[English] 
README.TXT                   MATROX GRAPHICS INC.                1997.12.15
 
             Millennium/Mystique Display Driver for Windows NT 4.0
 
Table of Contents 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
- Release description 
- Product files 
- Installation 
- Using MGA PowerDesk
- Registry settings 
- Hardware-accelerated 3D 
- Notes, Problems, and Limitations 
 
Note: This file may contain some last minute information not translated 
into your language.  We apologize for the inconvenience. 
 
Release description 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
This is the Matrox Millennium/Mystique Windows NT Display Driver. 
It supports Microsoft Windows NT for x86 CPU's, version 4.0 
(Build 1381).
 
This product includes: 
 
- Display Driver 
- MGA PowerDesk for Windows NT 4.0 
 
The driver supports 2, 4, and 8Mbytes Matrox Millennium and Matrox Mystique 
cards, as well as all Matrox Millennium II cards.  Up to four cards are 
supported. 
 
Product files 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
   \MGA64.INF           Driver installation file for Windows NT Setup 
   \MGA64.SYS           Matrox Millennium/Mystique miniport driver 
   \MGA64.DLL           Matrox Millennium/Mystique display driver 
   \READMENT.TXT        This file 

   \PD_CTRL.MVA         Registry services applications 
   \PD_DNAV.MVA         MGA Desktop Navigator application 
   \PD_MON.MVA          MGA Monitor property sheet 
   \PD_MONF.MVA         MGA monitor file and database 
   \PD_QDSK.MVA         MGA QuickDesk application 
   \PD_SET.MVA          MGA Settings property sheet 
   \???_MON.MVA         Resource file for MGA Monitor 
   \???_CTRL.MVA        Resource file for Registry services applications 
   \???_DNAV.MVA        Resource file for MGA Desktop Navigator application 
   \???_QDSK.MVA        Resource file for MGA QuickDesk application 
   \???_SET.MVA         Resource file for MGA Settings property sheet 
   \???_DOC.MVA         Documentation and readme files

   \SETUP.EXE           Installation application for driver and MGA PowerDesk 
   \INST_???.DLL        Resource file for SETUP.EXE
   \SETUP.INI           INI file for Installation application
   \MGA.INI             INI file for PowerDesk

   where '???' stands for supported language identifiers (e.g., ENG).

Installation 
~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Refer to your Owner's Manual to install your card in your system. 
 
If you are installing multiple Matrox Millennium cards in your system, 
please note that only one should be VGA-enabled through the on-board switch. 
 
Matrox Mystique and Millennium II cards are always VGA-enabled.  If you are 
installing multiple Matrox Mystique or Millennium II cards in 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 
MYSTIQUE OR MILLENNIUM II CARDS MAY NOT WORK.
 
Multiple-card installations are similar to single-card installations. 
The system will automatically assign separate addresses to each PCI card, 
allowing the driver to issue commands to each card.  In a multiple-card 
configuration, all cards must be either Millennium, Mystique, or
Millennium II 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. 
 
To install the Matrox Millennium/Mystique driver, run the Setup utility 
supplied with the driver: 
 
      - Start the Windows NT Explorer, or open a Command Prompt window. 
 
      - Go to the drive and directory holding the driver installation files. 
 
      - Double-click on the Setup application, or type 'setup' and press 
        Enter. 
 
The Setup utility will query you about your preferred installation location 
and the components you wish to install.  You must restart your computer 
before the changes take effect. 
 
You can also use the standard Windows NT procedure to install the drivers 
(without the MGA PowerDesk).  The general procedure is the following: 
 
      - Right-click on the desktop, select 'Properties'.  This will open 
        Display Properties. 
 
      - Select the 'Settings' tab. 
 
      - Press the 'Display Type...' button. 
 
      - In the Display Type dialog box, press the 'Change...' button. 
 
      - In the Change Display dialog box, press the 'Have Disk...' button. 
 
      - In the Install From Disk dialog box, type the location of the 
        Matrox Millennium/Mystique installation files (e.g. "A:\" or 
        "D:\WINNT"). 
 
      - From the displayed list, select the model of your display adapter, 
        and press 'OK'. 
 
      - Answer 'Yes' to the Third-party Drivers dialog box. 
 
      - Press 'OK' in the Installing Driver message box. 
 
      - Press 'Close' in the Display Type dialog box. 
 
      - Press 'Close' in the Display Properties applet. 
 
      - In the System Settings Change dialog box, you should select 'Yes' 
        so that the new settings take effect. 
 
Using MGA PowerDesk 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Changing resolution, selecting a monitor, and using the MGA PowerDesk is 
covered in the "online.doc" file.  You can view this file with WordPad. 
 
