Transporting Pictures between Different Display Adapters

ID: Q32187

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Paintbrush for MS-DOS, versions 2.0, 4.0

SUMMARY

Files can be transported (converted) from Hercules mode to EGA mode; however, there are certain restrictions. This article discusses transporting pictures between different adapters.

MORE INFORMATION

The most important restriction to transporting files is the number of colors and planes used by the picture. There are five groups of colors/plane combinations, as follows:

Group 1: 2 Colors, 1 Plane:


      ATT 6300 2 Color
      Hercules Monochrome (Page 0 or Page 1)
      IBM CGA 640x200 2 Color
      IBM EGA 640x200 2 Color
      IBM EGA 640x350 Black and White
      IBM PS/2 640x480 2 Color

Group 2: 4 Colors, 1 Plane:


      IBM CGA 320x200 4 Color
      IBM EGA 320x200 4 Color

Group 3: 4 Colors, 2 Planes:
```
      IBM PS/2 640x480 4 Color 
```

Group 4: 16 Colors, 4 Planes:


      IBM EGA 640x200 16 Color
      IBM EGA 640x350 16 Color
      IBM PS/2 640x480 16 Color

Group 5: 256 Colors, 1 Plane
```
      IBM PS/2 320x200 256 Color 
```

In most cases, picture files can be transported only between display adapters in the same group, although display adapters in Group 4 can load files created and saved with adapters in Group 1. If picture files are transported between different groups (except loading Group 1 into Group 4), the following error message is displayed:

Invalid res/color mode (4)

Transport Procedure

The most reliable way to transport files between screen modes is through cutouts (.PCC files). To transfer a picture, do the following:

Use the original display adapter to load the original picture.

Use the scroll bars to move the workspace to the top-left corner of the canvas.

Select the pick area tool from the Toolbox (next to the scissors).

Move the cursor to the top-left corner of the workspace and press the left mouse button.

Move the cursor to the bottom-right corner of the workspace and press the right mouse button.

Select Cutout is... from the Edit menu and give the cutout a name.

Select Cut from the Edit menu. This process erases the selected area from the screen and writes it to the disk.

Use the scroll bars to move the workspace to another area of the canvas you want to transfer.

Repeat Steps 3-9 until all areas of the canvas have been saved to disk.

Turn off the machine and change the display adapter.

Run PBSETUP to configure Paintbrush to use the new display adapter.

Use the scroll bars to move the workspace to the top-left corner of the canvas.

Use Cutout is... from the Edit menu, and give it the name of the first cutout saved.

Select Paste from the Edit menu. This process loads the cutout from the disk to the screen.

Hold the right mouse button and drag the cutout into place if it needs adjusting.

Use the scroll bars to move the workspace to the next part of the display.

Repeat Steps 13-16 for all cutouts saved.

Save the new file using the Save as.. option of the Page menu.

For more information about using cutouts in Paintbrush, please refer
to the "Microsoft Paintbrush User's Guide."

Additional query words:

Keywords :
Version : MS-DOS:2.0,4.0
Platform : MS-DOS
Issue type :