RivaTuner is the most powerful tweaking utility for NVIDIA display adapters running under Windows 98  / Windows 98 SE / Windows ME / Windows 2000 and Windows XP. The purpose of this utility is to give you access to the many undocumented features of the Detonator drivers. All versions of the Detonator drivers have a lot of undocumented registry entries. Some of them don’t affect anything, but there are some that are very useful. In general, they cannot give you big performance boost but they can improve image quality and solve some compatibility problems. RivaTuner will help you to change all undocumented registry entries. It supports all versions of Detonators drivers starting from Detonator 2.08 under Windows 98 / Windows 98 SE / Windows ME (Detonator 5.08 or higher under Windows 2000 / Windows XP). 

    This version is not the final release. It is intended for public testing and evaluation only. Please send me your bug reports and comments on it. I will try to implement your suggestions in the final release.

System requirements:  

• Windows 98 (updated MFC libraries required), Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

• Any NVIDIA display adapter starting from Riva TNT. However the built-in registry editor, application launcher and low level diagnostic module can be also used with any other display adapter.

• Detonator 2.08 or higher NVIDIA reference drivers for Windows 98 / Windows 98 SE or Windows ME.

• Detonator 5.08 or higher NVIDIA reference drivers for Windows 2000 / Windows XP.

Features:  

• Friendly UI.

• Full multi-monitor support.

• Extreme System / Direct3D / OpenGL / Color tweaking possibilities for all existing versions of the Detonator drivers (including Detonator 2.xx, the fastest drivers for TNT/TNT2 chipsets):

• Advanced Direct3D settings including fine LOD bias adjustment for both TNT and GeForce chipsets, additional depth buffering and compatibility settings.

• Advanced OpenGL settings including advanced rendering quality settings, professional settings for (Soft)Quadro boards and extended VSync control (RivaTuner is the only tool that can control VSync for the Detonator 2.xx) .

• Desktop and overlay color control (RivaTuner is the only tool that provides overlay color control for the Detonator 2.xx).

• Advanced system settings.

• Flexible built-in registry editor.  No more REG files, no more manual registry exploring. Just forget about it. RivaTuner will correctly detect the display driver’s registry keys and allow you to track changes and add, edit or remove specified registry entries. It is the indispensable tool for power users and it greatly simplifies driver tweaking.

• Easy customizable databases for built-in registry editor. You can customize existing or create your own registry databases.  Full databases for Detonator 2.xx, 3.34, 3.56, 3.62, 3.68, 3.69, 3.72, 3.75, 3,76, 3.77, 4.20, 508, 5.1x, 5.22, 5.30, 5.32, 6.1x, 6.26, 6.27, 6.3x, 6.47, 6.49, 6.50, 6.53, 6.67, 6.72, 7.17, 7.5x, 7.78, 8.04, 10.xx, 11.00, 11.01, 12.00, 12.20, 12.40, 12.41, 12.60, 12.90, 14.10, 14.20, 14.70, 21.81, 21.83, 21.85, 22.50, 22.80, 23.10, 23.11, 23.12, 27.00, 27.10 and 27.20 are included in this version. Each Detonator database contains full set of registry entries for specified drivers and default values for each entry. Experienced users will gain access to all undocumented settings of the Detonator drivers. It is no other utilities, which can give you more tweaking possibilities.

• Flexible preset editor. A preset is the kind of script file which can add or remove registry entries. You can create presets using built-in registry editor or you can just export your settings to REG file. RivaTuner uses macro names for registry keys stored into preset, so you can safely transfer presets from PC to PC. Quality/performance optimized presets, professional presets for (Soft)Quadro boards and some game presets for Detonator 5.xx and higher are included in this version.

• Flexible preset / color scheme / display mode / application launcher:  

• You can launch any preset, created via RivaTuner's preset wizard or preset editor.

• You can launch any color scheme, created via the built-in color scheme editor.

• You can quickly switch display mode.

• You can associate a preset, color scheme and display mode with any application. You can also gain performance boost by changing the application's priority class.

• Optional “Restore After Terminating” (RAT) mode. RivaTuner can save display mode, color scheme and preset entries before launching application and restore saved settings after terminating this application

• Powerful overclocking tool for Detonator 3.xx and newer drivers:

• Maximum overclocking safety due to NVIDIA driver's overclocking interface (aka CoolBits) utilization.

• Extended overclocking range. You can increase core and memory clock frequencies by up to 100%.

• RivaTuner can detect default clock frequencies without rebooting your system.

• Optional "Restore clock frequencies after suspended mode" option. RivaTuner can save core and memory clock frequencies before entering suspended mode and restore it when system resumes. This virtually fixes the driver's bug and helps to avoid 100MHz/83MHz underclocking problem .

• Powerful low level hardware overclocking tool for all NVIDIA graphics processors:

• Full driver independence due to direct access to NVIDIA graphics processor's registers.

• Unlike the Detonator drivers, RivaTuner's low level overclocking module doesn't switch display mode when setting new clock frequencies and allows to avoid annoying display mode switch when applying overclocking settings at Windows startup. 

• Flexible user customizable low level diagnostic module. You can create graphics subsystem diagnostic report including the following categories:

• Northbridge information and northbridge PCI configuration space snapshot. RivaTuner can detect Intel 440LX,  Intel 440BX, Intel 440GX, Intel i820 Camino,  Intel i815 Solano, Intel i850 Tehama, VIA MVP3, VIA KT133 series, VIA KX133, VIA Apollo PRO series, VIA Apollo PRO Plus, VIA Apollo PRO 133A, VIA Apollo PRO 266, VIA KT266 series, VIA P4X266, ALi 1541, ALi 1621, ALi 1641, SiS 645, SiS 735 and AMD 751 northbridges. The database of northbidges is user customizable and you can easily extend it.

• Display adapter information and display adapter PCI configuration space snapshot. RivaTuner can display AGP diagnostic info for NVIDIA and ATI  based display adapters. The database of display adapters is user customizable and you can easily extend it.

• IDirect3D7 HAL/TnL HAL and IDirect3D8 HAL capabilities dump.

• NVIDIA specific display adapter information. RivaTuner can detect graphics core type, bus type, type and amount of onboard videomemory, memory bus type, core and memory clock frequencies (both real and effective for DDR boards).

• NVIDIA graphics processor's registers snapshot. By default RivaTuner shows the most important general purpose and RAMDAC related registers. The database of the registers is user customizable and you can easily extend it.

• RivaTuner's low level diagnostic module allows to compare two graphics subsystem diagnostic reports. This feature is very effective when tracking changes in the driver's capabilities, PCI configuration registers or in the graphics processor's registers.

• Flexible built-in patch script system. Now you can easily create your own patches and execute them via RivaTuner. You can perform masked search and replace functions, restore checksum for system files, create backup copies and use version-dependent scripts. The following patch scripts are included in this version:

• SoftQuadro patch script. Are you going to turn your GeForce into a Quadro? Now you don't need to void your warranty by soldering your display adapter. SoftQuadro can unlock all the professional Quadro features on software level. This script was exclusively developed in order to prove tests results stated in my article. It is intended for testing purposes only and I disclaim any liability for improper distribution and improper use of this script.

• NvXTInitFix patch script. Are you having major problems with GeForce2 Pro/GeForce2 Ultra or GeForce3 overclocking under Windows 2000? Now you can fix the bug in the Detonator drivers with RivaTuner! Read FAQ for details.

• LODBiasFix patch script fixes the bug introduced in the Detonator 23.xx and allows the driver to set negative Direct3D mipmap LOD bias correctly.

• S3TCFixPack patch scripts are full analogs of my S3TCFixPack utility. These patch scripts can be used in order to fix DXT1 quality problem on the Detonator 6.46 and older.

