PRB: Running CodeView for Windows Corrupts VGA Display

ID Number: Q65206

3.00

WINDOWS

Summary:

SYMPTOMS

When an application is debugged with Microsoft CodeView for Windows

(CVW), one or more of the following three problems occurs:

1. After the first CreateWindow function call, each window painted

by Windows is solid black.

2. The video display loses synchronization (is smeared or

scrambled).

3. Moving the mouse causes random characters (garbage) to appear on

the display.

CAUSE

An incompatible VGA video card is installed in the system. Some VGA

cards do not work with CVW and the default VGA display driver

because of the method that the card supports enhanced video memory

or video memory greater than 256K.

RESOLUTION

The VGA display driver included with the Microsoft Windows Software

Development Kit (SDK) version 3.0 that allows those with

incompatible video cards to use CVW. Do not install this driver for

normal use, however, because Windows is unable to run DOS

(Microsoft MS-DOS or PC-DOS) applications while the driver is

installed. See below for information on installing this alternate

driver.

More Information:

To install the VGA display driver, perform the following seven steps:

1. Copy VGA.DRV in the SYSTEM directory of the Windows installation

(by default, C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM) to VGAN.DRV (N for normal). This

process creates a backup copy of the driver that can be copied back

to VGA.DRV if the new driver does not work correctly.

2. Copy VGA.DRV from the Development Files disk in the Windows SDK

version 3.0 to VGAD.DRV (D for debug) in the SYSTEM directory of

the Windows installation.

3. Load the SYSTEM.INI file into a text editor.

4. Find the [boot] section at the top of the SYSTEM.INI file.

5. Edit the display.drv= line to read as follows:

display.drv=vgad.drv

6. Save the SYSTEM.INI file.

7. Start Windows.

When the application has been successfully debugged using CVW, perform

the following two steps to restore full Windows functionality:

1. Edit the SYSTEM.INI file by changing the display.drv= line to read

as follows:

display.drv=vga.drv

2. Save the SYSTEM.INI file and restart Windows.

If problems with the display continue to occur when the mouse is moved

after the debug display driver has been reinstalled, perform the

following five additional steps (which involve the mouse driver):

1. Review the AUTOEXEC.BAT system file to see if a mouse driver is

loaded. One line in the file may contain only the command mouse.

2. If a mouse driver is loaded, edit the line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file

to specify the full path to the appropriate mouse driver in the

directory in which Windows is installed.

3. If a Windows mouse driver is already being used, edit the mouse

line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file to append the /Y option switch to the

mouse command. This option switch disables the driver's "sprite"

capability.

4. Save the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, shut down the system, and reboot the

machine.

5. Run Windows and CVW.

Additional reference words: 3.00 3.0