VOGONS


First post, by 1ST1

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Hello, I am trying to set up a TVGA 8900c VGA card in Windows 3.11. It has 1 MB Ram and it should support 1024x768 in 16 and 256 colors. But the most I am getting out is 800x600 in 256 colors or 1024x768 in 16 strange colors (what should be black is pink). Also 800x600 in 32k or 65k is not working, here I get a strange black&white desktop (progman, etc.) with noisy pink backround. If I choose 1024x768x256 resolution in Windows Setup, I get just black screen or error message (it disapperars too fast to read it) when starting Windows, but then Windows still runs, I can end it and return to DOS with ALT+F4 and then Enter.

I already tryed many drivers from here:
http://files.mpoli.fi/hardware/DISPLAY/TRIDENT/ --> Best results, as described above, with the package NTRIDENT.ZIP
http://vogonsdrivers.com/index.php?catid=37 --> Nothing better

Is there any special thing to take care with the TVGA 8900C? (I tryed WDC90C31 as alternative, but that PC does not display anything with that while booting. I don't have a S3, ET4000 or Mach32 ISA card for testing)

With one of the packages iver there I found a DOS utility folder with a Trident tool called svm, where I can select many different video modes for DOS "text mode", also the VGA modes 640x480, 800x600 and 1024x768 in up to 16, 256, 32k or 64k colors. It has very similar results as described above inside Windows, like blurry pink backround.

Is there maybe a memory exclusion needed by QEMM386 which I must do for this VGA card ? Does the TVGA may conflicts with another card in my PC (there is a TIGA card at c800h (no user manual to set alternative settings) (EIZO TIGA base drivers detect the card after excluding C800-C8FF from QEMM) and an Adaptec 1542A with BIOS at D800h? As the PC has SCSI disks to boot, Adaptec BIOS can not be disabled.

Reply 1 of 17, by NScaleTransitModels

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Do you have a picture of the card? Sounds like it may actually be a 512kb card; a lot of sellers list these ISA cards with the wrong amount of video memory. 1024x768x16 and 800x600x256 is the usual limit for 512k cards.

I'm pretty sure that your card cannot go up to 32k or 65k colors. Even if you have 1mb memory or your drivers support hi-color, the card needs to have a hi-color RAMDAC chip which I've never seen in a 8900C.

Builds:

  • ECS FX-3000; 386DX-40@50; ET4000AX, ISA 1mb
  • Acer VI9; 486DLC-40; Mach32, VLB 2mb
  • Chicony CH-471A; CX486s-40; Mach32, VLB 2mb
  • Gateway 2000 P5-60; Pentium-60@66; S3 928, PCI 3mb
  • DTK PKM-0033S; AM5x86-133@160

Reply 3 of 17, by Grzyb

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KDA0476 = 256 colors
But there is 1 MB of RAM there - does the card recognize it?
Memory amount should be displayed by the video BIOS, and the TELLSET.EXE utility.

Żywotwór planetarny, jego gnijące błoto, jest świtem egzystencji, fazą wstępną, i wyłoni się z krwawych ciastomózgowych miedź miłująca...

Reply 5 of 17, by blurks

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I assume you have a faulty chip in bank 0 or 1 (the two columns on the right hand side constitute bank 0 and 1 - from right to left). High color, as being mentioned before, will most likely not work. Those Trident 8900's were bottom of the line cards (together with Realtek) and around 1990/1991 high color modes weren't really hot shit yet.

The fault in bank 0 or 1 is my assumption as the garbled colors appear when selecting video modes which don't make use of the video RAM above 512K, so that is something you should consider looking into. Probably stick the upper 128K chips in bank 0 and 1 and leave bank 2 open to verify the proper function of all the chips involved. Use this method to test all chips in all variants (minimum memory size is 256K afaik).

Reply 6 of 17, by 1ST1

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Grzyb wrote on 2020-11-19, 13:27:

KDA0476 = 256 colors
But there is 1 MB of RAM there - does the card recognize it?
Memory amount should be displayed by the video BIOS, and the TELLSET.EXE utility.

Yes, 1MB is there. I saw it in some testing tool (it was not tellset).

Reply 7 of 17, by Grzyb

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1ST1 wrote on 2020-11-19, 19:10:

Yes, 1MB is there. I saw it in some testing tool (it was not tellset).

TELLSET may be more trustworthy, as it's from Trident - if TELLSET can see full 1 MB, most likely so does the BIOS.
Also, I would run thorough test of the memory, eg. with X-VESA - search for xvesa102.zip

Żywotwór planetarny, jego gnijące błoto, jest świtem egzystencji, fazą wstępną, i wyłoni się z krwawych ciastomózgowych miedź miłująca...

Reply 11 of 17, by Anonymous Coward

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Even if your screen supported interlaced mode, you wouldn't want to use it unless you like going blind. It would also be painfully slow since there is no graphics acceleration. If you're getting 800x600x256 on your 8900C, then you should be a happy camper.

Although I have never owned or used a Trident 8900, I believe the 8900D can display hi colour modes...not too sure about the 8900C, but probably not.

"Will the highways on the internets become more few?" -Gee Dubya
V'Ger XT|Upgraded AT|Ultimate 386|Super VL/EISA 486|SMP VL/EISA Pentium

Reply 12 of 17, by Grzyb

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kixs wrote on 2020-11-20, 06:50:

I'm pretty sure it is. Like I've said, 1024x768 is interlaced mode on Trident cards and LCD monitors can't display it.

Tridents support both interlaced and non-interlaced.
In SVM.EXE or SVM89.EXE there should be options like "1024x768 I" and "1024x768 NI".

Żywotwór planetarny, jego gnijące błoto, jest świtem egzystencji, fazą wstępną, i wyłoni się z krwawych ciastomózgowych miedź miłująca...

Reply 13 of 17, by kixs

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Since I have it on the desk. I've tested it. By default the 1024x768 is interlaced. Modified monitor settings with SVM and I can get good picture on a LCD in NI mode. But it is horrifically slow 🤣

Requests are also possible... /msg kixs

Reply 15 of 17, by pentiumspeed

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8900C supports 16 bits mode. See if yours is actually jumpered for this? Maybe your score is low because card is set at 8 bits mode?

Cheers,

Great Northern aka Canada.

Reply 16 of 17, by 1ST1

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kixs wrote on 2020-11-20, 06:50:

I'm pretty sure it is. Like I've said, 1024x768 is interlaced mode on Trident cards and LCD monitors can't display it.

That NEC TFT supports Interlace, at least with AMiga 500, 1200 and Atari Falcon 030, tested by me.

Reply 17 of 17, by 1ST1

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pentiumspeed wrote on 2020-11-22, 04:58:

8900C supports 16 bits mode. See if yours is actually jumpered for this? Maybe your score is low because card is set at 8 bits mode?

Cheers,

Do you have documentation which jumpers to set?