HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: uzun@crash.cts.com (Roger Uzun)
Subject: Low Level IDE access
Organization: CTS Network Services (crash, ctsnet), El Cajon, CA
Date: 11 Aug 92 13:23:09 PDT

I need to get the drive config, read and write sectors from
an IDE drive, without using the BIOS or DOS at all.
Can someone recommend an article or book which describes
how to do this, via EMAIL to me if possible (my site sometimes
misses some msgs)
--------------------------------------------------------------
bix: ruzun
NET: uzun@crash.cts.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: wity@iastate.edu (Wity Ganda)
Subject: Re: Diamond SpeedStar Stealth 24
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 09:06:12 GMT

In article <1992Aug17.003115.13842@infonode.ingr.com> bbrown@infonode.ingr.com (Bailey Brown) writes:
>wity@iastate.edu (Wity Ganda) writes:
>
>>I've been reading lots of posting about the SpeedStar 24.
>>I think it would be better to wait for the Stealth 24, which is supposed to
>>be out this fall.  The list price is $445.
>
>>-Wity-
>
>I think the board we've been talking about is the Diamond Speedtar 24X,
>which is out now and costs $180.  Diamond is claiming higher WinMarks
>for it than for the Stealth.  Also, it has an 800x600x32K mode which
>the Stealth 24 will lack, and fast DOS vga performance, which the
>S3 boards lack.  The 24X uses the Western Digital 9031 GUI accelerator
>chip unlike the plain 24 which uses the Tseng ET4000.
>
>------------
>Bailey Brown                               "Above all else, confusion reigns."
>Intergraph Corporation                                  
>bbrown@casca.b11.ingr.com                              Procol Harum


According to "High Color" magazine (July/August 92), the Stealth 24 is based on
S3's fast 86C911 chip.  That's the reason why I thought Stealth 24 is different
from the SpeedStar 24X.  Is the 86C911 chip the same as 9031?

-Wity-
-- 
+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+
|  Wity Ganda                    |  wity@iastate.edu                    |
|  Iowa State University         |  as101@cleveland.freenet.edu         |
+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+=-+
From: dlow@pollux.svale.hp.com (Danny Low)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: ati ultra vs s3
Date: 17 Aug 92 23:52:25 GMT
Organization: HP LOVECRAFT DIVISION

>(Victor Kan) 
>Paul> I used to have a S3 card.  My problem is I didn't notice the
>Paul> speed in "accelerated" mode, but I did notice the slow VGA mode.
>Paul> I think it's a marketing scam.  I'm quite happy with my ET4000
>Paul> card (SpeedSTAR 24).
>
>Before I bought my 486 with Stealth VRAM in June, I had played with
>machines in local stores and they had either Trident 8900 cards or
>ET4000 cards (the latter being the CompuAdd HiREZ card in their "Hot
>Slot" 12.5MHz ISA slot).
>
>They were awful!  I played with the Windows Write program from 3.1 and
>typed a few lines of text.  The Trident and ET4000 cards seemed to
>flicker and flash the current line every time I hit a character.  I
>entered text in multiple fonts, multiple sizes and multiple styles.
>It took forever to scroll around or even redraw windows when
>uncovered.

I have tested a variety of VGA and UVGA cards. The speed difference
note here can be explained by different drivers. A badly written
driver can make windows run very slow while a very well written
driver can make the difference between a VGA and an accelerated VGA
look very small.

			   Danny Low
    "Question Authority and the Authorities will question You"
	   Valley of Hearts Delight, Silicon Valley
	     HP CPCD   dlow@pollux.svale.hp.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.windows.x,comp.unix.bsd
From: gilgalad@sparky.eecs.umich.edu (Ralph Seguin)
Subject: WANTED: highest graphics performance under 386BSD X11R5, DOS, Windows
Organization: University of Michigan EECS Dept., Ann Arbor
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 07:40:01 GMT


Yes.  It's another one of those posts :>  I still haven't seen a FAQ
regarding this.  I suppose it's like asking which editor is the best
(even though we all know emacs rules :).

Anyhow, my questions are as follows:  

I am buying a 486 system.  I'd like to optimize my graphics performance
under 386BSD X11R5, DOS and Windows.  I'd like to run at 1024x768,
800x600 and 640x480 all at 256 colors (or more :) under X and Windows.

What board would be best for me to choose?
I've heard that the Diamond Speedstar 24 (NOT the X) doesn't do
1024x768 under X.
Are there any VESA standard local bus SVGA cards/systems?
Would I be better off buying a non-local bus system?
...
too many questoins? ;)
I will try to summarize or compile a FAQ on this.

Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: c60a-ab@volga (Vlad Lyubovny)
Subject: soundcards
Summary: which to buy....
Organization: University of California, at Berkeley
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 03:30:00 GMT

i am looking to buy a soundcard.  it seems like the thunderboard is
a goood choice over something like the soundblaster due to its ability
to record at 44.1 khz (rather than 22 khz).  But it has something called
"pseudo" stero that i am not sure about.  If anyone knows more about the 
thuinderboard or can suggest a better card (i am looking for an 8 bit due
to limited space for the recordings) please leave a message.....
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: pvr@wang.com (Peter Reilley)
Subject: Re: Symphony chipset Info needed
Organization: Wang Labs, Lowell MA, USA
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 12:06:29 GMT
Keywords: Symphony, chipset

jdg@devine.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Jim Griggers) writes:

>Does anyone have a phone number and address for Symphony?  I want to
>get the data sheets for their 486 chipset.  Thanks

	I managed to get a data book for their 486 chipset, but
it was a bit of a struggle.   I posted a program with
source that dumped and interpreted all internal registers.
I write another program that would write any reqister.
I posted it here a couple of months ago but I can post
you a copy if you want.

	Here is their address;

	Symphony Lab
	2620 Augustine Dr. #250
	Santa Clara, Ca. 95054
	(408) 986-1701

	
-- 
>>>>>>>>>>>> Peter Reilley ..... pvr@wiis.wang.com ..... KA1LAT <<<<<<<<<<<<<
                     Well, that about says it.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
From: leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Subject: Re: XT/AT clock drift - is there stable clock somewhere?
Reply-To: 70465.203@compuserve.com
Organization: SCN Research/Qic Laboratories of Tigard, Oregon.
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 23:00:10 GMT

bill@solaria (Bill Neisius) writes:

>jrl1@kepler.unh.edu (John R Labonte) writes:
>: 
>: Does anyone know where I can get an accurate internal clock or
>: maybe some other solution.

>Try RITM11.ZIP found on wuarchive.wuslt.edu:/mirrors/msdos/sysutl
>Basically, it's a TSR that checks the hardware clock time every
>4 seconds, and calculates and sets the proper system time. According
>to the .TXT: "It should be easy to achieve a worst-case error of less
>than 0.5 seconds per day and under good conditions, less that 0.5
>seconds per week;  typical results are much better".

As I recall, he was dealing with an XT. XTs don't *have* a hardware 
clock!

-- 
Leonard Erickson		      leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com
CIS: [70465,203]			 70465.203@compuserve.com
FIDO:   1:105/51	 Leonard.Erickson@f51.n105.z1.fidonet.org
(The CIS & Fido addresses are preferred)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.unix.sysv386
From: dwex@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (david.e.wexelblat)
Subject: Re: SpeedSTAR 24X performance?
Organization: AT&T
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 12:52:50 GMT
Keywords: SpeedSTAR 24X

In article <l8vouqINN538@roundup.crhc.uiuc.edu> terry@uivlsi.csl.uiuc.edu (Terry Lee) writes:
> 	With all the discussions about the SpeedSTAR 24X, there is still one
> thing I'm wondering about:  is a special driver required to obtain its max.
> performance, or is any regular Paradise SVGA driver sufficient?  Also, has
> anyone gotten it to work under X386?  Please help; I'm wondering if I should
> trade in my SpeedSTAR 24 while I still can.  Advanced thanks for any help!
> 
> ----------
> Terry Lee
> terry@uivlsi.csl.uiuc.edu

I don't know that anyone has tested the 24X with X386 1.2E yet, but my 
understanding is that, with the standard Paradise driver, you will be
limited 800x600, and no accelleration.  There are additional registers
that need to be programmed to get the additional functionality.  Also,
the 24X uses the same new clock-select logic that keeps the 24 from 
working correctly with X386 1.2E.  We are working this issue, too.