• RTPatchesFix patch script unlocks the Direct3D driver's D3DDEVCAPS_QUINTICRTPATCHES and D3DDEVCAPS_RTPATCHES capabilities, which have been disabled in the Detonator 21.xx and higher.

• Built-in 60Hz refresh fix for Windows2000/XP. This fix enumerates all the display modes supported by your graphics subsystem and allows it to use only the maximum supported refresh rate for each display mode.

• Detailed context sensitive help system:

• The most of the information, included in RivaTuner's context help is exclusive and never was available in any other tweaking program.

• RivaTuner's context help contains a lot of tips, which can help you to customize the driver's settings.

Known issues:  

• RivaTuner officially supports Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. It will not start on other operating system by default. However, you can disable OS version checking via the registry and run it on unsupported OS at your own risk:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Unwinder\RivaTuner]
"DisableOSCheck"=dword:00000001

 

Note: Windows95 is no longer supported. RivaTuner v2.0 Release Candidate 6 is the last version, which can work with this OS.

• Due to unknown reason the Detonator 21.xx cannot correctly call NvHWCtl/NvXTInit/NvColorInit functions on certain GeForce2 MX based systems under Windows 9x. It causes improper control panel operation and prevents it from overclocking and applying a color scheme at Windows startup. This glitch will be also echoed in RivaTuner and the rest driver-level NVIDIA tweakers (NVMax, GTU) and will cause overclocking and color correction malfunction. The only way to avoid it is to use other drivers or RivaTuner's low level overclocking module. 

• You will not be able to overclock the secondary NVIDIA-based display adapter on multiple monitor systems until you will enable the 'Apply overclocking at Windows startup' for the primary NVIDIA-based adapter.

• The memory clock frequency on some DDR display adapters (e.g. GeForce2 Ultra and GeForce3) can only be adjusted with the crystal frequency granularity (14.318MHz). This applies to low level overclocking module only. Now I'm trying to find a work around.

• It's not recommended to use RivaTuner's low level overclocking and clock monitoring on GeForce2 Go / Quadro2 Go graphics processors. It looks like GeForce2 Go / Quadro2 Go graphics processor's core clock programming mechanism differs from the rest NVIDIA graphics processors and currently it is not supported.

• The 'IDirect3D7 HAL capabilities' and 'IDirect3D7 TnL HAL capabilities' graphics subsytem diagnostic report categories are currently available on the primary display adapters only.

Revision history:    

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 10:

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed strap based AGP/PCI bus type detection for TNT based boards.

• Fixed display mode switching routine. The previous code failed to switch display modes on dual head display adapters (e.g. GeForce2 MX and Radeon 8500) under Windows 9x.

• Fixed the RTPatchesFix patch script for Windows 2000/XP.

• Fixed the bug, which caused a crash after attempt to dump IDirect3D8 HAL capabilities on the OS with no DirectX 8 installed.

• Fixed SoftQuadro detection algorithm for pre-10.xx Detonators under Windows2000/XP.

• Minor UI fixes.

What's new:

• Full Detonator 27.xx support.

• Both overclocking and gamma managers have been almost fully rewritten (especially Windows 9x code) in order to make them Detonator 27.xx-compatible. 

• Detonator 27.xx-compatible texture format settings (the problem with the 3DMark2001/'Pixel shaders' is fully addressed now, you may find detailed info on this problem in RivaTuner's FAQ). 

• Added 'Enable 32-bit bump normal map textures' and 'Enable FOURCC NVCS textures' texture format options for the Detonator 27.xx/GeForce3 and higher. 

• Added OpenGL texture sharpening option for the Detonator 27.xx and higher. This option allows the OpenGL driver to lower mipmap LOD bias when FSAA is enabled and helps to avoid image blurring (especially with the Quincunx / 4x 9-tap modes).

• Added OpenGL mipmap LOD bias slider for the Detonator 27.xx and higher.

• Added Detonator 27.xx compatible LODBiasFix patch scripts for both Windows 9x and 2000/XP.

• Disabled the 'Enable early Z-occlusion culling' option for the Detonator 27.xx and higher. New drivers ignore this setting and always use early Z-occlusion culling on GeForce3 and higher.

• Added NvIoControl-based driver communication module for Windows9x. This allowed to implement SoftQuadro detection for Windows9x.

• Added new powerful features to the built-in registry editor, which can greatly simplify the work with encrypted registry entries on the Detonator 23.xx and higher:

• Name/Alias toggle allows you to switch between the real name of a registry entry and its' alias. Now you don't must be an extra experienced user in order to read the encrypted registry entry names. You can just press the button to switch to the Alias mode and built-in registry editor will show decrypted names instead of encrypted.

• Value/Analyze toggle allows you to switch between direct value editor and value interpretator. The value interpretator mode is a feature, which brings the built-in registry editor's possibilities on the new level. It allows you to select one of the predefined values (e.g. true/false) instead of entering the encrypted values directly. You can also enter the value directly then press the button to switch to the enterpretator and see how the driver treats the value you've entered. Currently only the enum type interpretator is implemented, bitmask and range interpretators will be implemented in the future versions.

• Added databases for the Detonators 23.11, 27.00, 27.10 and 27.20 for both Windows 9x and Windows 2000/XP.

• Added 27.xx-specific options (OpenGL LOD bias and texture sharpening mode) to the presets.

• Renamed the '2x + 1 x 2 supersampling' Direct3D FSAA mode to '4xS'. It's fun that this mode was available in RivaTuner on GeForce3 boards before GeForce4 announce, but it is very pity that NVIDIA promote this hybrid FSAA mode as the novelty of the GeForce4 boards.

• SoftQuadro scripts are no longer supported and will not work with the Detonator 27.xx. The reason is that NVIDIA has implemented SoftQuadro protection again and I do tired of endless protection/antiprotection chase and it eats a lot of my time. Probably I'll bring you SoftQuadro 2.0 scripts once againg, but now I'm concentrated on adding ATI Radeon 8500 support to RivaTuner and it is the primary task in my plan for today.

• Removed 16-bit Z-buffer forcing option from the 'High performance' presets. This setting can boost performance by  saving videomemory bandwidth on low end systems, but it can give negative effect on high end systems. 

• Added support for 27MHz reference frequency to the low level hardware overclocking module. This allows RivaTuner's low level overclocking module to work with GeForce4 boards (thanks to Andrew Worobyew for testing RivaTuner with GeForce4 Ti 4400).

• Added fake DDR problem workaround for GeForce4 MX boards (thanks to Hilbert Hagedoorn for testing RivaTuner with GeForce4 MX 420). It is pity, but this problem (double displayed memory clock frequency), which is widely spead on GeForce2 MX with 4Mx16 memory modules, also appears on GeForce4 MX boards. To address this issue RivaTuner just halves displayed memory clock frequency on GeForce4 MX boards when SDR memory is detected and the MPLL coefficients are programmed to 300MHz or above.

• Added GeForce4 support to the built-in 60Hz refresh rate fix for Windows2000/XP.

• Revised AGP diagnostic code. Now RivaTuner doesn't use lookup tables and finds AGP capabilities header directly via the PCI configuration space's capabilities lists. The [VGAAGPStatusPCR] and [NorthbridgeAGPStatusPCR] sections are obsolete now and removed from the hardware database.

• Extended 'Northbridge info' diagnostic report category. Now RivaTuner can detect old northbridges and show that AGP is not supported instead of showing that it is disabled.

• Extended 'Display adapter info' diagnostic report category. Now RivaTuner uses vendor-independent AGP/PCI bus type detection and dumps bus type to the 'Display adapter info' diagnostic report category (strap based AGP/PCI bus type detection is also available for NVIDIA adapters). RivaTuner can also dump up to 6 IO/MMIO base addresses.

