------------------------------------------------------------------- PowerStrip 2.74 Release Notes August 27, 2000 ------------------------------------------------------------------- (c) Copyright EnTech Taiwan, 1995-2000. HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT ======================== To view pstrip.txt on screen in Notepad, maximize the Notepad window. To print pstrip.txt, open it in Notepad or another word processor, and then on the File menu, click Print. CONTENTS ======== LICENSE, REGISTRATION AND SUPPORT POWERSTRIP DESCRIPTION LIMITATIONS IN THE POWERSTRIP DEMO INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING THE POWERSTRIP UPGRADING THE POWERSTRIP REMOVING THE POWERSTRIP POWERSTRIP REFRESH RATE SUPPORT NON-ADMINISTRATORS UNDER WINDOWS NT NOTES ON SPECIFIC CHIPSETS AND DRIVERS KNOWN LIMITATIONS HISTORY LICENSE, REGISTRATION AND SUPPORT ================================= This version of the PowerStrip is shareware. You must read and accept the terms of the legal disclaimer below before you can use this software. LEGAL DISCLAIMER - This software is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the software is with you. Should the software prove defective, you assume the cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction. In no event will EnTech Taiwan be liable to you for damages, including any general, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the software (including but not limited to loss of data or data being rendered inaccurate or losses sustained by you or third parties or a failure of the software to operate with any other programs), even if such holder or other party has been advised of the possibility of such damages. REGISTRATION - The PowerStrip can be purchased for US$29.95 through RegSoft's Registration Service. For on-line registration, please follow the link at http://www.entechtaiwan.com/ps.htm. Voice and fax orders can be placed by calling 1-888-REG-IT80 or 770-497-9126 (voice), or 1-770-497-9234 (fax). Please refer to Product ID #3573. SUPPORT - PowerStrip support is available from EnTech Taiwan via Internet e-mail addressed to support@entechtaiwan.com. Program updates are made available over the Internet at http://www.entechtaiwan.com. POWERSTRIP DESCRIPTION ====================== The PowerStrip is a desktop enhancement and display control utility, specifically optimized for use with current and future 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows. The PowerStrip works in conjunction with your display driver and graphics hardware, supporting on-the-fly color depth, resolution, and refresh rate switching, user-defined presets, program/ shortcut associations, an optional toolbar, graphics system information, screen saving, power management, cursor controls, color correction, and extensive monitor support. A full description of PowerStrip features can be found in the online documentation. 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/2000 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. A registry patch to facilitate non-Administrator use is available from the link below: http://www.entechtaiwan.com/files/psntuser.zip (~25kb) 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 several Socket 7 AGP boards from VIA, SiS ALI or ETEQ, you will need to ensure you have the appropriate GART manager installed. AGP transfers - If you find you need to force AGP transfers to 1X for purposes of stability, you can do so by adding the switch "/AGP:nX" to the command-line or shortcut you use to launch the PowerStrip, where "n" is 1, 2 or 4. Fast writes and sideband addressing can be similarly turned on or off with the switches "/SBA:nn" and "/FW:nn", where "nn" is either On or Off. Note that many cards do not support dynamic adjustment of the transfer rate and will crash, either immediately or on initiating AGP transfers. 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. 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. NVidia - 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. Suspend mode should not be enabled. 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. 3dfx cards - 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. Note also that PowerStrip clock support mirrors the native registry support provided by the drivers. Changes take place in real- time, without restarting, and are also written to the registry where they will be read by the display driver. As a reult, you should always reset the clocks to their default values before un-installing 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. BSoD/Crash under Windows 2000 ----------------------------- If starting the PowerStrip results in a BSoD, you may need to create or edit the pstrip.ini in your WinNT directory, and add a "Mechanism=2" switch to the [Options] section. An attempt is made to do this automatically, but to be sure you should check to ensure the switch is present before running the PowerStrip again. ACPI Problems under Windows 2000 -------------------------------- If you find that the PowerStrip prevents Windows from switching into a power-saving state, you may need to disable the hardware keyboard monitor on the PowerStrip Trouble Shooting page. Screen Saver under Windows 2000 ------------------------------- The pstrip.scr screen saver is a compact, "lite" version of the EnergySaver, which is free to all registered PowerStrip users. The EnergySaver can be found here: http://www.entechtaiwan.com/dpms.htm. HISTORY ======= 2.74 - 27/08/2000 Beefed up diagnostic module Isolated but could not trap D3 NVDISP bug Improved multimonitor ID Patched around VIA sub-class code bug 2.73 - 20/08/2000 