dvwjr wrote:
This is the only useful mode for the three PCs I have tested with VGATEST.EXE, a Matrox G450 PCI with XP(SP1), an NVidia GeForce 4 MX440 with XP(SP1) and an old Trident S3-864 1MB with NT4(SP6a). In the DOS boxes many of the other VGATEST.EXE command-line options result in no action, but starting with the VGATEST.EXE command-line option of zero will allow as many of the modes to be tested as a WinXP card/driver combination will allow.
No offense, but I've proved this to be absolute bollocks. In real DOS, there is not a difference between running the tests separately versus together. Running in XP yields the same results - same versus together, there is not a difference for me. It STILL crashes for me in XP though.
It doesn't detect the "wrong" amount of memory, the original IBM VGA had just 256kb of RAM, addressable in two banks of 128kb o […]
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It doesn't detect the "wrong" amount of memory, the original IBM VGA had just 256kb of RAM, addressable in two banks of 128kb or four banks of 64kb. This is actually an old test program to test actual VGA or SuperVGA cards of the early to mid 1990s. It is testing what is was designed for, not the future which we now inhabit...
Free VGA project - Hardware Level VGA and SVGA Video Programming Information Page
Then I must ask - does it really test the RAM? If you have 32 MB of video RAM, what is it testing? The first 256kb? That is what does not make sense.
Well VGATEST command-line option 2 is one test mode that will work, it is only supposed to test the standard VGA text modes: 0h, 01h, 02h, 03h and 07h. Those are the only "standard" VGA text modes, so the program is working as designed when nothing beyond mode 07h is tested.
Okay. Well - I have it working now with command-line 2 and 3 even better. By holding in the <FN> key on the laptop and pressing F7 - the "FONT" setting for the LCD - I can get all the VGATEST 2 tests and VGATEST 3 tests displaying something. I don't know much about what this does, but it has two visible modes:
1. centered in the middle of the screen, looking like less than 300 horiz res.
2. full screen. Occasionally the graphics modes in full screen seem to be appearing twice on the LCD screen side by side or overlapping. (VGATEST 3 mode 4 is notorious for this.) but only certain modes - Mode 10 and 11 are not a problem.
Sometimes the VGATEST 3 tests display nothing UNTIL I hit <FN><F7> a couple of times. Fortunately, this does not count as a keypress to jump to the next test. This even happens using a DOS boot disk, so I consider this some sort of LCD/video card/firmware flaw. (unless it is a feature?)
But I CAN get them working in DOS using a DOS boot disk. And in Windows XP.
VGATEST 4 and above is the BIG issue.
Must be an unusual reaction by your laptop display adapter/driver under WinXP.
Yep. Any of the SVGA tests will vary by adapte […]
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Must be an unusual reaction by your laptop display adapter/driver under WinXP.
Yep. Any of the SVGA tests will vary by adapter. The Matrox G450 will refuse to do anything but return to the DOS prompt for VGATEST.EXE command-line options 4-8, but the old 1MB Trident S3-864 will attempt and succeed on one SVGA mode under VGATEST.EXE command-lines options 4-5. What can you say...
Unusual? You said it. I've learned that the weird "fractal fog"/milky white display that fades in on the black screen and then disappears just as mysteriously when testing VGATEST 4 (and higher?) is what happens when the LCD screen on your laptop loses signal. It's quite fascinating to watch. Also called "white creep", "white creeping death", "white screen of death" OR WSOD and various other phrases, it has as many possible causes as a CRT monitor losing signal. Anything from hardware issues (broken/loose internal cable or wiring, video chip flaws) to software (video firmware, video drivers, system BIOS, etc.)
Additionally, the machine apparently hangs when this happens - I have to hold in the power switch, as no keys can shake it out of this once started. Not even <FN><F7> or <FN><F8> (the one that disables the LCD and enables the CRT VGA connector, and vice versa).
Using MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows ME boot disks and VGATEST.EXE, I've determined that (well) aside from the <FN><F7> pressing needed with VGATEST 2 and 3 sometimes, VGATEST runs fine. Following DosFreak's format:
Windows XP Pro SP1
ATI Rage Mobility M4
Dell Inspiron 8000
Dell/ATI Drivers M6.77-021118a-007010C-Dell (mainly v6.13.10.5023)
ATI BIOS: Bk4.4.3 VR004.095.004.025T.000.000 mfshh4l
(which is weird, as I read that as 4.095. But Dell's Inspiron 8000 A22 BIOS notes refer to it as 4.096? and Dell version A21 BIOS used version 4.100. VERY strange.)
DirectX 9.0
Usage: VGATEST.EXE <test number>
0 : Run all tests
1 : VGA memory test
2 : VGA text test
3 : Standard VGA Graphics test
4 : VESA Super VGA 8 BPP test
5 : VESA Super VGA 15/16 BPP test
6 : VESA Super VGA 24 BPP test
7 : VESA Super VGA 4 BPP test
8 : VESA Text test
A=Windows XP ME Boot Disk
B=Windows XP SP1 VGA.SYS 5.1.2600.1106
C=Modified VGA.SYS
VGATEST:
G=Good M=Maybe N=Not
1=G
2
0=M
1=M
2=M
3=M
7=M
(where is DosFreak getting modes 4-6 and 8-9? What the hell? This contradicts dvwjr!)
3
4=M
5=M
6=M
D=M
E=M
F=M
10=M
11=M
12=M
13=M
4
1=Vesa 100= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
2=Vesa 101= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
3=Vesa 103= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
4=Vesa 105= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
5=Vesa 107= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
5
1=Vesa 110= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
2=Vesa 111= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
3=Vesa 113= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
4=Vesa 114= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
5=Vesa 116= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
6=Vesa 117= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
7=Vesa 119= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
8=Vesa 11A= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
6
1=Vesa 112= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
2=Vesa 115= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
3=Vesa 118= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
4=Vesa 11B= A=G B=Crash C=Crash
7
any=N (no crash, black screen, then drop to prompt)
8
any=N (no crash, black screen, then drop to prompt)
.........................
So you say, AH! Schadenfreude is out of the woods!
NOT!
Stiletto pointed out THIS VGA test utility for me...
http://www.simtel.net/pub/pd/51865.html
During testing using my DOS boot disk, Test 9 invariably snow-crashed the computer after testing various save/restores. In fact, it seemed about to be done - and then it crashed as described above. Loss of signal. IN MS-DOS!!! Geezus. But the rest worked.
Testing almost all the tests in XP snow crashed. But in DOS, only test 9 was the issue. Weird... Again, in XP, both with and without the patch.
...........................
So Schadenfreude says, to himself, "I am very unlucky! Let me test SDD 6.53's PROFILE.EXE as mentioned in the old VESA testing with NOLFB thread...."
Unbelievably, in XP it lists NO modes.
I have never heard of this happening before. This is both with and without the patch.
In DOS, it lists a whole string of them. 😮
..............................
Recently, I had updated the Inspiron 8000 BIOS to A22 from A06 (I think it was A06, i forget what now...)
So far, I believe what I have discovered is a flaw in the firmware. Before installing A22, I used WinMe. Now I have WinXP. So it's all strange.
Dell is going to blame either ATI or the authors of these 15-yr-old testing utilities. ("What? You cannot run such a DOS program in XP?!?! And your laptop came with ME but you installed XP? No more support!") ATI is going to blame either Dell of the authors of these 15-yr-old testing utilities. ("Hey, we don't support our laptop chips - talk to the vendor.")
I SO look forward to taking this up with technical support. 🙄
I also plan on creating a whole separate thread to tell people what my status is on this. I'll be surprised if this is ever fixed - Dell last updated the BIOS in November as with the drivers.
I ALSO plan on attaching a standalone CRT and seeing what happens versus the LCD.
...
Don't worry, I'll test on a desktop machine at some point. But I think I have proved that video on laptops can STILL be a headache and a half. 😁