-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thursday, April 23, 1998 12:28 AM
Subject: [PCBUILD] S3 Virge DX 4 MB W95 (defects)


>        Hi.
>
>        On a MMX200 overclocked to 3x83 with W95-OSR2, OS/2 and Linux,
with video
>based on a S3 Virge DX chip upgraded to 4 MB, with a 17" monitor, I am
having
>video defects (similar to random pixels) on normal windows
opening/closing when
>using the high video resolutions, such as:
>        -Mouse cursor turns into a big ugly square. The cursor point is
the
>upper left corner.
>        -Random spots over min/max/close windows buttons (upper right).
>        -Random spots on the desktop (such as a wide horizontal line).
>        -Random spots on the Start button and the taskbar.
>        -Icons misarranged opening windows.
>
cut
>
>        Anyone familiar with above symptoms? TIA, Javier Vizcaino.
>
>

Javier,

I had the same problem with an S3 Virge DX, 4MB. I tried clean installs
of Win95 and 98 Beta, various drivers, re-assigning Com ports, different
monitors and other BIOS setup configurations (assign IRQ, video BIOS
shadow and cachable). I even tried to return the card to the dealer and
was told that there was no problem with the card and that it was
probably my system.

The problem was most apparent at 800x600 24-bit True Color. The only
solution I found was to go to Control Panel/System/Performance/Graphics
and move the slider down to "basic accelerator fuctions."

Around the middle of last year I found two articles in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base that might be of interest.

"Troubeshooting Video Problems in Windows 95"
ARTICLE ID: Q127139
95 WINDOWS kbdisplay kbtshoot kbhw kbfaq
This explains how the slider modifies the WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files;
for example: Basic functions adds "SafeMode=1" to WIN.INI. MS recommends
starting at the Full setting and working your way down until the problem
goes away and you must restart after any changes. S3 compatible drivers
are mentioned alot in this section.

"S3 Video Driver Conflicts with COM4"
ARTICLE ID: Q127138
This was a recent topic of discussion in PCBUILD. If you have a modem on
COM4 this may be a conflict. The article says older S3 cards "decode the
x2E8 address range incorrectly with the I/O address mapping performed in
Windows 95." MS recommends: changing the port your modem is using, use
Windows 3.1x S3 drivers (it doesn't work), change video resolution and
adjusting the accelerator slider.

I hope this info can be of some help,
Michael.