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Hot on the heels of the ATI Radeon™ HD 4890 launch complete with astounding reception from journalists, customers, gamers and winning over 40 awards to date, Terry Makedon and his team have a Catalyst update to launch as well! The ATI Catalyst™ 9.3 driver was only released 22 days ago, so don’t expect a lot of optimizations, but the driver team has built in a few goodies for ATI Catalyst 9.4 that are worth the update.
[NOTE: Some readers took advantage of my last blog to raise some driver support issues - I wanted to remind readers that this blog is not meant as a driver support page, and ALL driver support issues should be communicated through the proper channels so we can capture them correctly and fix the issues. So please report all driver related issues here. I am happy to read and comment on some of them that you feel are relevant to this blog, but no support will be given via this blog, sadly I am not a driver engineer!]
Marketing sound bite: ATI Catalyst™ 9.4 - New ATI OverDrive™ auto-tuning application*
ATI Catalyst 9.4 includes a new ATI Overdrive™ auto-tune application finds over-clocked engine and memory values for ATI Overdrive supported ATI Radeon™ Graphics accelerators. This new added support is designed for the ATI Radeon™ HD 4000 Series of GPUs.
We work hard to deliver the best platform solutions that consist of CPU and GPU. As the only company in the industry that can deliver both we have the unique opportunity to develop free software to optimize performance across AMD-based platforms.
I don’t think we say enough about our gaming software, here are links to download all of our recent applications:
- AMD Fusion for Gaming Utility*
- AMD Overdrive Software*
- ATI Catalyst™9.4 Drivers with ATI OverDrive™ auto-tuning application*
Some of the other notable highlights in ATI Catalyst 9.4 are that this driver is optimized for the upcoming highly anticipated game The Chronicles of Riddick – Assault on Dark Athena. Catalyst 9.4 also supports the new ATI Radeon™ HD 4890 as well as fixes a load of bugs; please check out the release notes for full details.
And last but surely not least, my favorite community: ATI Catalyst™ 9.4 for Linux
We will have support (once the driver is available on or about April 17th) for new operating systems:
- RHEL 5.3 production support
- Ubuntu 9.04 early look support
So, what does this all really mean to you, the gamer? It is further commitment to the enthusiast community that overclock or want the ability to tweak their systems.* That is, you own an AMD processor and an ATI Radeon GPU, you will be enabled to have a superior PC experience with our gaming software products, and of course, if you are a Linux user, a broader set of platform support.
See you next month!
Cheers!
Ian “Cabrtosr” McNaughton
*AMD product warranty does not cover damage caused by performance tuning, even when enabled using AMD software.
Ian McNaughton is senior manager of advanced marketing at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
#1 by zippo - May 12th, 2009 at 04:44
when release 9.5??????
#2 by Craig Shea - May 12th, 2009 at 07:53
Reporting back my progress on getting this package to unattended install.
Well, Catalyst 9.4 does include HydraVision, but, I confirmed that it does not install during the install of Catalyst 9.4. So the question is, how to get CIM to install it with the DD and CCC. Also, it seems that EnableAero (which was present in previous Catalyst releases) is present in release 9.4 (from the MSI’s, anyway), but I can’t find the exact binary for it (it’s a custom action that gets run, but AMD doesn’t believe in significant naming conventions, i.e. NewBinary1, NewBinary2, etc. is how they name things…wonderful.) And, because I can’t find the binary for it and it doesn’t run during the installation, I can only assume it really is not there.
There is an undocumented (i.e. not in the /? help of InstallManagerApp or Setup) switch called /IGNORE_UPGRADE, which I assume will stop Catalyst from detecting a newer version of Catalyst, if available, during the unattended install. (Though, an unattended install should ignore that anyway since it is unattended….)
The video resolution switches do not work, however (like they used to in Catalyst 8.5).
I’m going to try hoisting the Hydra installer files out of the CCC folder and into the Packages\Apps root folder and see if that changes the install scenario. I’m also going to lift an older copy of EnableAero.msi and try placing that in the \Packages\Apps folder. Also, regarding the registration nag-ware, I’m going to try deleting the CatalystRegistration folder and the Blizzard folder (who needs trial-ware on a corporate PC? Wish there was a way to tell CIM _NOT_ to install something rather than install this, and this, and this, oh, and that…., e.g. /UNATTENDED_INSTALL:.\Packages\Apps\…;. Then the only problem that wil be unresolved from an unattended point of view is getting the resolution to be set automagically….
Regards,
Craig
#3 by Craig Shea - May 12th, 2009 at 10:03
@Craig Shea,
UPDATE: Ok, tried using /PASS_TO_CORE:”-h 1280 -v 1024 -b 32 -j ddc” with InstallManagerApp.exe. It didn’t choke (unlike setup.exe), but apparently these resolution switches definitely aren’t supported by CIM in Catalyst 9.4.
I hoisted HydraVision out of the CCC folder and into the root \Packages\Apps folder, but left the MSI name as ccc-hv-full.msi. It didn’t install. Conversely, I copied EnableAero.msi from an earlier catalyst release and placed it into a folder named EnableAero in the \Packages\Apps folder and it was installed.
I deleted the Blizzard and CatalystRegistration folders from the \Packges\Apps folder and CIM did not complain and (obviously) they weren’t installed.
This leaves one last thing to try, which I had tried before, but this time a bit differently.
Since the older Catalyst release I have from HP supported the resolution switches, I plan on replacing the Bin64 and Config folders of the Catalyst 9.4 release with the release I obtained from HP. The last time I tried this I ran into the problem of Catalyst detecting a newer version and even in unattended mode asking if I wanted to download the new version. As posted previously, if I use the /IGNORE_UPGRADE switch, I should be able to mitigate this problem. This should be able to accomplish everything I’m trying to do.
I just wish AMD would provide a consistent Setup package that took consistent _documented_ switches that would enable you to run EnableAero and install/not install the things you want (without a gazillion command line options) and allow you to specify to the installer what resolution the screen should be set to during installation. This is 2009! MSI is in version 4.5 (maybe even 5 by now??). It is robust enough to use without using some proprietary POS like Monet, or InstallShield or Wise, which arguably, do not create good, valid installers.
Though it’s a bit harder to use than InstallShield and Wise, it’s free–try WiX (wix.sourceforge.net). I create perfect installers that can install drivers and (by now) should be able to chain MSI installations.
Regards,
Craig.
#4 by Craig Shea - May 12th, 2009 at 11:07
WOW,
I GET IT. Why can’t AMD just document this????!!!
OK, if you run Setup /? you get the following text (from Catalyst 9.4 release):
-INSTALL[-Use /package path] – This will install packages in silent mode.
-USE /package path is optional.
E.g.
1)-INSTALL:will install the whole packages in silent mode.
2)-INSTALL -Use C:\packages\Drivers\:will install the defined packages in silent mode.
-UNINSTALL – This will uninstall all packages in silent mode.
/FORCE_FIRST_RUN – forces the first run wizard each time …
/FORCE_HIDE_FIRST_RUN – forces the first run wizard to hide even if it is the first run. [** Really, this just means that the select language page will not stop the install and ask you to select a language; even if /UNATTENDED_INSTALL is specified this page displays. **]
/INSTALL – run in install mode (this is what a CD autorun could use to run Monet) [** This is a standard installation, same as double-clicking setup.exe **]
/UPDATE – run in uninstall mode (this is what a toolbar or tooltray could use to launch Monet UI)
/UNINSTALL – run in uninstall mode (this is what a toolbar or tooltray could use to launch Monet UI)
/PACKAGE_SELECTION_LISTBOX – … [** More succinctly, instead of using checkboxes to determine what to install, use a multi-select listbox instead) **]
Then there are a whole bunch of tracing options, which are useless to most people and did not provide me any details when I used them.
/PASS_TO_CORE – Will pass any command line in quotes into the core for processing. Example usage /PASS_TO_CORE:”-a -b -c…” … [** Not useful, as any "core" commands are not documented...and what is the "core" anyway?? You will see we don't need this. **]
/UNATTENDED_INSTALL – This puts InstallManagerApp into unattended install mode by using the comma-separated list of files/paths.
E.g.
1)/UNATTENDED_INSTALL:”c:\direc1;c:\direc2\filea.msi;c:\direc3″
2)/UNATTENDED_INSTALL:”c:\drivers”
3)/UNATTENDED_INSTALL:”c:\drivers\graphics_driver.msi”
/UNATTENDED_UNINSTALL – This will uninstall all packages in unattended mode.
/AUTOACCEPT_ALL – This will autoaccept all legal agreements… This option won’t be published. [** Oh, really? hehe. **]
/ON_REBOOT_MESSAGE: – This takes the answer in advance from the user as to whether s/he needs to reboot once complete. Valid s are “YES” or “NO”.
/FORCE_REBOOT – On completion of insall/update/uninstall, force a reboot request to the OS….
/FORCE_CLOSE_WHEN_DONE – This will automatically close the last wizard page on completion. [** Even using /UNATTENDED_INSTALL, the last page waits for a user to click Finish. Is this really unattended install??? **]
There are 3 more switches, but they are not important/relevant at this time.
Note that all comments in [** **] are mine.
Ok, so here’s the rub. As alluded to above, /UNATTENDED_INSTALL is not really unattended. If there’s a newer version of CIM (or is it CCC, not sure, but doesn’t matter), the installer will ask you if you want to download the new version, even when /UNATTENDED_INSTALL is specified. Secondly, the choose language page is always displayed during an unattended install _unless_ you use the /FORCE_HIDE_FIRST_RUN switch, which then the language defaults to English. Thirdly, the final page is always displayed during /UNATTENDED_INSTALL unless you pass the /FORCE_CLOSE_WHEN_DONE switch. Fourthly, it’s probably a good idea to use /AUTOACCEPT_ALL to accept any and all EULAs for an unattended install.
On Vista, the installer does not need to reboot. On XP, that may not be the case, so when using Microsoft Desktop Deployment, you may want to use the /ON_REBOOT_MESSAGE:NO switch.
So, the full command line is one of the following:
setup /UNATTENDED_INSTALL /FORCE_HIDE_FIRST_RUN /FORCE_CLOSE_WHEN_DONE /AUTOACCEPT_ALL /ON_REBOOT_MESSAGE:NO
or the same switches calling Bin{64}\InstallManagerApp.exe.
This will install the driver, CCC, and CIM, at a minimum. However, the installer windows will be displayed on the screen (but the installation is unattended).
There is a “bug” in Catalyst 9.4 in that in the CCC folder there is a HydraVision folder. However, HydraVision will not be installed. That’s because the install manager works in the following ways:
1) If you want something installed with CIM, you must create a folder underneath the Packages\Apps directory that contains the MSI file. The catch is, the folder name and the filename of the MSI file must be the same, e.g. If you have Packages\Apps\HydraVision, the MSI file must be named HydraVision.msi.
2) Catalyst 9.4 does include HydraVision. It in Packages\Apps\CCC\HydraVision-Full, but it’s MSI file is named ccc-hv-full.msi. It is not installed during installation. That’s because, according to InstallManagerApp convention, subfolder MSI’s must be named as follows: Packages\Apps\MyApp\MyFolder would have the MSI myapp-myfolder.msi. So, simply rename ccc-hv-full.msi to ccc-hydravision-full.msi and it will be installed by CIM during an unattended install. (NB: HydraVision will not even appear in the CIM list of apps to install during an attended installation because the file is named incorrectly).
Finally, EnableAero is not included anywhere. So if you’re doing a reinstall on the metal, you will have to manually update your Windows Experience score on Vista. This seems to be an oversight on release 9.4, as there are references to it in the MSI’s, but it is not run nor is it anywhere to be found. I have copied the MSI file from a previous release of Catalyst and placed it in the Packages\Apps folder. It does get installed by Catalyst and solves that problem for a truly remote unattended install. Two minor annoyances are left. Catalyst 9.4 comes with a link to the Blizzard World of Warcraft demo (don’t know which version, don’t care) and installs CatalystRegistration.msi (found in….you guessed it: Packages\Apps\CatalystRegistration). The demo link is a desktop shortuct, that’s it. The registration app is nothing more than nag-ware (for corporate. For home users, you may want to register your product for warranty support.). To stop those installations from occurring, simply delete the folders and the MSI’s they contain: \Packages\Apps\Blizzard and \Packages\Apps\CatalystRegistration.
There is just one problem left, now.
Finally, no matter what, if you use Setup or InstallManagerApp with the “/” switches, you cannot set the video resolution during setup. What this means, is that even after all of that, everything will be installed but when you reboot, you resolution will be 800×600 @ 32-bit color depth (yes, I was mistaken earlier, it is 32-bit color depth, not 16-bit). So you will have to manually set this yourself. However, there is a solution to this!! And this is what we’ve all been waiting for!
There are some undocumented switches to Catalyst Setup (don’t know about InstallManagerApp, but Setup seems to be InstallManagerApp called by another name, so I assume this will work for both), as I’ve alluded to in my previous posts over the last 5 days. They are as follows:
-h [res] – Set the horizontal resolution
-v [res] – Set the vertical resolution
-b [8|16|32] – Set the color-depth
-j [ddc|...] – I can’t remember the other option, but ‘ddc’ tells Catalyst to use the monitor’s ddc/edid feature to get display details, if the monitor supports it (most new LCDs and even the newest (3 – 4 year-old) CRTs do).
If you use the following command, then, you get a truly, unattended install with no GUI being displayed at all and which sets the video resolution:
setup -install -h 1280 -v 1024 -b 32 -j ddc
(install catalyst with a resolution of 1280×1024@32-bit color and use my monitor’s DDC information).
My Packages\Apps folder looks like the following (only the changes I made are shown, everything else is left as what it was in the original 9.4 release):
Packages\Apps
\Blizzard (DELETED)
\CatalystRegistration (DELETED)
\CCC\HydraVision-Full\ccc-hydravision-full.msi (RENAMED from ccc-hv-full.msi)
\EnableAero\EnableAero.msi (COPIED from a previous Cataylst release)
That should do it. Now, why couldn’t AMD just document all of this for us so easily??? In a README or something!!??
Thanks for wasting half a week of my time, AMD.
I will see if I can post the EnableAero.msi file to my blog at http://blogspot.discoveringcode.com tomorrow for anyone who might need this.
Regards,
Craig.
#5 by Craig Shea - May 12th, 2009 at 11:33
@Craig Shea,
Remebered what the -j undocumented setup.exe/installamanagerapp.exe switch is for:
-j [####|ddc] – #### is the monitor vertical refresh rate, or use DDC/EDID information if the monitor supports DDC/EDID.
#6 by Craig Shea - May 12th, 2009 at 12:48
Ok, two important things to note:
1) My blog address was incorrectly typed. It should be http://discoveringcode.blogspot.com.
2) I said that the unattended install command that sets the resolution should use setup.exe or InstallManagerApp.exe, but that is not correct, as it did not work. But there is a file called ATISetup.exe. If you run this command without any parameters, it’s command line options are output, which include the DOCUMENTED switches -h, -v, -b, and -j I’ve been talking about. Turns out, I just couldn’t remember where I’d seen them before. Finally, I just tested an unattended install (with fresh OS install) using the following command line: ATISetup.exe -install -output screen -h 1280 -v 1024 -b 32 -j ddc. It installed, but HydraVision was not installed (even with the name-change) and the screen resolution was not set. I do remember I got the screen resolution to stick one time, and IIRC, the command line switches need to be in a particular order. I think in order for HydraVision to be installed, it must not be in the Packages\Apps\CCC\HydraVision-Full folder; instead, it must be pulled out to Packages\Apps. The older Catalyst release had a folder Packges\Apps\HydraVision, so I’m going to test moving HydraVision-Full and renaming it: Packages\Apps\HydraVision and also rename the MSI from ccc-hydravision-full.msi to simply HydraVision.msi, as this is how it was in the older Catalyst release. I’ll report back my results tomorrow (I don’t have time to build the machine yet again today).
Finally, an update: -j can only take two numeric numbers for it’s input (sorry, no 120Hz refresh rates, but most LCDs max out at 75Hz anyway, and, in reality, this value does not matter for LCDs. CRTs, on the other hand, I guess 90Hz will have to do if your CRT supports it
).
Regards,
Craig.
#7 by Craig Shea - May 12th, 2009 at 13:27
Turns out I eked out a little more time and was able to get in another OS install to try this out one more time for today.
Using ATISetup.exe -h 1280 -v 1024 -b 32 -j ddc -install, it supposed to be silent, but a console window appeared, but there was no output, so it’s “silent”, but not SILENT. But hey, that’s better than not silent…
.
This time, the resolution still was not set. I don’t know how to get the resolution to stick. I did it once
. Also, I realized that al EnableAero.msi does is call C:\Windows\System32\WinSAT.exe. I don’t know if any command line switches were given, but a quick look at the help documentation should determine that, so apparently, there’s no need to “install” EnableAero.msi, you could just script it.
Lastly, this time, HydraVision was still not installed. Just the DD, CIM and CCC. looks like you might have to run InstallManagerApp with /UNATTENDED_INTSALL:..\Packages\Apps\HydraVision with the other switches to make it unattended, or, if you leave HydraVision in the CCC folder, /UNATTENDED_INSTALL:..\Packages\Apps\CCC\HydraVision-Full or /UNATTENDED_INSTALL:..\Packages\Apps\CCC\HydraVision-Full\ccc-hv-full.msi (if you didn’t rename the MSI).
I’ll let you all know how/when I get the resolution settings to stick.
Regards,
Craig.
#8 by Craig Shea - May 13th, 2009 at 15:34
OK, I screwed around with this all day again. AMD Customer Care was very “helpful” (that’s sarcastic, if you didn’t know it…basically told me only Fire something or other and GL products support truly unattended install or some crap like that…don’t know what gives, Intel supports unattended install of all their drivers…given, Intel is not in the performance market–yet).
Anyway, I “scripted” the install and the resolution settings using standard batch scripting and the REG.exe command. I’ll post the full instructions of how I got this driver to “unattended install” at my blog, http://discoveringcode.blogspot.com either later tonight or tomorrow (but probably tonight).
Regards, and with no thanks to AMD,
Craig S.
P.S. I knew there was a good reason I don’t buy AMD (had no choice in this situation, though
).
#9 by E Buck - August 20th, 2009 at 23:50
Take care, ATI does not update drivers. Radeon older than the 9500 series won’t run on Vista or later OS. I shan’t again buy ATI.