• Added 'Skinned controls' mode for Windows XP, which allows RivaTuner to use themed XP-styled controls. 

• FAQ updated.

• Minor UI changes and improvements.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 9 (29.12.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed display adapter location detection code. Due to the glitch in the previous location detection algorithm RivaTuner could fail to detect display adapter's location on certain systems. 

• Fixed corrupted 'High quality ' preset for Windows9x.

• Fixed some resource and memory leaks.

• Minor UI fixes.

What's new:

• Revised AGP/PCI bus type detection for TNT based boards.

• Revised 64/128-bit memory bus type detection for NV10 graphics processors. Now RivaTuner can detect underground assembled NV10 based boards with 64-bit memory bus.

• Added RTPatchesFix patch script. This patch unlocks the driver's D3DDEVCAPS_QUINTICRTPATCHES and D3DDEVCAPS_RTPATCHES capabilities, which have been disabled in the Detonator 21.xx and higher.

• Added integration with Explorer shell. Now RivaTuner's patch script (*.rts) and preset (*.rtp) files can be opened with the Explorer. RivaTuner must be started at least once before doing this in order to register *.rts and *.rtp shell extensions.

• Added integration with Windows desktop. The button is now available in the Launcher tab's context menu. This button allows you to create a shortcut for any launcher item and use RivaTuner's launcher by clicking a desktop icon.

• Added 'Enable multisample masking' Direct3D option for GeForce3 and Detonator 21.xx or higher.

• Added '2x + 1 x 2 SSAA' antialiasing mode for GeForce3 and Detonator 21.xx or higher.

• Added SiS 645 and SiS 735 northbridges support to the low level graphics subsystem diagnostic module. 

• Added new report categories to the low level graphics subsystem diagnostic module. Now RivaTuner can dump the capabilities of IDirect3D7 (both HAL and TnL HAL) and IDirect3D8 HAL. RivaTuner's report comparison tool allows you to track changes in the Direct3D driver's capabilities.

• Added experimental low level 7,159MHz granular memory clock adjustment mode for DDR boards (GeForce2 Ultra, GeForce3 and so on). This mode is currently hidden from inexperienced users, but the power users may play with the FreezeMPLLM and FreezeMPLLP registry entries. 

• Windows95 is no longer supported since this version.

• Minor UI changes and improvements.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 8.2 (10.12.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed bug in the driver level overclocking manager, which caused 'Restore clock frequencies after suspended mode' option malfunction on Windows9x based systems.

• Fixed bug with the ‘Invalid registry entries have been detected’ message after changing AGP transfer rate.

• The previous version contained corrupted compiled code, which caused RivaTuner to crash after changing any system setting, which required reboot.

• Minor UI fixes.

What's new:

• Added nForce northbridges support to the low level graphics subsystem diagnostic module. 

• Added more VIA northbridges to the hardware database.

• Disabled  'NVIDIA specific display adapter information' diagnostic report category for Aladdin and nForce integrated display adapters.

• Disabled low level memory clock adjustment for Aladdin and nForce integrated display adapters.

• FAQ updated.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 8.1 (6.12.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed SoftQuadro antiprotection scripts for the Detonator 14.40 - 21.xx. The previous antiprotection scripts had not completely blocked SoftQuadro protection and could cause instability in some CAD applications like ProEngeneer, Maya and so on. This issue is fully addressed now.

• Fixed “Enable 4x transfer rate” option into VIA compatibility settings. Now this option is active on VIA 694X based motherboards only.

• Fixed the bug in the database build scenario interpretator, which could cause incorrect database generation on certain Windows9x based systems.

• Returned game and professional presets, which have been lost during preset format conversion in the previous version.

What's new:

• Full Detonator 23.xx support. 

• LODBiasFix patch script for the Detonator 23.xx. This script fixes the bug introduced in the Detonator 23.xx and allows the driver to set negative Direct3D mipmap LOD bias correctly.

• Added 'Force 16-bit Z-buffer' OpenGL option for GeForce2 MX and GeForce3 based boards.

• Added 'GeForce2 compatibility mode' option for GeForce3 based boards. This option prevents the driver from using GeForce3 specific features (e.g. pixel shaders and depth buffer compression) and forces it to detect GeForce3 GPU as GeForce2 MX. This option can be used for testing purposes as well as for for forcing the use of SSAA instead of MSAA on GeForce3 boards.

• Improved 'Restore clock frequencies after suspended mode' option functionality under Windows2000/XP. The previous version of RivaTuner passed restored clock frequencies to the driver after resuming from suspended mode, but in fact the clock frequencies were set after the first display mode switch. It was caused by Windows2000/XP structural feature, which doesn't allow an application to switch display mode when a user is not logged in. Now RivaTuner restores clock frequencies immediately after logging in.

• Changed workaround for fake DDR memory problem on some GeForce2 MX200/MX400 boards. This problem is caused by the hardware feature of the clock frequency generator, which can be hardwired to halve PLL clock frequency. Usually this feature is used on the boards equipped with DDR memory, but it is also used by some hardware vendors on GeForce2 MX200/MX400 boards with 4Mx16 SDR memory modules. The previous version of RivaTuner just halved the memory clock frequency on all GeForce2 MX200/MX400 boards with 4Mx16 SDR memory modules. It allowed to work around this problem, but caused incorrect memory clock frequency detection on some normal GeForce2 MX200/MX400 boards with 4Mx16 SDR memory modules (e.g. Inno3D GeForce2 MX400 64MB). Now RivaTuner contains the database of GeForce2 MX200/MX400 boards with 4Mx16 SDR, which allows RivaTuner to detect problematic GeForce2 MX200/MX400 boards. RivaTuner can also use heuristic algorithm when it cannot find your display adapter in the database.

• Extended driver level overclocking range for pseudo-DDR GeForce2 MX200/MX400 under Windows 2000/XP.

• Added databases for the Detonator 22.50 (Windows 9x only), 23.10 and 23.11.

• Updated performance/quality presets.

• Added ALi 1541 northbridge support to the low level graphics subsytem diagnostic module.

• Added ATI Radeon R100/R200 support to the low level graphics subsytem diagnostic module.

• Improved detection code for VIA Apollo Pro series northbridges.

• Some interface changes aimed to improve appearance with the ClearType antialiasing under Windows XP.

• FAQ updated.

• Minor UI changes and improvements.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 8 (published on 14.11.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed the bug introduced in RC5.1, which prevented RivaTuner from detecting default clock frequencies after an attempt to enable hardware overclocking via Reboot mode under Windows2000/XP.

• Fixed CoolBits registry entry reset issue. The previous versions of RivaTuner set this registry entry to 2 after enabling overclocking and caused Direct3D VSync settings to disappear from NVIDIA control panel. Now RivaTuner changes the state of the second CoolBits  bit only.

• Fixed the bug in the launcher item editor, which allowed in some cases a user to associate a preset, color scheme or display mode with separator items.

• Fixed SoftQuadro scripts for Quadro DCC. The previous versions of these scripts forced wrong capability codes and blocked 3D textures hardware support and some other capabilities. 

• Fixed VSync prerender limit  settings for the Detonator 3.xx.

What's new:

• Added Lightspeed Memory Architecture related options for GeForce3 based boards.

• Disabled texel alignment controls for GeForce3 boards on the Detonator IV and higher.

• Improved I/O driver (RivaTuner.sys) unlocks only the PCI and VGA I/O ports now. New driver fully addresses the keyboard lock issue in fullscreen DOS applications under Windows XP.

