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Does anyone have a Compaq 425 all in one system that could test Ultima I for me?

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First post, by TheRealAnubis

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Hi all,

I have a Compaq 425 all in one system that has 20MB and 486dx100 overdrive chip. Every Ultima game I've tried so far has worked well, except for some sound glitches with the later games.

Ultima I isn't working correctly, though. It loads fine, and looks fine until I move my character - then the colors go wonky and the character (except for the shield) disappears! If I go to stats or into a town (which is also missing come colors), it resets the colors, but they go wonky again as soon as you move the character. The grass and trees turn white as well.

The Ultima I versions I've tried are from my original Ultima I-VI series CD, the Ultima Collection CD, and some random downloads. The one on the CF card right now works correctly when that card is mounted with DosBox.

I've also booted the system up with nothing but a boot floppy, along with many variants of himem, emm386, devicehigh vs device, etc. No changes.

I've updated the quality of the Ultima I pictures! 😀

Attachments

  • Ult1Before.jpg
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    Ult1Before.jpg
    File size
    385.17 KiB
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    748 views
    File comment
    When the game first starts, it's all fine
    File license
    Public domain
  • ult1After.jpg
    Filename
    ult1After.jpg
    File size
    404.81 KiB
    Views
    748 views
    File comment
    One move in any direction and this happens
    File license
    Public domain
Last edited by TheRealAnubis on 2022-06-16, 18:33. Edited 3 times in total.

Reply 1 of 6, by Jo22

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Hi there!

I do have a few Compaq laptops, but don't know the model numbers right away.

Anyway, here's a general tip.:
Some models do have a Western Digital WD90c31 or WD90C24 VGA chip.

If your card has one of them, or a similar WD chip, you can try the mode utility for the Paradise PVGA cards fron the 80s.

Maybe this will allow setting the chip to CGA/EGA Hercules emulation mode.
If you set it to CGA, the VGA behaves much more like a real CGA and graphical glitches go away.

Anyway, this is just an idea.
Other graphic chips may also have CGA emulation modes.

You can run MSD in DOS to find out about the graphics chip's VGA BIOS.
The copyright text will give hint what brand/chip is installed.

Alternatively, run NSSI - it's a free diagnostic program for DOS.
It can detect a lot of hardware, including VGA chips.

If you can tell what VGA chip is built into your Compaq,
we might be able to help you better. 🙂

Best wishes,
Jo22

PS: I'm just a layman and do know little abozt Ultima. Ultima series has a lot of fans, though.
Maybe your problem can be patched, even!
Just don't despair! Vogons has a lot if excellent users, maybe they can give you better advices.

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 2 of 6, by TheRealAnubis

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Thanks for the tips! I think this version of Ultima I is a re-release that is VGA, but I'm still going to tryout your suggestions - I'll let you know!!

Reply 3 of 6, by TheRealAnubis

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Ok, here are the results!

Attachments

  • 001_NSSI.jpg
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    001_NSSI.jpg
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    345.49 KiB
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    742 views
    File comment
    System specs
    File license
    Public domain
  • 002_nssi.jpg
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    002_nssi.jpg
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    427.8 KiB
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    747 views
    File comment
    Video chipset results
    File license
    Public domain
  • MSD_001.jpg
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    MSD_001.jpg
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    294.81 KiB
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    747 views
    File comment
    Microsoft video results
    File license
    Public domain

Reply 4 of 6, by TheRealAnubis

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So maybe some drivers or utilities for a Cirrus Logic GD-54XX? The only problem is that the XX part covers quite a few chipsets...
Here's what's on the actual chip:

Cirrus Logic
CL-GD 5420-75QC-C
21827-277CG
9341 T
MALAYSIA-A

I also managed to get a picture of the top - it's a tough shot without taking stuff apart!

I just tracked down Cirrus Logic's IDCHIP.EXE - I'll post those results as well. (Notice the BIOS is reporting 5402 and not 5420 - prolly a typo in the BIOS?)

I tried the utility CLMODE from Cirrus - All of that stuff seems to be fine trying out several video modes. - it displays all the screens correctly on the correct settings - I wonder if I have a bad 512K RAM chip?

I'll have a look and see if I can find anything for this chipset and DOS.
I was hoping for some DOS drivers or something but the datasheet located here doesn't list any DOS drivers: https://www.datasheets360.com/pdf/1570747863450969460

I found some information here that pointed to maybe a fix called TSRFONT.COM, but it's for EGA graphics glitches - tried it anyway and that didn't do it.
http://vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=926&menustate=0

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  • CirrusLogic_IDCHIP_results.jpg
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    CirrusLogic_IDCHIP_results.jpg
    File size
    136.34 KiB
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    729 views
    File comment
    Cirrus Logic's IDCHIP.EXE results Compaq 425
    File license
    Public domain
  • Cirrus_Logic_Compaq425.jpg
    Filename
    Cirrus_Logic_Compaq425.jpg
    File size
    138.9 KiB
    Views
    731 views
    File comment
    Cirrus Logic video chip picture
    File license
    Public domain

Reply 5 of 6, by TheRealAnubis

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Also - if anyone has a 486 with a video card that has a Cirrus Logic GD-5420 chip, or any machine with a video card with that chip - could you try out Ultima I and see if it works for you?

ISA VGA Card CL-GD540X/5420. CL-GD5420-75-QC-C Ver 1.30 Cirrus Logic

Cirrus Logic CL-GD5420-75QC-B 16 Bit ISA VGA Card

etc..

Attachments

  • cirrus logic AVGA-20.jpg
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    cirrus logic AVGA-20.jpg
    File size
    159.29 KiB
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    669 views
    File comment
    Examples of ISA video cards with GD-5420
    File license
    Public domain
  • GD5420 ISA card.jpg
    Filename
    GD5420 ISA card.jpg
    File size
    31.95 KiB
    Views
    669 views
    File comment
    Examples of ISA video cards with GD-5420
    File license
    Public domain
  • Another GD5420 card.jpg
    Filename
    Another GD5420 card.jpg
    File size
    34.06 KiB
    Views
    669 views
    File comment
    Examples of ISA video cards with GD-5420
    File license
    Public domain
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