Registry settings (for advanced users only) 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
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 Matrox Millennium/Mystique 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 MGA Windows NT driver and of MGA PowerDesk is saved 
in the registry.  The most important parameters can be modified through the 
MGA PowerDesk, 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: 
 
User.AlternateLines when set to 1, allows lines defined by integer coordinates
                    to be drawn using the faster AUTOLINE opcode of the 
                    drawing engine.  The convention used to determine which 
                    pixels contribute to a given line is slightly different 
                    in AUTOLINE and in Windows NT.  Setting AlternateLines 
                    to 1 trades off compliance with the Windows NT conventions 
                    for performance.  A value of 0 will enforce compliance. 
                    Lines defined by non-integer endpoint coordinates are not 
                    affected by this setting. 
 
                    The default value of User.AlternateLines is 0. 
 
User.CenterDialogs  has no effect on Windows NT 4.0. 
 
                    The default value of User.CenterDialogs is 0. 
 
User.ComplexBlt     when set to 1, allows the hardware to accelerate some 
                    complex raster operations (ROPs) by executing a sequence 
                    of simple ROPs (ORing, ANDing, etc...).  A value of 0 
                    will result in complex ROPs being performed in software. 
 
                    The complex ROPs are performed directly on the display 
                    through a succession of simple ROPs.  Artifacts (flashing) 
                    in the target display area may become visible when an 
                    intermediate result in video RAM is displayed on a given 
                    refresh cycle, to be replaced by the final image on the 
                    next cycle. 
 
                    The default value of User.ComplexBlt is 1. 
 
User.DeviceBitmaps  when set to 1, allows use of off-screen memory for 
                    caching bitmaps.  This will allow the hardware to 
                    accelerate drawing to bitmaps.  A value of 0 disables 
                    bitmap caching, allowing the CPU to draw onto all 
                    bitmaps.  Bitmap caching is internally disabled when 
                    a desktop requiring more than one card is in use, 
                    regardless of the registry setting. 
 
                    The default value of User.DeviceBitmaps is 1. 
 
User.EnableUSWC     when set to 1, allows direct frame buffer access to use 
                    the Write Combining feature of the Pentium Pro processor. 
                    Setting this value to 0 may result in slightly lower 
                    performance. 
 
                    The default value of User.EnableUSWC is 1. 
 
User.MgaInfoFile    when set to 1, allows use of the MGA PowerDesk to 
                    control refresh rates.  A value of 0 will allow all 
                    available refresh rates to be listed. 
 
                    The default value of User.MgaInfoFile is 1. 
 
User.SynchronizeDac when set to 1, will require the driver to wait for a 
                    vertical sync before programming the ramdac with a new 
                    pointer shape or a new palette.  If you notice stray 
                    pixels flashing around the pointer, setting this flag 
                    to 1 might fix the problem.  Setting it to 0 will result 
                    in slightly better performance. 
 
                    The default value of User.SynchronizeDac is 0. 
 
User.SynchronizeEngine when set to 1, will require the driver to wait for 
                    the Millennium hardware to be ready to accept new data 
                    before programming the next operation.  Setting it to 0 
                    will result in better performance. 
 
                    On most x86-based systems, the PCI logic should ensure 
                    that such a check is redundant.  If you're experiencing 
                    problems that might be related to timing (with 
                    communication programs, for instance), setting this value 
                    to 1 may be of help. 
 
                    The default value of User.SynchronizeEngine is 0. 
 
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 Matrox 
Millennium/Mystique driver: 
 
      - Select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE window. 
 
      - Travel down to the key named: 
        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\mga64\Device0. 
 
You will find the values in the right window pane.  To modify any of 
them: 
 
      - Double-click on the selected value. 
 
      - In the DWORD Editor, change the value to '0' or '1'.  The new value 
        will take effect the next time you reboot. 
 
PowerDesk settings are kept under the key: 
        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MGACtrl 
and its subkeys.
 
Hardware-accelerated 3D 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
The Mini-Client Driver (MCD), which is part of the Millennium/Mystique 
display driver, allows for hardware-accelerated 3D, with a few restrictions: 
 
      - Currently no acceleration is available when multiple cards are 
        in use. 
 
      - The MCD does not support 8bpp (256 colors) and 24bpp (16777216 
        colors) modes.  The 15bpp (32K colors), 16bpp (64K colors), and 
        32bpp (True Color) modes are the ones that can be hardware- 
        accelerated. 
 
      - Limitations to the available resolutions are to be expected.  All 
        3D modes require extra memory to handle double buffering and/or Z 
        buffering, and this memory is no longer available for display. 
 
