Tweet
Thanks to Holly for digging through her CD's to find the original 
Welcome to the MURC forums!
The M(atrox) U(sers) R(esource) C(enter) ("the MURC") forums are a little bit different from other forums you may have visited, so let us take this opportunity to guide you in how to get the most from them
First of all, this is a user-to-user technical support forum, dedicated to Matrox Graphics videocard products. That is important for a few reasons:
The MURC is not owned, operated or sponsored by Matrox Graphics, Inc. So if you have a problem, question or complaint that needs to be answered by Matrox, call, write or e-mail Matrox themselves. The MURC does have a relationship with Matrox (more on that later), but in no way does it replace the traditional methods of technical or customer support.
The MURC forums are first and foremost devoted to technical support, not reviews, hardware discussions, or lounging/chat. Please keep this in mind when posting.
As owners of Matrtox hardware, we've already decided which videocard is the "best", insofar as we've spent our money on a Matrox card. Debating the merits of other brands of video card over Matrox cards is strongly discouraged, and will likely result in fireballs aimed at your tender parts... Please keep such discussions to the The Soap Box.
Some "Do's" and "Don't's" when asking for assistance:
DO
Search the forums for previous threads related to your question.The solutions MURC-ers have found to known conflicts have been posted many times. The answers you're looking for may already be documented.
Post to the right forum. Each of the forums has a specific focus, clearly listed on the main forums page. Posting to the forum that deals with the area of your question helps the people who know most about it to find your question easily, and answer it sooner.
Include your system specifications in your original post, along with as many details of your problem as possible. By "system specifications", we mean: brand and model number of your motherboard, if known; brand, model and speed of your CPU, listing of all other cards and peripherals in your case, if known. Many people put this information in their signature (".sig", use the 'profile' link to edit this), to minimize typing.
Be sure to have installed the latest BIOS upgrade for your motherboard and video card, and the latest drivers for your video card. The purpose of driver and BIOS upgrades is to solve the compatibility problems users run into.
If you're a SS7 user (Super Socket 7, using a K6-2, K6-3 or Cyrix/IBM MII CPU), you should make sure you have the latest system drivers from VIA Technologies, Inc. or Acer Laboratories, Inc. (ALi).
If you're using Windows 95, and have either an AGP slot, or a K6-2 350 (or both), you may need the USB Supplement for Windows 95 OSR2, or the Windows 95 Update for AMD-K6®-2/350
For other BIOS and or driver upgrades, try these sites:
Matrox Graphics
MURC News Centre
Motherboard HomeWorld - Motherboards.org
Welcome to WinFiles.com! The best 32-bit Shareware, Drivers, Tips, and Information on the Internet!
Driver Guide
and naturally, for OS patches, there's always the Microsoft Download Center....
If you can, check your IRQ settings and post those as well. If you don't know how, don't worry, someone will tell you how if it looks as if that's where the problem lies.
Be polite!!! Though you may be frustrated and annoyed by your video problems, there are several reasons to moderate your tone when posting:
The most experienced and knowledgeable helpers are often long-time Matrox users, who don't take kindly to gratuitous insults aimed at the company, or themselves. Don't forget, you are asking for help....
You never know who you might be talking to. Many of the forum regulars are IT professionals, professional computer developers, and experienced computer sales and support staff. People who solve these problems for a living rightfully expect to have their advice listened to and followed, not to be insulted or laughed at...it's always wise to check a member's profile before directing a response to them, especially if you disagree with their suggestion.
A FURTHER NOTE: Several Matrox employees regularly post to these forums in their own time in order to assist users with technical problems. The most notable of these are Haig, manager of tech support, and J.B. Matrox Tech, who's a Matrox Tech. Again, this is an additional service that they perform personally, rather than a Matrox-sponsored activity. That said, however, if you need to be certain that Haig or J.B. themselves see and respond to your post, please use their name in the subject line of your new thread. Don't abuse this privilege, please....!
ALSO: A number of MURC-ers are also beta-testers for unreleased Matrox driver software. These members are unable to disclose certain things, but often have a more thorough knowledge of problems and possible solutions than other users. The known "beta-boyz" (or "beta-bios") are:
Kruzin
Joel (also known as "Father Joel")
Maggi
ALBPM
Hellmut
Greebe
SteveC
Zwisch
Rags
Elie
Dr Mordrid
.....and several others who have not openly admitted their status.
DON'T
Expect the MURC forums to take the place of Matrox Customer Service, or Matrox Technical Support. Despite the fact that many users are closely associated with the company, the MURC is not part of Matrox Graphics, Inc., and communications intended for them cannot be assured of reaching them through posting to our forums.
