Per-Pixel Alpha Blending shadows for WinXP/9800 Pro

Bonzai · May 19, 2003, 05:06 PM

Did anyone figure out how to enable this feature on WinXP? The latest 3.4 Cat's do not enable it still and I was just wondering if there has been any fixes since? I tried some Registry changes from someone who posted about this before and they did not work.

So anyone know? I'm using the xpbench that tests 2d performance as a reference.

Bonzai

***Kombatant*** · May 19, 2003, 05:45 PM

I run WindowFX 2.0 from Stardock. It says that they are not enabled by default and has a button for me to enable it. That's what I always do

Myrmecophagavir · May 20, 2003, 08:47 AM

Why is this still not included in the drivers as standard?

ATsirogiannis · May 20, 2003, 12:00 PM

I am worried about this as I am about to buy my 9800pro.

***Kombatant*** · May 20, 2003, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ATsirogiannis
I am worried about this as I am about to buy my 9800pro.

It is included, it is just not enabled by default. Can you shorten btw your signature to 10 lines or less? Forum rules you see.. thx a lot

ATsirogiannis · May 20, 2003, 12:26 PM

Why wouldn't it be enabled by default? Without it enabled XP's drop shadows will render horribly slow.

***Kombatant*** · May 20, 2003, 12:43 PM

I have no idea really.. i just use WindowFX to enable it and all is well

riverlethe · May 20, 2003, 09:23 PM

I selected to enable alpha-blending in WindowsFX, but after rebooting, it still says that "per-pixel alpha blending" is disabled, and performance is terrible. (This is on a Visiontek Radeon 9800 Pro.)

ATsirogiannis · May 20, 2003, 10:04 PM

Is alpha blending enabled on the Cat 3.2 or 3.1's?

riverlethe · May 20, 2003, 10:52 PM

It wasn't enabled in the 3.2's, and it's not enabled in the 3.4's that I'm using now.

riverlethe · May 20, 2003, 10:57 PM

I should point out that alpha-blending is enabled, but *per-pixel alpha blending* is not. Default 2k/XP performance for fades, shadows, etc. appears okay, but animations in WindowsFX, for example, perform horribly.

Bonzai · May 21, 2003, 04:16 AM

I do not see how you can turn on per-pixel shadowing in WindowsFX so......any other ideas? I supose this is up to ATi gurus to enable it for the next driver release. I hope. It's not a huge big deal but I'd like to have em enabled if possible.

Sphinx · May 21, 2003, 04:26 AM

It is enabled here - RadeON 9700Pro - Catalyst 3.4 - Win2k+SP´s - DX9a

With CAT 3.2 it were disabled (or not supported) ~ with CAT 3.4 it works

http://www.stardock.com/products/xpb...ubmit1=Refresh

You see the two Submitions from me on with CAT 3.4 and one with Dell 3.3 Cats....

Bonzai · May 21, 2003, 04:27 AM

That's for 2000. It's not the same for XP. All XP users seem to have it disabled.

***Kombatant*** · May 21, 2003, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bonzai
That's for 2000. It's not the same for XP. All XP users seem to have it disabled.

How about this winXP user?

Bottom line: Just because you have a problem of some sorts doesn't mean everyone does

May 21, 2003, 08:14 AM

http://www.stardock.com/products/xpb...ubmit1=Refresh

It's enabled for me. 9700 pro cat3.4.

riverlethe · May 21, 2003, 09:00 AM

Why are you posting 9700 information? This thread is about the 9800.

Liuokin · May 21, 2003, 10:13 AM

Doesn't Hydravision add support for Alpha blending shadows?

Myrmecophagavir · May 21, 2003, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Liuokin
Doesn't Hydravision add support for Alpha blending shadows?

No, that slider adds a shadow to each window on the desktop. Not the same as accelerating all alpha ops in XP.

Myrmecophagavir · May 21, 2003, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kombatant
Bottom line: Just because you have a problem of some sorts doesn't mean everyone does

No, bottom line is you had to download a 3rd party app to enable something which should be in the drivers from the start

Bonzai · May 21, 2003, 08:35 PM

It is apparent that there is some issue then with the shadows being enabled. I don't see how to enable it in WindowsFX either. I wonder if there is a reason for it to not be enabled.

***Kombatant*** · May 21, 2003, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Myrmecophagavir
No, bottom line is you had to download a 3rd party app to enable something which should be in the drivers from the start

It's in the drivers already, it's just not enabled

Btw you are right, i jumped the gun a bit, didn't notice the 9800 part

Anyway, i sent a tip to ATi to check it out

ATsirogiannis · May 21, 2003, 09:35 PM

Good idea, I wonder if they even know about it.

spyre · May 23, 2003, 01:45 PM

Try adding this to your registry

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ati2mtag\Device0]
"DisableDrvAlphaBlend"=dword:00000000
"DisableUSWC"=dword:00000000

it may help

***Kombatant*** · May 23, 2003, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ATsirogiannis
Good idea, I wonder if they even know about it.

