hicks@WALKER-EMH.ARPA (Gregory Hicks COMFLEACTS) (07/14/88)
Info-IBMPC Digest Thu, 16 July 88 Volume 7 : Issue 31
This Week's Editor: Gregory Hicks -- Chinhae Korea <hicks@walker-emh.arpa>
Today's Topics:
3.5"disk drives (continued)
3rd drive into Zenith 15x cabinets
FLUSHOT-Plus withdrawn from SIMTEL20 archives
Hard Disks on PS/2 Model 30, and upgrades on the 50
ILEAVE15
Incomplete CFLOW package (2 msgs)
Hard Drive for the AT
ST-238 Problems
PS/2 Model 60 Problems
UUPC: Version 2 - Call For Changes To Version 1 (again)
Today's Queries:
NAPLPS package
Problems with the PC and Writing Assistant
HELP Requested with Q-DOS
Everex Tape Back-up and Z-248
Personal Computer Review Squared
Russian Language Word Processing Program Wanted
Voice Data Entry for PC's
Info-IBMPC Lending Library is available from:
Bitnet via server at CCUC; and from SIMTEL20.ARPA (see file
PD1:<msdos>files.idx for listing of source files)
SIMTEL20.ARPA can now be accessed access from BITNET via
LISTSERV@RPICICGE.BITNET using LISTSERV Commands
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Date: Tue, 24 May 88 06:59:04 PDT
From: ROME%ATF.MFENET@NMFECC.ARPA
Subject: 3.5"disk drives (continued)
I read Bruce Evans' advice on configuring 3.5" floppy drives. I tried all
of his suggestions on my Mitsubishi drive and still had all of the
problems described.
Things get even more bizarre. For example, a blank 2S2D disk only formats
to 1.44Mb. If I try to reformat it, the disk is trashed. After I bulk
erase it, it only formats to 720k with about 55k of bad sectors. Then it
reformats perfectly to 1.44Mb.
I asked Mitsubishi about this at COMDEX, and they were unhelpful. They
also said that the drive would be quiet if driven at a rate of 3ms and
noisy at a rate of 6ms. Does anyone know what this means? (my drive is
very noisy). Can one change this rate?
If my 2S2D drives format perfectly to 1.44Mb, what is the point of high
density disks? Can (or should) I use either type of disk at either 720k or
1.44Mb ratings? What is the advisability of drilling an extra hole in the
case of a non-high density disk?
The other piece of strangeness is that after the disks are formatted to
1.44Mb, and I try to reformat them at this density, I get the error
message "invalid option" from DOS 3.3. OS/2 behaves the same way.
Jim Rome
ORNL
PO Box 2009, Bldg 9201-2
Oak Ridge,TN 37831-8071
(615) 574-1306
------------------------------
Date: MON, 23 May 88 08:39:18 EST
From: KLIMOWDJ%SNYDELBA.BITNET@CORNELLC.CCS.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: 3rd drive into Zenith 15x cabinets
I have done what your asking about in installing a third drive into the
cabinet of Zenith 158/159 micros. Since the drives that come are half
hight, another half height works great. If you are working with 2
floppies now, it lets you add a hard disk, so you will be able to use
drives A, B, & C. I used a power-Y adapter for power to the 2 floppies
and used the normal plug to the hard drive. Getting all the cables
connected is a little tight but possible (including the data cables). The
plastic braces originally installed for support of the drives when the
screws are removed must be cut to slip in the drive on the very bottom.
The drive that goes in the very bottom also lines up nicely in that no new
holes have to be made into the drive bracket. This bottom drive will set
farther back that the original drives and the face plate must be kept off.
To reinstall the drive bracket with all 3 drives, you may have to take off
the front panel.
For a hard disk I use the Segate ST-225 drive & for a controller I have
used the Seagate ST-10 which is diminishing in supply. May have to use a
WD instead. To see if any ST-10 controllers are available call Segate
inside sales at 1-800-468-3472 for the name of a dealer near you. As for
the difference between XT & AT drives, you call tech support at
1-408-438-5333.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 May 1988 08:01 MDT
From: Keith Petersen <W8SDZ@SIMTEL20.ARPA>
Subject: FLUSHOT-Plus withdrawn from SIMTEL20 archives
I have decided to remove FluShot-Plus from our SIMTEL20 archives because
of the continuing problem of programming bugs. It is *not* a Trojan or
Virus. The author just needs to get his bugs fixed.
I recommend to all recipients of this message that they discontinue use of
*any* version of Flushot or Flushot-Plus.
--Keith Petersen
Maintainer of the MSDOS archives at SIMTEL20.ARPA
---forwarded message---
Date: Tuesday, 24 May 1988 08:20-MDT
From: <esheric at sandia-2.arpa>
Re: Flushot plus bugs
>From: Glenn Larsen <glarsen@note.nsf.gov>
>I had only one problem with Flu Shot 3 which was downloaded from SIMTEL
>in Nevada. The problem was when using the option to protect the CMOS were
>configuration information is stored with battery backup.
Here in Albuquerque a local BBS SYSOP complained that FLUSHOT3 was
actually a Trojan Horse program itself and was responsible for trashing
his hard disk. Since it seemed like a legit program to me, based on the
well documented sources of the program uploaded to SIMTEL20, I decided to
take a little time and dis-assemble FLUSHOT3 and see if I could see any
trouble. What I found was a program that, in my opinion, was loaded with
bugs. One of the bugs I found was in the CMOS restore section: FLUSHOT3
screws up and replaces the ES register with the DS value when it returns
from this routine.
Summary of BUGS and/or omissions in FLUSHOT3 detected as of May 1, 1988:
Bugs which can cause significant damage:
1. Stack corrupted in Int 26h handler: should return via RETF, which
should leave flags on stack, but instead returns via RETF 2, thereby
discarding flags.
2. Restoring CMOS memory after checking improperly restores the es
segment register : es is replaced by ds
3. Program assumes direction flag is cleared (forward).
Less damaging bugs:
4. Incorrect memory size (2 times amount req'd) in install
5. Interrupts are enabled for no reason in FCB test
Condom holes: Bugs or ommissions that make program ineffective
6. Incorrect jmp instruction disables ASCIIZ rename checking
7. No check of AT bios int 13h "Write long" call (0bh) No checks for XT
int 13h format calls 6 and 7
8. No accommodation for extended FCB format
9. No checks for direct IO via IOCTL call 44h
10. Program fails to detect FCB file delete and renaming functions that
can affect critical files if wild cards are used.
Loose ends:
11. Invalid error codes returned by int13h and int26h
12. Error code returned by failed FCB calls is unknown
13. Failures are not handled consistently - FCB calls return to program
while others force a program terminate.
14. No checks for existence of CMOS RAM before reading and/or attempting
to restore it. What happens on non AT's? [Since the user has to
specifically request this check, one could argue it would be his/her own
fault to invoke it on a machine that doesn't have the CMOS memory.]
FluShot Plus, version 1.2 is significantly better, but it still has some
problems: What I've found as of May 14, 1988:
Bugs which can cause significant damage:
1. Stack corrupted in Int 26h handler (fails to leave old flags on stack
as it should)
Condom holes: Bugs or omissions that make program ineffective
2. No check of XT bios int 13h format functions 6 and 7
3. No accommodation for extended FCB format
4. No checks for direct IO via IOCTL call 44h
Loose ends:
5. Invalid error codes returned by int 13h and int 26h failures
6. No checks for existence of CMOS RAM before reading and/or attempting
to restore it. What happens on non AT's? [Since the user has to
specifically request this check, one could argue it would be his/her own
fault to invoke it on a machine that doesn't have the CMOS memory.]
7. Overall the program coding is bit sloppy. Since it doesn't make any
attempt to optimize usage of the segment registers, it is a bit longer and
slower than it needs to be.
Final comments:
What else can I say? I'm not going to claim to be the world's finest
programmer and that I could do a better job. I may well be dead wrong in
identifying some of the code as bugs. However I would suggest that if you
are planning on using FLUSHOT xxxx, back up your hard disk first.
PS: I downloaded the latest FSP_12.ARC from SIMTEL20 tonight to make sure
that it was the same as what we had gotten off local boards here in
Albuquerque. Unfortunately, the FSP.COM file was different! A quick
check, however, reveals that the only difference was the addition of a CMP
AL,"?" and JE xyz pair of instructions in the filename compare subroutine.
The Int 26h stack bug was still there.
Albq. version of FSP.COM: 10309 bytes CRC = BDCE 27 April 88
SIMTEL20 version : 10313 bytes CRC = 9723 27 April 88
Peter Esherick
Sandia National Labs, Albuquerque
<esheric@sandia-2.arpa>
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 May 88 13:00:39 -0400
From: Glenn Larsen <glarsen@note.nsf.gov>
Subject: Hard Disks on PS/2 Model 30, and upgrades on the 50
Recently, one contributor asked about hard disks for the Model 30. The
problem is actually deeper than finding a hard disk, you also need to
purchase a new power supply. The one provided with the 30 is not capable
of running a hard disk.
The same applies when trying to upgrade a model 50 computer to more
than a 20M drive. It can't run larger hard disks. Although one company
makes a hard disk they claim is a 44M hard disk, it uses software to
change the tracks per inch. When you use DOS to reformat it, it will come
out to the same 20 you originally started out with. The power supply
problem is also behind this situation. Until PS/2 power supplies are
available, I'm afraid were stuck.
I bought a larger hard disk for my model 50, intending to run OS/2.
OS/2 would not install because the phony "44M" hard disk was not divided
per DOS standards. I returned the hard disk since the price of $1,000+
dollars was more than I cared to spend for what amounted to a piece of
software. It seemed ironic that I had to trade my perfectly good 20M hard
disk, for one of the same size (just labled differently) with a disk.
To run OS/2 and get the larger disk space, I had little choice than to
sell my 50 and replace it with a 60. Incidentally, if anyone is planning
to use OS/2 don't bother buying a PS/2 50. Not only will you have hard
disk problems but your expansion slots disappear quickly, especially when
you need 2MB to run OS/2 and DOS.
------------------------------
Date: Monday, 22 February 1988 19:00-MST
From: Mike Niswonger <CNISWONGER@SIMTEL20.ARPA>
Subject: ILEAVE15
I tried the interleave utility which you put up this weekend and have
been impressed by the usefulness and simplicity of the program, not to
mention the results!
One thing that I did find is that the estimated time to reformat your
system may vary greatly from the displayed time. For my WD 1002-WX2 (with
th new Super BIOS rom) the estimated time was 41 minutes - actual time was
251 minutes!! However, it did the job!
-- Mike
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 May 88 10:24:02 EDT
From: Bruce_Kahn@MAYTAG.CEO.DG.COM
Subject: Incomplete CFLOW package
I recently FTP'd a copy of the CFLOW package from SIMTEL20. After
looking thru it I found a function that is called but not defined,
MAKEFNAM. I would like to get the completed source for this if I could so
can anyone out there in netland send me a copy of this file/function or
tell me how to reach the author (Lawrence Steeger I believe). Thanks in
advance.
Bruce (KAHN@ADAM.DG.COM)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 May 1988 19:48 MDT
From: Keith Petersen <W8SDZ@SIMTEL20.ARPA>
Subject: Incomplete CFLOW package
I believe the function MAKEFNAM is a built-in function of the CI-C86
compiler library. The documentation says that as supplied it is intended
to be compiled with CI-C86.
--Keith Petersen
------------------------------
Date: 23 May 88 10:53:19 PDT (Monday)
From: "George_C._Burkitt.ElSegundo"@Xerox.COM
Subject: Hard Drive for the AT
> thanasis <ST401843%BROWNVM.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
>Subject: Hard drive for AT
There is no existing hard disk port on the AT. You can invest in a
SCSI host adapter card and an external SCSI disk system, almost any
capacity you want; this is elegant and expensive.
The easiest solution is to backup the old drive onto floppies or tape,
whatever you have, replace the drive, format it, etc, and restore to
it.
If you don't want to fight the floppies (lots of them), you can
direct copy from the old drive to the new. The existing controller will
handle two hard disk drives as well as the two floppy disk drives; you
would need the cables to (temporarily) hook up both drives. It would take
some bother on your part, but it is fairly straightforward, just
unfamiliar.
