miro Computer Products AG Dezember 12, 1994
Current Information
===========================
General information:
To use a miroCRYSTAL 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.
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 10SD 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 10SD 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
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.
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 should 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>.
With miroCRYSTAL 10SD PCI running Microsoft WORD for Windows with
Page Preview and selecting 2 Pages sometimes a General Protection
Failure occurs.
With some PCI systems, especially the old ones compatible with
PCI Rev. 1.x, bus disturbances may occur in conjunction with
miroCRYSTAL 20SD. To adapt the graphics board to the PCI bus
speed, enter
PCIHIGH=0
in the SYSTEM.INI file under [928.drv]. You recognize these
disturbances by individual faulty pixels.
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
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
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 fixed frequency 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.
With paintbrsuh sometimes small freehand lines may have wrong width.
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.
