October 22, 1993

RELEASE NOTES FOR THE mach32 ACCELERATOR

READ THIS FILE COMPLETELY BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO USE THIS PRODUCT !

Contents

1.0     Introduction
2.0     Adapter Installation
3.0     Contents of Distribution Diskette
4.0     Installation notes for Windows
5.0     Installation notes for Autocad and 3d Studio

1.0     Introduction

This file contains last-minute updates that are not found in the user's
manual or in any addendum accompanying the display adapter.  Please read
this file before proceeding with the installation.

For information on running the INSTALL program please refer
to your User's manual in the Section:

            "CONFIGURING YOUR CARD", and "RUNNING THE INSTALL PROGRAM"

GENERAL INFO for NEW INSTALLATIONS:

- In order to match the card to your monitor and to your system
  configuration you must run "SET POWER UP CONFIGURATION"  before installing
  any drivers
- Please refer to "MAIN SELECTION MENU" in your User's Manual.
- After running "SET POWER UP CONFIGURATION", run Install Device Drivers
  and EXIT back to DOS.

GENERAL INFO FOR UPDATE INSTALLATIONS:

If you are updating from previous version of the mach32 Windows Driver
we suggest that:

A) You make a backup of you current WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI prior to
   installation

B) You use the UNINSTALL WINDOWS DRIVER Option before installing the
   the new drivers. The UNINSTALL will remove any previous mach32 settings.

Uninstall process:
   The "UNINSTALL" option is found by loading the mach32 "INSTALL" program.

   On the Main Menu Screen select the "INSTALL DEVICE DRIVER" and press
   ENTER.

   From the "Install Device Drivers" pop-up menu select "Microsoft Windows"

   After confirmation of directory and paths you will be presented with the
   "Windows Enhanced" pop-up menu. From this menu, select the appropriate
   "Uninstall" option and follow the directions on the Screen.


2.0     Adapter Installation

The mach32 video adapters represent state of the art Personal Computer video
technology.  While following IBM VGA standards for producing VGA text and
graphics, these adapters require additional system resources to produce
accelerated video capabilities.

Adapter installation, while greatly simplified through the mach32 INSTALL
utility, requires a step by step methodical approach to ensure that the
adapter does not conflict with other system resources and will
provide optimized performance.

The following technical information is a basic outline of the steps required
to install a mach32 video adapter.

1)  Upon removing the mach32 card from the box, record the serial number
    (found on the non-component side of the card) and the BIOS
    version (located on a label on a plug-in BIOS on the
    component side of the card) in your user manual.

    This serial number will assist Customer Support and also ensure that
    the Warranty form can be properly completed.


2)  Check the system hardware for internal modems, FAX cards or LAN cards
    which may be using addresses at COM4 (2E8) or addresses between the
    range of 2E0 to 2EF.

    Also ensure that LAN cards, scanner cards and other peripheral adapters
    are not using upper memory addresses between C000 and C7FF.

    If you have a system containing an on-board video controller,
    consult your owners manual on how to disable it.

    Check and record how much system memory is installed on the
    system motherboard.


3)  Review your CONFIG.SYS file to determine if a Memory Manager device
    driver is being loaded.

    Memory Manager device drivers, such as EMM386, QEMM and 386MAX, may
    interfere with the mach32 installation software and should not be loaded
    until the video adapter has been completely installed


4)  After powering down your system, remove your old video adapter (or
    disable the on-board video controller) and plug-in the mach32 card.

    Connect the video monitor cable and mouse cable (if applicable) to the
    mach32 card and power-up the system.
    (not all mach32 cards have built-in Mouse ports)

    If the system fails to produce text on the monitor, return to Step 2
    and re-check the installed hardware for address conflicts.

    If no obvious conflicts are present, carefully remove all non-
    essential peripheral adapters (scanner, FAX/modem, audio, CD ROM cards,
    etc) to determine the nature of the conflict.

    As a last resort, if possible, see if the card works in another system.

    If the system still does not boot, contact our Customer Support with
    the system brand and model number.


5)  Once the system has properly booted, place Disk 1 of the supplied mach32
    disks into the appropriate disk drive and run the INSTALL program.
    The INSTALL program may report that it has found the graphics card to
    be in a "new or changed configuration".  If this message appears, press
    any key to have the INSTALL program update the display adapter's EEPROM.


    If the INSTALL program returns to DOS and states that it could not find
    a mach32 based video card in the system, return to Step 3 to remove any
    memory manager device driver from your CONFIG.SYS file.  If a different
    Error Message appears, carefully record the error message, follow any
    instructions listed in the message and contact our Customer Support if
    the problem persists.

