ENGLISH Millennium G400 • Millennium G400 MAX User Guide 10526-301-0510 1999.05.
Contents Using this guide 3 Hardware installation 4 Software installation 7 Software setup 8 Accessing PowerDesk property sheets................................................................................................8 Monitor setup ......................................................................................................................................8 DualHead Multi-Display setup....................................................................................................
Using this guide This guide assumes you’re familiar with basic functions like click, right-click and double-click, and that you’re familiar with the basics of the operating system you’re using. Also, we use the following conventions: „ Bold for text that appears on-screen, subheadings and labels. „ Italics for file names, paths, publication titles, and new terms. „ Bold Italics for emphasis. „ Keyboard keys in square brackets, with a plus sign separating keys that you press simultaneously.
Hardware installation WARNING: Static electricity can severely damage electronic parts. Before touching any electronic parts, drain the static electricity from your body. You can do this by touching the metal frame of your computer. When handling a card, hold it by its edges, and avoid touching its circuitry. 1 9x Switch to the standard VGA display driver If you’re running Windows 95/98 on your computer, this step isn’t necessary. If you’re using another operating system (for example, Windows NT 4.
WARNING: Inserting your Matrox card into the wrong type of slot could damage your card, your computer, or both. Don’t insert the plastic tab of your AGP card (see picture) into the slot. Plastic tab PCI card 4 Insert your Matrox card Remove the cover for the slot you intend to use. Save the screw for the mounting bracket. Position your Matrox card over the expansion slot you’ve chosen. Push the card in firmly and evenly until it’s fully seated in the slot.
If your Matrox card has a second monitor connector: Connect the second monitor 1 Simply plug your second monitor cable into monitor connector 2 on your Matrox card. Make sure the other end of the monitor cable is properly connected to your monitor. See your monitor manual for more information. 2 Note: Instead of a computer monitor, you can connect a TV or VCR to the second monitor connector. You can do this using the special adapter included with your Matrox card.
Software installation 9x NT This section describes how to install Matrox software for Windows 95/98 or Windows NT 4.0. (For other operating systems, see the Readme file in the root folder of the Matrox installation CD-ROM.) 1 9x 2 Restart your computer If you’re using Windows 95/98, it detects new hardware when you restart. If Matrox display drivers haven’t been previously installed, Windows reports finding a PCI adapter (even if you have an AGP card). Windows prompts you to install a display driver.
Software setup Matrox PowerDesk display drivers and utilities help you get the most out of your Matrox graphics card. This section has important information on how to configure your display settings using Matrox PowerDesk software. Accessing PowerDesk property sheets Many display controls are on Matrox PowerDesk property sheets. You can identify Matrox PowerDesk property sheets by the icon appearing on the tab.
If you want to customize your Windows monitor settings: 1 2 Access the PowerDesk Monitor Settings property sheet (see “Accessing PowerDesk property sheets”, page 8). Depending on what you want to do, click one of the buttons in the Monitor settings selection method box, then follow the on-screen instructions. NT Windows NT 4.0 – 1 Click Æ Programs Æ Matrox PowerDesk NT Æ Matrox Display Properties Æ Monitor.
3 Click OK Æ Yes to restart your computer and for changes to take effect. 4 If multi-display mode isn’t automatically enabled when you restart Windows: a Right-click your Windows desktop background, then click Properties Æ Settings. b Select the disabled display, enable the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box, then click OK. Note: The Matrox display driver for Windows 95/98 supports multiple displays with Windows 98.
More information For more information on Matrox PowerDesk: 9x NT Windows 95/98 – „ Access the PowerDesk Information property sheet (see “Accessing PowerDesk property sheets”, page 8), then click Help or View Readme File. „ Where available, see the PowerDesk context-sensitive help. (Some help topics are only available through context-sensitive help.) Windows NT 4.0 – „ Click Æ Programs Æ Matrox PowerDesk NT Æ Matrox Display Properties Æ Information.
Troubleshooting This section addresses possible problems that could prevent you from using your computer. Note: More troubleshooting items are in the online version of this guide (see page 17). See also “More information”, page 3, and “More information”, page 11. Problem Cause Computer doesn’t display information or boot after Matrox card is installed Your Matrox card may not be properly installed. Solution Make sure your Matrox card is properly installed.
Note: If you’re using more than one PCI graphics card, make sure your computer uses the other graphics card for your primary display – the one that first displays information when you restart your computer. If not, turn off your computer, move the other card to another PCI slot, then try restarting your computer again. 3 Make sure Matrox System Utilities are installed on your computer. (These can be installed from your Matrox CD-ROM.
Solution Make sure the connection to the back of the monitor is firmly in place. This could be a 15-pin or BNC connection. If your monitor uses BNC input, make sure the Red, Green, Blue, Horizontal Sync (HSYNC – white or gray wire), and Vertical Sync (VSYNC – black wire) connections are firmly in place and plugged into the correct input. Cause Bayonet Nut Connect (BNC) If your monitor uses BNC input, one or more connection settings may be incorrect.
5 Move the Desktop area (Windows 95) or Screen area (Windows 98) slider down to its lowest setting, then click OK. 6 Restart your computer normally. 7 Make sure the correct monitor is selected in Windows (see “Monitor setup”, page 8). 8 Make sure you’re not using inappropriate monitor setting customizations: Access the PowerDesk Monitor Settings property sheet (see “Accessing PowerDesk property sheets”, page 8), then click Delete all customizations.
4 If an old version (before version 5.x) of Matrox PowerDesk software is installed, remove it: click Æ Settings Æ Control Panel Æ Add/Remove Programs (double-click) Æ Matrox PowerDesk Æ Add/Remove Æ Complete Uninstallation Æ OK.
More troubleshooting The online version of this guide has extra troubleshooting items dealing with problems such as: „ Can’t use Windows 95/98, Windows reports a configuration error, and/or can’t install or uninstall Matrox display driver „ After game for Windows 95/98 starts, monitor doesn’t display properly „ Matrox Diagnostic or setup program reports an IRQ problem „ Game for Windows 95/98 doesn’t start or runs slower than normal „ After restarting computer, Windows 95/98 warns that the graphics
Extra troubleshooting Graphics The following troubleshooting items address problems related to graphics cards. Problem 9x Cause Solution Can’t use Windows 95/98, Windows reports a configuration error, and/or can’t install or uninstall Matrox display driver Files on your system may have been deleted or corrupted.
7 Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Æ SOFTWARE, remove all items starting with “Matrox” or “MGA”. Note: Recent versions of Matrox PowerDesk for Windows 95/98 (5.x and later) store registry settings under HKEY_CURRENT_USER Æ SOFTWARE. Your settings under HKEY_CURRENT_USER are only accessible if you’re logged into Windows with your user name. 8 Problem 9x Cause Solution Problem Restart your computer, then install the latest display drivers for your Matrox graphics card.
NT Windows NT 4.0 – 1 Click Æ Programs Æ Matrox PowerDesk NT Æ Matrox Display Properties Æ Performance. Cause 9x Solution 2 Clear the Use Bus Mastering check box. 3 Click OK Æ Yes to accept the changes and restart your computer. Your computer may not have given an interrupt request (IRQ) to your Matrox graphics card or may have given one used by another device in your computer. This may be because your computer’s “Plug-and-Play” feature is turned off.
Problem 9x Cause Game for Windows 95/98 doesn’t start or runs slower than normal (program uses Microsoft DirectX interface) An older version of DirectX may be installed. The Matrox CD-ROM setup program installs DirectX, but some programs install an older version of DirectX (overwriting your version). To see what version of DirectX is installed: 1 Access the Matrox PowerDesk Information property sheet (see “Accessing PowerDesk property sheets”, page 8). 2 Look at the Microsoft DirectX label.
