the drivers listed above, so use them at your own risk.