OK, on my Laptop, I had a nice dual boot set up of Slackware Linux 10.2 and Windows XP Home Edition. I wanted to play Unreal Tournament (This whole thread isn't about games) on my Windows Partition. I've played both Unreal Tournament, and Unreal Tournament 2003 on this Laptop before without problem.

So I start installing it, and finish. Start it up, and..... It starts playing, then LAGGING. I don't mean a little like when you play Doom 3 on the minimum specs, I mean it's borderline freezing up but the sound is there.

Hmm, OK, the last time it didn't work great because the hardware was really new. OK, I'll install UT2003 as I know it works perfectly on here. I removed it mainly to get more space when I wasn't playing it as much.

I grab the install CDs, and install it. When it gets done I start to play it and it starts working fine. A minute into the game, it starts doing the same thing. It's lagging horridly.

Think downloading 3TBs of Data over Dial Up. THAT much lag.

OK, now starting to worry, this is odd. Hmmm, what could it be..... So I start looking over a few things, I check the Graphics card out, and the driver is working fine. I start up Doom2 and it works fine. Hmmmmmmm, weird.

OK, start up Quake, no problems there....

OK those are old games though, and they don't run from the CD... Maybe it's the CD-ROM.... So I boot up my Windows 2000 Professional / SUSE 10.1 Dual Boot machine.

I install UT on there, and when it's done.... IT WORKS FINE......

Weird, a few months ago I was playing UT2003 on this very laptop without a problem, and now it just isn't working.

I remove the drivers for the video card. Reboot, try again, and again, still not working.

OK, download the newest DirectX (Grasping at straws at this point) and try that.

Reboot, nothing.

OK, getting pissed off wondering what the hell is doing this and why it won't play. I thought at first maybe the CD had a problem, but the installation went fine, no errors, and then installing on another machine works fine even though that one barely meets the minimum requirements, and does NOT have minimum for UT2003 meaning I can't play it, so why won't it work.

Check Nvidia.com and grab newest drivers. Go to install and it no longer supports the GeForceFX GO 5200.... OK, go to Windows update and make sure to install that driver.

OK, reboot, NOTHING AGAIN.

OK, I remember back when I wouldn't install XP SP2, AHA! Maybe that's it!

Take SP2 off and listen to it bitch about being taken off. It finishes, I reboot, NOTHING.

Get pissed off, do a back up and reformat the thing after removing all partitions so only Windows XP Home is on there. Finish the install, start installing all drivers from the CDs so everything is working. Finish up that, install UT2003 again..... SAME DAMN THING......

OK, can someone tell me how in the hell it's possible to take a game that works fine, then uninstall it after a while because you needed the space for a school project, and a few months later go to reinstall the game and for some reason it won't work????

I just finished installing the 8,000 updates for XP except for SP2, which by the way THANKS MICROSOFT! I LOVE HAVING A TASKBAR ICON TELLING ME WHEN SP1 SUPPORT ENDS EVEN WHEN I SAY DON'T SHOW UP!

Oh and a huge thanks for making the way to get rid of this annoyance being a REGISTRY EDIT!....Consumer OS my ass.

Anyone had even a remotely similar problem EVER? I just want to play UT2003....