Baslinux mailing list

[Sindi Keesan <keesan AT iamjlamb.com>]

Compushow agrees that this is Chips and Technologies.  It displays fine at 
256 colors in 640x480 and 320x200, also in 1 2 and 4 bit mode.  Lxpic 
displays 256 colors too.  Xvesa just crashes.

I did some web searches but could not find a BIOS update for this NEC 
Ultralite Versa so I wrote them.  There was a mention of VideoBIOS 1.00.17 
somewhere for another computer video.  Also some info on how to set up 
XF86Config for a slightly later version of the chip.  This one is 1992.  
The author liked the keyboard and said it was good hardware and worked 
with SW2.1 and LILO (his 1994 NEC VERSA).  It is possible using a DOS 
utility to display on the LED and/or CRT but I don't know how to do it in 
linux.

The chip is supposed to work with the SVGA server so I may try that.  Can 
I damage it or the LCD screen by choosing wrong settings?  I may just use 
SVGAlib instead if that works since the only X programs I have been using 
are xpdf and Opera which are not available for libraries older than 2.2.5 
(unless I compile xpdf myself).  

I don't recall what happened with our other list member using Chips and 
Technologies video.


On Fri, 30 Jul 2004, Sindi Keesan wrote:

> Xvesa -listmodes for this video tells me it is a 
> Chips and Technologies 65520/530 VBE version 1.2 
> (VESA 1.2) that does up to 640x480x4 (4-bit, 16 colors)
> 
> In DOS, whatvga2 when I try to run it informs me that 
> emm386.exe detected an error caused by a device driver or program
> and I should reboot, which I did.
> 
> Syschk says it is ET3000 with 256 colors (8-bit)
Syschk makes lots of mistages regarding video.

> 
> Xvesa does not do 8-bit color.  It does 15-bit color (and I think maybe 
> also 4 bit or else 2-bit - anyone remember?).   This card does not appear 
> to do 4-bit color, so perhaps there are no modes which it does and Xvesa 
> accepts.  I have not tried using Cshow with the card in mono or 16-color, 
> but I tried Xvesa -mode 640x480x4 and it went blank and rebooted partway, 
> same as when I typed startx.
> 
> Compushow for DOS identifies this as VESA and tests it out at 640x400 and 
> 640x480 with 256 colors, with no other modes offered.

It will display at lower modes as well, and with 1 and 4 bit color.
Lxpic does 256 color.
 
> Since Syschk and Compushow agree with each other (256 colors) but disagree 
> with Xvesa, the latter may be incorrectly identifying the chip and the 
> possible modes.
> 
> I don't think xvg16.tgz would work here either.  Maybe xsvga?
> Anyone else have any ideas?  I have not tried svgalib yet.
> 
> -------
> 
> Another problem is that when I try to write to the DOS floppy disk from 
> BL3 it messes up the disk to the point where the file disk2.tgz gives the 
> wrong size reading, and then I try to delete it and I cannot, and in DOS I 
> get 'sector not found'.  I reformatted and copied disk2.tgz back from hd 
> to floppy disk and I will keep resolv.conf and eznet.conf on hard disk 
> instead of floppy disk.  I cannot change the controller or floppy drive so 
> will learn to live with them.  I have write protected the two floppies.
> 
> It seems to be tomorrow already.  My, this is addictive.
> 
> On Fri, 30 Jul 2004, Sindi Keesan wrote:
> 
> > I booted the 2-floppy version of BL3 and did Xsetup (plain VGA, 640x480,
> > PS/2 mouse - no problems with not seeing what I typed like I had with
> > previous versions), then Enter for Xvesa.  I was warned before hitting
> > Enter that if Xvesa does not work it is probably related to DOS or Windows
> > system files.
> > 
> > This is the LILO version of BL3 so this message is not relevant and maybe 
> > should be removed.
> > 
> > I hit Enter and got back to the prompt.
> > 
> > I typed startx (startX?) and again it did not start X but I got a blank 
> > screen with blinking cursor for a bit, then the screen blinked a bit, 
> > then 
> > it started to reboot and got as far as Video BIOS version 1.00.17 and 
> > stuck there.  I was able to warm boot with Ctrl-Alt-Del.  
> > 
> > This time it read both disks on the first try not the fourth try.   Maybe 
> > the drive is cleaning itself with use?
> > 
> > I did Xsetup and Enter with the same lack of results and don't want to 
> > type startx because it will probably reboot.
> > 
> > This is a plain VGA color video, 512K, I think it is Tseng ET3000.
> > Is this not Xvesa compatible?  I vaguely recall one laptop with color VGA 
> > where we could not use VESA drivers in the DOS viewers, but I think 
> > Compushow worked with the Tseng driver.
> > 
> > Maybe the message about DOS system files should be replaced with one to
> > the effect that some older computers have video chips that don't work with
> > Xvesa and won't start X when you hit the Enter key after Xsetup.  I think
> > someone reported getting a non-VESA-compliant video card to work with
> > Xvesa.  I will check this one with Syschk for VESA status.
> > dmesg does not mention the video chip - is there some other way to 
> > determine it in linux?
> > 
> > The computer has a 1992 BIOS and maybe some 1993 parts as well.
> > 
> > I will try SVGAlib on it instead, after installing to hard disk, with 
> > links graphical from JP and seejpeg since I don't want to compile zgv 
> > right now.  
> > 
> > DOS has a program that makes video cards VESA compliant when you run it 
> > as 
> > a TSR - UNIVESA.  Is there something similar for linux?
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
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> > 
> 
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