HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Organisation: European Space Operation Centre (E.S.O.C)
Date: Thursday, 12 Nov 1992 17:05:16 CET
From: <KCHAN@ESOC.BITNET>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: fax/phone switch

Here's my $0.02 worth.

I have a Command Communications ASAP TF300+ switch which works fine. Only
problem was when the external power supply blew up and took the internal
voltage regulator with it but it was repaired under warranty and I got it
back within 2 weeks.

The switch picks up the line after the first ring (NB phone company charging
starts after the pickup, so the "toll saver" on your answering machine is
useless as I found out when I got my phone bill after I was away on a long
trip!) and listens for a CNG tone from a fax machine (also works for data
modems) and/or sends out its own ringing tone to fool voice callers into
thinking that the phone is still ringing. If a CNG tone is detected then the
call is routed to the device connected to the FAX output port (there are 4
output ports on the switch - phone, answering machine and extension being the
other 3). If not, then the other 3 ports will start to ring, i.e. if you have
devices connected to them. There are also other features e.g. manual transfer
to the fax port by either caller or callee, touch tone pass-through mode for
tones to be sent to answering machine etc.

The only disadvantage is lack of configurability, e.g. no. of rings,
reassignment of tones to functions, but there is a more expensive version
which has such features. I paid $79+tax for the switch at the local CompUSA,
I have also seen it being sold at various office equipment superstores in the
LA area for up to $89 or thereabouts.
-----
Khee Chan
PROFS: esoc(kchan)   BITNET/EARN: kchan@esoc   SPAN: jplsp::kchan
INTERNET: kchan@jplsp.jpl.nasa.gov             COMPUSERVE: 73750,1402
I speak for no-one, and no-one speaks for me, sometimes not even myself!
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: nestor@nodename.dec.com (Nestor Hernandez)
Subject: Re: Diamond Stealth vs. Speedstar 24X
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Distribution: usa
Date: 11 NOV 92 22:23:00    


In article <5NOV199209451909@rigel.tamu.edu>, cpw8034@rigel.tamu.edu (Alan Wen (409) 693-2924) writes...
>In article <1d9v25INN1uu@agate.berkeley.edu>, aron@angkor.ced.berkeley.edu (aron bonar) writes...
>>In article <1992Nov5.010618.1582@infonode.ingr.com>, rex@lgp.b23b.ingr.com (Rex A. Simmons) 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.
>> 
> 
>With both cards running on my 486-33/only ISA, WinMark gives me
> 
>SpeedStar 24x:  12.76 Mil
>Stealth VRAM:   7.65 Mil
> 
>If you prefer not to go by benchmark scores, try having identical machines
>next to each other with PageMaker or Word for Windows.  Then scroll up or down
>on both and you'll readily notice the difference.  I realize that this is
>only one aspect of overall performance but it's a practical and application
>based one at that.  You'll also notice windows opening/closing snappier even
>when you're inside imaging programs like Halo (included w/ 24x) Imager.
> 
>Under DOS, the difference isn't as noticeable BUT the 24x is still faster.
>Under numerous hodgepouges of benching prgs, the 24x runs about as fast
>as the Speedstar 24 which uses the ET-4000.  S3 as you know generally run
>slower in DOS.
> 
>I heard from a couple of dealers too that the 24x is phasing out the Stealth
>and that a newer model w/ possibly more VRAM and 24-bit clr support will be
>out shortly to be the mid-end card as oppose to the low-end pricing of the
>24x.
> 
>alan
>
From: stadler@pender.ee.upenn.edu (J. Scott Stadler)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: ABS, Baldwin Park, CA
Date: 12 Nov 92 13:56:42 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

I was thinking of buying a system from ABS Computer Technologies,
Baldwin Park, CA who advertise in Computer Shopper.  Has anyone had
any dealing, good or bad with this company?


Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: sjm1@ra.msstate.edu (Sarah J. McKinley)
Subject: TROUBLE WITH AN OLD MINISCRIBE - Help?
Keywords: miniscribe
Organization: Mississippi State University
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 18:29:36 GMT

I'm having problems with an old MINISCRIBE hard drive...
I changed motherboards and the CMOS HD settings got a little 
confusing...
I think I got 'em all figured out but my old park program
(which is a Seagate parking program) seems to really screw the HD.

So what I need is a park program that is meant for a MINISCRIBE...
OR, one that will DEFINITELY work on a miniscribe.
I HAVE tried to find one using archie but was unsuccessful...

If anyone can help, PLEASE uuencode and mail! 

THANKS!
Sarah McKinley             (sjm1@Ra.MsState.Edu)

Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: samodena@csemail.cropsci.ncsu.edu (S. A. Modena)
Subject: Defeating the Setup/Password on a Vega motherboard
Summary: Where is the CMOS maintanance battery?
Organization: Crop Science Dept., NCSU, Raleigh, NC 27695-7620
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 11:53:05 GMT

Scenario:

My 486DX/33 clone has a Vega ISA motherboard and AMI Bios.
It also has a cute (@#%$#!@#%!) Dallas Clock module which
*appears* to also house the CMOS maintanance battery and,
I believe, the Setup CMOS chip.  

Problem:

After one of my many software induced computer lockups (I
program for a living), the computer no longer remembers the
correct password (it is looking for a *different* password
than what I set it to).

I looked and looked for the battery to kill the CMOS.

I yanked the Dallas Clock Module for 1 hour, but it made no
difference.  I used a micro-ammeter to discover which pins 
might be the direct connect to the battery inside, but
found no pair of pins producing a current flow(?)!  I wanted
to put a 10 ohm resistor accross the battery and run it down.

The computer will simply beep (fatal error) without the
Dallas Clock module.

Talking to a local supplier, he believes that it's the
Dallas Clock Module that I need to defeat....and he doesn't
have a replacement module on hand.  He claims to have
defeated the module by shorting all pins to a metal plate
for a good length of time.

And for those knowing AMI password backdoors, the one-time
"secret" three-letter trapdoor doesn't work.

Suggestions?

Does anyone know the address or telephone number of Vega?
How about Dallas?

The Dallas Clock module is part number:

       DS 1287  9132B3  015438

The bios reference number on the screen is:

   30-0300-086205-00101111-050591-SYMP-F

Hopefully,

Steve
---
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|     In person:  Steve Modena     AB4EL                           |
|     On phone:   (919) 515-5328                                   |
|     At e-mail:  nmodena@unity.ncsu.edu                           | 
|                 samodena@csemail.cropsci.ncsu.edu                |
|                 [ either email address is read each day ]        |
|     By snail:   Crop Sci Dept, Box 7620, NCSU, Raleigh, NC 27695 |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
         Lighten UP!  It's just a computer doing that to you.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
         
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: calvert@QueensU.CA (John Calvert)
Subject: Infotel fax/modem
Organization: Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 01:54:32 GMT

Does anyone have any experience with this brand of fax/modem? I am
considering buying a 14.4 fax/modem, 32bis, 42bis 16550UART. The price
seems really good so I wonder if this is a dead duck.

I tried to scan backwards in this group and looked for the faq but 
didn't find any info.

John Calvert
calvert@mast.queensu.ca
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: dhess@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Drew William Hess)
Subject: Re: Gateway problems universal?
Organization: CS Department, Stanford University, California, USA
Date:  6 Nov 92 22:10:09 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? 


I've had the 4DX2-66V for about two weeks and I've had neither software
nor hardware problems.

-dwh-
dhess@cs.stanford.edu

Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: isc10085@nusunix1.nus.sg (NG YENG YONG)
Subject: Re: Conner 30104 Question
Organization: National University of Singapore
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 04:37:59 GMT

ipe@sara.cc.utu.fi wrote:
: I have a Conner's hd model 30104 which manual claims to be 120MBytes drive but
: I am able to make it only to the capacity of 104 MBytes. That is the same as
: Conner's model 3104. Am I reading this hd's label somehow wrong or what?
: Isn't my hd really 120 drive but 104 Mb's drive? I am able to make the
: partitioning following the 30104's values but when I try to format the drive
: there occurs seek failures. What's wrong?