Post a comment with nothing but rants and curses on your video card and its manufacturer. We've all had problems or issues with Matrox at one point or another, but the general feeling of the forum members remains strongly positive towards the company. Your post will not be well received if it consists solely of "Matrox Sux!!", unless, of course, it's in The Soap Box.
Insult people gratuitously on the following grounds:
their spelling or their command of English. English is not the first language of many forum members. If there is a barrier to understanding, certainly ask about that. However, belittling people because they don't have perfect English is strongly discouraged.
their lack of technical or industry knowledge. Some of us are professionals, some of us think our CD-ROM drive is a "retractable cup holder"... but sometimes we all run into a problem we can't solve ourselves. Be kind.
their choice of video cards. Many members have multiple machines, and multiple video cards. Nearly all have strong opinions, whether pro- or anti-Matrox. You naturally have every right to state your opinion, and the reasons for it... but again, an insulting post consisting of "You're an idiot to have that crap XXXX card," does nothing but clog up the forums for no purpose. Try to avoid this.
On the technical side... no javascript, please... if you're going to use HTML or UBB code in your post, please make sure all your tags are correct and closed (a short UBB primer is available via the faq link on any forum page, or via the UBB code links in the 'Reply To Topic' page)... double posts can be removed through the edit function, please do so... you can use emoticons (smileys) through UBB code as well, they go a long way towards understanding each other.. make sure links work before posting them... make sure images exist on the specified server before posting them... please check your posts immediately after submitting them and edit, if necessary.
The MURC forums are a helpful, fun, and eccentric place. It is often helpful to lurk for a while, or read a couple of weeks/months of back posts to get a sense of how the forums operate... it may be eccentric, but it is consistent. Remember that we're here to help, out of the kindness of our hearts and our desire to see everyone with a Matrox card able to utilize all its benefits, and you'll be fine.
Welcome in!
P.S. no camping
P.P.S. Cheeses contain living organisms that must not be cut off from air, yet it is important not to let a cheese dry out.
P.P.P.S Posting of Warez or Adult only content (including gif's and jpg's) will not be tolerated
Welcome to the MURC forums!
The M(atrox) U(sers) R(esource) C(enter) ("the MURC") forums are a little bit different from other forums you may have visited, so let us take this opportunity to guide you in how to get the most from them
First of all, this is a user-to-user technical support forum, dedicated to Matrox Graphics videocard products. That is important for a few reasons:
The MURC is not owned, operated or sponsored by Matrox Graphics, Inc. So if you have a problem, question or complaint that needs to be answered by Matrox, call, write or e-mail Matrox themselves. The MURC does have a relationship with Matrox (more on that later), but in no way does it replace the traditional methods of technical or customer support.
The MURC forums are first and foremost devoted to technical support, not reviews, hardware discussions, or lounging/chat. Please keep this in mind when posting.
As owners of Matrtox hardware, we've already decided which videocard is the "best", insofar as we've spent our money on a Matrox card. Debating the merits of other brands of video card over Matrox cards is strongly discouraged, and will likely result in fireballs aimed at your tender parts... Please keep such discussions to the The Soap Box.
Some "Do's" and "Don't's" when asking for assistance:
DO
Search the forums for previous threads related to your question.The solutions MURC-ers have found to known conflicts have been posted many times. The answers you're looking for may already be documented.
Post to the right forum. Each of the forums has a specific focus, clearly listed on the main forums page. Posting to the forum that deals with the area of your question helps the people who know most about it to find your question easily, and answer it sooner.
Include your system specifications in your original post, along with as many details of your problem as possible. By "system specifications", we mean: brand and model number of your motherboard, if known; brand, model and speed of your CPU, listing of all other cards and peripherals in your case, if known. Many people put this information in their signature (".sig", use the 'profile' link to edit this), to minimize typing.
Be sure to have installed the latest BIOS upgrade for your motherboard and video card, and the latest drivers for your video card. The purpose of driver and BIOS upgrades is to solve the compatibility problems users run into.
If you're a SS7 user (Super Socket 7, using a K6-2, K6-3 or Cyrix/IBM MII CPU), you should make sure you have the latest system drivers from VIA Technologies, Inc. or Acer Laboratories, Inc. (ALi).
If you're using Windows 95, and have either an AGP slot, or a K6-2 350 (or both), you may need the USB Supplement for Windows 95 OSR2, or the Windows 95 Update for AMD-K6®-2/350
For other BIOS and or driver upgrades, try these sites:
Matrox Graphics
MURC News Centre
Motherboard HomeWorld - Motherboards.org
Welcome to WinFiles.com! The best 32-bit Shareware, Drivers, Tips, and Information on the Internet!
