README.TXT Driver File Contents (p9x00_viper_v21revI.zip)

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*                                                                              *
*     VIPER VLB Installation/Utilities/Drivers Diskette v2.10 BETA             *
*                            Release Notes                                     *
*                                                                              *
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          ** IMPORTANT VIPER VLB SOFTWARE INSTALLATION NOTES **


1.      DO NOT INSTALL THE VIPER VLB WINDOWS 3.1 DRIVERS INTO YOUR WINDOWS
        DIRECTORY. DUPLICATE FILES NAMES EXIST!!

2.      It is best to use the VPRMODE.EXE utility to properly configure
        the Viper VLB for your monitor BEFORE using Windows 3.1 or AutoCAD.

   !!!  BEFORE USING THE VIPER VLB WINDOWS 3.1 OR AUTOCAD DRIVERS, USE  !!!
   !!!  GO.EXE TO INSTALL THE VIPER VLB UTILITIES, AND USE VPRMODE.EXE  !!!
   !!!  TO PROPERLY CONFIGURE THE VIPER VLB FOR YOUR MONITOR            !!!


   ** IMPORTANT WINDOWS 3.1 DRIVER INSTALLATION/CONFIGURATION NOTES **

1.      Start by running the GO utility from the floppy disk.  If this
        is your initial installation of the Viper utilities or if the system
        finds an old version of the Viper.ini file, you will be prompted
        to enter a path for the new Viper utilities.  The default is:
        C:\VIPER.

2.      Once this procedure is complete, you can select the Windows 3.1
        option.  The GO utility will then copy all the Windows files to
        your hard drive.

3.      When GO has finished copying the files, you will be prompted
        for the location of your Windows sub-directory.  The GO utility
        will then modify the [MMCPL] section of your Control.ini file with
        the line:  "TurboWin=<Path of Viper Windows files>\TURBOWIN.DLL".

4.      Now, enter Windows using the standard VGA driver supplied by
        Microsoft.  The Diamond Viper icon will now appear in the Control
        Panel and allow you to change resolutions, colors, and fonts.


BETA NOTES:
-----------

The v2.10 BETA Viper drivers address issues in the following applications :

	MS PowerPoint v4.0 
 	MS Dinosaurs CD-ROM 
	MS Visual C++
	Encarta '94
	Fractal v2.0
	Visual Basic PRO v3.0
	Corel v5.0
	PowerPoint v4.0
	DDAY CD-ROM
	Corel v4.0
	PhotoShop v2.5.1
	ACAD for Windows
	WinWord v6.0
	Borlands Turbo Windows Debuger
	Polaris Advantage
 	Cyber Tarot
	CharMap
	APBA Baseball

The following is a list of applications which Diamond is currently correcting
minor issues :

	PC Tools v2.0
	Visual Basic Pro v3.0
	Renderize 
	Ami Pro v3.0
	Quicken v3.0
	Illustrator v4.01
	Freelance 
	NAV Press Bible Search 
	MYST
	AfterDark v3.0 
	MicroGraphix Designer v3.1
	PageMaker v5.0 
	MSOffice TSR
	AutoSketch
	Video for Windows 

UTILITY FILES
-------------

VPRMODE.EXE     command line and menu driven mode and monitor setting
                utility.  Use VPRMODE.EXE to configure the Viper VLB
                for your particular monitor, to change the VIPER VLB
                memory address, to select a text display mode, and to
                run Viper VLB diagnostics.
                VPRMODE saves monitor timing information to the
                VIPER.INI file.

                NOTES:  1. use VPRMODE ? for command line option list.

                        2. the VPRMODE monitor configuration save screen
                           may be displayed after running some of the
                           VPRMODE commands.  If this happens, select
                           ENTER to save. The screen will not appear again.

                        3. KNOW YOUR MONITOR! Please refer to your monitor
                           manual or manufacturer for correct monitor timing
                           information before running VPRMODE, and before
                           contacting Diamond for technical assistance. If
                           you do not have this information, DIAMOND WILL
                           NOT BE ABLE TO HELP YOU with VPRMODE problems.

