DrSchmoe

Go here: http://www.aureal.com/newa3d/index.asp?c...rea=drivers.asp

I took this from my response about the Rage Fury MAXX and edited it slightly... It is possible to have multi-chip video cards in Windows 2000. However, in order to accomplish this, a hardware device needs to operate on the video card that handles resource delegation (usually called a bridge, or proxy). All communications to the video card are routed through the proxy, and not directly to the individual chips (similar to the MPS spec. for multi-processor compatibility). This proxy feature can be enabled in the chipset itself, and functionally changes the board into a Master/Slave model. 3DFX's Voodoo 5 will operate fine under Win2K *if* it includes this aforementioned capability. However, I am not familiar with the board design so I can't provide accurate information. ... In other words, don't buy the Voodoo 5500 assuming that Win2K support will be available. Hold off until definite Win2K drivers are publicly downloadable, or get a GeForce 2 since they are almost twice as fast anyway Also even if 3dfx says they are adding Win2K support, don't believe them until the drivers are released. ATi announced similar drivers for the Rage MAXX, only to recently issue a statement that it wasn't possible.

I wouldn't recommend posting SP1. Not for legal reasons, but it *is* a beta, and for the most part, it fixes problems with server components. The typical Win2K Pro user will minimally benefit from the service pack. I would just wait the extra few weeks for the final version. Especially for those of you on a 56K modem. It just isn't worth it.

It is possible to have multi-chip video cards in Windows 2000. However, in order to accomplish this, a hardware device needs to operate on the video card that handles resource delegation (usually called a bridge, or proxy). All communications to the video card are routed through the proxy, and not directly to the individual chips (similar to the MPS spec. for multi-processor compatibility). The MAXX does not have this sort of device, hence it isn't possible to talk to the chips individually. It would be possible to talk to *one* of the chips for partial functionality, but that seems like a perfectly good waste of hardware. 3DFX's VooDoo 5 will operate fine under Win2K if it includes this aforementioned device. However, I am not familar with the board design so I can't provide accurate information. There is good news to this story... Now that ATi knows the problem, they can develop the necessary components for AFR Radeons in 2K.

I sent this as a correction to ZDNet, but it made sense here since the misinformation was the same... The actual Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 patch is 61.6MB; the download from MSDN contains more than two duplicate copies of the patch. It has the re-distributable 61MB patch; it also has a full copy of all the files contained within the 61MB patch in uncompressed form, as well as the debug symbols and a couple miscellaneous tools that are optional installs. The download from MSDN is a complete image of the Service Pack 1 CD that will eventually be mailed to those who order it. The web-downloadable version of SP1 will come in two flavors. "Express Install" which will only update the files you need, which should be around 20-30MB, and "Full Install" which are all the fixed files (the aforementioned 61MB). For anybody that frequents MSDN, you should know that MSDN only posts CD images. They do not offer "web friendly" downloads for consumers. Developers need the complete code and usually utilize very high-speed Internet connections (i.e. my download of the 190MB SP1 took <15 minutes).

sfc /scannow

Winternals has a program called BlueSave that is capable of capturing the blue-screen information... http://www.winternals.com/ or, direct download: http://www.winternals.com/demos/bluesave.exe [This message has been edited by DrSchmoe (edited 12 May 2000).]

I thought the current "special purpose" drivers worked with the TV Wonder? I know they weren't officially supported, just the "All In Wonder." But I could be wrong...

Greetings everyone, I was looking to purchase a WorkCentre XK35c, which is an integrated printer, copier, and scanner. Unfortunately, no one at Xerox knows if this printer will work in Windows 2000. Do the NT4 drivers work? Any success? I checked the hardware lists and other Xerox printers were listed, but not any multifunction ones.

Never mind. I am an idiot =) I looked in the hardware lists under "X" for Xerox, rather than "W" for WorkCentre. Anyway, I would still appreciate any feedback with a positive or negative experience.

