HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: AMSTRAD PPC640
From: ben.sansing@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Ben Sansing) 
Date: 8 Apr 92 13:26:00 GMT
Reply-To: ben.sansing@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Ben Sansing) 
Distribution: world
Organization: The Courts of Chaos * Jacksonville AR USA * 501-985-0059

Does anyone have any hardware/techie information on the Amstrad PPC640
portable (semi-laptop, if you're built like Schwarzenegger). It's the
one Underware Electronics has been selling for $299.
  I got one, but it's going back with disk alignment problems. I ran
some tests on it here, and various programs reported the drives were 1.4
meggers. In any case, the controller is NOT high density... so I'm
curious to know more about the guts of the little machine.
  It came with its own version of MS-DOS 3.3, and seems to run most
programs okay... but... I wonder about its potential peculiarities.
  Any help would be appreciated.
From: swsmith@wrdis01.af.mil (Scott Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: WORLD-WIDE SHORTAGE OF 3.5" DISKS
Date: 7 Apr 92 11:22:52 GMT
Organization: 1926CCSG Robins AFB

Hello Netlanders,
        I contacted a mailorder company yesterday to purchase some
3.5' ds/hd disks. They told me that there was a three week delay on
all 3.5 disks due to a world-wide shortage. I've seen these disks in
Walmart/ K-mart for about $12 so what gives? By the way, these 1.44MB
disks cost $.55 each in lots of 50. They been used once and bulk
erased, come with the standard disk guarantee, and are already
labeled.
        Sure this is a great price, but is there really a shortage on
3.5 disks? Wasn't there a worldwide shortage on harddisks last month?
What's next?
        If anyone else has heard of the "world-wide" shortage, please
let me know.

Scotty
From: jm602s1066@sycom.mi.org (James Mallory)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: What's the real story on Connor 209MB CP3204?
Date: 12 Apr 92 21:23:25 GMT
Organization: Michigan Information eXchange

kevin@kosman.uucp (Kevin O'Gorman) writes:
>I bought two different systems, both with Connor CP3204F IDE hard drives,
>usually stated as 209 MB drives.  The two different systems had the drives
>defined slightly differently to the CMOS, which makes me wonder what's
>going on.  The setups were
>
>     System 1     System 2
>cyls      683          998
>heads      16           16
>sectors    38           26
>
>The resulting capacities were slightly different, though both were roughly
>202.7 MB:
>blocks 415264       415168
>
>This is a half-height 3.5" drive, so I hardly believe the 16 heads anyway,
>so something really funny is going on.  Can anyone explain all this?

One thing you have to realize about IDE drives is that you don't have to hit
the type exactly for them to work.  They have one physical mode and several
translate modes that will work.  System 1 is proably the most correct
translated figure...but System 2 is close enough if you are not worried about
the extra bytes.  There should be no loss in performance or longevity running
it like that.  Probably two different technicians built the machines and each
used the translated figure that he knew worked.

-- C-UseNet V0.55c
            Jim Mallory, a CNE and a Randiod (What a Combination!)

  '...I wanted to have real conversations with people with bubbles on their
 heads...I want to sit next to Wookies...jawas...and all kinds of robots." --
   Carrie Fisher on "Star Wars"  (Even though I would of swore that she was
                           referring to the 'net!)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: bazyar@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (Jawaid Bazyar)
Subject: Clone parts vendors
Keywords: motherboards cases monitors etc
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 17:19:37 GMT


My company is interested in going into the computer reselling business.
We would also like to deal with new equipment for those cases where
a customer wants a new machine.  I've looked through BYTE several times,
and have seen a few vendors of motherboards and parts (nowhere near as
many as there used to be), but before I picked one I wanted to ask if
any of you have had any experience with sellers of clone parts.

Also, is there a better way these days than buying the parts and assembling
the machines?  It's been a few years since we dabbled in the PC market,
so we're a little out of touch.

Any comments or suggestions are much appreciated.  Please reply via
email (I don't normally read this group).
--
 Jawaid Bazyar              |   Ask me about the GNO Multitasking Environment
 Procyon, Inc.              |   for the Apple IIgs!   (314) 334-7078
 bazyar@cs.uiuc.edu         |   1005 N. Kingshighway, Suite 309 
 --Apple II Forever!--      |   Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: sje@xylos.ma30.bull.com (Steven J. Edwards)
Subject: Re: Intel 486 van de graaf generators in TV ads..
Reply-To: sje@xylos.ma30.bull.com
Organization: Bull HN, Worldwide Information Systems, Billerica, Mass., USA
Date: 9 Apr 92 17:51:51
	<1992Apr9.105909.26987@olymp.informatik.uni-bonn.de>
	<1992Apr9.161557.27185@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu>

In article <1992Apr9.161557.27185@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu> Iskandar Taib <ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu> writes:
> Wonder if they give the 486 some extra oomph. Funny thing is 
> no 486 I've ever opened up has the things...Maybe its a new
> memory erasure feature..
>
> Wonder how anyone can get their boxes to FCC Class B with the
> towers sparking like that....
>
> (Also note the EPROMs with the covers off... I guess one 
> shouldn't open the case in direct sunlight..)