• New low level overclocking monitor. New low level core uses memory mapped I/O instead of VGA I/O ports. This allows to monitor the clock frequencies on non-primary NVIDIA display adapters. The previous low level overlocking monitor could also cause the system to hang during an attempt to read clock frequencies after resuming from suspended mode. This issue is fully addressed now.

• Added reboot notification messages for some Direct3D options. Now RivaTuner shows reboot notification messages when a user changes Direct3D options, which require reboot (e.g. Direct3D texture format settings).

• Added built-in 60Hz refresh rate fix for Windows 2000/XP. This fix enumerates all the display modes supported by your graphics hardware and allows it to use only the maximum supported refresh rate for each display mode.

• Added low level driver independent overclocking module for NVIDIA based display adapters. Now RivaTuner can directly program NVIDIA core and memory PLLs and set the clock frequencies bypassing the driver. I've added this module special for GeForce2 MX owners to work around the major overclocking problems, introduced in the DetonatorXP.

• Added low level graphics subsystem diagnostic module. Now RivaTuner can save northbridge and display adapter related diagnostic information to the report file. Graphics susbsystem diagnostic module can also track changes in norrthbridge's and display adapter's PCI configuration spaces and even in graphics processor's registers. 

• Added database builder scripts. Databases for the Detonator drivers are not included in the distributive now and generated via the database builder when you start RivaTuner in the first time. It allowed to crunch database related data in the distributive with 1:10 ratio.

• Extended preset format. Now presets can contain driver dependent and hardware dependent registry entries. It allowed to merge all the quality and perfromance presets for different drivers and hardware and crunch preset related data in the distributive with 1:10 ratio.

• Added databases for the Detonator 3.34 (w9x only), 3.56 (w9x only), 3.68 (w9x only), 3.72 (w9x only), 3.75 (w9x only), 3.76 (w9x only), 3.77 (w9x only), 4.20 (w9x only), 5.08, 5,1x,  6.1x, 6.26, 6.27, 6.3x, 21.83, 22.50 and 22.80.

• Improved FastWrites settings. Now RivaTuner can also override NV_PEXTDEV_BOOT_0 strapping register, which allows the driver to use AGP FastWrites even if it is disabled in display adapter's BIOS.

• FAQ updated.

• Minor UI changes.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 7.1 (published on 30.09.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed the bug introduced in RC7, which prevented RivaTuner from restoring the state of the 'Show NVIDIA adapters only' option.

• Fixed the bug in ExtEscape-styled overclocking code for Windows2000/XP, which prevented RivaTuner from restoring the previous clock frequencies after testing new settings.

• Fixed the bug, which prevented RivaTuner from saving the state of the  'Enable 16/32-bit RGB/RGBA textures' and 'Enable 16/32-bit bump-map textures' options on GeForce3 boards.

• Removed nvmini2.vxd file from the list of the driver's files for Detonator 21.81.

• Fixed DisableIODriver registry entry handler.

• Minor help fixes.

What’s new:

• Added the code, which prevents RivaTuner from detecting two GeForce2 MX devices on TwinView boards.

• Improved main tab layout. A lot of users were confused with the new main tab layout, introduced in the previous version, an could not locate the driver customization popup. New interface enhancement helps the newbies to find it.  Now the button flashes until you press it the first time.

• Added driver independent low-level overclocking monitor. Now RivaTuner can read and display the clock frequencies directly via PLL. It helps you to monitor the real clock frequencies and verify the driver's settings. This feature works with the primary display adapter only.

• Unified I/O driver (uniio.sys) has been replaced with new I/O driver (rivatuner.sys). This driver is based upon the unified IO driver, but it consumes less memory and it correctly restores I/O access map after unloading. This helps to partially address the keyboard lock issue in fullscreen DOS applications under Windows XP. Read the list of known issues for details.

• Added databases for Detonator 21.85.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 7 (published on 20.09.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed the bug in Windows2000 device enumeration code, which prevented RivaTuner from detecting the secondary NVIDIA display adapter on multiple monitor systems with more than one NVIDIA based display adapters.

• Fixed the bug in Windows2000 device enumeration code, which caused incorrect overclocking/color scheme manager operation on certain multiple monitor systems.

• Corrected gamma ramp calculation routine, which caused NVIDIA control panel to reset the color scheme to defaults after adjusting it via RivaTuner. This glitch only appeared on the Detonator 14.40 and higher under Windows2000/XP.

• Minor UI fixes.

What’s new:

• Full Windows XP and Detonator 21.xx (alias Detonator XP) support.

• Added Detonator XP styled texture format settings, which allow you to customize the texture formats supported by the Direct3D driver separately for DirectX7 and DirectX8 applications.

• Added Detonator XP styled motherboard chipset compatibility settings.

• Added databases and presets for Detonators 8.04, 14.70 and 21.81.

• New main tab layout. Now the System, Direct3D, OpenGL and Color tweaking dialogs can be activated via the driver customization toolbar. You can  press the button to show the driver customization toolbar. When RivaTuner is minimized to tray you can show this toolbar by holding Ctrl and clicking RivaTuner's tray icon or by holding left mouse button pressed on the tray icon during at least 0.5s. 

• Added "Restore defaults" button to the driver customization toolbar. Now you can reset all the driver's settings to their default values by single click. This function is useful when removing RivaTuner from your system. 

• Added detailed context sensitive help system for Launcher, System, Direct3D, OpenGL and Color options. The most of the information, included in RivaTuner's context help is exclusive and never was available in any other tweaking program.

• Added Quadro DCC support in SoftQuadro scripts.

• Added SoftQuadro antiprotection scripts, which prevent the OpenGL driver from entering the infinite loop on non-Quadro boards with Detonator 14.40 and higher.

• Added SoftQuadro driver detection for Windows2000/XP. Now RivaTuner automatically detects the drivers patched via SoftQuadro and enables professional OpenGl options. SoftQuadro driver detection for Windows 9x is not implemented yet, but you can enable professional OpenGL options via ForceQuadro registry entry is you use the drivers patched with SoftQuadro. Read FAQ for details. 

• New launcher possibilities. Now you can associate a display mode (both Windows 9x and Windows 2000) and refresh rate (Windows 2000 only) with any launcher item. This allows you to perform quick display mode switching. This feature can also virtually fix Direct3D mouse cursor bug, which has been introduced in the Detonator 6.47 and fixed in the Detonator 21.81. Due to unknown reason mouse cursor appears on the screen after display mode switch in fullscreen Direct3D applications on Windows 9x.You can associate a display mode with any application, which exhibits such problem and so prevent it from switching display mode.

• Added new option to professional OpenGL settings, which allows you to select stereo display mode on Quadro boards if Detonator 12.xx or higher is installed.

• Improved AGP transfer rate option safety. Now it is also disabled by default and protected by LockDangerSettings registry entry.

• Added current brightness/contrast/gamma indicators in desktop color scheme window.

• FAQ updated.

• Minor UI changes and improvements.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 6 (published on 2.08.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed Direct3D FSAA settings for GeForce/GeForce2 for Detonator 1x.xx.

• Added missed %AdapterString% macro handler to the preset manager. Due to absence of this macro handler, the previous version couldn't correctly restore overclocking settings from the preset on Detonator 12.90 and higher for Windows 2000.

• Various fixes and changes in the databases for Detonator 1x.xx for Windows 2000.

• Minor UI fixes.

What’s new:

• Added context sensitive help system.

• Added "Restore clock frequencies after suspended mode" option. Now RivaTuner can save core and memory clock frequencies before suspended mode and restore it when system resume. This virtually fixes drivers' bug and helps to avoid 100/83 underclocking problem.

• Added "Enable Accelerated Graphics Port" option for Detonator 1x.xx for Windows 2000.

