From: kgermann@zeos.com (Ken Germann)
Subject: Speedstar 24 FAQ from ZEOS
Organization: Zeos International, Ltd
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 15:31:49 GMT
Summary:  Questions & Answers on the Speedstar 24x VGA Card

The latest edition to the FAQ is the drivers and steps to get the Speedstar
24X to work under Autocad 11 and 12. An FAQ on ZEOS specific systems will be
compiled on our New Local Bus System, The Upgradable EISA, and Pocket PC. 
These FAQ's on ZEOS specific products will be posted to biz.zeos.general,
and our list server. We could expand the posting to comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
and comp.sys.palmtops given the demand. There would be no marketing information
posted.

Ken


                      Diamond Speedstar 24X
                    Frequently Asked Questions

                         November 17, 1992
                             Rev 1.7

This is the first revision of an FAQ on the Speedstar 24X
card. The driving force behind wanting to compile the FAQ revolves
around the fact that ZEOS now carries the Speedstar 24X card as
part of its product line. This FAQ will be available on ZEOS'
list server under the FAQ archive. Send 'get FAQ speedstar24X.faq'
to listserv@zeos.com if you or someone else you know missed the
posting of this FAQ. Commands to the list server must be in the
body of the message. The list server will ignore any comments in
the subject heading. Anyone wanting to contribute to ZEOS'
archive of FAQs may send mail to postmaster@zeos.com. Diamond can
be reached on America Online, CIS, and GeNIE. Telephone numbers
for Diamond are 408-736-2000 voice, and 408-730-5750 fax.


1>  What is a Diamond Speedstar 24X VGA Graphics Adapter?
2>  How fast is the Speedstar 24X?
3>  Will is support Windows 3.x and AutoCAD?
4>  What drivers are included with the Speedstar 24X?
5>  Does the Speedstar 24X support VESA?
6>  What resolutions and video modes are supported by the
    Speedstar 24X?
7>  What type of computer should I use my Speedstar 24X card with?
8>  What type of connectors are supported by the Speedstar 24X?
9>  What type of RAM is used on the Speedstar 24X?
10> Will the Speedstar 24X be supported by OS/2? When?

11> Will the Speedstar 24X be supported by X/Windows / Open
    Desktop?

12> What needs to be done to make QEMM work with the Speedstar 24X?

13> What chip set is being used for the Speedstar 24X?

14> What procedures need to be followed to provide support
    for the Speedstar 24x and future Diamond video cards
    in an application that I am writing? 

15> How do I tell if I have a Speedstar 24X?

16> What happens if I get an error message "This is not a 
    Diamond Speedstar Adapter?"

17> Can I actually display 16.7 million colors on my screen?

18> Software will not run with the Speedstar 24X drivers

19> How do I get the latest drivers for the Speedstar 24X?

20> My Speedstar 24X lost synchronization when I run graphics 
    applications.

21> I booted up my PC, and nothing happens, I do not get video.
    The Speedstar 24X seems to boot up ( I get the blue sign on 
    message on the screen) then the system hangs.

22> When I boot the computer the display is not black. It is a 
    different color, such as blue. 

23> How do I run the 24XMODE utility for a monitor not listed in
    the pulldown menu?

24> Do I have to run through the 24XMODE utility each time I want to 
    run my custom monitor?

25> My graphics screen shifts to one side after I have set it up 
    properly with the 24XMODE utility program. After selecting my
    monitor type from those that are listed in the 24XMODE utility
    program and run Windows shifts to one side.

26> I am using a high resolution multi-frequency monitor. The vertical
    refresh rate is set for 1024x768 at 70Hz. When going into Windows 
    or other graphics applications, my display shrinks quite a bit on
    the screen size.

27> My screen flickers in graphics modes.

28> Does Windows really support 24 bit color?

29> When I start Windows it goes back to the DOS prompt.

30> When I drag my mouse in Windows I get "mouse trails" on my screen.

31> When I run Windows the screen shrinks considerably, leaving a wide
    black around the edge of the screen.

32> After installing the Windows 3.X drivers and choosing a 1024x768 
   resolution, I boot up Windows and get returned to the DOS prompt.

33> When running AutoCAD R11, with the P386 driver configured for video
    display, I get an error message which says "Cannot load ADI P386 Display
    Driver".

34> Why can't I find the latest Panacea AutoCAD DLD drivers on your BBS.

35> My network card does not work with the Speedstar 24X.

36> What drivers are needed to support Autocad 11 and 12?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1> What is a Diamond Speedstar 24 X VGA Graphics Adapater?

