Windows 95 CD-ROM Display.txt File

 Last reviewed: March 17, 1998
Article ID: Q135483
95 WINDOWS kbreadme

The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 95

SUMMARY

This article contains a copy of the information in the Display.txt file from the Windows 95 CD-ROM. Setup copies this file to the Windows folder.

MORE INFORMATION

             Microsoft Windows 95 README for Displays
                             August 1995


             (c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1995
This document provides complementary or late-breaking information to supplement the Microsoft Windows 95 documentation.

How to Use This Document

To view Display.txt on screen in Notepad, maximize the Notepad window.

To print Display.txt, open it in Notepad or another word processor, and then use the Print command on the File menu.

CONTENTS

DISPLAY ADAPTERS AND MONITORS Windows Driver Library (WDL) Adapter Type Monitor Type Refresh Rates Correcting Display Problems Cursor Colors PCI Display Adapters IRQ Conflicts with PCI Display Adapters Avance Logic Display Adapters Diamond Stealth and Speedstar 64/Pro Diamond Viper S3 Display Adapters ATI Mach8/32/64 Number Nine Imagine 128 Hercules Graphite, Boca Vortek, Orchid Celsius (IIT AGX) Chips and Technologies IBM ThinkPad Matrox MGA Trident Display Adapters Video Logic 928Movie Western Digital SPEA Adapters Appian Renegade

Compaq Presario with Cirrus Logic

DISPLAY ADAPTERS AND MONITORS

Windows Driver Library (WDL)

Windows 95 includes drivers for most display adapters. To obtain additional or updated drivers, carry out the following procedure.

  1. If do not have access to a modem, obtain a floppy disk that contains the driver by calling Microsoft Product Support Services. Then proceed to step 4.

    If you have the Windows 95 CD-ROM, some are available in the \Drivers\Display folder. If the driver you need is in that folder, proceed to step 4.

  2. If you have a modem, download the driver to a floppy disk from one of the following online services. 

       Service                            Location of drivers
   -------                            -------------------
   The Microsoft Network              Windows 95 area
   World Wide Web                     http://www.microsoft.com
   Gopher                             gopher://gopher.microsoft.com
   FTP                                ftp://ftp.microsoft.com
   Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)  In the United States, call
                                      (425) 936-6735. Outside
                                      the U.S., contact your local
                                      Microsoft subsidiary.

  3. In My Computer or Windows Explorer, double-click the icon for the floppy disk drive that contains the file you downloaded, and then double-click the file itself. This extracts the driver.

  4. Using your right mouse button, click the Windows 95 desktop, and then click Properties.

  5. Click the Settings tab, and then click Change Display Type.

  6. In the Adapter Type area, click Change, and then click Have Disk.

  7. Click Browse, and then locate the file you extracted in step 3. If you have the Windows 95 CD-ROM, locate the driver on the CD-ROM.

  8. Click OK in the Open dialog box and in the Install From Disk dialog box.

NOTE: The drivers are available at no charge; however, standard connect-time fees and long-distance telephone charges, if any, apply.

Adapter Type

Windows 95 Setup configures your adapter type based on the type of controller it uses; for example, S3, Cirrus Logic, or ATI. However, you may find a more exact match for your adapter make and model in Display properties. To change your adapter type, open Display properties, click the Settings tab, and then click Change Display Type. In the Adapter Type area, click Change.

In most cases, selecting a more precise adapter type does not change the driver or its behavior in any way.

Monitor Type

If Windows 95 does not contain your exact monitor type, select one of the standard display types instead. This will not adversely affect the performance or quality of Windows 95 display output.

Refresh Rates

Selecting your monitor type in Windows 95 Display properties does not affect the refresh rate used by your display adapter. To adjust the refresh rate, you must specify your monitor type in the adapter setup program supplied by your display adapter or PC manufacturer. Some utilities must be included in your Autoexec.bat file. On some PCs, monitor type is set in BIOS configuration programs. Examples of utilities from adapter manufacturers include: 

  ATI                   Install.exe
  Cirrus Logic          Montype.exe, Clmode.exe
  Diamond Stealth       Stlmode.exe
  Diamond Stealth 64    S64mode.exe, go95.exe
  Matrox                \Mga\Setup\Setup.exe
  Tseng Labs            Vmode.exe
  Western Digital       Vgamode.exe
You may be able to obtain updated drivers that set the refresh rate based on the selected monitor type from adapter vendors or from the Windows Driver Library.

Correcting Display Problems

In general, you can correct many display-related problems by clicking the Graphics button on the Performance tab in System properties. Drag the slider in this dialog box and experiment with different settings before you revert to 640x480 16-color mode to work around a problem.

In particular, if you have problems with "see through" dialogs, or if graphic elements remain on your screen after you close a menu or dialog box, move the slider down one notch to "Most accelerator functions". This symptom can occur even on non-accelerated adapters.

NOTE: Adobe Type Manager (ATM) is not compatible with the "None" setting in this dialog box. If Windows does not start due to this problem, restart Windows, and then press F8 when "Starting Windows 95" appears on your screen. Press 3 to start Windows in Safe Mode. Then change graphics acceleration to a different setting.

Color Cursors

Color cursors require a Windows 95 display driver running at 256 or more colors. They are not supported for ATI mach8 display adapters.

If Windows 95 is not using 32-bit disk access, cursors will not animate. You can check this setting in System properties on the Performance tab.

PCI Display Adapters

Your screen resolution may revert to 640x480 when Setup starts Windows 95 for the first time. Resolution should return to your usual settings in subsequent sessions.

IRQ Conflicts with PCI Display Adapters

If your PCI display adapter is configured by your BIOS to use IRQ 15 and a functioning secondary PCI IDE disk controller is also configured to use IRQ 15 (by default), Windows 95 assigns IRQ 15 to the IDE disk controller. This forces your display adapter to use VGA mode.

To load the accelerated Windows 95 driver for your display adapter, you must eliminate the resource conflict. One of the following methods should work for you:

- Obtain a BIOS upgrade from your hardware vendor. - If your BIOS supports it, disable the secondary PCI IDE controller 

  in the BIOS and on the Device Manager tab in System properties.
- If your BIOS supports it, disable the IRQ of the display adapter. - If your BIOS supports it, manually reconfigure the display adapter 
  to use a different IRQ setting.

Avance Logic Display Adapters

A Windows 95 driver for Avance Logic 2301 adapters (for example, the Hercules Stingray adapter) is available on the Windows 95 CD-ROM in the \Drivers\Display\Avance folder.

The driver is also available in the Windows Driver Library. For more information, see the Windows Driver Library section earlier in this file.

Diamond Stealth and SpeedStar 64/Pro

If you have the Windows 95 CD-ROM, enhanced drivers for these adapters are available in the \Drivers\Display\Diamond folder. These enhanced drivers enable you to set refresh rate based on the monitor type selected in Display properties. For more information about how to install these drivers, see the Readme.txt file.

These drivers are also available in the Windows Driver Library. For more information, see the Windows Driver Library section earlier in this file.

Diamond Viper

Windows 95 does not have a built-in driver for Diamond Viper adapters. However, if you install Windows 95 in the directory that contains your Windows 3.x files, Setup will preserve and use the drivers that are already there. If you install Windows 95 in a different directory, Setup will install the VGA driver.

If you have the Windows 95 CD-ROM, a Windows 95 driver for Diamond Viper VLB and PCI adapters (Weitek P9000 based) is available in the \Drivers\Display\Diamond folder. For more information about how to install these drivers, see the Readme.txt file.

These drivers are also available in the Windows Driver Library. For more information, see the Windows Driver Library section earlier in this file.

S3 Display Adapters

S3 adapters conflict with COM4 ports and modems. If you have modem problems using this configuration, change your modem to a different COM port. Or open System properties in Control Panel, click the Performance tab, click Graphics, and then drag the slider to None.

You can correct certain S3 display problems by adding one of the following lines to the [Display] section of your System.ini file, which is located in the folder that contains your Windows 95 files.

For problems with line and shape outline appearance, add: 

  Polygon=0
For color problems with "High Color (16 bit)," add: 
  HighColor=15
For color problems with "True Color (24 bit)," add: 
  TrueColor=24
NOTE: The Windows 95 S3 driver supports 24-bit mode only at a resolution of 640 x 480.

ATI Mach8/32/64

Windows 95 cannot use high-resolution modes properly unless your adapter is configured correctly using the ATI Install.exe program.

Choosing the correct setting for your monitor type is especially important. Otherwise, high-resolution modes may not be available, or your computer may stop responding when it attempts to switch to them.

If your computer occasionally stops responding on PCI mach32 or mach64 adapters, try adding the line "outengine=0" to the [display] section of your System.ini file. The file is located in the folder that contains your Windows 95 files. If this does not work, try adding "VAD=1" in the same location. This switch disables linear framebuffer mode, which can cause problems on some computers.

