| Areas in this document that are marked with a '|' in the left column were not | finalized at the time this document was released. These features may appear | in a later version of the display driver. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STB Video Driver for Windows NT 4.0 Supported Products: STB GLyder MAX-2/2+ | STB Driver Version: 4.00.1381.6027 (6/1/98) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This file contains the Windows NT 4.0 driver instructions for the STB GLyder MAX-2/2+ video adapters. For detailed instructions on using the STB Configurations utility, refer to the on-line help. The STB Configurations utility controls monitor refresh rate setup and 3D application optimization and displays information about the video adapter(s). This driver supports 8 Mbyte STB GLyder MAX-2/2+ video adapters. Up to four cards are supported. Product files ------------- DISK1 ----- | \STB.INF settings file for driver installation over network \DISK1 disk identification file \GLYDER.INF driver INF file for Windows NT Setup \HEIDI.TXT Installation instructions for the 3DStudio Max driver \README.TXT this file \READMEJ.TXT this file translated to Japanese (DBCS) \X86\NTPANEL.DLL STB Configurations Applet driver \X86\GLINT.DLL display driver \X86\GLINT.SYS miniport driver DISK2 ----- \WGLINT.HDI 3D Studio Max Heidi driver \GLYDER.INF driver INF file for Windows NT Setup -same as disk 1 \UNINSTAL.EXE Uninstall program for the device drivers \X86\3DOGLDRV.DLL 3D OpenGL ICD driver \X86\NTPANEL.HLP STB Configurations Applet help file The entire contents of this document should be read because information in this file may not appear in printed documentation or on-line help. ------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. INSTALLING THE STB DRIVER 2. CHANGING THE MONITOR SELECTION OR DISPLAY REFRESH RATE 3. CHANGING THE VIDEO SETTINGS 4. REMOVING THE STB VIDEO DEVICE DRIVER 5. ADVANCED FEATURES (For Experienced Users Only!) STB Configurations Panel Settings Located in the OpenGL tab of the STB Configurations Panel Settings Located in the Information tab of the STB Configurations... Registry Settings 6. NOTES, PROBLEMS, AND LIMITATIONS 7. STB HELP AND SOFTWARE UPGRADES 8. SUPPORTED RESOLUTIONS, COLOR DEPTHS, AND REFRESH RATES ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. INSTALLING THE STB DRIVER ------------------------------------------------------------------ Refer to your Owner's Manual to install your STB video adapter in your system. | STB GLyder MAX-2/2+ cards are always VGA-enabled. If you are installing | multiple STB GLyder MAX-2/2+ cards in your your system, your system BIOS | must disable all VGA-enabled cards it finds after the first one. When | Windows NT starts, the miniport driver will find all cards and enable them | for use. THIS IS GUARANTEED ONLY IF YOUR SYSTEM BIOS IS FULLY PCI-COMPLIANT. | IF YOUR SYSTEM BIOS IS NOT FULLY PCI-COMPLIANT, MULTIPLE CARDS MAY NOT WORK. | | Multiple-card installations are similar to single-card installations. | The system will automatically assign separate addresses to each card, | allowing the driver to issue commands to each card. In a multiple-card | configuration, all cards must be either STB GLyder MAX-2 or STB GLyder MAX-2+ | cards, and all cards must run with the same resolution and pixel depth | (number of colors). The VGA-enabled card will drive the top left monitor. NOTE: Before installing the STB video driver, please close all open application programs and disable any anti-virus software that is running on your computer until the STB driver installation is is complete! The standard Windows NT procedure is used to to install the driver. The general procedure is the following: 1. Start Windows NT 4.0 in VGA mode: When the "Please select the operating system to start..." message is displayed, select WINDOWS NT WORKSTATION VERSION 4.00 [VGA MODE]. 2. After Windows NT 4.0 has finished starting, click on the START button, select SETTINGS, and then click on CONTROL PANEL. 3. Double-click on the DISPLAY icon. The 'Display Properties' window appears. Note: You can also display the 'Display Properties' window by clicking the right mouse button anywhere on the Desktop background and then selecting the PROPERTIES option from the pop-up menu. 4. Click on the SETTINGS tab. 5. Click on the DISPLAY TYPE button. The 'Display Type' window appears. 6. Under 'Adapter Type', click on the CHANGE button. 7. In the 'Change Display' window, click on the HAVE DISK button. 8. Insert the STB driver for Windows NT 4.0 diskette 1 into drive A. Or, if you have copied the driver files to a directory on your harddrive or to a network drive, enter the correct path and click on the OK button. 