Most Frequently Asked Video Configuration Questions and Answers

 How does the user configure monitor, resolution, and refresh in OS/2? 
           The user interface for video configuration is located in the 
           System object member of the System Setup folder, which can be 
           brought up by clicking the right mouse button on the desktop 
           area. 

 Why use the System Icon monitor configuration vs. custom configuration? 
 
           System Icon provides a large pool of legacy monitors and a 
           consistent device-independent resolution/refresh/monitor 
           configuration. The OS/2 Warp, Version 3.0 System Icon 
           configuration support can be installed on OS/2 2.1 and will be 
           supported on future versions of OS/2. The Sysem Icon's initial 
           configuration reflects the configuration that was performed by 
           the BIOS. 

 What other video configuration features are supported by the System Icon? 
 
           VIDEOCFG, the binary module that owns the System's video pages, 
           also has a generic capability interface. This generic interface 
           allows for expansion of configuration if a vendor needs 
           additional pages, such as a page for font selection, 
           orientation selection, or any other discrete value 
           configuration. 

 What is needed to get the System Icon to display the monitor list? 
           The mode table exported by the PMI subsystem has to have at 
           least one graphics mode with a [MonitorModeInfo] section. The 
           presence of this graphics mode indicates that the base video 
           system can take into account monitor capabilities. 

 What is needed to get the System Icon to display the Monitor size button? 
 
           The PMI subsystem mode table has to have at least one mode with 
           startup values for ScreenLeftEdge, ScreenRightEdge and so 
           forth. The support for monitor sizing is disabled in the DDK 
           version of the VIDEOCFG, but a refresh of the VIDEOCFG is 
           available on request. 

 How are monitor capabilities described in OS/2? 
           OS/2 has a pre-built database of about 300 monitors. The list 
           is ordered alphabetically by monitor manufacturer name. Each 
           monitor is described  in terms of the resolutions it supports 
           and the maximum refresh value for each resolution. The syntax 
           does not allow for optimum or multiple timing choices. The 
           database is a flat file, MONITOR.DIF, that can be modified. 
           VIDEOCFG.DLL exports APIs that allow for monitor database 
           queries and expansion. 

 Where is the current configuration stored? 
           Current monitor configuration capabilities, as well as the 
           current refresh for each mode and screen sizing information, 
           are stored in a flat file, VIDEO.CFG, whose syntax is very 
           similar to PMI. The content can be queried or changed by 
           calling VIDEOCFG.DLL's configuration APIs. 

 Where does the default monitor come from? 
           SVGA.EXE (SVGAOEM.EXE) formats the very first VIDEO.CFG that 
           communicates to the configurator the current refresh 
           configuration, as left by the BIOS. We have assembled 
           per-adapter information that lets us understand how each vendor 
           records its refresh configuration. These values are formatted 
           into the VIDEO.CFG. If SVGA.EXE does not format the file, the 
           very first monitor from the MONITOR.DIF database is chosen. 
           Otherwise, the original (default) VIDEO.CFG monitor 
           capabilities are added to the MONITOR.DIF so that the customer 
           can go back to the BIOS-configured monitor capabilities. 

 Is there DDC support? 
           SVGA.EXE (and SVGAOEM.EXE) and the configuration do support the 
           DDC1 standard. SVGA.EXE formats the VIDEO.CFG with the 
           DDC1-queried capabilities and marks the monitor as DDC. This 
           automatically excludes any monitor from the database. As a result
           , the customer is not offered monitor selection page, but does 
           have refresh choices per mode on Page 1. In order to change 
           from a DDC monitor to a non-DDC monitor, the customer has to do 
           one of the following: 

             *  Change the current VIDEO.CFG's monitor name from the "DDC" 
                keyword to anything else 

             *  Issue a SetCurrentCFG API into the VIDEOCFG.DLL and 
                specify a name other than DDC for the current monitor's 
                name 

             *  Remove VIDEO.CFG will also enable the monitor selection. 

 Where do the refresh values in the refresh listbox on Page 1 come from? 
 
           The resolutions offered represent the resolutions returned by 
           the display driver that are also available from the PMI 
           subsystem. The match is done on horizontal and vertical 
           resolution and color depth (NOT pixel depth). 

           If at least one of the resolutions in this group has a 
           [MonitorModeInfo] section, the refresh box will be offered. The 
           content of the refresh box is tied into the currently selected 
           resolution. The refresh values are those found in the 
           VIDEOPMI's mode query list that are within the range of the 
           currently selected monitor. The highlight (default) is on the 
           highest value in the listbox (unless overridden by the 
           customer). Changing the selected monitor affects the range and 
           elicits immediate change if the range has been diminished. If 
           the range is increased, the configured refresh remains the same 
           and has to be increased by the customer, if so desired. 

