PC Drivers & Software

[harpmeister]

I

[elstaci]

Here are all the AMD Drivers for the Professional GPU V7900 card: FirePro™ V7900 Drivers & Support | AMD .

Since you gave no information on your Computer setup : INFORMATION REQUIRED WHEN POSTING A QUESTION  I don't know if you are talking about Windows 2000 Server OS or not.

The oldest driver was for Windows XP which I not sure is compatible with Windows 2000.

Seems like Windows XP MIGHT work in Windows 2000 according to these old threads from other websites:

Do XP drivers work for Windows 2000? - Hardware & Software - Facepunch Forum

Overclockers Forums

If this is for Windows 2000 Server OS than try and post your question here: AMD Server Gurus​

EDIT: found this website DRIVERPACK.net that seems to have a Drivers Pack that includes Windows 2k driver for you GPU card (DriverPack Graphics B 12.06 for Windows 2000/XP/2003 (x86) — drivers overview | DriverPacks.net ). I can't vouch if this website is legitimate or not. You can find out if it is safe to download from this site or not.

Copied from above link:

This is the Driver Package Download that suppose to have AMD Driver for the V7900 for Windows 2k, XP, 2003 (86): DriverPack Graphics B 12.06 for Windows 2000/XP/2003 (x86) — drivers overview | DriverPacks.net . It is most likely that the V7900 Driver from this package is probably Windows XP , but just guessing.

[harpmeister]

Firstly, thank you for the help offered...

The version of Windows 2000 is the Professional version for a

workstation, not a server.

The computer itself is a Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 motherboard, with an AMD

FX-8350 CPU and 8 gigs of RAM.

Windows 2000 is necessary to run the proprietary software necessary for

this client's needs.  None of the legacy drivers that are available from

the AMD site have worked for the FirePro V7900 in Windows 2000

Professional.  Only basic 16 colour, 640 x 480 VGA resolution is

possible at this moment.

Thanks,

Phil Gibson.

[harpmeister]

Thank you for the help,

The computer in question is based upon a Gigabyte motherboard 990FXA-UD3

running an AMD FX-8350 CPU, with 8 gigs of system RAM.

The OS is Windows 2000 Professional for a workstation.  Not a server

OS.  Windows 2000 is important to run some specialized proprietary

software that is necessary.

None of the legacy downloads from the AMD site are working with the

FirePro V7900 in Windows 2000.  I will try to make sense of the

"Driverpack" link that your posted. There might be something there to

get this issue addressed.

Thanks again,

Phil Gibson

[elstaci]

I hate to keep mentioning fsadough​ because I know he is busy but he is one of the Experts here at AMD Forums concerning Professional GPU cards. Maybe he has a link to a Windows 2k driver from AMD or give some insight if you are able to get better results with the GPU card you have and the current AMD Driver for it.

If no answer, I would suggest opening a AMD EMAIL SUPPORT Ticket and see if they can give you a link to a WIndows 2k Pro driver for your GPU Card or at least direct you to a driver or lets you know how compatible the V7900 is under Windows 2k Pro.

You can open a Email ticket from here: Email Form

[harpmeister]

Thank you for this suggestion.  I have initiated a ticket with AMD in this regard.  My hopes are not high for anything helpful from AMD, as my current applications problem is a miniscule oddity in proportion to their usual business support.

Cheers,

Phil Gibson.

[harpmeister]

Hello, and thanks again for the suggestion.  I tried the "driverpack" that claimed to possibly be able to support my hardware/OS issue to no avail... unfortunately.  My client may have to consider finding an older product like an older Quadro FX card, or maybe an ATi FireGL card to work with the (old but unique) proprietary software that is necessary to their operations.

[fsadough]

Windows 2000 was introduced Dec 15, 1999 and was supported till July 13, 2010. V7900 was introduced May 10, 2010 and never supported Win 2000

[harpmeister]

It's really no mystery to me regarding the "official" lack of support for the FirePro V7900 in a Windows 2000 environment.  I am perfectly capable of sorting through all the drivers on this site, be they current, or legacy.  No offense is intended to anyone who has tried to help me in this request.  I appreciate and acknowledge all efforts to help.

Where I'm coming from is trying to find a user, or systems developer/coder that may have found an "unofficial" driver, or a forgotten beta driver, or perhaps has worked some visual C, or assembly language to make this combination of video card and OS a possibility.  I know that I have saved many drivers since the early 1990's and onward, for many types of OS, that are no longer available from the official AMD catalogue of offerings.  I had a slight hope, in a remote possibility that someone may have made this combination work previously.

[elstaci]

Just curious as hell, If that program that runs in Windows 2k is so valuable, why hasn't the programmer of the software updated it in the last 20 years?

You client is running as per your post " the (old but unique) proprietary software that is necessary to their operations"  Wouldn't it be easier to convert that program to run on a later Windows version like XP or even Windows 7?

The computer language can't be that old that a Senior in College computer programming can't make the necessary changes to make it work in a later version of Windows. I am not a software programmer but I sure some one can look at the code or program and make a modern version of the program to run in WIndows 7 or 10.

Unless the program involves some high security Data of the business using it. Data that the company doesn't want anyone to know about or find out when updating the software.

It just seems to me to be better business sense to update or replace the antiquated software than to try and find hardware to run it.

anyways, it might be better to find an older AMD Professional card that still supports and has Windows 2k drivers as you mentioned in a earlier comment.

But as I mentioned at the beginning of this comment, I am just really curious as to why the software was never updated.

Good luck and I truly hope you find your solution for your client.

You can always ask at a Programmer's Forum. This website list the TOP 25 Programmer Forum : 25 Best Active Forums for Programmers .

May be you might find someone later on to help update the software or make a Windows 2k driver using Windows XP driver as a template (if that is legally possible unless the drivers are considered Proprietary and intellectual property by AMD).

[harpmeister]

The proprietary software was developed, and coded internally within this company back in 1997.  It was originally coded in two flavours to work in UNIX and Windows NT.  The NT version was easily adapted to run in Windows 2000 while the software originator was still alive (died in 2012).  I've had a glimpse of the software architechture, and the main issue is that the entire foundation of it's analysis and modeling features was coded in machine assembly language.  There's hardly any software developers, or arhitects that have any facility in machine assembly language.  Most everything gets done today in C+, Java, Python, and other GUI platforms.  There is no easy, or simple post processing conversion utility to translate machine language into a mainstream GUI platform.  It can be done, but I would conservatively estimate that "updating the software" would involve a total examination of functionality, and a rewriting, troubleshooting, and re-integration session that would probably take the better part of one year, and probably about $150 to $250 K in costs.

The client is not interested in "outside eyes" seeing, and possibly understanding how they operate either.  This is a very unique, and "closed box" shop...It's complicated.  If we can't enable the FirePro V7900 within Win2k Pro, then they will likely source an older video card that is compatible, as this is a much less expensive and involved undertaking.

There does exist a desire for increased computer capablities behind the choice to use a more modern video card, but they may just fragment the computer chores necessary onto two workstations, rather than use the traditional one that has been dual booting in it's duties for the last 20 years.  I think that is the destination we are headed towards.

[black_zion]

Question: Can the proprietary software run in a virtualized environment?

[harpmeister]

They have tried the virtualization tactic using VMware, and Windows Virtual PC, without success on both counts.  There may be a VM that could work, but I think the consensus would be just to source an older Quadro FX or ATi GL card that would interface with the Windows 2k without trouble.

The more modern video card is not necessary for the functionality of the proprietary software, it was a desire for running Catia and Siemens NX on the same computer in a dual boot configuration.  They will likely go for using two separate workstations, and the FirePro V7900 can be used with a modern OS, on a different machine entirely.

The dual booting, single machine has been "the way" things have always been, as they never wanted design information to be shared across any type of network.  Confining all design and development of their processes on the single, isolated workstation was a safeguard to ensure that all sensitive process data was not exposed to any possible network access.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Phil Gibson