Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (07/11/90)
Info-IBMPC Digest Tue, 10 Jul 90 Volume 90 : Issue 104
Today's Editor:
Gregory Hicks - Rota Spain <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil>
Today's Topics:
3.5" 1.44Mb drive as 1.2M
Hard-disk for Z-286LP
Hercules board in an IBM PC-AT.
Looking for some shareware
lzexe/unlzexe oddity
Netware with midrange?
reading the parallel port (2 msgs)
Submission for comp-sys-ibm-pc-digest
The Little Black Book (revisited)
VGA/EGA/CGA, which GA? (2 msgs)
VGA screen capture for MCGA
Virus mailing list
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 90 15:48 EET
From: TPELANDER@kontu.utu.fi
Subject: 3.5" 1.44Mb drive as 1.2M
><GOMBERG%UCSFVM.UCSF.EDU@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu
>Subject: RE: 1.44MB vs 1.2MB problem
>
>I have an AT clone which at first had only one floppy, a 3.5". When I
>tried to set it up, I could select 1.44M 3.5" at A:, but it would
>always revert to 1.2M at A:. I "fixed" it by buying a 5.25" drive for
>A:. It appears many BIOSs will not accept a 3.5" disk at A: I have a
>Chips and Technologies chipset with an AMI BIOS, as I recall.
I have had this problem and have a solution. Only way you can get rid
of this annoying bug is to get a newer IO.SYS file (later version). My
first symptons were exatly similar to yours. Next I installed MS-DOS
3.3 but the problem wasn't fixed. Later I got a version of MS-DOS 3.2
that had newer IO.SYS version then the one I had been using and all
problems were gone.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 90 21:02 EDT
From: Abhik Biswas <JUTBAAA%IUP.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
Subject: Hard-disk for Z-286LP
I have a Zenith Z-286 LP desktop computer with one 3.5" drive.
I want to install a hard disk. I belive 40 M is the larges this machine
can handle. I would like to know what kind of a hard disk would be
appropriate for this computer.
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Abhik Biswas | InterNet: JUTBAAA@oak.grove.iup.edu |
| Indiana University of | |
| Pennsylvania | Bitnet : JUTBAAA@IUPOAK |
| Indiana, Pennsylvania | |
| U.S.A. | Snail : Dont even bother. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 90 09:34:23 TUR
From: winfgui%DUTICAI.TUDELFT.NL@VM1.NoDak.EDU
Subject: Hercules board in an IBM PC-AT.
> I have recently bought a second hand IBM PC-AT (later model; it supports the
> enhanced keyboard and so must have the newer BIOS) which is fitted with a MDA
> video card. If I wish to replace it with a Hercules (or clone) graphics card
> do I need to change any of the settings in the CMOS memory? I borrowed a card
> which had functioned properly in an XT but just gave me a totally garbled
> screen on the AT.
Raymond,
I think the problem is not the setting of your CMOS, but the speed of t
he graphics card. It's possible that the card is for XT use only. That
is, is does work fine on a XT, but is to slow for an AT. You could try
a Herculus (or clone) graphics card which works or has worked in an AT.
CMOS-settings have to be changed only if you put a color card in it,
instead of a monochrome card.
Good luck with it,
Richard van der Pols
Holland
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 90 09:35:12 EDT
From: jrv@sdimax2.mitre.org
Subject: lzexe/unlzexe oddity
I have just started using LZEXE, and have been very happy with the disk
space I'm saving. So far, all the programs have run fine. However,
I've run into some strange behaviour when using UNLZEXE to reverse the
compression....
Volume in drive E is MS-RAMDRIVE
Directory of E:\
GRAPH OLD 162019 6-14-90 8:42p original program
GRAPH OLZ 61647 6-14-90 8:42p compressed with LZEXE
GRAPH EXE 112982 6-14-90 8:42p uncompressed with UNLZEXE
3 File(s) 1403392 bytes free
When LZEXE compressed the file, it complained of apparent overlays.
LZESHELL's English translation is:
"The file seems to use overlays. 162019 bytes were counted; I
expected 112982 bytes.
Compression might work if difference is small."
The difference is hardly small. However, all three versions run fine.
The program is my own, and was compiled with Turbo C 2.0 (large model).
I am not knowingly using overlays.
Is Turbo C doing something really dumb, which wastes 50000 bytes?
Does LZEXE overlook some feature of a .EXE file (such as initialization
of global variables) which causes no problem with this program, but
might break another program?
How is it that UNLZEXE doesn't exactly reconstruct the original,
uncompressed file?
SCANV has recently been changed to scan .EXE files compressed with
LZEXE. Is its decompression algorithm reliable?
- Jim Van Zandt
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 90 12:44:29 EDT
From: "Bruce H. McIntosh" <UFWORLEY@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu>
Subject: Netware with midrange?
Has anyone out there tried running Netware on a machine hooked to an
IBM midrange system? We have PS/2s on IBM Token Ring running PC
Support to talk to an AS/400. What I'd like to do is set up a Netware
server, gatewayed to the university's tcp/ip network for email and data
exchange. The Netware server would also let our secretaries print if
the AS/400 ever went down. Is it at all possible to set things up so
that PC Support and Netware can both use the same token ring board
simultaneously? Any assistance will be greatly appreciated!
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 90 23:43:00 +0100
From: Gerhardt Vogt <VOGT%EMBL.BITNET@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: reading the parallel port
Hi,
I have to write a program which reads input from a standard parallel
port. I don't know if that's possible, I know that BIOS and DOS
support only writing through the parallel ports.