9. From the list of displayed STB devices, select the model of your display adapter and then click on the OK button. 10. In the 'Third-party Drivers' window, click on the YES button to proceed. Follow the instructions on the screen until the installation is complete. You may be prompted for additional STB driver diskettes during the installation. o If a message appears stating the driver is already installed on the system, and asks if you want to use the current or new drivers, be sure to select the NEW button. 11. When the message "The drivers were successfully installed" is displayed, remove the driver diskette from the drive; then click on the OK button. 12. In the 'Display Type' window, click on the CLOSE button. 13. In the 'Display Properties' window, click on the CLOSE button. 14. When the 'System Settings Change' window appears with a message asking if you want to restart your computer, click on YES. NOTE: The first time NT 4.0 is restarted after the STB video driver has been installed, an 'Invalid Display Settings' message box will appear stating that 'A new graphics driver has been installed'. Press OK on the message box and OK on the Display Properties window and the system is ready to use. | You can customize the installation process by editing the "STB.INF" | 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. - More Information For more information on settings and monitor selections, refer to the on-line bubble help under the STB Configurations tab located under the Display Properties panel after the driver is installed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. CHANGING THE MONITOR SELECTION OR DISPLAY REFRESH RATE ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section gives a quick overview on how to setup up your monitor for the optimal refresh rates. For more information on setting up the monitor, refer to the on-line bubble help under the STB Configurations tab. To change the monitor refresh rates: 1. Start Windows NT 4.0. 2. After Windows NT 4.0 has finished starting, click on the START button, select SETTINGS, and then click on CONTROL PANEL. 3. Double-click on the DISPLAY icon. The 'Display Properties' window appears. Note: You can also display the 'Display Properties' window by clicking the right mouse button anywhere on the Desktop background and then selecting the PROPERTIES option from the pop-up menu. 4. Click on the STB Configurations tab, then the MONITOR tab. 5. If your monitor supports DDC (Plug and Play) and you want the driver to automatically decode the monitor's DDC information when NT 4.0 is started, click on the DETECT DDC MONITOR box. 6. If your monitor does not support DDC or you want to override the DDC information provided by the monitor: A) Select a new monitor by clicking the STB MONITOR button and selecting the approriate monitor manufacturer and model. OR A) Click on the CUSTOM REFRESH RATES button to use the Settings tab under the Display Properties panel to select the refresh rates. 7. Click on the OK or APPLY button. 8. When prompted, use the TEST button to test the new monitor setting. If the test screen appears garbled or unreadable, your monitor does not support the current setting. Select the correct monitor. 10. If the test screen appeared OK, press YES to keep the current monitor setting. Then press OK to close the Display Properties window. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. CHANGING THE VIDEO SETTINGS ------------------------------------------------------------------ This section gives a quick overview on how to change your video settings. To change the video settings: 1. After Windows NT 4.0 has finished starting, click on the START button, select SETTINGS, and then click on CONTROL PANEL. 2. Double-click on the DISPLAY icon. The 'Display Properties' window appears. Note: You can also display the 'Display Properties' window by clicking the right mouse button anywhere on the Desktop background and then selecting the PROPERTIES option from the pop-up menu. 3. Click on the SETTINGS tab. 4. Select the desired resolution, color depth, and font size. If 'Custom Refresh Rates' is selected in the Monitor tab under the STB Configurations panel, you can also set the monitor refresh rate here. 5. Click on the TEST and the OK button to test out the new video settings. If the test screen appears garbled or unreadable, your monitor does not support the current setting. The desktop will reappear in 5 seconds. Click on NO when asked if you saw the bitmap correctly and select another setting that is supported by the monitor. 7. If the test screen appeared OK, press YES and then press APPLY to change the video settings. Then press OK to close the Display Properties window. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 4. REMOVING THE STB VIDEO DEVICE DRIVER ------------------------------------------------------------------ NOTE: Before removing the STB video driver, please close all open application programs and disable any anti-virus software that is running on your computer until the STB driver installation is complete! To remove the STB video driver: 1. Open a DOS window by clicking on START -> PROGRAMS -> COMMAND PROMPT. 2. Insert the STB driver for Windows NT 4.0 diskette 2 into drive A; Or, if you have copied the driver files to a directory on your harddrive or to a network drive, switch to the directory that contains the files for STB driver. If you are using a CD-ROM, switch to the directory that contains the STB video driver. 3. Enter UNINSTAL at the DOS command prompt and press Enter. The UNINSTAL program will remove the STB drivers and registry entries and reset the system to VGA mode. 4. Follow the instructions to remove the drivers. 5. Shut down NT and reboot the system once the installation is complete. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. ADVANCED FEATURES (For Experienced Users Only!) ------------------------------------------------------------------ STB Configurations Panel ------------------------ Several settings on the STB GLyder MAX-2/2+ video adapter can be tuned. Some of these settings are listed in the various tabs located in STB Configurations panel. Other settings can only be accessed through the registry. This section discusses each of these settings. The STB Configurations panel can be accessed by clicking the right mouse button anywhere on the Desktop background and then selecting the PROPERTIES option from the pop-up menu. Then select the STB CONFIGURATIONS tab. NOTE! Be sure to see the Registry section before attempting to change any of the registry settings directly. Settings Located in the OpenGL tab of the STB Configurations Panel ------------------------------------------------------------------ Clicking on the OpenGL tab reveals a list of 3D applications that the STB video driver can be optimized for. Also, custom settings can be selected and saved as new profiles under the OpenGL tab. Listed below are the settings contained in the OpenGL tab. For detailed information on any of these settings, refer to the on-line bubble help under the OpenGL tab. Simply click on the "?" mark on the upper right corner of the Display Properties page and then click on the setting you'd like more information about. Or, select the setting with the mouse and then click the right mouse button. A box with the question "What's this?" will appear. Click on the box to get more information on the setting that is selected. OpenGL Panel Setting Associated Registry Setting Default ---------------------------- --------------------------- ------- DMA Buffers GlintDMA.NumberOfBuffers 8 DMA Buffer Size GlintDMA.SizeOfBuffers 64KB Support Antialiasing (lines) OpenGL.AntialiasedLines ON GDI in Single-Buffered Mode 3DExtensions.SupportGDIdouble ON GDI in Double-Buffered Mode 3DExtensions.SupportGDIsingle OFF Page Flipping 3DExtensions.ExportSwapCopy ON Export Alpha 3DExtensions.ExportAlpha OFF Anti-aliasing Quality OpenGL.TextureCompression high quality Double Buffer DoubleBuffer.NumberofBuffers ON (2) Enable Fast Clear Planes OpenGL.UseFastClear OFF Support Double Write OpenGL.SupportSoftimage351 OFF Settings Located in the Information tab of the STB Configurations Panel ----------------------------------------------------------------------- There is also some features included on the Information tab located under the STB Configurations panel. These features are: Information Panel Setting Associated Registry Setting Default ------------------------- --------------------------- ------- Display Gamma DisplayGammaValue 1.00 PCI Disconnect Enable DisablePCIDisconnect ON Export Single Buffered Modes ExportSingleBufferedModes OFF Again, use the on-line bubble help for specific information on either of these features. Registry Settings ----------------- Information held in the Windows NT registry can have a direct effect on the whole system. INTRODUCING INCORRECT VALUES CAN CAUSE SERIOUS PROBLEMS AND MAY MAKE IT NECESSARY TO REINSTALL WINDOWS NT. The changes outlined below should have effects limited to the STB video drivers. However, if you accidentally modify values that make your system unusable, please note that it is often possible to undo the damage by using the 'Last Known Good Configuration' option at boot time. It is also possible to save a copy of your registry settings prior to any modification. The configuration of the STB driver and STB Configurations panel are saved in the registry. The most important parameters can be modified through the STB Configurations panel, but others can be accessed only through the Registry Editor. Most users will find that the default values are best for their system. However, specific problems will be solved through these switches. The values are: Modifying keys and values in the registry is done through the Registry Editor. The Registry Editor can be invoked in the following way: - Use Start/Run..., or open a Command Prompt window, and type 'regedt32'. Alternately, from the Windows NT Explorer, go to SystemRoot\system32 and double-click on Regedt32. The Registry Editor will come up. To examine or to modify the values that govern the behavior of the STB GLyder MAX-2/2+ driver: 1. Select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE window. 2. Travel down to the key named: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\glint\Device0. You will find the values in the right window pane. To modify any of them: 1. Double-click on the selected value. 2. In the DWORD Editor, change the value to '0' or '1'. The new value will take effect the next time you reboot. STB Configurations settings are kept under the key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\STB and its subkeys. The keys contained in the registry are listed below. FORCE NEAREST NEIGHBOR FILTERING (registry setting=OpenGL.ForceNNTexFilte, Default=0, OFF) Turning this feature on will ensure that OpenGL only performs nearest neighbor texturing operations. In some applications this can improve performance, at the cost of some visual quality. PERSPECTIVE CORRECTION (registry setting=OpenGL.PerspectiveCorrection, Default=1, ON) This variable is only relevant to PERMEDIA. The accuracy of the perspective-correction divide performed during textured rendering can be varied on PERMEDIA. The default option, Force Nicest, enforces the most accurate divide, resulting in the best image quality. The Force Fastest option switches to a reduced accuracy divide, which results in best performance at the cost of lower image quality. The third option gives control of the divide accuracy to OpenGL applications through the API function glHint. A smart application can vary the divide accuracy used on a per primitive basis, since primitives that are heavily "perspected" require higher accuracy for good image quality than those that are not. DRAW LINE ENDPOINTS (registry setting=OpenGL.DrawLineEndPoints, Default=0, OFF) This option when set can improve the legibility of text rendered by some applications using stroke fonts, such as Pro/ENGINEER. NUMBER OF SUB-BUFFERS (registry setting=GlintDMA.NumberOfSubBuffers, Default=3) This variable describes the number of sections into which a single DMA buffer is divided for use by a 3D application. This is used by interrupt driven DMA to construct a queue of buffers which are to be loaded into the video chip by the DMA interrupt handler. The maximum size of the queue is always 2 less than the number of sub-buffers specified. This is to allow the 3D application to fill one buffer and the video chip to be performing DMA on another buffer. The remainder can be queued. Setting this variable to 2 disables interrupt driven DMA since not enough buffers are available to create a DMA queue. DMA still works but the DMA buffer is split into two parts so that the video chip can load one while the 3D application prepares the other. Setting this variable to zero disables DMA and forces FIFOs to be used. This latter feature is generally used only for comparing performance of DMA and non-DMA operation (without needing a reboot). This variable is read every time a 3D context is created. Thus it is not necessary to reboot the machine for a change to take effect. Changing this variable has no effect on any already running 3D applications. This variable can have considerable 3D performance implications. 2 is usually ideal for single-buffered applications and 5 seems well suited to double-buffered applications. USE BIOS PCI BASE ADDRESSES (registry setting=UseBIOSAddresses , Default=1, YES) Normally, the NT HAL allocates PCI base addresses for the video card. These O/S-assigned addresses override those which are normally supplied by the PCI BIOS. On some machine configurations these addresses are not valid for the given hardware. In these instances, the base addresses originally configured by the BIOS are often valid and allow the machine to boot. Enabling this feature causes the BIOS base addresses to be used rather than those configured by NT. In particular, on machines which use the Intel Multi Processor Specification 1.4 (MPS 1.4), there is a bug in the NT HAL for many machines which causes invalid base addresses to be configured. Setting this variable may fix this problem. The