Hi there. Whilst I am new to this board, I’m a very long time 3Dfxer from my first Monster 3Dfx (Voodoo1) card through to 3Dfx Voodoo 2 PCI SLI, and later a Voodoo Banshee AGP then Voodoo3 AGP. Then finally my Voodoo 5 5500 AGP card. ;D I have ALL the original 3Dfx driver disks for each card. Along the way I’ve gained another Creative Voodoo 2 PCI, a Voodoo3 AGP and another Voodoo 5 5500 AGP card. These cards have ALL been run (and continue to run) in various OS’s from Win95a & b to Win98b & Win98se up to WinMe with no problems at all. And yes, I’ve read nearly every message board entry about how Windows Mistaken Edition has bad Juju :-/; but I have to say that although now looking dated WinMe did run the best, gave good driver & USB support, and being the last DOS based Windows, Glide was running faultlessly.

Problems began nearly two years ago when I bought and attempted to upgrade to WinXP Professional on my main gaming PC.
I have tried more than a dozen versions of so called Beta 3Dfx XP drivers but get OS corruptions, GPF crashes, blank screens or white objects (in Sachs Marine Aquarium where the water is blue but the fish, rocks & bubbles are white).  >:(

My Hardware Specs are:
Gigabyte GA-6VTXE motherboard
Intel Pentium III 1.0 GHz
512MB PC133 SDRAM
Creative AWE 64 Gold
PixelView TVcapture card

The main 3Dfx games that I want to continue to use are: Sports Car GT, B-Hunter, Need 4 Speed 2 SE, Need 4 Speed 3, Carmageddon, Recoil, Star Wars Racer, Grand Prix Legends and New York Race.

Also for screen savers I like the various Quantum Flux AI savers and also the Sachs Marine Aquarium.

All of these 3Dfx programs ran sweetly under the DOS based Windows with the intended bundled 3Dfx card drivers.

Some of the drivers that I’ve tried are:
3DHQ's 1.09.04
OMEGA DRIVERS OPENGL FIX
Voodoo Series Windows(r) 2000 Driver Kit
nfxbeta2.exe
Darkmane XP and tools

Some driver sets have Glide working, some don't, some have 3dfx Tools, some don't. Each one that I tried has been a blinding failure. :o

So far the closest I’ve come was the nfxbeta2.exe from http://www.aesoftware.com/voodoo5.htm which had all the colours and didn’t crash but only had a refresh rate of worse than 1fps - not much use and no tool box to attempt to edit.
I’d like to move to the more recent OS of Windows XP but so far I have been thwarted. I don’t want to be stuck in a mistaken edition realm, for ever limited by the video card Voodoo.

I’ve just zero filled the Seagate AGAIN!!! and will start again with any advice and solutions your members can provide me. I’d like best for a good all round easy to install, no hack, XP driver set for my 3Dfx Voodoo 5 5500 AGP and with a 3Dfx tool box. ;D

Thanks heaps for any help 8)
Greg.

have you tried the AmigaMerlin or SFFT drivers for Windows XP?


Quote:

Need 4 Speed 3

If you got this one working on Windows XP I'd like to know how.

Hi, I don't believe that I've tried AmigaMerlin or SFFT.

Can you give me a reply with links to where I can get each to try.

I've yet to re-install WinXP and SP2 but will try them when this is done.

So far I haven't had anything run successfully under XP but if I get Need 4 Speed 3 going I'll let you know.

Cheers
Greg.

Ah, well don't get your hopes up on NFS3. It doesn't work on WindowsXP.

