TinyFlaccid Shutters 98se

[OperaTenor]

I got my computer back from having it professionally wiped to get rid of all the critters my ex-roommate infested it with, and am currently in the process of resurrecting it. I'm having a problem: In the Control Panel, under Display Properties\Settings, I am unable to change the screen area(it's stuck on 640 X 480 pixels), and I only have choices of 2-color or 16-color. As far as I can tell, I have properly loaded all of my device drivers, and besides, it all worked before with the same hardware and software. I even have a legitimate copy of Shutters 98se.

I tried even paying TinyFlaccid on line for tech support, but their website runs in circles and dead ends. After wirting them a detailed e-mail and giving them my credit card number, upon clicking on submit, I got the classic "This Page Cannot be Displayed" screen, even after retrying ~10 times(yes, I'm now living in fear that I'll be charged for ~10 tech sessions).

I've now spent ~12 hours total trying to get my computer back online. It will get on line, but the graphics are so blown up it's very difficult to navigate, and the color resolution is horrible.

Any helpful suggestions will be nmost appreciated. Any smarmy suggestions will be duly laughed at.

Oh yes, I've tried to reconfigure the video device driver about 1,024 times, and I have AGP. However the system does not seem to want to find it. It sticks with the default Tiny Flaccid driver.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Abandon 98. Upgrade the opsys to the newer more robust less buggy one. Abandon 98.

[OperaTenor]

But, but, but...

I don't wanna spend the money. Can't I just make this one work like it used to ?

After all, if money was no object, I'd get a real computer(Apple).

However, I'm starting to think about Linux more and more these days. Just not sure if I'm smart enough for it.

<small>[ 08-27-2004, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: OperaTenor ]</small>

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

No. Abandon 98.

[OperaTenor]

So let me get this straight. Are you trying to tell me to drop 98, and go to a newer version? It's not entirely clear, but that's the picture I'm getting. I think....

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

You're way past "time to upgrade". I find xp far more satisfactory than 98 was. The amount of money you spend for the upgrade software will be less than the amount you're going to get charged for the online "tech support" you didn't get for the win98 that MS isn't interested in supporting.

Why are men so stubborn?

[BigJon]

Originally posted by OperaTenor:
After wirting them a detailed e-mail and giving them my credit card number, upon clicking on submit, I got the classic "This Page Cannot be Displayed" screen, even after retrying ~10 times(yes, I'm now living in fear that I'll be charged for ~10 tech sessions).

I thought I was pretty up of geek talk, but how do you wirt? You bleeder of edges.

Anyway, Windows 2000 has been a sane, stable OS for me for the last year. And it has a search function that actually works somewhat like a human would think! It is cheaper than XP if you pick it up on the second hand market.

BigJon

[OperaTenor]

Just remember, dyslexia is k.o.

Piq has Shutters 2000, and its no walk in the park either. Tends to be a ram hog.
Funny thing about her computer currently. We have her laptop on a wireless network, using a TinyFlaccid infrared card. An auto update from TF popped up upon installation, so I installed the update, causing the computer to immediately reboot and irrecoverably drop off the network. I was able to replicate this three times in a row(kept thinking it must be the way I'm holding my mouth while installing it, etc.). I have subsequently abandoned attempting to install the update, and must cancel the pop up for the update every time we start up the computer.

Hi Selma, it isn't stubborness so much as it's frugality. It worked for me just fine before, I reinstalled it legitimately and by procedure, dutifully installed all critical updates, plus some of the less critical ones, and I believe I should have some reasonable expectation that the software would perform as it previously did. It's not like it has a shelf life, right?

Apple has been using GUI since 1984 with nary a hiccough, and TinyFlaccid still can't seem to get it right.

A friend of mine, who became a software developer millionaire, has an interesting theory: One of the major factors in making TinyFlaccid so overwhelmingly more popular over Apple was the fact that Apples were too reliable. When an Apple customer walked in and bought a computer, that would be the last time they were in the store, unless they happened to need some software. When a TF customer came in and bought a computer, they were now hooked to an endless chain of upgrades, bugs, patches, and add-ons, until their system was rendered obsolete and passe', then they got to start all over again with a new computer(headache). In the long run, TF products were far more profitable for the dealers, so they tended to sell them more, aside from the price.

<small>[ 08-29-2004, 12:31 AM: Message edited by: OperaTenor ]</small>

[lliam]

OT, go to this site:

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win98/1093760373

I've found it very helpful in the past. Just post your problem and you will get a solution in no time at all. Good luck.

[barfle]

It sounds to me like your OS doesn't know what your video adapter's characteristics are.

I'm pretty sure you've been trying to get your settings working under "Display Properties" and the Settings tab. Do you have any buttons on that screen that say things like "List All Modes" or "Display Type"? If so, what do you see when you click on them?

[OperaTenor]

Hi Barfle,

Under Display Properties\Settings, there is an "Advanced" button. Under that, "General", "Adapter", "Performance", and "Color Management" tabs. Under the "Adapter" tab, there is a "Change Hardware" button, where I can supposedly change my graphics adapter driver. It always defaults to "Standard Graphics Adapter(VGA)". I can push through the system to try other adapters(I have tried every adapter I thought might even remotely work), and will get some form of an error message every time I try it. There is one place where it will display all drivers.

Yesterday I stripped virtually all of the applications, then reinstalled Shutters once again to no avail. Everything works great except for the graphics.

What's XP going for these days?

[Mike Sofka]

OperaTenor...I would have to agree...do ditch the 98...go with XP...it's very much worth it! But if you're wanting to keep 98..you're computer is more than likely running in "Safe Mode" which limits your resolution and color choices. When you boot up your computer, you may see an option, (I believe it's F10)...look for it...when your computer starts up, hold down that key and it will take you to your System Bios and you can see if you computer is running in Safe Mode...if it is, you can switch it back to "Normal Mode".

Hope that helps!

[treebeau]

I think the problem may be in trying to use the drivers that come with Tiny Flaccid Shutters.

When you buy a video card it comes with it's own disk to install it's own drivers. I think you'll have to locate the CD or floppy that came with the video card and run that. The drivers that you had would have been wiped.

Regards,
Tim "getting ready to install Tiny Flaccid XP Pro" B.

[OperaTenor]

Yep, and the plot thickens. The shop that replaced the last mother board used my old video card(which I also bought from them and have either since lost the driver for, or never got it as it may have been installed by them and blah, blah, blah...IOW I've slept since then), even though the new mother board came with an integrated card. They did it because the old card had better capabilities than the integrated card. HOWEVER, I was ignorant of those details and went blindly and zealously into setting up the new system, and attempted to install the driver for the motherboard adapter. Now, after flailing for three days, I've got the bios confused enough that I can't disconnect the old card(BTW, does anyone happen to have the driver for an NVIDIA VANTA A4-M64, which I believe ia an AGP card - it would simplify my life tremendously right now ?). If I do, I get a blank monitor when Shutters loads. I'm currently trying reloading Shutters, and at the moment the setup is about to reach the point where it examines the hardware, plugging into the integrated adapter and pulling the old one. Is that crazy enough that it just might work, or is that an act of desperation?

I'll know in about 20 minutes...

If that doesn't work, I'm contemplating formatting it myself....right out into the canyon behind our house....



<small>[ 08-30-2004, 06:09 PM: Message edited by: OperaTenor ]</small>

[CLarsen]

Hi OT,

You might want to try http://www.video-drivers.com/drivers/76/76221.htm
Usually with a little searching you can find the appropriate drivers on the web. It's definitely a driver issue.

[BigJon]

Originally posted by OperaTenor:
Piq has Shutters 2000, and its no walk in the park either. Tends to be a ram hog.

I wouldn't know anything about that. All my computers have a gig or more of RAM. It's required to run my engineering software.

BigJon

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

That's it! That's it! That's OT's problem.

Unsupported OS, deficient driver inventory, and RAM with CRS.

[rwcrooks]

OT,

This may seem like a stupid question, but do you currently have 2 video cards in your PC? One onboard and one as a separate card? If so, have you tried plugging the monitor into the other port?

[OperaTenor]

Hi Rich,

Not a stupid question. That's exactly what the problem was. I had the motherboard replaced ~7 months ago, and the shop that did the work kept my old video card in the configuration, even though the new motherboard had an integrated chip on it. I either lost or never had the driver for the old card, and hadn't done this kind of a set up from ground zero before, so was unaware of the problem I had until I had tried configuring it so many times I had my BIOS confused.

Last night, I formatted my c:\ drive, pulled the old card out and started over. I am now using my own computer, and can actually see what I'm typing with full 32-bit color.

Hi Chris, thanks for all of your help with me and with Piq. I've downloaded the driver. It's a perfectly good card, and now it can be of use again. I hope you had a great vacation!



<message edited by OT to get the addressee's name right>

<small>[ 09-01-2004, 04:35 PM: Message edited by: OperaTenor ]</small>

[treebeau]

Howdy OT (and all),

Well, I finally got my home PC upgraded to Windows XP and boy is it ever stable. No more blue screens and seemingly random system errors.

It took a while to get sound and the CD burner working. All peripherals are installed and working. Most software and data files are restored now.

The only thing I am having difficulty with is writing files to floppy disk. If the file is sufficiently small, say 10 K or less, no problem. But others, like >100 K, cause a device I/O error. I found and applied a registry patch from the Microsoft Knowledge Base, but still no luck.

Anyone else ever have this problem? I am thinking that it may go away if I just install a new floppy drive. Maybe my older floppy drive isn't XP compliant.

Regards,
Tim B.