[English]
PDREADME.TXT MATROX GRAPHICS INC. 2000.05.24
Matrox PowerDesk for Windows 98
Revision 6.00.010
Contents
========
- Description of this release
- Installation
- More information
- Notes, problems, and limitations
Description of this release
===========================
Matrox PowerDesk software includes a display driver and display utilities.
With this software, you can take full advantage of your Matrox graphics
hardware and you can access additional Matrox display-related features.
Installation
============
To install Matrox PowerDesk, start the "setup" program included with it,
then follow the on-screen instructions.
The setup program will only install software if a Matrox graphics card model
supported by the setup program is installed in your computer.
More information
================
For more information on Matrox PowerDesk, see the help file included with it.
For information specific to your Matrox graphics card, see your Matrox or
system manual.
Notes, problems, and limitations
================================
- DirectDraw, Direct3D and DirectVideo support
The DirectDraw driver we provide is compatible with DirectX 2 (and
later) and includes Direct3D support. For our DirectDraw/Direct3D
driver to be called, and benefit from hardware acceleration,
Microsoft DirectX 2 (or later) MUST be installed, even for programs
originally made for DirectX 1.
Also, if a recent version of DirectX isn't installed, some Matrox
PowerDesk features may not be available.
We provide DirectX on the Matrox CD-ROM. The latest DirectX is
available from the Microsoft Web site, and is included with many
DirectX programs.
IMPORTANT: If the DirectX setup program prompts you to replace the
existing display drivers, click "No". Otherwise, the setup program
installs display drivers which are not as optimized as the Matrox
drivers and which do not support PowerDesk software.
Note that depending on the origin of your Microsoft DirectX software,
it may not include DirectVideo support. For faster playback of Indeo
and Cinepak AVI files, you should install Microsoft DirectVideo
support.
- Matrox bus mastering
This driver supports bus mastering. Bus mastering is a feature that
allows expansion cards to perform tasks at the same time as your
computer's CPU. If you have a fast Pentium computer (faster than
166 MHz), the display performance of most programs is improved when
bus mastering is used.
To use bus mastering with 3D (DirectX) programs, your graphics card
needs an interrupt request (IRQ). Most computers automatically assign
an IRQ to graphics cards, but some do not. If your graphics card hasn't
been assigned an IRQ, programs that use Matrox bus mastering may not
work properly. For more information, see your Matrox or system manual.
- DirectDraw and Automatic Power Management
As stated in "Microsoft DirectX Release Notes", September 30, 1995, a
DirectDraw game may be unable to restore properly if it is suspended
by Automatic Power Management utilities.
- Installation in different language versions of Windows
If you install software in a language different from the language of
your operating system (for example, English software on a Japanese
system), you may have problems with text and dialog box controls being
cut off. This is because of differences in system fonts.
- OpenGL support
Note the following limitations related to the OpenGL driver included with
Matrox PowerDesk:
- OpenGL support may not be included in some versions of Matrox PowerDesk.
For a version of Matrox PowerDesk with OpenGL support enabled, see
the Matrox Web site (www.matrox.com/mga).
- With the "Tribes" game, you may notice some minor display artifacts and
the opening video introduction may not display properly.
- Using 3D Studio Max 2.0, you may experience problems with the viewports
being improperly redrawn. If this happens, simply click in a viewport
to properly update their display. (This problem isn't present with
version 2.5 or 3.0 of 3D Studio Max.)
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.