        The Diamond Speedstar 24X Graphics Adapter offers
high-speed VGA performance, 24-bit true color support, and
graphics processor technology. This combination speeds up Windows
3.X, AutoCAD, and other graphics applications up to 15 times
faster than Super VGA cards. The Speedstar 24X supports 16
million colors for photo-realistic images and comes with high
resolution drivers for up to 1280x1024 with 16 colors and
1024x768 with 256 colors.


2> How Fast is the Speedstar 24X?

DRAM processor technology and bit block transfer accelerate the
performance of Windows and other GUI applications by up to 15
times that of standard VGA using inexpensive DRAM. It even
outperforms many costly VRAM based accelerator cards. The
Speedstar 24X card scored a 10.5 Winmarks on Winbench 2.5 and
Direct to Screen Test (PC BENCH 5.5) score of .71 from PC
Magazine.

3> Will it support Windows 3.x and AutoCAD?

Turbo Windows drivers are included to enhance Windows performance
by up to 300%. Advanced AutoCAD Display List drivers developed by
Panacea, Inc., includes full support for AutoShade 2.x and 3D
Studio. The AutoCAD drivers included with the Speedstar 24X
supports the Birds Eye view.

4> What drivers are included with the Speedstar 24X?

Drivers are included for many popular packages, including Word
Perfect, Word, Cadvance, Generic CADD, PCAD, VersaVAD, and
Lotus 1-2-3 for DOS.

5> Does the Speedstar 24X card support the VESA standards?

Provides 100% register and BIOS level compatibility with Super
VGA and conforms to VESA graphics standards. Provides a 72Hz
refresh rates and full compliance with VESA graphics mode
extensions.

6> What resolutions and video modes are supported by the Speedstar 24X card?

Resolution.      Max Color              Horizontal      Vertical
                                        Timing (Khz)    Timing (Hz)

1280x1024           16                  49.0             43.5 I
1280x960            16                  49.0             43.5 I

1024x768            256                 58.1             72.0 NI
1024x768            256                 56.5             70.0 NI
1024x768            256                 48.3             60.0 NI
1024x768            256                 35.5             43.0 I

800x600          32,768                 37.8             60.0 NI
800x600          32,768                 35.1             56.0 NI
800x600             256                 48.1             72.0 NI
800x600             256                 37.8             60.0 NI
800x600             256                 35.1             56.0 NI

640x480         16.7 Million            31.5             60.0 NI
640x480          32,768                 37.8             72.0 NI
640x480          32,768                 31.5             60.0 NI
640x480             256                 37.8             72.0 NI
640x480             256                 31.5             60.0 NI


7> What type of computer should I use my Speedstar 24X card with?

386 or 486 compatibile machines only.

8> What type of connectors are supported by the Speedstar 24X?

IBM VGA standard DB-15 pin female. VESA compatible 26 pin feature
connector.

9> What type of RAM is used for the Speedstar 24X?

1MB DRAM Standard.

10> Will OS/2 2.0 be supported by the Speedstar 24X card?

OS/2 drivers will be released shortly after IBM releases the 32
bit graphics engine for OS/2 in October.

11> Will the Speedstar 24X support X/Windows?

Developer kits for all of Diamond's products are being assembled
as you read this. Please contact Jeff Orr at Diamond for more 
information on the driver developer kits. They can be reached at
408-734-2000 voice, 408-730-5750 fax.  There will be a forum on 
Compuserve coming on-line for Diamond in the near future. 

SCO has released support for the Stealth Card under Open Desktop
1.x and 2.x. This has been released as an EFS. Please contact SCO
at support@sco.com for more information on the Extended Graphics
Adapter support.  

12> What needs to be done to make QEMM work with the Speedstar 24X
    under Windows 3.X?

	In the config.sys change the QEMM line :

	DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM X=B000-BFFF 

	Windows insert into the SYSTEM.INI under the 386 Enh section :

	SystemROMBreakpoint=false

13> What chip set is being used for the Speedstar 24X?

Diamond uses the WD9031 graphics accelerator chip set from 
Western Digital and a Diamond DAC for the high color support.

14> What procedures need to be followed to provide support
    for the Speedstar 24x and future Diamond video cards
    in an application that I am writing? 


Diamond requires a non-disclosure agreement for source code on how to
program our programmable clock.  This information would not be available
to companies or individuals who publish the source to drivers that
include our source code or features created by Diamond.  They are
welcome to create and distribute files in object form as long as NO
tools to uncompile this object is provided by the author. Please
contact Diamond at the telephone number provided earlier in this FAQ.

15> How do I tell if I have a Speedstar 24X?

You can determine if you have a Speedstar 24X by looking at the upper left
hand corner of the card. "Speedstar 24X" should be printed in that location.
Using the diagram of the board, in the manual, in chapter 1 for reference.