Number Nine Imagine 128

A driver for this adapter is available from the Windows Driver Library. Windows 95 will install and use the Cirrus Logic driver for these adapters by default--limiting the maximum display settings to 800x600, 256 colors. For more information, see the Windows Driver Library section earlier in this file.

Hercules Graphite, Boca Vortek, Orchid Celsius (IIT AGX)

The Windows 95 Setup program does not automatically install the driver for these adapters and other adapters that use the IIT AGX controller. To manually change to the correct display type, open Display properties in Control Panel, click the Settings tab, and then click Change Display Type.

This will install the correct driver files, and enable you to select 256-color, 16-bit color, and high-resolution modes.

Chips and Technologies This driver is not installed by default on some laptop computers, including the Zenith 433. To manually install the correct driver, open Display properties in Control Panel, click the Settings tab, and then click Change Display Type.

IBM ThinkPad

To run resolutions above 640x480, you must configure your ThinkPad correctly. Check the ThinkPad utilities supplied by IBM; these are usually located on the Start menu.

Some older ThinkPad models require that the Ibmvesa.com driver be loaded by your Autoexec.bat file during startup for 256-color modes to work.

If you have a ThinkPad 755cx, open Display properties, click the Settings tab, and then click Change Display Type. Change your display type from "Western Digital" to "IBM ThinkPad 755cx." This will allow the built-in panel to display 800x600 modes and may correct some cursor-related problems.

Matrox MGA

For proper operation, your adapter and monitor settings must be correct in the Matrox setup utility, which is usually located on your hard disk in the \Mga\Setup folder. If your computer stops responding during startup, it may be caused by a conflict with a network adapter.

If you encounter text problems--for example, incorrect or "garbage" characters--try adding "FontCache=OFF" to the [mga.drv] section of your System.ini file, which is located in the folder that contains your Windows 95 files.

Trident Display Adapters

If you have the Windows 95 CD-ROM, an enhanced driver for Trident Super VGA and accelerator adapters is available in the \Drivers\Display\Trident folder.

This driver is also available in the Windows Driver Library. For more information, see the Windows Driver Library section earlier in this file.

Video Logic 928Movie

For 16-bit color modes to work correctly, make sure your display adapter type is set to "Video Logic 928Movie" in Display properties.

Western Digital

On some laptop computers, the mouse pointer may change to a wide band of colored dots when you switch from a command prompt or MS-DOS-based program. To correct this problem, carry out the following procedure.

  1. Click the Start button, and then point to Settings.
2. Click Control Panel, and then double-click the System icon. 3. Click the Performance tab, and then click Graphics. 4. Drag the slider to the left one notch.

SPEA Adapters

On some SPEA adapters that use an S3 controller, your Autoexec.bat file must load a VESA TSR (for example, V7mepvbe.exe) for the Windows 95 S3 driver to work.

Appian Renegade

Windows 95 Setup installs the VGA driver for this adapter. You can use Windows 3.1 Renegade drivers with Windows 95, but you must turn off the Device Bitmaps option so the drivers will operate properly.

Compaq Presario with Cirrus Logic

If your Compaq Presario uses the Windows 95 Cirrus Logic driver and is unable to use screen resolutions higher than 640x480, check your Autoexec.bat file for a line similar to the following:

c:\windows\vgautil\clmode.exe t640=60 t800=0 t1024=0 t1280=0

This line indicates that 800x600, 1024x768, and 1280x1024 resolutions are disabled because their refresh rates are set to 0. Only 640x480, 60 Hz is enabled. If your monitor supports higher resolutions, carry out the following procedure (do not modify your Autoexec.bat file directly).

  1. Click the Start button, and then click Shut Down.
2. Click Restart The Computer, and then click Yes. 3. When the text "Starting Windows 95" appears, press and release 
   the F8 key.
4. Select Command Prompt Only, and then press ENTER. 5. At the command prompt, type the following: 

   c:\windows\vgautil\clmode

  • Use the Clmode program to configure your monitor type appropriately. 7. Quit the Clmode program, and then restart your computer.

    • KBCategory: kbreadme
    KBSubcategory: win95
    Additional reference words: 95
    Keywords : win95 kbreadme
    Version : 95
    Platform : WINDOWS

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    Last reviewed: March 17, 1998
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