Actually, you can get boot disks from http://support.micronpc.com/file_lib/bbs/boot.html. I am surrounded by NT and 2K machines, and it crazy that something as easy as a BIOS upgrade can be a royal pain.

Its funny that you mention that. For whatever reason, Creative is the only company that survived the sound card wars. Which unfortunately means you really don't have much choice anymore... Aureal is closing its doors soon, which leaves ESS and Crystal (Cirrus Logic). I am not to thrilled with ESS's quality, and I believe Crystal/Cirrus Logic is transitioning into the home audio realm (for instance, my Harmon Kardon receiver uses Crystal DSPs). There are other companies out there, but they are mostly in the OEM realm. If you thought Creative was slow, just imagine trying to get drivers out of a second tier OEM vendor The SB Live Platinum is a decent card. All things aside, the drivers are quite good. There are some bugs, but they are known and should be gone in LW4. Then again, this is a tech forum, and people like to whine about drivers! "Why won't S3 release drivers that make my Virge out perform a GeForce?" =) [This message has been edited by DrSchmoe (edited 08 April 2000).]

Couple months???? The Rage IIc was first available in 1996. It is the "low cost" variant of the Rage II. Unfortunately, the only drivers you are going to get are on the CD which include D3D support.

Check http://www.dslreports.com/ They might be able to answer the question better than users here

Deider: You are welcome. I have been waiting for them just as much as you have I don't use GL all that much, but they fixed my D3D bugs, so I am happy. Practice? Reference to the TV show of the same name? Just curious, I haven't missed an episode since it premiered in 97. I do believe ATi said that they would have Rage Pro drivers out in April. Granted they are lagging a little bit, so I am guessing you will see Beta's in mid-April and final drivers in May. Their priority is definitely on the Rage 128, but it looks like these latest drivers are pretty much done... So I would figure the Rage Pro/Mobility is next. [This message has been edited by DrSchmoe (edited 03 April 2000).]

Actually, those new special purpose drivers are new. They came out on the 31st. They also released drivers on Feb. 19th, but those were mostly garbage. After a couple days of use, everything is going perfectly. The problem you mentioned, with the BAD POOL CALLER, is the same I had with earlier drivers. I ended up installing the wrong drivers from the .inf file. I can't remember exactly which one I picked, but originally, it seemed right to me. Try selecting Rage 128 GL AGP (English). Also my friend with his Rage 128 PCI can't get them to work. His PCI card works fine in my machine, but he has an old P2 300 on an FX board. My guess is the configuration is so archaic that ATi never really bothered to test.

Preliminary results: Drivers work great on an embedded OEM 8MB Rage 128 VR, and my Fury 32MB at home. AGP is enabled, and they have fixed the nagging Direct3D bugs. For instance, 3DMark 2000 now works perfectly (except for the known bugs with 3D Mark itself). The installer works, and doesn't claim my hardware isn't supported. Granted it was easy to get around this and install via the traditional inf method. There was a *big* problem with PCI based Rage 128 products with the old drivers, I am curious if these have been fixed (my friend has a PCI version), however, so many other bugs have been fixed, my guess is that this will work as well.

Check http://www.ati.com/na/pages/spdrivers/drivers.html They are out. They *just* made the deadline. These drivers, although called beta are fairly close to non-beta. ATi is going to get them certified by Microsoft, and unfortunately takes time. We will probably see non-beta certified drivers by late April, and with the exception of certification they might be identical to this beta release.

SMP is not actually the issue. The problem is the same regardless of many machine configurations. Every Liveware 2K user has this problem to a certain degree. However, in the past the SMP people have had more problems, and are more tempted to blame Creative. Creative is an equal-opportunity poor driver writer! As I have stated in a bunch of other threads, the drivers are overwriting the DMA data for the card. As far as the card is concerned, it is playing exactly what it is supposed to. Creative is aware of this problem, and their advice is to use the basic WDM drivers provided on the Win2k CD, which work fine. LW4 will be out in the not too distant future, and hopefully will fix this issue.

