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- #
- | README file for
- |
- | ELSA Windows driver, ver 5.39
- |
- | VICTORY 3D
- |
- | Copyright (c) 1994-97 ELSA GmbH, Aachen (Germany)
- |
- | Subsidary:
- | ELSA GmbH ELSA Inc.
- | Sonnenweg 11 2150 Trade Zone Blvd.
- | D-52070 Aachen Suite 101
- | Germany San Jose, CA 95131
- | USA
- |
- | Phone : +49-241-606-0 Phone: +1-408-935-0350
- | Support Fax: +49-241-606-6399 Phone: 1-800-272-ELSA
- | BBS (modem): +49-241-606-9800 Fax : +1-408-935-0370
- | BBS (ISDN) : +49-241-606-9820 BBS : +1-408-935-0380
- | CompuServe : GO ELSA CIS : GO ELSA
- | WWW : http://www.elsa.de WWW : http://www.elsa.com
- |
- | 05/30/97, ABlum
-
-
- Table of Contents:
-
- 1. Overview
- 2. Contents
- 3. Installation
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 1. Overview
-
- This directory contains the ELSA Windows drivers as
- well as ELSA Windows applications, e.g. WINman and SETUP.
-
- The Windows drivers support all resolutions and color depths
- available with the ELSA graphics boards. All Windows
- drivers on this disk take best advantage of the ELSA graphics
- hardware, thus enabling the full feature set of the boards for
- use in Windows. Ergonomics as well as Windows performance are
- significantly enhanced by the drivers.
-
- WINman is a Windows utility program to configure the rich
- feature set of the drivers. It features a intuitive user
- interface that allows you to configure resolution, color
- depth, refresh rate and the virtual desktop.
- WINman offers extensive online help, describing it's own and
- the Windows drivers' configuration options. Please take the time
- to read the online help! It will help you better take advantage
- of your ELSA graphic board.
-
- SETUP is an installation program for the installation of the
- ELSA Windows driver and the ELSA Windows utilities.
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 2. Contents
-
- Almost all files are compressed, their names are slightly
- changed. Please note that the files can NOT just be copied
- from this directory. (see installation)
-
- This directory contains the following files:
-
- DATE.DOC file identifying the disk, prod. date, etc.
- README.TXT the file you currently look at
- LIESMICH.TXT german version of README
- OEMSETUP.INF control file for Microsoft SETUP
-
- WINVCT08.DR_ 256 color driver ( 8 bpp)
- WINVCT16.DR_ 64k color driver (16 bpp)
- WINVCT24.DR_ 16M color driver (24 bpp)
- WINVGA.2G_ grabber file
- WINVCT.2G_ grabber file
- VDDWIN.38_ virtuell device driver
- VDDVCT.38_ virtuell device driver
- WINVGA.3G_ grabber file
- WINVCT.3G_ grabber file
- 8514FIX.FO_ several system fonts for the both
- 8514OEM.FO_ font/captionbar sizes
- 8514SYS.FO_ "
- VGAFIX.FO_ "
- VGAOEM.FO_ "
- VGASYS.FO_ "
-
- WINMAN.EX_ WINman program
- WINMAN.MO_ WINman monitor configuration file
- WINMADEU.DL_ german resource DLL for WINman
- WINMADEU.HL_ german help file for WINman
- WINMADEU.DL_ english resource DLL for WINman
- WINMAENG.HL_ english help file for WINman
-
- SETUP.EXE Setup Programm: loads WSETUP.EXE
- WSETUP.EX_ Wsetup program
- WSETUP.INF Wsetup installation description file
- WSETUDEU.DL_ german resource DLL for WSETUP
- WSETUDEU.HL_ german help file for WSETUP
- WSETUENG.DL_ english resource DLL for WSETUP
- WSETUENG.HL_ english help file for WSETUP
-
- In case of trouble during or after installation, please make
- sure you have all the files mentioned above!
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 3. Installation
-
- ATTENTION! Before updating from version 5.34 you have setup the
- vga display driver first!
-
- 3.1 Installation of the ELSA Windows driver with ELSA SETUP.EXE
-
- You can install the ELSA Windows drivers with the program
- SETUP.EXE on this disk "Drivers for Windows 3.1x" or with CD ROM.
-
- Start Windows, call in the "Program Manager" "File"/"Run ...",
- enter the commandline "a:setup" or the corresponding path on the
- ELSA CD (e.g. D:\VICTORY\3D\WIN31\SETUP.EXE) and confirm with
- "OK".
