From: hatton@socrates.ucsf.edu (Tom Hatton)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: Tseng SVGA - still trying (was: New TSENG LABS drivers)
Keywords: NEW TSENG LABS DRIVERS
Date: 12 Sep 92 07:50:24 GMT
Organization: UCSF Computer Graphics Lab

shurr@cbnews.cb.att.com (larry.a.shurr) writes:

>Hmmm... My Diamond Speedstar (non-HiColor) definitely fits the "problematic"
>description.  The Orchid drivers (proii4 & proii8) work ok on my Gateway
>2000 386sx though the 256 color drivers are little slow and the colors are
>off.  I've been using the 1024x768x16 driver.  WPS and OS/2 full screen,
>OS/2 window, and DOS window worked fine.  DOS full screen and WINOS2 full
>screen are not so great.  I switched to the generic et4000 drivers and am
>using the 1024x768, 60Hz driver which I patched using BEAV for smaller
>icons.  The results appear nearly identical to the 1024x768x16 Orchid
>driver.

...much deleted

>As I've read this thread today, I noticed that some people have run
>VMODE in a DOS session.  In order to get 1024x768x60Hz non-interlaced
>in DOS, I have to run VMODE, but I haven't done that in a VDM.  Maybe
>I need to do that and rerun SVGA ON.  What do you think?  I think I'm
>going to try it this weekend.  Is there anything else I should try?

Bingo! Sorry, I keep thinking everyone has read these things, and of
course t'aint so. Yes, yes, yes, I think it's in the FAQ:

The only way you will get the "correct" SVGADATA.PMI is to get the 
card *and* the monitor set correctly for the modes you will use.
Thus, you need to run vmode and set 640, 800, and 1024 modes with 
appropriate refrsh values (in a full-screen DOS session, obviously).
THEN do the "SVGA ON", quit, shutdown, reboot, and see if it doesn't
behave.
 
OS/2 has to try and save the state of the registers for those screen
switches. Every proprietary method of using registers in SVGA modes 
has to be covered for this, not a pretty situation. So, the SVGA
program. But, it will only store the right values if the card *and*
the monitor are set correctly. Thus, the advice above. I think this 
is covered in the FAQ, so check that or the Tips and Techniques file,
or anything else for relevant info. These problems have been licked
by and large, and the info is out there.

>Regarding seemless Windows: as I understand it, there are no drivers
>available for me to to this with my Speedstar in SVGA mode, at present.
>Also, I'm still running the generic et4000 drivers and cannot run WINOS2
>in a desktop window -- I should be able to do this, right?  Though not 
>necessarily with these converted 1.3 drivers (right?).  They have to be
>real 2.0 drivers to do that (right?).

You can't use anything but the plain VGA drivers for seamless WinOS/2,
any SVGA driver for ET4000 to date do not support this. But then, I 
prefer using full-screen WinOS/2, so this doesn't bother me.

>In previous et4000 threads, I've read that IBM's CSD will include et4000
>drivers.  I hope that they will have 1024x768x16 & 1024x768x256 versions
>(I know! I know! I'm crazy run 1024x768 on a 14'' monitor, but I'm near-
>sighted and don't seem to have trouble reading it.  Still, I've seen some
>larger monitors at 1024x768 and I agree that it's better.  I would like 
>to get one - $$$$$$!).

You must like sitting real close to the screen :-) I think 800x600 is
pretty much the optimal mode for <17" screens, but if you like tiny,
go for it. The new 32-bit SVGA support for ET4000 is *rumoured* to be
able to support seamless WinOS/2, you'll be happy to hear, and I expect
that it certainly would go to 1024x768 since that is current "SVGA", 
although newer cards support 1280, etc., and since 1024x768 is also the
resolution of 8514 and XGA.

Tom