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PCPro3.xx

DirectX compatable Display drivers.

Understanding the workings of the display for PCPro3 is more complicated than it was for earlier versions. Firstly only Winodws3.x modes are now controlled by !PCConfig. Available DOS and Windows 3.x modes are as before except that memory for VESA modes is allocated dynamically at start-up.
Once Windows95/98 has been run then the display settings are controlled by Windows itself and all !PCconfig settings are ignored. However in both cases you need the correct Monitor Definition File (MDF) for the monitor connected in RiscOS.

The only known problems are under the following conditions.

Non-Acorn badge Monitor with poor MDF files or using RiscOS Auto setting.
Using a Windows Monitor Setting. other than one of the standard SVGA settings.
Not using the Aleph One DirectX display adapter when DirectX is required.
Not using a DirectX driver version 5 or 6 when required.

To rectify try the following.

Load the VGA display adapter.
Go to the Control Panel's 'System' and select the "Device Manager"
Remove all display adapters (except the VGA)
Remove all monitor settings
Shut down and restart windows.
Load the standard ARMDRV or 256 DirectX display driver
Select a monitor file and following the instructions headed Windows Monitor Setting below.
Load DirectX version 5 or 6 if required.

If you still have problems because you have a non-Acorn monitor you may be able to use one of the Acorn MDF files.

WARNINGS

There is the possibility of changing the color depth higher than the Desktop area should allow. If RiscOS can not cope with the colour depth or resolution settings then the PC will give an error and default to VGA. You can always use the RiscOS Monitor on the icon bar to see what settings should be allowed. Do not select a Resolution higher than RiscOS Monitor can be set to and do not select any Windows monitor setting not listed in the "Standard monitor types" even if you do have that monitor type fitted. See Windows Monitor Setting below.

The reason is simple. Other monitor settings will have a mode that the RiscOS MDF file has not listed and thus will cause error messages. It should default to VGA but sometimes it will freeze and could cause give more serious problems.

Also look at the Memory Configuration relating to PCPro3.xx's Display.

PCPro 2.xx

Windows driver ARMDRV

This version of ARMDRV 2.16 Display Adaptor fixes a problem with clipping on RLE-encoded DIBs (device independent bitmaps).

This particularly affected 'Perfect Plants' CD, and probably others by Macmillan Interactive Publishing.

Note Various problems remain: Slow 32K colour icon rendering, white -> green (eg pointer) in 32K multitask, wrong animation background colour in 32K, only 16 backdrop colours restored after DOS box in 256 colour modes, missing Hebrew text in Win95, VESA2 DirectX support and Basic Raster Capabilities.

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Windows Driver Installation PCPro2.xx only

You need to installation under Windows.

Windows 3.xx

1) Start Windows go to "Windows" and down to Select "Main" and then Select "Windows Setup".
2) Select "Options", "change System Settings" and "Display"
3) Scan down list and Select "Other Display (Requires disc from OEM)"
4) Delete A:\ and type C:\DRIVERS\WINDOWS\WIN3
5) Follow any on-screen instructions (You may need disc 2 of your Windows 3.xx set at this point).
6) Close Windows and restart for changes to take effect.

Windows 95/98

(There are several versions of Win95 a,b,c and different Win98 Beta versions thus not all the buttons are as stated)

1) Go to My Computer and Control Panel.
2) Select "Display" > "Settings" > "Change Display Type"
3) "Change" "Adapter Type" (Do not change monitor type) Select "Have Disk"
4) Delete A:\ and type C:\Drivers\Windows\Win95 and Select "OK".
5) Should find "Aleph One configurable ARM driver" Select "OK".
6) Select "Close" then "Apply" then you will have to restart and select "Yes".

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Trouble Shooting

System.ini file information PCPro2.xx only

Trouble shooting can start by viewing your SYSTEM.INI file.

Correct: ARMDRV Installed with 20th July 95 OEMSETUP.INF

[boot]
386grabber=vga30.3gr
display.drv=armdrv.drv

[boot.description]
display.drv=Configurable ARM Driver (4,8,16,32 bpp)

[386Enh]
display=vddvga30.386

Works:
Caused by either: VGA installed then changed to ARMDRV manually
or: VGA installed then changed to ARMDRV using 1996 OEMSETUP.INF
This only works on !PC v2.00 or later.

[boot]
386grabber=vga.3gr
display.drv=armdrv.drv

[boot.description] display.drv=Configurable ARM Driver (4,8,16,32 bpp)

[386Enh]
display=*vddvga

Incorrect: Causes 'Incorrect System version' when running DOS box.
This results from installing VGA (version 3.0) then upgrading to ARMDRV with 1996 OEMSETUP.INF

[boot]
386grabber=vga30.3gr
display.drv=armdrv.drv

[boot.description]
display.drv=Configurable ARM Driver (4,8,16,32 bpp)

[386Enh]
display=*vddvga

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Monitor Definition File.

Modefile written by !MakeModes version 0.27 (21st December 1994)

If windows 95 goes into a multitasking window when the startup banner is displayed then add this definition to your existing RiscOS MDF file to prevent it. The MDF files are found in the !Boot.Resources.Configure.Monitors directory.

# 320 x 400 (71Hz)
startmode
mode_name:320 x 400
x_res:320
y_res:400
pixel_rate:12750
h_timings:24,32,2,320,28,0
v_timings:3,28,0,400,0,9
sync_pol:3
endmode

If your PC card automatically changes from single task to multi task mode, then this means that there is not a suitable mode defined in the MDF.

You could go to the following sites which contain collections of Monitor Definition Files.
Carlos Michael Santillán's RISC OS Site
Foggy's Monitor Definition File Page
The Acorn Cybervillage - Monitor Definition Files

Saving the display by using the Menu options will give you the mode size. You can then use !MakeModes to create a new mode or look for a similar mode that already exists within the MDF. Copy that definition within the same MDF file and make minor changes to the copied section. This is not an easy task but a new mode definition is what you need to stop it continually going into multitask display.

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Windows Monitor Setting.

In the past Aleph One has always told users that they should have no monitor settings set within Windows95 or 98.

With the introduction of PCPro3 we have found that there is an advantage to having a monitor setting even for PCPro2 as long as you follow the guidelines below.

In RiscOS select on the Monitor icon on the icon bar to get a monitor config window for the monitor and MDF file you are using. Select the Resolution window menu button and take a note of the highest square-pixel Resolution at the bottom of the menu. Above the dotted line are not square-pixel and should be ignored.

On the PC side, run up Windows95 or 98's Control Panel Display. What you select next depends on the Windows version you are using. Basically you want to change the monitor to one of the Super VGA "Standard monitor types" with the same Resolution as noted from RiscOS.

After you have changed the monitor setting you should find that when in the Display Settings the Desktop Area slider will not allow you to have a pixel resolution that the monitor is incapable of displaying.

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