[English]
README.TXT MATROX GRAPHICS INC. 1997.04.21
Millennium/Mystique MGA PowerDesk for Windows 95
Table of Contents
-----------------
- Description of This Release
- MGA PowerDesk Files
- Installation
- Registry Settings
- Notes, Problems, and Limitations
- MGA Diagnostic program
- IRQSET.EXE program
Note to users of localized versions: This file may contain some last
minute information not translated into your language. We apologize for
the inconvenience.
Description of This Release
---------------------------
This product includes a Windows 95 display driver AND the MGA
PowerDesk for Windows 95, which allows: virtual desktop, hardware
pan and zoom, DirectDraw/Direct3D driver and more...
MGA PowerDesk Files
-------------------
Basic Driver files (installed in \Windows\System):
MGAPDX64.INF Installation support file
MGAPDX64.DRV MGA Win95 display driver
MGAPDX64.VXD MGA miniVDD
MGALLX64.DLL MGA initialization DLL
MGAXDD.DRV MGA DirectDraw 32-bit driver
MGAXDD32.DLL MGA 32-bit DirectDraw/Direct3D component
MGAXDD.VXD MGA VxD DirectDraw component
PowerDesk files installed in \Windows\System:
MGASHEET.DLL MGA Settings property sheet (replaces regular sheet)
M_SHEET.DLL Text strings for MGASHEET.DLL
MGASHEET.HLP Help file for MGA Settings property sheet
MGAMON.DLL MGA Monitor property sheet
M_MON.DLL Text strings for MGAMON.DLL
MGAMON.HLP Help file for MGA Monitor property sheet
MGACTRL.EXE MGA Control Center (for PowerDesk)
MGACTRL.DLL MGA Keyboard hooker (for PowerDesk hot keys)
M_CTRL.DLL Text strings for MGACTRL.EXE
MGAPREV.BMP MGA Pixel Depth Preview Bitmaps
MGABKGND.BMP MGA background bitmap for property sheets
SXCIX64.DLL Matrox 3D library (for Millennium only)
PowerDesk files installed in \Program Files\Matrox MGA PowerDesk:
README.TXT This file
ONLINE.DOC MGA PowerDesk Documentation
\Mon
MGA.MON MGA Monitor File
MGA.BIN Compressed MGA.MON monitor file
\DNav
MGADNAV.EXE MGA Desktop Navigator program
M_DNAV.DLL Text strings for MGADNAV.EXE
\QDesk
MGAQDESK.EXE MGA QuickDesk program
M_QDESK.DLL Text strings for MGAQDESK.EXE
\Color
HGCCTL95.EXE MGA Color resident program
HGCCPL.DLL MGA Color property sheet
HGCCPL.HLP Help file for MGA Color property sheet
Installation
------------
To install both MGA PowerDesk and the MGA display driver, start the
included "setup" program.
The setup program first asks you which language you want to use, then
to choose between a "Typical" or "Custom" installation. With a
"Typical" installation, the setup program installs all MGA PowerDesk
utilities in the default "\Program Files\Matrox MGA PowerDesk" folder.
We recommend you use "Typical".
After PowerDesk is installed, the setup program automatically changes
the Windows 95 display driver, then prompts you to restart your computer
for all changes to take effect.
You can customize the installation process by editing the "mga.ini"
file. For example, you can change the default installation path, default
driver performance switches, default schemes, and so on. The file is
self-documented. This type of customization is for advanced users only.
Registry Settings
-----------------
PowerDesk settings are kept in the Windows 95 registry, under the keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MATROX\POWERDESK
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MATROX\DESKNAV
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MATROX\COLOR CONTROL
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.
We provide DirectX 2 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 Mystique Bus Mastering
The Matrox Mystique supports bus mastering, which accelerates the 3D
frame rate of Mystique bundled games and many Direct3D programs on
the market. To access the bus mastering check box, click "PowerDesk"
on the MGA Settings property sheet.
