Monochrome icons in VESA resolution 1366x768 64k colors

    I have managed to find a way to keep aspect ratio on my Lenovo laptop which supports only the video mode 1366x768 in 64k colors in VESA mode. The cool thing is that the 1366x768 driver in Geos supports the mode on my Lenovo laptop, but it eventually crashes. Other VESA modes works flawlessly, but at the price that the image gets streched and distorted. I have found a workaround, if I use the 1366x768 driver and the use Jörg Polzfuss Monitoreinstellungen and set the resolution in Jörgs app in Geos to 1280x768, my Geos is stable, no crash anymore. And the aspect ratio is correct. On the downside is that I don't use the whole monitor, I have a black bar to the right, however, I can live with that.

    The other problem is that some of the desktop icons are monochrome. Any hint to solve that?

    All the tiny icons are correct.

    I have also come to the conclusion that the initial problem with the crash in Geos with the 1366x768 driver is probably not caused by bugs in the driver, since the driver works with the setting 1280x768. I think that there is problems with other system files in Geos, like for example UI.GEO, which support is limited to 1280x1024, which is the highest VESA mode. The 1366x768 is not a VESA resolution even if Intel have defined it that way in the Braswell chipset, and maybe in their other chipsets, which supports 1366x768.

    Hans

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von hanslse (18. Januar 2020 um 19:00)

    Zitat von geobart

    Moin Hans,


    Your Lenovo is running with Linux in Vesa mode? Which Distri?
    Wolfgang

    Zitat von geobart

    Moin Hans,


    Your Lenovo is running with Linux in Vesa mode? Which Distri?
    Wolfgang

    Zitat von geobart

    Moin Hans,


    Your Lenovo is running with Linux in Vesa mode? Which Distri?
    Wolfgang

    I run native DOS, no emulator. FreeDOS 1.2. I have a SSD, which makes the laptop fast. Using XMS-driver in Geos.

    Hans

    Zitat von jpolzfuss

    To me, it looks like Geos not only switches to b&w-icons based on the selected colour-depth, but also based on the screen’s aspect ratio.

    Not all icons are monochrome, only some. I will do a screen dump tonight and put here. I discussed this with Konstantin Meyer, and if I got him right he thought that some icons have problems with hi-res or there is no hi-res icon.I think that there is also a problem with other system files in Geos, not supporting other resolutions than the ones in the VESA protocol ("true" Vesa), even if the video driver have another resolution, like 1366x768.

    Hans

    Hi!

    FYI: So far, I've only found one hard-coded 1280 (or 0x0500 or 500h) that's linked to graphics or ui. It's in this file: Library\Kernel\Graphics\graphicsRasterDraw.asm:

    Zitat

    ; amount DrawSlice should allocate to do complex bitmaps
    ; (allows for 1280x24bits/pixel, plus a plane of mask)
    MAX_BITMAP_WIDTH equ 1280

    But I don't know if it's safe to increase this to 1366 as some memory permanently gets reserved for this:
    1280 x 4 bytes = 5120 bytes = 5 kb
    1366 x 4 bytes = 5464 bytes = 5.3359375 kb

    Addition: Library\Kernel\Graphics\graphicsPathLow.asm contains some lines like this:

    Zitat

    mov dx, 1024 ; load up biggest video driver


    But I haven't figured out whether this is related to the width or the height...

    There are two rules in life:
    1. Never give out all of the information.

    Zitat von Rainer

    Ist mir auch schon aufgefallen. Ich finde aber gerade die Icon-Dateien nicht :(
    Rainer

    Zitat von Rainer

    Ist mir auch schon aufgefallen. Ich finde aber gerade die Icon-Dateien nicht :(
    Rainer

    I think that this is just a mere coincidence that is affects just Rainers icons, other icons in other folders are also monochrome. The "Computer" icon on the desktop is also monochrome. The tiny icons on the Express menu are all correct. 1366x768 is not a VESA resolution. In my laptop Lenovo/Intel chipset calls and treats it like a VESA resolution, and if I run the VESA test which comes with VESAVBE, it names it 17B, if I recall correctly. However, there is no "true" VESA 17B resolution, so I think this is an invention of Intel/Lenovo? in the Intel HD Graphics Braswell. Still, when I use the Geos VESA 1366x768 driver it works for a moment and then crashes, but if I reduce the screen size with Jörgs monitor settings app to 1280x768, then everything works without a crash, except that some icons get monochrome and stays monochrome. So I suspect that the crash is not due to the video driver itself, but I think that the side drivers are not adapted to 1366x768, as the 1366, size goes beyond the horizontal VESA specs of 1280. I will check them tonight and report them to Falk, as above.

    Hans

    Zitat von frehwagen

    What GEOS side driver are you using? Version, Date/Time, Name?

    You mean Geos page driver?

    The memory drivers I use are:
    xms.geo, version 4.1 0-1. The date of creation is 24/04/05, 10:02:00. Modified 16/04/15, 07:12:04.
    disk.geo, version 4.1 0-1. The date of creation is 24/04/05, 10:01:40. Modified 16/04/15, 07:11:56..
    swap.geo, version 4.1 0-1. The date of creation is 24/04/05, 10:01:06. Modified 16/04/15, 07:00:40

    I also use:
    vga16.geo, version 4.1 0-1, created 15/11/08, 00:55:16. Modified 11/06/11, 10:40:12,
    vidmem.geo, version 4.1 0-1, created 24/04/05, 10:01:42. Modified 16/04/15, 07:13.10.
    ui.geo, version 4.1 0-1, created 24/04/05, 10:02:26. Modified 16/04/15, 07:00:54.
    geos.geo, version 4.1 0-1, created 16/04/15, 12:21:08. Modified 16/04/15, 06:57:28.

    I hope I have answered your question?

    Hans

    If I remember me correctly, the concept is as follows:
    Every "Token" (e.g. "RBas", 16480 for R-BASIC) has one or more images (Icons) assigned. Eveyr icon image has a set of flags (properties) that allows the video driver to choose the correct icon image. These flags refers to the screen size (tiny, normal, huge), the color deepth, the fuction of the image (tool icon or screen icon) and so on. Perhaps, the flags, set in the "worng" icon are interpreted wrong by the video driver. In this case, the solution is to choose another video driver or - perhaps - another screen resolution. The other way ist to change the Token iteself - change the flags or remove the monochrome image.

    Without any warranty and untestet:

    1. Make a backup of your token Database
    2. Open the Icon editor app and load the affected Token from token DB
    2a You may save the unchanged Token as a document of the icon editor file

    3. Remove the monochrome image(s)
    4. Replace the Token in your Token DB by your modified Token.
    5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 for evry affected token.

    6. Close the icon editor app an restart GEOS.

    Rainer

    Es gibt 10 Arten von Menschen - die einen wissen was binär ist, die anderen nicht.

    Zitat von frehwagen

    The #FreeGEOS version of vga16.geo doesn't have the "Geos VESA 1366x768 driver" driver entry, not have the latest Breadbox Ensemble version this entry. Where the vga16.geo comes from?

    Zitat von frehwagen

    The #FreeGEOS version of vga16.geo doesn't have the "Geos VESA 1366x768 driver" driver entry, not have the latest Breadbox Ensemble version this entry. Where the vga16.geo comes from?

    It is called Falk's Syrah version, as Jörg points out. I downloaded it form here, from a link in the forum, which I can not find now. I can send it to you if you don't have it.

    Hans

    Zitat von hanslse

    It is called Falk's Syrah version, as Jörg points out. I downloaded it form here, from a link in the forum, which I can not find now. I can send it to you if you don't have it.

    Hans

    Here is the link to the download of the vga16.geo driver:http://www.geos-infobase.de/WBB_317/index.…=2009#post15307

    It is from Geos-Treffen November 2009, and I think you made it, Falk. Still it is over ten yars ago!

    Hans