6)  When the INSTALL program has completed loading and initialization, it
    will present the following screen (the exact look may vary,  depending
    on the features equipped on your card):



 mach32                         Version x.x             Copyright (c) 199x

                    ͻ
                              Main Selection Menu         
                    ͹
                     Set Power-Up Configuration           
                     Set Current Video Mode/Configuration 
                     Test Graphics Adapter                
                     Install Video Adapter Utilities      
                     Install Device Drivers               
                     Install Adapter Interface (AI)       
                    ͼ


    The "Set Power-Up Configuration" option must be run on new installations
    to inform the card of what monitor is attached and to determine what
    video card options will be enabled when the system is booted.
    Highlight the "Set Power-up Configuration" option and press Enter to
    get to the following menu (the exact look may vary,  depending
    on the features equipped on your card):


 mach32                         Version x.x               Copyright (c) 199x


                    ͻ
                              Main Selection Menu         
                    ͹
                     Set Power-Up Configuration           
    ͻ
                   Set  Power-Up  Configuration               
    ͹
     Monitor Type            : VGA or PS/2 Color              
     Power-Up Video Mode     : VGA (CV80)                     
     VGA ROM Configuration   : 8 bits                         
     Mouse Configuration     : Disabled                       
     Coprocessor Bus I/O     : Auto-select                    
     VGA Bus I/O             : 8 bits                         
     Memory Aperture         : Disabled                       
     VGA Zero Wait State RAM : Disabled                       
     VGA Memory Size         : 512k                           
    ͼ

PLEASE NOTE: Your actual "Set Power-Up Configuration" may differ from
             the above layout due to type of mach32 product and system
             architecture. The Install program will automatically detect
             and present the proper options at install time.

MONITOR TYPE:
    Selecting the "Monitor Type" option will produce a list of supported
    monitors.
    If your monitor is shown, select it from the list and press Enter.
    If your monitor does not appear, select the Custom option from the list.

    The Custom option will allow you to configure the vertical refresh
    rate your monitor supports for each resolution (ie: 640x480, 800x600,
    1024x768 and 1280x1024).

    It is important to review your monitor manual to determine the proper
    refresh rates to use for each resolution.

    Selecting a refresh rate that is too high could damage your monitor.

POWER UP VIDEO MODE:
    The "Power-Up Video Mode" option determines the DOS text and graphics
    capabilities when the card is powered-up.  Unless the AUTOEXEC.BAT file
    contains programs which can only run on an EGA, CGA or MDA video
    adapter, this option should remain set to VGA (CV80).  This will provide
    the highest level of DOS text and graphics resolution.

    The mach32 card can use 16 BIT ROM Access to improve DOS Text
    performance.
    In some systems and/or some system configurations, however, this can
    cause unusual operational problems (booting problems, applications
    failing, Windows problems, etc).

VGA ROM CONFIGURATION:
    To ensure the most compatible video card configuration, the
    "VGA ROM Configuration" setting should be set to 8-bit.
    This will not significantly impact on DOS performance and will not
    impact on Windows performance.

MOUSE CONFIGURATION:
    The Mouse port on the mach32 adapter can be configured to use one
    of two hardware port addresses and an IRQ value between 2 and 5.
    For most systems the mouse can be configured to use the Primary address
    and IRQ 5.

    It is important to ensure that no other devices are using the
    selected IRQ or port addresses as unusual mouse operation will result.
    If another mouse, trackball or pointing device is going to be used on
    the system, the Mouse Configuration can be left at Disabled.

COPROCESSOR BUS I/O:
    The "Coprocessor Bus I/O" selection sets the access method the card
    will use when sending or retrieving data from its low memory registers.
    For optimum performance, this setting should be configured as
    "Auto-select".

    Setting the "VGA Bus I/O" setting to "16-bits" provides optimum VGA and
    SuperVGA graphics performance.  The "8-bits" option would be used if a
    monochrome or CGA video adapter were installed in the same system with
    the mach32 card.

MEMORY APERTURE:
    The "Memory Aperture" feature is NOT available on all systems, and may
    vary according to PC system architecture and amount of system RAM memory

    When available allows for improved graphics performance in some
    areas by placing a video frame buffer in system memory address space.

    This frame buffer can only be used if unused system memory address
    space is available.

    LIMITATIONS.
    In ISA systems, due to the design of the system architecture,
    there must be less than 12MB of main system memory to allow the Memory
    Aperture to be enabled.

    In EISA systems, due to the design of system architecture, there
    must be less than 124MB.

    In VLB (Vesa Local Bus) Systems, 124MB also applies.

    If the memory space is not available, this feature will be disabled.

NOTE: The mach32 INSTALL program and Windows driver will automatically
      detect the state of the "Memory Aperture" and use the appropriate
      code and optimising techniques for each configuration.

VGA ZERO WAIT-STATE RAM:
    Enabling the "VGA Zero Wait-State RAM" option will improve DOS text and
    graphics performance.
    This feature relies on compatible system bus timing and may not function
    properly on all systems.
    If DOS graphics or system operation is unstable, disable this option.

