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                      PowerStrip 2.30 Release Notes
                           November 28, 1998            
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                  (c) Copyright EnTech Taiwan, 1995-98.


HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT
========================
To view pstrip.txt on screen in Notepad, maximize the Notepad 
window. To print pstrip.txt, open it in Notepad or another word 
processor, and then on the File menu, click Print.


CONTENTS
========
LICENSE, REGISTRATION AND SUPPORT
POWERSTRIP DESCRIPTION
INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING THE POWERSTRIP
UPGRADING THE POWERSTRIP
REMOVING THE POWERSTRIP
POWERSTRIP REFRESH RATE SUPPORT
NON-ADMINISTRATORS UNDER WINDOWS NT
NOTES ON SPECIFIC CHIPSETS AND DRIVERS
KNOWN LIMITATIONS
HISTORY


LICENSE, REGISTRATION AND SUPPORT
=================================
This version of the PowerStrip is shareware. You must read and 
accept the terms of the legal disclaimer below before you
can use this software.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER - This software is provided "as is" without 
warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, 
but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability 
and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the 
quality and performance of the software is with you. Should the
software prove defective, you assume the cost of all necessary 
servicing, repair or correction. 

In no event will EnTech Taiwan be liable to you for damages, 
including any general, special, incidental or consequential 
damages arising out of the use or inability to use the software 
(including but not limited to loss of data or data being rendered 
inaccurate or losses sustained by you or third parties or a 
failure of the software to operate with any other programs), even 
if such holder or other party has been advised of the possibility 
of such damages.

REGISTRATION - The PowerStrip can be purchased for US$29.95 
through RegSoft's Registration Service. For on-line registration, 
please follow the link at http://www.entechtaiwan.com/ps.htm. 
Voice and fax orders can be placed by calling 1-888-REG-IT80 or 
770-497-9126 (voice), or 1-770-497-9234 (fax). Please refer to 
Product ID #3573.
 
Licensed versions of the PowerStrip do not display the 
"PowerStrip Demo" dialog box on start-up, and - naturally - 
save and restore your preferences. 

SUPPORT - PowerStrip support is available from EnTech Taiwan via 
Internet e-mail addressed to support@entechtaiwan.com. Program 
updates are made available over the Internet at 
http://www.entechtaiwan.com. 


POWERSTRIP DESCRIPTION
======================
The PowerStrip is a desktop enhancement and display control utility,
specifically optimized for use with current and future 32-bit versions
of Microsoft Windows. The PowerStrip works in conjunction with your
display driver and graphics hardware, supporting on-the-fly color depth, 
resolution, and refresh rate switching, user-defined presets, program/
shortcut associations, an optional toolbar, graphics system information, 
screen saving, power management, cursor controls, and extensive monitor 
support. A full description of PowerStrip features can be found in the
online documentation.


INSTALLING AND CONFIGURING THE POWERSTRIP
=========================================
To install PowerStrip, you must have a PC running Windows NT or 
Windows 95/98, and a graphics card or monitor specifically approved for 
use with the PowerStrip. These instructions assume that you have already 
successfully installed the very latest display drivers provided 
by your graphics card manufacturer or by Microsoft.

NB: The PowerStrip is NOT designed for use with proprietary display 
    drivers and/or firmware which deviates significantly from the chip 
    vendor's reference designs.

To install PowerStrip software, carry out the following steps: 

1. Run the included Setup program. Or to install manually, right-click 
   the file pstrip.inf file using the Windows Explorer, and then click 
   Install.
2. Run the PowerStrip from the PowerStrip folder in the Start menu and
   double-click the PowerStrip icon on the system tray, or select
   PowerStrip configuration... from the PowerStrip popup menu or 
   toolbar.
3. Select color depth, resolution and refresh rate combinations of
   your choice and drag-and-drop on Preset button to save settings, 
   or on monitor image to preview settings.

To remove the PowerStrip from your computer, select the Add/Remove
option from the Control Panel, and select "PowerStrip (remove only)" 
from the list.  


UPGRADING THE POWERSTRIP
========================
When you upgrade the PowerStrip from an older version, all your presets
and associations are preserved, but custom monitor information and 
refresh rates will be lost. This is a deliberate safety precaution. There
is no need to uninstall an older version of the program prior to upgrading.


REMOVING THE POWERSTRIP
=======================
To completely remove the PowerStrip from your system, follow these 
steps:

1. Open the Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs applet, and select the
   "PowerStrip (remove only)" option from the list.
2. Re-install your display drivers to ensure that driver registry 
   information has been restored to its original state.
3. Re-confirm your Windows monitor type (under Windows 95/98/NT5) to
   ensure that monitor registry information has been restored to its
   original state.


