hicks@WALKER-EMH.ARPA (Gregory Hicks COMFLEACTS) (10/18/87)
Info-IBMPC Digest Thu, 14 October 1987 Volume 6 : Issue 67
This Week's Editor: Gregory Hicks - Chinhae Korea <hicks@walker-emh.arpa>
Today's Topics:
ATI EGA Wonder Board
Packdisk, Write-only Drives
Tektronix Device Drivers
De-installing Memory Resident Programs (2 msgs)
Drive A redirection query (2 msgs)
Hard Disk Head Parking
Adding memory to a "real" EGA
Rightwriter
MS Windows and IBM PS Mouse
Today's Queries:
DOS 3.2 Bug List Request
Help with PC-VT
Codeview info stripped when Programs are added to a library
Digitizing Music
3.5 inch diskettes
CDECL Sources available
Bug with AST Turboscan/ReadRight OCR system
Getting Borland Turbo Lightening to work under Procomm and VM
Graphics Editors Help
XEROX 4045 and WINDOWS
RTI's Ingres
Animation Software Request
XLISP v1.7 Documentation and Sources Request
Hercules Video Upgrade to old Compaq Portable (8088-based)
Leading Edge "D" compatibility issues/questions
Zenith and Hitachi CD-ROM PLayer
MIDI and synthesizer for the IBM PC
INFO-IBMPC BBS Phone Numbers: (213) 827-2635 (213) 827-2515
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1987 15:28 PDT
From: GDCWOOD%CALSTATE.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
Subject: ATI EGA WONDER BOARD
We just installed 15 ATI EGA Wonders in Leading Edge Model Ds. When test-
ing the ATI we had problem running Lotus graphs. After much hair pulling
and trouble shooting we called ATI. The problem turned out to be the on
board clock on the AST card was stomping on an interrupt the ATI wanted to
use; hence, problem graphics. After disabling the clock on the AST board,
all worked fine. Further gliches turned out to be the ROM version (1.7x),
which has since been upgraded to 4.x.
With the upgraded ROMs we have had no furhter problems. The ATI is driving
NEC Multisync and Magnavox professional monitors, usually in CGA or EGA
modes.
I can't vouch for its integrity in Hercules mode.
Dan Calderwood
Humboldt State University
BITNET:GDCWOOD@CALSTATE
------------------------------
7Date: Mon 21 Sep 87 10:32:24-CDT
From: Ivo.Welch@gsbadm.uchicago.edu,
(312) 324-5036 <CRSP.IVO@gsbadm.uchicago.edu>
Subject: Packdisk, Write-only Drives
A warning for those of you that use the PC-SIG packdisk program, and don't
believe in backing up first, since their power supply has never failed: If
you have an unreadable sector somewhere, it appears that PACKDISK will exit
during operation with a read/write error fault, and leave you with a
trashed hard-disk. At least that's what I think caused mine... In any
case, don't run packdisk programs "regularly in batch."
About write-only drives: I think PC-WEEK magazine runs an article on disk
caching programs, and lists as some of the features the ability to write-
protect drives.
ivo
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 87 10:15:54 EDT
From: Robert E Zaret <ZARET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Tektronix Device Drivers
MicroPlot sells a product called PlotDev which "replaces the standard con-
sole device in PC-DOS and provides the same functionality as the ANSI.SYS
driver" plus Tek 4010 or Tek 4027 support. "The programmer need only send
Tektronix graphics commands to the screen using a write statement in as-
sembly language, C, Pascal, Fortran, BASIC, or any other language supported
under PD-DOS."
Their VT100/Tek4010 emulator is packaged with a module called PCPLOT3.COM,
which I think contains subroutines that can be called by a user's program.
I have used their emulator, PC-PLOT, and think it is very clean. I have
not used any other products. Usual disclaimer: my opinions are my own, and
I have no financial interest in MicroPlot, etc.
Their address & phone are:
MicroPlot
659-H Park Meadow Road
Westerville, Ohio 43081
(614) 882-4786
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 87 11:21:35 EDT
From: Robert E Zaret <ZARET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: De-installing Memory Resident Programs
I haven't tried it but MARKREL may do what you want. It is available from
SIMTEL20 PD:<MSDOS.SYSUTL>.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 87 08:31:30 CDT
From: steve@ncsc.ARPA (Mahan)
SUBJECT: Memory resident uninstallation
I recently wrote to the digest asking for a way to uninstall memory
resident utilities from a batch file so as to maximize available memory. I
have received a number of responses summarized below.
The overwhelming favorite and the one I am using is a pair of
utilities named MARK and RELEASE. They come in a archive with some other
useful public domain software (TSR.ARC).
