Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (03/13/90)
Info-IBMPC Digest Mon, 12 Mar 90 Volume 90 : Issue 44
Today's Editor:
Gregory Hicks - Chinhae Korea <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil>
Today's Topics:
Batch File and Modifying Environment Variable
Adding a floppy disk to an AT
DOS INT21, Subfunction 32H question
Maxon MVGA programming info
question on more than 20+ open files
Today's Queries:
Transteque?
Write-protecting 50z hard drives
configuring a Turbo C program
digital simulation software
Looking for a good MS-DOS 3.3+ book
New Uploads:
GRAPH update
REFORM16.ARC - Disk defragmenter with TurboPascal v5.0 source
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Date: Wed, 07 Mar 90 01:45:06 SET
From: Gilbert W. Selke <RECK%DBNUAMA1.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Batch File and Modifying Environment Variable
Andrew
I don't think there is a DOS-only way to direct user input to an
environment variable. However, there is a very nice collection of programmes
called SETPGMS.ARC (or some such name) at Simtel, one of which will let you
do just that. It was written by Arny Krueger quite some time ago. (Probably
you could solve the user-input-to-batch problem by some ingenious redirection
plus copying together with some files set up beforehand, but I don't think
that would look too elegant.)
\Gisbert
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5 Mar 90 11:8:57 EST
From: Mark@hamster.business.uwo.ca
Subject: Adding a floppy disk to an AT
> From: Gregory Hicks - Chinhae Korea <comfleact@taegu-emh1.army.mil>
>
> It's possible that the DRIVE SELECT jumper is not positioned properly. (The
> difference between an XT floppy and an AT floppy (when BOTH are 360K) is the
> faceplate on the drive. One is black and the other is grey...)
I have had to cut a trace (34) on the floppy drive to get it working on an
AT. Some of the newer drivers have a jumper for this. I have used XT drives
in an AT after cutting this trace.
Mark Bramwell, VE3PZR Located in sunny London, Ontario
Internet: mark@hamster.business.uwo.ca IP Address: 129.100.22.100
Packet: VE3PZR @ VE3GYQ UWO Phone: (519) 661-3714
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 08 Mar 90 13:17:42 MET
From: Jos Wennmacker <U001222%HNYKUN11.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: DOS INT21, Subfunction 32H question
Subfunction 32 return the Drive Parameter Block. (DOS 2+ internal)
AH = 32h
DL = drive number
0 = default, 1 = A etc
Return: AL = 0FFh if invalid drive number, else
DS:BX -> drive parameter block.
For the format of the DOS drive parameter block (different for DOS 2.x, 3.x,
and 4.x) See PD1:<msdos.sysutl>INTER190.ARC in the SIMTEL library. THIS
interrupt listing is very very interesting!
Jos Wennmacker
Universitair Rekencentrum
Geert Grooteplein Zuid 41
NL-6525 GA Nijmegen
The Netherlands
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 8 Mar 1990 01:42 MST
From: "Frank J. Wancho" <WANCHO@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Maxon MVGA programming info
Jim,
The Trident chipset is used in the Logix VGA1000 card and I suspect they use
the same mode numbering scheme. The .CFG files which come with VPIC will
give you some clues without a manual. If you can get through and have
patience to wait on hold, the Logix technical support people are very
knowledgeable and helpful. They have an ad in Computer Shopper and are also
listed in 800 information. They also have a BBS with some of their demo
software on line. It should work with your card.
Finally, if you have a monitor capable of 800x600, you should be able to get
256 colors, not just 16. (My monitor is a ZVM-1390 and looses horizontal
hold at 640x400x256 and 640x480x256, but displays 768x1024x16 and the others
just fine..)
--Frank
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 07 Mar 90 01:56:47 SET
From: Gisbert W. Selke <RECK%DBNUAMA1.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: question on more than 20+ open files
Yin-Hsin and Greg,
While Greg is right that the 20 files limit has nothing to do with
Fortran or C but rather with DOS, the way to overcome that limit *is*
language-specific: of course, you have to increase the 'files=' value in
config.sys first; then, in addition, your programme has to execute the DOS
interrupt (21h) with ah=67h, bx= desired number of handles. (This info is
from Ralf Brown's excellent interrupt list which is available at Simtel under
the name of inter*.arc or some such name.)
\Gisbert
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 90 17:21:12 GMT
From: R.D.Chafer%sysc.salford.ac.uk@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK
Subject: Transteque?
Dear Netters
I have just inherited a Transteque HC-101 RLL Hard disk controller. I want to
be able to talk directly to the hardware NOT VIA BIOS. Does anyone out there
have any experience with this type of card. as much informartion would be
appreciated. Please mail me directly.
Robert Chafer
FTN77 Group
Computing Centre Telephone: +44 61 745 5678
University of Salford, Fax: +44 61 745 5666
Salford M5 4WT
United Kingdom
E-mail:
JANET: chafer @ uk.ac.salford.sysc
ARPANET: chafer%uk.ac.salford.sysc @ nss.cs.ucl.ac.uk
BITNET: chafer%uk.ac.salford.sysc @ uk.ac
or chafer%uk.ac.salford.sysc%ukacrl.bitnet @ cunyvm.cuny.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 06 Mar 90 11:15:38 EST
From: REED%ETSU@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu
Subject: Write-protecting 50z hard drives
A fellow colleague would like to be able to write-protect the hard drives in
his microcomputer lab. Rather than using a card like DISKLOK, he would
prefer to do it himself. Is there a definite "write-line" that he could
disconnect to perform this function? And would it affect the machine's
performance in any way?
