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- For users of Excel for OS/2 and ATI Graphics Ultra video drivers:
-
- I have had the Excel for OS/2 session (3.0) crash with SYS3175 trap 2
- access violations at 1055d when creating macros. The situation which
- seems to cause the problem is whenever an invalid cell reference is
- generated by the macro (a common situation until you've debugged). My
- only recourse at this point is to run the macro in single step mode and
- evaluate each expression before execution, then halt whenever I see
- that a bad cell reference is being generated, just before the command
- that will use the reference is executed. Once the reference is being
- generated correctly by the macro code, I can let it run in normal mode.
-
- Sample macro code which causes this error:
- =FORMULA.GOTO("TestName")
- =RETURN()
- where TestName has not been defined on the current worksheet
-
- After re-installing OS/2 and Excel and re-doing my system customizations
- for device drivers, CONFIG.SYS settings, OS/2 System Set-up, etc. I have
- narrowed the problem down to some interaction between Excel and the ATI
- Graphics Accelerator PM video driver (version 1.3) for my Graphics Ultra
- card. When I installed the ATI PM driver in 1024x768 mode, I started
- experiencung the Excel macro problem. The IBM drivers supplied with
- OS/2 for both VGA and 8514A video modes do not result in the Excel
- problem; the macro stops with a message box but the Excel session does
- not go down. I have tried installing the Graphics Accelerator in all 3
- resolutions - 1024x768,800x600 and 640x480, and Excel exhibits the
- problem described above in all cases. I have not experienced problems
- with any other applications using the ATI driver.
-
- I contacted ATI Technologies and they informed me that the ATI driver I
- am using was designed for OS/2 1.3, but can be used with 2.0; there are
- some limitations, one of which causes my problem with Excel macros. They
- are aware of the problem, and will be providing a fully OS/2 2.0
- compliant driver for the Graphics Ultra in 1024x7868 mode, to be ready
- for early October/92.
-
- In the meantime, a reasonable compromise is to use the IBM 8514A driver
- supplied with OS/2 2.0, which will provide the benefit of 1024x768
- resolution, although not attaining the full video performance of the card
- which the ATI driver provides.
-
- Ken Findlay
-