Re: CMD/DOS problems

From: Sam Goddard (bigdaddy_sammy_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 05/17/04 

Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 23:02:53 +0100

Unfortunately the Astratech bloke is of no use whatsoever, hence my despair.

Sorry to be picky, but could you reccomend a course of action to me?

As far as I can see I should:

A - play around with the Astra bat file
B - try & find another BGI driver (where do I find them & where do I put
them?
C - check with you to see if you got it to work properly

Thanks

Sam
"David Candy" <david@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:O018LiFPEHA.3596@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
It can install from anywhere. If you want to see Install Complete screen it
needs to be on A, but it has already installed by then.

It uses a borland video driver (16 years old). It seems to use standard
modes but then should be able to run in a window, but it doesn't so it's
not. This means it's could be using VESA modes (which XP doesn't do hence
the full screen switch so the video card can). But I just looked a a
technical reference to BGI and it apperas not to use VESA. Nothing to do
with XP's dos rules is documented, I just know how it handles VESA.

When you type Astra it does stuff then starts the main menu program (each
screen is a seperate program) with 0 as a parameter. Changing 0 to 1, 2 etc
gives different video modes. Also in setup.cfg there is a video setting set
to 1.

Presumably the video driver supports 0 to 3 as parameters as these strings
apper in the video driver
640 x 200 EGA

640 x 350 EGA

640 x 480 VGA

640 X 350 EGA MONO

I've always been a MS guy and not used Borland (MS competitor in Programming
languages, databases and in the distant past applications).

So edit astra.bat and try 0,1,2,& 3. There are other BGI drivers available
(I looked in google - see if the SVGA one can work - may need to rename).

But I note two things
1. There apper to be windows versions of the program
2. There is mailto:mail@astratech.co.uk if you want to talk to someone. (+44
(0) 1959-532618) 

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------
And the band played ....
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/14/1084289883713.html
"Sam Goddard" <bigdaddy_sammy@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:OkZMOvEPEHA.3944@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> David
>
> The program can be downloaded from the downloads page of
www.astratech.co.uk
>
> It is called AstraTech Racing Analysis Software v2.49
>
> However, you need to copy it to a floppy before it can be installed. I
have
> a feeling that a very simple solution could be reached by someone who knew
> what they were doing. However, I'm not that person and so I'd like to beg
> you to have a look incase you are ;)
>
> Thanks for your help so far
>
> Sam
> "David Candy" <david@mvps.org> wrote in message
> news:On0CBhEPEHA.904@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> It's to do with the program and the video card and nothing to do with
> Windows. Can it run in a window (Press Alt + Space). If not does the
program
> have Video writing options (as most commercial dos programs did). There
were
> 4 ways a program could write to the screen, a custom video driver (for
that
> program), Direct writing to IBM graphic standard (technically a video
driver
> but so simple noone thinks of it as one), using MSDos to write the screen
> (slowest but compatable if Dos has a driver for it as it does at least for
> the normal modes), using the computers BIOS to write the screen (2nd
slowest
> but the bios needs a driver built in, which it did for standard modes).
This
> would normally be done by a command line option or through configuration
> files.
>
> -- 
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> And the band played ....
> http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/14/1084289883713.html
> "Sam Goddard" <bigdaddy_sammy@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:%23FeMgEEPEHA.3596@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > The program opens up the app in fullscreen mode
> >
> >
> > "David Candy" <david@mvps.org> wrote in message
> > news:eHYpW2DPEHA.808@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > There is no difference between XPs. Is thios full screen or not full
> screen.
> > In full screen mode XP gets out of the way and gives the dos program
full
> > access to the video card. In a window it emulates a VGA card to the
> program.
> >
> > -- 
> > ----------------------------------------------------------
> > And the band played ....
> > http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/14/1084289883713.html
> > "Sam Goddard" <bigdaddy_sammy@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:%231wQSJCPEHA.4008@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> > > Hello
> > >
> > > I have three different computers, a laptop, a tablet & a desktop, all
> > > running Windows XP.
> > >
> > > I am trying to run a DOS progrma on them but the program will only run
> > > correctly on the desktop machine. On the mobile machines numbers &
> spaces
> > > are printed onto the screen as smudges, rendering any kind of
numerical
> > > information useless.
> > >
> > > The computers all seem to be using the same version of the command
> prompt
> > > utility & I cannot work out what is different.
> > >
> > > Can anybody guess?
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Sam
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

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