Some early PCI systems may not properly assign an interrupt (IRQ) to
your graphics card. If your graphics card doesn't have an IRQ, bus
mastering can't be used. You can test for bus mastering support by
running the MGA Diagnostic program, available in MGA PowerDesk folder.
- Adobe Type Manager limitation
With Adobe Type Manager installed, you cannot run the driver if
the "Advanced Graphics Acceleration Settings" is set to none. Note
that ATM is installed as part of Adobe Acrobat Reader. This is an
Adobe problem documented in the Windows 95 "display.txt" file.
- Monitors in interlaced mode
Some older monitors such as the NEC 3D and many "SuperVGA" monitors
do not support non-interlaced mode in all resolutions. The MGA display
driver does not properly handle interlaced mode with the Windows 95
monitor selection method. If you have one of these monitors, please
use the MGA Monitor selection method.
- 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 95
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.
- VESA modes:
DOS programs running in DOS full-screen mode are handled by the
MGA Video BIOS. The BIOS supports all standard VGA modes, AND many
VESA VBE 1.2 and 2.0 modes:
VESA Graphics Modes
Mode Resolution Colors
100h 640x400 256
101h 640x480 256
110h 640x480 32K
111h 640x480 64K
112h 640x480 16.8M
102h 800x600 16
103h 800x600 256
113h 800x600 32K
114h 800x600 64K
115h 800x600 16.8M
105h 1024x768 256
116h 1024x768 32K
117h 1024x768 64K
118h 1024x768 16.8M(*)
107h 1280x1024 256
119h 1280X1024 32K(*)
11Ah 1280X1024 64K(*)
11Ch 1600X1200 256
11Dh 1600X1200 32K(*)
11Eh 1600X1200 64K(*)
(*) requires 4Mb memory
Text Modes
Mode Columns Rows
108h 80 60
109h 132 25
10Bh 132 50
10Ch 132 60
- More Information
For more information, see the WordPad file "online.doc". This
file is included on the Matrox disk, and installed in your
\Program Files\Matrox MGA PowerDesk\ folder.
MGA Diagnostic program
----------------------
Restart your computer and close all other programs before running MGA
Diagnostic.
The MGA Diagnostic program tests the bus mastering feature of your
system and if another program is using bus mastering at the same time (a
3D game for example), a system error may occur.
IRQSET.EXE program
------------------
If you have a 3D program for Windows 95 that doesn't start or stops
running, you may be having a problem with bus mastering. The Matrox card
needs an Interrupt Request (IRQ) number for bus mastering to work
properly and some computers do not automatically give the Matrox card an
IRQ. You can manually assign your Matrox card an IRQ through the
IRQSET.EXE program we provide.
First, check for an IRQ number:
(1) Right-click "My Computer" on the Windows desktop background.
(2) Click the "Properties" menu item.
(3) Click the "Device Manager" tab.
(4) Click the "Properties" button.
(5) Check if the MGA display driver appears in the IRQ list.
If it does, there is no need to manually assign an IRQ and you
can stop here.
IF NOT, note which IRQ number (10, 11 or 12) is not used and
continue with the instructions below.
To manually assign an IRQ:
(1) Open your "autoexec.bat" file with the Windows 95 Notepad program.
Your autoexec.bat file is in the root directory of your boot
drive.
(2) Add a line to your autoexec.bat with the path to "IRQSET",
followed by the IRQ you want to use (the unused number you noted
above). For example, to assign your Matrox card IRQ 10, insert the
following line in your autoexec.bat (INCLUDING the quotation
marks):
C:"\Program Files\Matrox MGA PowerDesk\IRQSET" A
(The path you use MIGHT be different if you have a customized
installation of MGA PowerDesk on your computer.)
The above example is for IRQ 10. To use a different IRQ, replace
"A" with ONE of the following letters (capitalized):
B (for IRQ 11)
C (for IRQ 12)
(3) Save the changes to the autoexec.bat and exit Notepad.
(4) Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
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.