Info-IBMPC@B.ISI.EDU (Info-IBMPC Digest) (11/20/86)
Info-IBMPC Digest Wednesday, 19 November 1986 Volume 5 : Issue 102
This Week's Editor: Billy Brackenridge
Today's Topics:
Administrivia
Printer Status
Detecting Printer Ready, Offline, or Disconnected
On-Board Memory Expansion
Patching DOS 3.1 for COM3
8087 Clone by NEC
FASTBACK ver 5.13 by 5th Generation Systems
Canon Laser review
MSPOOL.ASM
Today's Queries:
MDA/Herc/EGA Monitor?
Help Needed With Graphics
MSDOS 3.2 Compatibility Problem
AT&T 6300 & Calendar program
Whence PC Hack?
Power Supply, ROM Fixes
V20 Hangs ITT-Xtra
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Date: 19 Nov 1986 16:36:44 PST
Subject: Administrivia
From: Billy <BRACKENRIDGE@B.ISI.EDU>
We have been having problems sending large digests to bitnet that caused
us to send digests multiple times. I think that problem has been fixed.
Still some mail seems to be getting lost. We are still looking for causes.
We hare having problems with hosts that aren't equipped to handle the new
style domain names. Domains are coming people! If you don't have a dot
in your name you aren't cool, and if mail just stops coming some day
don't say you weren't warned.
On Sunday INFO-IBMPC's address will change from INFO-IBMPC@B.ISI.EDU
to INFO-IBMPC@C.ISI.EDU the host B.ISI.EDU is going away forever.
Please start using the new address now.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 86 06:43:51 cst
From: mlw@ncsc.ARPA (Williams)
Message-Id: <8611181243.AA00227@ncsc.ARPA>
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA
Subject: Printer Status
Erich Neuwirth asked how to tell if the printer has paper...according to
my references, ROM-BIOS printer service (17h) will return a status byte
in AH when invoked with AH = 02. DX should be conditioned to the printer
number (0 = default). The status byte looks like...
1 1 1 1 1 - - 1
| | | | | |
| | | | | +-- Time-out
| | | | +----------- I/O error
| | | +-------------- Printer selected
| | +----------------- Out of paper
| +-------------------- Acknowledgement from printer received
+----------------------- Printer ready
Hope this helps.
Mark L. Williams
(mlw@ncsc.arpa)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 86 22:40:59 est
From: nortond%csmbox@CSV.RPI.EDU (Daniel A. Norton)
Subject: Detecting Printer Ready, Offline, or Disconnected
In reply to the question of if there is a way to determine
whether the printer is off-line or not even connected. The
following program works fine for me, but I'm not sure of the
what the electrical characteristics are or what will happen on
your system if the printer is not connected:
; int lptstat(iChnl) - get printer status
;
; (Set up for Microsoft C level 3.00 or 4.00 LARGE model)
; INPUT:
; iChnl = 0 ==> LPT1
; iChnl = 1 ==> LPT2 (I don't check for actual existence)
; OUTPUT:
; 0 ==> Online and ready
; 1 ==> Off line
; 2 ==> Paper out
; 3 ==> Printer powered off (or not connected)
; 4 ==> Unexpected status
PUBLIC _lptstat
_lptstat PROC FAR
PUSH BP
MOV BP,SP
MOV BX,[BP+6] ; Get printer channel
XOR AX,AX
MOV ES,AX
MOV DX,ES:[BX+408h] ; Get printer base port
INC DX ; Get our status port
IN AL,DX ; Get the status
AND AL,10101000b ; Remove don't-care bits
MOV CL,AL
XOR AX,AX
CMP CL,10001000b
JZ lptstat9 ; Skip if online
INC AX
CMP CL,00000000b
JZ lptstat9 ; Skip if offline
INC AX
CMP CL,00100000b
JZ lptstat9 ; Skip if paper out
INC AX
CMP CL,00101000b
JZ lptstat9 ; Skip if power off
INC AX
lptstat9:
MOV SP,BP
POP BP
RET
_lptstat ENDP
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 86 06:55:31 cst
From: mlw@ncsc.ARPA (Williams)
Subject: On-Board Memory Expansion
I have several new goodies that I've used long enough to make
some comments about. I'll put each in a different message so
they are easily and concisely organized by anyone who might
want to retain some of them for future reference...