This operation would be performed on IBM PS/2 Model 50zs with 30MB drives.
Reed Sturdivant, Academic Analyst
Academic User Services
Box 24,340A
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, TN 37614
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 1990 13:02:40 CST
From: GTE8334 @ SUMMA.TAMU.EDU (GREGORY T. ECONOMIDES)
Subject: configuring a Turbo C program
I am writing a program in Turbo C which reads from and writes to a data file.
I would like the user to be able to configure the program to tell it where to
look for this data file. The way that I'd like it to work is that the user
would select the "configure" option (or, possibly, run a separate "configure"
program) and then enter the path for the file; I DO NOT want to have the
information saved in a separate "config" file. I have used some programs
which allow the user to configure them and these changes seem to be saved
into the executable file--ie. they have no separate "config" file.
Can this be done, or is what I have seen just an illusion? If it can be
done...how???
thanks...
greg economides
------------------------------
Date: Tue Mar 6 12:10:18 1990
From: <PARRAUF%UCHCECVM.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
Subject: digital simulation software
Hi Friends:
I need a software for digital simulation... At present, I'm realize a
hardware implementation of Learning Automata in the University of Chile,
Electrical Engineering Dpmt, Robotic and Electronic Group. I will be grateful
if you sent me some software references.
Looking forward to hearing from your soon
Pedro Arrau
University of Chile
Electrical Engineering Department
Robotic and Electronic Group
Santiago-Chile
<E-MAIL> : PARRAUF@UCHCECVM.BITNET
------------------------------
Date: Wed Mar 7 17:56:27 1990
From: fstarr@lognet2.af.mil (TSgt Frank Starr)
Subject: Looking for a good MS-DOS 3.3+ book
I just put MS-DOS 3.3+ on my machine. A s might be expected, the
vendor's manual leaves a lot to be desired. So, I'm shopping for a good,
definitive book to fill in where Micro Soft leaves off. appreciate all
suggestions.
Frank Star
fstarr@lognet2.af.mil
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 07 Mar 90 12:23:12 EST
From: Jim Van Zandt <jrv@mbunix.mitre.org>
Subject: GRAPH update
I have uploaded version 3.16 of my GRAPH program to SIMTEL20:
PD1:<MSDOS.GRAPH>
graphpc.arc scientific line graphics for CGA
graphh.arc scientific line graphics for Herc
graphega.arc scientific line graphics for EGA/VGA
graphhi.arc line graphics, Houstin Inst plotter
graphhp.arc line graphics, HP plotter
graphli.arc line graphics, CIE LIPS printer
graphps.arc line graphics, PostScript printer
graphdoc.arc GRAPH documention
graphsrc.arc GRAPH source code
Enhancements:
Popup menus for interactive update of display parameters - graphed data
remains visible
Extended script files: now include data file names and values for -c and
-n switches.
Axes can be separated from the plot area so they will not hide data
points.
Awkwardnesses fixed:
When log axis is requested, nonpositive data points are discarded
(formerly the entire plot was aborted).
Exits gracefully if no data points are found.
Changes in positioning and size can be in any order.
Bugs fixed:
Occasional divide-by-zero on VGA in modes 17 or 18.
Occasional failures to restore correct video mode in the Hercules and
EGA/VGA versions.
Note: I haven't forgotten the Z-100, but with the new features that version
ran out of space in the 64K code segment! I am in the process of porting
GRAPH to Turbo C. Does anyone have a Z100.BGI file?
- Jim Van Zandt (jrv@mbunix.mitre.org)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 8 Mar 1990 01:28 MST
From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: REFORM16.ARC - Disk defragmenter with TurboPascal v5.0 source
[--forwarded message--]
From: kirsch@arsocomvax.socom.mil
I have uploaded to SIMTEL20:
pd1:<msdos.dskutl>
REFORM16.ARC Disk defragmenter with TurboPascal v5.0 source
Following is my latest tweak (v1.60) to the PCDOS-specific version of Jos
Wennmacker's REFORMAT disk defragmenter.
The earlier (v1.50) version expanded capability to include large (30+ Mb)
winchesters.
This version has been rewritten for Turbo Pascal v5.0, and works just fine
with my PC-DOS v3.1, a Seagate ST225 20Mb hard disk and an ancient CMI
10-megger.
I have no way of testing its compatibility with larger disks, or with DOS
versions above v3.1. The original author coded the program to abort if DOS
versions above 3.1 were encountered. I've changed that to provide the user
with a warning message and the capability to continue if he or she so
desires.
I've resisted any further attempts to speed up the reformat (such as
buffering direct disk read/writes) since I'm not quite sure what I might
break! However speed is adequate for the purpose: A recent reformat of my
20MB hard disk (with approx 750 clusters to relocate) took 22 minutes.
Incompatibilities could come from (1) use of several undocumented DOS calls,
and (2) direct video memory write.
Full honor and glory to the original author:
Jos Wennmacker
Universitair Rekencentrum
Geert Grooteplein Zuid 41
NL-6525 GA Nijmegen
The Netherlands
Released to public domain, with the author's original constraints against
commercial sales. (See REFORM15.DOC.)
David P Kirschbaum
Toad Hall
kirsch@arsocomvax.socom.mil
(919) 868-3471 voice/modem
[--end forwarded message--]
Thanks, David!
--Keith
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest
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