following registry entries may also appear but they are not used by the STB GLyder MAX-2/2+ video adapters. These entries are specific to the GLINT 300SX, 500TX, abd GLINT MX-based products: OpenGL.UseHiQualityTexture Default=0 (OFF) OpenGL.DisableDelta Default=0 (ENABLED) OpenGL.SupportSoftimage Default=0 (NO) OpenGL.SupportSoftimage351 Default=0 (NO) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. NOTES, PROBLEMS, AND LIMITATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------ Listed below are known restrictions associated with this release of the driver. DirectDraw on multiple cards DirectDraw cannot currently handle direct access to a desktop spread over multiple cards. Applications that require DirectDraw will not run on such a desktop. ActiveMovie in full screen Running clips in full screen at 256 colors with ActiveMovie may result in a corrupted display while the clip is being played. The problem appears to come from the application. Running Winstone 97 The CenterPOPUP feature should be disabled (which is the default setting) when running the Winstone 97 benchmark. Some tests may time-out when CenterPOPUP is enabled. OpenGL textures on Multi-Monitors Textures are only rendered correctly on the primary display when running on a multi-monitor setup. OpenGL applications that use textures such as the 3D-Maze screen saver under NT may have corruption on multi-monitor desktops. OpenGL does not handle moving its window from the primary monitor to a secondary monitor. If a particular problem is consistent across resolutions, consult your application documentation. Most applications are distributed with a READ_ME file similar to this file. READ_ME files usually contain a wealth of information regarding potential video conflicts. If you have a problem that is not described in this file or is unresolved when you try the suggested solutions, please contact STB or check to see if there are any driver updates available. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. STB HELP AND SOFTWARE UPGRADES ------------------------------------------------------------------ Video driver updates can be obtained from IBM at the following web location: http://www.us.pc.ibm.com/files/html -do a search on "drivers" For technical problems, contact the IBM HelpDesk at 1-800-772-2227 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 8. SUPPORTED RESOLUTIONS, COLOR DEPTHS, AND REFRESH RATES ------------------------------------------------------------------ The resolutions and refresh rates supported by the STB driver are dependent on the monitor that is selected. To display the resolutions that are supported and the maximum vertical refresh rate for the monitor currently selected, refer to the "Monitor" tab located under the STB Configurations panel. The STB Configurations panel can be displayed by right clicking your mouse anywhere on the desktop background and selecting Properties and then selecting the STB Configurations tab. The maximum color depth for each resolution is dependent on many factors. The factors affecting the maximum color depth are the display resolution, the total amount of video memory installed and whether or not "Export Single Buffered Modes" is disabled. Disabling "Export Single Buffered Modes" enables 3D double buffering in the video memory. This consumes some of the video memory for and therefore reduces the maximum amount of colors available for some resolutions. Shown below is a summary of the color depths supported with "Export Single Buffered Modes" disabled and enabled. MAXIMUM COLOR DEPTHS - 8MB OF VIDEO MEMORY +==========+==========+==========+ |Resolution|2D bpp |3D bpp: | bpp = bits per pixel | (Pels) |(SB) |(DB) | -8=256 colors +----------+----------+----------+ -15=32768 colors |640x480 |8, 15, 16,|8, 15, 16,| -16=65536 colors | |32 |32 | -24=16,777,216 colors +----------+----------+----------+ -32=16,777,216 colors |800x600 |8, 15, 16,|8, 15, 16,| + 8 bit alpha channel for 3D | |32 |32 | +----------+----------+----------+ |1024x768 |8, 15, 16,|8, 15, 16 | | |32 |32 | +----------+----------+----------+ 3D Features: |1152x864 |8, 15, 16,|8, 15, 16 | -SB =Export Single Buffered Modes | |32* | | enabled (2D mode) +----------+----------+----------+ -DB =Export Single Buffered Modes |1280x1024 |8, 15, 16,|8, 15, 16 | disabled (3D mode) | |32* | | +----------+----------+----------+ |1600x1200 |8, 15*, |8 | | |16* | | +==========+==========+==========+ * If these modes are used, dragging large windows with the "Show window contents while dragging" option set could lag the movement of the mouse to some degree due to the large amount of screen information being moved. It is recommended that this option be unchecked for these modes.