Mac Flashing of Matrox PCI

[thop]

do you work 24/7?

[pruckelshaus]

No, but my web site does.

I have NEVER seen a corporate web site that "shuts down" outside of business hours. If you think it's A-OK for a company like Matrox to do that, then I'm sure it will come as a surprise to you that there are people who DO expect 24/7 service from a web site.

Now, if you had a point with your post, please point it out to me.

Pete

[bsdgeek]

If the tech support guys aren't going to answer your question over the weekend, what's the point of having the forum open? These guys don't work 24/7, they have a life.

[albatorsk]

But what does it matter when you post it? Isn't it up to the tech support guys to answer when they see fit? Nobody would force them to read the forums on their free time, but then again, if that were the issue, why is it open 24h a day, 5 days of the week? It doesn't make sense.

[bsdgeek]

Why let it build up over the weekend?

[pruckelshaus]

Originally posted by bsdgeek
Why let it build up over the weekend?

Why make me wait until Monday morning to post?

I'm really beginning to feel like this. Sorry I came here to ask a question, looks like I need to find someplace else where people are able to actually help me resolve a technical issue.

Pete

[Admiral]

I'm really beginning to feel like this. Sorry I came here to ask a question, looks like I need to find someplace else where people are able to actually help me resolve a technical issue.

Easy man, there are people here who could help you in this matter (thinking at Greebe or Kruzin right now) but if you keep it up like this the only thing you'd get is flamed.

[Greebe]

pruckelshaus, there is a very good reason they are closed. It's to prevent spammers and the like from abusing Matrox's forums while they are away and we all know that would happen with the mentality of many nVidiots and fanATIc's and all the other idignots running around the Internet these days.

A few of us can post on Matrox's forums during off hours, but in this case it would be best to simply wait til Monday. Your Q. won't be answered faster anyway.

[gpd]

Millenium again

Hi pruckelhaus

We'll I haven't gotten any further, my friend went out and bought a Radeon 7000 PCI board, and I stumbeled over an already flashed Voodoo 3 3500 for my mac. I haven't found the time to look further into this, altough it bugs me. If the boards are identical there should be no reason what so ever for it not to work. Ergo, they are NOT identical or we do something wrong. If Iever get around to investigating some more I promise I'll post the results here.

GPd

[pruckelshaus]

Thanks GPD. I appreciate your answer to my question.

Pete

[VigilAnt]

Originally posted by pruckelshaus
No, but my web site does.

I have NEVER seen a corporate web site that "shuts down" outside of business hours. If you think it's A-OK for a company like Matrox to do that, then I'm sure it will come as a surprise to you that there are people who DO expect 24/7 service from a web site.

Now, if you had a point with your post, please point it out to me.

Pete

Their website doesn't shut down. Their forums shut down to posting.

A couple of points:

1. I have not seen another hardware company with tech support that is run in this manner, where there is a forum to post to and get rapid response.

2. You are free to view the forums all weekend, so it's not shut down. It's just closed to posting, and for obvious reasons.

VigilAnt

[redghost]

"If it is at all possible to flash this card so that it will work on a Mac, could someone fill me in on how to do it? "

The trick I have found is to have a cheap PeeCee monitor to use to do the install. Pop the card in, flash the BIOS, (having already installed software).. reboot, and the pc monitor will work. If not, then zap PROM -- fully-- This will shake loose the junk in the system. If you yank the installed card, and put the Matrox in, that will work. With installed (onboard) video, I have had some issue with the 7200 series letting go, but most of the Mill II are willing to be primary on all other tested PPC.

Best use for Mac and Matrox cards is to have them as secondary card. Since there is some issue with Apple monitors and the card and the need for multi-synch monitors.

[redghost]

Oh yeah! THe cards NEED To be 512 k ROM, as the 256, are junk when used for Mac flashing. The Mill I cards get totally fried if you flash them, so CHECK, or you are going to be out the cost of the card, and not be able to pawn it off on a Peecee user. The Mill II has a recover utility out there, but better to not kill the card in the first place.

AS FOR USE IN A MAC WITH OS X -- Use a BSD driver or other linux type driver to recompile and the card should do just fine as second monitor card. Native support seems to be only for VESA VGA. No need to do software install, the OS recognizes the card and will make it work at VGA... just need the extra driver to make it fully useful.


BTW - Greebe is a god!

[nerd_lab]

Millenium MGA200 PCI for PC

Has anybody successfully flashed the bios of Millenium MGA 200 PCI for PC on a mac?
I tried it on my beige G3 and no luck..
Also the card cannot boot my acorp 6A815EPD motherboard but it works fine as a secondary video adapter. I cannot either flash it on PC because I don't have a floppy not I can do it on Mac because it says that the rom was not written correctly.
anybody knows what the problem is ?
thanks

[Mcollector]

I'm surprised flashing a PC video card with a Mac vido bios allows it to work on a Mac at all. I thought Mac and PC video cards, even the same model, had different PCI IDs, for one. This doesn't work on some other manufactuers' video cards; you end up with a useless pile of glass epoxy and silicon. It's not something I would try.

One reason a PC video card *might* work on a Mac as a secondary (non-boot) card is that the drivers are *not* making video bios calls, rather talking directly to the h/w. Just a WAG on my part.