POWERSTRIP REFRESH RATE SUPPORT
===============================
The PowerStrip may include extensive refresh rate support which goes 
far beyond the level of support provided by the chip vendor's BIOS and 
drivers. However, this additional support requires that the PowerStrip
be running. Since the PowerStrip will, of course, be loaded after the
Windows desktop appears, Windows will first start up at the closest
refresh rate supported directly by the driver, and only then switch to 
a custom refresh rate (if enabled) when the PowerStrip loads. For
example, if you have a Rendition or Riva128 accelerator and have used
the PowerStrip to set the refresh rate to 150Hz, Windows will 
typically startup at 120Hz (the closest rate supported directly by 
Rendition and nVidia), and then switch automatically to 150Hz when the
PowerStrip loads.


NON-ADMINISTRATORS UNDER WINDOWS NT
===================================
By default, the PowerStrip provides direct hardware support under NT 
only to administrators. Non-administrator access to the PowerStrip is
available by using the Setup program. Note that it is very important 
to follow the Setup program instructions to the letter, to ensure the
PowerStrip is properly registered as a service.


NOTES ON SPECIFIC CHIPSETS AND DRIVERS
======================================

AGP cards in general - Under Windows 95 you will need OSR2.1 (with USB 
support installed), as well as a special VXD provided by your mainboard's
chip vendor. Many graphics card vendors are automatically installing Intel's
VXD driver with their display driver, but this will only work with Intel
core logic. If you have one of the new Socket 7 AGP boards from VIA, SiS
ALI or ETEQ, you will need to ensure you have the appropriate GART manager
installed.

Non-DDI compliant drivers - Some display drivers report support for
downloadable gamma ramps, when in fact this support is not implemented and
may result in a GDI illegal instruction error. To circumvent this 
problem, you may need to manually add a "No-DDI=1" switch to the [Options]
section of the pstrip.ini file.

ATI - PowerStrip refresh rate support will not work with ATI cards under
Windows 95/98 unless you are using a Microsoft driver. Because of ATI's 
PLL settling characteristics, programmable refresh rates are not supported.

S3 ViRGE/GX2 - PowerStrip TV output controls for the GX2 under NT
requires BIOS version 2.16.08 or a later release.

Matrox MGAs - PowerStrip refresh rate support will not work properly with 
MGA cards under Windows 95/98 unless you (1) configure the Matrox
PowerDesk to use a native Windows monitor, or (2) use a Microsoft driver,
or (3) select a standard Matrox VESA monitor type.  If you select a Matrox
using the PowerDesk, your refresh rates may be limited to the ones defined
by PowerDesk.

Voodoo Rush - The PowerStrip has been tested and approved for use
with the AT3D and AT25 only. While the program can detect earlier Alliance
chips like the AT24 and 6422, timing characteristics are likely to be very 
different. BIOS version will not be reported.

Trident ProVidia 96xx - The PowerStrip is designed for use with the 9685.
It is unlikely to work correctly with earlier Trident 9660/9680 chipsets.
Under NT, the PowerStrip may occasionally set an incorrect custom refresh
rate. 

Cirrus Logic Alpine - The PowerStrip contains optimized code for the
5436/46 and 5480; earlier 5430/34/40 chipsets are also supported in API mode.

Intel740 - The PowerStrip should *not* be used with Asus drivers for the 
i740, under Windows 95/98. 

Riva128/128ZX - Under NT, DPMS services may appear to work correctly, but be
unable to wake up with certain BIOS and driver combinations. Setting the
"Force DPMS" switch on the PowerStrip Trouble shooting page may fix this 
problem.

Dedicated 3D Acceleraters - PowerStrip support for dynamically switching
between primary and auxiliary D3D devices has been tested with 3Dfx Voodoo
Graphics I and II, and Matrox M3D/Videologic PowerVR cards only. Note that
for PowerVR support, you must be using driver release 4.0 or higher. If
you have a Voodoo card which uses proprietary drivers, a special undocumented
switch may need to set before you can safely change the default D3D device.

Banshee and Voodoo - Banshee drivers will normally overwrite Voodoo I/II
Glide files with Banshee files of the same name. In the event, you can use 
the "Disable Banshee Glide support" option on the PowerStrip 3Dfx page, and 
then proceed to re-install your Voodoo drivers. From that point on you can 
safely switch between Banshee and VoodooI/II Glide support from within
the PowerStrip.


KNOWN LIMITATIONS
=================

Icon Corruption after Changing Color Depth On-the-fly
-----------------------------------------------------
Under Windows 95 it is possible that icons (even PowerStrip icons)
may be corrupted after switching color depth dynamically. 