Well, it largely depends on your DSL plan. Do you use SBC (Ameritech, PacBell, etc.)? PPPoE also makes things an additional hassle. In my case, I have multiple IP's, so I plug my *external* DSL modem directly into my hub, and everything works fine. This is more costly (as the ISP/Telco will charge for the extra IPs), but it makes life easier. If you have an internal DSL modem, then all you need is a NIC and Windows 2000's connection sharing. The act of setting up a proxy is a bit of a pain, as long as you set your machine up intelligently, you won't need to worry about security. Also, the only situation that would require TWO NICs would be an external DSL modem with one IP (using PPPoE, etc). And no, you don't need a DSL router. Your DSL modem should handle everything appropriately. Also, make sure that you get your DSL hardware from your ISP!!! Standards aren't widely established yet in the DSL business, so it is unlikely that something you buy "off the shelf" will work with your ISP. The new standard is called G-Lite, but it is just starting to see adoption. Anyway, this isn't the best forum for help with DSL. You might want to head over to http://www.dslreports.com/ if you have further questions. Sure I can answer them, but yours is a fairly typical question, and there are numerous replies in their forums.

I wouldn't worry about this too much. Aureal might cease to exist soon; I assume the guys at id might feel a bit pressured to add EAX. I can't say I am a fan of Aureal, but this is a crummy situation for the several million owners of Aureal hardware. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000324/ca_aureal__1.html Am I also the only one that sees the humor in that press release? Here is the line.. "to either sell the Company or its assets or wind down the Company." Next line.. (standard boilerplate text) "Aureal is a leading provider of advanced audio solutions for the computer" And exactly what pack are they leading? [This message has been edited by DrSchmoe (edited 26 March 2000).]

Strange we never said Matrox boards were effected. NVidia drivers also run 3DMark 2000 flawlessly.

“There were casualties at a school this past week in a rural community, when a student wearing a "Windows 2000 sucks" shirt pulled a gun and started shooting. His apparent targets were other students with disheveled hair and older-style glasses. The assailant was overheard shouting "Death to Bill Gates" before claiming his victims. Shortly after the outbreak, members of the local PC users group marched outside protesting, "Windows 98 is the OS of the new generation." For unknown reasons, they were seen distributing disks later discovered to be MS-DOS 6.22 boot floppies. Microsoft Corporation could not be reached for comment on the events.” For those of you more susceptible to influence, the previous 4 paragraphs were an act of fiction. [This message has been edited by DrSchmoe (edited 26 March 2000).]

Actually, the previous post might not work. These boards might be pre-ACPI, and hence can't use the advanced power features. However, there may be an alternate solution. Go to Control Panel, add hardware. add a device (let it search, but that isn't important) select "Add a new device" from the list select "No..." select NT Apm/Legacy Support hit next and complete the install. The system should once again automatically power off, and other power management features should be added (suspend, etc). If the P5A-B still doesn't work, you might want to upgrade to the 1008 BIOS. [This message has been edited by DrSchmoe (edited 26 March 2000).]

True, although I have never been a huge fan of 3dfx. They do gaming "well", however they ignore certain segments of the market. If you want a gaming solution, consider them for a purchase, however, if you are looking for a more robust product then Nvidia and ATi are the better choices. Both do video well, and both are planning on releasing "professional" silicone of all their new chips. Matrox is pretty decent, but they falter on the professional market. Then, there are brands like E&S, and 3DLabs, however their boards see such limited use that the drivers can be abysmal and they quickly bail on supporting older hardware. Case in point, I have workstations outfitted with Oxygen GMXs ($1600 on sale six months ago), and 3DLabs response for Win2k drivers is "use the latest NT4 version." Needless to say, we are replacing them with Nvidia Quadros. I was considering pureeing the GMXs and sending them to 3DLabs in a small jug. Anyway, I completely digressed