My advise to you is to trade in your SpeedStar 24 on an Orchid ProDesigner
IIs.  I can't give any time tables on when X386 1.2E will support the
24 and 24X, because we have not yet been able to obtain the information
we need from Diamond.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
David Wexelblat             | dwex@mtgzfs3.att.com  | Somebody get me a
AT&T Bell Laboratories      | ...!att!mtgzfs3!dwex  |   cheeseburger!
200 Laurel Ave - 4B-421     |                       |      
Middletown, NJ  07748       | (908) 957-5871        | --Steve Miller Band
From: mmaster@parnasus.dell.com (Michael Masterson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: How to degauss color monitor with no degauss button?
Date: 14 Aug 92 15:09:01 GMT
Organization: Dell Computer Co

ebe+@pitt.edu (Elmer Beachley) writes:


>WRT degaussing color monitors, definitely DO NOT use a bulk tape eraser.
>The magnetic pattern and strength of the magnetic field they produce
>will give you the more problems, not less.

please expand on your warning, I've been using a plain bulk eraser to
degause TVs and monitors for YEARS and never had ANY adverse effects,
in fact, it's always worked perfectly.

cheers
-- 
Simulated by professionals, do not try at home, see your dealer for details.
Your mileage may vary. Call before digging. Best if eaten by date on package.
Apply only to affected area. Batteries not included. Member FDIC. 
Michael Masterson                                   mmaster@parnasus.dell.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: steveh@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au (Steve Howell)
Subject: Re: MR. BIOS, Has anybody heard about this BIOS??
Organization: University of Tasmania, Australia.
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 00:08:33 GMT



	My UMC 486/50 has MR BIOS examples in the manual. The examples have
an array of extra's not normally found in my current AMI bios, which is fully ofthe most incredible rubbish.. WHICH half of it dosent work!!.. You ask AMI
to cancel the memory test, and boot directly from drive C without drive A or B
doing seeks.. and the damn thing TOTALLY ignores the settings!.... And to make
it look good, they have pages and pages of cache settings...It wont be long
before AMI has a CMOS that you enter you desired configuration in hex numbers!

I would like to replace it with the optional MR BIOS. Anyone know where it can 
be obtained from?


Steve H



Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: tdbear@tandon.com (Tom Barrett)
Subject: Re: Help - Cyrix processors, anyone know for sure?
Organization: Tandon Corporation, Moorpark, CA
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 17:21:54 GMT

In article <2197@fnnews.fnal.gov> rohrer@fncrd6.fnal.gov (Keith Rohrer) writes:
>I take it this is to avoid the Microsoft HMA kludge; can those of us
>who use something besides DOS, or hold our right hands up and solemnly
>swear not to use the HMA when we do, disable this feature?

hehehe... probably, but there are a couple of problemos: (1)
you would have to write a priviledged program for UNIX/OS2 to
allow you to write to the IO ports in the Cyrix chip since
those would most likely be priviledged ops, (2) it could be
possible that the boot loader needs the A20 function (I don't
know... but, the boot loader doesn't immediately go into protected
mode).  Of course if you did #1, then you probably wouldn't
have to worry about #2.
-- 
Tom Barrett (TDBear)    tdbear@tandon.com                 voice 805-378-6207
Tandon Corporation      tdbear@p6.f1006.n102.z1.fidonet.org fax 805-529-8895
Sr. HW Design Engineer  "War is Peace, No is Yes, And We're All Free!" 
[The views expressed herein may not be shared by the organization of origin]
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: rubin@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Don Rubin)
Subject: Can I use IRQ2??
Reply-To: rubin@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Don Rubin)
Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ APL
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 92 15:34:04 GMT

I just got a CD drive for my 386/33 ISA bus
and have run out of IRQs. Can I use IRQ 2?
The installation manual says something about
that it can only be used on IBM XT (who uses
that anymore :). I don't have a 2nd printer
but am using IRQ 5 for my FAX card under
windows. Thanks...

-- 
Don Rubin, Consultant
Johns Hopkins University APL
rubin@procon.jhuapl.edu
(301)953-6386 or (301)588-8010
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: skcgoh@tartarus.uwa.edu.au (Shaw Goh)
Subject: Re: Request:  What kind of paper to use with DeskJet?
Organization: University of Western Australia
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 03:04:01 GMT

lai@seas.gwu.edu (William Y. Lai) writes:
: 
: Well, I'm a new proud owner of a DeskJet 500, and am soliciting what kind
: of paper is best for use with DeskJets.  I would like to receive comments
: on two categories:  The *Best* paper w/ cost no object, and the best everyday
: paper that's quite affordable.  
: 
: Response, and I shall summarize.  Thanks!
: 
: 
: -- 
: email: lai@seas.gwu.edu | "I want to do everything.  I want to have everything.
: Dept. of Electrical Eng.|  I have a wonderful, wonderful life.  But there's so
: George Washington Univ. |  much more out there.  Do I have it all?  Yes.  Do I
: Washington, D.C.        |  want more?  Yeah, sure."     -Demi Moore        

I just use REFLEX 80gs/m  it gives good enough quality.
From: beynon@nnn.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Michael D. Beynon)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Any use for 4-floppy controllers
Date: 13 Aug 92 15:34:20 GMT
Reply-To: beynon@nnn.crd.ge.com
Organization: GE Corporate R&D Center, Schenectady, NY

I have a 4-floppy controller, and I use ...

