Hot to Make Your Diamond Speedstar Plus Run sVGA Under OS/2 2.0

I have uploaded this file in the hopes of saving others making the move into OS2 from some of the problems I encountered. Upon upgrading to OS2 from DOS/Windows, I ran into some pretty terrible video problems when I tried to get my Diamond SpeedStar Plus video card (Tsang 4000 chipset) up and running in the same sVGA I'd come to know and love under Windows. All initial attempts at running OS2 at sVGA resolution were rewarded by a loss of sync following by a screen filled with nothing but horizontal scan lines. If you encounter similar DSS+ sVGA sync problems, try what worked for me:

1) Boot DOS and EDIT your CONFIG.SYS file to make sure the following lines related to video appear (if similar but not identical lines are there, change them):

DEVINFO=SCR,VGA,C:\OS2\VIOTBL.DCP SET VIDEO_DEVICES=VIO_VGA SET VIO_VGA=DEVICE(BVHVGA,BVHSVGA) DEVICE=C:\OS2\MDOS\VSVGA.SYS

Please note that the above assumes that the pertinent files are on your C: drive and that all files lie on the path in which OS2 would install them. If you are using another drive or the paths to the above files are different, change the lines accordingly.

2) Go into the Hardware section of the Library on the OS2 forum and download a file that is called VSVGA.ZIP (or something similar) for which the abstract advises it is a "fix" for known problems with certain TsangLab 4000 chip sets (the DSS+ is a Tsang based board).  PKUNZIP this file to yield 3 files.  Read the text file, copy the VSVGA.SYS file over your existing one in the C:\OS2\MDOS subdir, and ignore the third file (haven't a clue as to what it is!).

3) You need to install an OS2 compatible video driver.  I am using an Orchard driver originally made for OS2 Ver 1.3, which was kindly provided by Gregory Czaja on the OS2 forum.  It provides 1024x768x16 resolution.  I am uploading a copy of this file ("sVGA_OS2.ZIP), which you can download and PKUNZIP and then install over the existing DISPLAY.DLL file in your C:\OS2\DLL subdir.   If you prefer to use a lower resolution (eg:  800x600) you can probably find the right Orchard driver elsewhere in the OS2 forum library.  Please note that to my knowledge no one has come up with a workable DSS+ or other Tsang chipset driver for OS2 that allows 1024x768x256.  These will supposedly appear later this summer.

4) If you are using the DSS+ board, you are probably familiar with the VMODE command (NOTE:  I assume all DSS+ boards use this same nomenclature for this command, my Gateway 2000 version calls it VMODE) by which you tell the board what monitor you are using and what settings (sync, etc) to use for each VGA and sVGA mode.  You probably had lines like the following in your DOS AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

VMODE MONITOR VMODE VESA

The first line makes the board recognize the monitor type based on your earlier manual VMODE settings (from DOS prompt in the VMODE subdir, type VMODE  to set these things). The second command enables certain video BIOS extensions needed for sVGA support. When you loaded OS2, it stripped these lines from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file (ouch!). You need to put these lines back in (I'd put 'em right after the PATH statement, which by the way must reference the subdir which contains VMODE.COM).

5) Having made the changes above, reboot.  You should be alright!

6) If you ever talk to the IBM guys in trying to resolve OS2 problems, they may suggest you booting OS2 while holding down.  his will trash the CONFIG.SYS editing you Before doing so, bear in mind that this WILL trash the fixes you applied as per Item (1) above to CONFIG.SYS, and may also set you back to the standard OS2 issue of VSVGA.SYS and DISPLAY.DLL.  If for some reason you MUST use this key sequence, be aware to this problem and be prepared to go back and repeat steps (1), (2) and (3) above.

Best of luck!


 * John C. Fusi
 * 72010,3723