They do

ATsirogiannis · May 23, 2003, 02:01 PM

Did they say anything about as to why its disabled and what they are doing about it?

***Kombatant*** · May 23, 2003, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ATsirogiannis
Did they say anything about as to why its disabled and what they are doing about it?

Yes they did but i am under NDA.. just know that they are aware of the issue

ATsirogiannis · May 23, 2003, 03:28 PM

Ok. I lets hope its enabled in the CAT 3.5's

Bonzai · May 24, 2003, 02:56 AM

Thanks for contacting them.

Bonzai

CATALYST maker · May 27, 2003, 02:58 PM

Hi this is a known bug and we have it on the list of planned fixes for the next CATALYST postings.

May 19, 2003, 05:06 PM	#1	Advertisement (Guests Only) Login or Register to remove this ad
Bonzai Radeon R300 Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 191	Per-Pixel Alpha Blending shadows for WinXP/9800 Pro Did anyone figure out how to enable this feature on WinXP? The latest 3.4 Cat's do not enable it still and I was just wondering if there has been any fixes since? I tried some Registry changes from someone who posted about this before and they did not work. So anyone know? I'm using the xpbench that tests 2d performance as a reference. Bonzai

May 19, 2003, 05:45 PM	#2
*Kombatant* K to the max!™ Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Scarborough Posts: 17,225	I run WindowFX 2.0 from Stardock. It says that they are not enabled by default and has a button for me to enable it. That's what I always do __________________ There is no spoon...

Kombatant's System Specs
Motherboard	Asus P8Z77-V
CPU	Intel Core i7-3770k @ 4.4GHz
Graphics	Gigabyte Radeon Vega 64 8GB
Memory	16GB DDR3
Cooling Solution	Thermaltake Frio
Display	Asus MG279
Soundcard & Speakers	Logitech Z625
Hard-Drives	Samsung 960 Pro 512GB (OS Disk)
Power Supply	Cooler Master SilentPro 1000W
Case	Corsair Carbide Air 540
Input Devices	Steelseries Kana
Operating System	Manjaro Linux / Windows 10 Insider Preview

Kombatant's System Specs
Motherboard	Asus P8Z77-V
CPU	Intel Core i7-3770k @ 4.4GHz
Graphics	Gigabyte Radeon Vega 64 8GB
Memory	16GB DDR3
Cooling Solution	Thermaltake Frio
Display	Asus MG279
Soundcard & Speakers	Logitech Z625
Hard-Drives	Samsung 960 Pro 512GB (OS Disk)
Power Supply	Cooler Master SilentPro 1000W
Case	Corsair Carbide Air 540
Input Devices	Steelseries Kana
Operating System	Manjaro Linux / Windows 10 Insider Preview

May 20, 2003, 12:43 PM	#7
*Kombatant* K to the max!™ Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Scarborough Posts: 17,225	I have no idea really.. i just use WindowFX to enable it and all is well __________________ There is no spoon...

May 20, 2003, 08:47 AM	#3
Myrmecophagavir Radeon R300 Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 174	Why is this still not included in the drivers as standard?

May 20, 2003, 12:00 PM	#4
ATsirogiannis Radeon R700 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 980	I am worried about this as I am about to buy my 9800pro.

May 20, 2003, 12:26 PM	#6
ATsirogiannis Radeon R700 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 980	Why wouldn't it be enabled by default? Without it enabled XP's drop shadows will render horribly slow.

May 20, 2003, 09:23 PM	#8
riverlethe Newbie Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 13	I selected to enable alpha-blending in WindowsFX, but after rebooting, it still says that "per-pixel alpha blending" is disabled, and performance is terrible. (This is on a Visiontek Radeon 9800 Pro.)

riverlethe's System Specs
Motherboard	Asus P5B-E
CPU	E6600 @ 3.0GHz
Graphics	8800 GTS
Memory	2Gb Corsair XMS2 @ 800Mhz

May 20, 2003, 10:04 PM	#9
ATsirogiannis Radeon R700 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 980	Is alpha blending enabled on the Cat 3.2 or 3.1's?

May 20, 2003, 10:52 PM	#10
riverlethe Newbie Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 13	It wasn't enabled in the 3.2's, and it's not enabled in the 3.4's that I'm using now.

May 20, 2003, 10:57 PM	#11
riverlethe Newbie Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 13	I should point out that alpha-blending is enabled, but per-pixel alpha blending is not. Default 2k/XP performance for fades, shadows, etc. appears okay, but animations in WindowsFX, for example, perform horribly.

