Re: UltraVision (Tom Hawley)

[Wolfgang Bechstein]

Otis Port wrote:

 > I don't have any problems with Tseng (yes, it is the ET4000W32 chip,
 > and I have the new drivers) at 1024x768 and 256 colors as long as I don't
 > load the Ultravision TSR. Then, the Xydos screen turns up blank after
 > switching to any other session. You can hit F5 and close down all windows,
 > so Xydos is still there; you just can't *see* it.

As a workaround, try this: when you return to the blank Xy screen,
blind-type the command to shell to DOS, enter "mode co80" and return
to XyWrite (you could assign the whole sequence to a XyWrite key that
calls an appropriate DOS batch file). In my experience, that brought
the screen display back up again.

My experience was a bit different from yours, however. In an earlier
system, I was using a video card with an old Tseng ET4000 (not W32)
chip at 800*600 and 256 colors. All DOS sessions were using UltraVision
(since I loaded it before starting Windows). As long as I was using
English Windows 3.1, everything was fine, i.e. I could switch back
and forth between a UV DOS session and Windows without the loss of screen
that you describe. However, in *Japanese* Windows 3.1 (capable of handling
dual-byte characters but otherwise a fairly close equivalent to English
Windows), I had exactly the same problem as you, and solved it as
described above. In fact, I had the impression that it was related
to the *monitor* somehow not being able to auto-switch between a certain
combination of video modes rather than the video card itself, but I am not
at all sure about this. Right now I am using a different computer with an
S3 based chip (Number Nine FX Motion 531). Since I still have the same
monitor (a Nanao Flexscan F550i), I could try out whether the monitor or
the video card was to blame, but unfortunately right now I don't have
Japanese Windows installed. I'll install Japanese Windows 95 soon and
see what transpires. Somehow I have the feeling that the problem will
crop up again.

Anyhow, sorry for the lengthy, rather un-Xy-ish post. Just thought it
might provide a little more information.

 > Since 99% of my work is text, I *want* UV for Xydos sessions, at least.

Same here.

And while we're talking UV, can anybody point me to a place where I
might purchase a copy of the UltraVision version for laptops? Personics
have gone out of business, I hear, but maybe some mail order place in the
U.S. specializing in older software might have it. Any hints are appreciated.

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Wolfgang Bechstein                   
Technical translator            Japanese / English / German
Sakura, Japan
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