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QL/E running on QXL2 ISA PC card
Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:53 pm
by Chr$
I got my QXL2 Card installed into a PC today then installed DOS/Win98 etc etc.
Then setup the QXL side of things to run QL/E (thanks Urs, remarkable the work that you put in to that). It is pretty slow, and as you can see, the area around the icons still shows elements of Urs QL collection image, before I resized it. But I suppose the slowness is to be expected with the CPU/RAM of the QXL2.
I just love the idea of the QXL. A computer in a computer, bonkers and genius at the same time. Here's the card in place:
Only slight issue at the moment is that the Windows side of things uses a USB mouse and that doesn't work (obviously) in QL/E. I don't have a ps/2 port so will find a serial mouse for that, which I believe will be ok on QL/E (I mean, that is what would have been common at the time, after all).
Re: QL/E running on QXL2 ISA PC card
Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 11:16 pm
by tofro
Chr$ wrote:I got my QXL2 Card installed into a PC today then installed DOS/Win98 etc etc.
Then setup the QXL side of things to run QL/E (thanks Urs, remarkable the work that you put in to that). It is pretty slow, and as you can see, the area around the icons still shows elements of Urs QL collection image, before I resized it. But I suppose the slowness is to be expected with the CPU/RAM of the QXL2.
Well, it's actually not so slow at all - What's slow is the transfer of graphics to the PC video card - Everything that goes to the screen needs to pass the ISA bus twice (try MODE 4 or generally something that needs a lot of CPU, but no video output and you'll see what I mean), from QXL to host memory, then to the video card.
Chr$ wrote:
Only slight issue at the moment is that the Windows side of things uses a USB mouse and that doesn't work (obviously) in QL/E. I don't have a ps/2 port so will find a serial mouse for that, which I believe will be ok on QL/E (I mean, that is what would have been common at the time, after all).
You don't necessarily need a serial mouse for QXL - What you need is a mouse driver that supports DOS (Not only Windows - it needs to work in the DOS command prompt). Mine works fine with a PS/2 mouse and eComStation on the host PC.
Tobias
Re: QL/E running on QXL2 ISA PC card
Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2020 11:54 am
by Chr$
Thanks Tobias, both of those things seem easily rectified. I did actually have the USB mouse going under DOS so will put the drivers back (I swapped from the German version that the PC came with to English).
I assume changing the mode is just in the boot file somewhere obvious?
Re: QL/E running on QXL2 ISA PC card
Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2020 1:28 pm
by tofro
Chr$ wrote:
I assume changing the mode is just in the boot file somewhere obvious?
You can configure the initial graphics mode with "config" (the PE configuration program) working directly on the SMSQ.EXE file.
That works best by copying SMSQ.EXE (using DOS or Windows) from C: to a MS-DOS-formatted floppy, then start C:\...\SMSQ.EXE and, once QXL is up and running use "exec win1_config" and enter "flp1_smsq.exe" as the file to configure. then, back in DOS, move a:\smsq.exe back to C:\...\SMSQ.EXE
From the
manual:
QXL Manual wrote:The supplied diskette is in MSDOS format and so cannot support executable files. To make CON FIG executable get the QXL up and running
then put the QXL diskette into drive A: and enter the following:
Adr=RESPR(5510)
LBYTES "Flp1_Config",Adr
SEXEC "Win1_Config",Adr,5510,l792
which will leave the executable version of Config on Win1_
To use Config, put an MSDOS format diskette with SMSQ on it into Flp1_ and then enter:
EXEC "Win1_Config"
then press CTRL-c until the cursor flashes in the Config window and follow the on screen instructions. The name of the file to configure is
"Flp1_SMSQ.EXE"
If you are using the QXL from hard disk it is necessary to go to MSDOS, with CTRL-ScrollLock, and copy the file called SMSQ.EXE to an MSDOS
format floppy diskette before it can be modified with CONFIG. Re-enter the QXL by entering SMSQ/ and the file can be modified by CONFIG.
(Note the numbers on RESPR and SEXEC might differ for newer versions of config)
Tobias
Re: QL/E running on QXL2 ISA PC card
Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2020 1:56 pm
by Chr$
Thanks, I did see that in the text file manual! Wasn't sure if the arrangement, file names etc was the same for me, as with the QL/E version I start it from DOS with SMSQEQXL(.EXE).
Do I therefore need to run the config on that file instead? I don't even have the system turned on at the moment, I'm sure I'll work it out.
Re: QL/E running on QXL2 ISA PC card
Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2020 2:06 pm
by tofro
Chr$ wrote:
Do I therefore need to run the config on that file instead? I don't even have the system turned on at the moment, I'm sure I'll work it out.
Yep - This is actually QDOS config configuring a DOS binary.
Tobias
Re: QL/E running on QXL2 ISA PC card
Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2020 7:07 pm
by Chr$
Hmmm, dealing with the mouse first:
I got the USB mouse working in DOS by using "USBLink, USB Stack Driver, ver 2.5" (an exe file called uhci.exe)
But it doesn't work in the QL/E environment. What mouse driver are you using for DOS (do you also have a USB mouse)?
Re: QL/E running on QXL2 ISA PC card
Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2020 8:36 pm
by Chr$
Oh, another problem! This time trying to config the smsqeqxl.exe file as you described.
I get "flp1_smsqeqxl.exe - has no configuration blocks".
I suppose that means it has to be done differently. I'll check the docs later.
Re: QL/E running on QXL2 ISA PC card
Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2020 10:57 pm
by mk79
No, there is no other way. I suspect you tried a level 1 config program, use a level 2 like MenuConfig (on my QL-SD demo disc for example).
Re: QL/E running on QXL2 ISA PC card
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 12:43 pm
by Chr$
Yes, that was better. No mention of QL modes though, just conventional screen resolution sizes. I'll play with that. At the end it asked if I wanted to update MenuConfig_INF. I assume I don't need to as when I have config'd smsqeqxl.exe I'll be using a completely different QXL.WIN container?