Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (09/19/90)
Info-IBMPC Digest Wed, 19 Sep 90 Volume 90 : Issue 149 Today's Editor: Gregory Hicks - Rota Spain <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil> Today's Topics: Re: Answer to Writing TSR's DTK 386 Bios Bug Re: No com1 or other Large Capacity Sort, responses NumLock light Today's Queries: Accessing SIMTEL20 Archives from non-ARPA/MILnet hosts Data Transfer via Parallel Port Hard Disk Write Protection Interrupt conflict Keyboard Problem. looking for IQ test program Mystery Asian floppy-I/O board Printshop Graphic Conversions Q&A Patches Available? robust PC configuration tester wanted Send Replies or notes for publication to: <INFO-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL> Send requests of an administrative nature (addition to, deletion from the distribution list, et al) to: <INFO-IBMPC-REQUEST@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL> Archives of past issues of the Info-IBMPC Digest are available by FTP only from WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL in directory PD2:<ARCHIVES.IBMPC>. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 16:30:20 EDT From: Curt Priest <BMSLIB@mitvma.mit.edu> Subject: Re: Answer to Writing TSR's As many are aware, DOS is non reentrant code, so to write to the disk and do other things that require DOS Int 21 functions is hard and complicated. The fundamentals are: 1) check an indos flag on the timer tick and don't take over unless 2) the dos idle flag is set (meaning all DOS is doing is waiting for a keyboard stroke. There is more information on these in the Microsoft DOS Encylopedia (about a $150 dollar book). The best example of how to do TSR's is a shareware program by Thomas Brandenborg that goes under the name TSRDEMO2.ZIP. I have to say, that it can be a long project even with the aid of Brandenborg's work. As an alternative, you can buy the solution from South Mountain Software called Resident C (1-800-451-6174, South Orange, NJ). They give you for about $150 everything you need to be able to write the body of the TSR in C and make it work under DOS. I have disassembled their work and they have been very thorough in dealing with a maze of concerns. When everything is done right, it will work, as all of the background TSR's that write to the disk demonstrate. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Sep 90 11:21:51 -0400 From: David Kirschbaum <kirsch@usasoc.soc.mil> Subject: DTK 386 Bios Bug Snarfed from my local FIDO's Technical Echo, FYI. David Kirschbaum Toad Hall FROM: Ivan Schaffel Area # 10 ( Technical ) TO: David Johnson MSG # 286, BUG-0-80 0:00am SUBJECT: Re: No com1 or other > >I recently purchased a new m/b. It works OK except I > cannot find COM1. > >The new boards BIOS boots up and says DTK CORP '88 > DTK > >/ERSO/BIOS 2.42 (C) 1986 > > > >norten si says my bios is dated jan 1 1981 it also > says serial ports > >0 parelell ports 0. > Me thinks that you should replace your bios chip with > either phoenix or award and your problems will > disappear. Just to add to your comment. There is a big, fat BUG in DTK 386 bios version 2.46. The sympton is Windows 3.0 will run intermittently and occasionally lock up. To test try From the DOS prompt. Win /r <cr> exit windows. win <cr> exit windows win /3 exit windows. 9 out of 10 times Windows will either lock or won't load. Switching to Phoenix 1.1.x will fix the problem. Took me two days with DTK tech support for them to acknowledge the problem. --- VPurge [DOS] V4.06 * Origin: Time to Iraq'n'Roll; Make Baghdad Bounce (1:141/390) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 09:32:08 -0700 From: Ted Shapin <tshapin@orion.oac.uci.edu> Subject: Large Capacity Sort, responses Here are the responses to my query for a large capacity sort program: Thanks to all who replied! Ted. >I am looking for a sort program that will handle the sorting of a file >of 10,000 fixed length records of 600 bytes each. - - - - From: David Kirschbaum <kirsch@usasoc.soc.mil> Assuming your hard disk has the capacity, I believe QSORT312.ZIP (in SIMTEL20's PD:<MSDOS.TXTUTL> should do the trick. It uses the disk for temporary files, so there's a lot of "chugga chugga" .. but it reportably handles multi-megabyte files! David Kirschbaum Toad Hall - - - - From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@vela.acs.oakland.edu> Ted, I believe Vernon Buerg's