Is it possible to read from them, if yes, is that true for all cards
(cheap multi-IO-cards etc.), does the port generate interrupts and
which I/O addresses and interrupts are used to read data. And, last not
least, where can I read something about this. Thanks in advance for
any help
Gerhard Vogt
VOGT@EMBL.BITNET
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 90 14:07:00 EST
From: Rick Beebe <BEEBE%YALEMED.BITNET@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: reading the parallel port
>I have to write a program which reads input from a standard parallel port.
>I don't know if that's possible, I know that BIOS and DOS support only
>writing through the parallel ports.
As a general rule, parallel ports are output only. In fact, I probably
would have said they are _definitely_ output only if LapLink hadn't
come up with a way of doing file transfers through them (sigh. Life
only gets more complicated...).
Anyway, my guess is that you'll have to go directly to the port and
whatever registers control it. There are several good books out there
on programming the hardware of a PC. Perhaps one of those would have
what you're looking for.
Rick Beebe (203) 785-4566
Biomedical Computing Unit
University School of Medicine
333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06514
BEEBE@YALEMED.BITNET
beebe%biomed.decnet@venus.ycc.yale.edu
------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 90 09:37:26 GMT
From: guven@pico.qpsx.oz.au
Subject: Micro-Channel Bus
Keywords: Micro-Channel Bus
For the purposes of simulation, I'm looking for some sort of a
documentation or a specification that tells how the Micro-Channel Bus
arbitration algorithm works, who controls the bus, etc.
if anyone has a reference, it is greatly appreciated.
Many thanks.
Guven Mercankosk
e-mail: guven@pico.qpsx.oz@munnari.oz
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 90 23:59 EDT
From: DATAUB%VASSAR.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
Subject: The Little Black Book (revisited)
Ok, I've received lots of mail from the net about how to rectify
my problem with the Little Black Book (version 2.00 doesn't seem to run
on a 386), and I'd like to report my recent finding.
I went over to a friend's house and he happened to be using the
program while I was there. I found that he was using a 386 to my
surprise. I asked him millions of questions about the program since he
didn't seem to have the problems running it on a 386 that I did. It
boils down to this: for some unknown reason, version 2.00 of the
program does not work on a 386! However, version 1.06 does. Lucky for
me, the old program used the later-versioned databases. Case closed,
and I am once again running the program on a 386.
Also, I might add that there are very subtle differences between
versions 2.00 and 1.06 - so subtle that I can't even think of any!
Danny Taub
Dataub@Vassar.Bitnet
Dataub%Vassar.Bitnet@Cunyvm.Cuny.Edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 90 14:42:48 EDT
From: Michael Harpe <MEHARP01%ULKYVM.BITNET@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: VGA/EGA/CGA, which GA?
I have an IBM PC Portable (the old boat anchor that looks like a Singer
sewing machine in it's case) that I want to put an EGA card in.
My brother recommended that I get a VGA capable display board and an
EGA monitor, then upgrade the monitor later. I am also considering
just getting a Paradise AutoSwitch 480 EGA card and an EGA monitor.
I would like to get some suggested configurations from the net. I'll
be happy to summarize if others are interested. Price is a
consideration.
Thanks in advance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Harpe, N4PLE | BITNET: MEHARP01@ULKYVM
106B Ormsby Building | VOICE: 502-588-7785
University of Louisville | FAX: 502-588-5048
Louisville, KY 40292 | AURAL: "Mike!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 90 16:26:00 EST
From: Rick Beebe <BEEBE%YALEMED.BITNET@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: VGA/EGA/CGA, which GA?
>I have an IBM PC Portable (the old boat anchor that looks like a Singer
>sewing machine in it's case) that I want to put an EGA card in.
>My brother recommended that I get a VGA capable display board and an EGA
>monitor, then upgrade the monitor later. I am also considering just getting
>a Paradise AutoSwitch 480 EGA card and an EGA monitor.
An apt description if ever I saw one...
The price difference between EGA and VGA these days is minimal (from
CompuAdd, an EGA card/monitor combo is $459 a VGA combo is $469). There
is no real reason to go with EGA at this point. The future lies with
VGA. Also, an EGA monitor will not work with a VGA card (and vice
versa). Go with the VGA, you won't be sorry. If you get a good
multisync monitor (like the NEC 3D), you'll be able to go with the
SuperVGAs later (i.e. 800x600 or 1024x768 resolution). Since the
monitor's the most expensive part, buy for the future.
Rick Beebe (203) 785-4566
Biomedical Computing Unit
Yale University School of Medicine
333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06514
* * * * **
BEEBE@YALEMED.BITNET
beebe%biomed.decnet@venus.ycc.yale.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 90 15:59:49 EDT
From: Jeffrey R Kell <JEFF%UTCVM.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject: VGA screen capture for MCGA
Does anyone have a VGA screen capture utility that works on the more
esoteric MCGA video modes (ie, 320x400, 360x480)?? I've tried VGACAP
which appears to try to work, but the companion BLD2GIF only does
320x200 conversion from the BLD format to GIF. An ftp pointer would be
ideal... thanks in advance.
<Jeff>
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------------------------------
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 1990 21:39 MDT
From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Virus mailing list
Dale, your message was forwarded to me.
To get onto the VIRUS-L mailing list, send a mail message to
LISTSERV@LEHIIBM1 if you are on the BITNET
LISTSERV@IBM1.CC.Lehigh.Edu if you are on the Internet
In the body of the message, say nothing more than:
SUB VIRUS-L your name
LISTSERV is a program which automates mailing lists such as VIRUS-L.
All submissions to VIRUS-L are stored in monthly log files which can be
downloaded by any user on (or off) the mailing list. There is also a
small archive of some of the public anti-virus programs which are
currently available.
--Keith
------------------------------
End of Info-IBMPC Digest V90 #104
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