========================== Release Notes - Windows NT ========================== Quantum3D Obsidian2 S/X Series Release 4C 08 June 1998 Copyright 1997-1998 Quantum3D, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ===================================================================== Quantum3D, Inc. 2520 Mission College Blvd, Suite 202 Santa Clara, California, 95054-1215 Voice: (408) 919-9999 Fax: (408) 919-9980 Web Site: http://www.quantum3d.com Technical Support: support@quantum3d.com ===================================================================== This release includes drivers and utilties for the Obsidian2 S/X Consumer Series of Graphics Accelerators with Windows NT 4.0. with Service Pack 3. CONTENTS ======== I. Minimum System Requirements II. Base Drivers Notes III. Before You Begin IV. Installation Procedures V. Obsidian2 S/X Series A. Windows NT 4.0 B. Notes on the Obsidian2 X-Series VI. Software Utilities VII. Removing the Obsidian2 Drivers VIII. Frequently Asked Questions I. Minimum System Requirements =============================== - PCI 2.1 compliant system (AGP compliant for S-12 AGP, S-12 AGPTV) - Pentium(R) class or faster processor - 16MB of system memory - Available PCI expansion slot (ATX form factor recommended) (Available AGP expansion slot for S-12 AGP, S-12 AGPTV) - Windows 95 or Windows 98 (or later) - Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 (or later) - DirectX 5.0 (or later - Windows 95, Windows 98 only) - Windows desktop (VGA) display adapter - VGA compatible monitor II. Base Driver Feature Notes =============================== The Quantum3D Obsidian2 drivers included with this release are based on Glide 2.50 and Direct3D 2.16 drivers. - The Obsidian2 S-Series can operate at these video timings: Resolution Refresh Rate 512 x 384 72,75,85,120 Hz 640 x 400 70,75,85,120 Hz 640 x 480 60,75,85,120 Hz 800 x 600 60,75,85,120 Hz 960 x 720 60,75,85 Hz (Glide only) 1024 x 768 60,75,85 Hz - The Obsidian2 X-Series can operate at these video timings: Resolution Refresh Rate 512 x 384 72,75,85 Hz 640 x 400 70,75,85 Hz 640 x 480 60,75,85 Hz 800 x 600 60,75,85 Hz 960 x 720 60,75,85 Hz (Glide only) 1024 x 768 60,75,85 Hz - Obsidian2's TV Output capabilities operate only when Voodoo2 Graphics is running and at these video timings: Resolution Refresh Rate Format Scan Option 640 x 480 60 Hz NTSC Overscan and Underscan 640 x 480 50 Hz PAL Overscan and Underscan 800 x 600 60 Hz NTSC Underscan 800 x 600 50 Hz PAL Overscan and Underscan III. Before You Begin ===================== Whether you are installing the Obsidian2 for the first time or upgrading existing drivers for the Obsidian2, follow the procedure below before you begin the driver installation. 1. From the Start menu select Settings then Control Panel. 2. Double-click on Add/Remove Programs, and select the Install/Uninstall tab. 3. Scroll through the list and select any existing drivers for 3Dfx based products, including ones from Quantum3D. 4. Click on the Add/Remove button. 5. If this a first time installation, remove any other 3Dfx adapters from the system if present. Follow the hardware installation procedure in the Obsidian2 Installation Guide for your appropriate Obsidian2 adapter. IV. Installation Procedures =========================== NOTE: A minimum system requirement for the Obsidian2 with Windows NT 4.0 is Service Pack 3. If you have not upgraded your Windows NT 4.0 operating system to Service Pack 3, you must do so before installing the Obsidian2 accelerator. V. OBSIDIAN2 S/X Series ======================== A. Windows NT 4.0 ----------------- Follow the procedure below to install the drivers and utilities for the Obsidian2 S/X Series. 1. Start Windows NT. 2. Log onto the computer with an account that has local Administrator privileges (this is required for updating the system registry). 3. Insert the Obsidian2 Installation CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. 4. From the START menu, select Programs and then Windows NT Explorer. 5. Click on CD-ROM drive in the All Folders panel. 6. Double click on the WINNT directory in the Contents panel. 7. Right mouse click on OBSIDIAN.INF in the Contents panel and select Install. Windows NT will copy the Obsidian2 device drivers to your hard drive. 8. You will then be prompted to restart the computer. Click on the Yes button. B. Notes on the Obsidian2 X-Series --------------------------------- - You may decrease the chance of operation issues by verifying that you have the latest system BIOS for your motherboard from the motherboard manufacturer. Also, make sure that Windows is using the PCI bus defaults. To do this: 1. Double click on the System icon of Control Panel. 2. Select the Device Manager tab. 3. Double click on "System devices". 4. Double click on "PCI bus". The PCI bus Properties dialog will appear. 5. Select the Settings tab. 6. Click the "Set Defaults" button. 7. Click the OK button and restart if necessary. VI. Software Utilities ====================== During the Obsidian2 driver installation, a number of diagnostic utilities are installed under the following folder: C:\Program Files\Q3D\Obsidian.2C\WinNT This section describes the software utilities for the Obsidian2. GDETECT.EXE This utility runs from Windows and lists the PCI devices in the computer and what memory resources are used by each device. GMOJO.EXE This utility runs from Windows and displays the Obsidian adapter information such as virtual base address, Vendor ID, chip revisions and more. In this information the Pixelfx2 and Texelfx2 chips are referred to as the FBI (Frame Buffer Interface) and TMU (Texture Mapping Unit) respectively. VII. Removing the Obsidian2 Drivers =================================== 1. From the Start menu, select Settings, then Control Panel. 2. Double-click on Add/Remove Programs, select the Install/Uninstall tab. 3. Scroll through the list and select the Quantum3D Obsidian2 adapter listed. 4. Click on the Add/Remove button. 5. Shutdown the computer. Remove the Obsidian adapter from the computer. 6. When Windows is restarted, the last portion of the removal is done automatically. VIII. Frequently Asked Questions ================================ Q: Why is the Override Application Setting option in the Obsidian2 tab of the Display Properties dialog checked and not available (grayed out)? A: In order to maintain backward compatibility, environment variables set manually will take precedence over configuration options. Therefore, if you have set environment variables manually, the corresponding configuration option will not be available. Removing these environment variables and restarting the computer will restore the previously unavailable configuration options. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When TV output is enabled, why are the options for resolution restricted to 640 x 480 or 800 x 600 at 60 HZ refresh rate for NTSC and 50 Hz refresh rate for PAL TV output? A: Enabling TV output restricts the resolution and refresh rate options in order to display the image correctly on the TV monitor. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Why do some applications have corrupted display when the Wait for Vertical Retrace option in the Obsidian2 tab of the Display Properties dialog is not checked? A: Disabling Wait for Vertical Retrace may increase the performance of some applications because the hardware is not waiting for Vysnc to the display monitor. However this may cause tearing of images in the application. For benchmarking purposes it is recommended that you disable Wait for Vertical Retrace for maximum performance. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When attempting to run an older Glide base application, why does an error message "missing DLL file 'GLIDE.DLL' not found" appear? A: The application is attempting to specifically access an older version of a Glide file GLIDE.DLL which has been replaced by the current Glide file. Contact the software manufacturer for an updated version of the application. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When using a TV monitor, why is the display corrupted? A: Occasionally the output to the TV monitor may display incorrectly. Simply exit the application and restart it.