KoolSmoky - V.Control - 3dfx hardware tweaker

V.Control - 3dfx hardware tweaker

Win32 (Windows 95,98,Me,NT4,2000,XP) utility for controling 3dfx graphics adapters. Currently supports 3dfx Voodoo Banshee, Velocity, Voodoo3, Voodoo4, Voodoo5. Will enable custom refreshrates, overclock on the fly, restore desktop icon positions, and save registry tweaks as presets. Refreshrates and graphic processor speeds are controled by programing hardware directly. This utility will help fix Windows 2000,XP 60Hz issues with 3dfx GLIDE™, Direct3D, and OpenGL.

Download V.Control version 1.82 beta (376kb zipped) extra files: 3dfx GLIDE™ driver with sourcecode.

Warning
Because V.Control accesses and controls hardware directly, you will be completely overriding the manufacturer default settings. After changing settings in OverDrive - HardwareOptimization, it is recommended to run extensive graphics benchmarking to check for any problems. Use with caution and at your own risk.
FinalReality http://www.finalreality.com 3DMARK™ http://www.3dmark.com

Installation
Note: Administrative privilege is required for installing and running V.Control under Win NT4,2000,XP
1. If you have previously installed V.Control, unload V.Control from system tray and then uninstall it.
2. Run setup.exe and follow instructions.

FAQ
Q. How do you do stuff on the fly?
A. It is done by programming the hardware directly and not a registry thing. This way we have full advantage of our hardware.

Q. OverDrive is greyed out, what gives?
A. Your video graphics adapter is not supported.

Q. My PC freezes or shows garbage on screen after changing OverDrive settings.
A. You may be overclocking too much. Lower your clock settings. Or it may be due to other settings in OverDrive which your system cannot handle.

Q. 3dfx environment setting registry tweaks doesn't seem to have any effect.
A. registry tweaks are driver dependent. Use the latest drivers available.

Q. I've changed registry tweaks from V.Control, but 3dfx Tools doesn't say so.
A. 3dfx Tools recalls what itself has set the last time it was used and does not show current settings.

Q. Do I need to have V.Control always loaded in the system tray?
A. You will need to have V.Control loaded in the system tray if you intend to use auto apply features. Other than that, load V.Control once, apply settings, and then unload it.

Q. If I keep V.Control loaded in the system tray, will it degrade performance of my system?
A. Running V.Control is same as using a device driver for one of your peripherals, it will take a tiny part of your CPU power but not in a way that it will bring down the performance of your system. If you are concerned with the small memory loss and cpu flops, you can unload V.Control once you have done the changes. The changes will stay changed unless some other program changes it.

Q. How do I make my own custom refresh rates?
A. Open OverDrive and click Hardware Optimization tab. There you will find the section for Custom Refreshrates. Under this section, select the resolution which you would like to make custom refresh rates with the drop down combo box (e.g. 1024 x 768), then choose the refresh rate of your choice with the up-down scrolls (e.g. 78 Hz), and then press Apply. The selected resolution and refresh rate will be tested and requested for confirmation. Click OK if you wish to keep the setting. All your custom refresh rates will be listed under List of Custom Refreshrates. If you wish to use these refresh rates constantly, tick auto apply settings when V.Control is active.

Q. How can I run V.Control every time windows starts?
A. Open the About dialog and tick load V.Control at Windows startup.

Q. I can't install or run V.Control what's up?
A. Administrative privilege is required for installing and running V.Control under Windows NT4,2000,XP. This is a safety measure.
Note: If you have a hardware mpeg2 decoder card installed, Hollywood plus, Creative dxr3, V.Control will not load under Windows 2000,XP. As I do not have one of those cards, it is almost impossible to find a work around. Let's cross our fingers those mpeg cards will receive none-beta drivers soon.

Q. Do I need 3dfx tools installed for V.Control to work?
A. Nope. V.Control does not need 3dfx tools to work.

Q. I get shimmering screens from custom refresh rates.
A. Lower 1 or 2Hz and the shimmer will disappear.

Q. Give me desktop/overlay gamma controls or I'll kill you.
A. Sure sure, I'll do it when I have the time……

Update Log
[2003.08.09] V.Control 1.82 beta
Fixed win95 support.
Show only master on multi-chip boards.

[2002.11.09] V.Control 1.81 beta
repackaged for new distribution.