VGA MEMORY SIZE:
    The "VGA Memory Size" option sets the amount of graphics memory made
    available to VGA and SuperVGA applications.  VGA drivers and VESA
    drivers may restrict resolution and color depth capability if not enough
    VGA Memory is allocated.

    Most mach32 drivers (ie: ACAD and Windows) override the VGA memory
    setting to ensure that all video memory is available to the mach32 when
    running in accelerated modes.

    The default VGA Memory Size of 512K is best for most users
    unless the mach32 card has only 1MB of memory.

    For those mach32 cards with only 1 MB, the option of "Shared"
    should be selected.

    Once all of these options have been set, the "F10" key should be
    pressed to save the configuration.  While the INSTALL program is
    programming the EEPROM, a
    "Selected Memory Aperture configuration may conflict.." error
    message may appear.  If the system has 12MB or more system memory and
    the "Memory Aperture" feature has been disabled, ignore this message.
    If the system CMOS configuration has Video BIOS Shadowing enabled, you
    will be instructed to reboot the system once the programming of the
    EEPROM has been completed.

    If this message does not appear, proceed to Step 7, otherwise, reboot
    the system and run the INSTALL program.


7)  From the INSTALL program Main Menu, select the "Test Graphics Adapter"
    option.

    Please remove any TSR's and/or Boot from a plain DOS diskette.

    Running the "Test VGA Color Modes" and the "Run Accelerator
    Diagnostics" tests will assist in determining if the mach32
    is operating properly.

    Record any error messages and check the VGA ROM Access and VGA Zero
    Wait-State ROM settings, in the Set Power-up Configuration Menu,
    before calling Customer Support.

8)  If the diagnostics have passed, reconfigure the memory manager device
    drivers in your CONFIG.SYS file, complete the Warranty Registration card
    and install any application specific device drivers.
    The installation is now complete.


3.0     Contents of Distribution Diskette

The following files are on the distribution diskettes. The files are
decompressed into the appropriate directories by the INSTALL utility.

Disk 1
    README              This file
    README.COM          Utility to read the README file
    INSTALL.EXE         Main install program
    INSTALL.HLP         Help file for INSTALL.EXE
    INSTALL.VSF         Control file for INSTALL.EXE
    MONITOR.DAT         Control file for INSTALL.EXE
    SCRN_ADJ.EXE        Part of install.  Do not run.
    C-INFO.EXE          Video Technical Information Program
    LHARC.EXE           Disk archiving tool
    TEST.EXE            Video Accelerator Diagnostics Program
    UTILITY.LZH         Video Adapter Utilities archive
    WINDOWS
        WININST.EXE     Part of install.  Do not run.
        WININST.HLP     Help file for WININST.EXE
        MACH32W.LZH     Windows drivers archive
        MACHE.LZH       Windows drivers archive
        MACHS.LZH       Windows drivers archive

Disk 2
    LHARC.EXE           Disk archiving tool
    ACAD
        ACADINST.EXE    Part of install.  Do not run.
        ACADINST.HLP    Help file for ACADINST.EXE
        DLXPRESS.LZH    AutoCAD drivers archive
    HDIPCDOS
        AI.LZH          Application Interface archive
    LOTUS
        INST123.EXE     Part of install.  Do not run.
        INST123.HLP     Help file for WININST.EXE
        LOTUSDRV.LZH    Lotus 1-2-3 drivers archive
    PM
        PMINST.EXE      Part of install.  Do not run.
        PMINST.HLP      Help file for WININST.EXE
        OS2DRV.LZH      OS/2 drivers archive
    USTATION
        USINST.EXE      Part of install.  Do not run.
        USINST.HLP      Help file for WININST.EXE
        USDRIVER.LZH    Microstation drivers archive
    WORD
        WORDINST.EXE    Part of install.  Do not run.
        WORDINST.HLP    Help file for WININST.EXE
        WORDRVRS.LZH    Word for DOS drivers archive

Disk 3
    LHARC.EXE           Disk archiving tool
    CLIP
        CLIP.LZH        Video for Windows sample clip archive
    FONTS
        GSFONTS.LZH     Crystal Fonts archive
    VIDEO
        WINVIDS.LZH     Video for Windows drivers archive
        WINVIDW.LZH     Video for Windows drivers archive


4.0     Installation notes for Windows

When you install windows drivers,  the "INSTALL DEVICE DRIVERS" option will
create a file named "MACH.WRI" on your hard disk in the windows directory
you specified.

Please read MACH.WRI after bringing up windows for the first time

                ***** READ THE "MACH.WRI" file. *****


5.0     Installation Notes for Autodesk products

If you will be using our high resolution driver for AutoCAD 386, AutoShade
or 3D-Studio,  please note:

1)  If you have 1MB on your display adapter,  you may select any
    resolution as long as there is sufficient memory to support
    the selected display mode/refresh rate (refer to chart at the
    back of the manual).

2)  If you have 2MB on your display adapter,  you are advised to select any
    resolution having 256 colors or higher.
