Problems with Changing to EGA Display from Within Windows (83361)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 3.0
  • Microsoft Windows 3.0a
  • Microsoft Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows 3.11
This article was previously published under Q83361

SUMMARY

When using the Windows 3.0 or 3.1 Setup program to change from another video type to EGA, you may encounter problems when trying to run non-Windows-based applications in real (version 3.0 only) or standard mode (versions 3.0 and 3.1).

If this change is made through the Windows Setup program, the device line for EGA.SYS is not added to the CONFIG.SYS file. The loading of this device file is essential to non-Windows-based applications running within Windows 3.0.

MORE INFORMATION

The correct way to install both the video driver and the EGA.SYS file is to run the Setup program from the Windows MS-DOS Prompt and allow the Setup program to modify the CONFIG.SYS file.

If the EGA video driver is already installed from the Windows Setup program inside Windows, either of the following processes may correct the problem:

  1. Run Setup from the Windows MS-DOS Prompt and select a previously unselected video driver. (If the display type that was installed before EGA is chosen, Setup will not ask for any disks and the SYSTEM.INI file will not be updated.)
  2. Once Setup is finished, run Setup again from the Windows MS-DOS Prompt and change the video driver back to EGA. Allow Setup to modify the CONFIG.SYS file when prompted.
-or-
  1. Because the EGA.SYS is the only utility missing, the Windows EXPAND.EXE utility can be used to expand EGA.SYS from the Windows installation disks. Manually insert the device line for EGA.SYS into the CONFIG.SYS file.
  2. The EXPAND utility is located on Disk 2 of the 5.25-inch (1.2 MB) and 3.5-inch (1.44 MB) disks, and Disk 5 of the 3.5-inch (720K) disks. Copy the EXPAND.EXE file to the Windows directory. The EGA.SY$ file (note the $ as the last letter in the compressed EGA.SYS file) is located on Disk 3 of the 5.25-inch disks and on Disk 5 of the 3.5-inch disks.
  3. From the WINDOWS directory, type the following to expand the compressed EGA.SY$ file

    c:\windows>expand a:ega.sy$ c:\windows\ega.sys

    where c: is the drive and \windows is the installed location of Windows 3.0.
  4. Use a text editor such as the Windows Notepad to add the following line to the CONFIG.SYS file:

    device=c:\windows\ega.sys

KBCategory: kbsetup kbdisplay kbenv
KBSubcategory: win30 win31 windrvr
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:7/7/2005
Keywords:KB83361
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.