Windows 98SE should have built-in drivers for the MACH32. Did you change the monitor in Windows 98 to something like "SVGA 1024x768"? The MACH32 is not able to detect Plug&Play monitors, so Windows may limit you to 640x480 because of that.

derSammler wrote:

Windows 98SE should have built-in drivers for the MACH32. Did you change the monitor in Windows 98 to something like "SVGA 1024x768"? The MACH32 is not able to detect Plug&Play monitors, so Windows may limit you to 640x480 because of that.

Yes I know that Windows 98SE has builtin drivers. And they work. And no matter which type of "monitor" you install in Windows 98SE, it is the MACH32 which will allow or disallow video modes.
And you have to use ATI's DOS-based INSTALL utility to setup memory aperture, memory sharing and allowed video modes. And this utility is what gives me a headache because it's not working. Maybe my initial description was unclear about that?

ATI's install utility does not install anything. It is used to setup video modes and memory settings in the MACH32's onboard eeprom.

So I ask again: does the PCI version of MACH32 require a different DOS install utility than the ISA version? I could not find a special pci edition of that utility on the internet. I had ISA and EISA versions 20 years ago and never had problems with the install utility not recognizing the video board.

Thanks,
Markus.

Meanwhile I am pretty sure that there must be a special version of ATI's DOS based Install Utility for the MACH32 PCI board. So I am asking anyone who might still have original floppy disks (or images) for the MACH32 PCI to help me out.

Thanks,
Markus.

Well, I have the driver disks for the Graphics Ultra Pro (Mach32) ISA/VLB version but I just can't imagine how that would be of any help as the original disks v2.03 are already in the vogonsdrivers database.
>> http://vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=103

blurks wrote:

Well, I have the driver disks for the Graphics Ultra Pro (Mach32) ISA/VLB version but I just can't imagine how that would be of any help as the original disks v2.03 are already in the vogonsdrivers database.
>> http://vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=103

I even found the probably last version - 2.6 (for ISA/EISA/VLB/PCI) - in this forum, thanks to user "retro games 100" and his post: ATi Mach32 VLB VGA card, quick test

I tried it and the install.exe file definitely contains references to the PCI version of MACH32. It still does not work! 😢

I am starting to believe that my MACH32 board and the motherboard are simply not compatible, at least regarding ATI's install.exe program. Maybe the processor is too fast (1 GHz Pentium III) or the darn "Video Bios Shadow" (which I can't turn off) is to blame.
Looks like I'm out of luck, unless I can find somebody with an old working 486 system who will let me use it for a bit to setup this beast. Sometimes things are just not supposed to happen, I guess.

But Thank You guys for all your hints and comments.
Markus.