640K on motherboard: We acquired 2 "640K on motherboard" conversion
kits from a company in Miami called Henhouse Electronics. The con-
version kit consists of 2 PROMs that are installed in the XT (in our
case) motherboard. After that installation is accomplished, banks 0
1 on the motherboard are replaced with 256K RAMs, giving a memory
configuration of....
Bank 0...256 K
Bank 1...256 K
Bank 2... 64 K
Bank 3... 64 K
Amazingly enough, this amounts to 640K on the motherboard of a garden-
variety XT. Uses no slots and has been working like a champ on both
machines. For simplicity's sake, we bought the conversion kit and the
RAM from Henhouse for a total of about $115 per machine including
shipping. The PROMs come packaged in... you guessed it, a plastic
egg. (Our receiving office must have had a wonderful time with that!)
The conv. kit includes very clear instructions for installing the
PROMs. We encountered no problems. The conv. kit is sort of amusing,
though. The company grinds/scrapes the PROM part ID off and replaces
it with a colored paint chip (one yellow, one red), which is used to
identify and orient the chip for installation. The system works well,
but I imagine each chip is available for somewhat less than the avg.
$20 Henhouse charges. Well, we wanted good instructions from an
accountable company, so we paid the price. The RAM replacement was
mundane.
Highly recommended if you don't want to use more slots for cards,
don't need I/O, etc. etc. Usual disclaimers.
Mark L. Williams
(mlw@ncsc.arpa)
[We had a note about a year ago of Microprocessors Unlimited offering
the same kit for $20. I also typed in a message telling how to do this
some six months ago for a cost of about $1.50 in parts, but I can't
find the message in the archives. -wab]
------------------------------
Date: 18 November 86 09:25-EST
From: 26-324%HARVBUS1.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
Subject: Patching DOS 3.1 for COM3
Ralf Brown from CMU says:
> By exchanging two of the addresses, you automatically exchange the
> corresponding ports' numbers, i.e. if you swap the word at 40:0002 with
> the word at 40:0004, you swap COM2 and COM3. Now simply direct any
> output that was to have gone to COM3 to COM2 instead.
When I run DEBUG on my AT running DOS 3.2, which has two serial ports
installed, I see zeros in locations 40:4 through 40:7. I don't believe
DOS fills in these values for COM3 and COM4, even if the ports exist,
because it doesn't know how to look for them. In any case, swapping only
the even numbered bytes 40:2 and 40:4 won't help, as these are the low
order bytes of the addresses. In the case of COM1 and COM2 (40:0 and
40:2), these bytes contain the same value. Remember, the 8088 stores its
addresses with low and high order bytes swapped. The important ones are
the high order bytes in 40:1, 40:3 and so on. Swapping these two will
supposedly change the COM1 and COM2 definitions, although to be safe
both bytes of the address should be swapped since there's probably no
guarantee that a COM3 service routine address would have the same low
order byte as COM1 and COM2.
Incidentally, I tried swapping 40:1 and 40:3 in memory to see what it
would do, and it didn't do anything. Are those addresses actively used,
or are they read into a work area somewhere and never referred to again?
If that's the case they would have to be changed on the disk, and
dynamic changes to allow three COM ports at once could not be done this
way.
Rich Stillman
Harvard Business School
BITNET: 26-324@HARVBUS1
ARPANET: 26-324%HARVBUS1.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
------------------------------
Date: Nov 17 1986
From: <G95%DHDURZ2.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU>
Subject: 8087 Clone by NEC
This coprocessor is called (if I remember correctly)
uPD72191FPP. The german distributor wrote me it will be
available in the beginning of 1987. No price was quoted;
however, early this year a german computer magazine named
a price in the $20-30 region. On the other hand, another
magazine later on said this coprocessor would cost only
little less than Intel's original.