• Improved AGP Sideband addressing and FastWrites settings safety. Now AGP Sideband addressing settings are also disabled by default and protected by LockDangerSettings registry entry. Read FAQ to find how to enable AGP Sideband addressing in RivaTuner. AGP Sideband and FastWrites settings are also disabled if motherboard doesn't support it or it is disabled in BIOS.

• Improved AGP transfer rate settings safety. Now RivaTuner doesn't allow to select AGP transfer rate, which is not supported by motherboard or display adapter.  

• Now RivaTuner can either use exported functions from the NVIDIA control panel and tweaking library or use direct access to hardware via ExtEscape calls. By default it uses ExtEscape calls for Detonator 12.40 and higher and exported functions for the rest of the drivers to adjust the color scheme and query/set clock frequencies in realtime. It allows it to avoid nvcpl.dll usage. ExtEscape is much faster than exported function calls, but it has not been completely tested yet. You may force exported functions usage if color correction or overclocking doesn't work properly on your system. Use ExtEscapeColorControl and ExtEscapeClockControl registry entries to force ExtEscape or exported functions usage.

• Added advanced overclocking mode for power users. Now clock frequencies can be applied and saved without test via DisableClockTest registry entry.

• Changed default Direct3D mipmap LOD bias adjustment interval from [-2; +2] to [-3;+3]. As before, Direct3D mipmap LOD bias adjustment interval can be changed from [-2;+2] to [-15;+15] via LODBiasRange registry entry.

• Added databases for Detonator 14.10 (Window 9x only) and 14.20 (Windows 2000 only).

• Added presets for Detonator 14.xx.

• Updated all performance/quality presets. Changed Direct3D prerender limit from 1 to 3 in all presets. Updated "Restore defaults" and "Safe mode" presets for Detonator 1x.xx for Windows 2000.

• Added advanced Direct3D anisotropic filtering settings for GeForce3 for Detonator 12.00 and higher.

• Added gamma ramp graphs in desktop color scheme window.

• Minor UI changes and improvements.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 5.1 (published on 8.07.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• None.

What’s new:

• Added SoftQuadro patch scripts. These scripts can modify NVIDIA Detonator drivers for Windows 9x, Windows NT4 or Windows 2000 in order to unlock professional Quadro features on any GeForce based board.

• Added Detonator 12.90 compatible overclocking and color scheme manager for Windows 2000.

• Improved compatibility with Detonator's color scheme manager for Detonator 12.40 and higher for Windows 2000. Now Detonator's color schemes can be used via RivaTuner for these drivers.

• Added databases for Detonator 12.90 for Windows 9x and Windows 2000.

• Added SoftQuadro related questions to FAQ.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 5 (published on 25.06.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed overlay context update routine. Due to incorrect parameter conversion into ExtEscape call RivaTuner could occasionally cause general protection fault during adjusting overlay settings under Windows 2000.

• Replaced D3D_ForceBlitWaitFlagEnable registry entry with D3D_WaitAfterBlitEnable into all Detonator 5.xx databases for Windows 2000

• Minor UI fixes

What’s new:

• Added Digital Vibrance Control for GeForce2 MX/Quadro2 MXR/GeForce3.

• Added Quadro/Quadro2 MXR/Quadro2 Pro specific options.

• Added presets for professional workstation applications (Lightwave, Maya, 3D Studio Max etc.) for  Quadro/Quadro2 MXR/Quadro2 Pro boards.

• Added Direct3D LOD bias settings for GeForce/GeForce2/GeForce3 for Detonator 7.78 - 10.00.

• Added Direct3D/DirectDraw blitting options for Detonator 5.xx and higher.

• Added databases and Detonator 7.78, 12.20, 12.40, 12.41 and 12.60, updated database for Detonator 12.00.

• Updated performance/quality presets for Detonator 6.xx - 12.xx (added blitting related registry entries, Quadro related registry entries and so on) . 

• Improved compatibility with Detonator 12.4x for Windows 2000. All Detonator drivers for Windows 2000 can use either NvCplDaemon or NvXTInit and NvColorInit procedures to apply overclocking or color scheme at Windows startup. NvCplDaemon function in Detonator 12.40 - 12.59 doesn't properly call NvXTInit and NvColorInit. New version of RivaTuner uses NvXTInit / NvColorInit for Detonator 12.40 - 12.59 and NvCplDaemon for the rest drivers. 

• Added built-in patch script system. Now you can easily create your own patches or use my patches, included in RivaTuner. This version contains NvXTInitFix patch script which can fix the problems with GeForce2 Pro/GeForce2 Ultra/GeForce3 overclocking under Windows2000.

• Extended overclocking range. New ASUS v7100 Pro boards are equipped with extremely fast 4.5ns memory and can easily overcome 50% overclocking range. Now you can increase core and memory clock frequencies by up to 100%.

• Minor UI improvements.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 4.1 (published on 23.04.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed default values for WScale16 and WScale24 entries in all Detonator databases.

• Fixed “Enable 4x transfer rate” option into VIA compatibility settings. This option was always inactive on VIA KX133/VIA KT133 boards due to incorrect validation code.  

What’s new:

• Added advanced anisotropic filtering settings for GeForce/GeForce2/GeForce3 for Detonator 12.00 and higher.

• Added databases and presets for Detonator 12.00 for both Windows 9x and Windows 2000.

• Added UI customization options. Now you can customize user interface via “UI settings” page. You can also click right mouse button near the tabs to hide unused property pages.

• Added automatic database refresh feature. Now RivaTuner automatically refreshes current database when you are switching to RivaTuner from other application. Current database also can still be refreshed manually with F5 key.

• Improved compatibility with Windows 95. Now RivaTuner can start on Windows 95 even when Microsoft Internet Explored 4.0 Desktop Update is not installed.

• New delayed DLL loading mechanism can reduce memory consumption.

• Minor UI changes.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 4 (published on 05.04.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed default value and validation method for PCI texture heap size for Detonator 3.xx and higher.

• Disabled “OpenGL hardware acceleration mode” option for TNT boards.

• Fixed bug, introduced in the Release Candidate 3. The previous version of RivaTuner could not detect Detonator 2.08 due to incorrect driver version validation.

• Fixed databases for Detonator 7.5x and higher for Windows 2000.

What’s new:

• Changed motherboard chipset detection routines. Now RivaTuner doesn't use PCI BIOS and detects motherboard chipset via direct IO.

• Added motherboard chipset detection for Windows 2000 via BBD Soft unified IO driver

• Added AGP diagnostics for both Windows 9x and Windows 2000. Now RivaTuner can detect and show current AGP transfer rate, AGP SBA and AGP FW modes.

• Added “Open matched detonator database” button in built-in registry editor. Now RivaTuner can detect driver version and automatically open matched Detonator database.

• Added automatic preset creation wizard. RivaTuner can detect current driver version, find the most matched Detonator database and automatically create preset from it.

• Lowered memory consumption. Almost all graphics have been moved from executable file to external resource storage file

• Improved compatibility with overclocking and color scheme startup settings in Detonator control panel interface. Now RivaTuner can correctly detect both NvCplDaemon and NvXTInit / NvColorInit startup modes.

• Added databases for Detonator 5.22, 5.30, 5.32, 7.5x, 11.00 (Windows 9x only) and 11.01.

• Databases for Detonator 10.40, 10.50, 10.70 and 10.80 have been replaced with single Detonator 10.xx database because all these drivers use the same registry entries.

• Removed obsolete Super7Compat registry entry from all databases for Windows 2000.

• FAQ added.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 3.1 (published on 11.03.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed incorrect OpenGL FSAA settings for Detonator 10.xx.

