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Text File | 1994-11-08 | 17.8 KB | 412 lines

miro Computer Products AG November 8, 1994 Current Information =========================== General information: To use a miroCRYSTAL/miroMAGIC/miroRAINBOW 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 (spec. with an EISA graphics board and an Adaptec EISA busmaster SCSI controller 1742) or if the monitor select program does not detect the installed graphics board, these are computer- specific problems. To solve these problems, activate ROM shadowing for the Video BIOS, using the motherboard 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. For all multiscreen and miroTWINFACE configurations ROM shadowing HAS to be activated for the Video BIOS. In a multiscreen or miroTWINFACE configuration with a high resolution VESA local bus (VLB) graphics board and another ISA or EISA graphics board, the VLB board has to be configured as first board by setting the jumper. This is not true for a multiscreen or miroTWINFACE configuration with a miroVGA or a miroCRYSTAL 8S/ISA. In a multiscreen or miroTWINFACE configuration the warm start with the key combination <CTRL> <ALT> <DEL> may not work. In this case use the reset key (cold start). 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. When copying the disks, you have to keep the following order: first miroWIN Disk 2 and then miroWIN Disk 1 When using a miroCRYSTAL 8S you should consider whether you prefer an extremely high vertical scan frequency or a high processing speed. As a compromise, select a 64 kHz monitor. The resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels with 256 colors is then realized with 75 Hz. This is due to the fact that the miroCRYSTAL 8S is equipped with DRAMs. If you installed a Windows network version, there may occur problems resulting from the configuration. The miro software has to be installed at the work place. The installation program has to be able to copy drivers, applications, and configuration files to the local Windows directory of the computer at the work place. In addition, it is neccesary that the local files SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, CONTROL.INI and MWINTOOL.GRP can be created/overwritten. With the help of the monitor-select- program each work place is adapted to its individual equipment by entering specific data in the OCTO.MON and the three *.INI files mentioned above. If you exchange your old graphics board by a miroCRYSTAL / miroMAGIC / miroRAINBOW graphics board or if you exchange one miro board by the other, you should reconfigure Windows for VGA. In doing so, you avoid that a wrong driver runs on your new graphics board when starting Windows and that your system crashes. Install the driver for the new board in the VGA mode. If the call for the OCTOINI program is still in your AUTOEXEC.BAT from a previous installation, you may delete this call. Installation under Norton Desktop: If you use the Norton Desktop instead of the Microsoft Program Manager, the miroWINTOOLS group (MWINTOOL.GRP) which the installation program generates may not be integrated in the Norton Desktop. To avoid this, start the Program Manager (PROGMAN.EXE) as a symbol before starting the installation program or integrate this group manually in the Norton "Quick Access" group after the installation. To do so, open the drive window containing the Windows directory and the "Quick Access" window and drag the MWINTOOL.GRP file from the drive directory window to the "Quick Access" window. Also refer to your Norton desktop manual. Information on Windows: At the 640 x 480 resolution do not select the option "TV overscan" with miroSUPERSCREEN. If the icons in one of your program groups are black (or you get an error message concerning this), there are too many icons in this group. Split this group up into smaller ones. This is due to Windows and occurs with 65k/16.7 mill color drivers. If key commands are not accepted after switching to the MS-DOS prompt, press the <ALT> key. Then, Windows checks the state of this key and the following key commands will be accepted. In some cases lines remain on the desktop. To avoid this, enter VXPBLT=1 in the SYSTEM.INI file under [928.drv]. In exceptional cases additional expansion boards may cause that the graphics driver does not function properly. For example network problems, problems with modems or a sticky mouse cursor. In these cases enter the line FIFO=1 under [928.drv] in the SYSTEM.INI file. In the SYSTEM.INI file in the [386Enh] section, you can add EMMEXclude=A000-FFFF. Then, the whole adapter address range is excluded from the scanning of free memory blocks. miroSCOPE has to be closed before calling the MS DOS prompt. If you don't do so, you can not switch from the full-screen to the windowed mode by entering <ALT>+<RETURN>. It is not possible to use an high resolution mode in the dos-box. To achieve optimal performance under MS Video for Windows, change the driver parameters in the WIN.INI file in the [drawdib] section to "5,0,0,0" for 8 Bit "5,5,5,5" for 15 Bit "5,5,5,5" for 16 Bit "5,0,5,5" for 24 Bit Some applikations like PC Paintbrush 1.0 CCAM IRON HELIX Quick Time Picture Viewer use not Windows komform bitmaphandling. In these cases the bitmaps look chopped. Please add under [928.drv] in the SYSTEM.INI file the line DDBCACHE=0 For the 1600x1200x8 Bit resolution the standard systemcolors are 24. If in some applikations may occur wrong colors, please delete under [928.drv] in the SYSTEM.INI file the line SYSCOLORS=24 Do not use miroSCREEN ADJUST with fixedfrequenzy monitors. Please do not change the adjustments too far, because this can destroy your monitor. It is not recommended to use the miroSCREEN-Adjust tool together with a fixed-frequency monitor. If you change the image size, the video mode might not comply with the monitor┤s characteristics. Do not change the monitor┤s size and position in a way that the settings differ too much from the default setting, because then your monitor might be damaged. When the message "This is no miro driver" appears, no suitable miro graphics driver is active. miroPINBOARD does not support any resolution with 16 colors and any TrueColor for 1 MB miro graphics boards. 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: ½0╗ and ½1╗, 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 ½0 V╗ (no current = 0) and ½5 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 ½zero╗ (0) and ½one╗ (1). The character ½E╗ has the ~ ASCII code ½01000101╗ or ½45h╗ (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 ½link╗ 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 ½graphical╗ 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 ½hard╗, 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 ½understands╗ 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 ½K╗ (kilo) is always equal to ½1024╗. 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 ½volatile╗ 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.