[2002.08.01] V.Control 1.80 beta
fixed potential bug which may have prevented V.Control from loading. ppl with hollywood plus mpeg decoder cards may still encounter problems.
fixed typo in environment list.

[2002.02.10] V.Control 1.70 beta
Nailed that nasty bug that prevented V.Control from loading and eating up cpu power. (thanx for the input, rp_guy) Added an option to make the desktop use small icons.
For those who want to run V.Control once and exit, try: "v_ctrl.exe runonce"

[2001.11.29] V.Control 1.60 beta
Windows XP is supported. Greetz, to the XP fans out there
Icon will stay in systemtray even when taskbar crashes and restarts.
ACPI bug fixed. ACPI will now restart correctly.

[2001.11.08] V.Control 1.50 beta
Window XP fix. Private release.

[2001.05.15] V.Control 1.40 beta
Fix for custom refreshrates going out of sync.
Fix for multimonitor support.

[2001.05.05] V.Control 1.30 beta
Fewer I/O access.
Revised 3dfx registry tweaks.

[2000.12.24] V.Control 1.20 beta
"load V.Control at Windows startup" in the About dialog completely fixed.
Environment Settings can be saved as presets.
Revised 3dfx registry tweaks.
Can be opened by double clicking the system tray icon.
(thnx to all who filled me in)

[2000.09.20] V.Control 1.10 beta
Windows Me is officially supported.
Voodoo4 4500 is officially supported.
Added new 3dfx registry tweaks.

[2000.08.27] V.Control 1.00 beta
Revised dynamic loading.
Fixed eating up CPU resources on occasions.
Fixed "load V.Control at Windows startup" not working. (thnx, Silent J, Repinc Jure)

[2000.08.19] V.Control 0.90 beta
Revised device detection.
Fixed 3dfx registry tweaks not working under Windows NT. (thnx! Jean DeCypher of www.3dwin.de)
0.01 increment gamma settings for Glide/OpenGL, Direct3D for 3dfx registry tweaks.

[2000.08.16] V.Control 0.80 beta
Divided to 2 pages.
Complaint with multiple monitor systems.
Added PCI and AGP generic hardware settings.
Added gamma environment settings for Glide/OpenGL, Direct3D for 3dfx registry tweaks.
Smart memory management, as a result, uses much less memory.

[2000.07.26] V.Control version 0.70 beta
Voodoo5 is officially supported. (thnx to: Jean DeCypher of www.3dwin.de, Bow, & kuma)
Fixed getting an event error under Windows NT. (thnx again! quixoticphantom)
Fixed 3dfx Glide splash screen settings not working under Windows NT.

[2000.07.24] V.Control version 0.60 beta
Fixed small fonts getting big on occasions.
Fixed dynamic driver registration under Windows NT installed other than C:\ (saved again by quixoticphantom, thnx)
Fixed memory-hog issue under Windows NT. (thnx goes to Sagi Almog)

[2000.07.22] V.Control version 0.50 beta
Fixed environment settings being greyed out when "Load V.control at Windows startup" is used.
Revised presets for environment settings.
Modified Refreshrate control. Comes in handy for low-res monitors.

[2000.07.20] V.Control version 0.40 beta
Fixed dynamic driver registration under Windows NT (thnx goes to quixoticphantom)
Added environment settings

[2000.06.23] V.Control version 0.30 beta
Added "Microsoft DirectX diagnostic Tool" to dropdown menu.
Added "Windows Display Properties" to dropdown menu.
Revised initialisation according to detailed device detection.
Fixed settings being cleared when V.Control starts.

[2000.06.19] V.Control version 0.20 beta
Added safety features.
Added detailed device detection.
Added sliders & default buttons for core clock & memory clock.
Added Custom Refresh Rates.

[2000.05.12] V.Control version 0.10 beta
First public release.

Acknowledgments
I would like to take a moment to thank those who generously provided technical information and assistance. Special thanks to Jordan Russell for his awesome free installer, Inno Setup.

Disclaimer
This software may be distributed as long as it is not sold commercially without permission from the author. Distribution is permitted provided that no modifications or additions are made to the software, its documentation, or any associated files. Please send me an email with information of distribution. This software is provided as is, without warranty of any kind. The user takes the entire risk as to the quality and performance of the software. The author will not be held liable for any problem the user encounters using this software.