Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!indetech!vsi1!hsv3!jls From: jls@hsv3.UUCP (James Seidman) Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms Subject: Re: Z-Soft Publishers Paintbrush for Windows upgrade info Message-ID: <6304@hsv3.UUCP> Date: 18 Dec 90 16:41:19 GMT References: <4478@peora.ccur.com> Reply-To: jls@hsv3.UUCP (James Seidman) Distribution: na Organization: Video Seven / Headland Technology Lines: 36 In article marshall@wind55.seri.gov (Marshall L. Buhl) writes: >Yes they are. I have a Video 7 VRAM VGA (which I think is quite nice). >There is just one little biddy problem with it. When you start a DOS >app from Win3, you cannot change video modes. I have had this problem >with DesignCAD 2D and just now I tried it with PC PaintBrush IV Plus. >It locked the DOS session. I'm going to have to get out of news and >restart Windows to clear it up. Others have complained about this here >in comp.windows.ms about the other video modes with WordImperfect. >Video 7 says "That's not a bug. It's a feature." It supposedly keeps >'ill-behaved" programs from messing things up (or something like that). >I personally don't see how that can be worse than crashing a DOS >session. Maybe it is. This paragraph is a little confused. Let me try to clear this up: you CAN change video modes. You simply cannot go into the *extended* super-VGA modes. That is, when you are running in a Windows DOS session, your card acts like a normal IBM VGA. The problem with locking up is most likely because whoever wrote the drivers for those programs isn't bothering to check whether the video card can do the extended modes or not. As I've said before, you can get around this by using the V7VGA utility provided with the card. Type "V7VGA pure:off" and you'll be able to use all the extended modes. However, this may open up a whole other can of worms, especially if you start switching between DOS sessions or back to windows. Just remember, extended modes are not supported in Windows DOS sessions, and you may run into to problems. DISCLAIMER: I work in neither tech support nor marketing, and my statements therefore do not necessarily reflect official company position, recommended usage guidelines, or valid support information. -- Jim Seidman (Drax), the accidental engineer. "There's a certain freedom to being completely screwed." - The Freshman UUCP: ames!vsi1!hsv3!jls Internet: hsv3.UUCP!jls@apple.com