Full-screen console with Vista?

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Edward Mendelson · #1 Post by **Edward Mendelson** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:10 am

I just installed Vista on a TP42 with ATI 9600/64MB of RAM. After Windows update semi-automatically installed three new drivers, it seems to be running reasonably well (no fingerprint reader driver, and there's an unknown device in the Device Manager), but one thing is curious:

If I open a command prompt (either CMD.EXE or the old DOS COMMAND.COM), or run any console or text-mode program, and then press Alt-Enter to try to go to full-screen hardware- based text, I get a message saying that full-screen mode is not supported on this system.

I get the same message with Vista on a desktop machine with an Nvidia card. But I do NOT get that message if I run Vista in a VMware machine, so the problem seems to be hardware-or-driver-related, not hardwired into Vista.

Does anyone have a ThinkPad that can go full-screen (by pressing Alt-Enter) with EDIT.COM or a command prompt? If so, which video driver are you using?

Thanks for any info.

zyphria · #2 Post by **zyphria** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:51 pm

Are you running Aero or Aero Glass? My X31's 16MB ATI video card handles it just fine, but I'm not running either. Also your VMware version wouldn't use Aero either, so that would make sense.

Edward Mendelson · #3 Post by **Edward Mendelson** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:24 pm

I have everything set to Windows Classic - still no luck. The fact that you can go full-screen with the command prompt (and presumably with EDIT.COM also?) shows that it's not a Vista problem inherently, but presumably a driver problem. Maybe it will even get fixed someday...?

EDIT: I also downloaded the Catalyst Vista beta drivers, which didn't solve the problem and insisted on running only at 1024x768. I've also got the dreaded 50Hz flicker, and neither the built-in nor the Catalyst driver can fix that. Fortunately, I set up a dual-boot system...

#4 Post by **GomJabbar** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:22 pm

I have a T42 running Vista RC1 with the ATI Radeon 9000 and 64MB video memory. I am using the ATI driver that came with Windows Update. The driver is version 6.14.10.6606, dated 7/31/2006. Alt + Enter with either Alt key brings both "Command Window" and "Edit" full screen. Same combination again reduces it to window.

RMD · #5 Post by **RMD** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 11:27 pm

I'm running Vista RTM on a T42P with the 128MB FireGL card, and I too get the "not supported" error message.

Honestly, I don't think I've ever run a command prompt full screen since the days of Windows 3.x.

You should try a command window replacement like the excellent Console application found here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/console/

#6 Post by **tomh009** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 5:37 am

The standard command prompt also allows selection of font and window size (something that I always do).

Another interesting download is Windows PowerShell, which provides quite impressive scripting capabilities (though I'm not yet ready to give up on Perl!). There is some more information written up on Wikipedia as well.

Edward Mendelson · #7 Post by **Edward Mendelson** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 8:34 am

Full-screen is an absolute necessity for me (graphics mode in WordPerfect for DOS requires it, and I've got other reasons too), so I'll hope the drivers fix this. The console replacements can't supply full-screen graphics or full-screen hardware fonts.

GomJabbar - that's quite interesting. I hope you'll report on what happens when you install the final version of Vista - did ATI remove full-screen, or does the 9000 still support it?

#8 Post by **tomh009** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 8:54 am

Ah ... graphics in WP-DOS. I bet there aren't a lot of other people on these forums doing that.

Edward Mendelson · #9 Post by **Edward Mendelson** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 4:35 pm

Zyphria,

I think your Vista setup must be using the "Standard VGA Graphics" driver (right click on the desktop, use Personalize, and display settings to find the driver in use). The Standard VGA Graphics driver does allow full-screen console text, but it can't display even VGA graphics so isn't usable with DOS applications that include graphics. I've now tested this on a T42 with an ATI 7500, and got the same results you reported with the X31.

#10 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:17 am

FWIW, all the drivers listed for my display adapter are from ATI. I am running native resolution of 1024 x 768, but when I go full screen it appears to go to VGA mode. Oddly enough, the minimum resolution I can choose in the display properties is 800 x 600 yet it does go to a coarser resolution in full screen command mode. Again, this is with RC1. [I do not know when I will get RTM.

]

Edward Mendelson · #11 Post by **Edward Mendelson** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 8:48 am

Full-screen command mode will almost always look coarse because the screen is actually something like 720x350 (I forget the exact number) because that is the resolution of the hardware fonts. The larger the screen, the more coarse full-screen command mode will look (unless the screen resolution is an exact multiple of the native 720x350 or whatever, in which case the command prompt will be very sharp).

Edward Mendelson · #12 Post by **Edward Mendelson** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:33 pm

I said earlier that the Standard VGA Graphics Adapter driver can't display even VGA graphics. Actually, it can - and did so after I reinstalled WordPerfect. But it can't display VESA graphics.

So we're still waiting for new drivers for full-screen console and maybe even VESA graphics in ThinkPads with the kind of video hardware that can run the Aero Glass interface.

Full-screen console with Vista?

Full-screen console with Vista?

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