Chip 1997 April (Special)/Chip-Special_1997-04_cd.bin/miro/vid40sve/vid40sve.arj/README.ENG

Text File | 1995-07-27 | 12.5 KB | 306 lines

    Installation miroCAD Disk für miroCRYSTAL
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miro Computer Products AG                          JULY 27, 1995
                    Current Information
                ===========================

General information:

        To use a miroVIDEO 20SD/20SV/40SV graphics board the 02E8h
        address must not be used. This address is used by COM3, COM4,
        and gameport expansions, and by some network boards. In addition,
        you have to deactivate the VGA on your motherboard (if there
        is a VGA).

        If the computer does not boot correctly or if the monitor
        select program does not detect the installed graphics board,
        these are computerspecific problems. To solve these problems,
        activate ROM shadowing for the Video BIOS, using the mother-
        board BIOS setup or the corresponding Memory Manager option.
        For MS DOS 6.0 change the CONFIG.SYS file in the following
        way:
        DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE ... ROM=C000-C800 ...
        Please also refer to your computer's manual or to the
        MS DOS 6.0 manual.

Information on the installation

        If you have problems to install from diskette you can also
        copy them into a directory on your hard disk.Then, assign a
        drive letter to this directory with the SUBST command. Please
        refer to the MS DOS manual.

Information on the miroGTI driver for AutoCAD:

        When regenerating faulty drawings it may happen that the MS-DOS
        prompt is not visible.Then, press <Return> several times.

Information on the miroGTI driver for AutoCAD 13 Windows:

        When rendering a drawing with AutoCADs build in renderer in
        a multiple viewport configuration, the renderer will render to the
        wrong viewport. If you have rendered to all viewports, everything
        will work normal.

Information on the MicroStation PC driver:

        When choosing "MicroStation" during install time, two different
        sets of drivers for MicroStation V4.0 and V5.0 will be copied
        to your system.

        Select the device driver "Board 1" for the monitor that displays
        DOS textmode.

        If your configurations features two graphics boards or a graphics-
        board with a daughterboard (i.e. you have two monitors attached
        to your system), you should select the device driver "Board 1" for
        the monitor that displays DOS textmode and the driver "Board 2" for
        the second monitor.

        The driver for MicroStation V5.0 does support all the resolution/
        colordepth combinations selectable in "miromat.exe".


Glossary
========

This glossary contains the most important concepts from the field of
computer hardware. Cross-references are marked by this symbol ~.

Address
All memory positions in a computer have numbers (addresses). Through these
addresses each memory position can be addressed directly. Some addresses are
reserved for certain ~ hardware components and must not be used. If two
hardware components use the same address, there is an address conflict.

ANSI
American National Standards Institute. ANSI character set (~ Font): used by
Microsoft Windows and Windows applications. The character assignation only
differs slightly from the assignation of the ~ ASCII character set.

ASCII
American Standards Committee of Information Interchange. ASCII character set
(~ Font): standard character set used by IBM and compatible computers.
The ASCII character set consists of 256 characters, the first 128 of which
are standardized.

AUTOEXEC.BAT
A special DOS ~ batch file which is processed automatically after the
computer has been started. The file contains among other things commands
which load the country-specific keyboard driver (~ Driver), set the time or
load programs automatically.

Batch file
A ~ DOS file where a sequence of commands is processed one after the other.

BIOS
Basic Input Output System. Number of basic input and output commands stored
in a ~ ROM, PROM or EPROM. The ~ operating system uses these commands.
The basic task of the BIOS is to control the data input and output. After
starting the system the ROM BIOS performs some tests (checking the
~ interfaces, the disk drives, etc.).

Bit
Binary Digit. Smallest information unit in a computer. One bit can take on
two states: «0» and «1», two bits can take on two to the second power=
four states and three bits two to the third power =eight, etc. In a computer
those states are realized by «0 V» (no current = 0) and «5 V» (current = 1).
To display a character (letter, number etc.), 8 bits = 1 ~ byte are required.

Bus
In a computer, busses provide for the communication between the ~ processor
and the installed hardware (hard disk, graphics board, etc.). Depending on
the bus width, the bus transfers a different amount of information. An 8-bit
bus can transfer 8 ~ bits (= ~ byte = one character) at a time.

Byte
One byte consists of eight ~ bits. One byte represents exactly one character
(letter, number etc.). The characters are binary-coded with «zero» (0) and
«one» (1). The character «E» has the ~ ASCII code «01000101» or «45h»
(hexadecimal).

CGA
Color Graphics Adapter (IBM). Graphics board which displays four colors in
the graphics mode.

Clock frequency
Rate at which individual commands are processed in a processor. The higher
the ~ clock frequency, the quicker the commands are processed.

CLUT
Color Look Up Table. Color table which contains all indexed color values.

Color depth
Number of ~ bits used to represent the color information for each ~ pixel.
At a black and white display 1 bit color depth displays two to the first
power=two colors. At a color depth of 8 bits two to the 8th power=256 colors
are available and at 24 bits two to the 24th power=16,277,216 (~ TrueColor)
colors are available.

CONFIG.SYS
A ~ DOS configuration file which is processed automatically when the system
starts. The CONFIG.SYS file includes ~ drivers which control the output to
the monitor and the keyboard and the mouse.

DIP switch
Dual Inline Package switch. A row of small switches designed to make certain
hardware presettings.

DOS
Disk Operating System. The most common ~ operating system for PCs (Personal
Computer). MS DOS is the Microsoft version of DOS.

