Windows 98 SE Insanity

[tchaika]

Hello. I bought a Matrox G400 MAX Duel Head card a few weeks ago as part of a new system I have been putting together. I configured the card just fine to work under Linux/X11, but I am running into problem after problem after problem getting it to work in 98 SE.

When I first installed it I had IRQ problems with another device in my system. Installing my sound card drivers corrected this problem.... and brought to the surface another one.

I can NOT boot Windows 98 SE normally with my card. After the dos driver listed in autoexec.bat (C:\MATROX\UTIL\Vbext.exe) loads I hear a .wav played, and the boot sequence dies. This is long before I even get into windows.

If I attempt to boot using step by step confirmation I can get into a functional windows desktop (indeed this is how I am talking to you now). After windows boots however, it prompts me "There is a problem with your display adeptor, the adeptor is incorrect or these settings do not work with your hardware.", and pulls up the display props setting tab.

I have tried several different settings of all sorts and have failed miserably with each one. I know that the adaptor is *NOT* incorrect, it is listed as "Matrox Millennium G400 Duel head Max - English".

I open to suggestions on how to fix this problem, I have tried everything that I can think of, and nothing has worked on it.

My system configuration:

Enermax 330W Power Supply
ABIT KA7-100 MB
- AMD Athlon 750
- One stick of 256mb PC-100 DRAM
- Matrox Millennium G400 Duel Head Max - Installed in AGP slot.
- Creative Sound Blaster Live! Platium - Installed in PCI slot #3
- Two Maxtor 7200 RPM 40.1 gig hds - installed on IDE1
- AOpen 16x DVD-ROM - installed on IDE2
- US Robotics Sportster 33.6 External - Plugged into Com1
- Standard PS/2 Mouse and Keyboard - Plugged into the obvious ports

Elements Cyclone -9A 19" Multi-Scan Monitor

The mode I am currently attempting to get it to run in is 1600x1200 @ 32bit color... but I have tried several other modes and none of them fix it, so I highly doubt that is the problem.

Running: Win 98 SE & Linux 2.2.16

I have been very impressed by the Matrox thus far... I bought it mainly because of the high marks it gets for Linux support but I would really like to get it going in Win 98 as well. Thank you in advance for any help you are able to provide me with.


[This message has been edited by tchaika (edited 29 July 2000).]

[The PIT]

Have you got your full irq listings?

[tchaika]

I can get the IRQ listing, but that is not the problem. None of my devices share IRQs. At first I had a conflict with it, but I fixed that. My problem now is that win 98 refuses to boot it with these settings... if I do a step by step confirmation boot I can manage to get into it, but then it says "Adeptor is invalid or your hardware doesn't work with these settings" (or something along those lines). But the weird thing is, when I boot like this I can access all of the features of the card... am running 1600x1200 @ 32bit as we speak. It makes no sense.

[Jorden]

Also tell us which drivers you're using, plus which BIOS the G400 has.

Oh, and you can safely delete the Vbext.exe in autoexec.bat if you don't use DOS games anyway. They are a video-extension with lower resolutions for a DOS environment.

Jord.

[This message has been edited by Jorden (edited 30 July 2000).]

[tchaika]

According to Information tab under display properties:

Graphics BIOS: 1.5 - 22
Display driver: 4.11.01.1250
Mini-VDD: 4.11.01.1250
Matrox PowerDesk: 5.25.019
DirectDraw/Direct3D driver: 4.11.01.1250
Microsoft DirectX: 4.06.03.0518

(The drivers I am using are the ones off the cd I got with the G400 Max)

[xortam]

Your graphics BIOS is the only thing that's up to date.

[LAMFDTK]

Enermax 330W Power Supply

This is your problem with your ABIT KA7-100 MB. E-mail them and ask them if there has been problems with this supply and the KA7.
Did you buy it from Plycon? Check your readings in the +5 and +12 rails. The will jump all over the place. This is your problem . There has been problems with this P/S and you are not the only one.

[tchaika]

With respect, I highly doubt the problem has anything to do with my power supply. I can configure the card just fine under Linux/X11 and in SVGALIB. I can boot into windows using a step by step confirmation mode. The problem is obviously somewhere in 98/SE. I will download updated drivers and see if that corrects the problem, if not look for another post from me in a short while <g>.....

[Rags]

With respect, why ask for help when you are just going to disregard everyone's help, and go about it your own way?

Rags



------------------
Partnership for an idiot free America

[tchaika]

Setting it up as a generic SVGA display gets me to 640x480 with no errors, but only 16 colors, not 256.

I installed new drivers for it off Matrox's own website and I still have the same problem. Booting normally will result in a beep, and then halt before I even see windows (still in a 'dos window' seeing stuff from autoexec).

If I boot it step by step confirmation (and say YES TO EVERYTHING! This is most infurating part of it all, it should at least boot normally if I can pull this off!) and gives me an error message "There is a problem with your display adeptor. Either the adaptor is wrong or these settings do not work with your hardware". It then pulls up the display properties settings tab. At this point I can change settings, or leave them alone (it doesn't matter) and get into windows just fine. But if I attempt to reboot and do it without step by step, it will fail as I said above.

It is *NOT* a problem with my power supply. I did not say that to "go it my own way", but that is clearly not the problem if I am able to get it running just fine in another OS.

The KA7-100 has no onboard video or audio as well.... I am at a complete loss here.

My IRQ listing:

IDE Controller - 14
Serial bus controller - 5
(repeated in the listing)
Multimedia Device (my sb live!) - 10
Display - 11
ACPI - 9

[xortam]

Don't forget to update your DirectX SW. You might want to just go to WindowsUpdate and have it flag all of your out of date Windows SW.

To help identify your boot-up problem, enable the bootlog on your startup screen. The last entry in the log will probably be the offending driver. Also, following up on cking4's concerns about resource sharing ... check for resource conflicts in the SysInfo utility.

P.S. You might also check for multiple display adapter entries in the device manager. Sometimes you may only see them clearly in SafeMode (give us the IRQ listing, see FAQ). If so, just delete them all and reinstall the device upon bootup.

[This message has been edited by xortam (edited 29 July 2000).]

[Jorden]

Excuse me, but isn't the latest BIOS for the Max also the 1.6 - 25?

[Mr D. Ackerot]

Originally posted by Jorden:
Excuse me, but isn't the latest BIOS for the Max also the 1.6 - 25?

That's what the bios notes say!

Check the bios notes

Edit: stupid ubb tags

/Daniel



[This message has been edited by Mr D. Ackerot (edited 30 July 2000).]

[xortam]

You're right. Wasn't sure about the BIOS. I still run 1.5-22. Tried to check up on the current version number in the 109 package, but didn't see a version number. I never switched over because I haven't had any problems and there were no release notes at the time of release. As they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Has anyone ever noticed any differences in these BIOS rev's?

[Jorden]

You'll need BIOS 1.6 - 25 (file 1.09), if you want to use PD 5.52 and above. In windows 98, that is

So maybe that's a culpritt as well?