HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: 9128057f@levels.unisa.edu.au
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: I need some advice from the motherboard gurus :-)
Date: 21 Dec 92 13:11:37 +1030
Organization: University of South Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: sirius.itd.adelaide.edu.au
Originator: daemon@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au

Greetings all!

  I have a little question which I would appriciate answered by someone who
knows what they're on about ...

  I have a 486sx/33 board (ISA) and was thinking about upgrading to local bus,
but am not sure about how difficult this would be.  Firstly, I live in
Australia and no-one locally seems to make a decent LB motherboard.  What I was
thinking about was ordering the board *minus* chips (processor, etc etc) and
having it shipped from the US.  I have heard quite a bit of talk, and ZEOS
seems to have the best board (comments on this?).  

  What I would like to know is - What would be the price of getting a VESA LB 
board from the US (price + P&P)?  How easy would it be to swap the chipset 
across from my non-LB ISA board to the new VLB/ISA board?  What chips wouldn't
be able to be swapped, and what would the approx cost of these be?

  Basically, is what I am considering viable both technically and financially? 
I would probably be able to get someone over here to do the swap, so that
shouldn't be a problem.  Also, what is the cost of VLB video cards like?  Well,
that's about it - all replies via email please!

Thanks in advance,
     		Neil. 
--
.---------------------------------------.------------------------------------.
|  You know someone has taste.. o       | The Wobbler!    (aka Neil Milne)   |
| when they ride a Kawazaki.. _/\_>     |   9128057f@lux.levels.unisa.edu.au |
|  ........GPz600R!......... O > / O    |   9128057f@Levels.UniSa.Edu.Au     |
|---------------------------------------^------------------.       .-_|\     |
|   "Kryten, unpack Rachel and get out the puncture        |      /     \    |
|    repair kit.  I'm ALIVE!"                              |      \_.-*_/    |
|                                  - Rimmer, Red Dwarf.    |           v     |
`----------------------------------------------------------^-----------------'
From: rickb@ballantyne.Corp.Sun.COM (Rick Ballantyne)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Sony CD
Date: 28 Dec 1992 04:50:40 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Distribution: world
Reply-To: rickb@ballantyne.Corp.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: ballantyne.corp.sun.com
Keywords: CD

Does anyone have experience using a Sony CD-ROM (model CDU-8012) with
a IBM PC?




Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: yue@flamingo.stanford.edu (Kenneth C. Yue)
Subject: Question about serial port speed
Originator: yue@bittern.Stanford.EDU
Organization: CS Department, Stanford University, California, USA
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 00:18:24 GMT

I have a no name clone 486 with a no name multi-I/O card that includes
two serial ports (COM1 and COM2), one parallel port and one game port.
A mouse is now connected to COM1.  How do I know if I can connect a
high speed modem (>9600bps) to COM2?  Does every PC serial card in
existence support speed higher than 9600bps (e.g. 57600bps)?  If not,
how do I tell if mine supports higher than 9600bps?  Thanks in advance.

Ken
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: hinker@acl.lanl.gov (Paul J. Hinker)
Subject: Reading the Parallel Port
Reply-To: Paul J. Hinker <hinker@acl.lanl.gov>
Organization: Advanced Computing Lab, LANL, NM
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 17:15:41 GMT

     I've recently aquired a video digitizer that connects to the
parallel port.  What I need is a code fragment or pointer to
literature describing how one would go about reading the parallel port
on a PC type machine.

     I realize that most PC's don't have bi-directional parallel ports
but I've purchased one for my wife's machine [386DX/25] so that's not
the problem.

     The following piece of code [with different addresses, of course]
works fine on my Amiga but gets me nowhere on the PC.  Note : This is
not a 'My machine is better than your machine' post.  I'm simply not
familiar with the PC way of doing things and am trying to learn.

void main()
{
   unsigned char *Parallel_Port = 0x378; /* 0xbfd200 on the Amiga */
   int i;

   for (i = 0 ; i < 320 * 200 ; i++)
      printf("%d\n", *Parallel_Port);

}

   From what I can tell, the 0x378 port number is missing a base
address and the above code fragment is simply reading the value from
somewhere in my program's current data segment.

   Could some kind soul tell me where to find the base address [so I
can construct the correct FAR pointer with a MK_FP call] for the
parallel port?

   Alternately, can anyone recommend a good reference for doing
this kind of thing?

   Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
   

   
--
Paul Hinker hinker@acl.lanl.gov    ///  If it works, it's not state-of-the-art
MS B287	    505-665-6396          ///                           --Hansen's Law
Los Alamos National Labs ACL  \\\///    All our stuff is broke
Los Alamos, NM  87545          \XX/                    --Forslund's Corollary
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: klosp@rimail.interlan.com (Patrick Klos)
Subject: **** WANTED: NEC PowerMate 386/20 Memory board ****
Keywords: NEC POWERMATE MEMORY
Organization: Klos Technologies, Inc. (603) 424-0138
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 18:58:32 GMT


I am looking for the "special" memory board that goes in the leftmost slot
(when looking from front to back) of a NEC PowerMate 386/20 system.  I have
a system that is missing this board, and now it's totally unusable!  If
anyone has one they'd like to sell, or knows where I might be able to find
one, I'd appreciate hearing from them.

Sincerely,

Patrick
========================================================================
        Patrick Klos                 Internet: klosp@rimail.interlan.com
        Klos Technologies, Inc.      Compuserve: 71521,145
        (603) 424-0138
========================All opinions are my own!========================
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: kepley@cs.unca.edu (Brad Kepley)
Subject: Re: Specifications: Intelligent Multi-port Serial Board
Keywords: IMSB
Organization: University of North Carolina at Asheville
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 04:28:11 GMT


I work for a board house and do some board layout and prototyping.  I can
layout and print a double sided circuit board for you if you continue this,
free of charge.  I can't do layered boards though.  Double sided, yes, but
no ground/power inner layered boards.  At 8Mghz on the internal bus, I don't
think that'll be a problem though.

By the way...the company I work for manufactures intelligent serial port
boards which are much as you described only they use an 80186.  You might
consider using the 186 too.  The benefit is a bunch of chip select lines 
for I/O without using an I/O chip and a some internal timers.  I'm actually
pretty familiar with the internal workings of these intelligent serial boards
and might even be able to offer a couple of suggestions.  I hope you stick
with it. It sounds like fun.  I think the most work will be in programming
the 8086, of course.  Good luck.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.sys.mac.advocacy,comp.sys.mac.hardware,comp.sys.mac.system,comp.sys.mac.misc
From: ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Iskandar Taib)
Subject: Re: AMD rubbish????
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 18:43:02 GMT

In article <92343.30350.J056600@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM> J056600@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM writes:

>Note that unlike the Cyrix "486" chips, the AMD 386/40 is no slower than the
>Intel 386s; that is, a 386/40 from AMD IS twice as fast as an Intel 386DX/20,
>as you would expect.  That is most emphatically NOT true of the Cyrix "486"
>chips, where the Intel 486/33 is perhaps 25% faster than the Cyrix 486/33.

The reason is that the Cyrix part isn't a true 486. It does use the 
486 instruction set (at least some of it) but is really a drop-in 
part for 386 motherboards.



-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iskandar Taib                          | The only thing worse than Peach ala
Internet: NTAIB@SILVER.UCS.INDIANA.EDU |    Frog is Frog ala Peach
Bitnet:   NTAIB@IUBACS                 !
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: palane@iastate.edu (Paul A. Lane)
Subject: Re: Monitors made in US?
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 15:38:31 GMT

In <1g3uhnINN25e@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> as232@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Michael Lerner) writes:


>Are there any good monitors made by US companies?  All I read about is NEC and
>Sony; is there a US monitor with the NEC 3fgx or 4FG quality?  I've heard the
>Magnavox are pretty bad, but that's about it.

To my knowledge, Zenith is the only American company still making monitors
(and TV sets) in the United States. There is manufacturing by foreign companies
but I don't know which ones.
\
Paul

Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: fdeck@vyasa.helios.nd.edu (francis deck)
Subject: Tariffs on memories?
Organization: OUC, University of Notre Dame
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 15:19:08 GMT

Tariffs on memory chips?  What gives?  Is the semiconductor
industry going to become a socialized industry like agriculture
in the US?  

f.deck
From: michael@jester.GUN.de (Michael Gerhards)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: INTEL 386/40 ???
Date: 24 Dec 92 00:07:20 GMT
Organization: private
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

Hello,

my brother just bought a 386DX40, but after opening the tower-case I saw
the intel-logo on the chip. The chip has a sticker on it for warranty, so I
don't want to remove it but is it possible that intel has a 40MHz-cpu.