Problem Screen image defects appear or program doesn’t run properly (example: mouse pointer not drawn properly) Cause Solution 9x NT Some programs may not work properly with some Matrox acceleration. Disable specific types of software acceleration. Windows 95/98 – 1 Access the Matrox PowerDesk Options property sheet (see “Accessing PowerDesk property sheets”, page 8). 2 Clear one or more check boxes, starting with Use device bitmaps caching. For more information, see context-sensitive help.
4 Restart your computer. Note: If you identify a program that doesn’t work well with Matrox acceleration, please contact Matrox technical support (see page 43) and describe the problem. This information may help us come up with a fix or work-around in a future driver release. Video The following troubleshooting items address problems related to video files. Problem Cause Solution 9x Video file playback is jerky (skipping frames) Your hard disk may be too slow. Try defragmenting your hard disk.
Cause Solution Cause Solution 9x NT Cause 9x Solution Too many programs may be running (using up computer resources). Close other programs, including memory-resident programs like System Agent. Your display settings may be too high. As a result, video file playback may not be fully supported by Matrox hardware. Try lowering your display settings. We recommend a 1024 × 768 display resolution with a 16-bit color palette. Windows 95/98 or NT 4.
9x NT Problem Windows 95/98 – To enable DMA for a DVD drive: 1 Right-click the My Computer icon on your Windows desktop background, then click Properties Æ Device Manager. 2 Double-click the Disk drives list item to expand it, then double-click the name of the DVD drive you’re using. 3 Click Settings, then enable the DMA check box. 4 Click OK Æ OK Æ Yes to restart your computer and for changes to take effect. Windows NT 4.0 – Install a DMA driver.
TV output If your Matrox graphics card has a second monitor connector, you can connect it to a TV or VCR. This section describes how to use a TV or VCR with your Matrox graphics card. Connection setup 1 Turn off computer NT Windows NT 4.0 – Before turning off your computer, make sure the DualHead MultiDisplay mode is disabled (see “DualHead Multi-Display setup”, page 9). 9x NT Windows 95/98 or NT 4.0 – To shut down your computer, click Shut down Æ OK, then turn off your computer.
3 Connect video output To connect to a TV or VCR, you’ll need the TV adapter included with your Matrox graphics card and you’ll need a composite or S-video cable. If your video device (TV or VCR) didn’t come with composite video (RCA) or S-video cables, this type of cable is available at most electronics stores. The type you use depends on what your video device (TV or VCR) supports. Many video devices support composite video connections, and some higher-quality video devices support S-video connections.
4 Connect audio output Typically, the sound output from a computer comes from speakers connected to your sound card. If you prefer, you can hear or record the sound output from your computer using the same TV or VCR you connect to your graphics card. To do this, you need an audio cable with a stereo jack on one end and two RCA connectors on the other end. If you don’t have this type of cable, you can buy one at most consumer electronics stores.
Software setup If a TV or VCR is connected to the second monitor connector on your Matrox graphics card, you can use TV output mode to view or record your display on your TV or VCR. (To connect video devices to your computer, see page 26.) While in TV output mode, your computer display may use TV settings. TV settings have lower resolutions and refresh rates than typical computer monitor settings. Lower refresh rates may result in more noticeable flicker.
NT Windows NT 4.0 – 1 Click Æ Programs Æ Matrox PowerDesk NT Æ Matrox Display Properties Æ Monitor. 2 3 Depending on the standard your TV or VCR uses, click one of the following buttons: ƒ Output to TV (NTSC) ƒ Output to TV (PAL) Click OK to close the dialog box and apply changes. TV output troubleshooting The following troubleshooting items are related to TV output support (see “TV output”, page 26).
Solution Cause Make sure your Matrox graphics card is properly configured to support TV output for DOS display modes. To enable TV output support for DOS display modes, use Matrox System Utilities. You can install this software from your Matrox installation CD-ROM. For more information, see the Readme file included with this software. If you’re using a program that runs full-screen, this program may be using a display mode that’s not supported for TV output.
