PTC060 problems and solutions
=============================



Help! My program worked with PTC053 but now it crashes with PTC060!
-------------------------------------------------------------------

problem:
Old programs crash when rebuilt using the new version of PTC.

solution:
read the "changes.txt" file for information about changes in the surface
allocation since PTC053. For an example of how to work with the new changes
see the updated "rand32.cpp" example program.



ET6000 univbe bug
-----------------

problem: 
On ET6000 video cards with Univbe 5.3 some users have experienced a "black screen"
when trying to run PTC programs. This is because univbe 5.3 has a bug that causes
32bit ARGB8888 video modes to fail without indicating error and put the screen 
black. This error has also been reported on some ATI Mach64 cards.

solution:
This is a confirmed but in univbe and is not a bug in PTC. To fix it uninstall
univbe and run the program again. The program will fallback to a 24bit display
mode. Alternatively the user can specify a different format on the command line
"demo RGB888" will typically fix the problem, but only if the program author
has allowed command line PTC init (see image.cpp for an example of how to do
this).



PTC programs act strangely and reset computer when run
------------------------------------------------------

problem:
This is a bug with UniVBE 5.3 on some cards (S3 Trio 64+) that
causes the monitor to switch to very high frequencies and then
lock up, and reset the computer.

solution:
Try running without univbe first. If this doesnt solve your problems
upgrade to a later version of UniVBE. The version of univbe that comes
with scitech display doctor 6.0 seems to have fixed this problem.
See www.scitechsoft.com for more information.



pmode/w bug under NT
--------------------

problem: 
PTC programs built with watcom c++ which use pmode/w to replace dos4g/w 
will crash when using VESA under Windows NT (but will run fine under DOS
and Windows 95).

solution:
dont link watcom programs with pmode/w because it bugs under NT. If you do
link with pmode/w your programs will crash under NT. 



PTC programs built using DJGPP crash under NT
--------------------------------------------

problem: 
PTC programs built with DJGPP crash under NT but operate perfectly under
Windows 95 and DOS. The crash occurs when video memory is accessed.

solution:
this seems to be a bug in the near pointer code in DJGPP itself, so
unfortunately there is no solution if you must use DJGPP. If you can help
me getting PTC working with DJGPP under NT please email me at 
gaffer@bigfoot.com asap.



PTC programs cannot co-exist with Allegro and/or Midas under DJGPP
------------------------------------------------------------------

problem: 
PTC programs built with DJGPP cannot co-exist with midas sound system
or Allegro graphics library. Programs built this way crash horribly
when run.

solution:
As of PTC060 this is no longer a problem, if you are using an older
version of PTC you can fix this problem by upgrading to a later
release of PTC.



PTC programs built with Watcom C++ have a strange window
--------------------------------------------------------

problem:
PTC programs built with Watcom C++ for win32 have a strange problem.
The window is created with a disabled "close" button and doesnt have
a button of its own on the taskbar.

solution:
This is a problem that i have no answer for. The only thing i think
it could be a bug in the watcom win32 headers or libraries. If you
have any information that may help me fix this bug please contact me
ASAP at gaffer@bigfoot.com.au



Problems with windows losing focus under Win32
----------------------------------------------

problem:
PTC programs built under Win32 have a problem with multiple windows
created in one session in a console application. This problem shows up
with the "profile.cpp" example program.

solution:
Switch to a windowed application (WinMain) and this problem does not
occur. If you have any information that could help me fix this problem
with console applications please contact me at gaffer@bigfoot.com



Your problem isnt listed here?
------------------------------

If you have any other problems using PTC as a programmer or an end user
please contact me ASAP at gaffer@bigfoot.com so i can fix it.
