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Aaargh! IBM hasn't changed.
I installed OS/2 on my system a few days ago. On doing so, I selected
SVGA video support as instructed and set my external video for the
1024x768 hires mode. All seemed okay, but when I actually start using
the system I can't run any Windows programs under Win/OS2. In seamless
mode they exhibit that "hang" behavior that seems pretty common in
OS/2 if the session parms aren't set properly. Under full screen
Win/OS2, I get an application error in WINSHELD.EXE, something
that OS/2 seems to be adding to the SYSTEM.INI.
So I figure for a $5K machine is worth a little support from IBM, right?
I first try the Personal Systems hotline and they tell me it's OS/2's
problem and I should call the Austin hotline. (Assuming of course I've
purchased a new copy of OS/2 that's eligible for support.) I do that and
after wading through and endless array of VRU prompts and waiting 20 minutes
I finally get to talk to level 1 support. They come up with the brilliant
solution of reinstalling Win/OS2. Being the idiot that I am, I do this and
at the end I get an error about the hardware not being able to support SVGA.
Hmmm, I figure I can ignore this and I reboot the system. Except now my
system won't come up! After loading all of the device drivers it emits a
loud buzzing sound and hangs with the speaker LED blinking on and off. AAARGH!! I call IBM back and they suggest trying the install shell trick to run SETVGA.
This fails complaining it can't find a file and I'm right back where I started. Now I'm in the process of completely reinstalling OS/2 from scratch.
I don't want to berate IBM tech support in general because they've helped
me in the past on other problems, but in this particular case they were
totally incompetent and useless. They made no effort to diagnose the problem
and I'm pissed that the Personal Systems group wants no part in supporting
"non-preloaded software." They've cost me a lotta time here and most likely
I'll have the same problem once I finish reinstalling OS/2.
The one interesting fact I got out of the whole session was that OS/2
support claims the hires external modes will not work under WinOS2. They
in fact believed that my problem was a result of setting my external mode
to hires, but I think this is a crock. I complained that the least they can
do is provide a properly working hires driver for THEIR OS running on THEIR
notebook and they said "we're working on it."
Has anyone had similar nightmares trying to get OS/2 to work?
--Bruce