I did not hear (or read) anything about special handshaking
features that permit more communication between this clone
and the V20/V30 chips than between the 8087 and the 8088/8086
processors. Anyway, I don't think there is any
compiler library that would support such a feature, so there
is a nice job for hackers to write such an optimized library
IF this feature exists.
Hermann
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 86 10:58:18 PST
From: Ya'akov_Miles%UBC.MAILNET@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA
Subject: FASTBACK ver 5.13 by 5th Generation Systems
I have just purchased FASTBACK ver 5.13 by 5th Generation Systems.
The program now comes with a liberal license agreement allowing you to
use it on as many CPU's as you want, so long as you only use it on one
cpu_at_a_time (like Borland's license) I have had no problems with
FASTBACK ver 5.13, or its older brother, FASTBACK ver 5.03. Both
these programs gracefully recover from bad spots on the hard disk, and
their extensive error correction will recover from even severely
damaged backup floppy disks.
For those of you who are interested, FASTBACK is written in Lattice "C"
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 86 10:43 EST
To: lbafrin%clemson.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
From: GKN3M2%IRISHMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
Subject: Canon Laser review
Here are my experiences with the Canon LPB8A1 laser printer:
the surface, it looks just like the HP Laserjet, right down to the
panel controls. The throughput is rated at 8 ppm although like
all lasers, including Apple's $6000 LaserWriter, the actual rate
a function of the complexity of the page. If you mix fonts and
styles on one page, expect it to go down to about 2 ppm. If you
a text file out the printer port with a TYPE FILENM > LPT1:, expect
printer to run at close to maximum speed. The engine has the same
cycle and expected lifetime of the HP, Apple, QMS, etc. printers
(in fact, all printers that use the Canon engine!). The hardware setup
ridiculously easy. Paper trays and the toner/print cartridge just
in. Beware, these cartridges are expensive (about $85 per,
). When printing, the laser printer is extremely quiet and
doesn't groan the way an Apple LaserWriter I use groans.
Now on to the nightmare. The first thing to do with the manual
Canon supplies is to throw it away. It's a poor translation
Japanese at best, and totally illiterate at worst. You then
two choices. 1) Go with your veteran hacker's experience and try
configure all your software to the Diablo 630 emulation (the only
available with this printer) or 2) spend an extra $175 for a RAM-
program called "Printility". Printility was written just
this printer and adds Epson MX-80, IBM Graphics, and HP Laserjet
to the Canon by intercepting all data to the printer and
appropriate escape codes. You can embed dot-commands in your
for other features such as changing the pitch, italics,
margins, etc. I used this set-up with WordStar 3.3 and was
to get fairly decent results, although setting the top and bottom
required a bit of experimentation (and a lot of wasted paper).
uses up about 55K or RAM and will pop up within programs
don't use write graphics to the screen.
Since this printer has a paltry 128K of internal memory, it does
do a good job with graphics. If you need graphics, go with the 8A2
which has 2MB of RAM, or better yet, a PostScript capable
like the LaserWriter. Bottom line is to buy this printer only
your needs are text-only. There are 4 fonts built in (Courier 12,
12 bold, Courier 12 italic, and Courier 8) and you can buy
font cartridges ($200-$300 per) or download fonts from
PC (never did figure this one out).
I paid $1788 for the 8A1 printer from CMO, a mail-order company
PA. Prepare to pay more for shipping as this printer weighs in at
lbs. If I had to do it over again, I would probably purchase the
KISS, which comes with all kinds of emulations built in, and skip
installation of a TSR program. If you do actually buy the Canon
and want to buy Printility, let me know and I'll dig up the
of Metro Software.
Evan Bauman
Dep't of Chemical Engineering
University of Notre Dame
gkn3m2@irishmvs (bitnet)
gkn3m2%irishmvs.bitnet@wiscvm.wisc.edu (other nets)
MacCHEG BBS 219-283-4714
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 86 21:51:42 CST
From: MATHPG1%UMCVMB.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU (Rich Winkel UMC Math Department)
Subject: MSPOOL.ASM
Multi Spooler Ver. 2
for the IBM PC
by Rich Winkel
Columbia, Mo.
