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oddbod

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Wrong screen relolution when booting up

When my system boots up automatically each morning (Wake on Real Time CLock - via bios) it boots into win98 in 640x480 mode each time.  It also sometimes happens when I switch it on manually myself.

I'm using win98, Voodoo 3 graphics card, PII 400 mhz, Super Micro 6SBA motherboard with 128 SD RAM.

I used a Matrox G200 prior to this in Aug last year and had the some problem.

It doesnt seem to happen if the computer is warmed up already, ie if I reboot from the switch or from win98.

What I can add is that I have this special card that collects stock market data via a TV arial via the ISA slot.  I dont see why this should have an effect, but when I stopped using the card last year, the problem never happened.

I have the latest software driver for the graphics card.  I also spoke to the data card vendor who have never heard of this before.  

Has anyone else had the same experience of their system booting into a lower relolution>
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bartsmit

Did you assign the resources for the TV card to the ISA bus in the BIOS? It is possible that the graphics card is trying to use the same IRQ and fails to initialise. If the TV card's IRQ is reserved through the BIOS then the graphics card will not attempt to acquire it on boot.

Start, settings, control panel, system, device manager. browse to your TV card, double click it and select resources.

Hit whatever key you are invited to press at boot time (usually DEL or F1) to enter BIOS setup. Look for PnP or PCI settings. You may have to select manual configuration to see a list of resources. Assign those you saw in device manager to the ISA bus.
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ASKER

0      System timer
1      Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural Keyboard
2      Programmable interrupt controller
3      Communications Port (COM5)
4      Communications Port (COM1)
5      Creative AWE64 Gold 16-bit Audio (SB16 compatible)
6      Standard Floppy Disk Controller
7      Printer Port (LPT1)
8      System CMOS/real time clock
9      Adaptec AHA-2940U/AHA-2940UW PCI SCSI Controller
9      U.S. Robotics 56K Voice Internal PCI
9      IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
9      IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
10      3dfx Voodoo3
10      IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
11      Intel 82371AB/EB PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
11      IRQ Holder for PCI Steering
12      PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port
13      Numeric data processor
14      Primary IDE controller (dual fifo)
14      Intel 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller
15      Secondary IDE controller (dual fifo)
15      Intel 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller


These are all my IRQs.
The card does not seem to utilise any IRQs.  The only jumper settings on the card is for the 240,340h or some other setting so that it does not conflict with the soundcard, but is not an IRQ thingy.

At the moment, I have run out of IRQ settings, and have forced my BIOS setup to put the modem PCI IRQ with something else.  It seems to work, but hangs for a 2 sec period when I connect and disconnect.

Ive set the bios to default and optimised, and my own custom settings, but no difference.
Avatar of Asta Cu
Since you're using a PS/2 mouse, why not disable the Com1 port and free up irq 4?

When doing a total shutdown, leaving system off 2 or so mins to ensure you unload all tsrs, drivers, etc... and then reboot holding CTRL and selecting SAFE MODE.  I'd guess that Device Manager reflects a number of anomolies not listed in normal mode and would recommend removing all occurences of errors (duplicates, unknown devices and ALL ports) for rediscovery in normal mode.

It's amazing what one can find after configuraiton changes in safe mode that look fine in norma.

On one of my systems with the 3940UW, needed Adapted tech assistance some time back for complex issues and they related that these high end cards don't like the PCI/IRQ steering.

Asta
Also, require access to reserved int13.

Asta again
Dude, leave your PC on.
oddbod: Does it happen only when your monitor is turned off during the bootup process?  I had that problem where if I boot the windows up without the monitor turned on, the resolution would come up as 640x480 and say my video card was not working.  If i rebooted with the monitor turned on, it'd be fine.
are you posotive you downloaded the latest driver for your voodoo it was added in 2000
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EDStech, I have to admit, from memory, my monitor has always been off when it boots up.  I doubt that would be the problem as the signal is not dependant on whether the monitor is on or off, its a 1 way channel from the card to the screen, not the other way around.

But I will try it never the less to see.  I am sure there have been times when I switched the PC on manually in the morning and immediately the monitor, but still had the same problem.  But also sometimes, just before win98 loads, my screen goes all fuzzy as if it has a problem with too high a resolution, and then goes into standby (yellow amber light on monitor).  I simply switch the monitor off and then on again, and it works fine.


decalebre
Not really a viable solution.

astaec
I will shortly be requiring the use of both com ports for something else.
But since you mention it, how do you disable them?  I disabled them once before but that only puts a cross in it (the device manager), and deleteing them only causes windows to detect new hardware after each boot up, and reinstalls the com ports again.
Odd: You would think its only one way, but you'd be wrong.

With the advent of PnP, most new monitors nowdays send data to the pc.  Try it some time, reboot with the monitor off and then reboot with it on.  I agree that its absurdly odd and lame, but I can guarntee 100% that my pc workes as I explained, as well as my roommates (Similar system, more or less).  I don't know if its the problem you're having, but its worth looknig into.
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EDStech you could well be right.
Left my monitor on last night (in standby mode) with the PC off.  It switched on this morning, but has booted into 1024x800 mode.

Very strange.  I'll look into this a bit more.  Would this be a fault with the monitor or just require a change in the bios setup?  I dont suppose you have a Belinea monitor do you?

Greetings.

To add to the comments; since back in the old XT and PC AT days, I learned that the monitor and all I/O is ON prior to system boot up and have always applied that.  Since everything is more sophisticated now and interactive with PNP, etc. that needs seems even more critical to me.

As regards your question of me, "But since you mention it, how do you disable them?"

Different motherboards and BIOS setups have uniquenesses.  When I want to disable my ports in my BIOS, I depress and hold DEL (or whatever the onscreen instruction is for you at boot as to how to access the bios or cmos).  I then change in my PCI/PNP setup options the applicable ports from their assignment to DISABLED and then reboot.  If I want to ensure that ports are disabled and then not a problem in my device manager setup, I boot in SAFE MODE and remove all the ports and let the applicable, needed ports get rediscovered by Windows.  This process should not occur when the BIOS doesn't have that enabled.  Sometimes, if you had something assigned to the port and didn't completely uninstall that component and software, residual problems can remain.  This all is what works for me in my environment with our systems.

Happy to expound further if you wish.

Asta
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EDStech

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Afterthought:  When I had changed my monitors on one system (current CAD/CAm type), initially used the Windows 98 monitor identifier/INF file and had strangeness, so got my specific MSP750 INF file from NEC, helped resolve the quirks I was experiencing.

Asta
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You were right, changing it non PnP and standard vga did the trick, thx.

Glad to help.