"386 Display Type Mismatch" Error Starting MS-DOS Apps

 Last reviewed: November 21, 1994
Article ID: Q63219
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.0, 3.0a, 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

You may have difficulty running non-Windows-based applications if you install Microsoft Windows for a CGA display on a system that has a VGA card. If you are running in 386 enhanced mode, you may receive the following error message: 

   386 Display Type Mismatch
Non-Windows-based applications run correctly in standard and real modes until you switch away from the application and then return to the application.

MORE INFORMATION

If you have an unsupported VGA graphics card and you installed Windows 3.0 or 3.1 for CGA, the following steps may allow you to run non-Windows-based applications in enhanced mode:

  1. Install Windows 3.0 or 3.1 for VGA. (This provides the Windows executable files with a VGA virtual device driver. This device driver is internal and cannot be added later). Starting Windows at this point causes it to stop responding (hang).

  2. Run Setup from the hard disk, and change the graphics resolution to CGA. Do this by going to the directory where Windows is installed and typing "setup" (without the quotation marks).

  3. Start Windows and run SYSEDIT (or another text editor).

  4. Open the SYSTEM.INI file for editing.

  5. In the [boot] section, change the line 386grabber=cga.gr3 to 386grabber=vga.gr3.

  6. In the [386Enh] section, change the line display=vddcga.386 to display=*vddvga.

  7. Save the changes to SYSTEM.INI and restart Windows.

This procedure also works for an unsupported EGA video display. Use the same steps and substitute EGA wherever it references VGA. The line in the [boot] section becomes 386grabber=ega; for Windows 3.0, the setting in the [386Enh] section should be: 

   display=*vddega
for Windows 3.1, setting should be: 

   display=vddega.386

KBCategory: kbsetup kbdisplay kbhw
KBSubcategory: win30 win31 windrvr
Additional reference words: 3.00 3.10 3.00a 3.11 KBHW

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Last reviewed: November 21, 1994
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