The 3D driver can be configured through MGA PowerDesk or through two 
registry switches: 
 
User3D.DoubleBuffer when set to 1, allows a back buffer to be allocated 
                    from the Matrox Millennium or Mystique memory.  It 
                    should be set to 0 if no back buffer is required. 
 
                    This value should be set to 1 if 3D animation is to 
                    be fully accelerated. 
 
User3D.ZBuffer      when set to 1, allows a Z buffer to be allocated from 
                    the Matrox Millennium or Mystique memory.  It should 
                    be set to 0 if no Z buffer is required. 
 
                    This value should be set to 1 if 3D rendering is to 
                    be fully accelerated. 
 
User3D.TextureMapping when set to 1, allows the hardware to accelerate 
                    texture mapping.  It should be set to 0 if texture 
                    mapping is to be done through software.

The default value for the User3D switches is 1.  Setting all values to 0 
effectively disables the hardware-accelerated 3D.  The recommended way of 
modifying them is through the Performance tab of MGA PowerDesk rather than 
through the Registry Editor. 
 
The back- and Z-buffers can be allocated on a per-window basis.  This makes 
the availability of 3D-acceleration difficult to ascertain, since it would 
be possible to get 3D-acceleration for a small window even when offscreen 
memory is scarce, while a request for full-screen buffers would fail even 
when relatively large areas of offscreen memory are available. 
 
Notes, Problems, and Limitations 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
 
Systems using more than one PCI bus 
        It is possible that a switch to a full-screen Command Prompt, or any 
        change of mode, will result in a blue-screen crash if a card is 
        installed on a PCI bus other than bus 0.  The problem is under 
        investigation.  Moving the card to a different PCI slot is a possible 
        workaround. 
 
        There are systems where Windows NT reports conflicts between adapters 
        installed beyond the PCI bridge.  In this case, the Matrox
        Millennium/Mystique miniport driver cannot access its own card.  
        If your system appears unable to find the card, try moving it to a 
        different PCI slot. 
 
        The Service Pack 3 should address many of these problems.
 
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. 
 
DirectDraw on virtual desktops 
        Some DirectDraw applications cannot currently handle virtual 
        desktops.  It is recommanded that DirectDraw applications be 
        run from normal desktops. 

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. 
  
Corruption using the 3D-Maze screen saver 
        This problem appears only after installing the Service Pack 2 for 
        Windows NT 4.0.  The problem is apparently fixed by the Service 
        Pack 3. 
 
GLDemo textures 
        Textured objects in GLDemo will be Gouraud-shaded instead of 
        textured in 3D-accelerated modes on Millennium II.  This problem 
        is apparently fixed by the Service Pack 3. 
 
Zooming by 4 at 1152x864, 256 colors on Millennium 
        A hardware limitation results in a vertical band of pixels being 
        displayed at the right edge of the screen, beyond the 1152 limit. 

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. 

Multiple cards using VESA settings
        The total number of resolutions available when multiple cards are 
        installed in a system can be much larger than the number allowed by 
        the internal list of modes used by Windows NT, which is approximately 
        280.  This is particularly true when 'VESA settings' is selected in 
        the Monitor page, since there is a four-fold increase in the number 
        of resolutions available from every card.  When a resolution is 
        missing from the list of modes, Windows NT considers it as not 
        available.

        To alleviate this problem, all 15bpp resolutions are removed from 
        the list when more than one card is installed and 'VESA settings' 
        is selected.  It is however recommended that 'VESA settings' not
        be used with more than one card, and that all resolution changes 
        be done through MGA Display Properties rather than through Display 
        Properties.  This will ensure access to all resolutions supported 
        by the installed cards. 

DDC refresh rates at higher resolutions and number of colors
        DDC(PnP)-compliant monitors report their capabilities on a 
        resolution basis.  That is, a monitor could report that it supports 
        the 1600 x 1200 resolution at 85Hz.  It may happen that the card 
        can support this at 256 and 64k colors, but that bandwidth 
        limitations will allow only 75Hz at 16M colors.  In this case, the 
        lower refresh rate will be flagged as 'VESA' in the Color Palette 
        box.  It is possible that the image on your monitor will have to be 
        re-sized and/or re-positioned. 

Data loss during communications with a modem
        When communications are attempted with a modem through the COM port, 
        there is a possibility that data will either be corrupted or lost. 
        In this case, right-click on the desktop and open MGA Display 
        Properties. Select the Performance tab, and uncheck the 'Use 
        automatic PCI bus retries' checkbox.

Problems with 3D Studio Max 1.2
        If you encounter problems running 3D Studio Max version 1.2 using
        the HEIDI driver, disable the use of 2D bus mastering.  To do so,
        right-click on the desktop, select 'MGA Display Properties', and then
        the 'Performance' tab.  Under 'General settings', click on the 'Use
        bus mastering' check box.