test-drb November 1998

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

185 participants
940 discussions

by pechter＠shell.monmouth.com

> From: Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) <cisin(a)xenosoft.com> > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers > <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> > Date: Saturday, 14 November 1998 10:11 > Subject: Minimum hardware requirements (Was: Old, but not "Classic" > > > >On Fri, 13 Nov 1998, Charles Oblender wrote: > >> I've seen a 286 that ran Windows 3.0 pretty well. > > > >An 8088 XT will run Windows 3.00 > in real mode, yes, have a friend who still has one > with it installed. > > >An 80286 AT can also do 3.10 > and 3.11 as well. In Standard mode. > Again, a friend has an NEC compatible with 6mb of ram > and Win 3.11 installed. Works pretty well actually. > > >An 80386SX can do Windoze95 > > > I have done this. It does work. But it is VERY slow. > Microsoft don't recommend it, since 95 is optimised for > 32 bit all the way. But it's possible, if you are a masochist. > > >3.0 can run with CGA. > > 3.x (.0 .1 &.11) can use EGA, CGA and even Hercules, I've done the EGA & > CGA, not > tried Hercules, but the drivers are on Microsofts Windows 3.x Driver library > site. > > >3.10 SUPPOSEDLY can use the 3.0 CGA drivers, but they don't always work; > > Seems to be card dependent. But it does work on many. > > >3.1 therefore needs EGA > >I've never tried below VGA for Windoze95 > > EGA is allegedly possible, but I've never tried it. I believe it involves > using 3.x drivers or some other ugliness. But it is supposed to be possible. Sure works here. I've also used Hercules drivers with Windows For Workgroups. This got TCP/IP and the internet up on a 386SX 25 here. Use old OLD 1.x netscape. I'm not sure if 2.0 works with less than VGA. V1.x did just fine. I actually put in a Mono-VGA card from Paradise that lets me use the EGA driver and runs fairly well. I like it better than the old mono driver I had tried. The trick is there's no Windows For Workgroups RLE logo for non-vga... but I pulled the 3.0 logo from my 3.0 set and used that instead after I got tired of seeing the blank screen at startup time. The logo's concatinated with the binary to make the win.com file. I don't believe you can run Win95 the same way... on 3.x drivers. Bill

25 years, 7 months

Fw: Comodore 64

by fauradon＠pclink.com

Anybody can help this fellow? Respond to him directly. Francois ------------------------------------------------------------- Visit the desperately in need of update Sanctuary at: http://www.pclink.com/fauradon/ -----Original Message----- From: M. Amjad Masood <mamjad(a)batelco.com.bh> Date: Friday, November 13, 1998 7:14 AM Subject: Comodore 64 I have commodore64. Not in use for number of years. now unable to locate agent in Bahrain or in Pakistan. Pls let me know postal address to get my computer updating, parts, software information. what help kyou can extend. Tks - Majied

25 years, 7 months

Minimum hardware requirements (Was: Old, but not

by maxeskin＠hotmail.com

Well, Linux comes with ghostscript, which I think can do PDFs. And it runs just fine on my LTE/Lite with 6 MB RAM (though it takes half an hour to open a file). Actually, I doubt there is much variance, PDF is not the most compact format in the world, especially when people use it for charts and stuff. I mean, it gives good results, but it would make life a lot easier if every link to "View specifications..." did not lead to "Download specifications in portable Adobe (PDF) format \n Download free Adobe Acrobat (PDF) viewer here!" every single time. >No no... is there other programs that can read the PDF besides >Adobe's? That's the key. >Jason D. >email: jpero(a)cgocable.net >Pero, Jason D. > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

