Fields blacked out in settings window

[Jon897]

i have just installed the program but all the fields in the settings and loco screens are blacked out!!! What am I doing wrong. I have the full version now.

 

[St1ngr4y]

The first thing I would try is to re-download and install Railmaster using the link at the top of this section of the Forum - no need to uninstall first.

 

What version of Windows are you using?

 

Ray

[Jon897]

Thanks for the reply Ray. I have reintalled the program but still the same. I cannot register locos as I cannot see the fields. I use windows 10 home premium 

 

Regards

 

John

[Chrissaf]

Have you tried a different colour scheme (theme)?

Page 30 / 31 of the RailMaster manual. I use the 'Metal' theme on Windows 10 and don't have any issues.

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It would help if you could post a screen capture image that shows the problem. This post will tell you 'how to'

https://www.hornby.com/uk-en/forum/how-do-i-include-an-image-photo-in-my-post/?p=1

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Your issue is more than likely a compatibility configuration setting in Windows 10 somewhere.

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1. Have you got any of the Windows 10 visual disability aids enabled like for example 'high contrast'. If enabled, these might not work correctly with RailMaster as the program is written in obsolete 'Visual Basic 6' originally for Windows XP.
2. Did you 'right click' the installation setup.exe file and choose the 'run as administrator' option when you installed it. This is VERY important to do under Windows 10. If you didn't, navigate to and find your 'railmaster.exe' file in the Railmaster program folder. Right click it and tick the 'run as administrator' check box.
3. When you 'right click' the 'railmaster.exe' file, try some of the alternative 'run program in compatibility mode' settings. RailMaster normally runs absolutely fine on Windows 10 without resorting to using 'compatibility mode', but there might be a conflict in one your device drivers on your specific PC hardware / software build.
4. Place your cursor on a 'blank area' of your 'Desktop'. Right click it, and look for a menu option relating to your Graphic cards control panel and open it. Then check any configurable settings that might be a cause of the issue. Like the suggested visual disability aids for example.
5. Using the graphic card control panel, and just as a temporary diagnostic test. Choose a lower screen resolution and see it that makes any difference. Or a higher (if supported) resolution, should your setting already be below the max resolution supported.

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[Jon897]

I will attempt to attach a screen shot

 /media/tinymce_upload/e7db6308f2bc6217b89600e72939c32c.png

 

[Chrissaf]

That looks like the 'Classic' theme. The fields might be very dark, but some of the fields show characters, so the fields can't be totally blacked out.

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Comparing your screen grab to my own [see below] your Windows set up or your Graphic driver look to have got some incompatible settings configured. Work your way through all my suggestions I documented in my last reply:

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My 'Metal' W10 colour theme.

/media/tinymce_upload/9eaab95eb59e16c74730059919f444fb.JPG

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My 'Classic' W10 colour theme.

/media/tinymce_upload/803fc1facb38ce62fb86351744d29555.JPG

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[96RAF]

I have already reported in some contrast problems.

In my case it was the text vs field background in the programs progress bar that was poor.

Hopefully RM v1.70 (imminent) will have sorted these out along with the rest of our reported ailments.

[Chrissaf]

One other suggestion I can make. Navigate to the manufacturers website for your PC / laptop brand. Find your model in the 'support pages' and see if there is a later version of your Graphics card driver that you can download. Looking at the 'black fields' they do seem to be more than just an incorrect visual disability setting. It does look to be more of a screen 'rendering' issue. Look in your current graphics driver configuration for any settings relating to 'rendering' that you can experiment with. Remember to reinstate any changes you make if they don't work, no point in making the situation worse.

[Augustus Caesar]

I have been asked by fellow Mod Chris to pop in to look at this problem and see if I can offer anything different with my experience over the years with issues such as this... here goes.

 

When checking your video or graphics driver there is one, seemingly drastic, way of making sure the correct driver is installed - although there is actually nothing drastic about it

If themes, as Chris says, have not been changed in the Windows 10 systems settings then follow this set of instructions below:

Firstly head off to the Control Panel and Device Manager and uninstall any driver listed under Display Adapters.

If asked if you wish to uninstall the driver as well as the card itself say yes, always.

 

If the graphics based chip is that of nVidia or the likes it will reinstall and may ask for you to restart your system. There is absolutely NO danger of anything going wrong unless there is something else causing graphical issues on the system. It will either pick up on a new driver or just display in larger graphics on screen using a basic VGA graphics driver. this is absolutely normal.

