Well, first of all, there's one thing you need to know :
If you've never worked on the Windows Registry before, note that this is "high risk" business. If you know that to do, everything is usually perfectly fine, but a single mistake
can cause significant trouble.
I recommend
creating a backup of the Registry
before performing the following steps :
- Launch RegEdit by Start > Execute => Regedit
- Search for "3dfx" and delete any Key found
(technically, the Voodoo2 should not be listed in the Device Manager anymore after this step)
- In the System Directory, delete the 3dfx* Files (e.g. 3dfxogl.dll or 3dfxv2gl.dll), and glide2x.dll/glide3x.dll if present.
- In the Inf Directory, delete 3dfx* Files as well
- After a normal Reboot, Windows should find an unknown "Multimedia Device" (Win9x), and asks for a Driver.
If available in raw Format, you can point it to the Driver Directory right there. Otherwise (normal case), select "Do not Install Driver now", which leaves the Voodoo2 as an unrecognized Device in the Device Manager.
Now, you can simply launch the 3dfx Driver Installer, which will take care of everything.
Finally, you only have to restore the Voodoo2 to your desired settings (e.g. Refresh Rates, Tweaks etc.)
Finished
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That's basically it, Windows "knows" what a 3dfx Voodoo2 is and where to look for its Driver by the Inf; of all Devices known it keeps the .inf Files in the Inf Directory.
The System Directory holds all installed Driver Files (usually .dll's)
The Registry actually puzzles it all together, and holds all relevant Information about what is installed, which settings it shall use, and where its components are located (in short : the Configuration).
Since the Registry is rather crytpic to most Users, one must exercise extreme caution when modifying it. RegEdit (=Registry Editor) immediately writes all Changes to Disk, and there is no "Undo" Function included.
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By default, Windows 98, 98SE and (within limitations) WinME carry backups of the last 5 Registy Versions (max. 1 per given day), allowing to restore it to the Status of one of these days.
Booting to MS-DOS (press & hold F8 before Windows boots), and entering the Command "scanreg /restore" will open a Menu, offering the last 5 backups it shall roll-back to.
Sometimes (if the error is still "young"), this covers enough time to reset the damaged Registry to a Point before the error occured.