Inspiron 8000 laptop display annoyance

I have a minor annoyance with the display of my
Dell Inspiron 8000 laptop, and would appreciate any
experienced advice.

It's a 700MHz CPU with 128MB of RAM running Win98SE.

I modified the msdos.sys file so that it boots directly to
the command prompt, i.e. straight DOS. I access the net via
a UNIX shell account, and use a lot of older DOS programs -
thus so.

The display adapter is an ATI Mobility M4 which in Windows
is set to 1024 x 768 feeding a SVA 15" active matrix LCD monitor.

When I use the command prompt FROM Windows it goes FULL SCREEN
as I specified in the shortcut properties menu. This is good.

My annoyance is when it initially boots up, the display doesn't
go FULL SCREEN in straight DOS. The working screen just occupies
about 6" x 5" window in the center of the monitor - as if perhaps
it sees it as a 640 x 480.

What need I do to correct this to go full screen initially?
Add some kind of line to the msdos.sys file??
Modify config.sys or autoexec.bat?

The DOS `mode' command doesn't seem to address the problem.

Suggestions appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill

www.nyx.net/~wboas

Look for a Full Screen option in the BIOS. For Dells it's usually F2 to
get into the BIOS.

On Sun, 4 Nov 2007 14:39:28 -0700, <> wrote:

>
>I have a minor annoyance with the display of my
>Dell Inspiron 8000 laptop, and would appreciate any
>experienced advice.
>
>It's a 700MHz CPU with 128MB of RAM running Win98SE.
>
>I modified the msdos.sys file so that it boots directly to
>the command prompt, i.e. straight DOS. I access the net via
>a UNIX shell account, and use a lot of older DOS programs -
>thus so.
>
>The display adapter is an ATI Mobility M4 which in Windows
>is set to 1024 x 768 feeding a SVA 15" active matrix LCD monitor.
>
>When I use the command prompt FROM Windows it goes FULL SCREEN
>as I specified in the shortcut properties menu. This is good.
>
>My annoyance is when it initially boots up, the display doesn't
>go FULL SCREEN in straight DOS. The working screen just occupies
>about 6" x 5" window in the center of the monitor - as if perhaps
>it sees it as a 640 x 480.
>
>What need I do to correct this to go full screen initially?
>Add some kind of line to the msdos.sys file??
>Modify config.sys or autoexec.bat?
>
>The DOS `mode' command doesn't seem to address the problem.
>
>Suggestions appreciated.
>
>Thanks,
>Bill
>
>www.nyx.net/~wboas

wrote:
> I modified the msdos.sys file so that it boots directly to
> the command prompt, i.e. straight DOS. I access the net via
> a UNIX shell account, and use a lot of older DOS programs -
> thus so.

Can't help with this, but wanted to suggest looking at Cygwin,
if you havn't, which makes XP very liveable for any UNIX guy.

In fact I've given up pretty much on linux because Cygwin under
XP does everything I need. (the major exception : upper and
lower case filenames collide in the windows file system, of course ;
so my huge archive of really ancient unix work can't be installed
on XP.)

It also runs DOS executables.
--


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Sometime in the last year I had a similar situation when booting into my
8200 and S. Lewis posted a response to hit the alt + Fn or was it alt +
F7.....anyway it worked.... are you out there Mr Lewis..
mc

Ok it was Fn + F7 at boot up...
mc

Yup, Fn +F7 works as you say in the 8000 as well.

In addition, it need not only be pressed during bootup.

If it boots to the small screen after bootup, Fn + F7 toggles
between full screen and the small screen. If in full screen
and you shut down, the system remembers that state and boots
to full screen on a cold start (assuming good battery).

Thank you, thank you. Clearly the Fn + F7 must have been
in the Dell documentation somewhere, but I missed it . . .

Thanks to all for the many suggestions, but `mc' had the
answer!

Best to all,
Bill

On Wed, 7 Nov 2007, mc wrote:

> Ok it was Fn + F7 at boot up...
> mc

"mc" <> wrote in message
news:O97Yi.10292$Zz.10226@trnddc07...
> Sometime in the last year I had a similar situation when booting into my
> 8200 and S. Lewis posted a response to hit the alt + Fn or was it alt +
> F7.....anyway it worked.... are you out there Mr Lewis..
> mc
>


You bet I am. But I think this is a different issue with which I'm not
familiar.

The keystroke combo in your case was Fn+F7.......

"S.Lewis" <> wrote in message
news:il9Yi.17670$...
>
> "mc" <> wrote in message
> news:O97Yi.10292$Zz.10226@trnddc07...
>> Sometime in the last year I had a similar situation when booting into my
>> 8200 and S. Lewis posted a response to hit the alt + Fn or was it alt +
>> F7.....anyway it worked.... are you out there Mr Lewis..
>> mc
>>
>
>
> You bet I am. But I think this is a different issue with which I'm not
> familiar.
>
> The keystroke combo in your case was Fn+F7.......
>

(EDIT)

Yes, it was ME. And that is the exact same problem and I'm clearly a genius.
heh heh

Nice catch, mc.......


Stew