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LIMITATIONS IN THE POWERSTRIP DEMO
The PowerStrip Demo is fully functional, but will randomly discard
your preferences from one session to the next. The single exception
is DPMS settings, which are maintained but stay in effect for
only 30 minutes. Licensed versions of the PowerStrip do not display
the "PowerStrip Demo" splash screen on start-up, and
- naturally - save and restore all your preferences.
INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING THE POWERSTRIP
To install PowerStrip, you must have a PC running Windows NT or
Windows 95/98, and a graphics card or monitor specifically approved
for use with the PowerStrip. These instructions assume that you
have already successfully installed the very latest display drivers
provided
by your graphics card manufacturer or by Microsoft.
NB: The PowerStrip is NOT designed for use with proprietary display drivers and/or firmware which deviates significantly from the chip vendor's reference designs.
To install PowerStrip software, carry out the following steps:
1. Run the included Setup program. Or to install manually,
right-click
the file pstrip.inf file using the Windows Explorer, and then
click
Install.
2. Run the PowerStrip from the PowerStrip folder in the Start
menu and
double-click the PowerStrip icon on the system tray, or select
PowerStrip configuration... from the PowerStrip popup menu or
toolbar.
3. Select color depth, resolution and refresh rate combinations
of
your choice and drag-and-drop on Preset button to save settings,
or on monitor image to preview settings.
To remove the PowerStrip from your computer, select the Add/Remove
option from the Control Panel, and select "PowerStrip (remove
only)"
from the list. Detailed instructions follow below.
UPGRADING THE POWERSTRIP
When you upgrade the PowerStrip from an older version, all your
presets and associations are preserved, but custom monitor information
and refresh rates will be lost. This is a deliberate safety precaution.
There is no need to uninstall an older version of the program
prior to upgrading.
REMOVING THE POWERSTRIP
To completely remove the PowerStrip from your system, follow these
steps:
1. Open the Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs applet,
and select the
"PowerStrip (remove only)" option from the list.
2. Re-install your display drivers to ensure that driver registry
information has been restored to its original state.
3. Re-confirm your Windows monitor type (under Windows 95/98/NT5)
to
ensure that monitor registry information has been restored to
its
original state.
4. If you have a secondary 3D accelerator (e.g., PowerVR PCX1/2,
Voodoo
Graphics or Voodoo II card), re-install the drivers for this device.
POWERSTRIP REFRESH RATE SUPPORT
The PowerStrip may include extensive refresh rate support which
goes far beyond the level of support provided by the chip vendor's
BIOS and drivers. However, this additional support requires that
the PowerStrip be running. Since the PowerStrip will, of course,
be loaded after the
Windows desktop appears, Windows will first start up at the closest
refresh rate supported directly by the driver, and only then switch
to a custom refresh rate (if enabled) when the PowerStrip loads.
For example, if you have a Rendition or Riva128 accelerator and
have used the PowerStrip to set the refresh rate to 150Hz, Windows
will typically startup at 120Hz (the closest rate supported directly
by
Rendition and nVidia), and then switch automatically to 150Hz
when the PowerStrip loads.
NON-ADMINISTRATORS UNDER WINDOWS NT
By default, the PowerStrip provides direct hardware support under
NT only to administrators. Non-administrator access to the PowerStrip
is available by using the Setup program. Note that it is very
important to follow the Setup program instructions to the letter,
to ensure the
PowerStrip is properly registered as a service.
NOTES ON SPECIFIC CHIPSETS AND DRIVERS
AGP cards in general - Under Windows 95 you will need OSR2.1 (with
USB support installed), as well as a special VXD provided by your
mainboard's chip vendor. Many graphics card vendors are automatically
installing Intel's VXD driver with their display driver, but this
will only work with Intel
core logic. If you have one of the new Socket 7 AGP boards from
VIA, SiS ALI or ETEQ, you will need to ensure you have the appropriate
GART manager installed.
Non-DDI compliant drivers - Some display drivers report support
for downloadable gamma ramps, when in fact this support is not
implemented and may result in a GDI illegal instruction error.
To circumvent this problem, you may need to manually add a "No-DDI=1"
switch to the [Options]
section of the pstrip.ini file.
ATI - PowerStrip refresh rate support may not work with ATI cards under Windows 95/98 unless you are using a Microsoft driver. Because of ATI's PLL settling characteristics, programmable refresh rates are not supported. Also note that all clock settings are critically dependent on the reference oscillator, which can vary from one ATI board to another. If the PowerStrip reports abnormally high or low clock speeds, please contact tech support for instructions on how to fix this problem.
S3 ViRGE/GX2 - PowerStrip TV output controls for the GX2 under NT requires BIOS version 2.16.08 or a later release.
Matrox MGAs - PowerStrip refresh rate support will not work properly with MGA cards under Windows 95/98 unless you (1) configure the Matrox PowerDesk to use a native Windows monitor, or (2) use a Microsoft driver, or (3) select a standard Matrox VESA monitor type. If you select a Matrox using the PowerDesk, your refresh rates may be limited to the ones defined by PowerDesk.
Voodoo Rush - The PowerStrip has been tested and approved for use with the AT3D and AT25 only. While the program can detect earlier Alliance chips like the AT24 and 6422, timing characteristics are likely to be very different. BIOS version will not be reported.
Trident ProVidia 96xx - The PowerStrip is designed for use
with the 3Dimage/
Blade3D series of chips. It is unlikely to work correctly with
earlier ProVidia
96xx chipsets. Also, under NT, the PowerStrip may occasionally
set an incorrect
custom refresh rate.
Cirrus Logic Alpine - The PowerStrip contains optimized code
for the
5436/46 and 5480; earlier 5430/34/40 chipsets are also supported
in API mode.
Intel740/752 - The PowerStrip should *not* be used with Asus
drivers for
Intel chips, under Windows 95/98.
Riva128/128ZX - Under NT, DPMS services may appear to work
correctly, but be
unable to wake up with certain BIOS and driver combinations. Setting
the
"Force DPMS" switch on the PowerStrip Trouble shooting
page may fix this
problem.
Dedicated 3D Acceleraters - PowerStrip support for dynamically
switching
between primary and auxiliary D3D devices has been tested with
3Dfx Voodoo
Graphics I and II, and Matrox M3D/Videologic PowerVR cards only.
Note that
for PowerVR support, you must be using driver release 4.0 or higher.
If
you have a Voodoo card which uses proprietary drivers, a special
undocumented
switch may need to set before you can safely change the default
D3D device.
Banshee and Voodoo - Banshee drivers will normally overwrite
Voodoo I/II
Glide files with Banshee files of the same name. In the event,
you can use
the "Disable Banshee Glide support" option on the PowerStrip
3Dfx page, and
then proceed to re-install your Voodoo drivers. From that point
on you can
safely switch between Banshee and VoodooI/II Glide support from
within
the PowerStrip.
KNOWN LIMITATIONS
Icon Corruption after Changing Color Depth On-the-fly
-----------------------------------------------------
Under Windows 95 it is possible that icons (even PowerStrip icons)
may be corrupted after switching color depth dynamically.
Multi-language Support
----------------------
Some of the translated text strings may be either too long or
less than accurate. If you encounter a translation error and/or
can suggest a more accurate or abbreviated translation, we would
appreciate your input. Naturally, we apologize in advance for
any translations that are inaccurate. Translations are not available
for extended Plug and Play monitor information.
Support for Windows 2000 RCs
----------------------------
Low-level hardware support under NT 5.0 is fully enabled in this
release. If you encounter problems with specific drivers, you
may need to manually add a "BIOS=2" switch to the [Options]
section of the pstrip.ini file. Note that checked/debug builds
of NT are not supported.