Mr. Eric Poole of the Naval Supply Systems Command in Washington, DC
was kind enough to prepare a disk and manual package for me which I picked
up while there on other business. Thanks, Eric.
The contents of the archive are as described below:
Name Length Stowage SF Size now Date Time CRC
============ ======== ======== ==== ======== ========= ====== ====
EATMEM.COM 256 Packed 4% 248 7 Aug 85 3:40p 5B27
MAPMEM.PAS 22091 crunched 58% 9459 22 May 86 2:03p 4218
MARK.COM 1408 Packed 88% 174 22 May 86 2:12p F839
RAMFREE.COM 165 Packed 1% 164 25 Apr 86 8:07p D4B8
RELEASE.PAS 17689 crunched 56% 7793 22 May 86 2:09p 862B
TSR.DOC 8844 crunched 44% 4953 22 May 86 2:12p AE88
==== ======== ==== ========
Total 6 50453 55% 22791
Also recommending this package were Douglas A. Myhre, Pete Brown,
s_daniels, Ken Van Camp, Ian Zahn, and Betty Harvey.
The latest versions may be obtained by sending $5.00 to cover the disk
and shipping to :
TurboPower Software
3109 Scotts Valley Drive #122
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
408-438-8608
Compuserv: 72457, 2131
The program is also available on SIMTEL-20 as TSRSRC.ARC
You may also obtain the software from the BBS at NEMS. Phone numbers
are: (301) 227-1042 or autovon 287-1042. The first time you log onto the
system, you will have to register before you are given complete access to
the system, but users are usually upgraded the same day. -Betty Harvey
<harvey@nems.ARPA>
As the programs are for the Public Domain, they ask for no donation for
them, except if the programs are for commercial use. Then they ask you to
contact them about a licence.
*********
Andy Wing recommended the "Software Carousel" by Softlogic Solutions.
This program will swap memory residents to disk and free up your RAM. Com-
mercially available for about $50.00
*********
Jai Srinivasan writes: Version 2.3 of TSRCOM.ARC has a utility called dis-
able that will disable a TSR program and re-enable it later. So your batch
file may look like:
disable sidekick
-----
<run program>
disable sidekick /a # Re-enable it.
disable ---- /a
TSRCOM is a public domain program and should be available at a local BBS.
*********
Hans Rickmann has come up with a way to control the execution of
autoexec.bat. A little C program 'startall.c' which does exit(1), if any
key has been pressed shortly after rebooting:
if (kbhit() > 0) exit(1); /* Lattice C */
In autoexec.bat:
..
startall.exe
if errorlevel 1 goto notstart
.. Start of Sidekick etc.
:notstart
..
Thus I can control autoexec.bat by pressing a key or not pressing any key,
until startall.exe has ended.
********
Alan Krantz offered a method of swapping filenames around and rebooting
(using REBOOT.COM) into the desired configuration. He noted, however, that
he too was looking for a better solution.
********
George Harris recommended REMOVE.ASM and INSTALL.ASM from August 87 PC
magazine. Phone number for downloading is in article.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 87 15:03:08 EDT
From: David Kirschbaum <kirsch@braggvax.arpa>
Subject: Drive A redirection query
The question/problem was:
I have an application program, available only as a .EXE file, which al-
ways tries to read a data file from the A: drive. Is there a way to change
this using DEBUG? I'd like to change this to the C: drive. This program
is not a commerical program, but source code is not available so that I can
fix this problem. Any hints would be welcome.
Dan Davison Arpa: dd@lanl.gov BITNET: dd%lanl.gov@wiscvm.bitnet
Dan,
Use the DOS command ASSIGN, as in:
ASSIGN A=C
[Notice none of the usual hyphens, like A: or C:.] This makes DOS look to
C: drive whenever the utility calls for A:.
When you wanna put it back again, just use:
ASSIGN A=A
and DOS looks to drive A: again.
This works just fine for things like DIR and other utilities I have, but I
can't guarantee it'll work for the specific .EXE application program you're
trying to use.
David Kirschbaum
Toad Hall
kirsch@braggvax.ARPA
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1987 21:07 EDT
From: LENOIL@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU
Subject: Program always reads from drive A:
The easiest remedy for your problem is to use the ASSIGN or SUBST commands,
which allow you reassign the drive designator A: to another drive (assign)
or subdirectory on another drive (subst). You then invoke your program via
a batch file that looks something like this:
SUBST A: C:\BIN
DUMBPROG
SUBST A: /D
Hope that helps.
Robert Lenoil
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 87 15:50:48 EDT
From: Robert E Zaret <ZARET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Hard Disk Head Parking
A routine called PARK should do the trick (I haven't tried it yet). A
friend gave it to me after getting it from PC-IRS (the BBS run by PC
Magazine). I just made a quick look through the listing of what was on PC-
IRS as of last month and didn't find it.
