The S3 driver supports multiple resolutions and color depths that are contained in a single driver. To change resolutions, the user selects the resolution from a page in the Settings notebook for the System setup object. (Making a selection is easier than reinstalling new drivers for each resolution or color depth.) The key to this capability is a documented driver entry point at ordinal 202. At 8514_32.def, the ordinal 202 is used by OS2_PM_DRV_QUERYSCREENRESOLUTIONS. After searching, this function is found in the EDDQSRES.C file.

To obtain the resolutions supported by the video driver, exported entry 202 is called by the system's Settings notebook page. This function copies back to the caller the asr[] array created in the EDDESRES.C file. Those entries that have the asr[]floptions flag DSP_RESOLUTION_OBTAINABLE, will be available for a user to select from the Settings notebook. The asr[] array is initialized in SetObtainableModes(), in the MODEINFO.C file, as part of the driver initialization process. When this array is copied back to the caller, the user chooses one of the resolutions given, and upon restarting OS/2, the driver brings up the new resolution.

The exported entry point at ordinal 202 gives a mechanism for the driver to tell the Settings notebook which resolutions it supports. By way of OS2.INI, the Settings notebook can tell the display driver which resolution was selected. Installing the S3 driver adds and modifies a number of keys in OS2.INI. The following keys are added under PM_DISPLAYDRIVERS: