TP755/X/Linux

[Jim Lee <jlee@ece.orst.edu>]

Hi all,

I *finally* got X windows running on my TP755CX's LCD in 800x600 mode!  I 
was beginning to think it wasn't possible...  Anyway, the magical missing 
piece I needed was to run "PS2 MODE3X ON" under DOS (to apparently 
install video mode 3 extensions), then boot into Linux using 
LOADLIN.EXE.  Then my XF86config worked the first time (I posted the 
modeline in a previous message).  Now, I'd like to run a pure Linux 
machine without DOS, so I decided to write a C program for Linux to 
perform the same function as "PS2 MODE3X ON".  I tried to disassemble the 
PS2.EXE program under DOS using the latest version of Sourcer, but 
Sourcer says that PS2.EXE is a "modified Windows NE executable format", 
and refused to touch it.  Next, I fired up Turbo Debugger to try and step 
through it, but Turbo Debugger complained that it was an "unsupported 
executable format".  So my question is this:  Does anyone know how the 
MODE3X function works internally?  Is it something that's a documented 
part of the Western Digital chip? Or does the PS2 program simply enable a 
different BIOS INT 10H handler? (OK, so it was three questions :-)  If 
anyone can help me with this, I would greatly appreciate it.  I also 
intend to release the completed program to the Linux/Thinkpad community 
at large (assuming I don't have to sign an NDA with IBM to get the 
information!)

Thanks,
Jim Lee
jlee@ece.orst.edu