There is some possibility that you can put two hard disk drives inside
your AT, and not have to transfer stuff:
If your present 10 MB drive is a 1/2 high, you could get your new
drive in a 1/2 high and mount them both in the space available. Just make
sure you buy the right mounting wardware.
If your 10 MB drive is a full height drive but your AT is a clone with
space for 3 1/2 highs on the right, you could put a new 1/2 high on the
right side with the floppies. Again, buy the right hardware.
Look into the PC mags and Computer Shopper; Call your local
electronics distributors; they are begining to handle some add-on
peripherals.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 May 88 12:34:59 EST
From: RAMontante <bobmon@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Subject: ST-238 Problems
Joseph Segal posted a question about his ST-238 hard disk misbehaving
at times, and asked about diagnostics or sector-marking programs. Norton
Utilities includes such a program to mark out bad sectors; I expect that
MACE Utilities would also. Depending on his HD controller, there may be a
program in ROM to do this sort of thing. My Adaptec RLL controller has a
formatter at c800:0000 (I _think_ that's the correct address, for _my_
controller).
Generally, if sectors start to go bad, one crude but effective
solution is to do a low-level format of the disk, which should detect and
avoid bad sectors. Since this will thoroughly destroy any data on the
disk, you must of course back up your files first. Follow the low-level
format with a "normal" format, and restore the files. I've done this
twice to my ST-238, and I'm about to do it a third time -- I'm getting
sector read errors again.
-Bob Montante
[I must be lucky! I've had my TANDON drive here in Korea for close to
four years. I purchased it through the mail in mid '84. I've transported
it from home to work and back almost daily for two years without a
hitch. (I also PARK the heads before I power the computer down.) I've
used it through 'clean' and 'dirty' power failures. It still keeps
humming along. I've also never had to re-format the thing.
KNOCK ON WOOD!! --gph]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 25 May 88 11:24:39 PDT
From: swillett%plutonium.CChem.Berkeley.EDU@jade.berkeley.edu
(Steve Willett)
Subject: PS/2 Model 60 Problems
Regarding Hakim BELMAACHI's request for information concerning
configuration errors on a PS/2 Model 60:
We had a new PS/2 Model 60 which belonged to IBM (as part of an
educational grant program) which exhibited the same problem (error codes
161 and 163). IBM came and replaced the hard drive with no effect. The
sent another service person who told me that they had problems with the
system board on some machines. He ultimately replaced the system board
and the problem was solved. It seemed to me that it might just have been
a bad battery, but the service rep said he had never found a bad battery,
but he had found several bad boards! The problem was that the machine was
losing the configuration which it keeps in RAM which is battery powered
when the machine is off. I hope your machine is still under warranty!
------------------------------
Date: Thursday, 12 May 1988 21:58-MDT
From: ubc-cs!van-bc!skl@BEAVER.CS.WASHINGTON.EDU (Samuel Lam)
Subject: UUPC: Version 2 - Call For Changes To Version 1 (again)
Version 2 of UUPC is being worked on now, with a target release date
of the end of this summer. We would particularly appreciate it if those
of you who have made changes and improvements to version 1 (and would like
to share them with us for inclusion into version 2) would contact us about
the changes. (Please do *not* send sources or diff listings right away, a
paragraph or two describing your changes will do.)
Thanks in advance for your time.
...Sam
P.S. If you had already sent something as a result of the previous call,
please send us an one-liner reminder again, just in case your mail didn't
make it here last time. -- Samuel Lam
{ihnp4!alberta,watmath,uw-beaver,ubc-vision}!ubc-cs!van-bc!skl
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 May 88 20:40 EDT
From: "David Condrey (CTS)" <DAVIDC@CLEMSON>
To: i-ibmpc@uiucvmd
Subject: NAPLPS package
I am looking for a package to run on an IBM PC that will display NAPLPS
graphics. NAPLPS is ANSI standard for ISO layer 7 graphic presentation.
Ideally such a package would accept as input a NAPLPS file and display it
on the screen. If you can be of ANY assistance in locating such a package,
please send a reply directly to me, as I am not a permanent member of this
mailing list.
Thank You.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 May 88 05:00:36 MDT
From: bfenton@UNCAEDU.BITnet
Subject: Problems with the PC and Writing Assistant
I am having problems with my PC and the old version of writing
assistant. Sometimes, when I try to load a previously saved file, the
machine accesses the A drive for about a second, and then the machine
locks up. However, when I go back into dos, erase the file, and then
bring it back with the quick unerase utility in the Norton Utilities
package, everything works fine. Do any of you know why?
BOb Fenton
------------------------------
Date: 23 May 88 11:25:21 PDT (Monday)
From: "George_C._Burkitt.ElSegundo"@Xerox.COM
Subject: HELP Requested with Q-DOS
From: segal@lognet2.ARPA (Cpt Joseph M. Segal)
My suggestion is to find a time when the drive reads OK, backup the
entire hard disk on floppies or tape and reformat the disk with the
largest number of verify passes you can select. Then restore the
data/programs.
It may be that you are seeing some additional disk surface areas with
read problems.
I don't think humidity is the problem, but temperature changes might
be; does the drive work better when first turned on, or after it has
warmed up (20 minutes or so)? If temperature change is a problem,
reformat when it is at operating temperature, and let it warm up before
writing to it.
>I have written to Seagate but they have not answered me.
Not surprising; the retail seller of the drive is the place to ask for
help. That's not a lot of help, either.
>Does anyone know if Seagate puts out hard disk utility to check
formatting, interleaving, or controllers?
They had a format program called Disk Manager developed for their
drives by Ontrack Computer Systems and may be available in the public
domain, I don't know. If not, you may be able to get it from the place
you bought your drive.
------------------------------
Date: 24 May 1988 11:15:52 CDT
From: Chris M.W. Daft (cdaft@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu) <CDAFT@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU>
Subject: Everex Tape Back-up and Z-248
I am trying to get the Everex tape backup system working on a Zenith
Z-248 AT compatible.
The tape drive and card work fine on a true-blue AT but give an 'open
channel' error with exactly the same settings on the Zenith. I have tried
all the simple things such as changing the port address and DMA channel,
to no avail. I called Everex, who said it was probably a lack of
compatibility in the BIOS ROMs.
Has anyone had a similar problem? And is this machine really as
incompatible as that? It runs dozens of PC programs, including
badly-behaved ones, without a hitch. Mail on this subject would be much
appreciated.
Chris Daft (Bitnet: cdaft@uiucvmd, Internet: cdaft@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu).
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 May 88 15:27:16 CDT
From: Dan DeNise <C0016%UMRVMB.BITNET@CORNELLC.CCS.CORNELL.EDU>
Subject: Personal Computer Review Squared
I recently received a brochure in the mail advertising Personal
Computer Review Squared, a monthly summary of reviews from about 100 PC
related magazines, published by Toolbox Publications, Inc. of Orchard
Lake, Michigan.
Has anyone heard of it? Is it worth subscribing to? Please respond
directly to me. I'll summarize if there are sufficent responses.
Dan DeNise
University of Missouri - Rolla
C0016@UMRVMB.BITNET
------------------------------
Date: 25 May 1988 05:05:07 EST
From: S.H.Schimmrich@UACSC1.ALBANY.EDU
Subject: Russian Language Word Processing Program Wanted
I'm looking for a word processing program/editor for an IBM PC that
will handle Russian characters. Does anyone know if there is any public
domain stuff available? If not, how about commercial software? Any help
will be greatly appreciated.
Steven H. Schimmrich
Department of Geological Sciences
State University of New York at Albany
SS6349@ALBNY1VX
S.H.Schimmrich@UACSC1.ALBANY.EDU
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 May 88 7:54:41 EDT
From: Timothy Wood <twood%xls-plexus01@amc-hq.arpa>
Subject: Voice Data Entry for PC's
I have an assignment to accumulate data on voice data entry systems
for PC compatibles. I would appreciate any information that any of you
can forward to me, or, in lieu of direct info exchange, any information
about where I can find data on this subject. Please send responses to the
following electronic mailing address:
twood@amc-hq.arpa
Thanks...Timothy Wood
------------------------------
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest
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