home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Tech Arsenal 1
/
Tech Arsenal (Arsenal Computer).ISO
/
tek-19
/
vgacad27.zip
/
README.2ND
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-09-25
|
10KB
|
207 lines
* The "/R" and "/P" and "/SL" command line options have been changed.
Please refer to the manual. "/R" and "/P" options are now the default
(ie., less memory utilization and palette BIOS). See #4 below regarding
the "/SL" modifications and its effect on hardware disk caching.
LAUNCHING MVGAVU AS A DOS APPLICATION UNDER WINDOWS 3.X
Before implementing the following steps, please ensure that the
BRUN41.EXE file has access to your PATH or has been copied into the
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM sub-directory. Also, make sure that a MOUSE driver
is initialized from your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file (Windows 3.x
apparently uses its own MOUSE driver from within Windows 3.x).
1. If you don't have a PROGRAM GROUP for DOS applications then
1.1. Click "File" under the Program Manager window.
1.2. Select "New".
1.3. Select "Program Group".
1.4. Click "OK".
1.5. Enter a DESCRIPTION for this "Program Group"
(eg., "DOS Apps")
1.6. Click "OK".
2. Click (activate) your "DOS Apps" window.
3. Click "File" under the Program Manager window.
4. Select "New".
5. Select "Program Item".
6. Click "OK".
7. Enter the full pathname of VGACAD at the COMMAND LINE box and
include any Command Line processing option (if desired) as
discussed in the VGACAD Users manual.
eg., If VGACAD.EXE and all its support files are located under
the \VGACAD directory in drive D: then enter
"D:\VGACAD\VGACAD"
at the COMMAND LINE box.
If you wanted to include Command Line options of VGACAD
(eg., "VGACAD /R /Q /P /SL:100" then you would enter
"D:\VGACAD\VGACAD /R /Q /P /SL:100"
at the COMMAND LINE box.
NOTE: You can also use the BROWSE function of this window to
select VGACAD instead of actually typing it in at the
COMMAND LINE box, albeit without any options.
8. If you wish, "Change Icon" - "DOS" icon is preferred.
9. Click OK.
VESA IMPLEMENTATION
The VGACAD IMGPRO module now supports the VESA (Video Electronics
Standards Association) application interface. By selecting VESA (ie.,
card "18"), virtually all standard 256-color SVGA modes supported by
your card can be utilized and integrated withing VGACAD's IMGPRO
(SVGA image processing) module. VESA mode support includes:
640x400x256
640x480x256
800x600x256
1KBx768x256
VESA support requires you to load a card-specific resident program
before VESA can be used. The VESA configuration option will not be
displayed if the VESA driver is not loaded. If you have already
configured the IMGPRO module for VESA and you forget to load the
VESA driver, then "VESA SVGA (missing)" will be displayed as your video
card and only the MCGA 320x200x256 will be made available.
Under certain circumstances, VGACAD's IMGPRO module will reject a VESA
mode; it will not become available if it conflicts with "common" SVGA
implementation. Any mode that requires two windows ("bank switching
methods") to read and write to video memory or uses a window other than
A000 hex will be rejected (eg., Trident 8900 1024x768x256 mode).
COMPATIBILITY ISSUES
1) Users with extended memory may have to disable "Shadow RAM". Although
VGACAD is predominantly coded in assembly and C; QuickBasic (QB) 4.00b
is used as a shell and error-handler. QB v4.00b HATES Shadow RAM for
some reason and locks-up (at least on our 386sx clone). With AMI BIOS,
you can disable Shadow RAM by pressing <DEL> during boot and changing the
set-up; it is much wiser to have DOS 5.0's EMM286.EXE, 386MAX.SYS,
QEMM.SYS or WHATEVER.SYS to manage expanded and extended RAM anyway.
With 2MB on board, we suggest you use 720KB for VDISK to emulate a fast
3.5" drive and allocate the rest as expanded memory.
With 1MB systems, we suggest a 320KB RAMdisk (VDISK or RAMDISK) which
would match 640x480x256 screens (then decompress to 307200 bytes with
some space for support files) and leave 64KB for DOS 5.0's HIMEM.SYS to
relocate COMMAND.COM to the HMA (ie., DOS=HIGH).
With DOS 5.0, using the DOS=UMB option is definitely a good idea, we have
tested it with no problems reported - pop as many TSRs up there ! VGACAP
works well in "upper memory".
Users with third-party EMM.SYS drivers should be careful about mapping
the ROM BIOS to "high" RAM (i.e., Shadow RAM) or mapping extended/expanded
RAM to areas where there is no RAM (e.g., to use LOADHI); QB's runtime
module may not like it. If it causes a problem, then we suggest that
you keep two versions of your CONFIG.SYS file; one with your usual set-up
and one with a set-up to run ALL our programs/utilities (preferably
with as much VDISK as possible).
