SAMPLE: VWFD.exe VxD Helps MS-DOS Application Query Screen State

ID: Q67590

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

The enhanced mode Microsoft Windows environment does not provide any facility through which an MS-DOS (non-Windows) application can determine whether it is running in a window or full screen. VWFD.exe is a file that contains a virtual device (VxD) that provides this information and a sample MS-DOS application that uses the VxD services.

MORE INFORMATION

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Software Library: 

 ~ VWFD.exe (size: 28614 bytes)
For more information about downloading files from the Microsoft Software Library, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q119591
   TITLE     : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services
VWFD is the virtual windowed/full-screen device. When installed on a system running Microsoft Windows in enhanced mode, VWFD allows MS-DOS applications to determine whether they are running full screen or in a window. VWFD supplies the following callback to accomplish this: 

   call:  VWFD_API_Callback
   entry:  BX=VMID of the virtual machine (VM) to test
   exit:  AX=0 if VM is full screen
VWFD uses the following virtual machine manager (VMM) services: TSTWF.ASM is a sample MS-DOS program that uses the VWFD callback to find out if it is being run in a windowed or full-screen VM. TSTWF uses the following functions: To build VWFD:

You will need Microsoft Macro Assembler version 6.0 or higher, as well as some special tools and include files; see the "VxD Tools" and "VxD Include Files" abstracts to copy these files to your development system. Configure your development environment as described in the "VxD-Lite Mini-DDK" technical article on the Microsoft Developer Network CD.

If you have the Windows version 3.1 Device Driver Kit (DDK), you can build its version of VWFD using the DDK-supplied MASM5.EXE (a special version of Macro Assembler version 5.10). Note that the DDK samples require a specific structure for the source and include subdirectories, whereas the corresponding samples in the "VxD-Lite Mini-DDK" utilize the INCLUDE environment variable to give you more flexibility in structuring your development files.

To execute VWFD:

1. Run VWFD.EXE from the MS-DOS prompt before starting Windows. When 

   enhanced-mode Windows starts up, the VxD will load automatically.
   Thus, you do not need to modify the SYSTEM.INI file to load this
   VxD. VWFD will automatically load each time you start Windows until
   you reboot your computer; once rebooted, the stub loader is cleared
   from memory and the VxD will not load.

   If you prefer to have Windows load the VxD without first executing
   it from the MS-DOS prompt, rename VWFD.EXE to VWFD.386 and move it
   to the Windows SYSTEM subdirectory. Add the line DEVICE=VWFD.386 to
   the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file and restart Windows.
2. Run Windows in enhanced mode. The code responsible for self-loading 
   the VxD is in the VXDSTUB.ASM file and is linked into the final VxD
   file by the STUB 'VXDSTUB.EXE' module definition (.DEF) file
   statement. When executed from the MS-DOS prompt, the VxDStub hooks
   Interrupt 2Fh, terminates, and stays resident. When Microsoft
   Windows initializes itself, the TSR responds to the Interrupt 2Fh,
   AX=1605h broadcast and returns a structure that causes the VxD to
   be loaded. This technique is discussed in the "TSR Support in
   Microsoft Windows Version 3.1" technical article on the Microsoft
   Developer Network CD.
3. Run an MS-DOS VM (for example, COMMAND.COM), and run TSTWF.EXE in 
   it. TSTWF will report whether the VM is windowed or full-screen.
4. Press ALT+ENTER to toggle the VM between windowed and full-screen 
   mode, then run TSTWF.EXE again; it should report the opposite
   state.
VWFD was built and tested under Microsoft Windows version 3.1 using Microsoft MASM versions 6.0 and 6.1 and the tools and include files provided in the "VxD-Lite Mini-DDK."

Additional query words: Keywords : kbfile kbsample kb16bitonly kbDDK kbWinOS3

Last Reviewed: July 26, 1998