Rivatuner FAQ

FAQ:

 

Q: How does RivaTuner work? Is it just a registry tweaker?

A: Yes, it was a registry tweaking utility in the beginning. Now RivaTuner can work in two modes and tweak your graphics subsystem either at the driver level or at low level. 
At the driver level RivaTuner changes the settings via the registry and directly calls the driver's functions in order to perform some operations (e.g. query and set the clock frequencies, update an overlay context, change a color scheme and so on). In this mode RivaTuner can also read some info (e.g. AGP settings and the clock frequencies) directly from your graphics hardware but it doesn't use a low level access to your hardware to change anything.
In low level mode RivaTuner works directly with your graphics hardware. When you make any changes in this mode RivaTuner doesn't use the display drivers at all and directly programs the graphics processor's registers.


Q: Can I close RivaTuner after changing the driver's settings? Will the tweaks have an effect in this case?

A: Yes, of course. All the driver's settings are stored in the registry so you can safely close RivaTuner or even remove it from your hard drive, but the tweaks will still work. It's not necessary to load RivaTuner at Windows startup in order to apply the changes you have made. The only options which require RivaTuner to reside in memory are the 'Restore clock frequencies after suspended mode' and low level refresh overrider module. The power users may also wish to keep RivaTuner resident in order to use built-in registry editor's and low level diagnostic module's tracking features. 

 

Q: And what about the low level overclocking? Will it work if RivaTuner is not loaded at Windows startup? 

A: Yes, it will. The only condition is not to remove RivaTuner's folder from your hard drive. RivaTuner adds itself with the /S command line switch to the autorun registry key when you enable any low level settings (e.g. overclocking or color correction) at Windows startup. When this command line switch is specified, RivaTuner loads itself at Windows startup, executes startup daemon (the procedure that configures startup settings depending on the settings you've made) and unloads itself from memory immediately. 

 

Q: Where do you get info about all these tweaks? Are you working at NVIDIA? 

A: No, I'm not working at NVIDIA. I'm just a discontented owner of NVIDIA display adapter and I want to get all from my hardware and its' drivers. I'm a professional programmer and reverse engineering is my hobby so I simply rip the info from the drivers using SoftICE, IDA and some other additional tools. I had used almost all NVIDIA display adapters (Riva128, Riva TNT, Riva TNT2, GeForce256 SDR, GeForce256 DDR, GeForce2 MX, GeForce2 GTS, GeForce 3 and GeForce4 Ti4600) but I've never been satisfied with the Detonator's control panel interface. It's a bit strange for me that some really useful settings are hidden from the end uses. That's why I started to code my own tweaking utility. 

 

Q: What is *.RTD database and how can I use it? 

A: *.RTD database is just the list of registry entries, which you can view and edit via the built-in registry editor. RivaTuner uses *.RTD files to store info about the registry entries, used by a driver. Different driver versions use different sets of the registry entries, stored in different registry keys, so the information for each driver version is stored into a separate database. Database for each driver version contains the list of registry entries used by this driver. Default values and descriptions for each registry entry are also included in the database. You donât make any changes in your registry when you are opening new database in RivaTuner, you just load the list of registry entries, which can be modified via the built-in registry editor. 

 

Q: Do I need to load new *.RTD database after installing new drivers? 

A: Donât care about databases until you are going to edit the registry directly with the âPower Userâ tab. Forget about databases if you are not an experienced user and you are using only the âMainâ tab's features. They don't depend on the currently loaded database. RivaTuner will correctly detect any supported driver and allow you to change all the supported options. 

 

Q: What is *.RTP preset and how can I use it? 

A: *.RTP preset is a script, which can add or remove entries from your registry. It is similar to a *.REG file, but it has some advantages: 


1. Both Window 9x and Windows 2000 store settings in system dependent registry keys. It means that your *.REG files may work incorrectly on another PC or even on your PC after reinstalling a display driver. RivaTuner uses macro names to export and import presets so they will always work correctly. 
2.
*.REG files cannot remove entries from registry. Presets can do it.
3. Preset files can contain driver version dependent and hardware dependent registry entries.


You can use pre-created presets (located in "Presets" folder) or create your own presets via the built-in registry editor. The presets are integrated in the Explorer shell so you can just click any *.RTP file within the Explorer in order to import preset data. You can also run a preset via RivaTuner's launcher by associating a preset with a launcher's item. Follow the next steps in order to associate a preset with a launcher's item:


1. Open the "Launcher" tab and click the "Add new menu item" button. Menu item editor dialog will appear.
2.
Type a name for new menu item. For example, "Apply quality optimized settings".
3. Check the "Associated preset" option then select your preset and close the menu item editor.


