The system does not work properly, some problems occurred during installation.
The system beeps when booting or the graphics board cannot be initialized.
Problems with network systems occur.
A:
Check again, if all connections are correct and if the graphics board is placed secure in the expansion slot.
Be sure that you have installed the most up to date software driver. (You can find them in the SPEA mailbox. If you don't have a modem, please contact your local dealer).
Remove all other hardware (e.g. Soundboard, networking card) from your system in order to find out possible hardware conflicts.
The following I/O addresses may not be used from hardware devices as these are the addresses the graphics board uses:
03B0 - 03DF, 02E8 - 02EA(hex).
Deactivate all other VGA components in your system (in case a VGA part is built onto your motherboard or several graphics boards are installed in your system). Only one VGA part can be active in a system.
Install the graphics board in another slot or - if possible - in another PC.
BIOS system setup:
Install SHADOW RAM for the Video BIOS.
Minimize the clock rate of your system.
Q:
DOS 6.0 (5.0): General Problems with Windows
A:
Check the following entries in the CONFIG.SYS file:
HIMEM.SYS, QEMM386.SYS or 386MAX.SYS must stand at the first position.
For memory management no INCLUDE command is allowed. Instead you have to exclude memory areas which are used by other hardware devices (e.g. Scanner, Soundboard a.s.o.) with the EXCLUDE command. For the graphics board this is the area x=A000-C7FF.
Reduce the cache from 2048kB to 1024kB.
Q:
Is it possible to run DOS with more than 60 Hz?
A:
Yes, using the program ASCAN2.EXE located in your SPEA\GDC directory (if you installed the utilities).
Q:
The SPEA Utilities are not available.
A:
The SPEA Utilities are packed (and not visible) on the SPEA Superdisk.
To use them you have to install them via the SPEA installation program from the SPEA Superdisk. Select the option 'Utilities' to copy the utilities into the \SPEA\GDC directory.
Q:
The installation program of the SPEA Superdisk does not work correct.
A:
Add the following entry to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and restart your system:
SET COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM
Problems with Windows
Q:
The Windows startup lasts very long. Is the V7SETUP logo responsible for that?
A:
No, the V7SETUP logo does not have any influence on the Windows startup.
Create a permanent swap file.
Defragment your hard disk regularly (e.g. with Norton SpeedDisk).
Remove unnecessary entries from your WIN.INI file (e.g. fonts, programs).
Q:
Fonts are displayed incorrectly.
Icons or Windows are displayed unclear or not complete.
The image scrolls through when clicking on the scroll bar.
Pixels remain on the screen.
The image flickers.
The system crashes.
A:
Add the following entry to the SYSTEM.INI file under the section [CAR1K.DRV]:
CHIPSYNC=1
Reduce the refresh rate via the V7SETUP
Reduce the clock rate of the sytem via the System-BIOS Setup.
Q:
Windows or applications unter Windows
Problems with MediaStation or Media Player
MPEG files will not play in MediaStation or Media Player
A:
Check that you have at least 500 KB free conventional memory on your computer. Do this with the DOS command MEM.
Q:
MediaStation crashes after the program buttons are drawn on the screen (possibly after a re-installation)
A:
Delete the file MEDIASTA.MST (which contains the bitmaps drawn).
Q:
CD ROM or MPEG file can't be opened
A:
You probably don't have enough free system memory to execute the action. Start Windows without network support (WIN /n) or close other applications.
Q:
System crashes when opening MPEG files
A:
It is possible that the PCI BIOS of your system is causing problems. Try the board in another slot.
Q:
Error message "More global memory needed". MediaStation is terminated.
A:
Close other applications and retry.
Q:
MPEG files are played back without sound in MediaStation.
A:
Check that active loudspeakers or a sound board are/is connected to the audio output of the board.
Call the Windows MediaPlayer (MPLAYER.EXE), open a file and open the Options menu, click on Configure and set the volume to maximum.
Check that the volume level in MediaStation is turned up and that the volume is not muted.
If you are using a sound card with an additional volume control, make sure that it is not muted or at a low level.
Note that it is possible that the MPEG file doesn't have an integrated audio track (a seperate WAV file can't be simultaneously played back).
Q:
VPG files are played back without sound.
A:
This type of file doesn't contain a sound track.
Q:
MPEG file can't be rescaled to fullscreen.
A:
The MPEG picture size is too small. The limit is twice the original size.
Problems with VideoCDs
As Video CD is a very new technology, it is likely that many you are using the format for the first time. In the same way that you encounter picture problems with VHS tape recordings, you can encounter comparable problems in the VideoCD format which are not caused by your board.. This section describes various symptoms and their causes.
Picture display problems can be internal to the quality of the pictures on the VideoCD. Not all VideoCDs have the same picture quality, and thus the resulting picture quality al playback may not be constant for all VideoCDs.
Macro-blocking: Also known simply as 'blocking' or 'jagging', is caused by a lack of bits (binary digits) to store all the information, and happens when the VideoCD movie is created. The area of the picture for which there is insufficient information (bits) will be displayed as simple 8x8 or 16x16 blocks.
Unreal stillness: This is when an object (such as a tree in the background) appears to absolutely motionless. This can happen during VideoCD recording, where the object is moving so slightly as for the motion to be ignored by the movie conversion process.
Digital rain: This term describes a number of undesirable picture effects. One example of this is a small stationary object that appears in one frame, then disappears for a few frames, then reappears. This and other effects tend to be more apparent in earlier VideoCDs than ones more recently created.
Mosquitoes: This effect can occur especially at the edges of moving objects, due to the number of bits of data concentrated about the point of movement. If can give the impression of a heat-haze or fuzziness in the picture.
The picture quality of VideoCDs made in America can vary from those made in Europe. American manufacturers favour sharper image, which can be clearer but be more prone to the above problems. European manufacturers favour a softer image, which can look more pleasing, and be less prone to the above problems.
Note:
A VideoCD cover that is not marked 'VideoCD' is not suitable for use with the Whitebook CD-ROM standard, and will therefore not be compatible with your system. Unfortunately, VideoCD labelling is not as consistent as it might be, so check with the sales staff before making your purchase.
Problems with CD ROM Drives
If you have problems with your CD ROM drive consider the following general notes:
There are three types of CD-ROM available, that confirm to different standards, and are not therefore compatible with each other. They are as follows:
Yellowbook: Conventional CD-ROM
Greenbook: Used for linear video, typically used in Philips CD-I players (384 lines)
Whitebook: Used for digiral video VideoCD (352 lines).
Warning!
To play VideoCDs with the V7-VEGA VIDEO you must have a Whitebook type CD-ROM drive. As the VideoCD format of data is very new, older type CD-ROM drives may not be able to read the data. If you do have problems reading data from a VideoCD, you may find that a software update for your CD-ROM drive will help.
Only use CDs explicitly labelled 'VideoCD'.
- Check that SMARTDRV.EXE is being loaded before MSCDEX.EXE (CONFIG.SYS)
- Use the latest driver version for your CD ROM drive; it is possible that older driver versions are not able to read the VideoCD format.
- To read CDs you need about 500 KB conventional memory. You may see an error message that the CD cannot be read or messages that the SPEA MCI driver does not work correct. In this case, delete or REM out all drivers you don't need urgently from your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT file and restart your system.
- Only use CD ROM drives that support the default reading access and fulfill the ISO 9000 rules. A list of CD ROM drives tested by SPEA can be found in the README file in the SPEA directory.
