TimeDX Help.
TimeDX 5 Help.
Last modified 08/25/21 j.c.f. .
TimeDX is designed to check and
benchmark the various features that the DirectX system provides prior to
the use of DMDX, Dmastr for Win32 with DirectX 9.0 or later installed.
Note that if you're using later versions of DMDX that have the
Auto Mode TimeDX's use is no longer
required -- however it still has useful options to select renderers and
monitors in a multi-monitor environment.
Version 1 was the test bed in which DMDX's functionality was created and
worked on 486 class machines. Version 2 of DMDX and TimeDX tossed support
for 486 class machines allowing much more accurate timing and generally cleaned
up a lot of stuff like multi-monitor support. Version 3 cut support
for Windows 95, introduced the installer and .CHM help files (instead of
the old .HLP ones). Version 4 never
existed (DMDX 4 used TimeDX 3 settings) and Version 5 beyond dropping OSes
prior to XP introduces the Direct3D
rendering option.
The first time you run TimeDX you will need to select the
Video Driver that DMDX and
TimeDX should use. Machines running Windows 8 or later will automatically
use Direct3D (unless you override it), other operating systems can use the
Change Renderer command if desired. After that the Direct Sound driver and then the
DirectSoundCapture
device -- if TimeDX sees you only have one device it will automatically select
that and not display the relevant dialog. Using the default options will
work the absolute vast majority of the time, the exceptions being if you have
more than one display card or audio card. Once made you won't have to
select these devices again unless you change the hardware in your machine or
want DMDX to operate using different hardware. After that each time
TimeDX is run from the Basic Tests menu you can select
one of the basic tests that can be performed:
- Use the Millisecond Timer Test command
to check the millisecond timer.
- Use the PIO Test to check the Digital
I/O card.
- Use the Select Video Mode command to check the video subsystem and/or select
a display mode.
- Use the Refresh Rate command to exactly determine the refresh rate of
the most recent video mode selected and to determine how TimeDX will automatically
determine future refresh rates.
- Use the Sound command to check and calibrate the speech subsystem.
- Use the Input command to check the input system.
- Use the Network Monitor command to test and setup the remote monitoring connection
for this machine.
From the File menu you can:
- Use the Select Video Mode command to check the video subsystem and/or select
a display mode (duplicated from the Basic Tests menu).
- Use the Time Video Mode command to test the synchronization with the vertical
retrace of the video display and determine it's characteristics for DMDX's use (duplicated from the Advanced Tests menu).
- The Change Renderer command will allow you to switch
from using the Direct3D renderer to
the DirectDraw renderer and back (TimeDX will need restarting each time you
actually change the renderer).
- Use the Video Driver command if you would like to change the Display Driver.
This command will do nothing under Windows 95 and other single monitor
systems.
- Use the Sound Driver command if you would like to re-select the sound
drivers.
- Use the
Sound Capture Driver command if you would like to re-select the sound
capture drivers.
Once you
have tested the individual components you can go on to the Advanced tests and
test the components together in various combinations all the way up to complete
DMDX functionality.
An Overview on the usage of TimeDX follows.
TimeDX
Index.