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Contrasting

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Ol Rattler

Experienced Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2023
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137
Greetings, The choices and/or functions and/or file names, can't be read. Is contrasting the correct description? The OS/2 manual only addressed troubleshooting procedures with resolution problems, upon installation and are present in all files as well. These issues started before the original monitor was no longer operational.
 

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https://www.os2world.com/wiki/index.php/User's_Guide_to_OS/2_Warp_Version_3_-_Part_3#Color_Palette explains how Warp 3 handles the color palette. https://www.os2world.com/wiki/index.php/OS/2_Warp_4:_New_Workplace_Shell is the same for Warp 4; look down about half the page.

Try the Solid Color Palette. I think the system is trying to display 256 colors in a mode that has fewer colors available. I am not sure if the edit color options would bring up a color selector. With a grid of colors, it would be obvious that colors are duplicated or incorrect.
 
So, you think that in the color realm, that it may resolve my not being able see file names? Also, In the flight simulator, aircraft that I'm tracking that are flying above the horizon, I see only an outline of the wings, but when they fly below the horizon, then then become visible.

Patrick
 
Ol Rattler said:
So, you think that in the color realm, that it may resolve my not being able see file names? Also, In the flight simulator, aircraft that I'm tracking that are flying above the horizon, I see only an outline of the wings, but when they fly below the horizon, then then become visible.

Patrick
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Yes, changing the color scheme and tweaking the palette should provide text that is readable. Technical aside: OS/2 rounds the given value of a color to the nearest actual color; if two planned colors are close, the image could wind up overlaying the same color on screen similar to what is shown. The inverted selection color might be hard to read on the background which is why IBM provided so many options to correct it.

Take a look at the 256 color palette. If running in a 16 color mode, the 256 colors displayed should include many blocks of the same color.

What video mode are you running OS/2 in?

Flight simulator: You may need to make a new thread for that. It has been many years since I ran a DOS version. I don't remember if that is a normal behavior or something involved in the OS/2 conversion of the DOS display into the OS/2 video drivers. Are you running FS in the MCGA 256 color mode?
 
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Ol Rattler said:
Do you mean a new thread on this site?

How do I find FS?
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Yes. New thread here so that people who used Flight Simulator can easily find it.

FS was short for Flight Simulator. If you can find what video mode it is running in, that could simplify troubleshooting its operation under OS/2.
 
Ok: New thread.

video mode: 256 color VGA/MCGA, 16-color EGA

The stick worked perfectly as new as of last year on ebay. They just get worn out. I have about 5 or 6 of them laying around waiting to get repaired. So, I'm at a point where I'd like to take a crack at repairing them, besides new/old ones are becoming scarce.
 
Specs.
 

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Try turning down the contrast and brightness controls of your monitor. If they're up too high, it can cause the different shades of gray/white to become washed out.
 
vwestlife said:
Try turning down the contrast and brightness controls of your monitor. If they're up too high, it can cause the different shades of gray/white to become washed out.
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I tried, three years ago. The problem with contrast started before the original monitor need to be replaced. I'll try adjusting again anyway.
Thanks
 
At this point, more information would help. What video card, what monitor, what OS/2 version? I have some guesses for things to try but I would prefer not to send you down paths with no chance of success.
 
krebizfan said:
At this point, more information would help. What video card, what monitor, what OS/2 version? I have some guesses for things to try but I would prefer not to send you down paths with no chance of success.
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I looked in the OS/2 manual and the troubleshooting section only addressed contrasting issues with installation. Not any failures 30 years down the road.

Card: Tseng Labs ET4000AX VGA

OS/2 Version 3
 
Ol Rattler said:
I looked in the OS/2 manual and the troubleshooting section only addressed contrasting issues with installation. Not any failures 30 years down the road.

Card: Tseng Labs ET4000AX VGA

OS/2 Version 3
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Okay, so a card more than capable of 1024x768 in 256 colors if the specs I see are right. All I can think of are unlikely possibilities:
the driver is wrong or has a bug I hope you are not using the OS/2 1.3 drivers that were hacked to work in 32 bits. Those were not good.
the card or the cable is bad If you have hooked up the monitor and cable to a different VGA system with good results, the cable is good. It is certainly possible that damage to the card could result in the wrong color showing up but that is close to winning the lottery of unluck.

My last request is for images of the 256 color palette and the color scheme selected just to confirm that it isn't some dithered pattern that vanishes when inverted.
 
krebizfan said:
Okay, so a card more than capable of 1024x768 in 256 colors if the specs I see are right. All I can think of are unlikely possibilities:
the driver is wrong or has a bug I hope you are not using the OS/2 1.3 drivers that were hacked to work in 32 bits. Those were not good.
the card or the cable is bad If you have hooked up the monitor and cable to a different VGA system with good results, the cable is good. It is certainly possible that damage to the card could result in the wrong color showing up but that is close to winning the lottery of unluck.

My last request is for images of the 256 color palette and the color scheme selected just to confirm that it isn't some dithered pattern that vanishes when inverted.
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There're no bugs. No internet, no ethernet. simply local. Everything has been connected in it's original equipment with no device replacement. Same computer and monitor. I've been through at least 3 monitors over the years and this issue occurred before the original monitor failed.

In the OS/2 system file, much of the text is not legible in any given window because of washout.
 
Not the system file but the palette. It should look something like
1707415750757.png
If the colors are dithered (using a mix of pixels in multiple colors to trick the eye in seeing a different color), the individual pixels may end up in a hard to read mode when inverted.

There is also the Scheme Editor which allows the changing of the color for specific window items. Checking the hard to read elements ensures that the lack of readability wasn't caused by poor color choices.
1707416260243.png

I can't find an updated driver for Tseng ET-4000 so I am hoping that you have the latest. The oldest Tseng drivers were listed as causing visual glitches but the references I can find don't specify what those glitches were.
 
krebizfan said:
Not the system file but the palette. It should look something like
View attachment 1272988
If the colors are dithered (using a mix of pixels in multiple colors to trick the eye in seeing a different color), the individual pixels may end up in a hard to read mode when inverted.

There is also the Scheme Editor which allows the changing of the color for specific window items. Checking the hard to read elements ensures that the lack of readability wasn't caused by poor color choices.
View attachment 1272989

I can't find an updated driver for Tseng ET-4000 so I am hoping that you have the latest. The oldest Tseng drivers were listed as causing visual glitches but the references I can find don't specify what those glitches were.
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You can clearly see the was outs on all pics.
 

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I hope someone else has a good idea because I don't. I think a component on the card failed but that is only because everything else seems to have been ruled out.
 
krebizfan said:
I hope someone else has a good idea because I don't. I think a component on the card failed but that is only because everything else seems to have been ruled out.
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Do you think it would help if I selected "default" on scheme edit?
 
The RAMDAC on the video board is possibly faulty. Certainly, if it's not the monitor, it's going to be in the analog part of the card.
 
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