FreeFireGL?

Royicus · **FreeFireGL? -** 03-08-2005, 05:07 | posts: 4,149

Alright guys, I'm looking for FreeFireGL. I can't seem to find it anywhere, and I'm wondering if anyone here has a copy of it that they could send me. I'm pretty confused why I can't find this. All the links I seem to find send are dead links.

AlecRyben · *Last edited by AlecRyben; 03-09-2005 at 23:43.*

It's quite easy to make your own. Here is the recipe:

1. Get RivaTuner 15.4 & install it.
2. Get FireGL drivers 8.083
3. Check the IDs of your card in this list (taken from the .inf file of drivers, you can easily look into your own drivers .inf file and get your info from that):
==================================================
"RADEON 9500 " = ati2mtag_R300, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4144&SUBSYS_00021002
"RADEON 9500 - Secondary " = ati2mtag_R300, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4164&SUBSYS_00031002
"RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 " = ati2mtag_R300, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E45&SUBSYS_00021002
"RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 - Secondary " = ati2mtag_R300, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E65&SUBSYS_00031002
"RADEON 9600 SERIES " = ati2mtag_RV350,PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4150&SUBSYS_000210 02
"RADEON 9600 SERIES " = ati2mtag_RV360,PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4152&SUBSYS_000210 02
"RADEON 9600 SERIES - Secondary " = ati2mtag_RV350,PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4170&SUBSYS_000310 02
"RADEON 9600 SERIES - Secondary " = ati2mtag_RV360,PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4172&SUBSYS_000310 02
"RADEON 9700 PRO " = ati2mtag_R300, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E44&SUBSYS_00021002
"RADEON 9700 PRO - Secondary " = ati2mtag_R300, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E64&SUBSYS_00031002
"RADEON 9800 " = ati2mtag_R350, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E49&SUBSYS_00021002
"RADEON 9800 - Secondary " = ati2mtag_R350, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E69&SUBSYS_00031002
"RADEON 9800 PRO " = ati2mtag_R350, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E48&SUBSYS_00021002
"RADEON 9800 PRO - Secondary " = ati2mtag_R350, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E68&SUBSYS_00031002
"RADEON 9800 XT " = ati2mtag_R360, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E4A&SUBSYS_00021002
"RADEON 9800 XT - Secondary " = ati2mtag_R360, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E6A&SUBSYS_00031002
"RADEON X800 / X800 XT " = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A4B&SUBSYS_00021002
"RADEON X800 PRO " = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A49&SUBSYS_00021002
"RADEON X800 PRO - Secondary " = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A69&SUBSYS_00031002
"RADEON X800 / X800 XT - Secondary " = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A6B&SUBSYS_00031002
"RADEON X800 XT Platinum Edition " = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A50&SUBSYS_00021002
"RADEON X800 XT Platinum Edition - Sec" = ati2mtag_R420, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4A70&SUBSYS_00031002

===============================================
4. Write the info of your card down
5. Start ATI drivers installer and choose to unpack only (do not install after unpacking!!!)
6. Go to Rivatuner patchscript folders and run the SoftFireGL w2k.rts script (look for it in ATI\ATI\SoftFireGL\Unified)
7. Choose the FireGL equivalent of your card and patch the ati2mtag.sy_ in your drivers folder (normally found in C:\ATI\FireGL\Driver\2KXP_INF\B_19827)
8. delete ati2mtag.sy_ and ati2mtag.old and rename the newly created ati2mtag.sys into ati2mtag.sy_
9. Open the driver .inf file (normally located in C:\ATI\FireGL\Driver\2KXP_INF) in notepad - the C2*.inf is for Windows 2000, CX*.inf is for XP)
10. Find the entry of your FireGL equivalent in the .inf - it should be in the form (this is an example for the X1 card):
"ATI FireGL X1" = ati2mtag_R300GL, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E47
"ATI FireGL X1 Secondary" = ati2mtag_R300GL, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4E67
and replace those 4E47 & 4E67 values with the ones of your card.
11. Install the drivers manually (using the "have disk" method)
12. Thank Unwinder for his hard work on RivaTuner and start helping out newbies that will ask the very same question over and over again.

If you want to install the Control panel & 3DSMax special drivers, you will have to use the patches in
PatchScripts\ATI\SoftFireGL\Unified\Antiprotection \FGLPanel
and
PatchScripts\ATI\SoftFireGL\Unified\Antiprotection \FGLMax
folders over corresponding files in the corresponding folders (C:\ATI\FireGL\CPanel) . Since you already know how the process generally goes, i will not waste time explaining it. Do it as homework.