New menu item will appear. Now you can launch the preset associated with this menu item by double clicking it. When RivaTuner is minimized to tray you can also launch it from the context menu (right click RivaTuner's tray icon in order to open it). 

 

Q: I need the preset for Quake III. Where can I download it?

A: You don't need the presets for all the games you have. I've added the presets only for those games, which cannot run properly without the specific driver's settings (e.g. all the NFS series require enabled table fog emulation and the nonstandard texel alignment scheme; games based upon the Unreal engine looks much better with a negative LOD bias and floating point W-buffer format in 16-bit modes and so on). For the rest games you can use the "High quality" and "High performance" presets. 

 

Q: Some settings (e.g. automatic mipmapping) are grayed in RivaTuner. How can I activate these settings?  

A: RivaTuner grays some settings due to one of three cases: 

 

1. Settings are grayed if your hardware does not support them. For example, TNT/TNT2 chipsets do not support anisotropic texture filtering. GeForce/GeForce2/GeForce3 chipsets do not support automatic mipmapping, fast trilinear filtering mode etc. 

2. Settings are grayed if your drivers do not support them. For example the âEnable S3TC quality trickâ option is supported by the Detonator 6.47 and higher only.

3. Settings are grayed if your operating system doesn't support them. For example the âUse busmastering mode for videoâ is supported by Windows 9x only.  

 

The best way to determine why does a setting is grayed is to click the ContextHelpButton.gif button on RivaTuner's window caption then click an option you want to know about. RivaTuner will display detailed help on this option and explain why does it grayed. 

 

Q: It looks like RivaTuner caused the problems with 3DMark2001 on my system. It crashes with the following error message: ''P_D3D::DRV_allocateMap - device does not support bump normal maps". Is it a bug in RivaTuner? Can you fix it?  

A: No, it's not a bug. This problem is caused by the incompatibility between the texture format setting in RivaTuner 2.0 RC9 and the Detonator 27.xx. NVIDIA just added new capability bit to the (D3D_)D3D_52971801 (encrypted SurfaceFormatsDX7) and (D3D_)D3D_52971801 (encrypted SurfaceFormatsDX8) registry entries in 27.xx drivers. This bit allows the Direct3D driver to export D3DFMT_Q8W8V8U8 pixel format and it must not be set on pre-27.xx drivers, but it must be set on new drivers. Unfortunately there is no way to make pixel format setting forward compatible because the driver doesn't allow to set unused bits and resets these registry entries to defaults when at least one extra bit is set. So the only way to work around this problem is to wait for updated RivaTuner. RivaTuner 2.0 RC10 is fully 27.xx-compatible, but this problem may appear again in the future if NVIDIA will add new texture format capability bits. 

 

Q: AGP settings in RivaTuner don't work properly on my system. Whatâs the problem?  

A: Unfortunately the Detonatorâs AGP settings don't work on certain platforms (especially non-Intel based). On the most of Intel based platforms these settings work fine, but on the rest chipsets these settings can be ignored or even cause your operating system to crash (e.g. on VIA Apollo Pro 133A AGP transfer rate settings are ignored and AGP FastWrites settings may cause OS to hang). To change AGP settings on such platforms you can use either BIOS/AGP GART driver settings or any utility, which switches AGP settings directly via the PCI configuration registers (PowerStrip, WPCREDIT, ZTAGPTool).

 

Q: Iâm sure that my display adapter supports AGP FastWrites/Sideband addressing, but AGP settings in RivaTuner are grayed. How can I enable it? 

A: First, you must have at least a GeForce256 and Detonator 5.32 or higher drivers to change FastWrites settings, and at least Detonator 6.34 to change Sideband addressing settings. Second, read the previous question. FastWrites and Sideband addressing settings can cause your system to hang, thatâs why I disabled it by default. If you know what is Safe mode and you donât afraid of BSOD, you can enable these settings in RivaTuner via the registry:

 

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Unwinder\RivaTuner\Detonator\Global]  

"LockDangerSettings"=dword:00000000

 

Q: I have used other tweaking utility before RivaTuner and I could change much more Direct3D and OpenGL options there. Why I cannot change these options in RivaTuner? 

A: Unfortunately some coders are trying to boost download rates and increase popularity of their utilities by adding invalid, obsolete and even fake tweaking options. It is pity, but it is true. First of all, such utilities are dedicated to rookies in computer graphics. Iâm not going to add fakes or untested options and deceive inexperienced users. To change untested options you may use RivaTunerâs built-in registry editor. It will help you to change absolutely all registry entries. 

