From: "Digest" <ianatos2site dot com>
To: "OS/2GenAu Digest" <deadmail>
Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2001 01:00:00 +1000 (EDT)
Subject: [os2genau_digest] No. 193
Reply-To: <deadmail>

Date:- 27 October 2001

Please reply to ianatos2site dot com to post to the list.
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1================================================

From: "Daryl Pilkington" <u3232athome.dialix dot com>
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 14:24:07 +1000 (EST)
Subject: [os2genau] OS/2 MMOS2 & VideoCD

Hi,
Being more of a command-line guy, I've never taken much interest in the
WPS or MultiMedia.
But my girlfriend has sprung a VideoCD on me that she needs to play so
she can practice her singing.

I've finally figured-out how to install the CS4231 sound card drivers &
it appears I can play VCDs with:
"Software VideoCD Player"

The problems are:
1)
Player doesn't show VideoCD tracks. It only has a slider bar.
Is there another Player I can use?
ODIN or perhaps Win-OS/2?

2)
It plays for a few minutes & then stops:- permanently.
Rebooting is the only option.


Have other people used VCDs?
I am looking for other people's experiences so I can create some
benchmarks.

Perhaps the VCD is damaged?
I'll have to check it in a Windoze box.

Perhaps I need a faster CD-ROM?

Is there FixPaks for MMOS2?
Are they part of the DDPak of the base OS now?

Are there some MMOS2 tweaks to buffer the video?

Would adding more video RAM help?
I can go upto 2MB.

*************************************************
TECHNICAL APPENDIX:
Scitech Display Doctor 5.0.6
Warp 4
FixPak 15
kernel update version ??
DDPak 2

IBM 310 Server
P133 64MB RAM
4x CD-ROM
SCSI 2 system
S3 1MB video, (onboard)
CS4231 video, (onboard)
*************************************************

Regards,

Daryl  Pilkington 

//// The PC-Therapist, Business Computing Integration
O<O  AUSTRALIA
\_/
<O>  OS/2 Warp, Redhat Linux, DB2
     IBM Certified Systems Expert

        email: darylpatpc-therapist dot com dot au
          ICQ: 91914134
          Tel: +61-2-8902-1300
          Mob: +61-425-251-300
          Fax: +61-2-9411-3720
      Mob SMS: 0425251300.0000atorangenet dot com dot au (160 characters max)

2==============================================

From: "Ian Manners" <ianatos2site dot com>
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 14:37:23 +1000 (EST)
Subject: Re: [os2genau] OS/2 MMOS2 & VideoCD

Hi Daryl

Having never played VCD's on a computer (Thats what the players for :)
I cant help you with that but you could look at the players in

http://www.os2site dot com/sw/mmedia/video/

The site maybe a bit slow at the moment as to many people are
busy downloading, so click on the links were available to goto
the sites indicated, I would go have a look at the russia player.

>Is there FixPaks for MMOS2?
>Are they part of the DDPak of the base OS now?

Bit of both, I have noticed with CP1 that MPEGs are played
a lot smoother, using almost no CPU now.

>Would adding more video RAM help?
>I can go upto 2MB.

Umm, ya, I'd get a card with 8Mb, something like the Nvidia
cards or similiar (AGP).

The S3 card (or onboard in your case) in your server should be
able to take two small vram upgrade chips, taking your total to 2Mb,
I dont think that model card can take more than 2Mb. Then again,
your card might be different to the one I got in the PC315, and
PC325 Servers I have here.

>4x CD-ROM                   < may work ok, I'd get a x36 minimum though
>SCSI 2 system                 < Good
>S3 1MB video, (onboard)  < Need more ram
>CS4231 video, (onboard)   < Audio

Cheers
Ian B Manners
http://www.os2site dot com/

I am Microsoftus of Borg. Prepare to be slowed down.

3==============================================

From: "Ian Manners" <ianatos2site dot com>
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 14:40:08 +1000 (EST)
Subject: Re: [os2genau] OS/2 MMOS2 & VideoCD

Oops

>Would adding more video RAM help?
>I can go upto 2MB.

Just read that bit, yes, every bit helps but there comes
a time that you will need to increase your throughput
to the card and CPU.

Cheers
Ian B Manners
http://www.os2site dot com/

Calling Windows an "innovation" is like calling Caddyshack a "golf lesson."

4==============================================

From: "John Angelico" <talldadatkepl dot com dot au>
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 14:39:25 +1000 (EST)
Subject: [os2genau] November APC Magazine is out

Hi everybody.