• Fixed LOD bias settings for GeForce/GeForce2/GeForce3 for Detonator 10.70 and higher.

What’s new:

• Added GeForce3 specific FSAA settings for Detonator 10.xx (big thanks to Andrew Worobyew for testing RivaTuner with GeForce3).

• Updated databases for all versions of Detonators. Removed automatic mipmapping entries from all 6.xx and higher databases. Fixed OpenGL FSAA entries in databases for  Detonator 7.17, 10.50 and 10.70 for Windows 9x and Detonator 10.40 for Windows 2000.

• Removed obsolete entries from “Restore defaults” and “Safe mode” presets for both Windows 9x and Windows 2000.

• Added databases for Detonator 10.80 for both Windows 9x and Windows 2000.

• Added presets for Detonator 10.xx.

• Disabled automatic mipmapping settings for TNT/TNT2 on Detonator 6.xx and higher.

• Improved AGP settings safety. RivaTuner will disable AGP FastWrites settings if display adapter does not support this protocol.

• You can hold Ctrl button when closing RivaTuner to unload it from memory immediately even if “Send to tray on close” mode is selected.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 3 (published on 05.03.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed ALI chipset detection routine. In the previous version “Command buffer location” option was always disabled on Detonator 3.xx or higher due to incorrect ALI chipset detection.

• Improved compatibility with Detonator control panel interface. Due to bug into Detonator control panel interface it could not correctly show some Direct3D settings (e.g. “Enable table fog emulation” option) changed by any other tweaking program. Direct3D settings in RivaTuner are fully compatible with Detonator control panel interface now.

• Fixed “Defaults” button handler in OpenGL/FSAA property page. Default FSAA settings are correctly restored now.

• Fixed “Cancel” button handler in Color/Desktop property page. RivaTuner does not reset desktop color scheme to defaults after pressing “Cancel” button now.

• Fixed “Cancel” button handler in Color/Desktop property page. RivaTuner correctly restores previous overlay color settings after pressing “Cancel” button now.

• Minor UI fixes.

What’s new:

• Full Windows 2000 support.

• Added databases for Detonator 6.31, 6.47, 6.49, 6.50, 7.52 and 10.40 for Windows 2000.

• Added sample presets for Detonator 6.xx-7.xx for Windows 2000.

• Added databases for Detonator 7.52, 10.50 and 10.70 for Windows 9x.

• Updated presets and databases for Detonator 2.xx, 6.31, 6.47, 6.49, 6.50, 6.53, 6.67, 6.72 and 7.17 for Windows 9x.

• Added VIA/AMD Irongate/Intel chipset detection routines for Windows 9x. RivaTuner will correctly detect motherboard chipset and disable unused options now.

• Added overlay zooming and compatibility settings for Detonator 3.xx and higher drivers.

• Added 8-bit pallettized texture settings for Detonator 10.xx.

• New RTD format. RTD databases can now contain fixed size (4 bytes) binary values and root for each key.  

• Added advanced anisotropic filtering settings for Detonator 10.xx.

• Changed “Defaults” button handling strategy for all dialogs. Default settings are not applied immediately now, so user can undo it by “Cancel” button.

• Voodoo databases ripped from this version. 3dfx is dead and it seems like nobody needs it anymore.

• Minor UI changes.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate 2 (published on 11.02.2001):

Minor bugfixes:

• The previous versions of RivaTuner utility could hang when starting with Windows due to incompatibility between Detonator III and Yamaha YMF724 / Yamaha Sondius S-YSG100 software. New autostart mode has been added in this version to solve this problem.

• Minor UI fixes.

What’s new:

• Due to changed internal format RTD databases consume much less memory now. Also to decrease memory usage RivaTuner unloads unnecessary resources when it is minimized to tray.

• Added new Compatibility / AGP settings to System tweaks dialog.

• Added application / preset / color scheme launcher.

• New presets.

• New databases for Detonator 6.53, 6.67 and 6.72.

• Minor UI changes.

Version 2.0 Release Candidate (published on 29.12.2000):

Minor bugfixes:

• Core and memory clock sliders are now correctly updated after restoring default clock frequencies.

What’s new:

• Added Direct3D / OpenGL / Color tweaking dialogs for Detonator 3.xx and higher. RivaTuner completely supports GeForce and GeForce2 boards now.

• Preset editor and some sample presets added.

• New databases for Detonator 6.31, 6.47, 6.49, 6.50 and 7.17.

• Minor UI changes.

Version 2.0 beta 2 (published on 26.11.2000):

Minor bugfixes:

• Fixed issue with tray icon click.

• Fixed LOD bias settings into Direct3D tweaking dialog.

• Fixed W-buffer settings for 32-bit modes into Direct3D tweaking dialog.

• Fixed default value for PCI texture heap size.

What’s new:

• Built-in overclocking utility added for Detonator 3.xx and higher.

• New more flexible and more comfortable built-in registry editor.

• New RTD format. RTD databases can now contain string values, defaults and help for each entry.

• Full databases for the best TNT2 and GeForce drivers, Voodoo databases.

• Minor UI changes.

Version 2.0 beta (published on 17.07.2000):  

The first public release

FAQ:

Q:     How does RivaTuner work?

A:     RivaTuner can work in two different modes and tweak your graphics subsystem either on driver level or on low level. On the driver level it changes the driver's settings via undocumented registry entries and directly calls the functions exported by the drivers in order to perform some operations (query and set core/memory clock frequencies, update overlay context, change color scheme and so on). In this mode RivaTuner can also read some settings (e.g.  AGP settings and clock frequencies) directly from the hardware, but it doesn't use low level access to the hardware to change anything. In low level mode RivaTuner works directly with the graphics processor's registers. Currently low level tweaking module allows to change only the clock frequencies, but in the future versions I'm going to add low level AGP and color correction settings.

Q:     Can I close RivaTuner after tweaking my display adapter? Will the tweaks have an effect in this case?

A:     Yes, of course. All the driver's settings are stored in the registry so you can safely close RivaTuner or even remove it from your hard drive, but the tweaks will still work. The only option which requires RivaTuner to reside in memory is the 'Restore clock frequencies after suspended mode'. The power users may also wish to keep RivaTuner resident in order to use built-in registry editor's and low level diagnostic module's tracking features. 

Q:     And what about low level overclocking module? How can it work if RivaTuner is not loaded at Windows startup?

A:     RivaTuner just adds itself with /O command line switch to the autorun registry key when you enable the 'Apply at Windows startup' option in the low level system tweaking dialog . In this case, RivaTuner loads at Windows startup, applies low level overclocking settings then unloads from memory immediately.

Q:     Where do you get info about all these tweaks? Are you working at NVIDIA? 

A:     No, I’m not working at NVIDIA. I’m just the discontented owner of a NVIDIA display adapter and I want to get all from my hardware and its’ drivers. Reverse engeneering is my hobby and I rip the tweaks from the drivers with disassembler. I had owned almost all NVIDIA display adapters (Riva128, Riva TNT, Riva TNT2, GeForce256 SDR, GeForce256 DDR, GeForce2 GTS and GeForce 3) but I have never been satisfied with the Detonator's control panel interface. It’s a bit strange for me that the programmers from NVIDIA don’t allow us to change all available settings via the Detonator control panel interface. That’s why I started to code my own tweaking utility.

Q:    What is RTD database and how can I use it?

A:     RTD database is just the list of registry entries, which you can view and edit in built-in registry editor. Database for each Detonator contains the list of registry entries used by this driver. Default values and descriptions for each registry entry are also included in the database. You don’t make any changes in your registry when you are opening new database in RivaTuner, you just load the list of registry entries, which can be modified via built-in registry editor.

Q:     Do I need to load new RTD database after installing new drivers?

