Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!texbell!attctc!chasm
From: chasm@attctc.Dallas.TX.US (Charles Marslett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Determine current video adapter/monitor
Summary: Don't bet on your graphics library!
Message-ID: <10067@attctc.Dallas.TX.US>
Date: 7 Nov 89 15:02:45 GMT
References: <2844@hub.UUCP>
Distribution: usa
Organization: The Unix(R) Connection, Dallas, Texas
Lines: 28

In article <2844@hub.UUCP>, crmeyer@voodoo.ucsb.edu writes:
> In article <5060063@hpccc.HP.COM>, tomj@hpccc.HP.COM (Tom Johnson) writes...
> > 
> >What is the best way to determine in a program what video adapter/monitor
> >is currently installed??
> 
> In most C compilers their are comands to query what graphics adapter is in use.
> My manual on Mix C has the command 'getvconfig' that reurns a pointer to a
> construct containing all sorts of info...(x&y resolution, aspect ratio, 
> number of colors, etc). From this you should be able to figure out what
> adapter is being used.

I don't know about Mix C, but both Turbo and Microsoft C have similar functions
that seem disgustingly unreliable, considering how simple the task is.  IBM
has a one page description in their BIOS technical reference manual that
covers an extremely easy, reliable decision tree to identify the card type,
it's extensible, and it's easy to debug.  Getting a table from a "magic"
subroutine and trying to make it work leads to your code running in the
least common resolution usually.  If there is any interest, I'll post a
description.

Charles
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