OpenGL 3.2 for HP 8200 Elite i5-2400 with Intel HD Graphics

I think you could try to upgrade your driver :

Please refer the link below by Andre DA Costa How to: Install and Update drivers in Windows 10
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/wiki/insider_wintp-insider_devices/how-to-install-and-update-drivers-in-windows-10/a97bbbd1-9973-4d66-9a5b-291300006293

Please refer to the link below for downloading the new drivers. If you do not find the drivers for windows 10 refer the above link by Andre Da Costa how to install drivers in compatibility Mode.
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/
 
Hope the information is helpful.

Can you install and run GPU Caps Viewer and provide a screenshot of the OpenGL tab?
https://www.geeks3d.com/20200117/gpu-caps-viewer-1-44-0-released/

Your HD 2000 IGP should be capable of this with the right extensions

You may also need to install some older DirectX components which no longer ship with Windows to add OpenGL extensions
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109

I think GOG still use YAL as the game launcher which is a bit buggy with integrated graphics.

Hi Louis,
Thanks for that.  I might get back to you on that after I've looked at MASQ's answer.

Hi MASQ,
Looks promising, thanks.  I downloaded GPU Caps Viewer 1.44.1 portable, and ran GPU_Caps_Viewer.exe.  Attached are:

1. A screen shot of the OpenGL tab that you requested, and I've included the window which appears after clicking "More OpenGL capabilities" on that same tab.  GPU_Caps_Viewer - OpenGL.gif
2. A screen shot of the GPU tab, after clicking "More GPU info..." on that same tab.  GPU_Caps_Viewer - GPU.gif
3. The text that appeared after going to the Tools tab and clicking "Export GPU data".  GPU_Caps_Viewer - Tools - GPU Export.txt

So there's some extra data there just in case it's helpful.
Does that tell you anything useful?

Should I still go ahead and install the older DirectX components that you linked to?  I've downloaded a file called directx_Jun2010_redist.exe from that link, but haven't run it yet.

Yes try adding the old DirectX extensions.  Your driver is OpenGL capable (although the hardware may still prove unable to physically support the standard) we just need to get the game to understand that.

Hi MASQ,

I created a system restore point, then ran that directx_Jun2010_redist.exe file, and it extracted into a folder that I chose.  I then guessed that I had to run DXSETUP.exe (the only exe file) from that folder, and it updated things for about 2-3 mins.
I rebooted, just to be sure, and then ran the FS2 Open Installer (fs2_open_19_0_0_SSE2.exe) again, and got the same error as in my first post, i.e.
    "Error: Current GL version of 1.1 is less than the required version of 3.2"

I then ran GPU_Caps_Viewer.exe again, and got the attached output.  GPU_Caps_Viewer - OpenGL (2).gif
It looks basically the same as the original to me.

I also installed the Intel Driver & Support Assistant (from https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/intel-driver-support-assistant.html), and it offered me just one update which just happened to be for graphics, i.e. "Intel Graphics Driver for Windows [15.33]", but after clicking "Install" it told me "This computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing this software".  So why it offered that to me in the first place is beyond me, considering that the Intel Driver & Support Assistant should have known the details of my system.

Questions:
1. Any idea why the OpenGL tab of GPU_Caps_Viewer says in the "Quick OpenGL information" tab: "GL_VERSION: 3.1.0 ...etc", but the error message I get when I run FS2 Open Installer (fs2_open_19_0_0_SSE2.exe) says I've got 1.1?  Do I have 1.1 or 3.1.0?
2. Any suggestions of what I should do now?

Thanks again.

It sounds like you have hardware and software support for 1.1 but only driver support for 3.x, as long as GOG's wrapper doesn't relocate it we can get a definitive verdict from the OpenGL debugging tool built into Freespace.

Detail on how to get there here:
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=56279.msg1180359#msg1180359 

But it does look like the IGP in the processor is simply not up to this :(

If you do need to add a basic graphics card are there any additional restrictions?  Is your HP a compact case format?

Sadly business grade PCs often have "non-essential" features such as OpenGL trimmed out of the spec to build to a budget and they often make very poor gaming machines.

Thanks for all that, MASQ.

I have been on that web page before, but haven't read it all yet.  I think I read this part before:
  "As a side note, most likely you have an Intel (integrated) graphics chip. Those things suck. Try finding and installing the latest drivers from the Intel website. If it doesn't help, you have no choice but to use 3.6.9 and Direct3D. Or invest into a new graphics card/computer and be a man."   8)
I haven't yet worked out where to find FSO 3.6.9, nor what it is exactly, nor how to tell what version I'm running.  As mentioned, I get the error that I originally mentioned when I run fs2_open_19_0_0_SSE2.exe, which seems to be some kind of launcher, but version 19.0.0 doesn't sound right.

> 'If you do need to add a basic graphics card are there any additional restrictions?  Is your HP a compact case format?'
It's an SFF, if that answers your question.  I can take and provide a photo of the insides if that's of any use.

> 'Sadly business grade PCs often have "non-essential" features such as OpenGL trimmed out of the spec to build to a budget and they often make very poor gaming machines.'
I could imagine.  However, I tried it last night with Wing Commander Saga (freeware from wcsaga.com), with the game's graphic options turned to max, and it seemed to work OK.  The "Is it legal?" FAQ here says "The Freespace 2 engine’s source code has been released to the public sector, and Wing Commander Saga uses a modified and enhanced version of it".  But I get the impression that games like Wing Commander Saga or this updated FreeSpace 2 don't need a lot of graphic processing to run, compared to many modern games which have higher resolutions, etc.