25 years, 7 months

Minimum hardware requirements (Was: Old, but not "Classic"

by allisonp＠world.std.com

< True and that is only windows itself! To be realatisc, 12~16MB and 8-12mb is more like it. some less. < nearly all websites demands at least netscape 3.x. That is where If you want a viewer. If you want something to read text there les less problem. < this made any 286 and 386sx to throw their trowels in. Cached 386DX 386s run ok but it's not going to be fast. < IE's but problem is how can one can read the PDF files? I have this < problem for my low end machines but what program I can view those < PDF's? I read them nearly daily. Acrobat, runs on any 386 and maybe lower. Unfortunatly it's so damm big and slow that it's painful even on high end 486s! < memory simm slots and better support of IDE, don't have to be < over 504MB, drives due to user-defineable and no need for The 504MB boundary has never been a problem for me! It's a dos problem but win31 seems to have no problem. < setup disks, usually. Everything is easily found, working, used < and. cheaply. Cheap, the key word. < Don't bother the win95 on anything lesser than 386DX 40, L2 cache < and up with more than 16MB, good HD. CPU hungry, ram hungry and < count on users download their favorites and quickly discover mistake < if they didn't follow this specs I listed. Subbing cached 386dx 40 < for cached 486 or mayble low end pentium types with good hd is best < option, but still needs some type of accelerated video card to keep < scrolling around confortable and sane. w95 on most is a waste. < win98 is out it needs at least 32MB and weighs in at 200MB installed < without anything extra just full configured win98 itself, loves < accelerated video cards, 1< GB, at least DX4 100 and up with W98 doesn't warrent unless you actually *need* it. < The 8088/8086 is very weak CPU even it really strains gobbing and < processing dir requests (watch the HD light blinks, in off states < between flashes, it's cpu is what doing the processing work!) It's slow that's all. A 286 or 386 at sub 8mhz is pretty poor too! < But remember 286 boards often are found with 1 or 2MB max and < many have SIPPS sockets, and very few actually have 8 SIMMS < slots, 4 slots being common. Biggest problem. < 286 and 386sx runs about the same in < lockstep in performance wise. 386DX 16, 20 is tagging in and just Gads no. I have a 386sx/16 (intel inboard PC) that can march circles around any 286. That has to be the most handicapped 386 around. Also another area where perfomance can be bought is getting MFM drive out of the box, generally they are slow. IDE drives are generally faster and even in an 8088 box the difference is noticeable going from a 1002xa/ST251 pair to an IDEadaptor/miniscribe 41mb. Another area in the 286 and up machines is putting a low end 512k VGA in if possible and for the 386 and up a 1-2m VESA or local bus can really have an impact on winders perfomance. A lot of the older board the cpu is not maxed out but the bus is the funnel your trying to push it through so any improvement in the peripheral area is notable. Oh, one trick I've ussed for even the sluggiest 386s under winders is to have a small 40-80mb drive as D: and put the winders swap files there it does make a difference when you swapping hard. Saves time moving the head. Using a second IDE interface at the secondary address helps some too. Allison

25 years, 7 months

Computer History Bookstore

by mark_metzler＠xoommail.com

Sam, I forked out $300 for the transparent Mac Portable. All the feedback I got from the Mac Usenet conferences is that its a really rare item, so I don't regret spending that much on it. I don't doubt that I could sell it on ebay instantly for much more. But I've never sold anything, just bought and held on to them. I've been collecting for about 8 years (I know, that makes me a Newbie :) ) I've been hitting the Foothills College swap meet for 5 or 6 years, but now there is too much competition. 3 years ago, I was able to pick up an IMSAI 8080 chasis with cards for only $5, and all the S-100's I could load into my truck. Now I can't find anything. --- Mark Metzler VON NEUMANN MACHINES Online Computer History Bookstore/Museum http://home.pacbell.net/mmetzler/vnm.html ______________________________________________________ Get your free web-based email at http://www.xoom.com Special clipart offer: http://orders.xoom.com/email

