!Configure bug in 5.21?

I’m running RPCemu on OS X with RISC OS 5.21 (9 Jul 13).

In !Configure > Screen, the default settings are:
Monitor type: Auto
Colours: Unknown (greyed out)
Resolution: Unknown (greyed out)

I can restore full resolution by selecting “Generic” as the Monitor type, which then allows me to select Colours and Resolution. Clicking Set works.

The system happily runs in 1280×960 RPCemu mode with 16 million colours. However, once I change any setting, and then click Set, it drops to 640×480 with 256 colours.

If I shut down and restart, the Monitor type returns to Auto so I need to reselect Generic, 16 million, and 1280×960 again.

If I swap out the rom image for RISC OS 5.17, I don’t get this behaviour – i.e., screen settings are preserved across shut down and restart (same !Boot structure – I upgraded this from the HardDisc4 image on the website).

Is this a !Configure bug in 5.21?

Mike

There have certainly been a number of reports of the same behaviour on the Raspberry Pi. Indeed it struck me when I set up the DPMS screen blanker. Selecting ‘Generic’ as the monitor type is the cure on the Raspberry Pi.

Here RPCEmu0810/RO521 runs without any problem on a Win7 32 bit host. I believe that Mike may need to update the RO boot sequence, to allow the Configure > Screen settings to be remembered

Tony

Mike, did you upgrade to 5.21 from aprevious version and also update !Boot plus hard disc components.

If you did upgrade then there was a change to set up that means the Preesk.Configure.!Run file needs amending as below:

Previous details

Set Alias$VIDCBandLimit VIDCBandwidthLimit 2000000000 2000000000 2000000000

New requirements
Set Alias$VIDCBandLimit X VIDCBandwidthLimit 2000000000 2000000000 2000000000

Or better still install and reconfigure from new the !Boot sequence.

Doug

Tony / Doug,

Thanks for your advice. I have updated to the new RO boot sequence, although curiously the Predesk.Configure.!Run file hadn’t changed. I’ve changed that, but I’m still getting the same problem.

Mike

I had a similar problem with RPCEmu on OS X and RISC OS 5.21, but I can’t remember how I solved it. I think it’s a case of mis-matched !Boot sequence and OS. Try this:

- Rename the !Boot folder that you use successfully with 5.17 as !OldBoot and keep it somewhere safe.
- Switch to OS 5.21 and also update your !Boot to the most recent version on the ROOL downloads page
- Copy the contents of !OldBoot.Choices from !OldBoot to the new !Boot

This has the effect of upgrading everything except your old choices, including monitor configure settings. I think it’s what I did to get the screen settings to ‘stick’. From memory you only need to do this once – I can now save monitor settings in the usual way.

No, still happens, I’m afraid. I’ll revert to 5.17…

Mike

When booting up with 5.21 there seems to be a lot of ‘init mod’ commands which flash by – could one of these account for this behaviour?

Mike

I believe that the screen configuration is handled by

the modefile and wimpmode are defined by

and the MDF is loaded from

!Boot.Resources.Configure.Monitors

Inspection of these may give some indicatation as to what may be amiss.

The RPCEmu mailing list could also be helpful:

Tony

PS the second line above should read
ScrnSetup
but it is not being displayed.

Still not ok! Let’s try omitting !Boot
RO500Hook.Res.Configure.!ScrnSetup

Ok, sort of, at last! Something seriously amiss withthis forum? (typing blind becausese NetSurp is not displaying anything!)

Thanks, Tony.

!Boot.Choices.Boot.PreDesk.Configure.Monitor contains the lines:

LoadModeFile BootResources:Configure.Monitors.ROOL.Generic
WimpMode X1280 Y960 C16M F60

and the MDF exists at that location; I’m using:

mode_name:1280 × 960 RPCEmu

from that file.

As I said initially, it all works OK under 5.17, but when I swap the rom image over to 5.21 and reboot, I get the following settings in !Configure > Screen:

Monitor type: Auto
Colours: Unknown (greyed out)
Resolution: Unknown (greyed out)

If I change the settings to:

Monitor type: Generic
Colours: 16 million
Resolution: 1280 × 960 RPCemu

and click OK, then the screen resolution changes correctly. After clicking ‘Keep’, the Screen configuration window closes. If I then reopen the Screen configuration window, it reverts to Auto / unknown / unknown, i.e., the settings are not saved.

If I swap the rom image back to 5.17 and reboot, I get the correct resolution – so obviously settings are being retained (but not read by 5.21?)

This is what made me think it was a 5.21 issue, rather than RPCemu, but I will explore that forum too. I’ve followed earlier advice, and completely replaced the !Boot structure.

Removing ScrnSetup just had the effect of removing the !Configure > Screen icon, and I can’t then reconfigure the screen.

Mike

Are you quite sure that there are no elements of the 5.17 boot lurking in your 5.21 boot?

What happens if you disregard !ScrnSetup, and edit !Boot.Choices.Boot.PreDesk.Configure.Monitor , by hand?

(Composing this in StrongED, and hoping that it will be displayed correctly!)

Tony

An alternative approach would be to start from a working copy of 5.17 and merge the 5.21 boot, using Configure > Boot > Install.

[later edit] In a discussion on csa.misc (‘Trying to update Iyonix to 5.20’, 30 Jul 2013, et seq) Steve Revill has said that merging the new boot may lead to ‘Bad Things happening’. Steve has now published detailed recommendations for upgrading at https://www.riscosopen.org/wiki/documentation/show/RISC%20OS%20Upgrade

Tony,

Finally, it worked!

I downloaded HardDisc4 today, deleted the existing !Boot and replaced it with the !Boot from the HardDisc4, removed !ScrnSetup and edited the Configure.Monitor file by hand.

After a couple of reboots – and going back to 5.17 – I’ve finally got 5.21 to recognise – and save – the screen settings.

I’ve also tried it with the 16-Jul-13 version of 5.21, which I downloaded today (glutton for punishment!), and that’s OK as well. So good to know that RO is still so actively supported.

Thanks for your help!

Now off to play with RISCOSpi (need to claim the family TV first)!

Mike

Persistence rewarded!

Tony