My guess is that there is a way in coding, but no programmed ever thought that someone would be insane enough to throw two totally separate 3D accelerators into one machine.

Just use a single card and not create more first world problems? 🤣

Also we have a thread for graphics cards now, I'll move it.

PhilsComputerLab, yes, it is a real decision of course. And I know it myself. But unfortunately it is not answer.

Ampera wrote:

My guess is that there is a way in coding, but no programmed ever thought that someone would be insane enough to throw two totally separate 3D accelerators into one machine.

In Windows 2000/XP/7 it is possible to switch first display to any installed in system and use it 100%. In Windows 98/ME there is no way as I understood. ?or? I don't know. At all Win9X supports up to 8 videoadapters officially. Why? They can present but can't work. It is not logical.

The only way this might be able to work in windows 98 is if you were using somthing like two ati 8500s for example, and had catalyst installed. The catalyst software could tell the machine which display on which card is the primary display to be used.

multimonitor wasnt really an area that was well developed till 2000 xp

Well, and if one of the cards is not ATI would this option be able to work or not?

If you're running two separate GPUs that are not of the same manufacturer, you're going to have problems. This is even a thing to this day. If you are dead set on running two GPUs, get two of the same exact cards and go from there. Windows 98 is probably capable of doing that, but two separate 3D accelerated GPUs from different manufacturers don't play well.

How it appears "don't play well"?
And why to plug two same cards? I don't need it )))))))))))))) Why? What's the goal?

PARUS wrote:

How it appears "don't play well"?
And why to plug two same cards? I don't need it )))))))))))))) Why? What's the goal?

Two cards from separate manufacturers don't work well together because of different drivers needing to load. It's that simple. They just don't like each other, even on modern machines.

If you are looking to run two GPUs, you'd be best off running two of the same cards. If you're looking into running a second card for a different reason, then you're better off running a completely separate computer for that reason.

There is no any meaning to install two identical GPUs! And I never saw unstable system when two different cards are installed. Primary adapter (any) works properly always. I don't know where you'd take this strange "don't like each other". Some nonsense.

The only problem is to run D3D on secondary card.

Is it possible to set your primary video card in BIOS (PCI rather then AGP)
Remember Windows 9x was for home market, and back in the late 90's no one was running 2 screens. Any duel screen support will be pretty basic at best much like its security.
Businesses may of start using multi screens but then they would be running NT flavour of windows which is why it probably has better duel screen support earlier on

PARUS wrote:

And I never saw unstable system when two different cards are installed. Primary adapter (any) works properly always. I don't know where you'd take this strange "don't like each other".

Maybe you never saw instability, but you never saw two of them trying to use Direct3D at the same time either. Windows 9x was very permissive about what it allowed software to do. It would not surprise me if there were many drivers that were written under the assumption that the drivers could do certain things (like access particular memory addresses) because there couldn't possibly be any other driver doing the same thing at the same time

Some nonsense.

Are you aware of almost how completely unreadable your posts are...?

chinny22 wrote:

Is it possible to set your primary video card in BIOS (PCI rather then AGP)
Remember Windows 9x was for home market, and back in the late 90's no one was running 2 screens. Any duel screen support will be pretty basic at best much like its security.
Businesses may of start using multi screens but then they would be running NT flavour of windows which is why it probably has better duel screen support earlier on

Yeah, I know it. But you will not deny too that in Win98/ME the driver for second video card can be installed without any issues and in DXDIAG window there are available all feautures for all installed video adapters in the system. I note once again: the only problem is to redirect the game request to initialize current D3D session on not primary display. Please don't tell me it's impossible because there are a few games which offer to switch necessary video adapter in their own 3D setup and it is working great in Win98. But most of games (I may say almost all) haven't this option.
Primary video card in BIOS? Yes, I'm agree. And now think please, for choosing game which runs best on your AGP card you should reboot, enter BIOS setup, tune it, reboot, load OS. For choosing game which runs best on your PCI card you should reboot, enter BIOS setup, tune it, reboot, load OS. Good? Cose? I don't think so. And if the cards are both PCI? 😀

Jorpho wrote:

Maybe you never saw instability, but you never saw two of them trying to use Direct3D at the same time either. Windows 9x was very permissive about what it allowed software to do. It would not surprise me if there were many drivers that were written under the assumption that the drivers could do certain things (like access particular memory addresses) because there couldn't possibly be any other driver doing the same thing at the same time

What??? Where did i say at the same time at least once? Do you really think that I mean a two cards work in one game simultaneously? ))))))) 🤣

UltimaPlayer12 wrote:

you're better off running a completely separate computer for that reason.

Yes! It is a way! But unfortunately it is not decision too. I talk about one computer with two cards.

Jorpho wrote:

Are you aware of almost how completely unreadable your posts are...?

Yes. It is because I don't speak English. Thanks for the absense of grammar mistakes at least.

emosun, I've tried yesterday two ATI cards (9250 and 9550) and Hydravision. There is in submenu option to add programs which must run on first or second display. Both cards installed and named properly but this option doesn't work, I can't add any executable file. Soft used from original ATI CD which included with 9250 card. Maybe it is necessary to choose some exact version of driver, isn't it?

PARUS wrote:

I note once again: the only problem is to redirect the game request to initialize current D3D session on not primary display. Please don't tell me it's impossible because there are a few games which offer to switch necessary video adapter in their own 3D setup and it is working great in Win98. But most of games (I may say almost all) haven't this option.

It is quite possible that what you want to do really is impossible.

As everyone here told you - back in the days of Windows 98 - multiple GPUs was a very far-fetched scenario. So it may be that the back-end of the OS has the compatibility for what you need, but there was never a generic front-end API developed that all applications can natively use.

Some game developers thought about this, and devised their own solutions; most' didn't. It's just life.

There is a registry key that sets the default Direct3D renderer. It was common to change it when one had a voodoo 1/2 card installed alongside of another 3D card.

Looks like Powerstrip can set the device: http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/ps2.shtm

NJRoadfan wrote:

There is a registry key that sets the default Direct3D renderer. It was common to change it when one had a voodoo 1/2 card installed alongside of another 3D card.

Yes, there was a little utility called 3D Control Center to facilitate switching. (All it really did was insert an underscore in front of the primary renderer's registry key, so it would be ignored.)

But I'm not sure if that works in a scenario where you actually have both cards running a monitor at the same time.

I thought the only other way to do this was if the games config utility (if any) let you pick which card to use.

To do it for ANY game there is only one method: to switch primary graphics adapter. In Windows 2000/XP it's easy but Windows 98/ME doesn't let it. It would be possible by system core programming. I don't see right way yet. PowerStrip, 3DCC - no, it's not that.

This problem could potentially happen with an integrated video card? My motherboard has an integrated SIS530, but I'm using it with a Voodoo 2 so I don't get that problem. Maybe I could if I used a discrete video card? I have the option in the BIOS to choose which initialise first, but I believe it's just so you don't miss any early boot message, all are active at some point after.