Symptom(s):

Microsoft* Combat Flight Simulator* 3 game displays an error and will not run.

Error:  "Your video hardware does not meet the minimum requirements or is unsupported.  CFS3 can not run with this configuration."

Cause:
Systems with less than 128 MB of system memory will experience less than optimal performance & visual quality in the game.  To minimize this, the game checks for the vendor ID & device ID of the graphics adapter & will not run when the Intel® 82815, 82830M, or 82810 graphics controllers are found.  These graphics controllers are not officially supported by the game manufacturer ^† with this game.

  ^† This link will take you off of the Intel Web site. Intel does not control the content of the destination Web Site.

Solution:

The following steps can be used to eliminate or minimize the issue(s) reported with the game.

NOTE:  These steps involve bypassing the game check to allow some systems to work acceptably with the game.  This procedure is not recommended for systems with less than 128 MB of system memory.  Modification of this file is not supported.  Systems with Intel(R) 82810, 82815, or 82830M graphics controllers are not officially supported by the game and may not perform as well as expected.

1. Locate the cfs3configdatabase.txt file in the installation folder for the game (typically C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Combat Flight Simulator 3)
2. Make a copy of the file in case you need to revert to the original settings.
3. Edit the cfs3configdatabase.txt with Notepad.
4. Search for "Intel".  A section like the following will be seen:
   

   ///////////////////////////////////////////////////
   //
   // INTEL
   //
   //////////////////////////////////////////////////

   Vendor = 0x8086  "Intel"

   0x1132 = "815"
   0x1240 = "752"
   0x3577 = "830"
   0x7121 = "810"
   0x7123 = "810"
   0x7125 = "810e"
   0x7127 = "810"
   0x7800 = "740"
   0x2562 = "845"
       PropertySet = "Unsupported Hardware"
       break

   unknown = "**UNIDENTIFIED**"
       MaxOverallGraphicDetail = 2
       break

5. Delete the line that says:
   
       PropertySet = "Unsupported Hardware"
   
   and replace it with the following two lines:
   
       MaxOverallGraphicDetail = 1
       DisableFog = true

6. Save and close the file.

7. Run CFS3Config (from the Microsoft Games \ Combat Flight Simulator 3 menu on the Start menu)

   • For Intel 82845G or 82830M graphics controllers, choose "Default Settings" from the File menu.

   • For Intel 82815 or 82810 graphics controllers, choose:  "Safest Settings" from the File menu.

8. Close CFS3Config.  Combat Flight Simulator 3 can now be run normally.

This applies to:

Intel® 82810 Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH) Intel® 82815 Graphics Controller Intel® 82830M Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH) Intel® 82845G Graphics Controller