Andrew,
In my experience eCS, and earlier versions of AOS, run windows and dos applications better than 5.1 on some machines. Depends on the machine. I am running AOS v 5.1 on three different machines (Ryzen R5/MSI motherboard, Thinkpad T530 and HP EliteDesk 800 G4). The Thinkpad runs Win-OS/2 and Dos programs perfectly on AOS v 5.1 but would not run Win-OS/2 with earlier version of AOS. The EliteDesk runs Win-OS/2 but in full screen mode only. The Ryzen appears to run all Win-OS/2 programs in full screen, but some programs will freeze the machine in seamless mode - QuattroPro for Windows being the worst. I also have problems with ReportSmith - and sometimes FrameMaker v 5.1 will freeze after awhile in seamless. But again they all appear to run fine in full screen - many programs run fine in seamless mode.
I think it is both hardware and software. I had a couple of earlier AMD (FX4350 socket AM3+/ASUS motherboard) machines, one with eCS installed and one with AOS 5.02 installed. Windows and Dos programs ran fine in on both machines. When I upgraded the AMD AOS from v 5.02 to v 5.06 I started to have problems with Win-OS/2.
To test the theory I did a fresh install of AOS v 5.02 on a new hard drive on the AMD machine and transferred it to the Ryzen machine. (AOS v 5.02 will not install in the Ryzen machine). To get it to work I had to switch to a serial mouse and PS/2 keyboard because USB would not work and the network card stopped working - but the problematic windows programs (like Quattro Pro for Windows) ran fine. So I think it is both the version of AOS and the hardware it is running on.
To run Win-OS/2 programs on the Thinkpad (before AOS v 5.1 came out) I ran my windows programs in a WIndows XP virtual machine running in VBOX on AOS. That worked pretty good for me - although there is a trick to getting vbox to start without a hitch.
"When I upgraded the AMD AOS from v 5.02 to v 5.06 I started to have problems with Win-OS/2." So did you open a ticket at Arca Noae for this ?
Having worked on all versions of eCS at Mensys the changes in regard to ArcaOS and eCS 1.2R and 2.x. is well close 0. To be specific this means the core code is the WIN/OS2 code, the VDD drivers and the kernel code for VDM support is mostly the same. What can change the stuff is timing in code, if a bug exists is unknown. Until there is bug that Arca Noae so they can look at the issue.
Also for everybody reading this! With ArcaoS 5.1.0, if you run your system in UEFI mode a new video handler is used called VEFI.SYS that replaces VSVGA.SYS!
For WIN/OS2 this driver I understand does not do that much. But it can never be ruled out there are bugs in that driver.
However what I understand from the testing and what I picked up at Warpstock most of the code in VEFI.SYS is for the DOS sessions.
But as with any bug if it can be reproduced generate a testlog generic and open a ticket at Arca Noae on
https://mantis.arcanoae.com.
I know from my Mensys days that debugging VDM stuff can be pretty complex. About 25% of the OS2 kernel its code is for the VDM support (DOS and Windows 3.1.).
Most of this DOS/VDM code has not been altered for decades. But again open a bug if you have time.
That might help to debug the stuff.
Roderick Klein
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