Multi-language Support
----------------------
Some of the translated text strings may be either too long or less than
accurate. If you encounter a translation error and/or can suggest a
more accurate or abbreviated translation, we would appreciate your
input. Naturally, we apologize in advance for any translations that
are inaccurate. Translations are not available for extended Plug and
Play monitor information.

Support for Windows NT 5.0 Beta
-------------------------------
Low-level hardware support under NT 5.0B2 is fully enabled in this 
release. Please report any problems to support@entechtaiwan.com.


HISTORY
=======
2.30 - 11/28/98
       Added color temperature control (RG:B ratio)
       Updated monitor database and added best-match DDC routines
       Bolstered NT DPMS routines with direct hardware calls
       Re-instated aggressive memory timing option for nVidia chips
       Revised MGA base address aquisition
       Improved Glide switcher
       Added Savage3D AGP texture size control
       Changed default association method to CreateProcess/suspend
       Added physical memory flush controls and methods
       Added undocumented support for Obsedian and Pure3D2
       Added full support for S3 LC2X
       Validated NT5B2 multi-monitor support
       Added Polish language support
       Added programmable refresh rates for the P2 under NT
       Added IE4 shell crash handler
       Added LUTDAC support for TNT under NT
       Reduced resource consumption
2.29 - 10/10/98
       Added LUTDAC support for TVP3026 (Permedia/1, Millenium, etc.)
       Updated monitor database
       Relaxed standard refresh rate some more
       Fixed up TNT and Banshee memory size/type issue
       Fixed G200 CREXT error
       Added preliminary Glide switcher
2.28 - 10/06/98
       Reworked the AGP diagnostic report
       Fixed up compatibility problems with NT5B2
       Relaxed standard refresh rate support
       Revised G200 clock support 
       Fixed AGP/PCI multi-monitor priority 
       Added IDirectDraw4 support
       Improved Savage3D TV-out support
       Added new method for screen positioning
2.27 - 09/25/98
       Moved color controls to the toolbar
       Right-click on Info icon now brings up Performance page
       Added BIOS code to support ATI chips
       Prioritized LUTDAC over DDI support
       Reworked the DPMS code to support NT security
       Added TV-out for Savage3D (needs work)
2.26 - 09/20/98
       Added preliminary TNT and Banshee support
       Fixed GX2 TV hotkeys and DuoView control
       Revised and validated MGA G-series clock controls
       Refined color calibration controls
2.25 - 08/18/98
       Revised monitor calc
       Fixed V2k refresh rates
       Added DPMS command-line support
       Added DDC disable switch
       Relaxed Riva memory timing optimizations
       Added specific FPU code word support
       Revised GX3 support and added D3D switches
       Added G100 and G200 support
2.24 - 07/14/98
       Updated monitor database
       Added some hardware support for ATI and Matrox
       Improved 3Dfx support under Win98
       Added support for flat panel controllers
       Added timing optimizations for i740 and Riva
2.23 - 06/25/98
       Updated monitor database
       Added support for 100MHz ZX parts
       Added polygon mipmap support for Rendition ICD
       Fixed CRTC/VClk conflict under NT
       Expanded PCI latency support to cover all PCI devices
       Revised monitor and cursor dialog boxes
2.22 - 06/12/98
       Added multi-monitor support
       Optimized NT hardware calls
       Improved (?) installation
2.21 - 05/30/98
       Added Savage3D support
       Fixed up some Voodoo and PVR methods
       Improved non-admininistrator support under NT
2.20 - 05/20/98
       Added DDI and CLUT color calibration
       Revised Verite clock and other controls
       Shifted some routines to secondary threads
       Fixed compatibility problem with SiS 6326 NT driver 
       Fixed broken associations with color depth
       Fixed GX2 PAL uder/overscan support
       Added Voodoo support for NT
2.17 - 05/01/98
       Added 3Dfx Voodoo I and II controls
       Revised D3D HAL selection
       Revised NT DPMS support again
       Added PowerVR controls
       Revised RivaZX support
2.16 - 04/17/98
       Fixed up broken GX2 TV-out support
       Revised 3Dimage and i740 MClk
       Added I/O access to PCI configuration registers
2.15 - 04/12/98
       Added overview
       Revised 3Dimage and i740 support
       Reduced default monitor to 75Hz/48kHz
       Added support for NV3T
       Added PCI device enumerator
       Moved some code to new pstrip.dll
2.11 - 03/21/98
       Added non-administrator support under NT
       Revised DPMS support under NT
       Fixed 3Dfx D3D bug under 95/98
       Revised monitor override support
       Changed Rendition methods under NT
       Added support for Permedia P2v and P2a
2.10 - 02/26/98
       Initial shareware release
[..]
1.00 - 02/01/96
       Initial OEM release for Permedia
