Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!news
From: smsmith@hpuxa.acs.ohio-state.edu (Stephen M. Smith)
Subject: Re: How do I get large BMPs as desktops?
Message-ID: <1991Apr13.232322.7922@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Keywords: BMP desktop
Sender: news@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Nntp-Posting-Host: hpuxa.acs.ohio-state.edu
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 1991 23:23:22 GMT
Lines: 46

andreww@uniwa.uwa.oz (Andrew John Williams) writes:
>
>Hi- I have been converting gifs to .BMP files to use as wallpaper,
>hoping to have a large (1024x768x256c) file as a backdrop.
>Unfortunately, Windows seems to crash if I try to install a file larger
>than around 260k or so as a wallpaper. (257894 bytes workes, 262000
>doesnt)...
>	If I select a large BMP from the desktop section of the control
>panel, it grinds the disk for a while and thinks, then exits with an
>unrecoverable application error, and the program manager crashes soon
>after. If I edit win.ini and make the wallpaper field point to a large
>BMP file, then windows never gets as far as putting it on screen. (It
>shows the logo, blanks the screen, displays the cursor, then exits with
>no error message).
>	What can I do to try and solve this problem? I have seen posts
>from people using 1024x768x256 bitmaps as wallpaper- it must be
>possible!
>	My system is a 386/25, with AMI bios, C&T chipset, Tseng ET4000
>card (from Tseng), Tsengs 1024x768x256 windows driver, 4Mb of ram, using
>himem.sys. I can display all of the images ok, even full screen, using
>Windows image viewers, but I can't install them as desktops!
>		andrew@earwax.pd.uwa.oz.au   OR
>		andreww@uniwa.uwa.oz.au  (note the extra 'w')

Hi Andrew:

Funny that you ask this question now--another person on the net
asked this same question a couple days ago.  Since he had the
same monitor and card as I do (Orchid Pro II, Sony 1304), I was
also curious if it failed on my machine.  So I converted a
large .gif file to .bmp and tried to display it in enhanced
mode.  It didn't work; in fact, EXACTLY the same thing happened
to me as happened to you.  BUT, you can display large .bmp files
in standard mode.  You just can't do it in enhanced mode.

I tried a 787k .bmp file (1024x768x256) as wallpaper in standard
mode and had NO problem.  But I also get an "unrecoverable application
error...terminating current application" if I try the same thing
in enhanced mode.  I also tried to do it with a 590k .bmp file
(768x768x256) with the same results.

So it's not your hardware--for some reason you just can't display
large .bmp files as wallpaper in enhanced mode.

Steve Smith
smsmith@hupxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu