Is there a way to use the DOS MODE command (or similar) to force a 200 line text mode on an EGA card? I know you can set the DIP switches for this, but I'm curious if there is a way to do it in software.
There is a BIOS call in the VGA BIOS to set the text mode resolution: https://www.delorie.com/djgpp/doc/rbinter/id/72/1.html .
For EGA, I suggest you patch the DIP switch copy in the BIOS data area at 40:88, see for example https://helppc.netcore2k.net/table/bios-data-area .
There is no command integrated in DOS to perform either of these tasks.
That's a good idea, I should be able to flip those bits then issue a "MODE CO80"
Worked great btw. I wrote a 12 byte file called flipsw1.com which just XORs the value at 40:88 with 1. This has the effect of flipping SW1 on the card. So I can run flipsw1 followed by mode co80 to switch back and forth between 200 and 350 line text mode at will