   I also have the same drive. When I first brought it home to install,
I configured it to 114/117MB as I have the old bios which did not
support User-Defined Type. Then I did the fdisk and format. But the
format gives me seek errors and everything. But when I use fdisk and
partitioned it to 3 drives of about 38Mb each, all were formatted fine
without any errors. As I did not tried to format it to 120Mb, I can't
suggest any idea.

   As IDE drives have automatic sector translation, you can use any drive
type as long as the formatted capacity of that type does not exceed the
rated formatted capacily of the drive.

   Hope to hear more about this model.


Best regards,
Steve


===========================================================================
=                                          =                              =
=  Ng Yeng Yong, Steve                     =   Life is short,             =
=  ISC10085@NUSUNIX1.NUS.SG                =       Play Hard,             =
=  1st Year, Computer Science              =            Work Hard,        =
=  Department of Information System        =                 Have Fun.    =
=  and Computer Science (DISCS)            =   So, let our hair down      =
=  National University of Singapore (NUS)  =      and have lots of fun.   =
=                                          =                              =
===========================================================================

Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: mccall@mksol.dseg.ti.com (fred j mccall 575-3539)
Subject: Re: Opinions - Zeos 50MHz
Organization: Texas Instruments Inc
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 20:51:57 GMT

In <BxIvJy.HBv@news.cso.uiuc.edu> jjj45754@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (G Y M E) writes:

>Hi,

>I'm interested in upgrading from an IBM pS/2 286 to a 50 MHz machine.

>I have seen a ZEOS brand 50 MHz for an affordable price and would 
>like some opinions.  Mainly, opinions on ZEOS's computers.
>Also, if you have any suggestions as to another brand, please let me know.

Is this a 50 MHz, or a 486-50DX2?  They aren't the same critter.

-- 
"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live
 in the real world."   -- Mary Shafer, NASA Ames Dryden
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fred.McCall@dseg.ti.com - I don't speak for others and they don't speak for me.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: olson@mydual.uucp (Kirtland H. Olson)
Subject: Re: IDE Installation troubles
Organization: The Harvard Group, 01451-0667
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 14:46:32 GMT

In article <Bx9n0r.IM2@andy.bgsu.edu> sarnold@andy.bgsu.edu (G. Steve Arnold) writes:
>
>
>	Here's the deal. At work, I'm trying to replace an old Seagate SCSI
>drive with a shiny new Western Digital Caviar 2120 (120MB) hard drive.
>The system won't recognize the drive. During the BIOS init (bootup), the 
>system looks for about a minute and reports a C: drive (general?) failure.
>after booting from a floppy, FDISK fails to find the drive and reports 
>'error reading fixed disk'. 
>
>	1) The drive is fine. I hooked it up to my machine at home with no
>	   trouble whassoever. It formated and worked nicely.
>
>	2) The AMI BIOS is brand spanking new. (upgraded last week).
>	   The gentleman at hard drives international said that the BIOS 
>	   'might not be a real AMI BIOS'. I purchased the upgrade from 
>	   SMARTMICRO in California. Anyone know anything about them I don't?
>
>	3) Nothing 'obvious' is wrong. Ie, cables, CMOS setup, jumpers are
>	   correct and have been reinstalled and rechecked several times.
>
>	4) The paddle board should be fine. I tried 2 Vitex (cheapo) cards 
>	   from HDI, plus a BOCA paddle board from a local shop. All 3 yield
>	   identical results...
>
>	I'm really stumped. My best guess is that there is something about 
>either the motherboard or the BIOS that ain't kosher and prevents the BIOS
>from seeing my adapter board. Does anybody have *any* new ideas? ...

Incompatible bus timing between the motherboard and the drive could
cause this.  I've had trouble with Laser XT's and Quantum SCSI drives. 
After many hours, I understood that it was the Laser Motherboard that
controlled the problem.  Months later I learned that these motherboards
were giving trouble with internal modems as well.  (This is the Laser XT
sold by Sears.)  

Even when we got a Seagate SCSI to work on the bus, the transfer rate
was more like a floppy than a hard drive.  

I suggest you try something like another drive, or change the bus clock
and see if you can get a drive recognized.  Then check the transfer rate
and see if it's limping.  

Regards,

     --Kirt


-- 
Kirtland H. Olson                     olson%mydual.uucp@alliant.com
From: luf4695@cuphub.cup.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: IBM XT processor upgrade
Date: 10 Nov 92 00:40:14 GMT
Organization: California University of Pennsylvania, California, PA

In article <BwxBuL.Ay5@dei.unipd.it>, davide@sabrina.dei.unipd.it (Davide 'aie' Melan) writes:
> In article <1992Oct29.201131.84@cuphub.cup.edu> luf4695@cuphub.cup.edu writes:
>>In article <BwEoFv.MH4@syd.dms.CSIRO.AU>, valaris@swifty.dap.CSIRO.AU (Andrew Valaris) writes:
>>> 
>>> Is it possible just to replace only the 4.77 Mhz 8088 with a 8Mhz 8088 on
>>> an XT without any problems, or am I missing something.
>>> 
>>> If not, how can I speed up the clock rate without replacing the motherboard.
>>
>>	I'm not an EE but I know the speed of a computer is not only based on
>>the chip used.  It is also based on a quartz crystal "clock" that sends out
>>pulses at a specific rate(MHz).  Replacing a 4.77 MHz 8088 with a 8 MHz will
>>not work.  The only way to get a faster machine is to upgrade the whole
>>thing(motherboard).  You could probably find a 8 MHz 8088 for alot less than
>>$50. 
> 
> please, don't think i'm silly but I've replaced an old I-8088/4.77 with a
> NEC V20 / 10MHz on a CBM PC 10 ][ and all works fine: i replaced only
> the chip and performances gained a 10%.
> 
>    ============\   
>     ==========\  \   
>        |       |  |   
>        |       |  |            davide@sabrina.dei.unipd.it
>     |  |\-----/|  |                 (fax # ++39 424 72074)
>  =+||  |       |  |  
> ==+||  |/-----\|  |           UNIVERSITA` DI PADOVA - ITALY           
>    |   |       |  |                      D.E.I.                    
>        |       |  |        Department of Electronics & Informatics
>      ====______+==+
>    =====______ 

  I'm pretty sure the 10% performance increase was due to the NEC V20 being
faster than a 8088 and not the speed of the chip.  I am almost positive that 
your 10MHz chip is running at 4.77MHz if you didn't also change the crystal 
on the motherboard.  If anyone out there knows, please help.  Thanks.

Bryan Luff
Cal. U. of PA
Math & Com. Sci.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
From: noring@netcom.com (Jon Noring)
Subject: ---> I Need Advice on Upgrading from 386-33DX to 486DX.  Also SEX!
Summary: SEX SEX SEX.  There, does that feel better?
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 19:22:44 GMT

Hello,

Now that I've got your attention, I need some help, advice, etc.

I am planning to upgrade my 386-33DX Omnitel motherboard with a 486DX.

I'd like to get a much faster board, since I primarily will use the 486 for
generating lots of fractals (using Fractint v17.2) that involve a lot of
calculations (both integer and floating point).  I am assuming, as a
pc-hardware-klutz (tm), that the fpu is already built into the 486DX chip -
is this right?

Anyway,  I'd like advice and answers to the following questions:


1) Should I stick to the 33Mhz, or are the 50 and ?66 Mhz boards reliable?

2) Are there other 486DX chip manufacturers other than Intel?  And, if so,
   should I consider them?

3) What brands should I consider?  Avoid?  (I'm willing to pay a little
   more to get a board with proven reliability and compatibility, as
   well as good customer support if something goes wrong).

4) Is upgrading as simple as swapping boards, or do I also have to change
   any other hardware?  Could system reconfiguration be a problem?

5) Will the 586 be out soon that maybe I should wait?

6) Is there anything else that I should know about that I may not be
   aware of at the present?

Much thanks.  As a pc-hardware-klutz (tm), I look forward to your expert
advice.

