Lostdotfish wrote on 2024-06-08, 09:36:

Having some issues setting up and testing a Voodoo 2 card I have acquired. It's the first Voodoo 2 I've owned. […]
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Having some issues setting up and testing a Voodoo 2 card I have acquired. It's the first Voodoo 2 I've owned.

System specs are

Abit VA6 Pentium II motherboard
400MHz PII
384MB RAM
Creative Voodoo 2
ATI Rage II+DVD

I think my Windows 98 install was a mess of old drivers and Voodoo 1 stuff - after installing the Voodoo 2 drivers and trying to run Quake 2 in 3DFX OpenGL - I was getting a white screen and nothing else...

So I've gone nuclear and formatted the system and currently installing a fresh copy of 98SE.

My questions

1. What order should I install drivers? Chipset, ATI card, Voodoo 2
2. What Voodoo 2 Drivers should I use?
3. What version of Directx should I install (and when)
4. Is Quake 2 a suitable test application or should I choose something else?

I just want to get things running so I can stress test the card and verify that it is working as expected. Tweaking can come later.

Thanks

Off the top of my head (based on experience):

1. Chipset (= infinst), toggle DMA for HDD/CD, next DirectX (7.0a ~ but can go to 8 if a game requires it), third ATi video card driver, finally Voodoo 2 driver, sound card drivers, etc.
2. Latest stable, never used the Betas nor the third party modified ones
3. See #1
4. With Quake/2 you just need to remember to select 3Dfx MiniGL for, for Glide testing the original Unreal/Unreal Tournament is good

I have a somewhat similar spec system:

Chaintech 6VTA3
667MHz PIII
512MB RAM
nVidia Geforce 3
Creative Labs Voodoo2

I'll go through the steps I usually take installing Win98SE for my system. Always reboot immediately after installing anything.

1. Install fresh Win98SE.
2. Since you have a VIA chipset install the VIA 4in1 drivers first. Win98 can be unstable without them.
3. Install DirectX 7
4. Install sound drivers if necessary.
4. Install Voodoo 2 driver. I use V3.02.02
5. Now is the time to test the Voodoo2. Try some Glide API native games or demos first if possible.
6. See if the Voodoo2 is picked up by DxDiag. If I'm not mistaken this utility should be included with DirectX 7.
7. Install other graphics driver.
8. Upgrade DirectX to 8. I install 9.0c too, but some people report problems with it and Win98.

akimmet wrote on 2024-06-08, 10:46:

5. Now is the time to test the Voodoo2. Try some Glide API native games or demos first if possible.

I seem to have gotten somewhere.

I'm using the Creative Drivers and Directx 6.1 at the moment.

Quake 2 is running nicely in 3DFX OpenGL

Any suggestions for some native Glide games to test it with?

Carmageddon2

RIP this Voodoo 2

Artefacts like a champ 🙁

Returning to seller.

Sorry to hear that. What game (s) did you test?

Demolition-Man wrote on 2024-06-08, 12:41:

Sorry to hear that. What game (s) did you test?

Quake II and Unreal

black polka dots and technicoloured puke...

This is a general note and not directed specifically at you. Always do a test under DOS first, e.g. to rule out problems with the Windows driver. For example, Descent II Version 1.20 with 3dfx patch would be a good choice. If it does not work there, the case is clear. As I said, just a general tip. I had also tested two 3dfx, the Voodoo1 almost ended up in the trash, but the DOS test showed that it was ok after all.

Have you tried different drivers? I've had some crazy experiences with a Voodoo 2 in particular. Bad graphics errors, and then it was due to too little Vcore for the CPU.

And sorry again, in your case there is most likely a defect. If the seller returns the card, that would of course make sense.

I always like the Donut Demo for quick testing.

Lostdotfish wrote on 2024-06-08, 14:13:

Demolition-Man wrote on 2024-06-08, 12:41:

Sorry to hear that. What game (s) did you test?

Quake II and Unreal

black polka dots and technicoloured puke...

While that is a very bad sign, try the V3.02.02 driver before giving up. I remember some early driver versions had trouble with non Intel chipsets.