SORTF can handle that. It's very fast, too. SIMTEL20 directory PD1:<MSDOS.TXTUTL> Filename Type Length Date Description SORTF235.ARC B 11919 900220 Vernon Buerg's fast text sort utility - - - - [I do have this program, and here are its limitations:] SORTF Command RESTRICTIONS Version 2.35 ------------- Feb 15, 1990 Depending on the amount of memory available, up to 40000 records may be sorted. The maximum file size that can be sorted depends on the maximum number of records and the average record length. For example, the file size is limited to 3.2 mb for a file consisting of 80-byte records. ^^^^^^ - - - - From: Rick Huff <N216BQ@tamvm1.tamu.edu> I have recently written a sort routine that will read a variable number of records, break them into chunks, sort the chunks, store the chunks on disk, and merge sort the chunks producing a sorted list of fixed length records. I use this primarily for developing reports for database applications where the records are to be sorted in a different order than they are stored in the database. Since this is a fairly new set of routines, I do not believe it to be free of bugs, although it works fine in all of my reports to date. Also, the merge sort is rather clumsy and will do an n-way merge on n chunks. I understand that this performance can be improved by using a selection tree, I just have not had time to implement this change. This performance problem does not occur unless you have a large number of chunks. Anyway, I would be happy to share what I have if you are interested. Rick Huff Systems Analyst Ranching Systems Group N216BQ@TAMVM1 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Sep 90 15:44:26 +0200 From: S89406316%HSEPM1.HSE.NL@uga.cc.uga.edu Subject: NumLock light Arjen, The status of the lock keys on your keyboard are kept in BIOS data area at address 40:17. If you have an extended keyboard (with function keys on top) the keyboard LEDs are controlled by the BIOS as well. If my memory serves me right, the LEDs should go off if you put 0 into the above address. In any case, the effect of the keys will be reset to OFF. I use the a tiny program called KBRESET in my AUTOEXEC to reset the num lock key on my Philips P3302 (80386 with extended keyboard) which starts up with num lock ON as default. You can create it as follows: (This is a DEBUG script) debug a mov ax,40 mov ds,ax mov by [17],0 int 20 rcx C n kbreset.com w q Use this script to create KBRESET.COM once. Then use KBRESET to switch all lock keys off. Note: if you are putting the script into a file, don't forget the final Enter after the "q". | This switches off all the lock keys. You can also switch keys ON: | change the 0 after "mov by [17]," to: | | 10=Scroll lock on | 20=Num lock on | 40=Caps lock on | You can combine values to get multiple toggles to switch to "on", e.g. | 60 switches Num lock and Caps lock on and Scroll lock off. | | Use the OR instruction to switch keys on while leaving the values of other | keys unchanged. | | You may experiment in debug using the command "E 40:17 value"... Note: The FUNCTION of the lock keys go off. If you have an 'old' keyboard (88 keys? anyway F-keys are on the left) with lights, you could come into a situation that the lights are "out of sync" with the actual status. Press the keys that belong to those lights that are on (to put the lights off), then run KBRESET. My Philips P3302 (80386 16Mhz) always switches on the Num lock toggle after a cold or warm boot. I use the above program in my autoexec.bat to switch it off automatically. Jac Goudsmit (S89406316@HSEPM1.HSE.NL) 'You must the vegetables from chop have' (dutch joke, sorry) ------------------------------ Subject: Today's Queries: Date: Tue, 11 Sep 90 08:28 PDT From: <LATKINS%SCU.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu> Subject: Accessing SIMTEL20 Archives from non-ARPA/MILnet hosts I was reading how to access your archives from a non-ARPA/MILnet host in the Info-IBM Digest #187. It seemed pretty straight forward, but I was wondering if I could get some examples of messages one might send to get directory listings and requesting files in a binary form. Thanks, Luke Atkins ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 16:00:38 MEZ From: Rainer Kleinrensing <UNM10B%DBNRHRZ1.