Use cardinfo for Windows
Windows program to check for OpenGL support How-to


Related pages

Installation, Check for OpenGL support, Use glxinfo for Linux

Use cardinfo for Windows

The cardinfo program can be used to check whether a graphics adaptor provides the OpenGL support that is necessary to run CPN Tools under Windows.

The cardinfo is installed in the Utils subdirectory when you install CPN Tools. However, you can also download cardinfo.exe, if you have not installed CPN Tools.

Run cardinfo progam

If you have installed CPN Tools, then cardinfo can be run by

If you download cardinfo, then it can be run by either

OpenGL support

After cardinfo has been run, its textual output will be shown. At the bottom of the output there is a large table with 20+ columns of letters and numbers. The second-to-last column in this table indicates whether or not your graphics adaptor has hardware support for OpenGL:

If there are y's in the second-to-last column, then this is not a guarantee that the graphics adaptor provides sufficient OpenGL support. We have seen several examples where CPN Tools did not run properly, even though the graphics adaptor should have had the necessary capabilities.

An example of cardinfo output can be found below.

Troubleshooting

If your graphics adaptor appears to provide the necessary support for OpenGL and you are still having problems starting CPN Tools, then there are a couple of things that you can try.

Updating the Driver

It is recommended that you use the most current driver for your graphics adaptor. The most recent drivers can usually be downloaded for free from each vendor's website.

Past experience has shown that many Nvidia cards do not use a good driver with the standard settings in Windows.

If the output from the cardinfo program reveals that the OpenGL graphic vendor is Microsoft, or that the OpenGL renderer is generic, then it may be helpful to install a better driver for your graphics adaptor.

Example of an extract from cardinfo output:

OpenGL vendor string: Microsoft Corporation
OpenGL renderer string: GDI Generic

Change Color Depth

You can also try changing the color-depth in Windows. Many graphics cards are optimised for a single bit-depth. Try at least 16, 24 and 32 bit colors.

Reducing Screen Resolution

If you have no problems using OpenGL with other programs, then try reducing the screen resolution (e.g. under Start Menu => Settings => Control Panel => Display => Settings) before starting CPN Tools.

Many programs that use OpenGL, such as computer games, frequently reduce the screen resolution when the program is started. CPN Tools does NOT reduce the screen resolution during start up. This may be why you have problems using OpenGL with CPN Tools but not with other programs.

Disable Data Execution Prevention facilities

If your operating system is Windows XP and CPN Tools crashes with the following message immediately after starting the tool:

  # Beta execution aborted: Access violation 
  # Error during dump: Unexpected Signal. Aborting 

then you may be able to solve the problem by disabling the Data Execution Prevention (DEP) facilities. The following excerpt was taken from the Windows Help information about DEP:

How can I tell if DEP is available on my computer?
  1.. To open System Properties, click Start, click Control Panel, click
Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
  2.. Click the Advanced tab and, under Performance, click Settings.
  3.. Click the Data Execution Prevention tab.

Example output from cardinfo

Below is cardinfo output for a GeForce2 graphics card. This graphics card does support OpenGL hardware acceleration.

cardinfo output

hDC: 0x2010f99
server wgl vendor string: N/A
server wgl version string: N/A
server wgl extensions (WGL_): N/A
client wgl version: N/A
client wgl extensions (WGL_): none
OpenGL vendor string: NVIDIA Corporation
OpenGL renderer string: GeForce2 GTS/AGP/SSE
OpenGL version string: 1.2.1
OpenGL extensions (GL_): 
    GL_ARB_multitexture, GL_ARB_texture_compression, GL_ARB_texture_cube_map,
    GL_ARB_texture_env_add, GL_ARB_transpose_matrix, GL_EXT_abgr, GL_EXT_bgra,
    GL_EXT_blend_color, GL_EXT_blend_minmax, GL_EXT_blend_subtract,
    GL_EXT_compiled_vertex_array, GL_EXT_fog_coord, GL_EXT_packed_pixels,
    GL_EXT_paletted_texture, GL_EXT_point_parameters, GL_EXT_rescale_normal,
    GL_EXT_secondary_color, GL_EXT_separate_specular_color,
    GL_EXT_shared_texture_palette, GL_EXT_stencil_wrap,
    GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc, GL_EXT_texture_edge_clamp,
    GL_EXT_texture_env_add, GL_EXT_texture_env_combine, GL_EXT_texture_cube_map,
    GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic, GL_EXT_texture_lod,
    GL_EXT_texture_lod_bias, GL_EXT_texture_object, GL_EXT_vertex_array,
    GL_EXT_vertex_weighting, GL_IBM_texture_mirrored_repeat,
    GL_KTX_buffer_region, GL_NV_blend_square, GL_NV_fence, GL_NV_fog_distance,
    GL_NV_light_max_exponent, GL_NV_register_combiners, GL_NV_texgen_emboss,
    GL_NV_texgen_reflection, GL_NV_texture_env_combine4,
    GL_NV_vertex_array_range, GL_S3_s3tc, GL_SGIS_multitexture,
    GL_SGIS_texture_lod, GL_WIN_swap_hint, WGL_EXT_swap_control,
    GL_Autodesk_valid_back_buffer_hint, .

