Aztech VGS3D-AGP User manual

VGS3D-AGP GRAPHICS
2D/3D ACCELERATED CARD
Users Manual
Version 1.1

VGS3D-AGP GRAPHICS CARD USER'SMANUAL
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©Copyright
The software described in this manual is protected by international copyright laws. Under this copyright law, you
are prohibited from duplicating the software for any purpose other than making archival copies for the sole
purpose of backing-up against loss.
In addition, no part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval systems, for any purpose other
than the purchasers personal use, without the prior written permission of Aztech Systems Ltd.
 PentiumII is a registered trademark of Intel Corp.
 Microsoft, Windows and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
 Savage3D is a registered trademark of S3 Inc.
 All other company or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks or service marks of their
respective owners and are hereby recognized as such.
Disclaimer Statement
Aztech Systems Ltd specifically disclaims all warranties, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to
implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to the hardware, software,
and the accompanying written materials. Aztech Systems Ltd reserves the right to revise or make improvements to
its product at any time and without obligation to notify any person of such revisions or improvements.
In no event shall Aztech Systems Ltd be liable for any consequential or incidental damages, including any loss of
business profits or any other commercial damages, arising out of the use of its product.
P/N: 040-112309-111

VGS3D-AGP GRAPHICS CARD USER'SMANUAL
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Table of Contents
Setting up Your Graphics Card -----------------------------------
1.1 Minimum System Requirements-----------------------------------
1.2 Safety Precaution ------------------------------------------------------
1.3 Installation Notes ------------------------------------------------------
1.4 Installation Procedure ------------------------------------------------
1.5 Upgrading Windows® 95 OSR2.0 to OSR2.1 ---------------
1.6 Upgrading Windows NT® 4.0 with Service Pack 3 ----------
1.7 Installing the Graphics Card ----------------------------------------
1.8 Connecting the Graphics Card-------------------------------------
Installing the Graphics Card Drivers ----------------------------
2.1 Installing the Drivers in Windows® 95 ---------------------------
2.2 Installing the Drivers in Windows® 98 ---------------------------
2.3 Installing DirectX 6.0 in Windows® 95/98 ------------------
2.4 Installing the Drivers in Windows NT® 4.0 --------------------
Testing the Graphics Card in Windows® 95/98 ------------
Adjusting the Graphics Card's Display Properties ----------
Frequently Asked Questions --------------------------------------
Technical Specifications---------------------------------------------
Card Layout ------------------------------------------------------------

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Setting up Your Graphics Card
Congratulations on your purchase of the VGS3D-AGP Graphics 2D/3D
Accelerated Card!
Based on the Savage3D chipset from S3 Inc., the VGS3D-AGP's powerful
and well-balanced 2D/3D graphics accelerator features high end capabilities
such as z-buffering, alpha blending, perspective correction and sophisticated
Tri-linear filtering. All these help to deliver the ultimate PC graphics
performance in today's graphics-intensive applications and games.
1.1 Minimum System Requirements
 PC-based computer with PentiumII®processor.
 AGP Bus slot.
 10MB hard disk space (system files and drivers only).
 CD-ROM drive.
 Windows®95 OSR 2.1, Windows®98 or Windows NT® 4.0 with Service
Pack 3.
 USB upgrade supplement if you are running Windows®95 OSR 2.0.
 Windows NT® Service Pack 3 or later if you are running Windows NT®
4.0.

CHAPTER 1  SETTING UP YOUR GRAPHICS CARD
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1.2 Safety Precaution
 Do not remove your graphics card from its protective bag until you are
ready to install it.
 Always try to hold your graphics card by its edges. Avoid touching any
electronic components on your graphics card.
 Static electricity can cause permanent damage to your graphics card. To
prevent such damage, you must ground yourself while installing the
card. You can do this in either of two ways :
» Use a grounding strap, which is a coiled wire with a clip at one
end and an elastic strap at the other. Wear the strap around your
wrist and attach the clip to any non-painted metal surface of the
computers chassis.
» If you do not have a grounding strap, touch any non-painted
surface of the computer's chassis before you begin installation, and
again every minute or so until the installation is completed.
1.3 Installation Notes
 Computers vary in appearance and layout. Therefore, the installation
procedures in this chapter apply generally and you should compare the
illustrations here with your computer before you start the graphics card
installation.
 A Philips-type screwdriver is required for the graphics card installation.
 Your computers documentation should come in handy during the
graphics card installation. Have it ready by your side when you start
the graphics card installation.
 If you have an existing graphics card (that is non-Plug-and-Play-based)
installed in your computer, you must first un-install its drivers before
you remove the graphics card. Refer to your existing graphics card
documentation for more details on this.