The PD:<MSDOS.DSKUTL> directory on SIMTEL20 has 2 or 3 routines whose names
suggest they will park heads after the drive is inactive for a period of
time.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 87 12:41:11 CDT
From: mlw@ncsc.ARPA (Williams)
Subject: Adding memory to a "real" EGA
If I remember right, the memory chips on the IBM EGA are NOT 4164s... They
are some atypical configuration that aligns better with the color plane ad-
dressing. I can't find my old references right now (my former EGA has
long-since been replaced by another), but I'm pretty sure that 4164s will
surprise the adaptor -- and we all hate surprises, right?
Mark L. Williams
mlw@ncsc.arpa
------------------------------
Date: 2 Oct 87 14:18:00 GMT+109:13
From: "SI01::ESD_ACC" <schmidg@esdvax.arpa>
Subject: Rightwriter
I've also been looking into Rightwriter. It appears to have some of the
features of IBM's PROFS (for mainframes). I have literature from the
manufacturer of Rightwriter, RightSoft Inc. It is identical to that sent
out by the IEEE. In fact, so is the price! $95US. So first I'd like to
say that the IEEE "reduced price" is not a special at all.
Next, the product literature lists over 25 word processo are compatible
with Rightwriter. Inquiries on others are invited (phone 1-800-992-0244).
Rightsoft had not heard of TeX or LaTeX when I called. It can be used with
ASCII files or any of the word processor formats in their list.
Finally, the Boston Computer Society is having a meeting on Computer As-
sisted Writing with feature demonstations of Grammatik II and RightWriter
on Thursday, October 8 at Honeywell Corp., 300 Concord Rd., Billerica MA
7PM. (Info 617-739-0947). If there's interest, I will try to attend, con-
tact me.
Gerry.
schmidg@esdvax.arpa
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 87 19:23:36 PDT
From: Doug_Wade%UBC.MAILNET@MIT-Multics.ARPA
Subject: MS Windows and IBM PS Mouse
My original question a couple of digests ago regarded the inability of
myself to get Microsoft Windows to recognize the IBM Mouse on my PS/50. In
the last digest there were a couple of responces with suggestions.
First, I am using Microsoft Windows v1.04. It is SUPPOSED to work with the
IBM Mouse. I waited two months for this upgrade and it did nothing. The
reason it appears to not work is that the mouse device driver on the disk
(MOUSE.DRV) is the same one as with v1.03. On both my 1.03 and 1.04 disks
MOUSE.DRV is 3358 bytes long and was created 8-21-86 (slightly before the
PS!1). If anybody has the REAL mouse driver for version 1.04 I'll gladly
mail a disk to get a copy of it. The SETUP program that came with my copy
of Windows 1.04 doesn't even list the IBM mouse in the setup mouse menu.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 87 19:29:35 CDT
From: Michael Sheridan <SHERIDAN@STL-HOST1.ARPA>
Subject: DOS 3.2 Bug List
Has a list of DOS 3.2 bugs (confirmed) along with the appropriate fix for
each been compiled? If one exists, can someone please send it to me?
Thanks.
Michael Sheridan
sheridan@stl-host1.arpa
sheridan%mrl.decnet@ames-io.arpa
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 87 16:45 EST
From: Joseph M. Walsh <MCRO_JMWALSH@JMUVAX1>
Subject: Help with PC-VT
I use PC-VT ver 8.4 for communicating to our VAX with my PC. I was wonder-
ing if that is the latest version. There seems to be a bug in it when you
go into the DOS Shell. Does anyone have a later copy of it, or know how to
fix the bug?
Joe Walsh
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
------------------------------
Date: 1 Oct 87 06:47:13 GMT
From: munnari!ausmelb.oz.au!aob@uunet.UU.NET (Andrew Bulka)
Subject: Codeview info stripped when Programs are added to a library
It seems that codeview information is stripped from an .obj file once it
has been in and out of a library (via lib). Rang Microsoft and they con-
firmed this 'bug' although the guy didn't seem too sure.
Anybody run into this?
--
Andy Bulka, ----=---- ACSnet: aob@ausmelb.oz
Austec International Ltd, ---===--- UUCP: ...!munnari!ausmelb.oz!aob
344 St Kilda Rd, --== ==-- ARPA: aob%ausmelb.oz.au
Melbourne 3004 AUSTRALIA -=== ===- Phone: +61 3 699 4511
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 87 15:53:22 EDT
From: Robert E Zaret <ZARET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Digitizing Music
Someone here is helping his son develop a system to digitize and play
music. Any ideas about hardware/software? The father is willing to pay a
few hundred dollars. He is hesitant about methods that require programming
in assembler (I didn't ask about FORTRAN, C, Pascal, etc.). Has everything
been eliminated by the criteria?
