From: buhr@umanitoba.ca (Kevin Andrew Buhr)
Subject: Better workaround when SP and Tseng 4000 won't boot (was Re: Known SP bugs: please read)
Followup-To: comp.os.os2.misc
Organization: University of Manitoba, Canada
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 02:31:20 GMT

In article <75295@hydra.gatech.EDU> gt0040a@prism.gatech.EDU (Tom
Sorensen) quotes from a list of workarounds:

>  5. The new Tseng SVGA drivers were installed but the OS/2 system fails to
>     boot afterwards (only a blinking cursor in the upper left hand corner
>     of an otherwise blank screen).

I ran into this problem.  It was *very* disconcerting, to say the least.

>     Check for the existence of a SVGADATA.PMI file in the OS2 directory
>     on the OS/2 primary partition. If not present, use the work around
>     noted in 1.C above to create the SVGADATA.PMI file.

The SVGADATA.PMI file was there.  The bloody system just wouldn't boot.

>     Check the video adapter for the Tseng ET3000 or ET4000 chipset (required
>     for OS/2). Also check to make sure that the video adapter has enough
>     video memory to use the SVGA mode that was configured. For example, the
>     modes 800x600x256 (medium resolution) and 1024x768x256 (high resolution)
>     each require a minimum of one MB of video memory.

Well...  DUH!

Luckily, some kind soul had posted a fix.  Note the following
important fact:

***********************************************************************
The Service Pack video drivers require IOPL=YES in your CONFIG.SYS for
some video configurations.
***********************************************************************

I changed my "IOPL=NO" statement to "IOPL=YES", and OS/2 came up
fine...in regular VGA mode.

I then chose "OS/2 System -> System Setup -> Selective Install", and
selected "Video Display" and selected "SuperVGA" (despite the fact
this option was already selected).  I then clicked "Install" and it
asked for all the disks from the original package, one after another,
and then both display driver diskettes from the Service Pack.  I
obliged, saw it run a quick "SVGA ON", and restarted my system.

Would this be the end of my Service Pack troubles?  Of course not.
Please read on...

AARRGGH!  It came up out of sync.  OS/2 was alive, but unusable.  I
then booted up from a DOS diskette in drive A, and tried running "SVGA
OFF".  It claimed that it couldn't find the file "A:\OS2\SVGADATA.PMI"
despite the fact that I was in the "C:\OS2" directory.  Ah, well!  I
tried "SVGA ON" anyway, and it told me my chipset wasn't supported.
Like Hell!

Luckily, I had "Dual Boot" installed, so I booted up DOS from drive
"C", ran "SVGA OFF", which worked, did a "VMODE CUSTOM", which was
what I had been using before, and did an "SVGA ON".

I booted up OS/2, and everything went smoothly.

I'm *very* impressed with 1024x768 seamless Windows, and I like the
new fonts.  I *hate* the slow scrolling in DOS and OS/2 windows, but
I'll have to live with it until jump scrolling is introduced.

In summary, I would suggest the following course of action if you
install the CSD with a Diamond Speedstar with the Tseng 4000 chipset.

*BEFORE* you install the Service Pack:

1.	Make a DOS boot diskette if you don't have one.  Remember,
	you'll have to boot from *real* DOS to do this.  Copy your
	Speedstar "VMODE" command (and relevant data files) and the
	"SVGA.EXE" file from the "C:\OS2" directory to it.

2.	Make sure the line "IOPL=YES" is in your CONFIG.SYS if you'd
	like your system to boot later on.

3.	Put the line "RUN=C:\OS2\CMD.EXE" at the end of your
	CONFIG.SYS.  This will give you a chance to enter commands
	before OS/2 tries to run the Workplace Shell.

*AFTER* you install the Service Pack:

1.	Cross your fingers.  I understand this helps.

2.	When you system comes up (in regular VGA mode), select the
	"OS/2 System" folder from the desktop, pick "System Setup"
	from that folder, and "Selective Install" from *that* one.

	Then, select the checkbox to change the video display (even if
	it already says "Super VGA").  Select "Super VGA" again, and
	ask to "Install" your selected configuration.

	Plug in one GA diskette after another when prompted.  Plug in
	your Service Pack display driver diskettes, too.

	Your system will pop over to a fullscreen session to run
	"SVGA", probably without the "VMODE" you want.  *Before* you
	restart your system, start your own *fullscreen* DOS session,
	run "VMODE CUSTOM" (or whatever you think will work), and run
	"SVGA ON".

	*Now*, you can restart the system.  When the "CMD.EXE" prompt
	appears, type "EXIT" to continue to the Workplace Shell.

3.	If your desktop comes up with the wrong sync, take out your
	handy DOS boot disk.  Try to Dual Boot to DOS on drive "C" to
	run "VMODE" and "SVGA ON".

	If you only have an "HPFS" partition, you could try creating
	an "A:\OS2" directory and running "SVGA ON" to put the
	"SVGADATA.PMI" file on drive "A".  Now, when you get your
	command line prompt, "COPY A:\OS2\SVGADATA.PMI C:\OS2" and
	reboot a second time.

Good luck!

Kevin Buhr <buhr@ccu.UManitoba.CA>