A4v6 wont fill entire screen in Win98, 2nd edtion

[James N Costello]

I have just hung up after talking with Compaq Computer technical support. As usual, it was a futile and aggravating experience. I have recently replaced an older Compaq laptop with a newer model operating on Win98, 2nd edition. I am finding that A4v6 will not fill the entire screen, but is squished down to about 85% of the screen. Their technical service rep insists that I have to accept this as being typical of running an "old DOS program" in a newer Windows platform. I responded by advising him that A4v6 ran just fine in Win98 on the old laptop. (I honestly can't remember if I had the 1st edition or 2nd edition on that machine) If you've ever had to deal with Compaq technical support, you'll understand my lack of trust in their competence. Has anyone else experienced such a problem in running A4v6 in Win98, 2nd edition? As usual, their solution was for me to reload the operating system with the expectation that it will fix this problem. I hardly want to waste a lot of time doing such if it's not going to help me. PS, I also own use A5, but like many other A4 users have never made a total switch. Hope somebody can help me. I can't imagine Compaq being right about this.... they've rarely been right before.

[Chris.Tanti]

RE: A4v6 wont fill entire screen in Win98, 2nd edt

Hi,

When you say the screen is not full, is there a reason why you are not running it in full screen mode, you should just be able to hold down ALT and press the ENTER key for you to get a non windowed full screen.

Also on the properties section of your A4 shortcut there are two setting for the screen which can be toggled.

If you need it windowd click on the font icon on the top and try True Type 10x18, that seems to give quite a good screen at 800x600 res.

Hope this is what you meant!

[James N Costello]

Thanks Chris, but it doesn't help

Hi Chris, Thanks for trying to help. I tried Alt+Enter and it does toggle from a small window up to the larger size window which is not filling the whole screen. I'm getting more concerned that I have a Windows 98 problem and not an Alpha problem. My bigger problem is having to go to Compaq for help with Windows 98. There standard answer to most any problem is generally to reload the Win98 operating system!
"DON'T LET YOUR FRIENDS DRIVE DRUNK... or buy Compaq Computers" Thanks again for your courtesy, Jim Costello

[Daniel Petershagen]

RE: Thanks Chris, but it doesn't help

James,
I've recently run into the same situation, but this is the strange part. We've got about 4 laptops running Win98 2nd ver. and Alpha4V6. Two of them are IBM and two are Dell. For some reason one of the Dell's is doing the same thing yours is, only using a small portion of the center of the screen while in full screen mode.

I can't figure it out.

Daniel

[davej]

RE: A4v6 wont fill entire screen in Win98, 2nd edt

James,

You can toggle the full screen on or off while runnig Alpha4 V6
in Windows 98, regardless on whether it is on a desktop or a
Compaq laptop. Here's how I got it to work for me with Version 1
of Windows 98 on my Compaq laptop.

If A4 opens in less than a full screen, across the top of the
screen, you will see seven buttons, one of which has fours arrows
pointing left, right, up and down. Click that button and you
will drop into the 'older' full screen character screen DOS mode.

If you want to take it back to the Windows mode, hold down [ALT]
and tap [ENTER].

I've found at least one screen characteristics that does not work
properly while in the DOS full screen, don't look correct if you
are in the Windows mode. For example, on a Personnel form I've
designed for a client, there is a field that is normally hidden.
If the position in frozen, then * * Position is Frozen * * flashes.
It works (and looks) fine in character mode, but in Windows mode,
there is a colored area where the text will appear, and when the
text does appear, it does not blink.

Good luck,

Dave Jampole

[Daniel Petershagen]

RE: A4v6 wont fill entire screen in Win98, 2nd edt

Thanks Dave,

I don't know if James is having the same problem as me but it sounds like he is.

My computer is running dos in full screen mode. I know how to get it to run in half screen which makes it even smaller but, like you said, by clicking the full screen icon it jumps back to full screen. The problem is that Alpha, in full screen mode, is only taking up the center portion of the screen. There is about a 2 1/2 inch border of black screen all they way around the alpha program. I'm currently running Win98 2ed and alpha4v6 on 4 laptops, 2 IBM's and 2 Dell's. Only one of the Dell's is having this problem. Very strange.

I don't think the problem is within Alpha though. Dos alone also runs in this smaller window regardless of whether or not you're running Alpha. I was just hoping to hear from someone who had the same problem and figured out how to fix it. Maybe it can't be?

Daniel

[Joe Polich]

RE: A4v6 wont fill entire screen in Win98, 2nd edt

I'll throw in my own similar problem. I've just installed our application on an IBM 600X with Windows 2000 Professional V 5.0, but I had this problem back with Win95. We worked around the Win95 problem by specifying "full-screen" on the screen tab of the shortcut and "maximized" on the run line of the program tab. This isn't helping on the Win2000 laptop.

When the application is launched, the screen is squeezed down in heighth, but operates properly. Now for the strange part. We have records with pictures that are displayed by paging down and pressing the "P" key (this is a Runtime application). Once the picture comes up and you go back to the application screen it is now displayed as a full screen. Stays that way until you exit Alpha.

Don't have this problem on our NT Workstations, Win95 and Win98 laptops. But as I said, we did have the problem on Win95 when it first came out.

I'm still looking for an answer myself.

[Joe Polich]

RE: A4v6 wont fill entire screen in Win98, 2nd edt

I've just arrived at a better solution.

By changing the properties in the shortcut to "Normal Window" on the Run line of the Program tab and to "Window" on the Screen tab, the application launches in a window instead of full screen, but the window is not distorted. By pressing the "Alt & Enter" keys, it brings the application up to full-screen and it's no longer distorted as when trying to launch it in full-screen.

Hopefully this will work on your Win98 systems.

[crimmelcp]

RE: A4v6 wont fill entire screen in Win98, 2nd edt

I have had no problems running Alpha4v6 in W98 SE.
Some laptops use a different screen size than desktop monitors.
check the following.
start
settings
control pannel
display
bottom right corner of the window may be screen size settings. make sure they are both set the same.

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

RE: A4v6 wont fill entire screen in Win98, 2nd edt

I think the problem is in the way notebook computers work with screen resolutions. If your screen size is 10.4" diagonal, full screen is a 640 x 480 display.

I had a Toshiba with a 12.1" diagonal screen that displayed at 800 x 600 resolution. In full screen mode, there was distortion, but the screen was full.

I just purchased a new Toshiba with a 14" diagonal screen. This provides a 1024 x 768 resolution. When I run Alpha 4, there is a black border around the Alpha display. The size is the equivalent as on the old 10.4" screen.

Ron

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

RE: A4v6 wont fill entire screen in Win98, 2nd edt

I just proved this theory. I changed the display while looking at the Windows desktop going from 1024 x 768 down to 640 x 480. Each change added a black border around the windows desktop with the largest border at the 640 x 480.

Ron

[Josie Wendell]

RE: A4v6 wont fill entire screen in Win98, 2nd edt

I had the same problem. I fixed it in the BIOS - expand the video.
JW