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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbatt!ihnp4!alberta!sask!skatter!kuo
From: kuo@skatter.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: problems with Hercules compatible card
Message-ID: <272@skatter.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 25-Jan-87 17:40:27 EST
Article-I.D.: skatter.272
Posted: Sun Jan 25 17:40:27 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 30-Jan-87 05:21:53 EST
References: <8701200750.AA26234@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: Accelerator Lab, Saskatoon, Sask.
Lines: 71

In article <8701200750.AA26234@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, aharon@wisdom.BITNET (Aharon Shtull-Trauring) writes:
> 
> Hi.  I am the (not so) proud owner of a Taiwanese PC-Clone
> which my wife uses for her word-processing, editing and
> translating business.  I bought a Hercules "compatible"
> card as well as a CGA "compatible" card - the latter
> for running games for my kids.  I have several
> problems:
> 
> (1) When the CGA card is in the computer, the Hercules
> card acts as if its brain damaged.  Letters looked half-baked
> and are unreadable.  The documentation (which reads as if
> it was written by a Taiwanese who only knew Urdu) for the
> monochrome graphics card says that the card has 2 32K buffers
> of graphics memory, and that if you wnat it to live
> peacably with a CGA card you must disable page 1 by
> running a program called half (or else sending something
> to a register via basic).  None of these things seem
> to help or hinder.

I think it is possible to have both the CGA and Herculus in the machine
but you have to use the MODE program to select which one is active. I read
this somewhere but cann't remember where and have not tried it myself. I
have an ATI Graphics Solution card which emulates both CGA and Herculus; the
mode is software selectable. I normally boot up with the CGA mode then
(software) switch into the Herculus mode when I need it. You may want to
read some more on the MODE thing.

> (3) My wife uses the Hercules card for Microsoft Word.
> When she runs a disk that has system 2.1 or higher the
> Hercules card does strange things while in word.  It
> only works 100% properly when booting of a disk
> with 2.0 (the command.com can be 2.11)
> 

Why don't you take out the CGA, use Herculus alone. And when you need
CGA, use SIMCGA? (Unless, of course, the games boots from a diskette.)
I think DOS 2.11 is a no-no to use. You are better off with either DOS 2.0
or 2.1; I have seen 2.11 do strange things!

> On another topic, I would like to understand the difference
> between different density diskettes.  It doesn't seem to
> matter if I use single-sided double density or double-sided
> double-density - I stillo get 360K.  Why?
> 

Normally the only difference between buying a single-sided double density
and a double-sided double density is that the SSDD is only checked on one
side at the factory whereas the DSDD got both sides checked. I normally
buy SSDD disks then format them for DSDD, cheaper that way. Only about one
out of 50 cannot be formatted to DSDD, so I use them for games! 

> Any help would be most appreciated:
> 
>                                 Aron Shtull-Trauring
>                                 (aharon@wisdom.bitnet)
>                                 (aharon%wisdom.bitnet@wiscvm.wisc.edu)


Hope these info are of help!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Kuo                    Bitnet (VMS address)    : KUO@SASK
Accelerator Laboratory              (UUCP address)   : "skatter!kuo@sask.uucp"
(a.k.a. The Beam Warehouse)
Univ. of Saskatchewan          uucp (unix address)   : !ihnp4!sask!skatter!kuo
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan             (Bitnet address) : !ihnp4!sask.BITNET!kuo
CANADA  S7N 0W0
Tel. (306) 966-6059

[Disclaimer: all the standard stuff.]