   visual  x  bf lv rg d st  r  g  b a  ax dp st accum buffs  ms   acc 
 id dep cl sp sz l  ci b ro sz sz sz sz bf th cl  r  g  b  a ns b      
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
  1: 32 wn  . 32  .  r .  .  8  8  8  8  . 24  . 16 16 16 16  . .  y  . 
  2: 32 wn  . 32  .  r .  .  8  8  8  8  . 24  8 16 16 16 16  . .  y  . 
  3: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  .  . 24  . 16 16 16 16  . .  y  . 
  4: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  8  . 24  . 16 16 16 16  . .  y  . 
  5: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  .  . 24  8 16 16 16 16  . .  y  . 
  6: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  8  . 24  8 16 16 16 16  . .  y  . 
  7: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  .  . 24  . 16 16 16 16  . .  y  . 
  8: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  8  . 24  . 16 16 16 16  . .  y  . 
  9: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  .  . 24  8 16 16 16 16  . .  y  . 
 10: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  8  . 24  8 16 16 16 16  . .  y  . 
 11: 32 wn  . 32  .  r .  .  8  8  8  .  . 32  8 16 16 16  .  . .  .  . 
 12: 32 wn  . 32  .  r .  .  8  8  8  .  . 16  8 16 16 16  .  . .  .  . 
 13: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  .  . 32  8 16 16 16  .  . .  .  . 
 14: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  .  . 16  8 16 16 16  .  . .  .  . 
 15: 32 wn  . 32  .  r .  .  8  8  8  8  . 32  8 16 16 16 16  . .  .  . 
 16: 32 wn  . 32  .  r .  .  8  8  8  8  . 16  8 16 16 16 16  . .  .  . 
 17: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  8  . 32  8 16 16 16 16  . .  .  . 
 18: 32 wn  . 32  .  r y  .  8  8  8  8  . 16  8 16 16 16 16  . .  .  . 
 19: 32 wn  . 32  .  c .  .  8  8  8  .  . 32  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
 20: 32 wn  . 32  .  c .  .  8  8  8  .  . 16  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
 21: 32 wn  . 32  .  c y  .  8  8  8  .  . 32  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
 22: 32 wn  . 32  .  c y  .  8  8  8  .  . 16  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
 23: 24 bm  . 24  .  r .  .  8  8  8  .  . 32  8 16 16 16  .  . .  .  . 
 24: 24 bm  . 24  .  r .  .  8  8  8  .  . 16  8 16 16 16  .  . .  .  . 
 25: 24 bm  . 24  .  r .  .  8  8  8  8  . 32  8 16 16 16 16  . .  .  . 
 26: 24 bm  . 24  .  r .  .  8  8  8  8  . 16  8 16 16 16 16  . .  .  . 
 27: 24 bm  . 24  .  c .  .  8  8  8  .  . 32  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
 28: 24 bm  . 24  .  c .  .  8  8  8  .  . 16  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
 29: 16 bm  . 16  .  r .  .  5  5  5  .  . 32  8 11 11 10  .  . .  .  . 
 30: 16 bm  . 16  .  r .  .  5  5  5  .  . 16  8 11 11 10  .  . .  .  . 
 31: 16 bm  . 16  .  r .  .  5  5  5  8  . 32  8  8  8  8  8  . .  .  . 
 32: 16 bm  . 16  .  r .  .  5  5  5  8  . 16  8  8  8  8  8  . .  .  . 
 33: 16 bm  . 16  .  c .  .  5  5  5  .  . 32  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
 34: 16 bm  . 16  .  c .  .  5  5  5  .  . 16  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
 35:  8 bm  .  8  .  r .  .  3  3  2  .  . 32  8 11 11 10  .  . .  .  . 
 36:  8 bm  .  8  .  r .  .  3  3  2  .  . 16  8 11 11 10  .  . .  .  . 
 37:  8 bm  .  8  .  r .  .  3  3  2  8  . 32  8  8  8  8  8  . .  .  . 
 38:  8 bm  .  8  .  r .  .  3  3  2  8  . 16  8  8  8  8  8  . .  .  . 
 39:  8 bm  .  8  .  c .  .  3  3  2  .  . 32  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
 40:  8 bm  .  8  .  c .  .  3  3  2  .  . 16  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
 41:  4 bm  .  4  .  r .  .  1  1  1  .  . 32  8  5  6  5  .  . .  .  . 
 42:  4 bm  .  4  .  r .  .  1  1  1  .  . 16  8  5  6  5  .  . .  .  . 
 43:  4 bm  .  4  .  r .  .  1  1  1  8  . 32  8  4  4  4  4  . .  .  . 
 44:  4 bm  .  4  .  r .  .  1  1  1  8  . 16  8  4  4  4  4  . .  .  . 
 45:  4 bm  .  4  .  c .  .  1  1  1  .  . 32  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
 46:  4 bm  .  4  .  c .  .  1  1  1  .  . 16  8  .  .  .  .  . .  .  . 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
   visual  x  bf lv rg d st  r  g  b a  ax dp st accum buffs  ms   acc
 id dep cl sp sz l  ci b ro sz sz sz sz bf th cl  r  g  b  a ns b      
-----------------------------------------------------------------------