A:     You don’t need to load new database if you are not going to use built-in registry/preset editor. Forget about databases if you are not an experienced user and you are using only Direct3D / OpenGL / System / Color tweaking dialogs. These dialogs don’t depend of databases. RivaTuner will correctly detect any 2.08 and higher drivers and will allow you to change all supported options. Don’t care about databases until you are going to edit registry directly.

Q:     What is RTP preset and how can I use it?

A:     RTP preset is the script, which can add or remove entries from your registry. It is similar to REG file, but it has some advantages:

• Both Window 9x and Windows 2000 stores settings into system dependent registry keys. It means that your REG files may work incorrectly on another PC or even on your PC when you will reinstall display drivers. RivaTuner uses macro names to export and import presets so they will always work correctly

• REG files cannot remove entries from registry. Presets can do it.

• Preset files can contain driver version dependent and hardware dependent registry entries.

You can use pre-created presets (located in “Presets” folder) or create your own presets via built-in registry editor. To run preset follow the next steps:

• Open “Launcher” page and click “Add new menu item”. Menu item editor dialog will appear.

• Type menu item name.

• Check “Associated preset” option then select your preset and close menu item editor.

New menu item will appear. You can launch preset associated with this menu item by double clicking this menu item. When RivaTuner is minimized to tray you can also launch it from context menu (right click at RivaTuner tray icon to open it).

Q:     I need the preset for Quake III. Where can I download it?

A:     You don’t need the presets for all your games. I added presets only for the games, which cannot run properly without specific driver's settings (e.g. all NFS games require enabled table fog emulation and nonstandard texel alignment scheme; games based upon Unreal engine looks much better with negative LOD bias and floating point W-buffer format in 16-bit modes and so on). For the rest games you can use  the “High quality” and “High performance” presets.

Q:     Some settings (e.g. automatic mipmapping) are grayed in RivaTuner. How can I activate these settings?

A:     RivaTuner grays some settings due to one of three cases:  

• Settings are grayed if hardware does not support them. For example, TNT/TNT2 chipsets do not support anisotropic texture filtering. GeForce/GeForce2/GeForce3 chipsets do not support automatic mipmapping, fast trilinear filtering mode etc.

• Settings are grayed if drivers do not support them. For example “Enable S3TC quality trick” option is supported by Detonator 6.47 and higher only.

• Settings are grayed if operating system does not support them. For example “Use busmastering mode for video” is supported by Window 9x only.

            The best way to determine why does a setting is grayed is to click the button on RivaTuner's window caption then click an option you want to know about. RivaTuner will display help on this option and will explain why does it grayed.

Q:     It looks like RivaTuner caused problms with 3DMark2001 on my system. It crashes with the following error message: ''P_D3D::DRV_allocateMap - device does not support bump normal maps". It it a bug in RivaTuner? Can you fix it?

A:     No, it's not a bug. This problem is caused by incompatibility between the texture format setting in RivaTuner 2.0 RC9 and the Detonator 27.xx. NVIDIA just added new capability bit to the (D3D_)D3D_52971801 (encrypted SurfaceFormatsDX7) and (D3D_)D3D_52971801 (encrypted SurfaceFormatsDX8) registry entries in 27.xx drivers. This bit allows the Direct3D driver to export D3DFMT_Q8W8V8U8 pixel format and it must not be set on pre-27.xx drivers, but it must be set on new drivers. Unfortunately there is no way to make pixel format setting forward compatible because the driver doesn't allow to set unused bits and resets these registry entries to defaults when at least one extra bit is set. So the only way to work around this problem is to wait for updated RivaTuner. RivaTuner 2.0 RC10 is fully 27.xx-compatible, but this problem may appear again in the future if NVIDIA will add new texture format capability bits.

Q:     How do I use SoftQuadro?

A:     SoftQuadro is a special test script, which was exclusively developed in order to prove tests results stated in my article. You must read this article before using SoftQuadro.

Q:     I'd like to test SoftQuadro script with my GeForce2 Ultra. Which Quadro must I choose (Quadro/Quadro2MXR/Quadro2 Pro)?

A:     You should select Quadro for GeForce256 SRD/DDR, Quadro2 MXR for GeForce2 MX and Quadro2 Pro for GeForce2 GTS/GeForce2 Pro/GeForce2 Ultra and Quadro DCC for GeForce3. 

Q:     I tried to use SoftQuadro patch script. It has successfully modified the drivers, but I got the following warning message: "WARNING: Certified patch script not found, using common patch script...". What does it mean? What are certified and common patch scripts?

A:     SoftQuadro contains universal or common patch script, which must work on all currently available Detonator drivers 6.xx and higher . SoftQuadro also contains so called certified patch scripts for the drivers, which had been tested with SoftQuadro. This warning just tells you that I had not tested SoftQuadro with the driver, which you are trying to modify.

Q:     I've modified the Detonator drivers with SoftQuadro script. I have GeForce2 MX. When I install modified drivers what should I choose Quadro2 MXR or GeForce2 MX?

A:     You should install modified drivers as usual and select the original display adapter (i.e. GeForce2 MX).

Q:     I've GeForce2 MX modified to Quadro2 MXR with SoftQuadro patch script. All programs that use OpenGL detect a Quadro2 MXR and the doubt persists in that Windows detect GeForce2 MX and no Quadro2 MXR in screen properties.

A:     It must be so. SoftQuadro doesn't override the device identifier so Windows just cannot detect Quadro. 

Q:     I've  modified the drivers with SoftQuadro, but after installing the drivers, there is no change. All the options are the same, I've not got any additional OpenGL settings in the Detonator control panel.

A:     Additional options will not appear on Windows 9x. Quadro specific OpenGL options are available on Windows2000/NT4 only.

Q:     I've  modified the drivers with SoftQuadro, but "Professional" tab in RivaTuner's OpenGL settings is still disabled. How can I enable it?

A:     RivaTuner enables "Professional" settings on the real Quadro boards only. SoftQuadro driver detection for Windows9x is not implemented yet, so you must manually tell RivaTuner that you have modified the drivers. To do it just open "Power user" tab, then load RivaTuner.rtd database (or just hold Ctrl and press "Open matched Detonator database" button) and set ForceQuadro entry to 1.

Q:     I've patched the drivers with SoftQuadro script and it looks like it has damaged the OpenGL driver. All the OpenGL applications just hang. Any clues?

A:     NVIDIA had implemented SoftQuadro protection in the Detonator 14.40 and higher. They simply check DeviceID in the OpenGL driver and distort internal variable containing display adapter's base address if DeviceID doesn't conform to overridden OpenGL capabilities code. SoftQuadro antiprotection script must be used in conjunction with SoftQuadro script in order to prevent the OpenGL driver from entering the infinite loop on the Detonator 14.40 - 21.xx.

Q:     I cannot use Maya with the Detonator XP because it frequently crashes/freezes. Can you help me?

A:     Are you using SoftQuadro modified drivers? SoftQuadro antiprotection scripts included in RivaTuner 2.0 RC7 - RC8 had not completely blocked SoftQuadro protection. Try to use SoftQuadro antiprotection scripts included in RivaTuner 2.0 RC8.1 and higher.

Q:     I have successfully used MAXtreme for 3DStudio MAX R3.x with my (Soft)Quadro2 Pro, but I cannot install MAXtreme for 3DStudio MAX R4.x. Any clues?

A:     Unfortunately I cannot help you. There are two reasons:  

• First, I don't use 3DMax and I've never installed MAXtreme so I cannot give you strict answer.