Please reply by email.

Michael
--
* michael@jester.gun.de   *   Michael Gerhards   *   E.-Hoepner-Strasse 41 *
                          *   D - 4040 Neuss 1   *   Voice: 49 2131 470989 *
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: keiths@cae.wisc.edu (Keith Scidmore)
Subject: Re: Just how fast is SCSI-II, really?
Organization: College of Engineering, Univ. of Wisconsin--Madison
Date: 21 Dec 92 15:31:36 CST


>There are 3 (actually 4) flavors of SCSI-II peripherals.
>	1) SCSI-II @ 5MB/sec (this is the 4th flavor but nobody should use it)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Is this the eight-bit version similar to what comes on-board with some boards;
Zeos for example? What's wrong with using it if the bandwidth meets your needs?
Hang a hard drive on it.  The drive can't saturate the bandwidth.

>	2) SCSI-II @ 10MB/sec (the majority of SCSI-II peripherals)
>           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I've heard this referred to as Fast-SCSI.
>>	3) Wide SCSI-II @ 20MB/sec (uses a 16 bit data path)
>>	4) Wide SCSI-II @ 40MB/sec (uses a 32 bit data path)
>           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Would this then be Fast Wide SCSI?

Keith R. Scidmore
From: matthias@nsr.hp.com (Matthias Kamm)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: AMD rubbish????
Date: 29 Dec 1992 01:06:09 GMT
Organization: Hewlett Packard Santa Clara Site
NNTP-Posting-Host: hpmvd069.nsr.hp.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1.2 PL7]

Peter Busser (peter@global.hacktic.nl) wrote:
: Jim_Johnson@abcd.Houghton.MI.US (Jim Johnson) writes:
: 
: >number crunching the AMD 386/40 is a better value than the 486DX-33. This
: >is due to DMA speed (40MHz vs. 25MHz or 33MHz).
: 
: How do you get such high DMA speeds?
:

What does DMA speed have to do with number crunching speeds!?
All math is done on-chip...

Refer to a recent issue of BYTE magazine.  They did very
comprehensive comparisons between AMD, Cyrix, and Intel CPUs.
Yes, the Am386-40 will outperform the Intel 486-33 in SOME
situations where raw clock speed is the main issue, but the 
internal cache of the 486, and the superior x86 core will 
usually make up the difference.  

Whatever else you have to say about the AMD products, look what
their entry has done to the price of microprocessors.  No 
complaints here!

Xref: sparky comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware:34589 comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard:5966
From: anthony@cibbs.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard
Subject: Re: ATI soundboard and windows drivers
Date: Fri, 01 Jan 93 19:11:48 EST
Organization: DataSoft Consulting (Toronto, Ont. Canada)

mhemy+@cs.cmu.edu (Michael Hemy) writes:

> The sound drivers supplied by ATI for windows 3.1 have a conflict
> problem with gaming software, when the latter is ran from windows.
> 
> I installed all the games (DOS versions) under windows and all those
> that generate sound for a soundboard can not run. I get the message
> "The sound driver is in use by another application..." When I use
> "setup" to modify the drivers to "Creative Labs drivers" as supplied
> by Microsoft, the programs with sounds work O.K. But then I am unable
> to get sounds from the .WAV files supplied by ATI; I only get sounds
> from the standard .WAV files supplied with Windows.
> 
> The ATI rep said this is a known problem which is due to a faulty
> development kit supplied by Microsoft. As far as he knows NO GAMES can
> be run from Windows with sound, regardless of the soundcard. Hmmm,
> sounds strange [pun intended :-)].... it did work  with the OTHER
> drivers!

Funny this is not what I was told. It is my understanding that it is a
function of the sound driver to limit access to the sound card under Windows.
This is good reason for doing this. If an application attempts to run sound
and Windows then does the same...CRASH. THe ATI rep. I talked to suggested
that they are fixing this due to customer complaints, and will allow DOS apps
to use sound under Windows.

I personally switched to the Sound Blaster 1.0 driver for my ATI Stereo F/X
card and got the games to run under Windows. Try it.

You might want to email ATI at 74740.667@compuserve.com and ask for
clarification on this matter.

