musa@brahms.berkeley.edu (Math Undergrad Student Assoc) (07/30/88)
I'd like to get some info on the Leading Edge model "M". My boss is upgrading to a 286 michine and is willing to sell this one to me cheap. I've looked through the tech manuel for the machine and can't find a reference to power supply size. This one already has a 20mb hard drive installed, will I have problems with putting in a modem and a mouse? If there is anything I should look out for I'd like to know about it before buying. Any and all comments/advice will be welcome. Thanx in advance. Jonathan white musa@brahmsBERKEKLY.EDU
ins_agwa@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Gunther Wil Anderson) (08/06/88)
In article <12745@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>, musa@brahms.berkeley.edu (Math Undergrad Student Assoc) writes: > I'd like to get some info on the Leading Edge model "M". My boss is upgrading > to a 286 michine and is willing to sell this one to me cheap. I've looked > through the tech manuel for the machine and can't find a reference to power > supply size. This one already has a 20mb hard drive installed, will I have > problems with putting in a modem and a mouse? > > If there is anything I should look out for I'd like to know about it before > buying. Any and all comments/advice will be welcome. Leading Edge is notorious for not-quite-compatible machines. I own an "M" from the dawn of time and have had relative few problems with it, but every now and then, I run into an incompatibility. For instance, I cannot run any Electronic Arts programs, and indeed several other programs also fail for various reasons. These reasons are invariably related to copy protection schemes, but unless you are planning to use only unprotected software, you could be in trouble. As for the power supply problems, on my poor machine I've got an internal 20MB drive and a game port, and no power difficulties. It's a hardy supply, as long as you don't try to switch motherboards. But it somehow seems that a new motherboard would cost as much as the entire computer. Gunther W. Anderson ins_agwa@jhunix.BITNET
reza0@ihlpl.ATT.COM (H. Reza Zarafshar) (08/10/88)
In article <6782@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>, ins_agwa@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Gunther Wil Anderson) writes: > In article <12745@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>, musa@brahms.berkeley.edu (Math Undergrad Student Assoc) writes: > > I'd like to get some info on the Leading Edge model "M". My boss is upgrading > > to a 286 michine and is willing to sell this one to me cheap. I've looked > > through the tech manuel for the machine and can't find a reference to power > > supply size. This one already has a 20mb hard drive installed, will I have > > problems with putting in a modem and a mouse? > > > > Leading Edge is notorious for not-quite-compatible machines. I own an > "M" from the dawn of time and have had relative few problems with it, > but every now and then, I run into an incompatibility. For instance, I > cannot run any Electronic Arts programs, and indeed several other > programs also fail for various reasons. These reasons are invariably > related to copy protection schemes, but unless you are planning to use > only unprotected software, you could be in trouble. > There is a company that puts out a ROM upgrade for the Leading Edge Model M that costs around $100 to $150.00 depending on how old your mother board is. This ROM upgrades your system so that you can run DOS 3.x and EGA on you machine. Unfortunately I don't have the 800 number for the company, but, I do know I got the number at one point from Mitsubishi, since Leading Edge Model M was built by Mitsubishi for Leading Edge and Sperry(UniSys). In general I have found the Model M's to be solid machines as far as the hardware is concerned. Your video card if it is one of the old ones can only do mono, not graphics. If the price of the machine was right, I would consider getting the machine, upgrade the ROM and put a video card that can do graphics and I would bet the machine would hold up just fine and the power supply on them can handle a lot more than you already have in it. Reza Zarafshar
feg@clyde.ATT.COM (Forrest Gehrke) (08/11/88)
In article <6782@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>, ins_agwa@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Gunther Wil Anderson) writes: > In article <12745@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>, musa@brahms.berkeley.edu (Math Undergrad Student Assoc) writes: > > Leading Edge is notorious for not-quite-compatible machines. I own an > "M" from the dawn of time and have had relative few problems with it, > but every now and then, I run into an incompatibility. For instance, I > cannot run any Electronic Arts programs, and indeed several other > programs also fail for various reasons. These reasons are invariably > related to copy protection schemes, but unless you are planning to use > only unprotected software, you could be in trouble. > If you are using msdos 2.11 that came with the PC, more likely your compatibility problems are due to the placement of the boot record in the boot sector. For reasons best known to Leading Edge and Microsoft, the boot record is located starting at offset 3 instead of B as in all other PC's in the world. Some programs look at the boot record where they expect it to be, and finding it incomprehensible call it quits. There are a very few which know about the switch and account for it. Fortunately, most programs don't bother looking at all and therefore give no trouble. The way out of it is to get hold of Sperry's msdos v3.2 for their Model HT (The Sperry machine is identical to the L.E. Model M). Forrest Gehrke