Maintenance release - NVidia D3 compatibility fixes 2.72 - 28/07/2000 Maintenance release - several small bug fixes 2.71 - 23/07/2000 Added preliminary Radeon support 2.70 - 15/07/2000 Revised VSA100 support for quad configurations Fixed DOS compatibility problem under Win2K 2.69 - 17/06/2000 Upped NV DDR default ceiling to 420MHz Fixed up ATI MAXX CLKDAC sychronization Added support for 3dfx custom resolutions 2.68 - 04/06/2000 Upped NV DDR ceiling to 450MHz Fixed memory detect problem with 64MB cards Fixed docs/embedded font problem Fixed NT5 installation drive problem Bumped gamma hotkeys to provide +/-5 clicks 2.67 - 20/05/2000 Qualified AGP config against master and target Fixed up Internet keybrd conflict 2.66 - 12/05/2000 Disabled ICH check Enabled 1080i NV support Upped NV15 core clock range Corrected NV Windows 2000 driver switches Corrected S2K clock routines Revised keybd hook Fixed to scan multiple PCI buses 2.65 - 26/03/2000 Added visual controls for AGP run-time configuration Sync'd screen saver with EnergySaver 2.0 Sync'd multimonitor support with MultiRes 1.16 Added W2K 3dfx & ATI R128 driver switches Added V/H sync off support for Number Nine T2R4 Rewrote Tseng PClk calculator Fixed broken monitor/refresh selection Added NVidia overlay gamma control (disabled) Added NVidia interlacing support (disabled) Upd - added gamma mini-toolbar Upd - maintenance for non-admin users, etc. Upd - monitor support fix 2.64 - 15/02/2000 Fixed up W2K installer Fixed up 3dfx screen saver anomoly Fixed up gamma compatibility with Word 2000 Fixed up broken Matrox sync support Optimized application launcher Added desktop icon management for Win9x/ME Added W2K D3D driver switches for 3dfx, 3dlabs and ATI R128 Added W2K OGL driver switches for NVidia Enhanced AGP configuration routines 2.62 - 03/02/2000 Added explicit support for Rage128 Pro and MAXX Added undocumented support for forced GeForce pclk scaling Patched around Neon250 and T2R4 VESA calls Added composite sync switch for ATI Added sync-on-green switch for Number Nine Fixed up compatibility issue with W2K ACPI Rewrote screen saver message handler Added HW support for NeoMagic color correction Revised ATI access mechanisms Validated with Windows Millennium and Win2K RTM 2.60 - 12/31/1999 Full support for Windows 2000 Fixed ATI Rage support under W2K Finalized Savage2000 support Added full Number Nine T2R4 support Improved GeForce256 DDR support Fixed Rendition CRTC calculator Tapped NV Detonator drivers to provide custom resolutions Fixed Intel/Real3D LUTDAC support under NT and W2K Raised clock ceiling for TNT2 M64 Added command-line switches for vsync and AGP bus configuration 2.54 - 10/28/99 Validated with NT4 SP6 Fixed resource leak in 2.53 Added transparent NV 2.x and 3.x driver switch support 2.53 - 10/23/1999 Fixed Voodoo3 LUTDAC support under NT Added preliminary Savage2000 support Added GeForce256 DDR support Broadened range of in-game gamma hotkeys Added custom refresh rates for P3/R3 under NT Added R/O CRTC timing details to screen adjustment screen Added multimonitor on/off support to associations and presets 2.52 - 10/10/1999 Added Voodoo3 LUTDAC support for video overlays Revised Savage4 clock support Raised clock ceiling Updated monitor database Improved Windows 2000 B3 support Added preliminary GeForce256 support Impoved P3-Oxygen/VX1 routines Tapped MGA PD to provide custom resolutions Added sync-on-green for Matrox & 3Dlabs Broadened range of color controls Added Desktop support for DX modes 2.51 - 06/24/1999 Added prelimary i810, SiS620 and VIA MVP4 support Restored SiS6326 VCLK and MCLK support Fixed up Voodoo Graphics gamma Revised 3dfx, Intel, Matrox, S3, NVidia, Rendition VClk Validated Windows 2000 Beta3 RC1 support Beefed up Blade3D support Added i752 and G400 support Revised Intel and MGA VClk routines Fixed up TNT clock support Added V3 custom refresh rates at up to 2046x1536 Added undocumentated support for <60Hz refresh rates Enabled gamma controls by default 2.50 - 05/31/1999 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 Fixed Rage3D SClk error Altered NT installed service detection Rewrote VClk routines for all S3 chips 2.40 - 03/13/1999 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 - 01/20/1999 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 - 11/28/1998 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 - 10/10/1998 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 - 10/06/1998 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 - 09/25/1998 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 - 09/20/1998 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 - 08/18/1998 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 - 07/14/1998 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 - 06/25/1998 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 - 06/12/1998 Added multi-monitor support Optimized NT hardware calls Improved (?) installation 2.21 - 05/30/1998 Added Savage3D support Fixed up some Voodoo and PVR methods Improved non-admininistrator support under NT 2.20 - 05/20/1998 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 - 05/01/1998 Added 3Dfx Voodoo I and II controls Revised D3D HAL selection Revised NT DPMS support again Added PowerVR controls Revised RivaZX support 2.16 - 04/17/1998 Fixed up broken GX2 TV-out support Revised 3Dimage and i740 MClk Added I/O access to PCI configuration registers 2.15 - 04/12/1998 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 - 03/21/1998 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 - 02/26/1998 Initial shareware release [..] 1.00 - 02/01/1996 Initial OEM release for Permedia