DIAMOND MULTIMEDIA - Technical Support Knowledge Base and Troubleshooting
Welcome to the DIAMOND MULTIMEDIA knowledge base. This section is dedicated to help assist any issues that you may experience with a DIAMOND MULTIMEDIA product.
We've been gathering all the technical questions that we are commonly asked. It is likely that your question has already been answered bellow.
Video Cards -
1. Why is there no video display on my monitor after installing the new video card?
a. Your onboard video has not been disabled, if you don’t have onboard video then you need to make sure to remove any existing video card and drivers.
b. The primary video display has not been changed to PCI/PCIE/AGP in the system BIOS (contact your pc manufacturer if you do not know how to make these changes).
c. The monitor cable has not been connected to the new video card.
Video Cards -
2. Why is the desktop appearing with no icons after installing video card and drivers?
The onboard video has not been disabled under device manager.
Video Cards -
3. Why is the DVI connection on the video card not working?
a. You may need the latest drivers for the video card and it is also recommended to install the monitor manufacturer drivers.
b. The second display needs to be enabled.
Video Cards -
How come my second monitor display is not working?
a. The second screen may still be connected to the onboard video and you will need a dvi to vga converter to connect both screens to the ATI card. b. Make sure the latest driver for the display card is installed. If so, make sure you go to the ATI CONTROL CENTER, and enable your second display by entering in display manager.
Video Cards -
5. Why is video choppy when playing games?
You must have up to date chipset drivers for your motherboard, the latest drivers for the video card, and latest patches for the game you are playing.
Video Cards -
6. Why is the computer rebooting when playing games after installing an AGP card?
a. You may need updated drivers.
b. You also need to make sure you have the latest chipset drivers for your motherboard.
c. The AGP slot on your system is not 2.0 and above. (The video card is not made for use in AGP 1.0 3volt slots.)
Video Cards -
7. Why doesn’t the AGP/PCIE card fit in any of the slots on the computer?
You don't have an AGP/PCIE slot available. Therefore, this card will not with work on your PC.
Video Cards -
8. How do I disable my onboard video on Windows 2000 Professional?
You have to enter in safe mode by hitting F8 right before you get to the WINDOWS 2000 LOGO SCREEN
Then go to your device manager:
By clicking start, settings, control panel, and double clicking on SYSTEM.
After you double click on SYSTEM in the control panel, you are going to click on HARDWARE, then DEVICE MANAGER.
After you are in the device manager, you have to click on the +display adapters, and usually the onboard is called “INTEL R …”
Right click on the Intel, and hit disable. If you do not see disable, go to properties, on the bottom you will see disable, select it, and click ok, and restart the computer, and plug the monitor to the new card.
Video Cards -
9. How do I extend/clone my desktop onto the 2nd monitor?
Open the ATI Control Center.
Extend Mode: If the secondary display is disabled: .
1. Click Displays Manager in Advanced View.
2. Click the number 2 display icon in the right-hand box.
3. Click Yes to the Enable this display? dialog.
Optionally, right-click the number 2 icon in the right-hand box and click Enable in the pop-up menu.
If the secondary display is in Clone mode, Vertical or Horizontal Stretch mode:
1. Click and drag the display icon from the Clone box to Additional Displays box.
2. Release the mouse button and click Remove display.
Optionally, right-click the number 2 icon in the right-hand box and click Disable in the pop-up menu.
3. Click the number 2 icon in the right-hand box.
4. Click Yes to the Enable this display? dialog.
b. Clone Mode: If the secondary device is disabled:
1. Click Displays Manager in Advanced View.
2. Click and drag the display device icon in Additional Displays to the empty box to the right of the Main box.
3. Click Clone Main with [display device] in the pop-up menu.
If the secondary display is enabled:
1. Right click the display device icon in Desktop 2 when in Extended mode, Rightmost when in Stretch Horizontal mode, or Lower in Stretch Vertical mode.
2. Click Clone Main with [display device].
3. Click Yes to the Displays Manager Notification dialog.
Note: Display device can be CRT, DFP, TV, or HDTV.
Video Cards -
10. Can I install two video cards on my computer?
No, this type of setup is not supported by Diamond and it may create conflicts on your system.
Video Cards -
11. What to do if the fan on the card is not spinning or making noise?
a. The fan may be dirty and it may need some cleaning (dust).
b. The fan might be going out and you may need to replace the video card. Note: if you have your proof of purchase you may call Diamond for a replacement.
Modems - When I am online how come my Modem on hold feature is not working?
Make sure your caller id is enabled from your phone company, and also your internet service provider has to support it by connecting at 33k or above.
Modems - How can I test my modem?
Line test for Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP:
1. Click on Start > Programs > Accessories > Communications > Hyper Terminal. This will open a group of icons (If using Windows XP please proceed to step #3),
2. Double click on the HYPERTRM.EXE file. This will launch the Hyper Terminal application.
3.A New Connection dialog box will appear. Type TEST and click the OK button to continue.
4. At the next screen click the drop down menulocated under Connect Using and select the COM port that the modem is configured to use. Click OK to continue.
5. Change the Bits Per Second to 57600 and click OK to continue.
6. You should now be at a blank Hyper Terminal Window. You will be issuing the modem a series of commands. You may not see the letters appear as you type the first command. This will change after you have typed the first command. Do not type the quotation marks when asked to type the commands listed below. Make sure to press the ENTER key after each command has been typed.
Type: ATE1 (type that, u wont see anything, then u can see what ur typing )
Type: ATW2 (display actual #)
Type: AT+MR=1 (display speed)
Type: ATDT (After the letters ATDT you should type the phone number that you want to use for the line test and then Press ENTER to start dialing.) if dials, and doesnt say connect and you get a msg saying no carrier
type at+ms=v34
then atdt# ( no space )
Modems - The modem frequently loses the connection to the Internet
Make sure the phone cord you are using is no longer than 15 feet.