                        4. "SVESA" command line option loads a special VESA BIOS
                           TSR.  The only difference between this special VESA
                           BIOS TSR and the normal VESA BIOS TSR (loaded by
                           "VESA" command line option) is the scan line length
                           (the difference between the addresses of two
                           vertically neighboring pixels) in VESA mode 101h
                           (640x480 256 color).  The normal VESA BIOS TSR sets
                           the scan line length to 640 bytes (mode default) in
                           VESA mode 101h, but the special VESA BIOS sets the
                           scan line length to 1024 bytes in VESA mode 101h.
                           Loading this special VESA BIOS fixes the screen
                           scrambled and distorted problem for those
                           applications (such as DataShop v1.0, Space Shuttle
                           and Dracula Unleashed) which change the scan line
                           length from 640 bytes to 1024 bytes by programming
                           CRTC Row Offset register (direct I/O with CTRC ports)
                           themselves in VESA mode 101h.  This option is not
                           supported in 1MB Viper board due to the hardware
                           (Weitek Power 9000) limitation.

                        5. In OS/2 environment, the following command line
                           options should be used to fix the screen scrambled
                           and distorted problem for different Viper boards:
                           5.a "MEMC0" : forces Viper board to memory
                                         configuration type 0.  Used for 1MB
                                         Viper board with PCB rev. B1 and later
                           5.b "MEMC1" : forces Viper board to memory
                                         configuration type 1.  Used for 1MB
                                         Viper board with PCB rev. Ax
                           5.c "MEMC2" : forces Viper board to memory
                                         configuration type 2.  Used for all
                                         2MB Viper boards

VIP.EXE         utility which will display or write to a file important
                system configuration information which can be used as
                an aid in trouble-shooting. Type VIP to display to screen,
                and VIP <filename> to save to a file.

                NOTES:  1. the VPRMODE save configuration screen may be
                           displayed after running VIP.  If this happens,
                           select Enter to save.  The screen will not
                           appear again.

VDIAG.EXE       diagnotic utility which will display color test patterns
                in each resolution supported.

                NOTES:  1. to test extended modes, load the VESA BIOS
                           extentions before running VDIAG.  This can
                           be done by typing  VPRMODE VESA at the command
                           prompt.

CHKPATH.EXE     utility which checks the PATH environment variable for the
                specified string.  Is used in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file with
                the VIPERPATH statement.

VIPER.INI       this file is used to store the monitor and configuration
                information for the Viper VLB, and is updated each
                time you choose to Save Configuration from the VPRMODE.EXE
                program.  Drivers find the location of the VIPER.INI file
                by checking the VIPERPATH environment variable.

VIPERPATH       an environment variable which is used by device drivers
                (Windows 3.1, AutoCAD) to locate the VIPER.INI file.
                This variable is set by the DOS SET command, and is
                automatically appended to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file during
                Viper VLB Utility installation.


                        !!!!!  IMPORTANT !!!!!

                   THE VIPER.INI FILE AND THE VIPERPATH STATEMENT ARE
                   NEEDED FOR PROPER USE OF THE VIPER VLB WINDOWS AND
                   AUTOCAD DRIVERS!  DO NOT REMOVE THEM FROM YOUR SYSTEM.



Contacting DIAMOND
------------------
Diamond can be reached through a number of ways:

Postal Service  : Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc.
                  1130 East Arques Avenue
                  Sunnyvale, CA  94086
Voice (Main)    : (408) 736-2000
Voice (TechSppt): (408) 736-2000 [M-F 6-7; Sat 8-4 Pacific]
                                 [plus 24hr automated help]
FAX (Main)      : (408) 730-5750
FAX (Support)   : (408) 773-8000
BBS (to 2400)   : (408) 730-1100
BBS (9600+)     : (408) 524-9301
CompuServe      : GO DMNDONLINE
America Online  : GO DIAMOND



All product names listed are trademarks or copyrights of their
respective owners.
=======================================================================
Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc.                            (c) 1993-94
(408) 736-2000                                      All Rights Reserved
=======================================================================

Download Driver Pack

How To Update Drivers Manually

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.

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