CHAPTER 1  SETTING UP YOUR GRAPHICS CARD
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1.4 Installation Procedure
To take advantage of all the features of the AGP graphics card,
please check that your system has Windows®95 OSR2.1 or later
versions and DirectX 6.0 installed. If you are running Windows
NT®4.0, make sure that it has been upgraded with Service Pack 3.
The following Installation Procedure is recommended:
1. If you are running Windows®95 OSR 2.0, upgrade it to Windows®95 OSR
2.1. If you are running Windows NT®4.0, upgrade it with Service Pack 3.
2. Install the graphics card.
3. Install the graphics card drivers from the Installation CD.
4. Install DirectX 6 (for Windows®95/98 only).
5. Set the colour palette from the Display Properties, Settings tab to 16-
bit or higher in order to reveal the S3 Gamma tab.
1a.
1b.
Windows
95 OSR2.1 or above?
Windows NT 4.0 upgraded
with Service
Pack 3?
®
®
2.
Install Graphics Card
3. Ins tall Grap hics C ar d Drive rs
4. Install DirectX6 (for Windows 95/98)
®
5. Set colour palette to 16-bit colour or higher
a.
b.
Upgrade OSR2.0
to OSR2.1
Upgrade with
Service Pack
No
Ye s

CHAPTER 1  SETTING UP YOUR GRAPHICS CARD
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1.5 Upgrading Windows®95 OSR2.0 to OSR2.1
To upgrade from OSR2.0 to OSR2.1, first make sure you have OSR2.0
installed. By installing the USB upgrade, Windows®95 OSR2.0 will be
upgraded to OSR2.1.
1.6 Upgrading Windows NT®4.0 with Service Pack 3
If you are using Windows®NT Service Pack 1 or 2, upgrade to Service Pack
3 before installing the card.
1.7 Installing the Graphics Card
You need to remove any existing graphics card installed in your
computer. Note that if the graphics card is non-plug-and-play-based,
you need to un-install it's drivers before you remove it. Check your
existing graphics card documentation for details on this.
Remember to switch off your computer and any connected
devices before starting with the installation of your graphics card.
1. Remove your computers
chassis cover and set it aside,
somewhere out of your way.

CHAPTER 1  SETTING UP YOUR GRAPHICS CARD
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Graphics Card
Mounting Screw
AGP Bus Slot
Cover Plate
2. Remove the cover plate
of the AGP Bus slot.
Keep the mounting
screw to secure your
graphics card later.
3. Align your graphics
card with the AGP Bus
slot and firmly push it
into the slot. If the card
cannot be slide in, do
not force it. Make sure
the graphics card is
lined up properly and
try again.

CHAPTER 1  SETTING UP YOUR GRAPHICS CARD
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4. Secure your graphics card
to the computer chassis
with a mounting screw.
5. Replace your computers
chassis cover.

CHAPTER 1  SETTING UP YOUR GRAPHICS CARD
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AGP Graphics
Card
VGA Port
1.8 Connecting the Graphics Card
1. Plug your standard 15-pin male monitor cable into the VGA port.

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Installing the Graphics Card Drivers
To take advantage of all the features of the AGP graphics card, please check that
your system has Windows®95 OSR2.1 or later versions and DirectX 6.0
installed. If you are running Windows NT®4.0, make sure that it has been
upgraded with Service Pack 3 or later.
2.1 Installing the Drivers in Windows®95
1. Turn on your computer to start Windows®95. Windows®95 will detect
the newly-installed graphics card and an Update Device Driver Wizard
window will appear. Place the Installation Disk on the CD-ROM drive
and click Next.

CHAPTER 2  INSTALLING THE GRAPHICS CARD DRIVERS
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2. Allow the system to search for an updated driver and click Finish to
use the driver found.
3. When prompted to restart the system, click Yes to restart. This is to
ensure that the new graphics settings take effect.

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4. After restarting, a program folder called "VGS3D-AGP Information" will
be created. It provides a link to the User's Manual, a list of FAQs and
the Readme.txt file. In order to read the User's Manual, Acrobat Reader
is required. Install Acrobat Reader first if you do not have the program.
5. From the Start button on the taskbar, click Settings and choose Control
Panel. Double-click the Display icon. Three tabs (S3 Gamma,
S3dometer and S3 Refresh) are added to the Display Properties window.
If you do not see the S3 Gamma tab, click the Settings tab and change
the Colour Palette to 16-bit or higher. Refer to the chapter on Adjusting
the Graphics Card's Display Properties for more details.
Please proceed to install DirectX 6.0.

CHAPTER 2  INSTALLING THE GRAPHICS CARD DRIVERS
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2.2 Installing the Drivers in Windows®98
1. Turn on your computer to start Windows®98. Windows®98 detects the
newly-installed graphics card. Click Next to continue.
2. Place the Installation Disk into the CD-ROM drive.
3. Select the Search for the best driver for your device. (Recommended)
option and click Next to continue.

CHAPTER 2  INSTALLING THE GRAPHICS CARD DRIVERS
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4. Enable the CD-ROM drive selection to direct Windows to search for the
drivers on the installation disk. Click Next to continue.
5. Windows will prompt that it is ready to install the drivers. Click Next
and then Finish to complete the installation of the drivers.

CHAPTER 2  INSTALLING THE GRAPHICS CARD DRIVERS
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6. When prompted to restart the system, click Yes. This is to ensure that
the new graphics settings take effect.
7. After restarting, a program folder called "VGS3D-AGP Information" will
be created. It provides a link to the User's Manual, a list of FAQs and
the Readme.txt file. In order to read the User's Manual, Acrobat Reader
is required. Install Acrobat Reader first if you do not have the program.

CHAPTER 2  INSTALLING THE GRAPHICS CARD DRIVERS
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8. From the Start button on the taskbar, click Settings and choose Control
Panel. Double-click the Display icon. Select the Settings tab and make
sure that the Colour Palette is set to 16-bit or higher. Click the
Advanced... button. Three tabs (S3 Gamma, S3dometer and S3 Refresh)
are added to the Display Properties window.
Refer to the chapter on Adjusting the Graphics Card's Display Properties
for more details.
Please proceed to install DirectX 6.0.

CHAPTER 2  INSTALLING THE GRAPHICS CARD DRIVERS
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2.3 Installing DirectX 6.0 in Windows®95/98
1. Place the Installation Disk onto the CD-ROM drive.
2. In Windows®95/98, click the Start button and then Run.
3. In the text box, type "D:\Directx6\directx\dxsetup.exe" (where D is the
letter of your CD-ROM drive) and click OK.
4. A DirectX(R) Setup window appears. Make sure that under Options,
Direct-3D Hardware Acceleration Enabled is checked. Click Reinstall
DirectX.
5. Follow all on-screen instructions to complete the installation of DirectX.
Please proceed to the next chapter on testing the card.
2.4 Installing the Drivers in Windows NT®4.0
1. Start Windows NT® 4.0.
2. Place the Installation Disk in the CD-ROM drive.
3. From the Windows NT®taskbar, click the Start button and then select
Settings, Control Panel.
4. Double-click the Display icon.
5. Click the Settings tab and then click the Display Type button.
6. Click the Change button and a Change Properties window appears.
7. Place the Installation Disk into the CD-ROM drive and click Have
Disk. The system will locate the driver.
8. Click OK twice to finish the installation of the drivers.

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Testing the Graphics Card in
Windows®95/98
1. From the Windows®95/98 taskbar, click the Start button and then select
Settings and Control Panel.
2. Double-click the System icon.
3. A System Properties window appears. Click the Device Manager tab.
4. Double-click on the Display adapters to reveal the VGS3D-AGP
graphics card. Double-click on it.
5. A VGS3D-AGP Properties window appears. Under the General tab,
check that the Device Status has the message: "This device is working
properly". This means that your graphics card had been installed
properly.

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2. Click the S3dometer tab.
The S3dometer allows the user
to choose whether to automate
tasks such as DirectX 6 texture
compression, trilinear filtering
and flip buffers.
You can also specify how much
memory the system should use
for AGP.
Adjusting the Graphics Card's
Display Properties
When the drivers have been successfully installed, you can change the display
resolution, color and other settings. Other than the information in this Easy
Start, more details can be obtained by clicking on the button at the top-
right of the Display Properties window and then clicking on the section
you wish to know more about.
1. Double-click the Display icon from the Control Panel. The Display
Properties window appears.