[java] Blurry screen from commandline

First off, let me say "WTF?". Very strange behavior.

Putting that aside, though, I don't know that you've given enough information... maybe you could slap a sample case on a server somewhere for the rest of us to see? Try to find the smallest possible code snippet that exhibits this behavior. Also, what version of Java? What OS?

I think a lot of times when very general problem is posted, that indicates a lack of digging for oneself -- if you look into this, you might find an obvious culprit. Still, the behavior is so strange that if you DO find it, I'd really like to hear what it was. If you can't find it, at least give us some details to work with and we'll go from there.

Hi, sorry heres some more details

OS:WindowsXP
Graphics:GeForce 5200FX
JAVA: 1.4.01 (I did d/l 5.01 but not sure if its being used, how can I tell?)
(I also have Java3D installed)

I thought I had it locked down to something wrong with Swing it usually happens when im using Jframes. But some programs with Swing work fine... its weird maybe something to do with my graphics card, im using the NVidia stereo drivers so there might be a clash with Java there.

The only programs I have online that causes the error are some courseworks ive done that you can d/l here ... (only the .class files tho).
http://www.students.ncl.ac.uk/chris.pook/uni.html (might not run to smooth)
or here
http://www.students.ncl.ac.uk/chris.pook/dissertation.html (download the demo)

Both of these give me the blurry screen when I run them from the command line.

Is it possible to uninstall java and reinstall a fresh copy? Maybe that would help...

Any ideas as to why greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Chris Pook

I'd agree that its very odd. I've been java coding for fun and profit for about 5 or 6 years now and I've never ever seen anything that would make the screen go 'blurry'. particularly something that only happens when run from the command line but not from an IDE. Exactly what do you mean by 'blurry' ??

I'd download and check out source if you provide it, I won't however download and run an arbitary class file put up by someone I don't know :-)

D.

I tried CrashTV, and didn't get the blurry effect. You can check the version of java you're using by a quick "java -version" ("1.5.0" is the one I tested against since I don't have 1.4.X on this computer anymore). The java version you use from the command line *may* be different from the one your JCreator is using (so that's a definite possibility as the culprit). 1.4.01 is old also... in fact, I think you might be missing a .2 in there (1.4.2.01), but even so there's a more recent 1.4.2 if that is the case.

Yes, it is definitely possible to uninstall java and install a fresh copy, and that's exactly what I'd recommend you try. If that still isn't fixing it, I would try a fresh video driver install also.

Try that out, and let me know if you are still having issues.

Do you have a TFT/Flatscreen monitor?

In this case, maybe the program is running with a resolution that is below or above the optimal/native resolution of your flat panel screen, which will then cause it to filter (blur) the images. When returning to windows, your desktop will take the optimal resolution again, which is crisp and not blurry.

Just a guess. :)

Thanks for the ideas...

Ill try reinstalling java and see if it makes a difference.

daireq:
By blurry I mean everything on the screen seems a bit out of focus. Its really weird. Ill let you know if the reinstall works or if I find out the reason.

Thygrrr:
I have a CRT monitor, but I am starting to think the display drivers may be the problem. Especially since I use non standard stereo ones.

pirate_dau:
Out of interest how did CrashTV run on your computer, its fine on mine but some people say it is really slow...

Cheers

Chris

I think I may have found the cause. First I did this ...

C:\Documents and Settings\Chris>java -version
java version "1.5.0_01"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0_01-b08)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0_01-b08, mixed mode)


Then I looked in the add/remove programs Control Panel, and I have the following entries ...

J2SE Development Kit 5.0 Update 1

J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0
J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 1

Java 2 Runtime Environment, SE v1.4.0_01

Java 2 Runtime Environment, SE v1.4.2_03

Java 2 SDK, SE v1.4.0_01

Java 3D 1.3.1 (DIrect X) SDK


Then I have the following directories in Windows ...

C:\j2sdk1.4.0_01

C:\jdk1.5.0_01

C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.0_01

C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.2_03

C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0

C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_01


Should I have so many of these, surely I only need one in each?

Also I have a program in Control Panels which when I open it... gives me the blurry screen :(

Chris

CrashTV didn't really work at all on my computer. It wasn't playable anyway -- the screen filled up with green things in about half a second. I didn't really do much more than load it up to see if the problem was reproducable, though. I tried running it on a 2.8 GHz P4 with 1 GB RAM.

It shouldn't be a problem having multiple JREs/JDKs installed -- but it can make things more difficult to debug for the reason that you might not be running off the JVM you think you are.

Yea same problem most people get with it, oh well ...

Right im downloading the 1.4.2_08 SDK now. Once I have it I will unistall all of my previous installations and start from scratch. Will I need to do anything other than remove them using the control panel and delete the associated folders ?

Ill let you know if this rectifies the problem (may take a while, im on dial-up)

Cheers

Chris

Ok I uninstalled everything to do with Java from my computer. Then I installed j2sdk1.4.2_08 and its JRE + Java3D 1.3.1

After a restart I found that I now got the blurry screen from running java in JCreator, command line or anywhere else...

So I decided to uninstall the stereo drivers for my graphics card thinking they must be the problem.

After a restart still the blurry screen from any java program run :(

So I reinstalled my graphics drivers, (the same version as I already had). This had the desired effect and stopped the blurry screen. Everything was as it should be.

Reinstalling the drivers had reset my graphics profile and turned off antialiasing options (in NView settings). When I turn antialiasing back on it causes the blurry screen. Obviously when java runs a window with graphics in (i.e. a JFrame) my card was antialiasing the whole screen giving it the blurred out of focus look. Could anyone with an Nvidia graphics card try this out to see if they get the same problem ?

Thanks for all the help and suggestions...

Chris

Chris,

I am not a game developer, and I only registered to reply to your message, but yes, turning off the antialiasing on my computer fixed my blurry screen. I have an Nvidia 6800 (I enjoy playing games!) and I had AA turned on (not application controlled). Whenever I started Internet explorer and opened a page with Java on it, the window went blurry. I read your post and turned AA off, and voila!, sharp text.

Thanks for your help.

Andy

You are incredible. Uninstalling all of this, when you could open table with display options and change antialiasing from on by default to controlled by application.