..yeah,SFFT is the choice if you want to run a voodoo3/4/5 card under xp 8)

first,uninstall all previous 3dfx related software (3dfx tools,drivers etc).download the latest SFFT driver (A41 is recommended for now),extract it to some folder and do following:

go to your device manager and find your voodoo5 (voodoo3/4) card,open it and click update driver (my screen says voodoo3,dont worry,the process is exactly the same)
http://img6.picsplace.to/img6/24/thumbs/1_420.jpg


select install from a specific location,click next
http://img6.picsplace.to/img6/24/thumbs/2_239.jpg


choose to install the driver manually,click next
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/248/10986358ox5.th.jpg


click have disk
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/5927/16251222fc6.th.jpg


click browse,and point it to the 3dfxvs2k.inf file (its in the folder where you have extracted the SFFT driver)
http://img6.picsplace.to/img6/24/thumbs/5_117.jpg


open the 3dfxvs2k.inf file,select 3dfx Voodoo Series for Voodoo,click next
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4126/60159034dg6.th.jpg


if you see this,click continue anyway.you should also click YES if you are prompted to overwrite some files
http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/6249/95675105zy3.th.jpg


finish the install,restart,and the driver is loaded.I also recommend that you unpack this archive to your windows/system32 folder (overwriting existing files).they are original glide/opengl files from 3dfx,they are better suited for use with older games (you are not going to play anything new on that machine anyway).

if you need to modify some 3dfx setings,you can either use vcontrol or the latest 3dfx tools v2.6.1.110.

that should get you up and running at 100% ;)

wrote on 20.12.06 at 16:03:00:

And yes, I’ve read nearly every message board entry about how Windows Mistaken Edition has bad Juju :-/; but I have to say that although now looking dated WinMe did run the best, gave good driver & USB support, and being the last DOS based Windows, Glide was running faultlessly.

Hmm, that's interesting... I tried win ME and I never could have started the DOS mode in it. Thought that ME was crippled Win98 (without DOS support)...

Anyway, Amigamerlin driver doesn't have the option to fix the refresh rate problem, so you can as well skip that one, or get a TFT monitor. That's the reason I got back to the 3dfx HQ drivers. With 1.09 drivers NFS:HS runs flawlessly, as well as rollcage and Baldurs gate. However, Wizardry 8 doesn't work with them. I never tried SFFT, but hopefully it'll work out.

First off you guy's are forgetting that...

1. @Assie3dfxer is new to this whole Voodoo thing!
2. SFFT Alpha 42 are exactly that "Alpha" they are designed for people who know what they are doing and are willing to test BETA software! (or in this case 'Alpha' software)

@Assie3dfxer - I'd recommend going to @Falcons drivers for Voodoo 4/5 page HERE:-

http://www.falconfly.de/vsa100.htm

Then download: -

AmigaMerlin V3.1-R11 WinXP/Win2K
-= Latest Release =-

These drivers are stable and reliable.

I'm not saying you shouldn't try SFFT Alpha 42 - but the SFFT driver is intended for people who want to 'try' and run games intended for newer, more powerful GFX cards.


Quote:

Thought that ME was crippled Win98 (without DOS support)...

Microsoft 'hid' the DOS in Windows Me - there is a hack to re-enable it. (quite well known actually!)

amigamerlin3.1=SFFT A29 ;)

and there is no need to run an older version (A29) once you have a much newer one (A42) available..as for the "ALPHA" status,I really think SFFT should drop the alpha suffix,as it is obviously scaring people away making them think its something that crashes every 5 minutes and you have to run 5 debugger programs together with it just to make it a bit more usable.

the driver is dead stable for me,and I dont have any problems with games as well,old&newer alike (very new games are usually buggy,but I'm not running those and Aussie is not goint to run them as well,considering his system specs),and I must say I really enjoy the extra features and improvements SFFT has made,so when I say its worth if,I mean it ;D

as for the xp refresh idiotism,it can be fixed either with vcontrol (link in my previous post),or with voodoo frequency selector (this one works best for me).


wooooo,SFFT for the president ;D ;D ;D

wrote on 20.12.06 at 23:10:36:

Microsoft 'hid' the DOS in Windows Me - there is a hack to re-enable it. (quite well known actually!)

And then you get a fully functioning Win98! ;D

Quote:

And then you get a fully functioning Win98!