Windows NT 4.0 – Click NT 2 Under Font size, select Large Fonts. 3 Click OK to close the dialog box and apply changes. Problem Poor TV or video recorder image quality Cause Your software TV settings may need adjusting. Solution To adjust TV settings: 9x Windows 95/98 – Access the Matrox PowerDesk DualHead property sheet (see “Accessing PowerDesk property sheets”, page 8). To adjust advanced desktop TV settings, click Desktop TV Settings.
Sound troubleshooting The following troubleshooting items address problems related to sound cards. Problem Cause Solution Cause Solution Sound doesn’t record, video files play back with no sound, or sound output is distorted or too loud If the sound problem is with a particular device (for example, TV or speaker), the volume control on the device itself may need adjusting. Adjust the volume control on the device itself. Audio cables may be loose or incorrectly wired.
Cause Solution 34 7 For the Master, Line and/or Wave controls, make sure the Volume sliders are at onequarter to one-half levels (if you’re not sure, try half level), and the Mute check boxes are cleared. 8 Close the dialog box. The problem may be specific to the sound card you have. For more information, see your sound card manual.
Display information Notes „ Matrox graphics cards that can support a secondary display have the Matrox DualHead feature. For information on which card models support this feature, see “Hardware information”, page 39. „ In DualHead Multi-Display mode (see page 9), the graphics memory is divided equally between the main and secondary display. For example, if you have a 16 MB graphics card, the main and secondary displays each have 8 MB available to them.
Maximum display resolution Aspect ratio Main display Secondary display 4:3/5:4 (standard) 2048 × 1536 1280 × 1024 16:9/16:10 (wide screen) 1920 × 1200 1280 × 720 Maximum vertical refresh rate (Hz) * Aspect ratio 4:3/5:4 (standard) 16:9/16:10 (wide screen) Main display Display resolution 300 MHz RAMDAC 360 MHz RAMDAC (135 MHz RAMDAC) 640 × 480 200 200 200 800 × 600 200 200 180 1024 × 768 160 160 115 1152 × 864 140 140 95 1280 × 1024 120 120 75 1600 × 1200 100 100 — 18
Maximum horizontal refresh rate (kHz) * Aspect Ratio 4:3/5:4 (standard) 16:9/16:10 (wide screen) Main display Display resolution 300 MHz RAMDAC 360 MHz RAMDAC Secondary display (135 MHz RAMDAC) 640 × 480 130 130 130 800 × 600 130 130 120 1024 × 768 130 130 95 1152 × 864 130 130 85 1280 × 1024 130 130 80 1600 × 1200 130 130 — 1800 × 1440 120 130 — 1920 × 1440 115 130 — 2048 × 1536 110 130 — 856 × 480 130 130 108 1280 × 720 130 130 76 1600 × 1024 130 130
Supported VESA modes In the table below, VESA modes supported by your Matrox graphics card are indicated by a VESA mode number. Many Super VGA DOS programs use VESA modes.
Hardware information Features Millennium G400 Millennium G400 Millennium G400 MAX (single-display) (DualHead) (DualHead) Graphics chip 3D features Main RAMDAC Secondary RAMDAC Memory Memory type Matrox G400 (256-bit DualBus) VCQ2 (Vibrant Color Quality2), environment-mapped bump mapping, stencil buffering, anisotropic filtering, bilinear filtering, trilinear filtering, alpha blending, anti-aliased vectors, vertex fogging, table fogging, specular highlighting, 16-bit Z-buffering, 32-bit Z-buffering,
Matrox hardware add-ons (sold separately) Millennium G400 Millennium G400 Millennium G400 MAX (single-display) (DualHead) (DualHead) Rainbow Runner G-Series (video editing card) —* 9 9 DVD decoder — —† —† DualHead + TV output ‡ 9 — — 9 9 9 (for G400 cards) Digital flat panel (for G400 cards) * The Rainbow Runner G-Series add-on can be used, but without hardware-accelerated MJPEG compression/decompression.