May 21, 2003, 04:16 AM	#12
Bonzai Radeon R300 Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 191	I do not see how you can turn on per-pixel shadowing in WindowsFX so......any other ideas? I supose this is up to ATi gurus to enable it for the next driver release. I hope. It's not a huge big deal but I'd like to have em enabled if possible.

May 21, 2003, 04:26 AM	#13
Sphinx Radeon R420 Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Germany Posts: 322	It is enabled here - RadeON 9700Pro - Catalyst 3.4 - Win2k+SP´s - DX9a With CAT 3.2 it were disabled (or not supported) ~ with CAT 3.4 it works http://www.stardock.com/products/xpb...ubmit1=Refresh You see the two Submitions from me on with CAT 3.4 and one with Dell 3.3 Cats....

May 21, 2003, 04:27 AM	#14
Bonzai Radeon R300 Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 191	That's for 2000. It's not the same for XP. All XP users seem to have it disabled.

May 21, 2003, 08:14 AM	#16
Steve81 Posts: n/a	http://www.stardock.com/products/xpb...ubmit1=Refresh It's enabled for me. 9700 pro cat3.4.

May 21, 2003, 09:00 AM	#17
riverlethe Newbie Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 13	Why are you posting 9700 information? This thread is about the 9800.

May 21, 2003, 10:13 AM	#18
Liuokin Radeon R420 Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 349	Doesn't Hydravision add support for Alpha blending shadows?

Liuokin's System Specs
Motherboard	MSI K8N Neo2-FX
CPU	AMD A64 3700+
Graphics	ATI Radeon X800XL
Memory	1Gb TwinMOS DDR400
Display	Samsung SyncMaster 957MB 19" CRT
Soundcard & Speakers	Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS & Megaworks THX 550 5.1
Hard-Drives	Hitachi 160Gb, Seagate Barracuda 120, 160, 160, 160, 160GB
Optical Drives	NEC ND-2510A
Power Supply	Antec TruePower 420W
Case	Antec
Input Devices	Saitek Eclipse, Razer Diamondback (<3)
Operating System	XP Pro

May 21, 2003, 08:35 PM	#21
Bonzai Radeon R300 Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 191	It is apparent that there is some issue then with the shadows being enabled. I don't see how to enable it in WindowsFX either. I wonder if there is a reason for it to not be enabled.

May 21, 2003, 09:35 PM	#23
ATsirogiannis Radeon R700 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 980	Good idea, I wonder if they even know about it.

May 23, 2003, 01:45 PM	#24
spyre ATI Beta Tester Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: England Posts: 18,438	Try adding this to your registry [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ati2mtag\Device0] "DisableDrvAlphaBlend"=dword:00000000 "DisableUSWC"=dword:00000000 it may help __________________ I do work for AMD AMD/ATI Beta Tester

spyre's System Specs
Motherboard	MSI DKA790GX
CPU	Intel i7 2600K
Graphics	AMD R9 290X in Crossfire
Memory	24GB Ram
Display	Samsung 55inch 4K TV
Soundcard & Speakers	Realtek Onboard Sound
Operating System	Windows 8.1 X64

May 23, 2003, 02:01 PM	#26
ATsirogiannis Radeon R700 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 980	Did they say anything about as to why its disabled and what they are doing about it?

May 23, 2003, 03:28 PM	#28
ATsirogiannis Radeon R700 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Vancouver Posts: 980	Ok. I lets hope its enabled in the CAT 3.5's

May 24, 2003, 02:56 AM	#29
Bonzai Radeon R300 Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 191	Thanks for contacting them. Bonzai

May 27, 2003, 02:58 PM	#30
CATALYST maker dominATIon Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: ATI Canada Posts: 1,683	Hi this is a known bug and we have it on the list of planned fixes for the next CATALYST postings. __________________ Follow me on Twitter for exclusive Catalyst updates http://twitter.com/CatalystMaker My side project reviewing music and movies http://www.tmakworld.com

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
3.5 drivers bring back per-pixel alpha blending...	ATsirogiannis	AMD Radeon Software Discussion and Support	9	Jun 24, 2003 01:36 AM
Per Pixel Alpha Blending disabled in Cat 2.5	mkraft	AMD Radeon Software Discussion and Support	2	Dec 10, 2002 08:35 PM
Per Pixel Alpha Blending	Shrink	Radeon Technical Support	9	Dec 22, 2001 10:51 AM
If supported, how do I enable per-pixel alpha blending on my 8500?	Christopher Blue	Radeon Tweaking, Modding, and Overclocking	1	Dec 20, 2001 11:24 AM
Alpha Blending in XP	ziggyd	Legacy ATI Discussion and Technical Support	3	Dec 9, 2001 01:57 AM