Nah, DOS mode in Me is still awkward to get at... :P

Also '98 with the unofficial SP2 is still more stable! :)

wrote on 21.12.06 at 18:13:17:

as for the xp refresh idiotism,it can be fixed either with vcontrol (link in my previous post),or with voodoo frequency selector (this one works best for me).

Hey! I just checkeg vconrol. This Vcontrol ist the same tweak utility that the 3Dhq 1.09 driver is using! It's apsolutely the same and its great! Thumbs up for that one! You don't even need the 3dfx tools when you have that thing! As soon as I get the chance, I am putting the SFFT drivers to test!  8)

Hi Guys,
Well I'm back again with some results. Firstly thanks to everyone for your ongoing advice so far. It's great.  ;D

To give each version a fair chance for testing driver performance I formatted the hard disk and freshly installed WinXP & SP2 between each attempt (so there was no chance of latent effect from each earlier 3Dfx driver version).

First off I installed and tried:
AmigaMerlin V3.1-R11 WinXP/Win2K
-= Latest Release =-

The results were desktop image was sparkling sharp with image colours brilliant.
Then I installed Sachs Marine Aquarium screen saver which is always my first test software. I started the screen saver in default desktop resolution, which I run in 32bit 1024x768 on my Hitachi 20" monitor.
No good, the results the same as I've seen before where the water is blue but the fish, rocks & bubbles are white.
Then I installed Need 4 Speed II SE (old basic 3Dfx game), started the 3Dfx game vers exe and got the splash screen and intro movie then all went multi coloured large blocks of about 3"x3". finally the PC froze and needed reset.
Un-daunted I tried Sports Car GT. I installed and set the graphics to 3Dfx Voodoo 5. This managed to load to the game play but before I could complete even half the track it crashed the PC (auto restart on failure was ticked). I then decided I'd give up on AmigaMerlin V3.1-R11 WinXP/Win2K. :P

I formatted the hard disk re-load WinXP & SP2 and followed the instructions by ps47 for:
SFFT A42 driver with the latest 3dfx tools v2.6.1.110
No problems with that at all. ;D Very nice instructions from ps47 (you put a lot of work into making it easy for me, I know) ;)
Then couldn't get the link to work for the "this archive to your windows/system32 folder" I get booted before the download completes - this might be a members only download site. :-[
Well I proceeded to get the the latest 3dfx tools v2.6.1.110. no worries so I installed these and re-started the PC to begin testing, without the original glide/opengl files.
The results were that the first thing I noticed was the desktop image was not as sparkling sharp, with image having a faded / blurred quality. Not terrible but just enough to notice and to make it a little hard to read white text on the blue background. Your eyes could get tired reading this all the time. :-/
I installed Sachs Marine Aquarium screen saver and again started the screen saver in default desktop resolution = 32bit 1024x768. Whacko!!! - the first time ever on WinXP to get full colours, good Tiffany Clock image and at up to 95 FPS ;D
I then installed  Need 4 Speed II SE and started the 3Dfx game vers exe. Got the splash screen and intro movie and ran the whole game. No Problems here!!
Crikey . . . I can't stop smiling. ;D

I then tried Sports Car GT. I installed and set the graphics to 3Dfx Voodoo 5. This managed to load to the game menue screen but began playing up with black curser sized block trail behind the cursor. Moving the cursor around more and the game froze. I reset the PC and went straight back into the game, selected options with a minimum of cursor movement and into the game play. I managed to cover some laps without crashing so I left the game. Very Glitchy but seems to work. :-/

I then had an idea to try on 16bit 1024x768 and tried the Sachs screen saver again. Still good colour but when exiting I got a blank screen and had to move the cursor over in the dark to find and click the Show Desktop in Quick Launch to return to the Desktop. ???
I change back to 32bit and the screen saver comes out back to the desktop no problems.