Jon Noring


(p.s., sorry, I lied.  No SEX in this post).  :^)


-- 
=============================================================================
| Jon Noring          | noring@netcom.com        | "The dogs bark, but the  |
| JKN International   | IP    : 192.100.81.100   |  caravan moves on."      |
| 1312 Carlton Place  | Phone : (510) 294-8153   | "Pack your lunch, sit in |
| Livermore, CA 94550 | V-Mail: (510) 862-1101   |  the bushes, and watch." |
=============================================================================
"If your annual income today is $50,000, you have the same buying power as
the average coal miner did in 1949, adjusted for taxes and inflation," John
Sestina, nationally recognized Certified Financial Planner;  quoted in 1987.

------->   I VOTED FOR PEROT IN '92
------->   support UNITED WE STAND!

Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: feoh@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Chris Patti)
Subject: Specs on ISA, EISA, and VESA busses.
Organization: MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 20:32:15 GMT

Hi,

     I am interested in getting electrical and timing specs for the ISA, 
EISA and LOCAL bus specifications.  Would you post a request for information 
on NEWS so I can get specs on these busses?

Tim Jackson

--------------------------------------------------------------
Please note, I'm just posting this for my boss. Should you have
any idea how/where he can get the info he requested please reply
to timj@ncm.interlan.com.. thank you.

feoh@gnu.ai.mit.edu
From: buc5045@cuphub.cup.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: I think I crashed my hard drive.
Date: 13 Nov 92 14:39:08 GMT
Organization: California University of Pennsylvania, California, PA

In article <AeyIbSi00iV4E26yNc@andrew.cmu.edu>, JoeKu+@CMU.EDU (Joseph Wei-Cheng Ku) writes:
> hello.
> Yesterday while I was typing away, I accidentally knock off the power
> cable of my computer. It went off, wait a split second, then on. After
> that, my hard drive hasn't been working at all. Now all it does is
> making louder than usual clicking noises, and the LED doesn't light up.
> Tried to boot up from a floppy and running all the disk diagnotic tools
> I have, (norton, PCtools, chkdsk, etc...) , but the drive still only
> give me a blank look (i.e., LED doesn't light up, disk still making
> clicking noice) and all the test either says HDD adapter failure, or
> just plainly stalls. I have removed the drive from my computer chasis
> and tapped on it to see if anything was rattling inside, but couldn't
> hear a thing.
> 
> The question is, what should I do next? I could either bring it to a
> repair shop and tried to get it fixed, or should I just buy a brand new
> drive? 
> Or better yet, could you suggest a way to fix it? I don't have a clean
> room, so I don't want to open it.
> 
> help me? please?
> -jk
> The warranty expired a month ago (DAMN!). 


I am having somwhat similar problems.  Check out the RE's to the question about
problems with Microscience 7100-20 IDE 120MB HD.

Elsetime,

Lord Dread

"Some people say that life is an illusion and that reality is a figment of the
immagination." - the commentator in RHPS
If this is true then who the hell is dreaming this mess?
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: sasbge@unx.sas.com (Gantt Edmiston)
Subject: Need help with UPS for PC
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 01:40:45 GMT
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.
Keywords: tripplite,apc,ups,battery

I'm trying to get some info regarding a small UPS for a PC system.
I've seen an American Power Conversion Inc, "BACK UPS 600".  I've
also read about other products from "APC" and TRIPPLITE.  What I need
is some first hand advice on:

PC size UPS systems.
Software packages that use the output signals from the UPS to do
  auto shutdowns of the PC before the battery goes. (or other
  programmed responses)
UPS systems to avoid (based on your war stories =-)
Things to consider when "sizing" the UPS to buy.

Additionally, if anyone has a phone number or address for "TRIPPLITE"
  I'd appreciate it as well.

--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gantt Edmiston - SysAdmin     o |If you always do what you have always done,
SAS Institute Inc.          <(  |you'll always get what you've always gotten!
Quality Assurance - V416     [\.+--------------------------------------------
Cary NC 27513 919-677-8000 x6091|          sasbge@ant.unx.sas.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------