HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: reza@magellan.ae.utexas.edu (Alireza Vali)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Microlab is a rip-off!!!  BEWARE!!!
Summary: Don't buy anything from Microlab.
Date: 11 Nov 92 15:51:12 GMT
Distribution: na

I posted an article yesterday about ordering a Diamond 24X and receiving
a Stealth VRAM for the same price ($159).  The company I ordered from is
Microlab.  After installing the Stealth, I realized it only supports
32K colors at 640x480 and not at 800x600.  I decided to go ahead and send
it back for the 24X.  Here's a brief summary of my conversation with the
salesman who sold me the card:

Me:	"Hi Jon, I ordered the Diamond 24X from you on Oct 31, but you
	 guys sent me the Stealth VRAM by mistake."

Jon:	"What is your order and customer number."

Me:	<gave him the information>

Jon:	"Yeah, we upgraded you to the Stealth at no charge.  The 24X is
	 on back-order.  The Stealth is the better card."

Me:	"Well, it does neither 24 bit at 640x480, nor 15 or 16 bit at
	 800x600."

Jon:	"That's not a big deal really, the Stealth performs much better
	 and you got it for $40 less than we advertise."

Me:	"Jon, I DON'T WANT THE STEALTH.  I want the 24X.  That's what I
	 ordered, that's what I paid for, that's what I want."

Jon:	"I don't see why you're insisting on the inferior card."

Me:	"Look,  I don't want the Stealth.  It's older technology.  Will
	 you, or will you not exchange the Stealth for the 24X?"

Jon:	"I can't do that. <sounding a bit testy>"

Me:	"What?  What do you mean you CAN'T do that?  May I talk to your
	 supervisor?"

Jon:	"Nope."

Now I was really pissed off!

Me:	"Ok, I'm just going to return it then."

Jon:	"You'll have to call support at (313) 474-0408."

Me:	"That's not a toll-free line.  Can't you just transfer me?"

Jon:	"Nope."

At this point, I just hung up on the jerk, called the support line, and
after 18 minutes on hold, got someone on the line and got an RMA number.

This is highly unethical.  I would think the customer is entitled to
receive what he/she pays for.  If they want to give me something "better,"
the least they could do is check with me first!  My reason for posting
this was because so many people seem interested in the 24X, and many
buy through Computer Shopper.  Microlab has the lowest advertised price,
and I'm doing this so no one else gets suckered into this situation.
It's a shot in the dark, but I'm going to call my credit card company and
the post office to see whether what they did constitutes fraud.

-- 
Ali R. Vali - reza@magellan.ae.utexas.edu
From: pdressne@netxcom.netx.com (Peter Dressner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: How to examine Phoenix cmos settings
Date: 9 Nov 92 13:14:44 GMT
Organization: NetExpress Inc., Vienna, VA

Hello everyone. I have a problem with a 386 PC, with Phoenix BIOS.
I need to examine the CMOS settings (to see wait states, etc).

I have a PC at home with AMI BIOS, and its easy. Just hit the Del
key and the CMOS setting menu appears. No such luck with Phoenix BIOS.

So, how does one examine, and modify, the CMOS settings on a machine
with Phoenix BIOS.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Peter
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: tarun@psyclops.psyc.queensu.ca (Tarun Kripalani)
Subject: Data Collection Boards
Organization: Dept. Of Psychology,  Queen's University,  Kingston
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 14:34:02 GMT

Hi! I am interested in obtaining a data collection
board for the PC that has A/D, D/A, Digital I/O
and Counters/timers with a 16-bit bus interface.
It should also come with a C library of function
calls to accesss the facilities of the board.

Has anybody out there heard of such a board? 
Any experiences? Suggestions? Price?

I would be interested in hearing anything.

TIA.
-- 

Tarun Kripalani (of Permanent Wounded Knee )
e-mail:   tarun@psyclops.psyc.queensu.ca
Dept. of Psychology, Queen's University,
Kingston, Ontario.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: arc5@chempc0.york.ac.uk (Alastair Cargill)
Subject: Re - Trident 8900 Windows 3.1 drivers
Organization: University of York, UK
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 19:58:18 GMT
X-Posted-From: chempc0.york.ac.uk
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

Hi

With refernce to the recent postings about getting hold of the most recent 
Windows 3.1 drivers - I contacted Microsoft in the UK with a query about 
getting DOS windows to work in 3.1 and they sent me a disk with drivers for 
3.1. I have just downloaded the drivers from CICA and will check on the 
relative release dates. BTW the 1024*768*16 large font seems to give me a 
much slower screen update than the equivalent 256 colour mode e.g. if you 
open a window and then make it full screen it takes longer to draw over the 
wallpaper. Any thoughts, although the drivers I have just down loaded may 
fix that :-) (heres hoping anyway)

