[comp.unix.i386] VP/ix and the Everex Viewpoint VGA card

pozar@kumr.UUCP (Tim Pozar) (07/14/90)

PROBLEM:
   VP/ix doesn't work with an Everex Viewpoint VGA card (512K and bios 1.06),
card as in the regular installation that comes with VP/ix. 

SOLUTION:
   Rename /usr/vpix/defaults/romvga to something else like 
/usr/vpix/defaults/romvga.old.  VP/ix doesn't find it's VGA bios image
and seems to bring up the VGA bios on startup of VP/ix.

BUGS:
   VP/ix will beep for 30 seconds and ask the user (at the console) to
hit the 'F1' key to continue.  I haven't tried it from dialin.

   After I changed the name of the file, I ran MicroSoft's Flight 
Simulator and it came up in VGA mode.  A little slower than if I just
brought up Plain 'Ol Dos... Oh well...

                       Tim


-- 
Tim Pozar    Try also...
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wsinpdb@tuewsk.win.tue.nl (Paul de Bra) (07/16/90)

In article <167@kumr.UUCP> pozar@kumr.UUCP (Tim Pozar) writes:
>   VP/ix doesn't work with an Everex Viewpoint VGA card (512K and bios 1.06),
>card as in the regular installation that comes with VP/ix. 
>
>SOLUTION:
>   Rename /usr/vpix/defaults/romvga to something else like 
>/usr/vpix/defaults/romvga.old. 

NO! The solution is to uncomment the EGAROM and VGAROM lines in
/usr/vpix/defaults/vpix.cnf
This is documented with AT&T's Simultask. Probably with others too.

Unfortunately this only works for vpix. There is no simple trick to
enable the special features of a VGA card from within Unix. The
available modes are all precoded. So you better look at the list
of supported VGA-cards before you buy either Unix or a VGA-card.

Paul.
(debra@research.att.com)