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The version of Fraps I used wasn't fully Windows Vista-compatible, although it worked well enough for my purposes. But now, a new version of Fraps (2.9.1) is available. Fraps 2.9.1 is now ready for the new generation of Windows gaming, with full support for Windows Vista, support for DirectX 10, Direct Stream sound recording in movies, better resource sharing, and numerous fixes. If you haven't downloaded Fraps since version 2.9.1 came out on July 12th, it's time to grab a new copy.
If the ability to capture WMC screens isn't enough to make you non-gamers out there grab a copy of Fraps, how about this: with Fraps 2.9.1, you can use Fraps to grab screens - and movies - from the standard Windows desktop! Use Fraps for tutorials or demonstrations by day, and documenting your gaming prowess by night.
Gamers will also appreciate this new capability: you don't need to load two screen capture programs into memory or juggle hot-key assignments any more. To enable this option, go to the FPS tab and check the box "Monitor Desktop Windows Manager."
One Vista feature still has Fraps and everybody else (as far as I know) baffled: themed slide shows from Vista's Photo Gallery feature. Fraps produces black screens when trying to capture these screens (but so does everybody else). Fraps also has trouble if you do, indeed, run Windows Media Center in a window: it won't capture anything. Maximize WMC, though, and you can capture WMC screens perfectly, regardless of the Monitor Desktop Windows Manager setting.
Despite these modest issues, Fraps is staying in my toolbox. Get support for JPG, PNG and TGA graphics formats (the free version only works with the space-hogging BMP format), enjoy unlimited movie recording time and take the watermark off your movies by registering your copy for $37.00.
[Note: adjusted capitalization of Fraps after initial post]
Comments are closed on this article
Cache
August 13, 2007 at 5:30am
I use Fraps for measuring game numbers, and that's about it as a general rule. I don't even run it all the time, it's only there when a new game comes out and I want to tweak the experience so that it runs smoothly and doesn't leave me in a drab, expressionless environment. For those of us with slightly older (read, I don't own a Core2, let alone an nVdia 8600) machine, it's a good way to ensure we're getting the best bang out of our aging buck.