Head back to the Device Manager and install new from there or, better still, head to the site for the video card manufacturer or, even better again, the site for the actual chip manufacturer... such as nVidia, ATI or other. Find your card in the lists provided and download and install. Your computer will probably wish to restart. Allow it.

 

nVidia drivers will ask if you wish to do a clean install (others may also ask this) and you should always allow this to be the case when diagnosing issues such as this one.

There is a possibility that a file or two necessary to work with VB6 based programs is not functioning ir is bad so a new driver may sort that out.

 

This method should be your first port of call when having graphical issues and elimination of this, if it doesn't help, goes a long way to stop yourself from having to keep checking video options for your card etc.

One other issue is that maybe your screen resoltuion has changed? If you haven't altered it yourself to be a non default value then this should be OK and shouldn't require attention.

 

If a clean video driver installation does not help then get back to us to take it further. Remember, it HAS to be a clean install so uninstall the driver first. Do not then look for added hardware in Device Manager. This will not fix it the correct way.

[Somerset Modeller]

If windows colour scheme is set to windows classic you are likely to be effecting the performance of your PC. Windows classic scheme uses pc memory to produce graphics images on the screen, normal colour schemes use graphics card memory to produce graphics out to screens which is quicker at creating screen images. Looking at the pictures it looks like pc is set To something like windows classic scheme. Check the scheme you are using and check you have the latest graphics drivers.

[Chrissaf]

Just in case it confuses some readers. The 'Classic' theme in RailMaster is not the same as Windows 'Classic' colour scheme that SM is documenting. SM is referring to the Windows 10 OS (Operating Software).

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The two RailMaster colour schemes shown in my earlier reply on page 1 are the colour schemes that are inbuilt within RailMaster.......see RM manual Pages 30 / 31. The screen shot for the 'Classic' screen in my reply is the RM version not Windows OS. In my case running on a Win10 Laptop with Intel graphics.

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That does not mean to imply that the OP (Jon897) is not showing a RM screen rendered using the Windows OS 'Classic' scheme.....it very well could be. And that could account for the odd rendering shown in his screen capture image.

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[Jon897]

Hi. Many thanks for all your help. I would have replied earlier but as a new member to your "gang" I had to wait 24 hours to reply. I switched to metal and it now works fine and I have successfully set up one loco with a code. Many thanks for all your suggestions.

 

jon

[96RAF]

Good to hear you have sorted it. I would still report it in to HRMS as a fault so they can adjust the scheme settings.

[Augustus Caesar]

Glad it's sorted Jon897...

 

I wasn't sure if the theme had been changed in the meantime as Chris suggested so left that out of my own suggestion to remove and replace drivers.

The fact that it did prove to be the programs own theme does suggest that it be reported to HRMS as stated above by RAF so do try and send that one in. It can only benefit members and users in future if that is done.

[Chrissaf]

More out of curiosity than anything else, but if you switch it back to 'Classic' colour theme, do the 'Black' fields come back or does the 'Classic' scheme then show correctly.

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I'm just wondering if the RM code just needed a bit of a kick and toggling the scheme colour fixes it.

[Augustus Caesar]

Interesting point Chris... wonder if the OP will change back to the 'dodgy' scheme in case it fails to revert when he is done checking?

 

Maybe another user may test this... alas, I cannot as everything in my own space is off on its own break as work around the room continues after a decision to start repainting walls etc... always a bad move ☹️

[Chrissaf]

Well my two posted images were taken from my own RM installation on a Windows 10 64 bit Laptop platform. I could not replicate the issue as reported, both my colour schemes [Metal & Classic] rendered correctly.

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Perhaps Jon897, you could post another image of your 'Metal' theme colour scheme to compare against what is considered normal. It may be that you still have an underlying Windows 10 screen rendering issue, but it doesn't show up so drastically with the 'Metal' colour theme.

[Augustus Caesar]

Probably what I would have tested against... both colour schemes.

By doing this the original OP would begin to elimate what the cause is. If no changes were found when altering the theme then Windows has to be configured incorrectly via the video driver most likely... or, if the scheme changed then either Windows, with the same scenario above, or RM could be at fault. I would still wager a Windows issue before RM though because it would more likely be a widespread issue and reported before now.

However, we live and learn... without his results we won't know.