HISTORY
2.50 - 06/06/99
Added Rage128 and Voodoo3 support
Added vsync switch for i740
Fixed non-US time format conversions
Added memory recovery hotkey
Fixed V3 22 bit switches and NT LUTDAC support
Revised NVidia VClk, MClk and NVClk routines
Padded V3 VClk routine
Replaced DX properties menu link with Performance link
Resolved reappearing toolbar issue
Validated TNT2/Vanta/Savage4 support
Revised S3 VClk routines
Fixed Rage3D SClk error
Altered NT installed service detection
Rewrote VClk routines for all S3 chips
Added some minimal preliminary i752/754 support
Validated NT5B3 support
2.40 - 03/13/99
Added Banshee and NVidia support for 56Hz
Added DX hotkey support for color correction w. alternate modifiers
Fixed Banshee blank screen after closing screen saver
Reduced level of hardware support for SiS6326
Changed i740 refresh rate implementation
Added some LCD portrait-mode support
Changed installation
Added support for new V2K driver switches
Added more Savage vclk support (720xNNN)
Disabled HW support for NT5B3 Build 1946 (BSoD)
Added Blade3D support
Added dual MGA monitor support under NT4
2.35 - 01/20/99
Added stand-alone DPMS screen saver for NT
Eliminated redundent register checks
Improved ATI support
Added command-line clock parameters
Added programmable TNT memory timings
Fixed up S3 CommandDMA and AGP aperture size switches
Added support for G200 1280x1024x32bpp at 85Hz
2.30 - 11/28/98
Added color temperature control (RG:B ratio)
Updated monitor database and added best-match DDC routines
Bolstered NT DPMS routines with direct hardware calls
Re-instated aggressive memory timing option for nVidia chips
Revised MGA base address aquisition
Improved Glide switcher
Added Savage3D AGP texture size control
Changed default association method to CreateProcess/suspend
Added physical memory flush controls and methods
Added undocumented support for Obsedian and Pure3D2
Added full support for S3 LC2X
Validated NT5B2 multi-monitor support
Added Polish language support
Added programmable refresh rates for the P2 under NT
Added IE4 shell crash handler
Added LUTDAC support for TNT under NT
Reduced resource consumption
2.29 - 10/10/98
Added LUTDAC support for TVP3026 (Permedia/1, Millenium, etc.)
Updated monitor database
Relaxed standard refresh rate some more
Fixed up TNT and Banshee memory size/type issue
Fixed G200 CREXT error
Added preliminary Glide switcher
2.28 - 10/06/98
Reworked the AGP diagnostic report
Fixed up compatibility problems with NT5B2
Relaxed standard refresh rate support
Revised G200 clock support
Fixed AGP/PCI multi-monitor priority
Added IDirectDraw4 support
Improved Savage3D TV-out support
Added new method for screen positioning
2.27 - 09/25/98
Moved color controls to the toolbar
Right-click on Info icon now brings up Performance page
Added BIOS code to support ATI chips
Prioritized LUTDAC over DDI support
Reworked the DPMS code to support NT security
Added TV-out for Savage3D (needs work)
2.26 - 09/20/98
Added preliminary TNT and Banshee support
Fixed GX2 TV hotkeys and DuoView control
Revised and validated MGA G-series clock controls
Refined color calibration controls
2.25 - 08/18/98
Revised monitor calc
Fixed V2k refresh rates
Added DPMS command-line support
Added DDC disable switch
Relaxed Riva memory timing optimizations
Added specific FPU code word support
Revised GX3 support and added D3D switches
Added G100 and G200 support
2.24 - 07/14/98
Updated monitor database
Added some hardware support for ATI and Matrox
Improved 3Dfx support under Win98
Added support for flat panel controllers
Added timing optimizations for i740 and Riva
2.23 - 06/25/98
Updated monitor database
Added support for 100MHz ZX parts
Added polygon mipmap support for Rendition ICD
Fixed CRTC/VClk conflict under NT
Expanded PCI latency support to cover all PCI devices
Revised monitor and cursor dialog boxes
2.22 - 06/12/98
Added multi-monitor support
Optimized NT hardware calls
Improved (?) installation
2.21 - 05/30/98
Added Savage3D support
Fixed up some Voodoo and PVR methods
Improved non-admininistrator support under NT
2.20 - 05/20/98
Added DDI and CLUT color calibration
Revised Verite clock and other controls
Shifted some routines to secondary threads
Fixed compatibility problem with SiS 6326 NT driver
Fixed broken associations with color depth
Fixed GX2 PAL uder/overscan support
Added Voodoo support for NT
2.17 - 05/01/98
Added 3Dfx Voodoo I and II controls
Revised D3D HAL selection
Revised NT DPMS support again
Added PowerVR controls
Revised RivaZX support
2.16 - 04/17/98
Fixed up broken GX2 TV-out support
Revised 3Dimage and i740 MClk
Added I/O access to PCI configuration registers
2.15 - 04/12/98
Added overview
Revised 3Dimage and i740 support
Reduced default monitor to 75Hz/48kHz
Added support for NV3T
Added PCI device enumerator
Moved some code to new pstrip.dll
2.11 - 03/21/98
Added non-administrator support under NT
Revised DPMS support under NT
Fixed 3Dfx D3D bug under 95/98
Revised monitor override support
Changed Rendition methods under NT
Added support for Permedia P2v and P2a
2.10 - 02/26/98
Initial shareware release
[..]
1.00 - 02/01/96
Initial OEM release for Permedia
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