    Drive A:   5 1/4" 1.2
    Drive B:   3 1/2" 1.44
    Drive C:   HD
    Drive D:   5 1/4" 360k

Why?  because 1.2 floppy drives are not guaranteed to write reliably to
360k floppies.  If you do, it may not be readable in a 360k drive.

YES, for all the people that are going to say that it works fine for them,
I thought so also, until I sent out a commercial program I wrote and got
tuns of calls complaining about bad disks.

The tape drive I have uses a piggy-back type cable that allows it to be
connected to a system that doesn't have a free floppy "port".

Michael D. Beynon
beynon@nnn.crd.ge.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: braven@rx.xerox.com (Brian Raven)
Subject: Re: SPARC compatible tape units?
Reply-To: braven@rx.xerox.com
Organization: Rank Xerox Ltd.
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 10:47:45 GMT

In article 10867@comp.lancs.ac.uk, davei@comp.lancs.ac.uk (Mr D Ingles) writes:
>In article <1992Aug19.062916.23622@kei.is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp> jeff@is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp writes:
>>
>>I would like to get a tape drive for a 486/50 which can read and write
>>SPARC 150 MB tapes.  Is there such a thing?  If so, a name and model
>>number would be good.  Perhaps even a cool ultra-cheap discount
>>mail-order place that sells them.  Any experiences are also
>>interesting.
>
>Well I connected a SPARC 150MB external streamer (archive viper 150) to my PC
>via an Adaptec 1542B SCSI controller and can extract data of the tape using
>ASPITAR or SYTOS.
>
>Davei

Thanks, thats something I was wondering about as well. A couple of questions though.
What does "archive viper 150" mean? I am only aware of one 150MB external tape drive sold by Sun and I am not familiar with this phrase. Also, what are ASPITAR ans SYTOS?

I am also interested in the same thing as the original poster, but the Sun tape drive is a little expensive (the last list price I saw was 1200 pounds sterling). Anybody know of anything considerably cheaper???

---
Brian Raven,
MC&SE, Rank Xerox Ltd., Welwyn Garden City, Herts., U.K. (+44 707 383576)
email (ignore what it says in the header): bfr.wgc1@rx.xerox.com
----------------------
Rebel Without a Clue

Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: adams@pdv2.fmr.maschinenbau.th-darmstadt.de (Adams)
Subject: Re: 16550/82550/???
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 00:14:53 GMT
Organization: TH-Darmstadt


>I've had a problem recently with my supplier: they say every time they try
>to order a 16550AFN, they are sent a (UMC) UM82C550. All the tests I put on
>this chip (modem doctor, OS/2, and x00 fossil) insist that it is a 16550
>without a buffer!

A 16550 has a FIFO on it, but it does not work. NSC urged users _NOT_ to use
FIFO and bought back as much of these faulty ones as they could get. 
The UM82550 is said to be a 16550 replacement, also  faulty.

The only replacement of a 16450 with working FIFOS are the 16550A-types,
there is a 16C550 which seams to behave like 16550A. 

best, adams
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: buccb@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (butler carlos dion)
Subject: IBM AT HD diagnostic errors.
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 17:15:21 GMT

	Here's the deal. I've got an original IBM AT (True Blue). IT 
has 2 HDs in it. Both RLL, one 40mb and one 20mb. We ran the original
diagnostics disk on it (Fixed Disk/Diskette Drive Adapter Test Diskette).
The C drive (40mb) came up with error type 14 and the D drive (20mb) came
up woth error type 2. Where can I find out what these error types mean
and a possible way to fix them?