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: Data Transfer via Parallel Port / Micro Cornucopia Issue 48 I just succeeded in downloading the file <MSDOS.MICROCORN>ISSUE-48.ARC from wuarchive.wustl.edu. Some time ago this file was mentioned in this digest because it provides an example on how to transfer data in both directions over the PCs parallel port. MY QUESTION: I don't have access to Issue 48 of Micro Cornucopia and therefore do not know how to connect the two ports, i.e. what the cable should look like. If anybody out there has got a copy of this article, could you please send me a short diagram so that I can put the cable together? Any help would be appreciated, either to me directly or to the list. Thanks, Rainer Kleinrensing (UNM10B at DBNRHRZ1 in BITNET) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Sep 90 09:22:03 EDT From: Mark Edward Toomey <MTOOMEY@uga.cc.uga.edu> Subject: Hard Disk Write Protection Can anyone help with software, procedures, etc. to enable us to selectively write protect hard disks on our lab PCs. We have various programs on the hard disk which require that students save to floppy but invariably many PC-naive students will accidently save to the hard disk. As we are on the edge of maximum storage capacity it requires much staff-time to go through the drives & remove the unnecessary files. ATTRIB would be too convoluted & the various Virus protection schemes are designed for alteration prevention of files (EXE, COM,etc.). We also do not require password protection schemes such as those used in commercial network environments as our machines are used by many ppl & are kept on most of the day. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Mark Edward Toomey Computer Services Specialist College of Family & Consumer Sciences University of Georgia BITNET: MTOOMEY@UGA Internet: mtoomey@uga.cc.uga.edu Voice: 404-542-4864 or 404-542-4651 FAX: 404-542-4862 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 17:50:43 -0400 (EDT) From: Steven Timm <st0o+@andrew.cmu.edu> Subject: Interrupt conflict I have a Zenith Z-159 PC (8088-2 CPU) with a Zenith EGA card, and a Silicon Valley SVC-21 Hard Card (disk). Recently I installed a QMS JetScript Board to drive my HP LaserJet II. It prints fine, but all interactive PostScript functions are unavailable since the installation program` informs me that the interrupt vectors IRQ5 and IRQ7, either of which the board could use, are unavailable. Does anyone have an idea of which board might be eating them up? The manuals on the other boards are no help at all. Steve Timm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Sep 90 11:40:29 BST From: Paul Mather <mather@sees.bangor.ac.uk> Subject: Keyboard Problem. I am having a problem with my PC, a Packard-Bell "Force I" machine. The machine is 286 based and runs MS-DOS 3.3 and Phoenix BIOS version 3.10 015. The problem is connected with the status of the Caps and Number Lock keys. It is very intermittent, but always occurs while a key is being pressed. It seems to happen more frequently when typing rapidly, especially using the cursor keys, but also happens when a single key is pressed (e.g. pressing ENTER after checking a command has been correctly typed). The problem has occured with most if not all keys at one time or another. The only indication that something has happened is a short beep, very like the keyboard buffer full beep. It might be worth noting that the normal beep of the machine is more like a low pitch click than anything else, although this can be changed by using the Norton BEEP utility, and seems to change to a proper beep after this problem has occurred. As to the actual nature of the problem, apart from the unexplained beep itself, it varies. In most common order :- 1. apart from the beep, nothing happens 2. the last keystroke is lost 3. while the 'lock' lights don't change, the keyboard goes into the reverse of it's previous state (normal to Caps Lock or Caps Lock to normal) so causing the LED lights to become out of synch with the true state of affairs. 4. in addition to (3) above, the function keys cease to work. Any application program running which uses function keys simply beeps or ignores their pressing. The *really* weird thing is, the status of the keyboard, and the correct working of the function keys can be restored by simply pressing (on it's own) the LEFT SHIFT KEY. No other key helps like this, not even the right shift. The problem has occurred when running a wide range of software, including working at the DOS prompt. It does not seem to get any better or worse depending on how long the machine is switched on for, so does not seem to be an overheating problem. I've tried changes to the CONFIG.SYS file (e.g. with and without ANSI) without any effect. Any help or suggestions anyone could give would be much appreciated. Dave Scott. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Sep 90 19:07:56 EDT From: "Chuck R." <346B36G%CMUVM@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU> Subject: looking for IQ test program Does anybody know of a public domain or shareware IBMPC program for giving an IQ test? I saw one for a VIC-20 once. Or does anyone know of a source for a test which could easily be translated into a program? Chuck R. bitnet: 346b36g@cmuvm.bitnet Michigan, USA ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 16:42:10 EDT From: Curt Priest <BMSLIB@mitvma.mit.edu> Subject: Mystery Asian floppy-I/O board I have an XT combination floppy and 2 serial port I/O board. I would really appreciate someone sending me information about the jumpers. Let me describe it in hopes it looks like something one of you have. It is a full length board and in the middle of the back trace it says YU-2006. On the outside panel it has one DB-25 and one DB-15. It has two serial ports using two WD8250's and the outputs are double pins, J22 and J23. It has a clock and battery using the standard MM58167, and the floppy control part is at the end opposite the outside panel and the connection is a double set of pins (1-34) labeled DISK. Near the middle it has seven different sets of jumper headers. Since this is perhaps hard to relay by E-mail, perhaps someone could contact me directly and I will give you a mail address so you could just copy the relevant description. Appreciate any assistance. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Sep 90 16:08:46 EDT From: "Scott A. Begin" <34RXESC%CMUVM@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU> Subject: Printshop Graphic Conversions I have a Printshop (new version), and I would like to be able to graphics from other programs to use with my Printshop. I have the program that came with it which converts old version graphics, borders, and fonts to use with the new version, but I would like to be able to import graphics, fonts, and borders from Printmaster, PFS First Choice / First Publisher, Wordperfect 5.x, and possibly from MacIntosh MacPaint files. It would not have to convert to new graphics or even the color graphics (I do not have the capabilities to display or print in color). I have seen shareware catalogs which list graphic conversion programs, but few tell me which formats they convert between. I am reluctant to pay $3-5 for the disk which contains the programs if they will not do what I want. When I looked through a listing of SIMTEL programs, I did not see anything that even looked close. If anyone knowes of such a program, in the SIMTEL archives, from other shareware sources, or even an inexpensive commercial product (cost <$40), please E-Mail any information to me directly. I will post a summary to the list. Thanks in advance, Scott A. Begin E-Mail: 34RXESC@CMUVM.BITNET (Network ) The Graveyard Madman CSV310 (CMU VAX 8530) Student Consultant AT&T: (517) 773-9424 Ronan Comuter Lab USnail: 1401 E. Bellows #E-1 Central Michigan University Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Sep 90 11:48:42 EST From: s8825698@mqcomp.mqcs.mq.oz.au (Daniel Bielik) Subject: Q&A Patches Available? Does anyone know of the existence of public domain programs, utilities, upgrades, patches, hacks etc. for Q&A V3.0 that I can download from Simtel? Thank you, Danny Bielik\ Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Sep 90 09:38 MET From: Derk Ederveen <D_Ederveen%pttrnl.nl@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: robust PC configuration tester wanted I want to know the configuration of my IBM-clone, which has been put together from various parts. Up to now, programs that test the configuration hang on my computer (show314 for example). Does anyone know of a 'robust' configuration tester/checker? Any pointers welcome; if possible, please e-mail directly. greetings / salutojn, Derk Ederveen Kath. Universiteit, Nijmegen / PTT Research, Leidschendam - - NL D_Ederveen@pttrnl.nl - - ederveen@hlsdnl5.bitnet - - dnlts::ederveen ------------------------------ End of Info-IBMPC Digest V90 #149 ********************************* -------