 

Q: Sometimes I get the message âInvalid registry entries have been detected. RivaTuner will use default or truncated values for these entriesâ. What does it mean? 

A: It means that RivaTuner have detected some registry entries, which contains invalid values. Such registry entries will be ignored or corrected by driver. RivaTuner uses the same validation routines as driver. Usually this message is caused by other tweaking utilities, which set incorrect registry entries, or even by Detonator control panel interface. For example you can set PreRenderLimit entry to 0 via Detonator control panel interface. But Direct3D driver checks PreRenderLimit entry and set it to 1 if it is less than 1. If RivaTuner will detect that such entry, it will give you the warning message and correct it in the same way as driver. 

 

Q: I cannot set some display modes after using RivaTuner's 60Hz refresh rate fix for Windows2000/XP. Any clues? 

A: Don't try to use this fix if you have not installed native drivers for your monitor and Windows detects it as the 'Default monitor' or 'Plug and Play monitor'. In this case Windows will enumerate unsupported refresh rates and the fix will not function properly. 

 

Q: I cannot use RivaTuner. Each time when Iâm trying to run it I get the message 'The ordinal 6880 could not be located in the dynamic link library MFC42.DLL'. Any clues? 

A: RivaTuner requires Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) libraries in order to run properly. These libraries are included in Windows 98 SE /Windows ME / Windows 2000 / Windows XP. However, some software can replace these libraries with the older versions. In this case RivaTuner will not run properly. If you have got such error message, then just restore MFC42.dll from Windows CD or download the latest version of MFC from Microsoft.

 

Q: I tried to use RivaTuner on Windows 95 OSR 2 but it cannot start. The program always displays the error message: âThe RIVATUNER.EXE file is linked to missing export SHELL32.dll:SHGetSpecialFolderPathAâ. Any clues? 

A: RivaTuner requires SHELL32.DLL v4.71 or higher for full functionality. You must install Internet Explorer 4.0 Desktop Update or higher in order to use RivaTuner on Windows 95. Please read Internet Explorerâs readme.txt to get more info about installing Desktop Update. Iâve changed my code in RivaTuner v2.0 Release Candidate 4.1 in order to improve compatibility with Windows 95. Since this version RivaTuner can start on this operating system with some limitations even if Internet Explorer 4.0 Desktop Update is not installed.

 

Note: Windows95 is no longer supported. RivaTuner v2.0 Release Candidate 6 is the last version, which can work with this OS. 

 

Q: I cannot overclock my GeForce2 PRO/GeForce2 Ultra/GeForce3 with both the Detonator control panel and RivaTuner. The system just goes back to the defaults after reboot. How can I fix it?

A: It's the known bug of the Detonator drivers for Windows 2000 and it was fixed in the Detonator 12.90. Due to incorrect memory clock frequency validation the NvXTInit function always reverted the memory clock to the default value when it was above 400MHz. The problem was caused by the bug in videomemory type detection. Windows9x drivers used the following validation interval for the memory clock frequency:

 

80-400 MHz for the boards equipped with SDR memory

80-800 MHz for the boards equipped with DDR memory 

 

Windows 2000 driver couldn't correctly detect a memory type because it checked GeForce256 DDR PCI DeviceID only. So driver detected the rest boards as SDR and used invalid validation interval on the rest DDR boards. If you don't want to use 12.90 or higher drivers, you may use RivaTuner's NvXTInitFix patch script. It will made some correction in driver and force it to use 80-800Mz overclocking range regardless of videomemory type. 

 

Q: RivaTuner reports wrong clock frequencies on my MX400. It shows 200MHz/334MHz instead of 200MHz/166MHz. The Detonator control panel gives me the same result. How can I fix it? 

A: This problem is caused by the hardware feature of the clock frequency generator, which can be hardwired to halve PLL clock frequency. Usually this feature is used on the boards equipped with DDR memory, but it is also used by some hardware vendors on GeForce2 MX200/MX400 boards with 4Mx16 SDR memory modules. In this case you'll be able to overclock your display adapter safely, just remember that double clock frequency is displayed.

 

Q: It looks like I've overclocked my display adapter too high and now Windows freezes after logging in. Can you help me? 

A: First, you should peek in RivaTuner's context help before using any option (especially system critical options like overlcocking, AGP, NVStrap settings etc), you can always find detailed instuctions there. Yes, you can reset startup overclocking settings by pressing and holding the button immediately after logging in Windows. It applies to both driver level and low level overclocking.

 

Q: I've heard about RivaTuner's NVStrap driver but I have no ideas how do I use it. I've tried to start both the NVStrap.reg and NVStrap.com with no success. Can you help me?

