jungkunz@doitcr.doit.sub.org (Helmut Jungkunz) (11/23/90)
Hello world, as they say. Doesn't anybody ever read my notes? We, the Schneider/Amstrad CPC User Group of Munich, Germany, very well support the CPC machines with their various RAM expansions and BIOSes. There i s a harddisk for the CPCs. For all three types the same one! It does cost more than the computer, but - it contains the 20 MB Harddisk with a SEAGATE-type controller, an interface to handle the I/O plus a very well written and very well serviced BIOS EPROM, enabling you to use a quad density (80 Track souble sided) drive with three different auto-login formats: Vortex (almost identical to ALTOS 5), a DATA-Format and a System format. Drive 0 is normally drive A: and a 3" drive is expected. It is possible to boot from any partition of the harddisk as well as from any disk. It is necessary to have at least a minimum configuration RAM-disk by either dktronics or (better) the same brand as the hard disk: DOBBERTIN Elektronik, Brahmsstr. 4, 6835 Bruehl, West-Germany I have been using my hard disk together with NZCOM and Z3PLUS since more than a year now (I originated the idea then to the manufacturer) and I can only say: You don't even notice anything else but comfort as long as you are in CP/M. In Basic, some ill-behaved programs store their variables at a far too high point in memory. But that had been a problem from the first day of computers till today. As you might have guessed, it is possible to run 6128 Programs a n d CP/M Plus on all three CPCs with this configuration. If you are using your computer regularly - go out and buy this delight for your nerves. I also have an IBM-clone, but it's fan and hard disk are much louder and get on my nerves. I just use it for mailboxing and word processing every now and then. Please - do spread the word. There are MEGABYTES of P.D. Software sitting here ready to go out to any willing regional distributor at very little charge. Keep Z up and going! Ciao, -> Helmut Jungkunz <-
ewen@actrix.gen.nz (Ewen McNeill) (11/26/90)
Sorry about this folks - the mail bounced. I am slightly more suprised that it did this time, the address looks much more like a domain address. However, please check the address. In article <1543@doitcr.doit.sub.org> jungkunz@doitcr.doit.sub.org writes: > Hello world, as they say. Doesn't anybody ever read my notes? > We, the Schneider/Amstrad CPC User Group of Munich, Germany, very well > support the CPC machines with their various RAM expansions and BIOSes. I must admit that I didn't recall you mentioning a HD. I did try to reply to your earlier messages, but the mail bounced (althougth this return address looks _much_ better). > There i s a harddisk for the CPCs. For all three types the same one! > [...] > > It is necessary to have at least a minimum configuration RAM-disk by either > dktronics or (better) the same brand as the hard disk: > DOBBERTIN Elektronik, Brahmsstr. 4, 6835 Bruehl, West-Germany Now, that sounds very interesting. Both the HD, and the ram-disk. Could you mail me more information about the ram-disk (I already own the dk'tronics one but I have a friend who would be very interested in the one you mention). The HD is also interesting - but costing more than the machine, I don't think that I can afford it. Infact, I would rather go out and buy a '286 or a '386 given the price difference (they are here for NZ$3000 compared to the cost of the Amstrad CPC for NZ$1200). This is mostly due to the terrible support that Amstrad recieves in NZ., and the fact that most people here own PC clones. > I have been using my hard disk together with NZCOM and Z3PLUS [...] I was considering the purchase of NZCOM or Z3PLUS, but I wasn't sure how well it would work with the machine. I am already having trouble with the BIOS patch for the dk'tronics ram disk (under CP/M Plus). Do you have any replacement patches suitable? > Please - do spread the word. There are MEGABYTES of P.D. Software sitting here > ready to go out to any willing regional distributor at very little charge. > Keep Z up and going! I am interested in this. Do you think it would be possible to put some of the programs onto 5.25" floppies if I were to mail them to you? Can you supply a mail address? Ewen McNeill, Secretary for Amswell - Amstrad club of Wellington NZ. -- Ewen McNeill. Email: ewen@actrix.gen.nz