-- 
   		  Carlos Dragonslayer Butler
 buccb@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu                 cs225cb@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
(217) 359-3959 Home			University of Illinois
   "People often condescend what they fail to comprehend...
From: orville%weyrich@tnet.com (Orville R. Weyrich)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: PC components & peripherals dependent on 60 Hz line frequency (FAQ?)
Date: 19 Aug 92 04:31:19 GMT
Reply-To: tnet.com!weyrich!orville
Organization: Weyrich Computer Consulting

In article <1992Aug14.215745.28615@ultb.isc.rit.edu> ajb8886@ritvax.isc.rit.edu writes:
>>In article <1992Aug13.170816.7573@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>, pjd@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Peter J Dotzauer) writes:
>>Since I'm planning on taking some PC equipment & peripherals from the U.S.
>>(120 V, 60 Hz) to Germany (220 V, 50 Hz), I'd like to know which components
>>and peripherals will not work correctly and should not be taken along,
>>because they depend on the 60-Hz line frequency, which a step-down voltage
>>converter cannot take care of.
>>
>
>The 50 hz timing should really have no effect on the computer itself.  The
>power supply supplies "pure" full bridge DC at 5 and 12 volts to all computer
>components.  In addition, most power supplies have a switch on them to allow
>them to work directly from either 110V or 220V power lines.  
>
>As for the monitor, a lot of newer monitors can actually adapt to 110/220
>50/60 hz and other worldwide standards automatically.  Check your monitor 
>docs before you try this, unless you like living dangerously [heh heh].
>
>As for dot matrix printers, their power supplies are usually similar to
>computer switching power supplies and generally supply only DC current to
>the printer, so most will work fine on 50/hz.
>

But if your equipment has a TRANSFORMER instead of a switching power supply,
it may run hot if fed 50 Hz when it was designed for 60 Hz.

And equipment that has marginal filter capacitors may give rise to too
much ripple if filtering 50 Hz instead of 60 Hz.

And even switching power supplies may not have components built to withstand
a 100 % over-voltage, unless they were designed that way.

My inclination would be to not take any equipment with me that was not
explicitly marked 50/60 HZ and 120/240 V.


orville

--------------------------------------       **********************************
Orville R. Weyrich, Jr.                          Weyrich Computer Consulting
Certified Data Processor                       POB 5782, Scottsdale, AZ 85261
Certified Systems Professional                      Voice: (602) 391-0821
Certified Computer Programmer                Internet: orville%weyrich@tnet.com
--------------------------------------       **********************************
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.periphs
From: vchan@athena.mit.edu (Vei-Han Chan)
Subject: Re: Are Seagate drives any good ?
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 04:15:58 GMT


My Seagate ST-251 30M hard disk recently stop working.  The disk just
didn't rotate at all.  Is there a way for me to fix that or should I
just forget about it to get a new one?  Any ideas? 

Thanks in advance!

Veihan Chan
From: chbl@sbustd.rz.uni-sb.de (Christian Blum)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: IRQ sharing (was: Re: Vertical Retrace interrupt?)
Date: 14 Aug 92 17:44:56 GMT
Organization: Studenten-Mail, Rechenzentrum Universitaet des Saarlandes

Ross Ridge <ross@zooid.guild.org> writes:
> Ross Ridge <ross@zooid.guild.org> writes:
> >This is true of any type of card, no two devices on the ISA bus can
> >generate the same IRQ.
> 
> tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan) writes:
> >Really? Then why can my COM1:, which is on the motherboard, coexist with
> >my COM3:, which is on a separate modem card? Both generate IRQ4.
> 
> Because you never use them them at the same time.  If your modem and
> on-board serial port generate IRQ4 at the same time they'll short each
> other out.
> 
> >>The problem is electrical, because of the way the ISA bus is designed
> >>you risk serious damage if two devices on the bus share the same interrupt.
> >
> >What's your source for this?
> 
> It's a well known limitation of the IBM PC bus.  

Has anyone any idea who is responsible for the interrupt design of the 
PC bus?

Anyway, you can fool him. Simply connect the interrupts via diodes to the
bus and solder a resistor (say, 470 ohms) from there to ground. It works
fine, as long as the software knows that it has to check all possible
interrupt sources to find out which one has triggered the int.

Chris

---------------------------------------------------------------
If you are good and you think you are good, you are even better
than good. If you are not that good but you think you are, you
are still a bit better than worse.                    - Finis -
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
From: gsroka@leland.Stanford.EDU (Gregory Sroka)
Subject: Re: Is the maxtor 213 meg a good buy at $470?
Keywords: Buy, buy, buy!
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 03:42:43 GMT

Yes - it's a great drive, small and fast.  It's become a defacto
standard in my office. Everyone is satisfied. $470 is very competitive
with prices in the Bay area "Computer Currents" mag. (IDE version that is,
SCSI is more.)


Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,sci.electronics