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From: markad@blake.acs.washington.edu (Mark Donnell)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Blank Screen for 25 sec?
Message-ID: <4864@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 9 Jul 90 16:48:43 GMT
References: <292600015@trsvax> <1990Jun12.233313.3502@sj.ate.slb.com>
Sender: news@milton.u.washington.edu
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Lines: 47

Russ Poffenberger writes:
>In article <292600015@trsvax> reyn@trsvax.UUCP writes:
>>
>>card.  Whenever I try to run in the 386 enhanced mode, I get the standard
>>Windows startup screen, and then the screen blanks for 25 seconds before
>>windows starts up.  The effect was so disorienting that I had assumed my
>[stuff deleted]
>
>There is a noticeable delay between the startup window, and getting the
>desktop. Certainly the speed of your hard disk plays a role here. It used to
>take 5 to 10 seconds for me with my old MFM controller. 
>[stuff deleted]
>
>I would imagine this may be a normal delay given the slower CPU, and you
>probably have an el-cheapo disk controller. 
>[stuff deleted]

Is it a slow machine and an el-cheapo which is causing the problem?????
I have a problem which I think is related (although I haven't had a chance
to try it yet). I have a 386-25, 1:1 interleave, WD controller, Connor 40 Meg
HD. - Not too much of an el-cheapo.

Anyway, I tried installing win3.0 this weekend. After an embarassing problem
of trying to use a compressed himem.sys file, I got it up and running and 
tried to run in 386 mode. The greeting comes up, dissappears, the drive
whirrs on, then the screen goes blank....................
Well, windows is up and running - I can type keystrokes and the machine
responds properly. Alt-f, Alt-x, <ret> exits from Win and returns the Dos
prompt. But while in windows, the screen stays black.
A real pretty black, but black nevertheless.
It has stayed there for quite some time (minutes, at least).
A rather boring window interface, I might say. 

Win runs fine in real or standard mode. I have a genoa video card and a 
hires greyscale monitor. I have tried it with the video board's automode
select off, and I have tried about 25 different video modes, with windows
running with normal colors and mono colors. One particular combo ONCE
produced a see'able screen, but when I exited windows (with save), the
started it right back up, you guessed it - black. The combo was (i believe)
640x400 2 color VGA. 

Anyone run into this sort of thing before?
If all else fails, there is always to contact the Genoa or my dealer,
but if there is a quick fix, I prefer that.

Thanks
Mark