Fraps Common Problems and Solutions

Fraps remains a legendary utility for benchmarking and screen recording, yet its lack of official updates since 2013 means users on Windows 10 and 11 often face compatibility hurdles in 2026. Most errors stem from the software trying to hook into modern DirectX 12 games or struggling with newer Windows desktop composition features. This guide breaks down the specific fixes needed to bridge the gap between this classic tool and modern operating systems.

Common Errors

• Black Screen Recordings: Audio is captured perfectly, but the video playback is completely black.
• Overlay Not Showing: The yellow FPS counter fails to appear in DirectX 12 or Vulkan games.
• Recording Stops at 30 Seconds: Capture abruptly ends after half a minute regardless of disk space.
• Error: "Fraps has been known to crash D3D11": A specific Windows warning preventing the application from launching.
• No Audio / Sync Issues: Recorded sound is missing or drifts out of sync with the video.

Fix 1: Black Screen Recordings

This is the most frequent issue on Windows 10 and 11, often caused by the proprietary Fraps codec not playing nicely with modern media players or hardware acceleration settings.

1. Download and install VLC Media Player, as the default Windows Media Player often lacks the specific legacy FPS1 codec required to decode Fraps videos.
2. Right-click the Fraps shortcut and select Run as administrator to ensure it has permission to hook into the graphics driver.
3. Open Fraps, go to the General tab, and check the box for Monitor Aero Desktop (DWM).
4. If the issue persists, disable "Hardware Acceleration" in your video player's settings.

Fix 2: FPS Overlay Not Showing

Fraps was built for DirectX 9, 10, and 11. It cannot natively hook into DirectX 12 games (like Cyberpunk 2077 or newer Call of Duty titles), resulting in a missing overlay.

1. Launch your game client (Steam, Epic, etc.) and open the game's Properties.
2. Find the "Launch Options" field and type -dx11 or -d3d11 to force the game to run in DirectX 11 mode.
3. Inside the game settings, disable any other active overlays (such as Discord Overlay, Steam Overlay, or NVIDIA GeForce Experience) to prevent conflicts.
4. Restart Fraps and ensure the Overlay Hotkey is not bound to a key you use for gaming.

Fix 3: Recording Stops at 30 Seconds

This is not a technical bug but a licensing restriction. The trial version of Fraps is hard-coded to stop recording exactly at the 29-30 second mark.

1. Check the General tab to see if your copy is registered. If it says "Free Version," this limit is intentional.
2. If you have purchased a license, ensure you have installed the Retail Version, not the trial installer.
3. Log in to the members area on the official Fraps website to download the full installer (version 3.5.99).
4. Uninstall the current version, restart your PC, and install the registered version to remove the cap.

Fix 4: No Sound or Desynced Audio

Modern Windows sound settings often default to sample rates that are too high for the older Fraps audio engine, causing silence or drift.

1. Right-click the Windows speaker icon and select Sound Settings > More sound settings.
2. Right-click your default playback device (Speakers/Headphones) and choose Properties.
3. Under the Advanced tab, set the default format to 16 bit, 44100 Hz (CD Quality) or 48000 Hz (DVD Quality). Higher rates like 96kHz can break Fraps audio.
4. In the Fraps Movies tab, ensure "Record Win10/11 sound" is checked and the input is set to Stereo rather than Multichannel.

Fix 5: Error "Fraps has been known to crash D3D11"

This is a Windows compatibility warning. While alarming, it can often be bypassed or fixed by adjusting how the application launches.

1. Navigate to the Fraps installation folder (usually C:Fraps).
2. Right-click fraps.exe and select Properties.
3. Go to the Compatibility tab and check Run this program in compatibility mode for.
4. Select Windows 7 from the dropdown menu.
5. Click Apply and try launching the software again.

Prevention Tips

• Dedicated Recording Drive: Fraps writes massive uncompressed AVI files (often 4GB+ for a few minutes). Record to a separate SSD, not your OS drive, to prevent lag.
• Clean Startups: Close web browsers and unnecessary background apps before recording, as Fraps tries to hook into any process using hardware acceleration.
• Stick to DX11: Whenever possible, run games in DirectX 11 mode, as Fraps is most stable in this environment.

When to Contact Support

Since official development ceased years ago, "contacting support" involves community resources rather than a helpdesk ticket. You should seek help from enthusiast forums if:

• The software causes an immediate Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) upon pressing the record hotkey.
• You need to retrieve lost license information for the full version (via the "Lost Password" form on their site).