	I heard a rumor that the computer animation for the Intel
advertisement was all done using SI machines that had Motorola CPUs.
I don't think that too many high end CG workstations use Intel chips,
although the i860 may still become popular.

 [The above opinions expressed are my own; not necessarily held by others.]
      == Steven J. Edwards           Bull HN Information Systems Inc. ==
      == (508) 294-3484              300 Concord Road         MS 820A ==
      == sje@xylos.ma30.bull.com     Billerica, MA 01821          USA ==
"That Government which Governs the Least, Governs Best." -- Thomas Jefferson
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.mac.hardware
From: chank@lips.ecn.purdue.edu (King Chan)
Subject: SUN 19" RGB on MAC or PC?  Info Request
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 13:05:18 GMT

Greetings,

I recently obtained a 19 inch SUN RGB monitor made by Hitachi.

It has 5 BNC connectors on the back..

    o     o     o      o       o
    R     G     B    H/V sync  V sync

The specs, according to SUN are

        256 colors
        84 dpi
        76 khz  Scan Rate
        1152 X 900 pixels

 My question is if anyone has connected this beast to

 a MAC or to a IBM PC ?  I would like to know how it can

 be done.  The pinouts would also be useful.

 I will summarize if there is sufficient interest.

 Thanks in advance.

 chank@ecn.purdue.edu
From: joel@upchrch.UUCP (Joel Upchurch  )
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Servo-writing a tape in a tape backup drive---HELP
Date: 14 Apr 92 20:50:32 GMT
Organization: Upchurch Computer Consulting, Orlando FL

mingmar@cs.mcgill.ca (Ming MAR) writes:
> I've been going around town looking for a bulk
> eraser.  So far, the only place I found one was at Radio Shack at
> $50 Canadian.  If I find it at another store, it'll probably cost
> $25.  I'm going to keep looking.  (I hate Radio Shack.)

Sure sounds like a rip. I bought a bulk eraser cat. no.  44-232 at Radio
Shack for $19.95 (U.S.) a couple of months ago. That would be about
23.75 Canandian. I had some DC2120 tapes I had been using in a QIC-40
drive and I wanted to use them in my new QIC-80 and they wouldn't
format. The bulk eraser did the trick, but it took a couple of passes.

(If your mail bounces use the address below. My map entry is new.)
Joel Upchurch/Upchurch Computer Consulting/718 Galsworthy/Orlando, FL 32809
joel@peora.ccur.com {uiucuxc,hoptoad,petsd,ucf-cs}!peora!joel (407) 859-0982
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: bn559@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jay Hughes)
Subject: Alloy Retreiver/40  Qic-40???
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 92 21:01:00 GMT


I just got an Alloy Reeiver/40, and am having trouble
getting it to work with CPBackup 7.0.  I was told this
drive was Qic-40 compatable and would work with CPB
or PCtools 7.0.  Anyone have one of these working
with the above software??  Is there a release of 
Resq (software from Alloy) that supports compression?
Would liker to get the most on a ta (120 meg with
compresion??).  Thanks for any replies....
					Jay
-- 
Jay Hughes		              bn559@cleveland.freenet.EDU
P.O. Box 1996			      jay@littlesys.verbatim.COM
West Monroe, LA  71294-1996
Phone:  318-361-5067
Xref: sparky comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware:13842 comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware:865
From: dourte@IRO.UMontreal.CA (Louis Dourte)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware
Subject: Re: Big (XGA?) monitors for IBM PS/2 model 90?
Date: 15 Apr 92 17:54:20 GMT
Organization: Universite de Montreal


In article <sfrt4INNj3a@agate.berkeley.edu>, rstanton@garnet.berkeley.edu writes:
|> I'm planning to upgrade to OS/2, and while my 14" 8515 monitor is fine in VGA
|> mode, it's a bit small to use in high resolution XGA (1,024 x 768?) mode 
|> without causing eye-strain.
|> 
|> Are there large XGA compatible monitors around, or would I do better to change
|> my adapter and monitor together? Also, about how much money am I looking at
|> spending for, say, a new 16" monitor (also, would this be large enough to
|> use at high resolution for OS/2, Windows and X-Windows applications?)

I used to work almost all day long with OS/2 on a 16" IBM 8514 monitor with a
8514/A adapter at 1024x768 and I found that to be a very good environment.
XGA having exactly the same resolution as 8514/A, the answer is yes, there are 
large XGA compatible around. I personally find 16" large enough for OS/2, but
you can certainly find even larger monitors that will support XGA resolution.
--
Louis Dourte
Departement d'informatique et de recherche operationnelle
Universite de Montreal
e-mail: dourte@IRO.UMontreal.CA
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Wednesday, 8 Apr 1992 01:34:27 CDT
From: <U58288@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Myoda 386/486 Computers

A company called MYODA has some of the best 386 and 486 system
prices in Chicago.  They appear to be a large outfit, with
outlets in many cities, but I know no one with one of their
computers, and I have not seen these computers mentioned on
the net.  Has anyone had good or bad experience with these
machines?  Thanks for any news. - Alan Hinds
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: rick@cs.sunysb.edu (Rick Spanbauer)
Subject: Dallas Fax, Colorado Mem Systems
Summary: opinions sought
Organization: State University of New York, Stony Brook
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 22:11:12 GMT

I would like to add fax capability and a tape backup device to my
PC.  After some study, I have selected the following items that
seem to fill the bill:

	Colorado Memory Systems DJ-20 250 mB tape unit		~$269
	Dallas Fax 96/96V modem (V.32/V.42 modem, send/rcv fax) ~$328

If anyone has used either of these units, I would appreciate hearing
any comments about what you like/dislike about the units.  Also, if anyone
has suggestions about other options, I would appreciate hearing about 
these too.

				Thank you!

				Rick Spanbauer
				SUNY/Stony Brook
From: nall@sun8.scri.fsu.edu (John Nall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Looking for info about boot disk format...
Date: 10 Apr 92 19:50:11 GMT
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Organization: SCRI, Florida State University

My (admittedly somewhat old) Norton's PROGRAMMER'S GUIDE TO THE IBM PC
gives the layout of the boot disk as follows:

  Bytes 0 - 2  A jump instruction
    3 - 10     System ID
   11 - 12     Bytes per sector
   13          Sectors per cluster
   14 - 15     Reserved sectors at beginning
   16          Number of copies of FAT
   17 - 18     Number of root directory entries
   19 - 20     Total number of sectors on boot disk
   21          Format ID
   22 - 23     Sectors per FAT
   24 - 25     Sectors per track
   26 - 27     Number of sides (heads)
   28 - 29     Number of special reserved sectors

However, he stops there.  I found some other stuff he wrote that claims
that the next 14 bytes are zero, but he doesn't know the significance of
that.

NOW...GIVEN THAT...Under DOS 5.0, a 1.2 meg (5.25 inches) boot disk shows
the following continuation:

    30 - 37    zeroes
    38         0x29
    39         0xF3
    40         0x1B
    41         0x1A
    42         0x1B
    43 - 61    "NO NAME    FAT12   "

Now the last thing (43 - 61) is, I suppose, the label, or at least
part of it is.  Anyone know what the 30 - 42 stuff is???

Thanks

John

    
    

--
John W. Nall              | Supercomputer Computations Research Institute
nall@mailer.scri.fsu.edu  | Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306

 "Disclaimer:  A society which requires disclaimers has too many lawyers."
From: john@attcan.UUCP (John Benfield)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Which QIC 80 Tape Drive to Buy?
Date: 6 Apr 92 13:31:34 GMT
Organization: Entropy Engineering Labs

> One thing to consider when purchasing a new tape drive is OS/2 compatibility.

That's right. Right after you sign up for that full frontal lobotomy
you'll be just dying for OS/2 compatible hardware and software.

> Yes, that's right.   OS/2.   By years end, you will either be running it,
> or wishing you were running it. 

You'll also probably be drooling out of the side of your mouth and mumbling
a lot about how your mashed potatoes keep taunting you at feeding time.

> But even if you don't think so, it doesn't
> hurt to allow for it.

True. It never hurts to allow yourself some breathing room. But OS/2? 
That's right up there with ensuring that the drive makes julienne fries
unless you've already bought into the OS/2 platform. The direction is
good, but a "useable" OS/2 was late out of the gate and is pretty
unlikely to be a major contender for a couple of years yet. (Yes, you
may feel free to rub my nose in it if it DOES manage to take over. That
is assuming that I'm not too busy trying to get the ice skating concession
in hell)
 
> 
> Currently, according to Colorado Tech Support, they do not support OS/2.
> When I spoke with then last week, they had just received their first Beta
> copy of OS/2, and were beginning to think about supporting it after they
> get their Windows s/w out.  Market forces will eventually force them to do it.

It hasn't been hurting too many vendors so far. If the vendors haven't
been considering it as a major market contender, what does that say for
it's viability? 

> 
> Currently, Irwin (aka Archive aka Maynard) has OS/2 PM software for their drives
> with OS/2 2.0 support due within the month.  Their DOS software *does* work
> now in OS/2 MDOS windows.
> 
> SCSI streamers (expen$ive?) have GNU tar for OS/2 available NOW.

A unix utility ported to OS/2. Hmmmm...I wonder what compatibility you
should REALLY be looking for? :-)

Seriously...if you are running DOS and don't have any immediate plans
to upgrade to a different OS platform, then don't worry about it. You
usually end up paying through the nose for compatibility you may never
have a use for (OS/2 compatibility especially). Just chose you vendor
well and make sure they have a good support and upgrade policy and 
when the market shakes out you can worry about drivers and upgrades
as you need them.

Just my own opinions.

John Benfield
..uunet!attcan!john


Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: craig@alchemy.tn.cornell.edu (Craig Carpenter)
Subject: plus hardcard question
Organization: Alchemy International
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 20:47:22 GMT



Just got ahold of a plus hardcard20 . Anyone know how to low level
format this thing??   I tried the normal stuff
If possible - email me -- thanks
From: Curt.Shehow@p33.f75.n3603.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Curt Shehow)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Help: Quantum HD and BIOS setup
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 92 22:24:00 EDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3603/75.33 - Psycho.FidoNet.Org, Clearwater FL

16 Apr 92, Marc Zimmermann writes to All:

 MZ> I just purchased a Quantum ProDrive LPS 120AT (IDE) and am wondering
 MZ> how to define it in my BIOS.  My system has AMI BIOS dated 02-01-91.

 You'll define it as Type 47 and add it the stuff it's looking for.

 MZ> None of the default HD configurations support a 120MB drive; the
 MZ> closest is 114MB or 133MB.  So I want to use the user configurable
 MZ> option.  The Quantum spec sheet lists the following:
 MZ>    Formatted Capacity   : 120MB
 MZ>    Logical Heads        : 5
 MZ>    Logical Cylinders    : 901
 MZ>    Logical Sectors/Track: 53
 MZ>    (1MB = 1024000 bytes)
 MZ> So I put in:
 MZ>    Cyln   Head   WPcom   LZone   Sect   Size
 MZ>     901      5   65535     918     53   117MB

 Really? My spec sheet shows the following for the LPS120AT :
         Cyln  Head  WPcom  LZone  Sect
         901   5     901    901    53

 Try putting in those and see how it goes.

 MZ> First, what is WPcom and LZone? The manual that came with my motherboard
 MZ> just lists the default configurations...not what the parameters mean.

 WPcom is Write Precompensation and LZone is Landing Zone.

 MZ> Third, is there another way to get all 120MB?

 According to the spec sheet, you should have 122.24. The BIOS setup doesn't really show the real amount. It states my drive is a 237meg, but it's really 245.42 and all of that's available for use.
                                          Cs.


--  
Internet: Curt.Shehow@p33.f75.n3603.z1.FIDONET.ORG
UUCP: ...!uunet!myrddin!tct!psycho!75.33!Curt.Shehow
Note:psycho is a free gateway between Usenet & Fidonet. For info write to
     root@psycho.fidonet.org.
Xref: sparky comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware:13636 comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc:7450
From: yee@edison.seas.ucla.edu (John Yee)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Orchid Fahrenheit 1280 VGA experience/installation.
Date: 12 Apr 92 05:45:30 GMT
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Organization: SEASnet, University of California, Los Angeles

Hi, we are trying to install a supposedly great VGA card into a 386 or 486
in our lab.  So far, we have managed to have the card erase all of one
machine's setup parameters and spent much time restoring them.

We don't want to mess with the other machine if this is going to happen.
So, does anyone have any experience with the Orchid 1280 VGA card?
Also, what monitor are you using successfully with it?
Please don't suggest running one of the utilities that come with the card
cause we can't run anything when the card is in the machine, as the machine
does not boot with either the HD nor a floppy.
Thanks,
--
jy, yee@seas.ucla.edu
From: HSANCHEZ@UCRVM2.BITNET (Harold Sanchez)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: High quality PCs for control
Date: 15 Apr 92 19:35:57 GMT
Article-I.D.: nettlera.9204151936.AA07330
X-Unparsable-Date: Tue, 14 Apr 92 21:06:41 UCR


We are trying to upgrade the electromechanical public telephone exchanges in
Costa Rica by substituting their control parts.

The control parts are being changed by PC's or compatibles + I/O interfaces +
programming. Comercial PC's and compatibles are used.

The substitutes work very well due to the simple tasks they have to perform.
This gives us plenty of scope for improvements.

Prototipe modules have being tried with real telephone traffic.

Now we need highly reliable parts for prototipes to be tried during long
periods. Where can we get these (PC motherboards, power supplies, disk drives
and controlers, I/O interface cards, modems, etc.) ? Any military grade PC's?

Is this the proper list for this subject? Should I try another one?
Please e-mail directly to me.
Thanks in advance for any help.

Harold Sanchez          hsanchez@ucrvm2.bitnet

Unidad de Investigacion y Desarrollo
Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad
Costa Rica
From: jbradsha@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Jonathan Bradshaw)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: 386-40 Motherboard - Advice Wanted
Date: 8 Apr 92 15:40:19 GMT
Organization: Purdue University

I have a 386sx-20mhz C&T motherboard in my machine right now. I'm looking
to upgrade in the next couple of months to something that can handle Os/2
well. I've seen many ads for 386-40 motherboards and the price seems about
right ($350-$400).  However, I've never dealt with any 386-40's and would
like any suggestions on the purchase. Are they reliable? Would I be better
with a 33? Can one get a better deal on them? 

Thanks for your advice!

-- 
 Jonathan Bradshaw | jbradsha@mentor.cc.purdue.edu | pbradsha@darwin.cc.nd.edu
 Purdue University | WNDU-AM/FM/TV South Bend, IN  | Forsythe Computers,  Inc.
 Prodigy:  XMSN02B | Whovian/Trekker/Red Dwarf/Quantum Leap/Blakes 7/DGIF#9588
 - "Busy life, not enough time to look in the mirror." -  Deborah Ann Gibson -
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,houston.wanted,tx.wanted
From: st17t@menudo.uh.edu (David Bonds)
Subject: Re: 386 chip?
Organization: University of Houston
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 14:42:37 GMT

In article <1992Apr9.082225@se44.wg2.waii.com> khx@se44.wg2.waii.com writes:
>I have traced my problems on one of my PCs to a bad 386DX-25
>cpu chip. The local vendor I usually deal with told me that I must
>buy a whole new motherboard since CPU chips by themselves
>are not available.  Is this true? If so, why? Is it not legal?

I've seen 386 motherboards offered without the chip, and I'm sure
you can get the chip itself, you could even probably find a blown
386 motherboard with the chip in fine shape if you couldn't find the
chip itself.

>
>The cost of a new motherboard (386DX;0k;AMI;25MHz) is
>about $300. (sounds high!?!) I can re-use my SIMMs but not my 287 since thenew board only slots the 387. SO, I would just like to get a
>new 386DX25 for my board. Any 386DX sellers (if this is legal)? 

I have seen 386/40 motherboards with cache for $340, so this does seem
quite high.  Read the misc.forsale.computers newsgroup for a few days,
I'm sure you'll find a better deal then your vendor is offering.


-- 
---
Dave Bonds                          "Eagles may fly, but weasels don't  
InterNet : st17t@menudo.uh.edu         get sucked into jet engines!"      
The Cutting Edge - (713)466-1525 - HST / v32bis
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: rubenstein@binah.cc.brandeis.edu (Ken Rubenstein)
Subject: Help! Soundblaster not working...
Reply-To: rubenstein@binah.cc.brandeis.edu
Organization: Brandeis University
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 17:34:05 GMT

I am having trouble trying to get my soundblaster card to work with my new
motherboard.  It is a 386-33DX with a 64k cache.  I have tried almost every
configurable combination of irq settings and address settings, but nothing
works.  When I run test-sbc I get the error : ERROR CODE 400.  Does anyone know
what this means?

I also have an ATI VGA WONDER and simple MFM HD controller in the machine.  My
old motherboard was an AST 286, 10MHz with all the same cards, and everything
worked fine.

If anyone can e-mail me any advice I would really appreciate it.  I will post a
summary of all useful information.

thanks,
Ken Rubenstein

RUBENSTEIN@BINAH.CC.BRANDEIS.EDU
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------