16> What happens if I get an error message "This is not a 
    Diamond Speedstar Adapter?"

You may be using the stealth option in QEMM (ST:M or ST:F). You will need
to remove this option or add the line XST=C000 after the stealth option.
You should exclude A000-C7FF from the memory manager (X=A000-C7FF).


17> Can I actually display 16.7 million colors on my screen?

No. In order to do that, your display would have to consist of over 16.7 
million pixels. That is, your display resolution would have to support at 
least 4096x4096 (compare that with today's standard 1024x768 monitor).
The 16.7 million colors will allow you to pick more colors from different
color palettes to make a more natural looking picture.


18> Software will not run with the Speedstar 24X drivers

-> Try running the software in standard VGA.

-> Remove any TSRs from your system.

19> How do I get the latest drivers for the Speedstar 24X?
 
Connect to Diamond's BBS, 408-730-1100 to download them or call
the 408-736-2000.

20> My Speedstar 24X lost synchronization when I run graphics 
    applications.

Make sure that the monitor timings are set correctly using the 
24XMODE utility.

21> When I boot the computer the display is not black. It is a 
    different color, such as blue. 

Check the monitor connections to make sure there aren't any 
bent pins going from the monitor cable to the VGA connector
on the back of the Speedstar 24X card.

22> How do I run the 24XMODE utility for a monitor not listed in
    the pulldown menu?

You will need to select the CUSTOM option and select the monitor
timings that match your monitor.

23> Do I have to run through the 24XMODE utility each time I want to 
    run my custom monitor?

Once you have set the monitor timings using the 24XMODE utility, 24XMODE
saves the monitor timings. You can insert a "24XMODE MONITOR" in your
autoexec.bat. Make sure that the 24XMODE utility is in the root directory
or in your DOS PATH.


24> My graphics screen shifts to one side after I have set it up 
    properly with the 24XMODE utility program. After selecting my
    monitor type from those that are listed in the 24XMODE utility
    program and run Windows shifts to one side.

Make sure that the screen centering is set in the 24XMODE utility. Some
monitors do not have the logic to keep the screen centered when switching
video modes. You will need to manually adjust the monitor when this happens.


25> I am using a high resolution multi-frequency monitor. The vertical
    refresh rate is set for 1024x768 at 70Hz. When going into Windows 
    or other graphics applications, my display shrinks quite a bit on
    the screen size.

Use a slower vertical refresh rate.

26> My screen flickers in graphics modes.

Check to make sure that the monitor timings in 24XMODE match the specifications
for your monitor.

27> Does Windows really support 24 bit color?

Windows 3.X can. Windows is set up to operate with 20 colors, but video
drivers can extend the color capabilities. The Speedstar 24X Windows
drivers will display 24 bit color in Windows 3.X program that are
true color capable.

28> When I start Windows it goes back to the DOS prompt.

Check your config.sys file for a memory manager like QEMM or 386 to the
MAX. If you are using 386MAX you will need to edit the 386MAX.PRO file
in your 386MAX directory. Find the line that reads "VGASWAP" and place
a semicolon at the begining of the line. If you are using QEMM, you will
need to add a X=A000-C7FF to the DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS line.
 

39> When I drag my mouse in Windows I get "mouse trails" on my screen.

Remove the jumper block from JP1. If the problem persists, 
remove the jumper block from JP4.

Check the mouse driver to make sure it is the most current mous driver
available and make sure that you are using the mouse driver that matches
the type of mouse you are using.

30> When I run Windows the screen shrinks considerably, leaving a wide
    black around the edge of the screen.

The Speedstar 24X will output consistent signals to conform to the VESA
specifications. This includes "flicker free" refresh rates of 70 or
72 Hz. The screen shrinking problem tends to be most common amond 14
and 15 inch monitors that use automatic resizing to adjust the screen.
Use a lower refresh rate when this occurs.

31> After installing the Windows 3.X drivers and choosing a 1024x768 
   resolution, I boot up Windows and get returned to the DOS prompt.

The 8514 fonts did not properly install for the 1024x768. Try
running set up from the DOS prompt in your Windows directory.
Choose the 1024x768 resolution again.

You may have had another graphics card installed before the 24X. 
You should re-install Windows 3.X. Make sure to save your group,
PROGMAN.INI and CONTROL.INI files 

md c:\save
cd \windows
copy progman.ini c:\save
copy control.ini c:\save
copy *.grp c:\save

Re-install windows.

cd \save
copy *.ini c:\windows
copy *.grp c;\windows

This should save you a couple of hours of frustration.


32> When running AutoCAD R11, with the P386 driver configured for video
    display, I get an error message which says "Cannot load ADI P386 Display
    Driver".