If your system still locks-up, do a 'naked boot' ! Rename AUTOEXEC.BAT
and CONFIG.SYS (e.g., to *.BAK) then reboot TO isolate the incompatible
TSR or SYS file.
2) DOS 4.0 - Avoid using this "buggy" version of DOS; unexpected results have
been reported with file management and mouse intialization; use 4.01 !
NOTE: DOS 4.01's SHELL HAS BEEN REPORTED TO CONFLICT WITH VGACAD; AVOID
INSTALLING IT IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH VGACAD.
USING VGACAD WITH DOS 2.0 AND BELOW WILL HAVE UNPREDICTABLE RESULTS !!!
3) Fast Machines - Use VGACAD with the "/SL:n" option. Certain menus zip
right through you. THIS AFFECTS ONLY THE SPRAY FUNCTION. At DOS prompt
type "VGACAD /SL:1000"; a 2000 delay function and will be sufficient for
386's at 33MHz. All other functions will require the release on mouse
button to proceed.
4) Large/Fast Hard Disks or 'Hardware Cache' users have reported SEVERE
problems with IMGPRO functions involving the saving or loading of image
data have been reported. This caused the infamamous "ERROR 5 at VDISK";
in other cases "blank" or "trashed" screens were saved to TEMP files.
The "/SL:" option now triggers direct disk/video RAM to go through slower
but safer LOW memory buffers to avoid "mix-ups" with hardware caching.
To trigger "cache-compatible" routines, ALWAYS use the "/SL:" option:
eg. VGACAD /SL:1000
5) Terminate and Stay Resident Programs - Certain TSRs (e.g., screen blanker,
BIOS interceptor, BIOS accelerator) may cause the program to hang. We
encourage getting a mouse; AVOID using the keyboard mouse emulator. SYS
files in your CONFIG.SYS file generally behave like TSRs.
6) Mouse and Keyboard - Systems that write an address for a mouse interrupt,
when no mouse exists, will cause VGACAD to 'hang'. Run KEYME.COM then
run VGACAD with the "Force Keyboard" switch ("VGACAD /FK") if you don't
have a mouse and do not get the "USE KEYBOARD (Y/N)" prompt.
Some optical mice (e.g. PC Mouse, Kraft, Quadram) are incompatible with
BIOS calls used in VGACAD. If you have mouse problems - run the MOUSE.COM
file that comes with your mouse instead of MOUSE.SYS (DEVICE=MOUSE.SYS) in
your CONFIG.SYS file; if your mouse moves erratically then adjust mouse
parameters described in COMMAND LINE usage. If your mouse "hangs" the
system, then use the "/FM" ("Force Mouse") option; it assumes your mouse
is initialized by some other program, which YOU MUST DO BEFORE RUNNING
VGACAD; make sure you have the text cursor OFF or use another graphics
program to initialize your peculiar mouse !
WARNING: SINCE KEYME.COM IS A RESIDENT PROGRAM, THERE IS A HIGH
PROBABILITY THAT UNPREDICTABLE RESULTS CAN OCCUR; THIS
HAS BEEN REPORTED PARTICULARLY WHEN USING THE IMGPRO
MODULE FUNCTIONS. WE HIGHLY SUGGEST USING A MOUSE !!!
7) Some Trident DVGA users have reported palette read/write problems with
our Beta test versions. This means that certain Trident-based VGA and
SVGA cards are BIOS-compatible at this level. The "/P" option MUST NOT
be used to avoid palatte read/write problems:
"VGACAD /P" <ret>
This is the same with old Orchid Designer VGA cards with old BIOS. This
is a similar if not weirder problem experienced by users with old Orchid
Designer VGA cards. Orchid Designer VGA users will need the resident
VGAFIX.COM program to be loaded PRIOR TO RUNNING VGACAD !
8) Printing the manual on older versions of EPSON printers will not show the
extended ASCII character set used for illustrations; we highly recommend
using a Shareware program called IMPRINT (v1.5 or higher) to print the
manual; it does an EXCELLENT job of printing the manual with LETTER-
QUALITY output on "generic" 8-pin Epson/IBM compatible printers.
A form feed character is appended to the end of every page; this was done
in consideration of Laser printers. If this causes a problem on dot
matrix printers, use any ASCII editor to search and replace the ASC
character "12" or 0x0C (hex) if you have blank pages between each
printed page.
9) GIF 89a support is implemented in the VSCRN (Virtual Screen) module only.
If GIF 89a files are accessed from the Files Menu, decoding is aborted.
Since VGACAD is a paint/image processing program not a decoder/viewer,
when a GIF 89a file is detected from the VSCRN Menu, the user is asked
whether or not the FIRST image of the GIF 89a file is to be decoded; all
extension blocks, including plain text rendering blocks, are skipped
until an 87a graphic image block is located and subsequently decoded.
If the image contains only "plain text" then an error will result -
"Could not create destination file!"
If you have any compatibility questions leave E-Mail at CompuServe.
Lawrence [73437,2372]