DOS apps not working full screen unless in safe mode

[lorenzodv]

If I run DOS apps in XP DOS box at full-screen, they freeze always immediatly after start. For DOS text apps I can execute them in a window, but graphic DOS apps
require full screen, so they freeze. In safe mode, both graphic and text
programs work in both window and full screen.

Here's a summary of the situation:
[] Normal mode
() In a window
* Text programs: work
* Graphic programs: can't run in a window
() Full screen
* Text programs: don't work
* Graphic programs: don't work
[] Safe mode
() In a window
* Text programs: work
* Graphic programs: can't run in a window
() Full screen
* Text programs: work
* Graphic programs: work

My conclusion is that there are some troubles with the video card /
driver working in exclusive mode for the DOS prompt. Do you know some
way to fix this?

Thanks.

 

[Styx]

You must run MSDOS Applications from a DOS Prompt using a WinXP Startup Disk - Start; Help and Support; type DOS Applicxations in the Search box and click the green arrrow:

To create an MS-DOS startup disk
The MS-DOS startup disk you create will allow you to boot into MS-DOS.

Insert a floppy disk into your computer's floppy drive.
Open My Computer, and then click the floppy disk drive to select it.
On the File menu, point to the name of the floppy drive, and then click Format.
Under Format options, click Create an MS-DOS startup disk.
Click Start.
Important

Creating an MS-DOS startup disk erases all information on the floppy disk.
Notes

To open My Computer, click Start, and then click My Computer.
The MS-DOS startup disk only allows the system to boot into an MS-DOS prompt. The disk contains no additional tools.
Related Topics

 

[dilettante]

? ?
:-0

I run MS-DOS stuff all the time without booting from a floppy. Windowed, full-screen, whatever.

I think the video-mode guess may be closer.

Of course I don't use a lot of "graphical DOS" (anything like "Classical Gas?&quot.

 

[lorenzodv]

After long searches, I found that I had a non-PnP driver installed, giveio.sys, part of a temperature monitoring program that was conflicting with DOS direct access to video.

Now THAT problem went away, however there is another one: the image on the screen suddenly stops updating. I know the DOS program is still running because I can give commands with the keyboard and hear sounds in response to them. This also happens when I instruct a "dir" in a directory with many files: the dir listing will eventually stop, but if I type exit and press enter the DOS box will close, and that means dir finished listing and that only the screen wasn't updating.

If you have any hint about that issue, you're welcome.

 

[lorenzodv]

An update about this last problem: it does not occour if I disable the driver (Detonator 23.11) of my nVidia GeForce 2 MX-400. This way, Windows uses the Standard VGA and that video freezing problems goes away.
Any suggestions?

 

[dilettante]

I hate to say it, but are we looking at yet another AMD/Via chipset/nVidia GeForce problem here folks?

There have been numerous posts about problems with such setups here. You might want to check some of them out, people seem to be having mixed results with this combination of hardware and Windows XP.

 

[lorenzodv]

Please DON'T REMIND ME.
I had to change the entire motherboard and the video card, just to end up buying VIA/nVidia again. They are not giving me problems any more... till now.
Anyway, if you have an idea, maybe atweak of the detonators, it's welcome.

 

[mlin]

Was there ever any solution to this problem? b/c I'm running some apps, and I need full screen. for some reason though, it Geforce works in full screen in Win98 but when I boot into win2000, it freezes when in full screen mode.

 

[Guest_imported]

Exactly right. The nVidia Geforce2 is buggy when running full screen dos apps in WindowsXP. The newest drivers 3-21-2002 doesn't fix it.

Thanks for the heads up about running standard VGA.

 

[Guest_imported]

I have a Geforce2 MX-400 in Windows XP Home Edition, SAME problems. I do ansi art in aciddraw for dos sometimes as a hobby, and it'll work fine on one of the other XP machines on the network without problems, but on this one that has the nvidia gf2 mx-400 even with the latest drivers I am getting freezeups in fullscreen 80x25 text mode even if I make a shortcut and tell it to run in 95 Compatibility mode, and it usually happens within a few seconds of using the program (pressing ESC a few times will cause it to happen definitely) and all output will stop til I hit Alt-Enter and run it in ugly windowed mode where the colors aren't right and then I can't see my output but I can hear the PC speaker going if I type in the commands to save my work, hitting Alt-Enter again to go back in fullscreen just causes the whole screen to go black. This sucks!