25 years, 7 months

modern removable media drives

by mbg＠world.std.com

Dan Burrows wrote: >I will have to check the total model info and what hard drives are in >them. I have 4 to 6 complete chassis but no controllers. I don't even >know what they are supposed to use for a controller. Then to I may have >the controller and don't even know it.:) There were a couple of different controllers, depending on the option type. I know of at least two qbus controllers, one for the DSD-880/20, and one for one of the other DSD models. I'll have to check the controller I have, but I seem to remember a set of blue handles, a 20-pin (or so) connector, and a dip chip which was actually fuse-type links which you would break or leave alone depending on the configuration. Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

25 years, 7 months

Computer History Bookstore

by mark_metzler＠xoommail.com

Yeah, I'm the one that bought the transparent Mac Portable. I found Sam Ismail's phone # in the pouch of the case, so he must have been the one that the vendor desribed as 'jumping up and down with anger' that someone bought it before him. Sorry Sam! I live about 3 hours drive from San Jose, but I make trips there regularly to collect computers. ...Mark Metzler ______________________________________________________ Get your free web-based email at http://www.xoom.com Special clipart offer: http://orders.xoom.com/email

25 years, 7 months

modern removable media drives

by maxeskin＠hotmail.com

>Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 01:23:05 +0000 (GMT) I'm sure that when dust gets between the head and the disk, it makes a bit of oxide chip off due to friction. > >For one thing, a floppy drive head is in contact with the media - it >doesn't fly. And thus it can't crash. > >Now a lot of dust will increase head/disk wear, of course/ > >> or smoke particles can and will cause head crashes on winchester drives. >> >> I am not a technical expert on the innards of Iomega Jaz and Syquest SyJet >> and Sparq drives. However, a casual examination suggests that they use >> winchester technology. This is consistent with the manufacturers descriptions > >I did open up the disk housing (I almost called it an HDA) of an old >10Mbyte (I think, maybe 5 Mbyte) Syquest. This thing was very much like a >winchester, but there was a recirculation filter inside. So I guess it >was better than nothing. Is this what you said earlier was the only undocumented part of your AT? What do you use now? > >Yep, and they still are. I've got a Seagate 1.3Gbyte drive here that's >very dead, and there is a little fliter inside the HDA at one corner. I >assume some of the air goes through it... > Also, newer drives spin faster, don't they? This would cause more damage when a head goes too low. > >Possibly higher density -> lower flying height -> more likely to crash on >smal dust particles. > >> Eric > >-tony > > > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

25 years, 7 months

On-topic Headcrash story..

by franke＠sbs.de

> Anyway, my expensive 3Com server began to 'whistle' at about > 10kHtz one day, and by the next morning it was screeching and > warbling and quite obviously dying quickly. While it *was* backed up > (the entire sales and marketing division was running in those 300 > MBytes) I still had throughput goals to achieve, so I got the 3Com > tech-rep out. By the time he arrived people were coming in my office > to see what that awful noise was... I couldn't believe it was still > *spinning*... let alone reading and writing. > "Yup." He said. "No problem.." > It was the absolute filter in the top cover of the drive. They > offered to fix it... not under warranty!!! because it was not > mis-performing... just annoying the hell out of all and sundry. :) Reminds me of the good old BASF 13 MB hard disk drive. Around 1983 BASF, successfull in producing floppies also tried to get a foot into the strong climbing hard disk market. So, they designed a nice 5,25" half height 13 MB drive (funny sidefact: the heady where moved thru a metal band mechanism, able to be turned buy a plastic wheel from the outside - so you could just positionate the head by hand .... or atatch a paper clip to get a head position meter :). These drives had a small spring atatched to the spindle (from outside - the turning end of the spindle could be touched) for grounding. And now and then this spring starts to give a high sound. Official solution: a drop of oil ... So, next time when you give your car new oil, save some for your vintage hard drive :) Gruss hans -- Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut HRK

25 years, 7 months

What is a Motorola Exorset ?

by Innfogra＠aol.com

Joe; This was Motorola's early 8 bit development system. I had one several years ago. As you noticed similar but not S100. Used for the development of 68XX systems. I may have a card or two left. It did use two 5 1/4' full height floppys in a small desktop box. Paxton

25 years, 7 months

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test-drb November 1998