From: lansche@torolab6.VNET.IBM.COM (Martin Lansche)
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 11:26:55 EST
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: ATI Wonder card; PC Tools
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not those of IBM
News-Software: UReply 3.0

In <1992Nov13.180316.5758@epas.toronto.edu> Bernard Katz writes:
>     I have been considering the possibility of putting OS/2 2.0 on
>my machine (386DX; 8 MB ram; 2-85 MB hard disks).  I have it in
>mind to keep DOS 5.0 and add OS/2, using the dual boot option.
Dual Boot is a hold over from OS/2 1.x.  I believe the accepted wisdom
is to use the Boot Manager (aka MOST) if you want to keep DOS 5.0 around.
I have kept DOS 5.0 around, and now am asking myself, why did I bother.
The ability to boot DOS images in a VDM or from a floppy if need be is
more than enough for me.  I just wish I could "quickly" reclaim the 5Meg
partition (the C: DOS partition), and merge the useful DOS tools that I
have there in with the rest of my system.
>There are a couple of things that I am concerned about.
>
>(1)  I have a non-interlaced Super VGA monitor and a 1 MB ATI VGA
>Wonder card (1024 x 768).  From some of the stuff I have seen here,
>I have the impression that it is sometimes a problem to get OS/2
>2.0 to work properly with some monitors or video cards.  Does
>anyone know whether it will work okay with the set up I have
>described?

   I have the ATI XL VGA (1MEG). I cannot, for the life of me, see why
anyone would want to destroy their eyesight by squinting at characters at
1024x768. 8-{)} I am using the ATI 800x680 OS/2 1.3 drivers.  There are
also drivers by Joel Armengoude (sp?) available which many ATI users
swear by.  ATI has been criticized by many of their customers for being
deliquent in producing (a) OS/2 2.0 drivers, and (b) 32 bit OS/2 2.0
drivers.  I believe that they announced OS/2 2.0 drivers, for their MACH
8 based cards, drivers this weekend (don't know if they are 32 bit or
not).
  None of the ATI drivers that I know of allow Windows programs to run
seemlessly on the OS/2 desktop.  I count myself amongst the many patient
ATI customers waiting for their OS/2 2.0 32 bit Seemless drivers for
their Wonder XL cards.  There are others, who have been less patient, who
have thrown out their ATI cards, and bought competitors cards (Tseng
based, I believe).
  I also run the WIN-OS2 sessions at 800x680, and I get terrible synch
problems if I Ctrl-Esc back to OS/2 without closing the WIN-OS2 (i.e. if
I switch back temporarily to OS/2 to do something else.  And I wait...

>(2)  Does anyone know whether OS/2 2.0 is compatible with PC Tools?
>I assume that you cannot use such utilities when you boot from
>OS/2,

Correct,

>      but what about when you simply boot from DOS?  In particular,
>if you use CP Backup to backup up your hard disk, will it backup
>OS/2 files properly?  And will using the PC Tools disk optimizer
>cause havoc with a hard disk that has OS/2 on it?

Look for OS/2 specific backup programs.  And I believe that with HFPS
formatted disks, there is no need for an optimizer, as there is little
to no fragmentation.

Cheers,
Martin Lansche
  ________________________________________________________________________
   Ilu Iluvatar en kare eldain a firimoin ar antarota mannar valion :
   numessier.  Toi aina, mana, meldielto -- enga morion : talantie.
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
   The father made the world for elves and mortals and he gave it into
   the hands of the Lords in the West.  They are blessed, holy and loved,
   except the black one.  He has fallen.
(J.R.R. Tolkien)
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