Cheers
Al
From: lestrade@Ra.MsState.Edu (John Patrick Lestrade)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Microlab is a rip-off!!! BEWARE!!!
Date: 12 Nov 92 22:41:34 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Mississippi State University

tvp@gibdo.engr.washington.edu writes:

>As a self-espoused COD orderer I like to follow up to these type posts.
>Okay, how is it an advantage in this case? If I'd ordered this video
>card COD this is what would have happened.

>1. Delivery guy arrives.
>2. I check the contents of the order
>3. I see that they sent a video card I don't want.
>4. I send the delivery guy away without giving him any money.

I perfer credit cards.  It can happen that the delivery seems ok, but
when you install it (or whatever) it doesn't work.  with COD, your
money is long gone.  with a credit card you still have recourse.
I have also had it happen that they forgot to charge me!!

--
John Patrick Lestrade        
cnesta::lestrade                       Let's try again in '96!
lestrade@ra.msstate.edu
From: mberhan@cup.portal.com (Mike D Berhan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Does Adoptec refuse to support its SCSI I/F for end users?
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 92 08:40:00 PST
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Distribution: na
  <1992Nov10.160106.687@gumby.dsd.trw.com> <BxKE0o.DMK@news.cso.uiuc.edu>
  <1992Nov12.172112.18051@gumby.dsd.trw.com>

lainhart@odel.stg.TRW.COM (Mike Lainhart) writes:
 
>  1) It is unforgivable to leave me on hold for 10-15 minutes before
>     being told that someone will have to get back to me.  During the
>     period that I was trying to get this board working I spent about
>     $50 in phone bills for the time I was on hold.  During none of 
>     those times was I connected to a support person.  I was always
>     promised a call back.

Adaptec now has an 800 # for tech support.  It's (800) 959-7274 I believe.
Probably still a long wait on hold but at least you don't have to pay for
it.

Mike Berhan
mberhan@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: rnichols@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (robert.k.nichols)
Subject: Re: LLF of IDE drives
Summary: ST-3144 family protects itself well
Organization: AT&T
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 20:39:10 GMT

In article <1ddtatINNt6@clover.csv.warwick.ac.uk> cstadbt@csv.warwick.ac.uk (Charles Elliott) writes:
...
>In answer to a question a few postings back, the ST3144A is (as far as I 
>can remember) in the same family as the ST3120A and therefore cannot be
>*successfully* low level formatted (by the user). If anyone wants to format 
>their drive using a BIOS program etc. then they are welcome - just don't 
>expect it to work afterwards, or that it is going to be able to be fixed
>without costing more than a new drive.

You are correct about the drive family.  An *attempt* to LL format these
drives will be harmless, however.  The drive will pretend to do the
format and report success, but won't actually do anything more than a
routine surface analysis.

Bob Nichols
AT&T Bell Laboratories
rnichols@ihlpm.ih.att.com
From: pauls@css.itd.umich.edu (Paul Southworth)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Help! Help! Help!
Date: 7 Nov 1992 23:06:06 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan ITD Consulting and Support Services
NNTP-Posting-Host: stimpy.css.itd.umich.edu
Originator: news@stimpy.css.itd.umich.edu

In article <1992Nov7.132759.11569@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> smaa@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Shaw-Chang Maa) writes:
>
>The problem: My system cannot recognize C drive.
>       I start from A drive, but when I type C after the prompt, it shows
>    this message: invalid drive specification.

>4. Hard Disk type in CMOS:
>          Type     Cylinder  Head   Sector    Capacity
>           47         666      8      33        86MB
                       ^^^

There's your problem:  Unfortunately your drive has been possessed by
the devil.  Perhaps an exorcist would be more appropriate.  I don't think
Peter Norton provides exorcism utilities, hence your problem... ;)



Paul Southworth                    |           ftp ftp.css.itd.umich.edu
(Not speaking for)                 |         Political Archives in /poli
Information Technology Division    |     Writable incoming directory on:
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor  |         redspread.css.itd.umich.edu 

  <Representing myself.  Everything I say is for educational use only.>
From: chunche@pollux.usc.edu (Chun-Che Chen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Help on Bernoulli
Date: 12 Nov 1992 13:54:04 -0800
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: pollux.usc.edu

Hi,

Would someone kindly point me out : is there any harm
putting a cartridge in the Bernoulli Transprotable 90
Pro all the time?

Thanks in advance,

Jack Chen

Xref: sparky comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware:29746 comp.dcom.modems:16790
From: mulvey@blurt.oswego.edu (Allen Mulvey, SUNY, Oswego, NY)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: fax/phone switch
Date: 12 Nov 92 18:58:58 GMT
Organization: SUNY College at Oswego, Oswego, NY

In article <JON_SREE.92Nov11081440@world.std.com>, jon_sree@world.std.com (Jon Sreekanth) writes:
> 	<1992Nov10.123457.788@blurt.oswego.edu>
> Sender: jon_sree@world.std.com (Jon Sreekanth)
> Organization: The World
> Lines: 25
> In-Reply-To: mulvey@blurt.oswego.edu's message of 10 Nov 92 12:34:57 GMT
> 
> In article <1992Nov10.123457.788@blurt.oswego.edu> mulvey@blurt.oswego.edu (Allen Mulvey, SUNY, Oswego, NY) writes:
> 
> 
>    When an incoming ring is detected it listens for a CNG tone over the rings. 
>    If one is detected the call is routed to the FAX. Otherwise it "picks up" 
>    the line to listen for a modem. The modem must be originating in answer 
>    mode so it signals immediately upon answering. During this time a pseudo 
>    ring is sent back, I believe this is so the phone company does not consider 
>    the call completed in case you never do get through. If a modem is not 
>    detected, on what would be the fourth ring, the call is passed through to 
>    the phone (voice) line.
> 
> Don't think this is quite accurate. You can't get CNG (or any other
> intelligence, except caller-id) until you go off hook. After going offhook,
> regardless of whether you send fake ringback or not, the phone company
> starts billing. The fake ringback is mostly intended to keep human
> callers or modems happy during the time the fax switch is checking for
> tones. A human caller would be confused by just silence, and a modem
> would miss the ringback cadence and might hangup. 
> 
> / Jon Sreekanth
> 
> Assabet Valley Microsystems, Inc.           |  Fax and PC products
> 5 Walden St #3, Cambridge, MA 02140         |  (617) 876-8019
> jon_sree@world.std.com                      |

If you transmit your fax in auto mode the tones are sent between rings. Try 
keeping the speaker on the next time you send a fax and you will hear them. 
If you use manual mode you dial first then press send after the receiving 
unit picks up there will be no tone until you hit send.

			Allen Mulvey
			mulvey@blurt.oswego.edu
From: GRS00010@CONRAD.APPSTATE.EDU (Shannon R. Adams)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Need memory expansion card
Date: 11 Nov 1992 00:58:07 GMT
Organization: Appalachian State University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: alf.appstate.edu
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.24

	I am upgrading my 286-12 DTK from 1 meg to 2 meg.  However,
I will need to purchase a memory expansion card with one meg of DRAM
chips.  I need one with the manual to tell me how to set it up.
Please send me a price if you have what might fit my needs.  


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  _       _             _          _   _   _        _ <GRS00010@appstate.bitnet>
 (_  |_| |_| |\ | |\ | | | |\ |   |_| | | |_| |\/| (_      Appalachian State
  _) | | | | | \| | \| |_| | \|   | | |_| | | |  |  _)         University
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: vasta@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: HELP connecting
Date: 7 Nov 92 22:42:26 GMT
Organization: Oxford University VAX 6620

Can someone help me ?

I must connect a portable toshiba 2000SXe with a color video
How should switch between the two different screen the one
of the toshiba and the other one connected to the rgb socket ?
I do not have a manual and is saturday and I need to do it...

Thanks a lot in advance
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: tooraj@daneel.rdt.monash.edu.au (Tooraj Enayati)
Subject: Re: How can I low-level format IDE drive ?
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 09:30:06 GMT

<DXB132@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:

>In article <1d4brjINNb6c@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu>, pauls@css.itd.umich.edu
>(Paul Southworth) says:

>>In article <sauron.720737823@femto.engr.mun.ca> sauron@femto.engr.mun.ca
>>(Patrick Ryan) writes:
>>>wjin@cs.uh.edu (W. Woody Jin) writes:
>>>
>>>You can't.  You can repartition your drive, and you can reformat the
>>>partitions, but you cannot (and DEFINITELY should not) low-level an IDE.
>>>Not unless you are a card-carrying, certified guru (or masochist) :v).
>>>SHouldn't this be a FAQ?

>Well, that's simply silly. The "Format Track" command is in the ATA spec
>for a reason. The result of the command is completely up to the drive,
>of course; many drives will simply ignore it. In any case the drive will
>know to do the "right thing", so I can't envision what harm could be
>caused. It's no different than telling a SCSI drive to format itself,
>and I'm not aware of any paranoia associated with that.

I agree completely. I have a WD Caviar280 I have low level formated it
twice in the last year and half. Both time I had no other option. 
Once I was tring to install an MFM card in the system and its controller
card stuffed up my IDE hd's FAT nothing could recognize that the
drive was there both times I used the disk manager and I don't even have
a bad sector on the drive. 

Just don't send me mail I have heard this and that. But I'd love to
hear from any one who has LL formated an IDE drive and by doing so
he has stuffed up the drive.

That is all folks.

-- 
==============================================================================
Tooraj Enayati     Melbourne     Australia     tooraj@daneel.rdt.monash.edu.au
Monash University       Robotic and Digital Technology       (Graduate/Alumni)
==============================================================================
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Iskandar Taib)
Subject: Re: monitors 17"
Keywords: NEC, NANAO, FCC, monitors
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 15:29:44 GMT

In article <1992Oct20.191039.4810@newshost.lanl.gov> rdr@beta.lanl.gov (Robby Russell) writes:

>I would like to upgrade to a 17" monitor for use at home with windows.
>The NEC 5FG is my first choice.  I am concerned about it's FCC class A
>rating.  Does the class A rating mean that the monitor  absolutely can not be     
>used in a private residence?  Or does the rating just mean that there is the
>POSSIBILITY of interference? 


You could build a Faraday Cage around the thing 9-)

Then again everybody knows that NeXT's are Class A, right?





-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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: tmcreek@eos.ncsu.edu (Tobin M. Creek)
Subject: Re: Diamond Stealth vs. Speedstar 24X
Originator: tmcreek@c00100-100lez.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: tmcreek@eos.ncsu.edu (Tobin M. Creek)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 13:34:33 GMT


In article <1992Nov5.063332.11838@ucsu.Colorado.EDU>, kotsines@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (KOTSINES  THOMAS ANT) writes:
>>|> I am preparing for a 486DX-33 purchase soon and had been planning to
>>|> purchase a Diamond Stealth card. One of the few vendors I'm
>>|> considering said that their standard card is now the Diamond Speedstar
>>|> 24X which, according to the sales person, is better than the Stealth
>>|> and is supposedly phasing out the Stealth. However, I thought I had
>>|> read/heard somewhere that the 24X was in fact a lower-end card with
>>|> less performance than the Stealth. If you can help me set the record
>>|> straight on this, please e-mail me or post a follow-up.
>
>>But the reason its not so good (and being phased out as you say) is because it has no end
>>of problems with applications other than windows.
>>
>>640x480 in 16.7 million colors
>>800x600 in 32k colors and
>>1024x768 in 256 colors.
>>
>>Its not billed as being as fast in windows as the stealth but I'd have a hard time beleiving
>>that its unreasonably slow.  Its performance in DOS and in other apps is (from what I've heard)
>>as good or better than the stealth.
>>
>>Not that the 24x is glitch free, but my understanding is that the card out-performs the stealth
>>in almost every area.  Plus its cheaper.
>> 
> 
>I have a Stealth and haven't experienced any problems either in windows or in
>any other application, and I do run many a variety of applications including
>autocad, auto3d.  In addition, I can use 1280x1024 resolution for many of
>my apps, which is always nice.  Considering that most people will be using
>their card at the highest resolution possible most of the time (or at least
>the second highest), I would say a Stealth would be a much better choice if
>for only the speed.  I would die with 640x480 resolution even if it did
>have 16.7 million colors!
>

I looked at the Stealth, and S3's attitude about OS/2 didn't impress me.  As
best I can tell, it is being marketed as a Windows tool, almost exclusively.
I am hard pressed to find a place that mentions any of the other drivers that
come with the Stealth.  Even with several million copies out there, S3 says
they won't write for OS/2.  WD will.  Where will my money go?

I am happy with my 24x.  VGA modes (no drivers) are about 2x as fast as they
used to be, and I reinstalled Windows just to see the drivers run.  Plus, it
was cheaper by a non-trivial margin.  If you run a lot of standard VGA apps
(games, programs with no Stealth drivers) then get a Speedstar.  I think that
it is just a little better rounded as an SVGA card.  If you work in Windows
a lot, give the Stealth a look.  It certainly is faster there.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: tkuo@boas.cogsci.uiuc.edu (Feng-Lan Kuo)
Subject: WANTED: used hard drive + controller.
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 23:59:07 GMT


I am looking for a USED hard disk with capacity greater than 84Mega, and 
access time faster than 28ms access time.

If anyone is willing to sell his/her hard disk drive + controller card, please
send an e-mail directly to me with descriptions about brand of HD, controller,
capacity, access time, age, condition, and price offered.  

Thanks.

e-mail: hcg6805@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu     <----------- preferred. 
     or 
        tkuo@boas.cogsci.uiuc.edu
From: mulvey@blurt.oswego.edu (Allen Mulvey, SUNY, Oswego, NY)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Phoenix BIOS - How do you get to CMOS setup?
Date: 4 Nov 92 16:08:15 GMT
Organization: SUNY College at Oswego, Oswego, NY

In article <1992Nov2.232531.5389@PA.dec.com>, reisert@sttng.mlo.dec.com (Jim Reisert) writes:
> 
> I acquired a 286 machine with Phoenix BIOS.  How do you get to the
> CMOS setup screen?

I no longer have my 286 with Phoenix BIOS so I don't know the version 
number. All I had to do was press <Ctrl-Alt-s> and it would pop up. There 
was also instructions printed on the screen during boot but I don't recall 
exactly what it said.

			Allen Mulvey
			mulvey@blurt.oswego.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: rash@access.digex.com (Wayne Rash)
Subject: Re: Gateway problems universal?
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, Maryland USA
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 06:35:22 GMT

price@helios.unl.edu (Chad  Price) writes:

>as232@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Michael Lerner) writes:

>>Are these problems that Gateway 66-V and 33-V users having, occuring on other
>>company's system, or is the problem strictly Gateway?  What about ZEOS  and
>>Dell, do their systems exhibit these problems, or are they clean?  Just curious
>>if it's an industry or single company problem.

>I've had a Gateway 486DX2/66 EISA for a couple of weeks now and have absolutely
>no problems with the hardware. To what problems are you so loosely refering? 



>--
>chad
>price@helios.unl.edu
>cprice@molecular.unmc.edu

I also have a 486DX2/66 EISA, and have had no problems of any significance.
The only hardware glitch required moving a jumper on the video card.  The
rest of the problems were the result of short circuits between the
keyboard and the chair.  The most notable regards the operator's inability
to read as fast as the computer sends stuff to the screen.  Can't win 'em
all.  

Otherwise, no problems at all, and while calling gateway can be a chore, I
can handle that in a background process (meaning an autodialer with
infinite repeat).
From: cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (gordon hlavenka)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: eprom checksum
Date: 4 Nov 92 03:35:58 GMT
Article-I.D.: vpnet.1992Nov04.033558.25890
Organization: Vpnet Public Access


 martijn@zen.et.tudelft.nl (Martijn Nykerk) writes:
>Does anybody out there now how to compute the checksum (assuming there is one)
>for an EPROM. I am trying to add some hardware to a PC with its own EPROM,
>but can't seem to tell DOS to install it.
>I known there is a byte after the AA 55, but what does it say?

The "BIOS Extension Signature" is 55 AA nn where nn is the length of
the extension.  I think the unit used is 128-byte chunks, but I'm not
sure.  Anyway, the arithmetic sum (mod 256) of all bytes in the
extension must be zero.

How it is adjusted doesn't matter; by convention the last byte in the
ROM is set to the appropriate value to adjust the checksum.  You could
use any byte in the ROM -- provided that byte isn't say, code or something.

The contents of the ROM will be executed at boot time; the entry point
is at offset 3.  Again by convention, this location holds a JMP
instruction to the initialization code.  (The initialization code
could just as well start at offset 3, though.)  The idea here is that
you get control to do any required initialization.  The inialization
would, in addition to actually setting up the hardware, hook whatever
interrupt vectors were applicable so you could access your hardware
later.  After initialization, return control to the BIOS with a RETF.

Your ROM _can't_ use any DOS calls during initialization, since DOS
hasn't loaded yet.  And, you shouldn't use DOS calls in the ROM
elsewhere either, since that would really bug someone trying to write
a NextStep driver for your hardware. (or whatever :-)

There may be some errors / omissions in the above, but it's certainly
close enough to get you started.

-- 
----------------------------------------------------
Gordon S. Hlavenka           cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us
     "A political plug formerly appeared here."
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.dcom.modems