Print

images/724col.gif


Release Notes Version 3.10


These release notes provide information on the latest posting of ATI's industry leading software suite, CATALYST™. This particular posting updates the ATI Display Driver to version 7.962. This unified driver has been further enhanced to provide the highest level of power, performance, and reliability. The ATI CATALYST™ software suite is the ultimate in performance and stability.

The CATALYST™ 3.10 Release Notes provides information on the following:

Web Content

The CATALYST™ software suite 3.10 contains the following:

Desktop product family support

The CATALYST™ software suite is designed to support the following ATI desktop product family:
RADEON™ 9800 series
RADEON™ 9700 series
RADEON™ 9600 series
RADEON™ 9500 series
RADEON™ 9200 series
RADEON™ 9100 series
RADEON™ 9000 series
RADEON™ 8500 series
RADEON™ 7500 series
RADEON™ 7200 series
RADEON™ 7000 series



Note: ATI All-In-Wonder variants based on the above are also supported.


Note: All ATI PC Graphic cards are optimized for Microsoft's Media Center Edition when coupled with a supported video capture card.

ATI Integrated Product Support

The CATALYST™ software suite is designed to support the following ATI integrated product family:

  • RADEON™ IGP 320
  • RADEON™ IGP 330
  • RADEON™ IGP 340
  • RADEON™ 9000 IGP
  • RADEON™ 9100 IGP
  • IXP 150
  • IXP 200
  • IXP 250

Operating systems supported

The latest version of the CATALYST™ software suite is designed to support the following Microsoft Windows platforms:

  • Windows XP
  • Windows 2000
  • Windows Millennium Edition (ME)
  • Windows 98/98SE through the ME driver

New Features

This section provides information on new features found in this release of the CATALYST™ Display Drivers. This release of CATALYST™ provides users with a new feature known as OpenGL Shading Language Support.

OpenGL Shading Language Support

This release adds support for the OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL), a flexible, forward-looking, and hardware-independent high-level graphics programming language. The OpenGL Shading Language, defined as an open standard by the OpenGL Architecture Review Board, allows application developers to take advantage of the powerful programmable vertex and pixel processing units present in the 3D graphics system. Open languages offer developers the fastest route to using the latest graphics hardware features. Developers who are interested in using the OpenGL Shading Language can find updates on our website (http://www.ati.com/developer) in the upcoming months. This feature is available for the following ATI RADEON™ family product line:

  • ATI RADEON™ 9800 series
  • ATI RADEON™ 9700 series
  • ATI RADEON™ 9600 series
  • ATI RADEON™ 9500 series

The feature is available for all operating systems supported by the CATALYST™ software driver.

Performance Improvements

Performance in various 2D applications has improved by as much as 3-6% across the entire RADEON product line.

Comanche 4 framerates have also improved by approximately 5-7%.

Issues Resolved in CATALYST™ Version 3.10

The following section provides a summary of the issues that have been resolved in the latest release of CATALYST™ 3.10. These include:

Resolved Application Issues

This section provides information on application issues that have been resolved in the latest release of CATALYST™. These include the following:

  • Playing the Direct3D Point Sprites sample at resolutions of 1600x1200 or greater no longer result in graphic corruption being displayed

Resolved CATALYST™ Driver Issues

This section provides information on CATALYST™ driver issues that have been resolved in the latest release of CATALYST™. These include the following:

  • Intermittent detection of DDC monitors no longer fails when connected to a RADEON™ 9100 IGP
  • Connecting a CRT and FPD to an ATI RADEON™ 9600 series under Windows XP no longer results in the driver failing to keep the CRT and FPD enabled once the system is rebooted
  • Setting the desktop resolution to 1280x1024 and connecting a TV as a secondary device with panning mode enabled no longer results in the system failing to respond when moving the mouse pointer around the desktop
  • An error message indicating that the DVD can only be played back at 480p or 480i on component output is no longer displayed when stopping the ATI DVD player for 3 to 5 seconds
  • Starting the TV in desktop mode, followed by enabling the Hide Controls and the Hide Controls and Frame no longer results in the TV not being restored properly when exiting 10ft mode
  • Setting the colour depth to 16bpp under Windows 2000 and having the system enter the 3D screen saver no longer results in a memory leak
  • Setting the AGP speed to off no longer results in the AGP speed still being shown as enabled to 4x in the SMARTGART tab
  • Connecting a TV as the primary device followed by enabling clone mode and setting the desktop resolution to 1280x1024 no longer results in the Overlay Theater Mode not updating when moving the mouse to pan the display
  • Clicking the default button found in the ATI 3D tab now updates the maximum resolution for SMOOTHVISION after applying a custom profile setting
  • Setting the secondary CRT display to 1024x768 32bpp with extended desktop enabled no longer results in not being able to swap between the primary and secondary displays
  • Connecting an HDTV and setting the display to 640x480 32bpp 30Hz followed by attempting to change the display to 800x600 32bpp 30Hz no longer results in an error message being displayed
  • The Optimal Performance Direct 3D setting is now correct for an ATI RADEON™ 7000 series with 32Mb of memory
  • The display driver version is now displayed in the the option page found in the display properties
  • Display corruption is no longer seen when setting the 3D screen saver to initialize after one minute of idle time
  • Toggling between expansion and non-expansion mode no longer produces overlay and display corruption
  • Hot plugging a DVI monitor no longer results in the display resolution changing to 800x600 for both the DVI and the LCD
  • Setting the CRT to 1024x768 or both the CRT and LCD to 1920x1200 no longer results in the display resolution reverting back to 800x600
  • Connecting a TV and enable clone mode, followed by setting the desktop to 1280x1024 and enabling Overlay Theater Mode no longer results in the system rebooting when doing multiple device switching between the CRT and the TV
  • Enabling extended desktop no longer results in the display not being visible when hot-unplugging the DVI while a 3D screen saver is active
  • Setting the desktop resolution to 1024x768 32bpp followed by connecting a CRT no longer results in the LCD panel automatically being assigned as changed to the secondary display adapter
  • The Compatibility Settings tab now reflects the correct settings whenever a 3D profile is applied
  • The video image is no longer overscanned when enabling component out
  • Display corruption is no longer seen when choosing fullscreen video and 16:9 (widescreen) under Theater mode settings
  • The Philips capture driver now installs successfully under Windows 2000

Resolved Game Issues

This section provides information on game issues that have been resolved in the latest release of CATALYST™. These include the following:

  • Texture corruption is no longer seen when playing EA Sports' Madden 2004
  • Enabling Sharpen, Emboss, Contrast, and Etch in the OpenGL 3D tab followed by playing Quake 3 or Serious Sam 2 no longer results in the OpenGL SMARTSHADER effect not working correctly
  • Setting the display resolution to 1024x768 32bpp followed by playing Blade of Darkness with the game set to 1027x768 16bpp, and texture resolution set to max, no longer results in a flickering horizontal line of display corruption
  • Playing the game Battle Field 1942 under Windows XP results in the Haze effect appearing incorrectly
  • Playing the game Call of Duty no longer results in the operating system failing to respond
  • Setting the game Flight Simulator 2004 to display at 1024x768 or 1280x1024 followed by starting a new flight no longer results in the menu being flipped just before the new flight is about to begin
  • Choppy gameplay is no longer noticed with attempting to play the game Homeworld 2
  • The game Jedi Knight-Jedi Academy no longer fails to respond when enabling Anti-Aliasing to 4x or 6x
  • Setting the texture preference bar to any setting lower than High Quality in the game Formula 1 2002 no longer results in the 2D game menu being displayed when maximizing the replay screen
  • Display corruption is no longer noticed when playing the demo game 4x4 Evolution under Windows XP with an ATI RADEON™ 9600 series installed
  • Display corruption is no longer noticed when playing the game Indiana Jones at its default mode of 640x480 32bpp
  • Playing the game Morrowind with Truform enabled no longer results in the game failing to respond
  • Configuring the game Halo Combat Evolved (demo) to 1024x768 followed by selecting a normal campaign no longer results in the operating system failing to respond

Known Issues

The following section provides a brief description of known issues associated with the latest version of CATALYST™. These include the following:

  • Logging on as an Administrator under Windows XP and doing a fast user switch to limited user results in display corruption when playing a DVD with WinDVD version 4 or 5. This issue will be resolved in an upcoming CATALSYT™ release. Further information on this issue can be found at: www.ati.com/support/infobase/AAAE.html
  • Launching the game Tron 2.0 under Windows XP results in the game failing to respond after the game introduction is loaded. This issue will be resolved in an upcoming CATALSYT™ release. Further information on this issue can be found at: www.ati.com/support/infobase/AAAC.html
  • Launching the game Line of Sight: Vietnam and setting the graphics option to 800x600 16bpp result in the game failing to respond when selecting a new game. This issue will be resolved in an upcoming CATALSYT™ release. Further information on this issue can be found at: www.ati.com/support/infobase/AAAD.html
  • Playing the game Neverwinter Night under Windows XP with an ATI RADEON™ 9600 series card installed results in the game failing to respond. The issue is already resolved and a fix will be made available in the next release of CATALYST™. Further information on this issue can be found at: www.ati.com/support/infobase/AAAG.html
  • Playing the game Nascar 2003 with the display resolution set to 1280x1024 32bpp results in display corruption being seen. This issue will be resolved in an upcoming CATALSYT™ release. Further information on this issue can be found at: www.ati.com/support/infobase/AAAI.html
  • Playing the game IL2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles in OpenGL mode results in flashing triangles and textures when playing the Black Death Track. The issue is already resolved and a fix will be made available in the next release of CATALYST™. Further information on this issue can be found at: www.ati.com/support/infobase/AAAO.html

Downloading the ATI CATALYST™ Software Suite

This section provides information on downloading the CATALYST™ Software Suite for your ATI RADEON™ product. The ATI CATALYST™ Crew recommends that you create a central location for your ATI CATALYST™ downloads. To do this, follow these steps.

  1. Right-click on any open area of your desktop. A drop down menu is displayed.

  2. Select New->Folder. A new folder is created on your desktop.
  3. Name the folder CATALYST™ Downloads.
  4. Navigate to the ATI software download web page, and select the software driver you require.
  5. Click Download. A File download dialog box is displayed.

  6. Click Save. The Save As dialog box is displayed.

  7. Navigate to the CATALYST™ Download folder, and click Save.

You have successfully saved the software driver to your desktop.

Uninstalling the ATI Control and Display Driver

This section provides information on uninstalling the previous versions of your ATI Control Panel and ATI Display Driver for your RADEON™ product.


Note: If your are using Windows 2000 or Windows XP, ensure that you have logged in with system administrative rights.

Before you can install the latest CATALYST™ software driver for your RADEON™ product, you must uninstall the previous ATI Control Panel. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the Add/Remove programs tool provided by Microsoft. This tool is found in the Control Panel.


    Note: Ensure all other applications are closed before continuing with the uninstall of the ATI Display Driver.

  2. Click the Change/Remove button. The ATI Control Panel Setup window is displayed.

  3. Select Remove, and click Next. A Confirm File Deletion dialog box is displayed.

  4. Click OK. The ATI Control Panel Setup window is displayed.

  5. Select No, and click Finish. You are returned to the Add/Remove Program tool.

You have successfully uninstalled the ATI Control Panel.

You are now ready to uninstall the ATI Display Driver. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Select ATI Display Driver in the Add/Remove Program tool.

  2. Click the Change/Remove button.
    Note: If you have multiple display adapters installed, a dialog box will appear instructing you to choose which ATI Display driver to uninstall. Click the Select All button.

  3. Click Yes when prompted to confirm the uninstall of the ATI Display Driver.
  4. Reboot your system as prompted to compete the uninstall of the ATI Display Driver.
    Note: If you are prompted to start the installation of a display driver upon boot up, click CANCEL

You have successfully uninstalled the previous version of the ATI Display Driver and ATI Control Panel.

Installing the latest CATALYST™ Software Suite

This section provides information on installing the latest CATALYST™ Software Suite for your RADEON™ product. To install the driver, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the CATALYST™ Download folder on your desktop. Double-click on the folder to view its content.
  2. Double click the CATALYST™ display driver. Accept all the default prompts.
  3. Restart your system as required.

You have successfully installed the latest CATALYST™ software driver

CATALYST™ CREW Feedback Program

This driver release incorporates suggestions received through the CATALYST™ CREW feedback program. Please refer to http://apps.ati.com/driverfeedback/ and provide us further feedback.

Customer Care Service

The ATI Customer Care Center is focused on delivering accurate, up-to-date product support for optimum usability and performance. Should you require assistance with your ATI product visit, http://www.atitech.com/support/index.html


ATI Technologies Inc.
http://www.ati.com
Voice: (905) 882-2600
Fax: (905) 882-2620