character creation models not showing

so i've read several different posts on similar problems, and have tried all of the suggestions, and still nothing, we're running a somewhat older computer, ati radeon hd 3200 graphics.

everything loads just fine, there's music, videos, but when i go to create a character, none of the models show up. i can view the different options, but i can't see anything that i'm doing.
i've checked for missings files, updates, everything, uninstalled the story patch, updated drivers, and no luck. i've tried messing with the graphics settings in the tweaker options and turned them all as low as they go. tried switching to full screen, no matter what i do, its all the same.

i'm almost ready to just give up on it.
any advice or help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.