There was a fix for this. I remember having the problem, LONG before XP. There was a relatively simple fix, having to do with updating video driver or some such setting. I do not remember what it was, just remember doing it.
Good luck with it! 73, Jim wb4gcs@amsat.org
W4UPD wrote:
Thanks for the prompt response Paul. I suspected what you have mentioned below. Just got a new Dell Laptop and have been asked by the local radio clubs here to do some satellite presentations, so I have been attempting to install all the various satellite programs I can find or already have to show what is available. The system is off now so I'll have to check it later, but I suspect that it is an old version of 1.0. I don't remember having upgraded since I went to Wisp, Winorbit and others.
Reid, W4UPD
Paul Williamson wrote:
At 9:07 PM -0400 10/7/06, W4UPD wrote:
I believe that has been asked in the past but I do not remember the answer or fix if there was one. The characters in the map section of Instant Trak are all garbage characters in map mode. The rest of the characters in other modes appear to be fine. Does any know if there is a fix for this? I have tried various screen setting changes including fonts, but to no avail.
InstantTrack 1.50 and later default to VGA resolution, which is not subject to this bug. If you're running an earlier version of InstantTrack, the recommended solution is to upgrade to 1.50 ($ to AMSAT) and probably to the latest beta version 1.55. You'll want to upgrade anyway for Y2K fixes. If you're running 1.50-1.55, edit your IT.INI file and make sure your vga_resolution variable is set to 2.
There IS actually a workaround for the EGA mode used by InstantTrack 1.00 and in the vga_resolution=1 mode of later versions. It involves loading a font that's missing in the ROM of certain later-vintage video adapter cards. Search for a file called FNT8X14.COM from Matrox. It installs a little TSR that replaces the font that's missing from the ROM. This same Matrox file probably works on non-Matrox video cards with the same issue, but there's no guarantee of course.
Note: this is often cited as a Windows XP problem, but it is not. It is a problem with certain video cards that came out around the same time as Windows XP. A lot of people bought a new machine with Windows XP and it came with one of these video cards, so it looked like an XP problem.
If, despite all that, you're seeing garbage characters on the map screen in VGA mode, then you're seeing a new problem that needs investigating. You can verify that you're in VGA mode by where the mouse cursor initially appears on the map screen. If it's almost all the way down in the lower right corner of the graphics part of the map, you're in EGA mode. In VGA mode, the mouse cursor starts out about a third of the way up the right side of the graphics part of the map.
73 -Paul kb5mu@amsat.org
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