8/9/99 - Driver Release Version 1.0 Appian Graphics Gemini driver and HydraVision readme information for Windows NT 4.0 CONTENTS ================================================================ 1) How to Install Appian Gemini Drivers and HydraVision 2) Service, Support, and Software Upgrades 3) International Support 4) Multiple Monitor DirectDraw Support 5) How to Uninstall Appian Gemini Drivers and HydraVision 6) HydraVision Desktop Manager Tips and Notes 7) HydraVision Control Panel Issues 8) Setting Resolution and Color Depth 9) Supported Resolutions, Color Depths, and Refresh Rates 10) Monitor Performance Issues 11) Files included in this driver package 12) Legal Information 1) How to Install Appian Gemini Drivers and HydraVision ================================================================ Appian Gemini drivers and HydraVision software run in Windows NT 4.0. To install Gemini drivers and HydraVision software, please use the CD-ROM or diskette that shipped with the Gemini or perform the following steps. (a) If you downloaded the Gemini driver build from the internet, unzip the downloaded file to a temporary subdirectory on your hard drive. Appian recommends unzipping files to your hard drive rather than to floppy disks as the driver files may be larger than the 1.44 MB capacity of a single diskette. The subdirectory you create on your hard drive should be empty of all files prior to unzipping the Gemini driver file. This temporary subdirectory can be deleted after driver installation. (b) Follow the installation instructions in the Appian Gemini User's Guide using the location of your temporary subdirectory in place of the CD-ROM or diskette. 2) Service, Support, and Software Upgrades ================================================================ Video driver updates can be obtained from IBM at the following web location: http://www.pc.ibm.com/ -Select your country and do a search on "drivers" For technical problems, contact the IBM HelpDesk at 1-800-772-2227 3) International Support ================================================================ HydraVision provides support for French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. If you are running Windows NT 4.0 under any of these languages, HydraVision will automatically load the appropriate localized Control Panel. If you are running Windows NT 4.0 under a non-supported language, the HydraVision Control Panel and Jeronimo help files will be available in English only. 4) Multiple Monitor DirectDraw Support ================================================================ The Gemini supports the following DirectDraw operations: (a) Exclusive Mode (DirectDraw takes over the entire screen). Gemini supports this mode with no errors. (b) Windowed Mode (DirectDraw plays back in a window). Gemini supports this mode as long as the DirectDraw window is fully contained on one screen. If the DirectDraw window is moved onto a monitor split, the Gemini will not process DirectDraw commands until the window is moved to a single screen. When running Active Movie, this will result in a paused video screen. Note that some DirectDraw applications running in this mode may cause errors when their window is dragged to another screen. Also note that when an active DirectX window is split between two monitors, your mouse response will become sluggish and some screen degradation may appear. 5) How to Uninstall Appian Gemini Drivers and HydraVision ================================================================ To uninstall the HydraVision drivers in Windows NT 4.0, use the Windows Add/Remove Programs control panel utility. 6) HydraVision Desktop Manager Tips and Notes ================================================================ The desktop manager follows a few rules of operation. (a) Certain applications use windows instead of dialog boxes to communicate with the user (an example is MicroStation 95 which uses windows for file open, save, etc.). In this case the desktop manager we will not relocate the window since only dialog boxes are relocated. (b) Single Monitor Windows is a very complex control which essentially attempts to thwart an application's control over it's own window. Some applications will not allow this control initially and will start across a monitor split. Clicking on the application's title bar will cause it to be relocated to a single monitor. (c) In some cases, desktop management of certain application windows or dialog boxes causes problems. If the application expects to see its dialog box or window on a particular area of the screen and the window is not there, errors can occur ranging from mild to severe. Appian intentionally does not control certain dialog boxes known to have this problem. If, however, you experience a problem running an application when HydraVision is loaded (the desktop manager), please try unloading HydraVision and running the application again. If the cause of the problem was HydraVision, please let Appian know (contact information is below). (d) Some applications use child windows for dialog boxes. These child windows are not relocated by the desktop manager because (1) they are bound inside their parent window and (2) HydraVision by definition does not