Keep seeing posts re: Powerstrip, win2k, custom refresh

[Mindjammer]

... *HOW* does one get custom refresh rates using Powerstrip? I have tried it and it doesn't work. Limited to 60,72,75,85 hz.

What driver version is this with, I've tried 5.03 and 5.04 at various times, but it never worked to I went back to Win98. My computer is unusable without custom refresh rate support - I'm stuck in 640x480 60hz. (Fixed frequency monitor)

[Ashley]

PowerStrip menu > Advanced options > Screen adjustment

Refresh rates can be selected in 1Hz increments. The control is driver-independent - it doesn't matter which Matrox card or driver you're using, and in fact it doesn't matter if you're using a Matrox card at all...

[Mindjammer]

When I tried it those controls wouldn't work at all. This is in win2k with both 5.03 and 5.04 drivers. I would click them but the value wouldn't change. The only thing that worked was the screen size/position controls.

[Ashley]

In the WinNT directory there will be a little ASCII file you can open in Notepad named pstrip.ini.

Post the contents of the section named [Win32-Debug] and I will be able to tell you what is wrong.

[Mindjammer]

... hold on while I re-install Win2K ...

In the meantime, I'd like to know something about how Powerstrip works. Can it set the refresh rate for a mode such that the custom refresh rate can be used before Powerstrip is loaded, say, at the login prompt? Or say if I use 1024x768 122hz. Will the login prompt show at 122hz or will I have to log in "blind", possibly incurring monitor damage, because my monitor will not support 1024x768 60hz or anything but 122hz. Or if I could set the login prompt to 640x480 60hz and have it not switch modes till Powerstrip tray icon loads, that would be great.

I'd better give you some background info on my monitor. It's an Intergraph Intervue-21, viewable area 20.4". It supports two fixed horizontal frequencies, 31.5khz and 100.7khz. If you tune it to 31.5khz you get VGA modes of course. Tuning it to 100.7khz gives you the following modes:

640x480 185hz
800x600 153hz
1024x768 122hz
1280x960 100hz
1280x1024 94hz
1600x1200 81hz
2048x1536 63hz ... though this last one is a bit blurry.

These modes are supported using Matrox Monitor Customizations in Win9x and WinNT.

A side note: I use Win2K Server. Does that make a difference?

[Ashley]

Unlike PowerDesk, which is proprrietary and tightly integrated with your MGA driver, the PowerStrip is driver independent. The changes you make with it only kick in when the program loads, so with fixed frequency monitors there will always be a period when you are out-of-sync: between when the desktop appears and when the PowerStrip loads.

Its far from ideal, but the best way to handle this is to use those PS Preset buttons, and then assign hotkeys to them. Make one Preset 640x480x16bppx60Hz and then before you shutdown, hotkey to it so that Windows starts up in this mode. Make another Preset 1280x1024x16bppx94Hz (or whatever), and then hotkey to that after Windows loads successfully.

Anyway: the trick is to always switch to a Matrox/PowerDesk-compatible display mode that your monitor can handle *before* you shutdown...

[Mindjammer]

Nevermind, it works now with the 5.06 beta drivers.

However.

The only mode I can use now is 1600x1200 81hz. This is because Powerstrip only allows me to select custom refresh rates that are multiples of 10hz, and 81hz is the only one close enough to a multiple of 10. Except for 1280x960 which is missing from Powerstrip Monitor Configuration. I can't set the mode and then use Screen Adjustment to set it to what I need because Screen Adjustment only works on the current mode & I'd have to adjust it blind. Not pretty. Is there anything I can do about this?

[Ashley]

No - you are doing something wrong. Refresh rates of 77, 78, ... 82, 83 etc. are possible at any resolution. But custom refresh rates can only be selected in the Screen Adjustment dialog box or input manually using as ASCII editor.

If you need to specify custom refresh rates for otherwise non-displayable modes, add this to your pstrip.ini file:

[Monitor-Refresh]
640x480=185
800x600=153
1024x768=122
1280x960=100
1280x1024=94
1600x1200=81
2048x1536=63

Now, if the PowerStrip is running, you can use Display Properties or QuickRes or whatever to select resolutions, and the PowerStrip will always ensure these refresh rates kick in.