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I keep pushing the power switch on the front of my ALR Optima, but the machine does not power on. Is the power supply shot?

My screen flickers at the higher resolutions under Windows 95. There's no "Galileo" utility to set the refresh rate like there is in Windows 3.x. What do I do?

When in Windows 3.x on an Optima SL, DT or MT and the DOS Prompt is opened and then closed, the Windows screen comes back up in weird colors.

I set Power Management mode in CMOS for Monitor Suspend to One Minute. Then I installed ATI video driver for Windows 3.x. Now the system suspends one minute after Windows comes up regardless if I am typing or using the mouse. If I am using mouse or keyboard, the system will attempt to suspend (causing a flicker on screen) but will immediately unsuspend (due to keyboard/mouse activity).

My Optima SL, DT or MT will not let me use anything other than 640x480, 16 color graphics under Windows 95.

Q: I keep pushing the power switch on the front of my ALR Optima (not SL, DT or MT), but the machine does not power on? Is the power supply shot?

Probably not. Check the back of the machine. There is a master power switch that needs to be on before the front switch will work. This is because of a feature which allows a plug'n'play operating system like Windows 95 power down the system when the operating system is shut down. (go back)

Q: My screen flickers at the higher resolutions under Windows 95. There's no "Galileo" utility to set the refresh rate like there is in Windows 3.x. What do I do?

Unless the manufacturer of the video adapter provides their own utility to set refresh rates under Windows 95, you will need to use a DOS-based utility in the AUTOEXEC.BAT to set the refresh before entering Windows 95. The utility for the Optima is called s3refrsh.exe. Run it in DOS mode to make the changes to your AUTOEXEC file, then reboot your system.

Q: When in Windows 3.x on an Optima SL, DT or MT and the DOS Prompt is opened and then closed, the Windows screen comes back up in weird colors.

This problem occurs when using the VGA driver that comes with Windows. If the ATI Mach 64 drivers that come with the system on drivers diskette #2 are installed, the problem goes away.

Q: I set Power Management mode in CMOS for Monitor Suspend to One Minute. Then I installed ATI video driver for Windows 3.x. Now the system suspends one minute after Windows comes up regardless if I am typing or using the mouse. If I am using mouse or keyboard, the system will attempt to suspend (causing a flicker on screen) but will immediately unsuspend (due to keyboard/mouse activity).

When the ATI drivers are properly installed, it installs an ATI desktop ICON. Within that ICON is an ICON labeled DPMS (Display Power Management Screen). Within that ICON is where you define the timer variables for StandBy, Suspend, and OFF Time. We recommend that you define each variable with the same value (I.E. 15 minutes). The ATI drivers override the variables that are defined in CMOS with respect to Monitor Suspend. (go back)

Q: My Optima SL, DT or MT will not let me use anything other than 640x480, 16 color graphics under Windows 95.

The default video driver for the ATI Mach64 does not work with the Optima's built in video.  You need to install the video driver that came with the machine on diskette. If your machine did not come with this fourth diskette, you can download it.

1. Make sure Other Devices does not have the PCI VGA-Compatible Display Adapter installed.  Remove it if it is installed.
2. Remove all video drivers under the Display Adapters.
3. Reboot the system.
4. Windows 95 will detects the PCI VGA-Compatible Display Adapter and the ATI Mach64.  Do not reboot the system as prompted by Windows 95.
5. Right click on an open area of the screen.
6. Select Properties, then select the Settings tab and click OK on the error dialog box.
7. The Add New Hardware Wizard should now appears.  Select Next.
8. Answer No on the request to search for new hardware.  Select Next.
9. Select Display Adapter from the list box.  Select Next.
10. Select Have Disk.  Put in the Mach64 drivers disk and click on OK.
11. Select ATI MACH64 PCI (macxw4)(DirectDraw) from the list box.  Select Next.
12. Select Finish.
13. Restart Windows 95.
14. On startup, you should see that Windows 95 detects an Unknown Device and an Unknown Monitor.  This is okay.  Don't do anything to stop it.
15. If all goes well, you should see an ATI icon next to the Clock or the speaker on the lower right side of the screen.
16. Verify the setup by right clicking on an empty area of the screen.
17. Select Properties.  You should now see three ATI tabs (Adjustments, Panning, and Color) added to property box.
18. To change the video drivers and/or monitor type, select Settings.

Note : If you are unable to switch to any other resolution other than 640x480x16, you might need to change the monitor type setting.  Selecting a 1024x768 type display adapter will usually do the trick.