This is a collection of screenshots I've made to document a problem/bug I am experiencing when playing the games that come shipped with Windows Vista. At first, it seems that the problem might simply be a missing font, but due to the Minesweeper problem described at the end, I don't think it's as obvious/simple as that. I know that when I first installed Vista, this problem didn't exist. The problem is, I don't play these games often and there have been many changes to the system since I last played them (programs/devices installed, etc.). When I first experienced the problem, I did try upgrading my video card drivers (there was a new version available), but that didn't solve it. All of these games allow you to scale them; when I do this, I still experience the problem. It's worth noting that I do not experience this, or any other problem, in any other part of Vista or in any 3rd-party games. I've included my relevent system specs at the bottom of this page. If you can help, I'd be very grateful!
[UPDATE] I have now proven that this is a problem with the nVidia ForceWare driver. When I uninstall the ForceWare driver and let Windows install the driver it wants, the problem is gone. The details of the driver installed by Windows are as follows:
  • Device Name (in device manager): NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM)
  • Driver Date: 8/22/2006
  • Driver Version: 7.15.10.9746
  • Digital Signer: "Microsoft windows hardware compatibility publish" (the rest is cut off)
  • Provider: NVIDIA Corporation
Another note: someone has contacted me confirming they have the same problem with all nVidia ForceWare drivers as recent as 158.18 (beta).

Mahjong Titans Image #1 I first noticed the problem when I played Mahjong Titans. Notice the font in the title in the top right and the font directly below and to the right of each option.

Mahjong Titans Image #2 This is the same problem, in another screen. Notice the font in the popup tip in the lower left corner.

Hearts I figured this was just a problem with Mahjong titans, so I tired Hearts... nope same problem. Notice the fonts used for the players' names.

Minesweeper At this point, I was figuring that somehow, the necessary font was missing. But that can't be it because Minesweeper exhibits what appers to be a different scaling-type problem. The squares appear to jump around when you move the mouse around on the screen. Mouseover this image to see what I'm talking about. If you move the mouse in and out of the image quickly, you can imagine that it's pretty hard to concentrate on a game of minesweeper when this is happening. Note that the fonts in the lower horizontal strip also have the same problem as the other two games above.

Relevant System Specs
Not that all this necessarily matters; I just wanted to be thorough...
  • Operating System: Vista Home Premium (32-bit) - OS is fully-updated/patched from Windows Update. Aero, and all other visual effects are enabled.

  • Performance: My so-called performance "Base Score" is 5.3: Processor: 5.3, Memory: 5.6, Graphics: 5.9, Gaming Graphics: 5.9, Primary Hard Disk: 5.7

  • Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (2.4GHz, 4MB shared L2 Cache)

  • RAM: 2 x 1GB Kingston ValueRAM (DDR2 800 Dual Channel)

  • Video Card: XFX GeForce 7900GS Extreme (256MB GDDR3, 256-bit, PCI Express x16, model: PV-T71P-UDP3)

  • Video Card Driver: Windows Vista32 International WHQL version 100.65 downloaded from http://www.xfxforce.com/web/support/showSearchDriversProductCode.jspa. I'm assuming this is the same driver as the Nvidia-provided driver here: http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x86_100.65.html

  • Display: Acer 22" Widescreen LCD (model: AL2216W) I am using the native resolution of 1680 x 1050.

  • Display Driver: The "ACER AL2216W" driver downloaded by Windows Vista from Windows Update (Driver Provider: "ACER Corporation", Driver Date: "12/7/2006", Driver Version: "1.0.0.0"). Acer does not provide a Vista driver directly on their website (only an XP driver).