A: The answer depends on the OS you are using:

 

1. RivaTuner contains NVStrap driver configuration panel for Windows 2000/XP, which allows you to install / uninstall the driver as well as to configure the driver's parameters. Just click the device customization button on the main tab then select the 'Customize low level system' button in order to activate the 'Low level system tweaks' dialog and get access to the 'NVStrap driver' tab.

2. RivaTuner contains bundled NVStrap.com DOS driver for Windows 9x based systems. You can add this driver to your autoexec.bat file and configure it with the command line switches. Simply start the NVStrap.com to get detailed info on the command line switches you can use.

 

Q: I cannot find the 'NVStrap driver' tab in the 'Low level system tweaks' dialog. Any clues?

A: First, this tab is only available under Windows 2000/XP. Second, RivaTuner checks some additional conditions and hides this tab if the NVStrap.sys driver cannot be used on your system. The 'NVStrap driver' tab presence depends on the following conditions:

 

1. NVStrap.sys file must exist in RivaTuner's Tools\NVStrap folder.

2. The primary NVIDIA GeForce256 or higher display adapter must be selected as a tweak target in the main RivaTuner's tab. NVStrap driver configures your VGA adapter before loading OS kernel and at that time only the primary VGA adapter is programmable. You will not be able to use the NVStrap driver if your system boots on non-NVIDIA VGA adapter.

 

Q: I've installed the NVStrap driver, rebooted my system and Windows successfully detected Quadro board, but the Detonator drivers fail to install due to the 'Data invalid' error. Can you fix this bug?

A: .The 'Data invalid' error is a well-known problem of Windows 2000/XP, which appears on some systems during installing new hardware and it is not related to the NVStrap driver. You can find  information and the workaround for this operating system's problem in The Inquier's news archive. 

 

Q: Can I use the NVStrap driver under Windows NT4? 

A: RivaTuner doesn't support Windows NT4, but you may try to install the NVStrap driver manually. To do it just copy the NVStrap.sys file to the %WinDir%\System32\Drivers and run NVStrap.reg file then reboot your system. However, I've not tested the driver under this OS so I cannot give you any warranties.

 

Q: I've installed the NVStrap driver and Windows detected my GeForce as Quadro. However, the additional OpenGL settings are still not available in display properties and GLInfo still displays the OpenGL renderer name as GeForce. Any clues?

A: NVIDIA protected the Detonator 30.82 and higher against the NVStrap driver. You must use RivaTuner's NVStrap antiprotection patch script in order to use the NVStrap driver with the latest Detonators.

 

Q: My PC doesn't resume from S3/Suspend to RAM mode when I use NVStrap. Can you fix this bug?

A: The NVStrap driver is not compatible with S3/Suspend to RAM. It's not a bug, it is an implementation specific, caused by the NVStrap's stealth  load-configure-terminate implementation, which will never be addressed.

 

Q: How do I use RivaTuner's patch scripts? What do I do with these *.rts files?

A: *.rts files are dedicated for processing with RivaTuner's built-in patch script interpretator. There are two ways to launch *.rts scripts: 

 

First, you may use RivaTuner's PowerUser tab to open patch script. To do it just press the 'Open patch script' button then select the script you need (all the scripts are located in the PatchScripts subfolder).

Second, RivaTuner automatically registers itself as *.rts file handler. So you can just run RivaTuner at least once to register *.rts file extension then simply open the script you need via Windows explorer. 

 

Q: How do I install the SoftR9x00 patch script?

A: Just perform the following sequence of actions:

 

1. Extract ATI driver into the temporary folder (e.g. C:\SoftR9x00\) with WinZip or just run driver setup to extract driver to its default location (usually C:\ATI\Support\).

2. Run SoftR9x00 patch script (read the previous questions to get instructions on installing *.rts scripts)

3. Patch script window will appear. Press button after reading and accepting SoftR9700 license agreement. Patch script interpretator will offer you to select ati2mtag.sys file.

4. If you are using generic driver distributive with packed installation files (*.dl_, *.sy_ etc.) then select ati2mtag.sy_ in the 'Files of type' dropdown list. If you use unpacked modified driver ATI drivers (e.g. ripped driver packs from www.radeon2.ru), leave ati2mtag.sys in the 'Files of type' dropdown list.

5. Select target file in the folder where you've extracted ATI driver. RivaTuner will patch it and display log window. Ensure that it doesn't contain error messages.

6. Install the driver you have patched. To do it you may either run setup.exe in the folder where you've extracted ATI driver, or use device manager and manually update the driver and specify *.inf file for the patched driver.