relocate windows. Some applications which do this (but not all) are: Adobe Pagemaker 6 - Spell and Find dialogs Corel Draw 6 - all dialogs under NT (W95 is fine) Corel Quattro Pro - all dialogs Word 7.0 - Spell dialog Excel 5.0 - Help dialog (actually a window) Microstation95 - all dialogs Office97 - Paperclip help The Appian Desktop Manager controls windows and dialog boxes by examining and modifying system messages which create, move and destroy dialog boxes and windows. There are hundreds of ways that programmers can create dialogs. With all of these variables, the desktop manager is not perfect and can either miss or incorrectly move a dialog box or a window. In either case, Appian would like to know about it so that we can add the offending application to our test suite in order to correct the problem. If you have a desktop manager problem, please e-mail the offending application's name to support@appian.com. 7) HydraVision Control Panel Issues ================================================================ On the Appian Multi-Monitor tab page, a checkbox is available to enable individual monitor refresh rates. When this option is selected, the refresh rate displayed on the Windows Settings tab page may not be accurate. This is because Windows assumes it is only addressing a single monitor and cannot account for two or more independent refresh rate settings. A similar problem can occur with reported desktop resolution. Anomalies between the resolution reported by the Settings tab and the resolution reported by the HydraVision Extended Display Settings tab can occur running in either single monitor mode or multi- mon mode. This is because Windows assumes it is only addressing a single monitor at a single resolution and cannot account for independent resolution settings. If the control panel is open when a hot key is activated that changes desktop settings (zoom and current settings), the control panel will not reflect the changes until it is closed and re-opened. When a password protected screen saver is run under Windows, the HydraVision hot keys, including the Enter Power Down Mode key command, lose their functionality. By definition, a password protected screen saver will lock out all keyboard input until the designated password is entered. HydraVision hot key actions, also by definition, are initiated through keyboard input. Therefore Appian does not recommend using the Enter Power Down Mode hot key in conjunction with a Windows password protected screen saver. If you select large fonts while running with a 640x480 display, the display control panel will be clipped when it is opened. Please select small fonts on the Settings tab when running 640x480 display resolutions if Windows has not automatically selected small fonts for you. 8) Setting Resolution and Color Depth ================================================================ Select the 'Settings' dialog in the 'Display Properties' window. Set the resolution (screen area), font size, and color depth that best suit your requirements and your monitor's performance. 9) Supported Resolutions, Color Depths, and Refresh Rates ================================================================ The resolutions and refresh rates supported by the Appian Gemini card are dependent on the monitor that is selected. Check the documentation of your monitors and the 'Multi-Monitor' dialog tab for information on supported resolutions and maximum vertical refresh rate for each of your monitors. You can display the 'Extended Display Settings' dialog by right-clicking the Windows desktop, selecting 'Properties' and selecting 'Multi-Monitor'. Then click 'enable individual referesh rates' and double click the monitor icon, '1'or '2', to edit its properties. 10) Monitor Performance Issues ================================================================ When running multiple monitors side by side at different resolutions and refresh rates, interference and synchronization problems can occur. This is manifested as transparent scrolling horizontal lines moving from top to bottom on one monitor and from bottom to top on a second monitor. This can be addressed in various ways: (a) Set both monitors to the same refresh rate and resolution. (b) Set both monitors to a lower refresh rate. (c) Increase the space (ie distance) between monitors. (d) Check monitor quality. High-end, low radiation monitors generally do not exhibit this problem. 11) Files included in this driver package ================================================================ AppCplx.dll Desk95.exe g2disk1.tag g2nt40.inf gemini40.sys GemiNT4.dll Hook95.dll HydraDeu.dll HydraEnu.dll HydraEsp.dll HydraFra.dll HydraHlp.dll HydraIta.dll HydraJan.dll HydraKor.dll HydraZhs.dll HydraZht.dll NT4readme.txt TIMINGS.DAT uninstal.exe ViewHook.dll ViewPort.exe 12) Legal Information ================================================================ This material is made available for use under a license from Appian Graphics and its use is subject to all conditions and restrictions provided by the license agreement. Appian software programs and Appian hardware devices are covered by one or more of the following U.S. patents: 5,835,090 5,848,294 Additional patents are pending.