Exit AutoCAD. At the DOS prompt, enter SET <Enter>. If the four lines
needed for AutoCAD to locate the driver are not present, change to the
\SS24\ADI41 and execute FASTACAD.

33> Why can't I find the latest Panacea AutoCAD DLD drivers on your BBS.

These drivers are specially designed for DIAMOND and can't be distributed
on their BBS. They are included with the Speedstar 24X card.

34> My network card does not work with the Speedstar 24X.

You may have a memory address conflict or an IRQ 2 conflict. You can 
remove the jumper block from the IRQ 2 jumper. This will free up 
IRQ2. 

36> What drivers are needed to support Autocad 11 and 12?

The dates of the correct drivers for Autocad 11 and 12 are listed below.
This is the complete directory listing from the Panacea DLD386Delux-VGA
drivers diskette. The installation guide and suggestions follow.

DLDSETUP HLP     17687 09-11-92   4:29p
READ     ME       3065 09-24-92   8:02a
COLOR256 EXE     30911 09-11-92   4:14p
TURBODLD EXP    389797 09-15-92   2:36p
COLOR16  EXE     32911 09-11-92   3:54p
DLDSETUP EXE     28230 09-11-92   4:35p
INSTALL  BAT       705 09-11-92   4:25p
DLDCOLOR HLP      4552 06-28-91  12:00a
FASTACAD BAT       100 10-28-92   8:14a
DLDSETUP DAT       408 10-28-92   8:15a
DLXBUTTN DAT       302 10-28-92   8:14a
DLXMENUS DAT      1015 10-28-92   8:15a
DLDCOLOR DAT      1170 10-28-92   8:14a
       13 file(s)     510853 bytes
                      699904 bytes free

Copyright (c) 1990-92  Panacea Inc. - All Rights Reserved

Important:
==========

Please take a moment and call Panacea at 800-729-7420 to register your
copy of DLD386Deluxe-VGA. We will keep you informed of new updates, upgrades,
and new products as they become available. Registered users of 
Panacea products receive substantial discounts on all new products.

This version of DLD386Deluxe-VGA only supports the Diamond SpeedStar 24X
VGA board. Support for any other EGA, VGA, 8514/A, S3, TIGA, or XGA board 
can be obtained directly from Panacea Inc. Call 800-729-7420 for details.


Installation:
=============
Type "INSTALL C:\DLX386" at the DOS prompt to install DLD386Deluxe-VGA
into C:\DLX386.


Configuring AutoCAD
===================

Remember, in order to use DLD386Deluxe-VGA, you must configure AutoCAD 
to use a P386 ADI display driver. This is done by selecting 
item #5 "Configure AutoCAD" from main menu, then select #3 
"Configure Video Display", and then select #1 "P386 ADI".


AutoCAD Release 12 Support
==========================

This driver supports AutoCAD Release 12. However, because this driver is
an ADI 4.1 driver, it will not support AVE Render. You cannot render to
a viewport with R12. In addition, long button clicks are not supported 
under R12.

You have to perform a few steps by hand to run with R12.

        1. In the directory you installed the DLD software,

                copy dldvga.exp rcpana.exp
                copy dldvg256.exp rcpana1.exp

        2. Edit the FASTACAD.BAT file which DLDSETUP produced, and replace
           all three occurrences of DLDVGA.EXP with RCPANA.EXP or replace
           DLDVG256.EXP with RCPANA1.EXP.

        3. Add the directory you installed the DLD software to your
           ACADDRV environment variable.

           For example,

           set ACADDRV=c:\acad\drv;c:\dld386;

           This example assumes that R12 is installed in C:\ACAD and 
           DLD386Deluxe-VGA is installed in C:\DLD386.


New Commands
============

Many new commands are now available. Just type "dldhelp" at any AutoCAD
prompt for a brief summary.


Sierra HiColor Support
======================

This driver now supports renderings in the WD90C31's 32K color modes.


Remember!
==========

Please remember to fill out and return the registration card so
we can keep you informed of updates and other new offerings, as
well as send free updates during the 120-day free update period.


         Questions, comments, etc., can be addressed to:

                         Panacea Inc.
                      Post Office Square
                     24 Orchard View Drive
               Londonderry, New Hampshire 03053
                                
          Voice: (603) 437-5022   Fax: (603) 434-2461

-- 
Ken Germann              ZZZZ EEEE  OO   SSS    ZEOS International, Ltd.  
support@zeos.com   INET     Z E    O  O S       Technical Support Dept.
uunet!zeos!support UUCP    Z  EE   O  O  SS     530 5th Ave N.W.
                  VOICE   Z   E    O  O    S    St. Paul, MN 55112
#include <disclaimer.h>  ZZZZ EEEE  OO  SSS     
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware