hangs with 640x480 VGA mode

[giobbino]

Hi,
what an awesome project!

[SORRY FOR THE WRONG TITLE; I meant 320 X 200 X 256 colors VGA]

I'm testing it with my Micro_8088 (8088 @ 9.54 Mhz, 1 Mb RAM, Ms-Dos 6.22).
It works fine using the 640x480, 16 colors VGA mode, I can type the local address (c:/microweb/test.htm) and surf the page.

The PC hangs using the 320x200, 256 colors VGA mode: it appears the white page, the cursor (arrow) and then hangs. If you try to type something, soon it will start to beep (keyboard buffer full).

NOTE: I haven't network card nor modem installed. I planned to build a wi-fi serial modem from a github project I've found, but I'm still waiting parts and PCB ... still trying to figure out if Microweb can be used with etherSlip and a serial modem that connects via wi-fi to the internet (well, to a router connected to the internet, actually) using the Hayes AT commands.

EDIT: works fine with the 640x350 16 colors EGA mode too.

[jhhoward]

Please can you share which model of VGA card you are using? Also, do you have a mouse driver loaded when it hangs, and if so does it make a difference if it isn't loaded?

If you configure EtherSLIP correctly for mTCP then it will work with MicroWeb. I've done this with a Book 8088 with the serial port running at 19,200 baud. It's a bit slow but it works!

[giobbino]

The VGA card is this one: https://github.com/skiselev/isa-super-vga --> it's based on the Trident TVGA9000i chip, and has 512 kB RAM. I normally use the cute mouse (ctmouse) driver, but since you asked, I did some tests with different mouse drivers and different results.

Here I'm talking about the microweb "j" option (320x200 - 256 colors VGA) only.

I have to say that sometimes it works and sometimes not. Sometimes it works the first time after the boot, but if you exit and launch it again, it doesn't work (and sometimes does). I can't understand if there's a scheme on that. It seems totally random. I also suspected it could be an hardware problem, so I tested it on another identical computer (I built some micro 8088...) and the result doesn't change.

• Cute Mouse driver:

  • sometimes the microweb hangs after the white browser windows is loaded: can't type any address but the cursor arrow still works. Pressing some keys fills the keyboard buffer, but sometimes if you press a ctrl+alt+canc when the buffer isn't full yet, it reboots (sometimes not).
  • sometimes the microweb works and you can type an address, but only if you launch it just after the boot. If you exit and then launch it again, it hangs (as described above, or sometimes returning a "divide overflow" (in 320x200 graphic mode).

• Logitech driver: same as above, but sometimes the computer hangs with a black screen (it doesn't appear the browser windows).

• Microsoft mouse: sometimes you only get garbage text on screen in 320x200 graphic mode, sometimes a "divide overflow" in 320x200 graphic mode,

Please let me know if you need some more specific tests!

[jhhoward]

Thanks for the extra feedback! Does it still have issues with no mouse driver loaded at all?

[giobbino]

sorry, forgot to mention that without mouse driver it hangs in the same way.

I have to say that, unfortunately, also the "i" mode (that is the suggested mode in the video modes menu, at least for me) has issues, the white browser window is always loaded and you can move the mouse pointer, but the cursor doesn't change when you pass over the search box and nothing happens if you click on it (that is one of the issues in the "j" mode).

Yesterday the "i" mode didn't fail, but I have to say I didn't test it too much, since I focused on the "j" mode issue.

I always switch off and on again the computer, just to be sure nothing is stored in the memory.

I've also noticed an error message on the top of the video modes menu (I suppose it was always there but I didn't notice it):
"Need to set MTCPCFG env variable"
"Failed in parseEnv()"

One last error message I got while I was testing the "j" mode, it appeared on top of the white browser window:
"IOCHK NMI detected. Type "i" to ignore, "d" to disable NMIs, "r" to reboot"

but it doesn't accept any command, not even the "r" to reboot.

Feel free to ask me for more tests!