16bit colours gives the driver gas :(

Next I load Carmageddon and run 3Dfx version. This gives a frozen black screen and no way to get out without hitting reset. :P

I then tried StarWars Racer. This ran through all menues and in the game as well as it did under WinME. ;D

I also tried the Quantum Flux Screen savers (all at my desktop resolution) and found that, (1) VIM 3.0 - frozen black screen (2) VIM 3.3 - runs smooth n sweet (3) VIM 4.0 - runs smooth n sweet (4) VIM Raptor - runs smooth n sweet @ 60.06 fps 8)

I then tried to copy some original glide/opengl files from 3dfx CD into windows/system32 folder, as this hadn't installed as ps47 had said to, but I mucked something up and colours are now a mess with a GREEN 3Dfx splash screen, blocks and crashes. :'(

No drama. Just format and start again.

My findings so far is:

AmigaMerlin V3.1-R11 - not on my machine :P

SFFT A42 driver with the latest 3dfx tools v2.6.1.110 - looking good but still some distance to go yet. (is there another link to try for those original glide/opengl files to copy into windows/system32 folder - I'm up for another try with that). Also I'll give the vcontrol a run through next installation cycle.

Original 3Dfx drivers and Tools on Mistaken Edition - Still blitzing the field, but I'm persistant and hopeful to get similar in WinXP eventually.

That's where I'm up to so far. Keep throwing ideas guys they are really helpful. ;D

I didn't try loading the VIA drivers for the motherboard in this testing. I read elsewhere that someone complained that VIA drivers particularly with AMD boards gave 3Dfx gas although I'm running Intel PIII CPU & not AMD - any opinions there?

Thanks again so far.
Cheers
Greg

well the VIA optimizations are helpfull if your P3 setup has the VIA Apollo Pro 133A chipset ;)

..just try to download the fix archive again,it is a public download (I know that for sure),the site was probably simply undergoing some maintenance when you tried to download it last time..btw have you tried win9x compatibility for those old games? some of them may actually refuse to run correctly because of xp,and not because of your voodoo drivers ;)

Hi All,

It has been a while since I last commented. I have been using duel boot on seperate hard disks of WinMe and WinXP to overcome various issues for some of the games. I'm switching using the boot sequence in the BIOS. Crude but it seems to work for me.

I noticed that SFFT has been updated on the site www.3dfxzone.it witha new version:

SFFT Driver Alpha 46 for Voodoo3/4/5 - 3.95Mb

Has anyone tried this one yet?

I have tried to download the new version but so far no success. FalconFly, would you be able to add this latest version to the Voodoo4/5 Driver Page?

Should the Previous SFFT drivers be removed before applying a later version?

Thanks heaps for any help.  8)
Greg.

..I think I should add this here: it seems like A43-46 driver has some bug that results in jumpy opengl/glide support.until this is resolved,A42 is recommended.

I got the latest SFFT Driver Alpha 46 driver and I found out the hard way. The A46 seems to have very minimal opengl/glide support.
Funny thing now is when I uninstall the A46 and re-install the A42 I'm getting the opengl errors on a screen saver that uses it. It did work before the upgrade to A46.

The first message box says:
"Can't get a Rendering Context"

Then the second message box says:
"Can't create an OpenGL window!"

Any ideas on how to restore back to a working OpenGL?

seems like A47 fixes the opengl/glide issues :)

Hi All,

I noticed that SFFT has been updated on the site www.3dfxzone.it to another new version:

SFFT Driver Alpha 4.8 for Voodoo3/4/5

I tried this one last night for several hours but it isn't as good (or stable) as SFFT Driver Alpha 4.7

By the way, I'm having a blast re-discovering Need 4 Speed 3 - Hot Pursuit, now under XP Pro and with a PC steering wheel and pedals.
What a hoot . . . . gotta beat that Diablo, avoid the spike strip, ram the road block and go go go . . . .

It looks great using SFFT Driver Alpha 4.7 but goes to jaggies under SFFT Driver Alpha 4.8.

Cheers All.
Greg   8)

..screens?