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- Xref: sparky comp.os.os2.misc:36938 comp.os.os2.apps:8413 comp.os.os2:457
- Path: sparky!uunet!gatech!prism!gt0040a
- From: gt0040a@prism.gatech.EDU (Tom Sorensen)
- Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc,comp.os.os2.apps,comp.os.os2
- Subject: Known SP bugs: please read
- Keywords: SP, bugs
- Message-ID: <75295@hydra.gatech.EDU>
- Date: 18 Nov 92 18:13:44 GMT
- Followup-To: comp.os.os2.misc
- Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
- Lines: 169
-
- Pulled this off of ILink... I'm not sure where it came from- either NSC or
- CIS.
- ============================================================================
- <<< OS/2 SERVICE PACK XR06055 - KNOWN PROBLEMS AND FIXES >>>
- Subject : OS/2 SERVICE PACK XR06055 - KNOWN PROBLEMS AND FIXES
- OS/2 SERVICE PACK XR06055 - KNOWN PROBLEMS AND FIXES
-
- The following is a list of the known problems that can be introduced
- by installing the OS/2 2.0 Service Pack XR06055. Where possible, a "work
- around" solution is given for the problem. Most, but not all of these are
- problems with video adapters and the new video drivers.
-
- 1. Diamond Speedstar Adapter with the Tseng ET4000 Chip
-
- Configuring this adapter for Super VGA (SVGA) and high resolution
- results in an out-of-sync Desktop or unsynchronized monitor.
-
- To correct the problem:
-
- A. Boot DOS from hard disk or VMB if installed, boot from a DOS
- diskette otherwise.
-
- B. Use the utility program called VMODE, found on the utility diskette
- that came with the display adapter, to execute the following
- commands from the DOS command line:
-
- 1. VMODE MONITOR
- 2. VMODE 38
-
- C. Enter the command "SVGA ON". This will generate a SVGADATA.PMI file
- in the OS2 directory of the drive you booted from.
-
- Note: If you booted a DOS diskette, the PMI file may be written
- on the diskette. Copy the PMI file to your primary OS/2
- partition in the OS2 directory.
-
- The program SVGA.EXE program is located in the OS2 directory on the
- primary OS/2 drive or partition.
-
- D. The same out-of-sync Desktop problem will again occur when you start
- a WINOS2 Full Screen session with the High Resolution SVGA option set.
-
- E. This problem is corrected by copying the VMODE program from the
- utility diskette to a directory referenced in the DOS PATH or the
- root directory. Then edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and add the following
- statements:
-
- VMODE MONITOR
- VMODE 38
-
- This will set the correct video mode on the adapter before the
- WINOS2 session starts.
-
-
- 2. Real Mode (DOS) SVGA is supported in OS/2 2.0 only with the following
- adapters:
-
- Western Digital's Paradise Professional
-
- Super VGA cards with either Tseng ET4000 or ET3000
-
- Video Seven's VRAM II
-
- ATI VGAWONDER XL (with Chip # 18800 or 28800)
-
- Trident Card (Chip # 8900c )
-
-
- 3. Problems using a system with the Micro-Channel XGA-2 (XGA - NI) adapter
- and an IBM 8514 or an OEM multisync 8514 compatible monitor.
-
- If the system was running XGA with OS/2 2.0 GA and the Service Pack is
- applied, upon reboot after Service Pack installation the display becomes
- unsynchronized. The solution is to boot off diskette if necessary, then
- "CD" to the XGA$DMQS directory on the primary partition and delete all
- of the ".DGS" files found. Then reboot the OS/2 system.
-
- The OS/2 system will come up synchronized and in interlaced mode. If the
- video monitor used supports noninterlaced modes (such as MultiSync),
- then use the reference diskette that came with the XGA-2 adapter to
- generate an XGASETUP.PRO file into the XGA$DMQS directory. This will
- cause the monitor to use noninterlace mode the next time OS/2 is booted.
-
- 4. Systems with the ISA (AT) bus XGA-NI adapter (a non-IBM product) will
- not be able to use XGA mode in DOS VDM sessions or in WINOS2 Full Screen
- sessions. Error messages noting missing .DGS files will occur when any
- attempt is made to use XGA with DOS or WINOS2. There is no solution or
- work around for this problem known at this time.
-
- 5. The new Tseng SVGA drivers were installed but the OS/2 system fails to
- boot afterwards (only a blinking cursor in the upper left hand corner
- of an otherwise blank screen).
-
- Check for the existence of a SVGADATA.PMI file in the OS2 directory
- on the OS/2 primary partition. If not present, use the work around
- noted in 1.C above to create the SVGADATA.PMI file.
-
- Check the video adapter for the Tseng ET3000 or ET4000 chipset (required
- for OS/2). Also check to make sure that the video adapter has enough
- video memory to use the SVGA mode that was configured. For example, the
- modes 800x600x256 (medium resolution) and 1024x768x256 (high resolution)
- each require a minimum of one MB of video memory.
-
- 6. Using SVGA mode in OS/2 DOS and WINOS2 Full Screen sessions is not
- supported on systems with the ATI 8514 Ultra adapter. There is no
- solution or work around for this at this time.
-
- 7. The EVEREX Viewpoint adapter with the Tseng ET4000 chip may get the
- out-of-sync Desktop or unsynchronized monitor problem. This is usually
- caused by the actions of the user and the way the various OS/2 session
- types are configured. For example:
-
- 1. The user is on the PM Desktop with VGA mode ON. He then starts a DOS
- Full Screen session and sets SVGA high resolution mode (might be done
- in AUTOEXEC as explained above). Then the user switches back to the
- PM Desktop with Alt-Esc (was VGA). The monitor/Desktop is out-of-sync.
-
- 2. The user is on the PM Desktop which has SVGA high resolution set.
- He then starts an OS/2 Full Screen which defaults to VGA mode. The
- OS/2 Full Screen is now out-of-sync with the monitor.
-
- 8. A major problem introduced by the Service Pack is seen when deleting
- any file from a FAT partition while running in a VMB (Bootable DOS)
- session. This will always cause an IPE (Internal Processing Error).
-
- This has been APAR'ed, corrected, and a fix is available with a new
- OS2KRNL. This fix should be available for download from the BBS within
- a few days.
-
- 9. The ALT+HOME key will not work in a DOS Full Screen session once it has
- lost focus. A DOS Full Screen session will lose focus when the user
- switches to the Desktop and selects any object there with the mouse.
- When the user switches back to the DOS Full Screen session, the focus
- is lost.
-
- The work around for this problem is to switch to the Desktop, select
- the icon for the DOS Full Screen session that lost focus, pop up the
- context menu for the session with the right mouse button, and choose
- "Windowed". This will restore the focus as well as make the DOS window
- appear. The ALT+HOME hot key will now function until the session is made
- full screen again and it loses focus again.
-
- 10. Once a DOS Full Screen session has lost focus (see number 9 above),
- Using the right ALT Key in combination with any extended key (such as
- Home, End, anything on the 10 keypad, etc.) will cause the entire
- keyboard to become non-functional (appear dead).
-
- The work around for the situation is to quickly press and release the
- left ALT key.
-
- 11. If a DOS application that requires high resolution mode is started in a
- DOS Windowed session, that application becomes suspended. This is the
- normal and expected behavior as documented. The problem is that the
- Windowed session loses focus, which is not normal. When the user
- then attempts to change the session to Full Screen by using the
- Alt-Home combination, the keyboard becomes non-functional (appears
- dead) because of the problem described in number 10 above.
-
- Once again, the work around for the situation is to quickly press and
- release the left ALT key.
-
- Note: Problems 10 and 11 above have become known as the "sticky ALT key"
- syndrome. The OS/2 system error is caused by the virtual keyboard
- driver getting into a state where it believes the ALT key is being
- physically held down. By pressing and releasing the left ALT key,
- this condition is cleared.
- ==========================================================================
- Tom Sorensen
-
-