Monitor connector pinouts 5 1 10 6 15 11 1 2 3 4 5–8 9 Analog red output Analog green output Analog blue output Not connected Ground +5 V (DDC) 10 11 12 13 14 15 Ground Not connected SDA (DDC) TTL horizontal sync TTL vertical sync SCL (DDC) 10 11 12 13 14 15 Ground Not connected Shorted with 15 by adapter Not used by adapter Not used by adapter Shorted with 12 by adapter Pin usage with Matrox TV output adapter (see page 26) 1 5 1 10 6 15 11 Analog red output (SCART) / Y (S-video) 2 Analog
&XVWRPHU 6XSSRUW Getting customer support If you encounter a problem with your computer’s video display, contact your computer’s manufacturer for support. Refer to your computer’s documentation for information on available technical support and how to get it. If you have a problem Please give a complete description of the problem, and include: ♦ Matrox card model number, revision number, BIOS number, driver type and version, and memory address at which the Matrox card is installed.
Where to get information For display information: ♦ Windows 95/98 – access the Information property sheet (see “Accessing PowerDesk property sheets”). ♦ Windows NT 4.0 – click Start→Programs →Matrox PowerDesk NT→Matrox Display Properties→Information. For system information: ♦ Windows 95/98 – right-click My Computer on your Windows desktop, then click Properties. ♦ Windows 98 – click Start→Programs→Accessories→System Tools→System Information. ♦ Windows NT 4.
Warranty A. Limited Warranty Statement 1. Matrox Graphics Inc. (“Matrox”) warrants to the end-user customer, who provides adequate proof of purchase that Matrox hardware products purchased from Matrox authorized dealers will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of three (3) years from the date of purchase. This warranty applies only to the original enduser purchaser and is non-transferable. Conditions and limitations of Matrox’s warranty are stated below. 2.
C. Limitations of Liability 1. EXCEPT FOR THE OBLIGATIONS SPECIFICALLY SET FORTH IN THE LIMITED WARRANTY STATEMENT, IN NO EVENT SHALL MATROX BE LIABLE FOR: a. any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, foreseeable or unforeseeable, or punitive damages, whether based on contract, tort, delict or any other legal theory and whether advised of the possibility of such damages; and/or b.
Index A 43 3 address, Matrox Adobe Acrobat AGP 4 B H T hardware acceleration 22 information 39–41 installation 4–6 technical assistance I 42 BIOS settings 20 BBS, Matrox BNC monitor connection 14 19 bus mastering installation hardware 4–6 software 7 IRQ settings C TV output connection setup 26–28 display modes 30, 31 software setup 29–30 troubleshooting 30–32 19, 20 M 3, 6, 13, 21, CD-ROM, Matrox 31 27, 28 composite video CompuServe 42 42–44, 45 customer support D 43 troubleshootin
Software license agreement Single User Products This Matrox software (the “Software”) is copyrighted by Matrox Graphics Inc. All rights are reserved. The purchaser is granted a license to use the software only, subject to the following restrictions and limitations. 1. The license is for the original purchaser only, and is not transferable without written permission of Matrox. 2. The original purchaser may use the Software on a single computer owned or leased by the original purchaser.
Copyright © 1999 Matrox Graphics Inc. • (English) All rights reserved. • (Français) Tous droits réservés. • (Deutsch) Alle Rechte vorbehalten. • (Italiano) Tutti i diritti riservati. • (Español) Reservados todos los derechos. Trademarks • Marques déposées • Warenzeichen • Marchi registrati • Marcas registradas Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd. .......................................... Matrox®, Matrox Mystique® Matrox Graphics Inc. ..........................................................
(English) Disclaimer THE INFORMATION IN THIS GUIDE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME AND WITHOUT NOTICE. Matrox Graphics Inc. reserves the right to make changes in specifications at any time and without notice. The information provided by this document is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, no responsibility is assumed by Matrox Graphics Inc. for its use; nor for any infringements of patents or other rights of third parties resulting from its use.