• Second, MAXtreme installing capability was very big surprise for me. I just couldn't imagine that its' protection is so stupid and NVIDIA simply use the Detonator's interface to check Quadro board presence. Probably they have already added another kind of protection to the latest version of MAXtreme. In my mind this solution is much better then dirty tricks with hanging operating system when SoftQuadro is detected. Don't ask me write the patches for MAXtreme. I've no wish to do it because this software was exclusively developed for ELSA boards. I'm professional programmer myself and I respect the work of other programmers. Exclusive CAD optimized software (MAXtreme, POWERdraft and so on) are the only warrants of high Quadro prices.

Q:     AGP settings in RivaTuner don't work properly on my system. What’s the problem?

A:     Unfortunately Detonator’s AGP settings don't work on certain platforms (especially non-Intel based). On the most of Intel based platforms these settings work fine, but on the rest chipsets these settings can be ignored or even cause your operating system to crash (e.g. on VIA Apollo Pro 133A AGP transfer rate settings are ignored and AGP FastWrites settings may cause OS to hang). To change AGP settings on such platforms you can use either BIOS/AGP GART driver settings or any utility, which switches AGP settings directly via PCI configuration registers (PowerStrip, WPCREDIT, ZTAGPTool).

Q:     I’m sure that my display adapter supports AGP FastWrites/Sideband addressing, but AGP settings in RivaTuner are grayed. How can I enable it?

A:     First, you must have at least a GeForce256 and Detonator 5.32 or higher drivers to change FastWrites settings, and at least Detonator 6.34 to change Sideband addressing settings. Second, read the previous question. FastWrites and Sideband addressing settings can cause your system to hang, that’s why I disabled it by default. If you know what is Safe mode and you don’t afraid of BSOD, you can enable these settings in RivaTuner via the registry:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Unwinder\RivaTuner]

"LockDangerSettings"=dword:00000000

Q:     I have used other tweaking utility before RivaTuner and I could change much more Direct3D and OpenGL options there. Why I cannot change these options in RivaTuner?

A:     Unfortunately some coders are trying to boost download rates and increase popularity of their utilities by adding invalid, obsolete and even fake tweaking options. It is pity, but it is true. First of all, such utilities are dedicated to rookies in computer graphics. I’m not going to add fakes or untested options and deceive inexperienced users. To change untested options you may use RivaTuner’s built-in registry editor. It will help you to change absolutely all registry entries.

Q:     Sometimes I get the message ‘Invalid registry entries have been detected. RivaTuner will use default or truncated values for these entries’. What does it mean?

A:     It means that RivaTuner have detected some registry entries, which contains invalid values. Such registry entries will be ignored or corrected by driver. RivaTuner uses the same validation routines as driver. Usually this message is caused by other tweaking utilities, which set incorrect registry entries, or even by Detonator control panel interface. For example you can set PreRenderLimit entry to 0 via Detonator control panel interface. But Direct3D driver checks PreRenderLimit entry and set it to 1 if it is less than 1. If RivaTuner will detect that such entry, it will give you the warning message and correct it in the same way as driver.  

Q:     I cannot set some display modes after using RivaTuner's 60Hz refresh rate fix for Windows2000. Any clues?

A:     Don't try to use this fix if you have not installed native drivers for your monitor and Windows detects it as the 'Default monitor' or 'Plug and Play monitor'. In this case Windows will enumerate unsupported refresh rates and the fix will not function properly.

Q:     I cannot use RivaTuner. Each time when I’m trying to run it I get the message 'The ordinal 6880 could not be located in the dynamic link library MFC42.DLL'. Any clues?

A:     RivaTuner requires Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) libraries in order to run properly. These libraries are included in Windows 98 SE /Windows ME / Windows 2000 / Windows XP. However, some software can replace these libraries with the older versions. In this case RivaTuner will not run properly. If you have got such error message, then just restore MFC42.dll from Windows CD or download the latest version of MFC from Microsoft.

Q:     I tried to use RivaTuner on Windows 95 OSR 2 but it cannot start. The program always displays the error message: ‘The RIVATUNER.EXE file is linked to missing export SHELL32.dll:SHGetSpecialFolderPathA’. Any clues?

A:     RivaTuner requires SHELL32.DLL v4.71 or higher for full functionality. You must install Internet Explorer 4.0 Desktop Update or higher in order to use RivaTuner on Windows 95. Please read Internet Explorer’s readme.txt to get more info about installing Desktop Update. I’ve changed my code in RivaTuner v2.0 Release Candidate 4.1 in order to improve compatibility with Windows 95. Since this version RivaTuner can start on this operating system with some limitations even if Internet Explorer 4.0 Desktop Update is not installed.

            Note: Windows95 is no longer supported. RivaTuner v2.0 Release Candidate 6 is the last version, which can work with this OS.

Q:     Does RivaTuner support GeForce3?

A:     Yes, it does. It contains GeForce3 specific settings as well as RivaTNT / GeForce 256 / GeForce2 GTS / GeForce2 MX specific settings. Currently I use GeForce256, GeForce2 MX, GeForce2 GTS and GeForce3 based PCs to test RivaTuner.

Q:     I cannot overclock my GeForce2 PRO/GeForce2 Ultra/GeForce3 with both the Detonator Panel or RivaTuner. The system just goes back to defaults after reboot. How can I fix it?

A:     It's known bug of Detonator drivers for Windows 2000 and it was fixed in Detonator 12.90. Due to incorrect memory clock validation, NvXTInit function always resets  memory clock to default if it is above 400MHz. The problem is caused by bug into videomemory type detection. Windows9x drivers use the following validation interval for memory clock:

            80-400 MHz for the boards equipped with SDR memory

            80-800 MHz for the boards equipped with DDR memory

            Windows 2000 driver cannot correctly detect the video memory type because it checks GeForce DDR device ID only. So driver detects the rest boards as SDR and uses invalid validation interval on DDR boards.

            If you don't want to use 12.90 or higher drivers, you may use RivaTuner's NvXTInitFix patch script. It will made some correction in driver and force it to use 80-800Mz overclocking range regardless of videomemory type.

Q:     RivaTuner reports wrong clock frequencies on my MX400. It shows 200MHz/334MHz instead of 200MHz/166MHz. The Detonator control panel gives me the same result. How can I fix it? 

A:     This problem is caused by the hardware feature of the clock frequency generator, which can be hardwired to halve PLL clock frequency. Usually this feature is used on the boards equipped with DDR memory, but it is also used by some hardware vendors on GeForce2 MX200/MX400 boards with 4Mx16 SDR memory modules. In this case you'll be able to overclock your display adapter safely, just remember that double clock frequency is displayed.

Q:     Can you teach me how to tweak my display adapter?

A:     Please don’t bother me with such questions. I’m tired of it and I will not answer.

Q:     Where can I post RivaTuner related questions?

A:     First, you can post it in thematic discussion forums on the official RivaTuner's support websites: www.nvworld.ru and www.guru3d.com. I browse these forums almost every day so it is the most likely that I'll reply your questions there. Second, you can post your questions via email. Anyway, please ensure that you have completely read this file before you will post your question. 

Q:     Where can I download the latest versions of RivaTuner?

A:     You can download it from the official RivaTuner's distributors: www.nvworld.ru and www.guru3d.com. 

Q:     Your English is awful!

A:     I know. I’m Russian and I’m proud of it. If you’ll find any mistakes in this text or RivaTuner interface, please tell me and I’ll fix it.  

Disclaimer:

RIVATUNER IS SUPPLIED "AS IS". THE AUTHOR ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, DIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL, WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OF RIVATUNER.

Contacts:

Alexey Nicolaychuk aka Unwinder, RivaTuner programming, design, NVIDIA databases, patch scripts

E-mail:

AlexUnwinder@mail.ru 

Homepage:

http://www.nvworld.ru 

ICQ:      

http://www.icq.com/64116381