For free distribution only
Mspool2 Features
Allows spooling up to 4 printers simultaneously.
Supports both parallel and serial printers in any
combination.
Has a user selectable buffer size up to 63K bytes.
Sensitive to competing demands for CPU time. Won't
slow down foreground jobs.
Allows cancellation of an on-going print operation.
Can be 'disabled' for use with programs which are
incompatible with it's operation.
[The rest of the documentation can be found with the program in
our lending library. MSPOOL.ASM has been added to the Library. -wab]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 86 12:16:45 EST
From: Clif Sothoron <cbsoth@BRL>
cc: oberle@BRL, cbsoth@BRL
Subject: MDA/Herc/EGA Monitor?
We have recently discovered that a key piece of software we have had
developed demands a monitor that does Hercules graphics. We are
currently using either the IBM enhanced color display or the NEC
Multisync monitor on an IBM PC-AT. I was planning on buying the multiple
emulation card from Tseng. It features 640x480 resolution,
MDA/CGA/Herc/EGA emulations and software drivers for key MS-DOS
packages(Symphony, Autocad etc). Unfortunately, Tseng tells me that even
the vaunted NEC Multisync monitor with 800x560 resolution is unable to
do Hercules graphics. They did not have any firm recommendations for a
monitor that would do MDA/CGA/Herc/EGA emulations. I would hate to have
to buy old monochrome monitors for certain people just to run this
software. Once you have given someone color it is hard take it away
again. It is also fairly inelegant to have two monitors hanging off the
same AT. Does anyone know of a color monitor that does MDA/CGA/Herc/EGA
emulations?
Thanks in advance,
Clifton B. Sothoron Jr.
Ballistic Research Laboratory
Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md.
cbsoth@brl
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 86 11:05:33 PST
From: unni@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU (Unnikrishnan Warrier)
Subject: Help Needed With Graphics
I am trying to display paper forms on a EGA display, and have the following
problems :
1. I need to paint the "background", which is the form's picture.
This is quite painful if I have to bitmap the entire form in program.
Is there a scanner-type device out there which will let me scan a
form through it, and will give me the appropriate bitmap ( for my
type of graphics card, well, EGA, to be exact ) ?
2. After painting the background, I would like to display characters
that the user types on top of the background ( like filling in names,
etc). The problem is that while I could use the IBM BIOS calls to
display the characters, these calls always give me "white" fonts on a
"black" background. I would like to have any background color and
any foreground color for the fonts. Is there any easy way to use
the BIOS, rather than trying to define my own fonts ?
Any help, including revelations of my ignorance, would be a big help.
Thanks..
unni.hera.ucla.edu
------------------------------
Subject: MSDOS 3.2 Compatibility Problem
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 86 08:54:07 EST
From: wcn@mitre-bedford.ARPA
I've run into the strangest compatibility problem. I have an Turbo PC-XT
clone made by XOR (purchased from JADE) circa Summer 1985. I've been
running IBM DOS 2.1 and 3.1 successfully. I then purchased a copy of
Microsoft's MSDOS 3.2. After configuring my hard disk from scratch (FDI,
FDISK, FORMAT), I can boot it up from a floppy disk and everything's okay.
But if I boot from my hard disk, the system crashes as soon as the display
tries to scroll for the first time, i.e. as soon as I hit a carriage return
when on the last line of the display the system crashes. Under some
circumstances I get a General Systems Error Reading Device #$%**. My
system configuration is as follows: XOR Turbo PC-XT w/ BIOS 2.0, Adaptec
hard disk controller, 30Mbyte Miniscribe Disk, Sigma Color 400 card w/
BIOS 2.49, PG SR-12 Color Monitor, Everex 1200 baud modem on COM3, Mouse
Systems Mouse on COM2, and Gemini 10X on LPT1.
Additionally, for those familiar with the SIGMA card, I can get around the
problem by running Sigma's NMI routine with the OFF option. This has
something to do with the Non-maskable interrupts and I believe it shuts
down the cards hardware emulation of the CGA, but leaves software emulation
alone. Using it with the OFF option solves the crash problem, but leaves
my system incompatible with programs that switch modes.
I'd appreciate any suggestions on what to do. I can't figure out who's
causing the problem between the color card, the operating system, the hard
disk drive, the PC-XT etc. None of the manufacturers can do much until I
can pin the problem down. It looks like a video adapter problem, but why
only with MSDOS 3.2, and why only when I boot from the hard disk? One test
case I plan is to put MSDOS 3.2 and my SIGMA card in an IBM PC-XT and see
if the problem's still there. Any other suggestions/hints/similar
problems? If I can get a copy of IBM DOS 3.2, I'll try that also on both
machines. Thanks in advance!
Bill Neumann(wcn@MITRE-Bedford)
------------------------------
Date: 18 Nov 1986 08:58:12 EST
Subject: AT&T 6300 & Calendar program
From: Keith Winderlich <KEITHW@A.ISI.EDU>
Can anyone tell me if they have had experience with the AT&T 6300 PC or the
AT&T 6300 plus. How compatible is it with the IBM PC or AT? WHat programs,
if any, will not run on them. Please let me know if purchasing an AT&T PC
would be a good choice or a mistake and why.
Another question. Does anyone know if there is a calendar/appointment book
program that runs on a 3COM LAN which would allow a secretary to update
appointments for various users of the LAN. I have heard of one program
Higgins, by Conetic Systems, but our old version did not work properly. Is
there a newer release? Where is the company located?
Keith Winderlich
-----------------
KEITHW@A.ISI.EDU
------------------------------
To: wanuga@xx.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: Whence PC Hack?
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 86 13:01:14 -0500
From: Mark Colan <mtc@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>
I got HACK351.ARC off of the info-ibmpc lending library recently.
Upon checking today, tho, I could not find it there.
Info-ibmpc people: where did it go? Didn't you have it both in
executable and source form?
Tom: I have the file and can ftp it to you if you give me a
login and password, or you can drop by with a diskette and get
it.
Mark Colan
MIT Project Athena
[We don't support binary files and that includes files in .ARC format.
I kept Hack around for a while because it is a neat game. This was
a big mistake. I believe some of the sites that keep binary files
have Hack, but I don't remember where. -wab]
------------------------------
Date: Tue 18 Nov 86 15:37:28-PST
From: Douglas Edwards <EDWARDS@SRI-STRIPE.ARPA>
Subject: Power Supply, ROM Fixes
I am getting a power supply fix and ROM upgrade for my Compaq (so I
can use the full 640K available with an AST Six Pack, as described in
a recent posting to INFO-IBMPC). I am wondering how long this job
should take. The shop I sent it to has had my machine for *six weeks*
now, allegedly to wait for the ROM and power supply, which they had to
order. They have been assuring me for the full six weeks that these
components would be in Any Day Now. It seems to me, offhand, that six
weeks ought to be more than enough time to order anything. Is the
shop's behavior reasonable, or are my suspicions justified? Can
others who have had this fix done, tell me how long it took?
Douglas D. Edwards
(edwards@sri-stripe)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1986 12:12:55 EDT
From: FAC0395%UOFT01.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU (Joe Feustle)
Subject: V20 Hangs ITT-Xtra
I just replaced the 8088 in my ITT-Xtra with a Nec V20 (8 mHz.). While
there is a noticeable and pleasant increase in speed, the computer
will not always boot the first time it is turned on nor will ctrl-alt-
del always reboot it. Two times out of three, when I turn the machine
on, I get a quick beep from it, I can hear the hard disk run, but
the boot-strap program does not start. At that point, the machine just
sits and beeps at me (same problem with crtl-alt-del).
I remember seeing a lot of info related to the V20 on the net a while
back. Have any V20 users had similar experiences? Comments and
suggestions will be appreciated.
Joe Feustle
Foreign Languages
University of Toledo
BITNET: FAC0395@UOFT01
FAX0063@UOFT02
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest
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