---____  ____
  //     //     Anthony Quinn       Toronto, Ont., Canada
 //     //     anthony@cibbs.UUCP   "Take off to the Great White North..."
 ==== ====    uunorth!cibbs!anthony
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: tooraj@daneel.rdt.monash.edu.au (Tooraj Enayati)
Subject: Motherboards with OPTI chipset == problem ??
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 09:10:55 GMT


I am about to upgrade my 286 to a 386DX40 with OPTI chipset.
I have seen a lot of postings about problems with OPTI chipsets
with soundblaster, OS/2 etc.

OPTI chipsets are well know and widely used. I am not likely to use
OS/2 or Soundbalster (at least in the near future). However, I really
need to use windows and various dos application.

Is OPTI chipsets generally known as reliable and compatible with other
hardware and most software? I'll apprectiate any opinions and experiences
on OPTI chipsets.

Regards
-- 
==============================================================================
Tooraj Enayati     Melbourne     Australia     tooraj@daneel.rdt.monash.edu.au
Monash University       Robotic and Digital Technology       (Graduate/Alumni)
==============================================================================
From: marco@chicco.sea.sublink.org (Marco Diani)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Technical specs for ISA & EISA buses
Date: 23 Dec 92 09:14:45 GMT
Organization: S.E.A Srl - Pavia ITALY

This is probably a FAQ, bu I haven't been able to find a FAQ list 
for this group, so here it goes:

does anybody know where can the technical specifications for the ISA
and EISA buses be found? By technical specifications I mean pin
assignments, timing diagrams, voltage levels and everything that is
needed in order to build a board for interfacing with one of the above
buses.

			Thanks in advance,
						Marco


-- 
Marco Diani
S.E.A. Srl - C.so Strada Nuova, 112 - 27100 Pavia (Italy)
Phone: +39.382.538021  Fax: +39.382.538023  E-mail: mdiani@sea.sublink.org
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: mcdonald@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (J. D. McDonald)
Subject: ATI Ultra Plus
Organization: UIUC SCS
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 22:40:10 GMT

Several people have posted words about the ATI Ultra Plus.

I just got one today. This is an ISA Bus card. It is running in a Dell
310 20 MHz 386 machine with 8 megs of memory.

It does speed up many things in Windows 3.1, especially scrolling.

A further point, based on actual tests:

It does support memory aperture. I'm running it right now. Works fine.
I've programmed it in 24 bit color mode using the aperture. It is limited in
the modes it runs with only 1 meg. 

Doug McDonald
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: rlee@bgsu.edu (Bob Lee)
Subject: Speedstar 24X Driver Problems
Organization: Bowling Green State Univ.
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 17:40:30 GMT

Has anyone heard the rumors or experienced the SVGA drivers for the
Diamond Speedstar 24X? Specifically the OS/2 drivers. 

I heard that they are pretty buggy and cause many system lock-ups. I also
hear that Diamond has been very flighty with repairing these problems.

Any comments? 

-BOB

Newsgroups:   comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From:         loc@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM (Leigh Clayton)
Subject:      Environment for floppies/FD drive
X-Telephone:  +1 (416) 364-5361 Fax +1 (416) 364-2910 Telex 0622259
Organization: Reuters APL Software Division
X-Mail:       1900/2 First Canadian Place, Toronto, Canada, M5X 1E3
Date:         28 Dec 92 22:05:32 UT

 I've had a PC in my basement for about a year and a half. I've been using
Fastback to back up my hard drives (cheapo Seagates, but they've worked OK) and
the last year or so I haven't backed up at all because I haven't changed
anything important (I've been quite busy with stuff at work and have really
only used the machine for a terminal to my other machines).

 Yesterday I did add some stuff, and noticed my last backup was more than a
year old, so I decided I'd better do backups. To my disappointment I find that
all the diskettes I tried to use seem to have magically gone defective. These
are Sony 5 1/4 2HD diskettes, some used once, some right out of the box
(although the box was open the whole time). Since some of the diskettes were
used once (and I run fastback with verify turned on), the deffectiveness is
apparantly the result of the long sitting on-the-shelf.

 I considered that it might be the drive, but my machine here at work also says
the diskettes are defective (NDD, CHECKIT, and DOS format all say so, in their
various ways).

 It's possible that the problem is that the diskette drive has become defective
and ruined the diskettes I put into it (haven't done anything to rule that out
yet), but I wonder if anyone can suggest some other explanation?

