VGA to workstation monitor FAQ

Copyright 1997,1998 Tomi Engdahl

NOTE: This document is very much under construction !

Windows 95

Checking the settings currently in use

To determine the resolution when working in Windows 95, follow these steps:

To determine your refresh rate:

Depending on your graphics card and driver, you may have a tab at the top of your Display Settings screen that says "refresh." If you click on this, you can see your current refresh rate.

However, in many instances, you may not have this tab as an option. If this is the case, in the Settings screen where you saw your computer resolution, click on the button that says "Change Display Type." A screen will appear that tells you your "adapter type." This is the type of graphics board your computer has. If you contact the manufacturer of your board, either by phone or on the internet, you should be able to find out what refresh rate you are using.

Changing the monitor settings using standard Windoes 95 methods

First thing is to check if any of the ready made monitor types or the refresh rates matches your monitor settings. You then selects the correct resolution and right refresh rate and that's it. The monitor selecting can be done using the following procedure:

If the MONITOR is NOT listed by name under SHOW ALL DEVICES, determine the monitors capabilities and select an approriate maximum resolution from the STANDARD MONITOR TYPES list.

For finding the correct setting you might need for you particular RGB monitor you need to use calculator to calculate if the screen setting are what the monitor wants (calculate horizonal refresh rate from resolution and refresh rate etc.) and sometimes you need some experimenting to test which setting works best.

Make your own monitor settings for Windows

If you want to configure your Windows to a specific refresh rate then you should read the Implementing Custom Refresh Rates in Windows 95 article from http://microsoft.com/hwdev/devdes/refresh.HTM. I have not tested those tricks described at the document.

I have read the following Win95 tips from usenet news but I have not tested them myself (so be warned that there can be errors in them): One possibility is to modify the monitor refesh rates by editing the Windows95 settings. At least in Win95 version v4.00.953 (osr2) has refresh rate settings for all graphics adapters. Another option is to do the same manually by editing the windows driver configuration file monitor*.inf which can be found at c:\windows\inf directory. Try to find your own graphics controller from those configuration files and you can try to modify it's settings. After you have made the changes change your display type to to basic VGA and then back to your normal graphics adapter and the new refresh rates should be then updated to your drivers. If everything went right you gan get the refresh rate you want.

Windows monitor settings

; MONITORS.INF
;
; This is Setup information file for monitors
; supported in the Windows 95 retail product.
;
; Copyright (c) 1994-1995, Microsoft Corporation

[version]
LayoutFile=layout.inf
signature="$CHICAGO$"
Class=Monitor
Provider=%MS%
SetupClass=BASE

[DestinationDirs]
DefaultDestDir    = 11          ; LDID_SYS
monitor.infs.copy = 17          ; LDID_INF


; Base Install Sections
;-------------------------------------------------
[BaseWinOptions]
MonitorBase

[MonitorBase]
CopyFiles=monitor.infs.copy

[monitor.infs.copy]
monitor.inf
monitor2.inf
monitor3.inf
monitor4.inf

[SysCfgClasses]
Monitor, %Unknown.DeviceDesc%,MONITOR,4,%MonitorClassName%   ; Default to "Unknown Monitor"

; C:\WINDOWS\INF\SUNMON.INF:
; INF Data for SUN GDM-20D10 Monitor 20"

[version]
Class=Monitor
Signature="$CHICAGO$"
Provider=%Mfg%

[Manufacturer]
"%Mfg%"=Mfg

[Mfg]
%SUN%=SUN, Monitor\SUN

[SUN]
DelReg=DEL_CURRENT_REG
AddReg=SUN.AddReg

[DEL_CURRENT_REG]
HKR,MODES
HKR,,MaxResolution
HKR,,DPMS
HKR,,ICMProfile

[SUN.AddReg]
; for H =  81.1 KHz and  V = 76 Hz , fastest:
HKR,"MODES\1280,1024",Mode1,,"81.1,76,+,+"

; for H =  71.7 KHz and  V = 67 Hz  , alternatively, works also good:
; HKR,"MODES\1280,1024",Mode1,,"71.7,67,+,+"

HKR,,MaxResolution,,"1280,1024"


[Strings]
FileName=SUNMON.inf
Mfg="SUNMON"

SUN="SUN GDM-20D10 20-inch Monitor"
Exampleline:
[VS_8.Add]
HKR,"MODES\1280,1024",Mode1,,"30.0-64.0,50.0-90.0,+,+"

Windows 95 monitor setup instructions

The INF file which comes with Windows 95, provides configuration information such as resolution and refresh rates for many monitors. If all your hardware is Plug-and-Play, and your monitor is in the INF file that with your version of Windows 95, the monitor will be detected automatiocally, or you can select your monitor through the Display Properties diaglog box.

If your monitor is not listed in your current INF file, then an updated INF file must be downloaded and installed.

Installing new INF file to Windows 95

Driver specific settings

Some graphics card drivers have extra options to more configure the card option than what Windows 95 normally allows.

Matrox settings

Graphics cards from Matrox (Millenium, Mystique, Millenium II) have exceptionally good configurability options in their graphics cards and they can be quite easily configured to send out picture at almost any refresh rate that a monitor would want it. Information how to configure Matrox cards under Windows 95 can be found at http://www.matroxusers.com/ and at http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/vga2tv/matrox_tv.html.

Utilities for make special settings

Scitech Display Doctor

If your graphics card drivers do not support free user configurability then you can try if Scitech Display Doctor program from Scitech Software Inc can provide you the settings you need. Scitech Display Doctor support very many VGA chipsets and allows free user configuration of sync and refresh rates. Scitech Display Doctor is a commercial program but you can download a 21 day trial version from Scitech Software Web Site and see if it solves your interfacing problems.


Tomi Engdahl <Tomi.Engdahl@iki.fi>

Back to index