- SETUP asks for your language, installs the ELSA Windows drivers
- and configures with WINman a fitting graphics mode.
- Afterwards (and also at following calls of SETUP), when the
- Windows driver installation is o.k., you may install additional
- Windows utility programs.
-
-
- 3.2 Installation of the ELSA Windows driver with Microsoft SETUP.EXE
-
- Make sure to have the original Windows 3.1 distribution disk
- present. The installation procedure will ask you for some of
- these disks. To install the ELSA Windows drivers, please exit
- Windows and change to your Windows directory and run the
- Microsoft SETUP program. Select the menu 'displays', scroll down
- to the end of the list and select 'Other'.
-
- SETUP will ask for a floppy disk. Please insert the ELSA
- Windows disk into your floppy drive and press <Enter>.
- SETUP will offer a list of choices of ELSA graphic boards to
- install from the floppy.
- Please locate and select the entry that corresponds to product
- name of your ELSA graphic board.' SETUP will install and change all
- neccessary files for you. If you update an existing installation,
- SETUP will ask whether it should update or keep old files. Please
- be sure to press <ESC> to update the existing files. After SETUP
- completes the installation rerun Windows.
-
- ELSA WINman will automatically be launched. WINman is a tool to
- help you configure and customize the ELSA graphic board and your
- monitor. You can request help in WINman anytime by pressing the
- <F1> key.
-
- CAVEAT: Do NEVER enter the path to your Windows system
- directory if SETUP asks for a DISK. Otherwise the
- update fails possibly.
-
- 3.3 User Hints WINman
-
- WINman installs itself in the Program Group ELSAware in Windows.
- After the initial installation and first call, you can call
- WINman from your Program Group ELSAware.
-
- At first use you should run "First ..." completly inclusive
- storing a Windows graphicmode.
-
- Later you may modify your graphics mode under "Graphicmode ...".
-
- After storing more than one graphicmode, WINman starts with a
- fast graphics mode switching menu. Then you may switch your
- Windows graphics mode very fast without testing with test
- screens.
-
- In all menus you will find context sensitive help (with "Help"-
- button or with F1-key).
-
-
- 3.4 Video-acceleration with DCI
-
- 3.4.1 Installation of DCI-support
-
- To activate the DCI capability of the graphics board, you have
- to install VfW 1.1d (or higher) from the delivered ELSA CD. Even
- when you have installed VfW before, it is necessary to run
- the installation from the ELSA CD, because some additional files
- are copied to the windows system directory and the file
- SYSTEM.INI is modified, too.
- To install VfW you have to run SETUP.EXE under windows from
- the directory \ELSAWARE\VFW from the ELSA CD.
-
- The following files are copied to the windows system directory:
-
- UDH.DLL (Universal Draw Handler)
- DCIMAN.DLL (DCI-Manager)
-
- The installation-software also modifies the SYSTEM.INI-file:
-
- [DRIVERS]
- DCI=display
- vids.draw=udh.dll
-
- [WINNER.DRV]
- DCI-SUPPORT=1
-
- 3.4.2 Hints
-
- - If an application doesn't use DCI, there will be no
- acceleration.
-
- - DCI allows direct access of visible display-memory (called
- "Primary Surface"). If no DCI is available, an application
- needs two steps to render an image: First it renders the image
- into a bitmap in the computer's main memory. Then it uses GDI
- to copy the bitmap onto the visible display. With DCI the
- program can write directly into the display's memory, which is
- faster than using GDI and a bitmap. The disadvantage is, that
- the data must be compatible to the display's color-depth
- (e.g 8-bit palettized, 16-bit hicolor, 32-bit true-color),
- otherwise the application has to convert the color-space
- itself, which takes a lot of time.
-
- - The ELSA gui-accelerators have integrated circuitry to
- minimize the amount of CPU-power needed to playback video.
- These boards support access to invisible display-memory
- (called "OffScreen Surface"), managed by our ELSA DCI driver.
-
- When an application finished drawing into offscreen, it
- advises the DCI-driver to render the offscreen-image into
- visible display-memory. The DCI-driver uses the accelerator-
- hardware to perform shrinking, stretching and/or color-
- conversion.
-
- Increasing resolution and color-depth shrinks available
- offscreen-memory, so that a video may not fit into it anymore.
- This causes the DCI-driver to switch back to "Primary
- Surface".
-