 What does "DEFAULT" entry in the refresh listbox mean? 
           If the very first VIDEO.CFG has 0xFF for the resolutions 
           vertical refresh, the entry "DEFAULT" will be highlighted in 
           the refresh box. The actual set mode will also pass the 0xFF in 
           the mode structure, so that the selection of the refresh is 
           entirely up to the PMI subsystem (PMI file or imported binary 
           that handles the setmode function). The "DEFAULT" can be used 
           in places where the startup configuration of an adapter is not 
           known at first, but the base video subsystem has ways of 
           setting appropriate (non-harmful) refresh values. If the 
           SVGADATA.PMI contains [MonitorModeInfo] sections with refresh 
           entries other than 0xFF, the refresh listbox will also contain 
           those, but the customer has to override the default highlight. 
           As soon as an actual (non-DDC) monitor is chosen, the DEFAULT 
           will no longer be a valid option in the refresh listbox. Going 
           back to the original monitor "DEFAULT" would put the "DEFAULT" 
           refresh entry into the listbox. 

 How could a vendor be noncommittal about the refresh values it supports? 
 
           The vendor could provide a single [MonitorModeInfo] section 
           that represent its highest refresh capability. This information 
           will be filtered against the monitor's capabilities (the 
           monitor's range is always the highest refresh entry), which 
           effectively notifies the customer that only one (highest 
           capability of the monitor) refresh can be offered. The vendor 
           could specify its [MonitorModeInfo] entry to be so high that no 
           monitor is discriminated against. However, we strongly 
           recommend that the monitor's refresh value passed into the 
           setmode be respected and set as close as possible. There is the 
           potential for some legal problems if the values requested are 
           not within a margin. Regulations, such as ISO 9000 
           specifications, are established and enforced by countries where 
           our product is sold, not by IBM. 

 Could the OS/2 configuration serve to configure BIOS/WIN-OS2? 
           If the setmode function servicing the requested refresh also 
           sets configuration registers used by the BIOS / WIN-OS2 driver 
           before or after it changes the clock registers, this will 
           affect non-OS2 mode sets as well. It is not recommended that 
           non-OS2 applications read the VIDEO.CFG, as its format is open 
           to change. The GetCurrentCFG and GetCurrentDesktopMode APIs are 
           exported by the VIDEOCFG.DLL for OS/2 applications so that the 
           current monitor capabilities and current 
           resolution/refresh/monitor sizing values can  be read. 

 How can new monitors be added to the list? 
           A new monitor can be added by using the AddMonitorData API 
           exported by the VIDEOCFG or by manually editing the MONITOR.DIF 
           file. A PRIVATE.DIF file with new monitor entries will 
           accomplish the same thing while keeping MONITOR.DIF as 
           read-only. 

 Are customers configuring their monitors or the refresh in OS/2? 
           The answer is both, if the vendor's PMI file has more than one 
           [MonitorModeInfo] section per mode. In other words, after 
           selecting the monitor, the customer still has multiple refresh 
           choices if the PMI file had multiple refresh entries for the 
           current mode below the monitor's end-of-range. Some vendors 
           have utilities that are geared towards monitor configuration (a 
           somewhat limited monitor list is usually the problem) and some 
           are geared towards the refresh value setting (most users have a 
           hard time understanding what the refresh means). We have a 
           two-pronged configuration which, in the absence of DDC, lets 
           the user choose a monitor as a way of limiting the highest 
           refresh, and still select one of the more standard timings for 
           a given resolution. 

 How can the System Icon refresh support be installed on OS/2 2.1? 
           In order to install VIDEOCFG on OS/2 2.x, the VCFGINST.EXE 
           utility provided in the video\bin directory should be executed 
           first. This utility installs WPVIDSYS.DLL, which subclassed 
           WPSYSTEM class to VIDEOCFG.DLL. Both WPVIDSYS.DLL and 
           VIDEOCFG.DLL should be copied into the LIBPATH and will become 
           active upon a reboot following the VCFGINST.EXE. There used to 
           be a version of VIDEOCFG for OS/2 2.x called VIDEOCFG.206. This 
           version is now consolidated into VIDEOCFG.DLL, so a single 
           library can be installed on both versions of the operating 
           system. 

           You can also download the S3_864.ZIP from CompuServe, OS2SUP 
           library 23 (search for 86C84 and UPGRADE keywords). This 
           package supports S3 864/964 and 764 and showcases the 
           installation on OS/2 2.x. The 764 driver also uses VIDEOPMI's 
           software interrupt services.