Driver
Programs which integrate the hardware (e.g. driver for a CD-ROM drive) in
the computer and which adapt the software to the hardware (e.g. driver for
a graphical user interface, such as Microsoft Windows). The software then
uses the features of the graphics board.

EGA
Enhanced Graphics Adapter (IBM), graphics board which displays 16 colors
in the graphics mode.

EISA bus
Extended Industry Standard Architecture. 32-bit bus: The EISA bus can
transfer an amount of data of 33 ~ MB per second at a ~ clock frequency
of 8.33 MHz.

Fixed-frequency monitor
Monitor operating at a very small frequency range (~ multifrequency monitor).

Font
Character set in a certain type, size and style, e.g.
Times New Roman 11, normal; Times New Roman 11, italics;
Times New Roman 11, bold; Times New Roman 11, bold, italics.

Graphics board
Graphics boards are the «link» between the computer and the monitor. Without
a graphics board no image appears on the screen. Graphics boards operate
in two modes: the text mode and the graphics mode. In the text mode only
~ ASCII characters are displayed. The ASCII character set includes some
simple «graphical» characters to display simple graphics. The graphics mode
uses individual ~ pixels. The more pixels are available (the higher the
~ resolution) the more detailed characters and graphics can be displayed.

Hardware
The hardware includes all computer components which are «hard», such as
the monitor, the hard disk, the keyboard, the mouse and the printer.

HGC
Hercules Graphics Card, monochrome (black and white) graphics board.

Horizontal scan rate
Number of horizontal scans of the electron beam per second required to
create a new line. The higher the ~ resolution the higher the required
horizontal scan rate.

Interface
Link between two parts of a system or between two systems where information,
pulses and signals are adapted in a way that the receiving part can
understand the sending part. For example, signals which the computer sends
to the printer have to be adapted by an interface so that the printer
«understands» what it has to print.

Interlaced
Image refreshing technique: the screen is subdivided into lines. When
refreshing the image first all even lines and then all odd lines are
refreshed.

ISA bus
International Standard Architecture. 16-bit bus which transfers 8 ~ MB of
data per second at a ~ clock frequency of 8 MHz.

Jumper
Jumpers can set up or interrupt electrical leads. To establish electrical
leads with a jumper, the jumper has to be mounted, to interrupt the lead
the jumper has to be removed.

KB
1 KB (Kilobyte) is equal to 1024 ~ bytes. Here «K» (kilo) is always equal
to «1024».

MB
1 MB (Megabyte) equals 1024 ~ KB.

MDA
Monochrome Display Adapter. Monochrome (black and white) graphics board.

Multifrequency monitor
A multifrequency monitor adapts itself automatically to different
frequencies supplied by the graphics board (~ fixed-frequency monitor) and
can display different ~ resolutions.

Operating system
The operating system provides for the communication between ~ hardware,
~ software and the user. The tasks of the operating system are among others
the file and the program management.

Parallel interface
The parallel or Centronics ~ interface transfers data through an 8-bit data
line. This means that 8 ~ bits (1 ~ byte) can be transferred at a time.
The transfer through the parallel interface is considerably faster than
the transfer through the ~ serial interface, over long distances the
parallel data transfer is, however, more susceptible to interference.
Parallel interfaces are designated by LPT and a number (e.g. LPT1).

PCI Local Bus
Peripheral Component Interconnect. Local Bus concept by IBM: 32-bit bus,
a PCI bus can transfer 132 MB per second at a ~ clock frequency of 33 MHz.

Pixel
Picture element. Pixels are the smallest elements of a monitor image
(~ resolution).

RAM
Random Access Memory. An RAM is a read-write memory component from which
data can be read and to which data can be written any time. The computer
memory is equipped with RAM components. The memory is a so-called «volatile»
memory meaning that the memory contents are removed as soon as the computer
is switched off.

Refresh rate
Also vertical scan rate. Number of image refreshes per second measured in
Hertz (Hz). The higher the vertical scan rate the less flicker.

Resolution
Number of ~ horizontal and vertical pixels. 1408 x 1024 means that
1408 horizontal pixels and 1024 vertical pixels are displayed on
the monitor. The higher the resolution the more details the monitor
can display.

ROM
Read Only Memory. A ROM is a memory component which can only be read but
which cannot be modified. The ROM's contents remain in the component also
after the computer has been switched off. All functions which have to be
available immidiately after switching the computer on, e.g. the data for
the system test, the character output on the screen, etc. are stored
in ROM components. There are also PROMs (Programmable ROM) EPROMs (Erasable
PROM) and EEPROMs (Electric EPROM).

Serial interface
Also RS232. The serial interface transfers data through a data line bit
by bit (all ~ bits of a ~ byte one after the other). The serial data
transfer is considerably slower than the transfer through the ~ parallel
interface but it is less susceptible to interference. Serial interfaces
are designated by COM and a number (e.g. COM1).

Software
General term for all programs a computer can run (system programs,
application programs, ~ drivers etc.) and files.

TrueColor
16.7 million colors can be displayed at a time (~ color depth).

VESA
Video Electronic Standards Association. Committee founded in 1988 in
the USA which establishes common standards for the computer technology.

VESA Local Bus
Bus concept defined by the ~ VESA committee: 32-bit bus operating at
a ~ clock frequency of up to 50 MHz. At a clock frequency of 33 MHz
the VL bus transfers up to 132 ~ MB per second.

VGA
Video Graphics Array (IBM), graphics board which displays 256 colors in
the graphics mode.