Solco draws its window with your computer's graphics card, through its graphics driver. Every Mac, and every Windows or Linux computer with its graphics driver installed, has what Solco needs: OpenGL 2 or later.
"Solco cannot open its window"
If Solco shows this message when it starts, it found no graphics it can draw with. The message names the cause and offers to open this page. Your library is not opened or changed, and Solco opens normally once the graphics work.
Windows
A Windows PC without its graphics driver uses the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter, which offers only basic graphics. Solco then draws its window with Windows' own software renderer instead: it opens, but scrolling, playback and the waveforms are slower, and the processor does the drawing work. If even that fails, Solco shows the message.
To install the driver:
- Open Device Manager and expand Display adapters. Microsoft Basic Display Adapter means no graphics driver is installed.
- Open Settings › Windows Update › Advanced options › Optional updates and install any driver offered for your display, or download the driver from your graphics card's maker (NVIDIA, AMD or Intel) or your computer's maker.
- Restart the computer and open Solco again.
Windows on ARM: graphics drivers for Snapdragon processors have no OpenGL of their own; Windows gets it from Microsoft's OpenCL, OpenGL & Vulkan Compatibility Pack. If Solco shows the message on one of these PCs, its button opens the pack's page in the Microsoft Store: install or repair it there, then open Solco again.
Remote Desktop: a remote session can give Solco only basic graphics. Open Solco on the computer itself, or ask whoever manages the remote computer to turn on hardware graphics for remote sessions.
Virtual machines: turn on 3D acceleration in the virtual machine's display settings, and install its guest tools, which include the graphics driver.
Linux
Install your graphics card's driver, or Mesa, which provides OpenGL for most graphics cards and a software fallback. Your distribution's packages are usually called mesa or libgl1-mesa-dri. Over a remote X11 session, Solco needs the remote computer's OpenGL; run it on the computer itself instead.
Mac
Every Mac Solco supports has the graphics it needs. If you see the message on a Mac, update macOS, restart, and contact the Solco team if it stays. See "Contacting the Solco team".