GiSWiG wrote:

the card might be trying to run at an unsupported resolution and refresh rate but I tried three monitors

Exactly which version of Windows and what resolutions are supported? What resolution are the games trying to run at?

If you don't know which resolutions are supported my SIV utility should tell you. The latest release is attached to SIV support for 386/486/586 class + Alpha CPUs and 3dfx + S3 + SiS + Matrox + XGI + old ATI + NVidia GPUs - Testing Help and the screen to check is Menu->Machine->Graphics. Below is what I get on this system, but I suspect you will get rather less as you probably one have one active monitor.

It might be more of a refresh problem. I was successfully using a Voodoo Rush and Voodoo 3 to play Tomb Raider on the same monitor. I did try the environment variable SET SST_SCREENREFRESH=60 but that was a no go. Do the env. variable that are usually used for Voodoo2 work for Voodoo1?

I'm able to give it some time now. I'm building a very capable machine that I am quite happy with, the last piece is the Voodoo 1, Diamond 3D Monster, 1996 Revision B. I think it might be no good. I bought it off ebay as new-old-stock, looks brand new, slot contacts had no scratches, pass through works, but as soon as glide loads, I just get a black screen and monitor goes in to power save mode, some monitors state video is out of range. I've tried several monitors, several boards, several games and nada. I've looked over the card with a magnifying glass. I see no broken off parts, no burn outs, etc. Again, looks brand new.

Anyone have experience resurrecting these cards? Otherwise, I might just put it up on ebay as parts-only and take a hit. Maybe someone would like it as a display piece.

This may be a driver issue. Have you tried various drivers with the card?
Can you quit the game with Alt+F4 or does the PC lock up completely?
Have you tried the Voodoo Graphics showcase demos?

Recently i had exactly this problem - a brand new looking Voodoo 1 suddenly stopped showing in the Hardware monitor of Windows (95).
This is on 486dx5 class motherboards. Tried different mobos, CPU/FBS speeds, new Win installs. Is gone.

Try in plain DOS first with a game like Tomb Raider. Also check the autoexec.bat, as the 3dfx driver sets certain parameters there that may cause an incompatible refresh rate.

I've tried in DOS, mostly Screamer 2 and Tomb Raider. I don't think you need to install drivers for DOS. I have before but it does not seem to make any difference. It is recognized in Windows as well, the card is recognized, the driver installs, the info tab has info on the card, no issues reported.

Just in case you didn't knew - Voodoo1 and Voodoo2 cards almost always pass the signal, no matter how damaged they are. I think you can even rip the video chips out of the cards and they will still pass the video to the primary card, they only block the signal when needed. It's a very simple mechanism that don't rely on much. So the fact that the card will pass video signal means nothing related to Voodoo card functionality.

RaverX wrote:

Just in case you didn't knew - Voodoo1 and Voodoo2 cards almost always pass the signal, no matter how damaged they are. I think you can even rip the video chips out of the cards and they will still pass the video to the primary card, they only block the signal when needed. It's a very simple mechanism that don't rely on much. So the fact that the card will pass video signal means nothing related to Voodoo card functionality.

Yeah I knew that but I should of course mention that the passthrough works. I'm hoping to get the 3dfx part to work.

Did you already check the card for bent pins?

btw, "NOS" on ebay is mostly a lie. People sell every crap as NOS these days.

I've had this happen with regular graphic cards if the system isnt happy with the driver version. Try all driver versions, generic and from the specific card vendor.

Drivers aren't the issue if it does not even work in pure DOS. There are no drivers involved in this case.

If it was sold as NOS but isn't working, just return it. It's not that working Voodoo 1 cards are hard to find.

Could you try the V1 in another system? I remember having some compatibility issues with P3B-F and 3dfx HW. Also V1 sometimes doesn't work properly with faster systems. P2 400 should still be on the safe side... but something like Pentium MMX should definitely work without issues.

havli wrote:

Could you try the V1 in another system? I remember having some compatibility issues with P3B-F and 3dfx HW. Also V1 sometimes doesn't work properly with faster systems. P2 400 should still be on the safe side... but something like Pentium MMX should definitely work without issues.

Second that. I have a Guillemot Maxi Gamer 3D that won't work with Pentium IIs faster than 350MHz.

I think I'm going to call it a dud. I put in my unlocked P2 400 and I tired it at 400MHz, 200MHz, 133MHz, nothing. I've seen PCL's voodoo videos and it looks like Phil has had V1s working in Pentium 4 machines on LCDs. The last thing I'm going to try is a CRT monitor. I've asked around but no one seems to have one anymore (go fig). If it works with a CRT, I'll sell it as working but I'm not holding my breath. I might get another V1 or V2 or stick with DOSBOX ECE which really does work great.

Thanks