Royicus · 03-08-2005, 18:10 | posts: 4,149

phew, quite simple eh? I didn't take the time to read all of it right now since I have to run to class, but it looks like it is quite a few steps. Anyway, thanks for the info and I'll probably try it out tonight.

Royicus · 03-09-2005, 01:16 | posts: 4,149

Hmm, can I load these drivers with a hacked 9800XT 128MB bios or do I need to have a 9800 Pro bios in there, or a hacked FireGL X2 bios?

Royicus · 03-09-2005, 03:40 | posts: 4,149

Ok, I tried it out and it worked. I was just using my "normal" old XT 128MB BIOS. However, I no longer have it at FireGL since my preferred resolution of 13something by 11something wasn't available. That's what I use for my desktop, so changing that is just unacceptable. Also, it reduces game performance by a little bit (only R350 core operation the way I had it).

It did, however, result in improved Solidworks performance, so if I ever get back into that, I'll turn it back into a firegl. Also works a lot better for 3dmax, so once again . . . yadda yadda yadda.

Thanks for the help, much appreciated.

AlecRyben · *Last edited by AlecRyben; 03-09-2005 at 12:56.*

Yes, as you already figured out, no BIOS flash is necessary. Flashing BIOS is only needed for hardmods, when you move resistors.
And you can easily insert any resolution you like.
At the step where you are editing the .inf, insert your resolution under the R350GL heading (or any other heading if you have a different card) at the end of DALNonStandardModesBCD line.
For example, i added my favourite res of 1280x960x85Hz just by doing that, i inserted
12,80,09,60,00,00,00,85 at the end of the line.

Royicus · 03-09-2005, 16:51 | posts: 4,149

Oh, that looks pretty good. Maybe I'll go back home and give that a try. My favorite is something like 13??x1024x85Hz. That would be nice to run!

Another issue was that I didn't get the FireGL control panel. When I tried to edit the installer file for the control panel with RivaTuner, it said that the patch had failed. *shrugs* I only had a few basic tabs, like rotation, monitor, color adjustment and stuff. I didn't see anything that was particular to the FireGL. In other words, all those options were available with the catalyst control panel.

I guess I need some help on how to do that. I only saw one file to edit for the control panel, and that was the installation file. I think there are others I need to do, but I'm not sure.

Another issue is I know that there is a FireGL that uses the R360 core, but it seems as if when running my card as a FireGL X2, that it will only use an R350 core, due to the name of the file that I was editing, had an R350 at the end of it. I don't really want that. Do you know anything about this?

Also, I tried the mod with a FireGL X2 128MB BIOS and it worked fine. Either or I suppose, but just an unecessary step I think....

AlecRyben · 03-09-2005, 23:55 | posts: 7,776 | Location: Utopia Planitia, Mars

The control panel patching is done in steps: fist you patch the installer (installerantiprotection), then you patch the files that the installer unpacks.
The same method is used for the 3DSMax driver.

AFAIK, the only difference between a R350(GL) and R360(GL) are die shrink + built in termal diode/termistor. There are no functional differences between the two, that's why even the FireGL X2-256t is using the R350GL drivers.

If you succesfully flashed the BIOS, you are one step from a complete hardmod - you only need to move a resistor and you are done.

Royicus · 03-10-2005, 00:46 | posts: 4,149

Ah yes, the BIOS flash. Yep, I did that, but there is a problem with that hard mod.

i don't own a soldering iron!!!

yea yea, i know, hard to believe. But when all your money is being dumped into school (and the occasional computer component/social activity), it becomes believable.

I thought there were some shader differences between the R350 and R360 core. I'm fairly certain I read that somewhere, which is why a 9800XT will always outperform a 9800 Pro even when they are clocked the same....

I would me mistaken though. Thanks a lot for the help and I'll head upstairs and give it a shot.

Your wealth of knowledge is appreciated.

Royicus · 03-10-2005, 04:18 | posts: 4,149

Ok, so I've got the drivers installed, and I see it as a FireGL X2 128MB card, so that is all good. However, I still can't get the dang control panel to work properly. I wasn't able to run the rivatuner deal on the installation file. It always said that it was unsuccessful. At the same time, I was able to successfully patch the 3dstudio optimization.

An ideas or maybe more step by step. I feel like such a newbie . . .