Yes Nov APC is out and I have had a bit of a look-see.

Despite the blizzard representing Win-XP, there is a new feature on
the cover CDs - requests.

And this month they respond to requests for heavyweight things like -
tada!! Fixpack 15 for Warp: all 25Mb of it, in disk image format
(*.xDK that is). 

So if you want a backup copy of FP15 you can get this and save a bit
of your hard disk acreage.



Best regards
John Angelico
OS/2 SIG
talldadatmelbpc dot org dot au or talldadatkepl dot com dot au
--------------------------------------------

PMTagline v1.50 - Copyright, 1996-1997, Stephen Berg and John Angelico
.... Definitions #757: A URLogist fixs broken websites.

5==============================================

From: <djnatpeninsula.hotkey dot net dot au>
Subject: [os2genau] Recovery Choices Set Up
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 17:48:59 -1000

At the meeting on Tuesday someone mentioned the Recovery Choices setup, 
and how it is not very well documented in the Warp 4 docs.

Well for those who are interested here is how I've got my system setup.

I have a scanner which I do not use very often, so when I boot up the 
system I either have to have the scanner turned on or wait for the pause
and hit enter to jump over the scanner driver loading.

So to overcome this I have set up a scanner config.sys as well as a non 
scanner one. While I was at it I thought that it would be a good idea to
have a test config.sys. This would be the one with all new additions to 
be tried out in and only when the system has been confirmed as ok in the
test configuration would the test configuration become the normal 
configuration.

You need a stabile working config.sys before embarking on this type of 
setup.

To achieve this I created a new directory "C:\Configuration". This 
directory will hold all System configuration files and if maintained 
correctly will be an archive over time of all changes and tests.

Into this directory I made 3 copies of my c:\Config.sys file and renamed
them 
Config.N
Config.S
and Config.T
I removed the scanner section from the Config.N and Config.T
I inserted several rem lines at the beginning of each file saying which 
version of the file it was. Then I can look at the config.sys file and 
see what configuration is loaded.

Config.N and Config.S I made Read Only
Next step was to go to the c:\OS2\Boot directory and create 3 command 
files. These files are named

AltF1N.cmd 
AltF1S.cmd
and AltF1T.cmd

The AltF1N.cmd file contains the following:

    atECHO OFF
    rem
    rem        This is the normal working config.sys file
    rem
    Copy c:\Configuration\Config.N C:\Config.sys

In the AltF1S.cmd file I put:

    atECHO OFF
    REM
    REM         This is the Scanner config file
    REM
    Copy c:\Configuration\Config.S C:\Config.sys

And finaly in the AltF1T.cmd has:

atECHO OFF

    REM
    REM         This is the Test config file
    REM
    Copy c:\Configuration\Config.T C:\Config.sys

Finaly the AltF1BOT.SCR file needs to be edited
This file is normaly read only so needs to be changed before saving your
edits and returned to Read only when completed.

I entered the following 3 lines of text

  N for Normal tried and tested configuration
  S for Scanner driver loading So Power up scanner
  T for Test configuration, Try all changes here first

So now when booting if I go to the recovery choices screen the above 3 
lines will be displayed at the bottom of the screen, and by entering say
S the Config.S file is copied to C:\ as Config.sys.

Ab you may have noticed I boot up on the C: drive, If you have a 
different boot up drive, make the appropiate changes.

Now here is where there is a difference between Warp 4 and Warp 3.
Under Warp 4 it is the original config.sys that is used in that boot.

When the system has booted it will be the scanner configuration in the 
config.sys file but the system will have booted up on whatever the 
original configuration was.

There must be a way to overcome this, when I find out what it is I will 
let everyone know.

Regards
Dennis.

6==============================================

From: "voytek" <voytekatsbt dot net dot au>
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 22:27:29 +1000
Subject: Re: [os2genau] Recovery Choices Set Up

On Fri, 26 Oct 2001 17:48:59 -1000, djnatpeninsula.hotkey dot net dot au wrote:

>I have a scanner which I do not use very often, so when I boot up the 
>system I either have to have the scanner turned on or wait for the pause
>and hit enter to jump over the scanner driver loading.

I have scanner driver on every computer, including my notebook; 
regardless, if there is a scanner attached, on the off chance therre is one.
there is no need to wait

just tell your PC:
PAUSEONERROR=NO 
don't pass go, don't hit enter, don't collect $200