I suspect you are going to have to buy a graphics card.  I've looked at a number of sites and they all specify a Nvidia or Radeon card.  A bottom of the line one is fine.

Post a picture of the insides of your case and let's check if you've got a proper PCI Express slot.  If you have then you can slot in a low power graphics card.

G'day dbrunton.  Good to hear from a fellow Kiwi and thanks for your response.
See attached photo.  20200508_104422.jpg
Included with your response, could you please tell me what each of the 4 slots are, from left to right in the orientation of the photo?  The 2 white ones look similar but facing in opposite directions - what's that for?  I could try to look them all up, but I could get it wrong, too.  Programming is more my thing.

Thanks for all that, dbrunton.

I paid less than that for the whole PC when I bought it back in March, including Windows 10 (which the owner paid to upgrade from Windows 7 Pro listed on the sticker), keyboard, mouse, 20" screen.  NZ$150 total.  But it was admittedly probably a better-than-usual deal.  But yes, maybe I'll see something a bit more in proportion somewhere, if I decide to get a card.

Tell me about the importance of the "low power" feature.  Is it just to save on the electricity bill?  If so, that is a consideration for me, especially since I plan to rarely use this for gaming.  Do these cards tend to use electricity when there's nothing plugged into them, or does one have to remove it from the slot for that?  Maybe I could just plug the monitor into it when I need it for such games.

Re the 2 low-profile PCIe x16 white and black slots, any ideas why they are different colours?  Is that common practice?  Would they be identical in all other ways?

Thanks again.

Low power is because your power supply in your computer is a low power supply.  If your card wants 100 watts it is quite likely that your power supply will go boom.  This is only a Small Form Factor machine.  The Gigabyte card I recommended above only requires 30 watts.

No idea why the different colour of the two PCI Express slots.

If the machine had Windows 7 on it, then it is/was entitled to a free upgrade to Windows 10.

Hint:  Have a look on TradeMe for a Radeon HD 5450.

Thanks again dbrunton.

> "If the machine had Windows 7 on it, then it is/was entitled to a free upgrade to Windows 10."
Based on this the entitlement ended a few years ago, but it seems it can still "technically" be done.  Interesting.

And good tip re the $5 Radeon HD 5450.  Not my preferred connector type, but could be a good deal.

I haven't totally given up on a software solution yet, but that may be just due to my ignorance.

This is the card HP recommended when the Elite was sold
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=HP+AMD+Radeon+HD+6450+512MB+DDR3+PCIe+2.0+Graphics+Card+-+Low+Profile&_sacat=0

"I haven't yet worked out where to find FSO 3.6.9, nor what it is exactly, nor how to tell what version I'm running.  As mentioned, I get the error that I originally mentioned when I run fs2_open_19_0_0_SSE2.exe, which seems to be some kind of launcher, but version 19.0.0 doesn't sound right. "
Looks like this is a wrapper program that GOG have used to make the game compatible with newer versions of Windows - they use a package called YAL to do this but it make troubleshooting a bit trickier.

The card is the kind of thing you could pick up dirt cheap if you have an old-fashioned local PC shop where they strip out old computers in the same way a breakers yard sells old car parts.  The suggestion for the $5 card above would be perfect.  Again because the PC is built to a budget you've got a power supply that can produce at best 240W of power for the whole machine and can deliver 25W of that to the PCI-E 16x slot for a separate graphics card.

Sorry for the delay in responding.
Good points, thanks again MASQ.

Let me think about this and I'll get back to y'all if required.  I plan to accept answers, etc, after I've done some more research.

Hi all.
I'm glad I haven't bought a video card yet because I managed to solve the problem yesterday by installing the game simply by running it's setup exe, rather than using the FS2 Open Installer which is supposed to be able to install the game itself and mods.  This change of plan was advice provided by someone at GOG.com, which is the place I bought the game from.  Should have asked there first.  Not sure why that solved it, but I'm not complaining.  The game seems to run OK with the graphics settings maxed out, but I haven't played it enough to be sure yet.  I can always drop them a bit if required.
Thanks for all your input.  I learnt stuff, even about the suggested graphics card.

Now I have to try to work out which post was "the solution" to my question.  Many posts were helpful, and I've marked them accordingly, but EE seems to currently be a bit (or even a byte) limiting in this area.  I might ask a mod.for advice.

Hi MASQ,
GOG.com also asked me to install the same OpenGL extensions that you linked to, but I'd already done it when you asked me to.  I can't tell whether they were actually needed for this game, because it started working as soon as I reinstalled the game (the simple way).

Hi Louis.
The reason I didn't go down the path you were suggesting was because I had tried updating the graphics drivers the day before bringing this to EE, but Windows 10 said it was already on the latest drivers (Driver Date: 19/05/2016).  I think this machine is 6+ years old.
So, thanks for your suggestion, which might come in handy for me or someone else some day.

I've decided to accept one of dbrunton's posts as "the solution" in this case, as I don't think it would be fair to accept my own post as the solution, even though it worked out to be that way.  MASQ was also very helpful, though.