 Possibly relevant details: My basement is fairly cool & dry, as I have central
forced-air heating/cooling and leave the circulating fan on full-time. I've cut
one diskette open and saw nothing amiss with my naked eye (not that I expected
to). The diskettes were sitting in the Sony boxes they came in, upright, no
sign of crushing or creasing. I've never used a cleaning diskette (I really use
the drive just to install stuff and for an occasional clean boot).

 I don't mind so much losing a few boxes of diskettes (although they do add up
eventually), but I'm considering a DAT drive and I would be disappointed indeed
to drop $2K only to discover that my media weren't lasting for some reason. I
have seen very old mainframe hypertape read just fine, but admittedly they were
kept in an airconditioned vault.

 Any (informed) comments very welcome. E-mail by preference, but I do read this
group as often as I can. Thanks .../Leigh

--------------------------------------------------------
 Make haste, therefore, sweet love, whilest it is prime
 For none can call again the passed time.
                 Edmund Spenser
--------------------------------------------------------
Leigh Clayton                  loc@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM
    -or-                     loc@ipsaint.ipsa.reuter.COM
Organization: University of Central Florida--Computer Services
Date: Saturday, 26 Dec 1992 22:38:05 EST
From: Bill Laird <COP80196@UCF1VM.BITNET>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Need help. Hard drive failure.
 <92360.211533COP80196@UCF1VM.BITNET> <1992Dec26.152414.29296@IRO.UMontreal.CA>

In article <1992Dec26.152414.29296@IRO.UMontreal.CA>,
cholette@saguenay.iro.umontreal.ca (Martin Cholette) says:
>
 ***** You Should NOT low level format an IDE drive !!! Depending on the drive,
>      two things might happen 1) You might scrap the drive.
>                           or 2) The IDE controller will ignore the low level
>                                 re-formatting.

From what I understand, the only time you should low level format an IDE
drive is when you continuously keep getting "sector not found" "general read
error", etc. and ALL ELSE FAILS to do the trick. In fact, I have read that
most IDE drives that "go bad" really only need a low level format.

Bill
From: hwrvo@kato.lahabra.chevron.com (W.R. Volz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: is CMS trakker 250mb tape backup for real
Date: 31 Dec 92 21:54:00 GMT
Organization: Chevron Oil Field Research Company

Someone mentioned that the Colorado 250 mb tape backup
was really a 125mb tape system with compression software
and CMS hoped to get 2:1 compression. Is this for real??
If so, why can't I buy a CMS 125mb drive and use Norton
Backup to get the same thing. I already own Norton BU,
so why pay the extra bucks for a large capacity drive. Or
does the drive actually store more data on the tape.
A different tape, possibly longer, and if so, why not use
the longer tape in the 125mb drive?? Just exactly what
is the differences between the two systems.

Thanks in advance.
-- 

======================
Bill Volz
Chevron Oil Field Research Co.
Exploration Research/Geophysics Division.
P.O. Box 446, La Habra, CA 90633-0446
Phone: (310) 694-9340
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: olson@mydual.uucp (Kirtland H. Olson)
Subject: Re: Print on remote computer
Reply-To: olson%mydual.uucp@alliant.com
Organization: The Harvard Group, 01451-0667
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 05:21:23 GMT

In article <BzGBuv.3qn@hkuxb.hku.hk> h8915726@hkuxa.hku.hk writes:

>	Is it possible to print on remote computer, if the two
>	computers are only connected thru' modem?

Yes, with the proper software.  If you have ProComm at the receiving
end, you can shell to DOS and print a file form that computer's disk, so
you send the file, then shell and print the file.

You can use Remote Control or a similar program to move and print a
file.

DeskLink and it's shareware relatives will let you print using the
remote computer's peripherals.

If you have an old terminal, it can generally be set up to answer the
phone and print without a remote computer.  Many older serial printers
were actually Receive Only (RO) terminals.  

-- 
Kirtland H. Olson                     olson%mydual.uucp@alliant.com
From: baloo@nx12.mik.uky.edu (kevin s coupal)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Adaptek 1542b controller problem, Operating Sys Missing?
Date: 23 Dec 92 02:40:22 GMT
Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences
X-Path: nx12.mik.uky.edu!baloo

I'm having problems with the new adaptek 1542b controller card not recognizing
my scsi drive to boot from.  It boots from A: fine and I can go to c: and
it works just find.  But if i try to boot from c: it sais operating 
system mising?  What does that mean?  I have never seen that error before now.
Help!
Kevin Coupal
baloo@mik.uky.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware