How to Run Mavis Beacon 20 Platinum With Nvidia

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing is often used in schools to teach children proper technique.

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing is a best-selling instruction software program for the personal computer. Versions of it have been used since 1987, to teach schoolchildren and professionals alike how to type efficiently and increase their words-per-minute -- through interactive instruction and typing-based games. Mavis Beacon 20 Platinum is a newer version that uses modern graphics cards, such as those made by Nvidia, to render these games. If the correct, most current drivers are not in use, the program may not be able to function with the Nvidia card.

Instructions

1. Click on the "Start" button on the taskbar.

2. Click on the "Run" command in Windows XP, then type "DXDIAG" in the search prompt that appears and press "Enter." In Windows Vista and 7, type "DXDIAG" into the search field at the bottom of the Start menu, and click on the program icon that turns up. In either case, if a message appears that reads, “Do you want to allow DXDIAG to check if you drivers are digitally signed?” -- click "Yes."

3. Click on the "General" tab at the top of the window, and note which operating system the diagnostic tool identifies on your system. Be sure to note whether or not you are using a 64-bit system.

4. Switch to the "Display" tab, which is also found at the top of the window, by clicking on it. Read and note the Nvidia chipset that is installed inside your computer. Examine the specifications of this card, to make sure it fulfills Mavis Beacon 20 Platinum's minimum requirements of at least 32 megabytes (MB) of memory and compatibility with DirectX 9.0 or higher.

5. Open an Internet browser, and go to Nvidia's technical support website for drivers. Download the newest version of the driver that matches the information you found in the diagnostic tool.

6. Open the file, and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.

7. Open and attempt to run Mavis Beacon 20 Platinum. If the program fails to initiate a new window or a dialog box appears with a similar error, lower your monitor's resolution.

Tips & Warnings

• Mavis Beacon 20 Platinum requires at least an 800-by-600 pixel resolution display, but a setting of 1024-by-768 is recommended.

References

• Encore Support: Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing Platinum 20
• Broderbund: Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing Platinum 20 System Requirements
• Encore Support: Failed to Initiate Window

Resources

• NVIDIA: Download Drivers