Driver Guide
and naturally, for OS patches, there's always the Microsoft Download Center....
If you can, check your IRQ settings and post those as well. If you don't know how, don't worry, someone will tell you how if it looks as if that's where the problem lies.
Be polite!!! Though you may be frustrated and annoyed by your video problems, there are several reasons to moderate your tone when posting:
The most experienced and knowledgeable helpers are often long-time Matrox users, who don't take kindly to gratuitous insults aimed at the company, or themselves. Don't forget, you are asking for help....
You never know who you might be talking to. Many of the forum regulars are IT professionals, professional computer developers, and experienced computer sales and support staff. People who solve these problems for a living rightfully expect to have their advice listened to and followed, not to be insulted or laughed at...it's always wise to check a member's profile before directing a response to them, especially if you disagree with their suggestion.
A FURTHER NOTE: Several Matrox employees regularly post to these forums in their own time in order to assist users with technical problems. The most notable of these are Haig, manager of tech support, and J.B. Matrox Tech, who's a Matrox Tech. Again, this is an additional service that they perform personally, rather than a Matrox-sponsored activity. That said, however, if you need to be certain that Haig or J.B. themselves see and respond to your post, please use their name in the subject line of your new thread. Don't abuse this privilege, please....!
ALSO: A number of MURC-ers are also beta-testers for unreleased Matrox driver software. These members are unable to disclose certain things, but often have a more thorough knowledge of problems and possible solutions than other users. The known "beta-boyz" (or "beta-bios") are:
Kruzin
Joel (also known as "Father Joel")
Maggi
ALBPM
Hellmut
Greebe
SteveC
Zwisch
Rags
Elie
Dr Mordrid
.....and several others who have not openly admitted their status.
DON'T
Expect the MURC forums to take the place of Matrox Customer Service, or Matrox Technical Support. Despite the fact that many users are closely associated with the company, the MURC is not part of Matrox Graphics, Inc., and communications intended for them cannot be assured of reaching them through posting to our forums.
Post a comment with nothing but rants and curses on your video card and its manufacturer. We've all had problems or issues with Matrox at one point or another, but the general feeling of the forum members remains strongly positive towards the company. Your post will not be well received if it consists solely of "Matrox Sux!!", unless, of course, it's in The Soap Box.
Insult people gratuitously on the following grounds:
their spelling or their command of English. English is not the first language of many forum members. If there is a barrier to understanding, certainly ask about that. However, belittling people because they don't have perfect English is strongly discouraged.
their lack of technical or industry knowledge. Some of us are professionals, some of us think our CD-ROM drive is a "retractable cup holder"... but sometimes we all run into a problem we can't solve ourselves. Be kind.
their choice of video cards. Many members have multiple machines, and multiple video cards. Nearly all have strong opinions, whether pro- or anti-Matrox. You naturally have every right to state your opinion, and the reasons for it... but again, an insulting post consisting of "You're an idiot to have that crap XXXX card," does nothing but clog up the forums for no purpose. Try to avoid this.
On the technical side... no javascript, please... if you're going to use HTML or UBB code in your post, please make sure all your tags are correct and closed (a short UBB primer is available via the faq link on any forum page, or via the UBB code links in the 'Reply To Topic' page)... double posts can be removed through the edit function, please do so... you can use emoticons (smileys) through UBB code as well, they go a long way towards understanding each other.. make sure links work before posting them... make sure images exist on the specified server before posting them... please check your posts immediately after submitting them and edit, if necessary.
The MURC forums are a helpful, fun, and eccentric place. It is often helpful to lurk for a while, or read a couple of weeks/months of back posts to get a sense of how the forums operate... it may be eccentric, but it is consistent. Remember that we're here to help, out of the kindness of our hearts and our desire to see everyone with a Matrox card able to utilize all its benefits, and you'll be fine.
Welcome in!
P.S. no camping
P.P.S. Cheeses contain living organisms that must not be cut off from air, yet it is important not to let a cheese dry out.
P.P.P.S Posting of Warez or Adult only content (including gif's and jpg's) will not be tolerated
). What I ask of the moderators is that they keep their forum on topic as much as possible, transfer threads to a more appropriate forum if necessary and let me know if any trouble appears. I do not demand that they suddenly change into a different person when they become moderators I take 'em warts and all 
Just because someone is a moderator does not mean you should expect them to be angelic, not answer back or flame back when they get flamed. I do ask that they behave ina way befitting the general community spirit that we have here.
Comment