 

Q: How do I verify that SoftR9x00 is installed properly?

A: First, RivaTuner must display that 8 pixel pipelines have been successfully activated (the number of currently active pixel pipelines is displayed on the main tab, e.g. "256-bit R300 (8x1) with 128MB DDR memory" ).Second, Windows must display 'Radeon 9700' in the Display properties -> Adapter -> Adapter information -> Chip type. Third, OpenGL renderer name must detect Radeon 9700 too (you may verify OpenGL renderer name with specialized  software like GLInfo, SiSoft Sandra or simply use some OpenGL games (e.g. use Quake III -> System -> Driver info). Finally, you can compare file modification date for %windir%\system32\drivers\ati2mtag.sys and ati2mtag.sy_ in the driver's distributive. They must be different.

 

Q: I did it step by step but it didn't work. Is it a bug in script or my R9500 is just unmodable?

A: The only reason that can cause it is that the script is not properly used (i.e. you have installed the original driver). Please read the previous question carefully and verify your actions step-by-step.

 

Q: I've downloaded patched ati2mtag.sys and it worked perfectly, but I cannot get RivaTuner's script to work. What's wrong with RivaTuner?

A: It can only mean that you cannot patch and properly install the driver. Nothing more, nothing less. Please read the previous question carefully and verify your actions step-by-step.

 

Q: Is there any difference in performance between distributed patched driver and RivaTuner's patch script?

A: No. Both of them give absolutely equal performance.

 

Q: I've tried to apply SoftR9x00 directly to ati2mtag.sys directly in  my windows\System32\drivers folder, but I don't see any difference after reboot. What's wrong?

A: I don't recommend to patch drivers on-the-fly if you don't know what is Windows file protection and how to avoid it. When digitally signed driver is installed, operating system tracks changes in such files and automatically replaces files when you made any changes in them. Use patching on-the-fly only if you perfectly understand and can perform all the additional steps necessary to avoid Windows file protection (e.g. empty dllcache).

 

Q: I've performed hardware mod of my R9500 to R9700 and got checkerboards artifacts. Can I fix it with your SoftR9700 script? Will it help me? 

A: No, you cannot and it will not help you. SoftR9x00 is a full software analogue of hardware mod, it performs the same thing (i.e. forcing PCI DeviceID at the driver level).

 

Q: I've modded my R9500 to R9700 with SoftR9x00 and got checkerboards artifacts. Can this issue be software related? Should I try an alternate software mod, will it help me?

A: No, it cannot be software related. Checkerboard artifacts can appear after hardware and after both of software mods. You may try to download modified driver, but it will not help you. Both software mods use driver level PCI DeviceID forcing approach. RivaTuner's script modifies PCI DeviceID request (ANDs and ORs some bits of the PCI DeviceID) so the driver just thinks that the regular R9700 is installed in the system. Similar technique (a lot of replaced DeviceIDs in the driver's devices table) is used in the w1zzard's patched drivers, walking on the net.

 

Q: However, I've heard that some people have different results using different mods. Can you explain it?

A: Some people are just trying to talk about the things that are beyond of their knowledge. It is absolutely impossible. 

 

Q: Where can I post RivaTuner related questions? 

A: First, you can post it in thematic discussion forums on the official RivaTuner's support websites: www.nvworld.ru and www.guru3d.com. I browse these forums almost every day so it is the most likely that I'll reply your questions there. Second, you can post your questions via email. Anyway, please ensure that you have completely read this file before you will post your question.

 

Q: Can you teach me how to tweak my display adapter?

A: Please donât bother me with such questions. Any non-RivaTuner related system tuning questions and help requests will be ignored.

 

Q: Why do you answer 'RTFM' so often? Is it so difficult to give detailed answer instead of such rough reply? 

A: Yes, it is very difficult for me. I've neither wish nor time to reply on the same questions daily. RivaTuner's technical support via email/forums eats a lot of my time and I don't want to waste it. So don't feel aggrieved if you've got such reply. Just read the documentation and find the answer on your question there.

 

Q: Where can I download the latest versions of RivaTuner?

A: You can download it from the official RivaTuner's hosting partners: www.nvworld.ru and www.guru3d.com.

 

Q: Where can I download a localized version  of RivaTuner? I don't understand English  and I'd like to see Russian interface.

A: I'm not going to implement multilanguage support in the nearest future. Please don't spam me with localization related questions (this basically refers to Russian teenagers), I will not reply.

 

Q: Your English is awful!

A: I know. Iâm Russian and Iâm proud of it.

Share this content
Twitter Facebook Reddit WhatsApp Email Print