baugh@potomac.ads.com (Follower of Chaos) (02/27/91)
[NOTE: I'm posting again, because the first one seems to have been eaten by postnews...sorry if you see double] Well, the Windows installation horror story continues. As you might recall, I've got the generic AT (VLSI chipset [that's the manufacturer name...], Western Digital Controller, Segate 251 & 265 drives, a Toshiba (I think) 1.2 mb, a unknown make 3.5 720kb drive, a Zoom modem and a S/P/G card) I went out last night and bought a new Paradise card (yup another one) but this time I got the "basic ega card". Well, still no go. I still get smearing with the mouse at times, color changing randomly and window clearing, rebooting and general crashing. IF ANYBODY HAS INSTALLED WINDOWS ON A VLSI BASED MOTHERBOARD AND / OR PARADISE EGA CARD, COULD YOU E-MAIL ME TO LET ME KNOW I'M NOT GOING INSANE... I'm sure I have a working version of a BIOS (Award 3.13 now which Microsoft & Award say is fine) so that's not the problem. I can install in CGA mode, but as soon as I switch to EGA I get all these problems. Microsoft's solution is to "pull boards out and see if that helps". Or to "try a different EGA card" or "another monitor" which means more $$. That's not SUPPORT, that's guessing. I'm paying for the phone call here since they're too cheap to have a 800 number...which is pretty pathetic...like they are pressed for money..and I've bought a bunch of Microsoft stuff... C v3->5, MASM 4-> 5.1, games, etc and never asked for any support, but now that I REALLY need it, nothing. I can't believe that nobody has installed Windows on VLSI based machine, or a Paradise card cause Microsoft doesn't know if either will work, which I find hard to believe. Basically they've been absolutly NO help at all. They say it's "a memory conflict with the board"...and when I asked "what could be causing this conflict" [since I don't have any rom shadowing, NO other device drivers except the ones Windows wants, and nothing else loaded] and they say they "don't know" to which I ask "they why do you KNOW it's a memory conflict". They say since I can install CGA but not EGA then that's a memory conflict. That's like arguing "because I say so". Well, here's the contents of my config.sys and autoexec.bat in case this might shead some light on the situtation config.sys : buffers=30 files=30 device=c:\himem.sys device=c:\windows\smartdrive.sys 768 256 device=c:\windows\ega.sys autoexec.bat : PATH C:\WINDOWS SET TEMP=C:\WINDOSW\TEMP Doesn't look to strange does it. Well, I'm really frustrated now, since I REALLY would like to use Windows (I've even ordered the Borland C++ upgrade so I can program some in it) but I'm getting no where REAL fast... well thank in advance for any info you can give me... 'later -- Earl D. Baugh Jr. Advanced Decision Systems Internet : baugh@ads.com