- Make sure the phone cord is connected DIRECTLY into a wall receptacle.
- Do not connect the modem through a fax machine or answering machine receptacle.
- Do not use a splitter in between the wall and the modem.
- You may have a noisy phone line. Noisy telephone lines can be caused by improper line voltage, or from a bad pair at the junction box.
- Check with your local phone company to see if your phone line is routed through an analog or a digital switch. If you are routed through an analog switch ask the phone company if they can route you through a digital switch.
- If you live by an airport you may get disconnected every time a plane lands and takes off. This depends on how far you are away from the airport and how well your residence phone lines are shielded. There may be no work around with this type of problem. Please consult your phone company for further assistance if you live near an airport.
- Your Internet Service Provider could be experiencing technical difficulties. Try connecting to another service, perhaps using a friend or associates account and see if the problem persists.
Modems - Windows reports that there is NO DIAL TONE when trying to connect
1. Make sure one end of the phone cord is connected directly into a wall outlet and the other end plugs into the LINE connector on the modem.
- Try connecting the to the Internet if you changed any connections after reading the above statement. If this does not resolve the problem proceed to step 2.
2. Try connecting a telephone directly into the same wall outlet you are using for the modem by disconnecting the cord from the LINE connector on the modem and connecting it to your telephone set.
- If you do not receive a dial tone on the telephone, try using a different telephone cable.
- If another telephone cable does not resolve the problem you will need to contact your phone company for further troubleshooting.
- If you are able to hear the dial toned through a telephone you should now proceed to step 3.
3. Try connecting a telephone set into the PHONE connector on the modem. Make sure the phone cable you use for this step is a known working cable.
- If you can hear a dial tone through the telephone set then the modem should be able to find a dial tone. Try connecting to the Internet after you confirm this step.
- If the modem still does not have a dial tone then proceed to step 4.
4. Do you have a call messaging service on your phone line?
- If you have a call messaging service on your phone line your modem may not be able to detect a dial tone when there is new messages waiting for you. You need to tell the modem to pause before checking for the dial tone. The way to accomplish this is to place 1 or 2 commas just before the telephone number for your Internet connection.
- Please contact your ISP for assistance if you are not sure how to make this change in your Internet setup.
Modems - The modem connects at low speeds (speeds of 33600 (33.6kbps) or lesser)
There may be a few reasons why your modem would not connect at full speed(56K). Most situations the modem is not the source of the problem.
With a good phone line you should be able to connect to your Internet provider at or around 49333 (49.3Kbps). If you have a average phone line expect to get connection speeds of around 45333. The worse quality of the phone line equals a lesser modem connection speed.
If you are connecting at 33600 or less, you should try testing the modem by connecting through a terminal program to other modem dial-up numbers in your area. Please use the following guidelines while performing the test.
- Make sure the modem is connected directly to a telephone wall outlet.
- Try another telephone cable if you have been using the cable supplied with the modem.
- Try the following test first with your regular number you use to connect with your ISP.
As a second test try any alternate phone numbers in your area from your ISP by visiting the ISP's web site and looking up their list of access numbers.
As a third test try using another ISP for the test. We recommend using the larger nationwide ISP's such as Earthlink, Mfire, and MSN. Each of these ISP's has a list of published access numbers, any of which you can use for this test.
- To perform a line test you must have a terminal emulator installed on your computer.
- Windows XP systems have Hyper Terminal built in and preinstalled into the operating system.
- Windows 95, 98, ME have Hyper Terminal built into the operating system. Hyper Terminal is an optional component in these operating systems and may not have been installed at the time your operating system was installed. You may need to click Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add / Remove Programs > Windows Setup > Communications to install Hyper Terminal. This step will require that you provide your Microsoft Windows CD disc.
- Mac OS systems do not feature a built in terminal emulator. Most of the Best Data CD's offer a program called Microphone Pro which can be optionally installed by inserting the installation CD into your CD-ROM drive and double clicking the Microphone Installer icon (may be located within a software folder on the installation CD).
IBM PC USERS (Macintosh users continue to the next section)
Windows 95/98/ME
- You will first need to know which com port the modem is using. You can find this out by going to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Modems and double clicking the modem # of your modem.
Windows 2000/XP
- You will first need to know which com port the modem is using. You can find this out by going to Start > Control Panel > Phone & Modem Options > Modem tab and double clicking the modem # of your modem.
Hyper Terminal Settings for Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP
1. Open Hyper Terminal by clicking Start, Programs, Accessories, Hyper Terminal (Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP users will find this one level deeper inside of Communications.)
2. After you start Hyper Terminal you will see a new connection dialog box appear. Type TEST into the New Connection dialog box and click OK to continue.
3. Change the Connect Using option at the bottom to Direct To COMx (where COMx = the com port the modem is using). Click OK to continue.
4. Change the Bits Per Second option to read 115200 and click OK to continue.
Microphone Pro Settings for Mac OS
You should now be looking at a blank terminal window. You may not see the first command while it is being typed. Only type what is between the quotations in the following
examples:
Type: "ATE1" and press the ENTER key.
Type: "ATW2" and press the ENTER key.
Type: "AT+MR=2" and press the ENTER key.
type: "ATDT18183370165" and press the ENTER key. (note: if you live in the 818 area code only type the phone number 3370165 without the 1818 prefix).
When the modem connects you should get an indication of what speed the modem connected at. Please make a note of this for point of reference. We have tested our modems on this line and found them to connect at rates of 48000 and 49333 from our facility. We have good to average quality telephone lines. If you experience a lower connect rate chances are it is because that is all that is capable of your telephone lines.
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