The father and son are a bit vague about their needs, and I may be muddying
the request.
Thanks again
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 87 18:11:32 EDT
From: "Roger Fajman" <RAF%NIHCU.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU>
Subject: 3.5 inch diskettes
Recently we were experimenting with formatting 3.5 inch diskettes in the
high density drive on a PS/2 Model 60. We used Maxell MF2-DD diskettes,
labeled double sided, double density, double track (135 tpi). The vendor
who sold them to us said that they are 720K diskettes. Yet the 1.44M drive
on the PS/2-60 formatted them at 1.44M with no complaint (and no bad
sectors). They seemed to work just fine afterwards. Does anyone know why?
I remember when double sided 5.25 inch drives first came out for the IBM
PC. Diskette vendors were selling doubled sided diskettes at a con-
siderable premium over single sided diskettes. Yet single sided diskettes
would almost always work fine as double sided diskettes. Apparently the
difference was whether both sides had been tested for defects. Is the
situation similar with the 2 kinds of 3.5 inch diskettes? Or are the two
kinds really manufactured in different ways?
------------------------------
Date: 2 Oct 87 08:01:55 GMT
From: obroin%hslrswi.UUCP%cernvax.bitnet@jade.berkeley.edu (Niall O Broin)
Subject: CDECL Sources available
Organization: Hasler AG, CH-3000 Berne 14, Switzerland
In article <8830@mimsy.UUCP> rab@mimsy.UUCP (Bob Bruce) writes:
>In article <9539@brl-adm.ARPA> BOL%HWALHW50.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.EDU writes:
>>Can someone tell me where to find the source of the CDECL program.
>>If possible, send it to BOL@HWALHW50.bitnet.
>>
>
>The cdecl program is available, in shar format, via anonymous ftp
>from mimsy.umd.edu
I have the source to CDECL. Unfortunately, it requires LEX. I would love
to have CDECL available to me on my PC, but I have no DOS LEX, and I don't
have *NIX for my PC. Is there any kind soul out there who has produced ex-
ecutables of CDECL for DOS who would be willing to post a UUENCODED ARC of
said executables. I am quite sure that I would not be the only one who
would appreciate it.
Regards,
Niall O Broin
AXE Software Development
Hasler AG
Berne
Switzerland
BITNET obroin%hslrswi.UUCP@cernvax.BITNET
UUCP .. {uunet,mcvax ..}!cernvax!hslrswi!obroin
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 87 17:29:24 CST
From: Dave Benson <C09800DB@WUVMD>
Subject: Bug with AST Turboscan/ReadRight OCR system
We are trying to run ReadRight OCR software on a TurboScan scanner from
AST. (It is the Microtek MS-300A Scanner) It works for a few pages, then
at the end of a page you get a window in center screen that says:
* * * Image Scanner
Please press any key to continue!
When you press a key you are aborted to DOS. This problem is currently oc-
curring on ReadRight v 1.17d, but it also occurred on v 1.17 with a
slightly different message. We are running the program on an Epson Equity
III with a 20Meg disk.
I have had several conversations with AST technical people and even
returned the scanner to them. But they find no problem with the scanner
and insist it is a software problem. OCRSystems is not much more help.
They just sent me an upgrade for a Cannon scanner. Supposedly they are
looking over my software to check it out.
I have also had problems doing image scanning with Istar software, though
that now seems to be working (with the odd exception that at the end of
every page it scans it gives me an error message "Paper jam or page too
long" though the scan has worked fine and there is no apparent jam.
I wonder if anyone else has had a similar problem. We think there could be
good use for OCR scanning on campus. In fact I have faculty waiting in
line. Did I just get the wrong scanner and software?
If anyone has any ideas, please respond to me. If I get interesting
responses I'll try to let you all know.
Thanks for any help.
Dave Benson <daveb@WUVMD.bitnet>
Educational Computing Services
Washington University, St. Louis, MO
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 04 Oct 87 13:35:49 EDT
From: Ephraim Katz <EKZMS%CUNYVM.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU>
Subject: Getting Borland Turbo Lightening to work under Procomm and VM
I have been trying for some time now to get the spell checker Turbo ligh-
tening by Borland to work from RAM and check my electronic correspondance
and I was not able to do that. Can someone help me with some suggestions
or actual program set-up files.
Thanks.
Ephraim Katz
Dept. of Neurology
Mt. Sinai Medical center, New York City.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 04 Oct 87 20:52:19 -0400
From: James Cayz <cayz@UDEL.EDU>
Subject: Graphics Editors Help...
We recently received an text/image scanning system, and while the
text scanning is great, we have a small problem with the image (graphics)
scanning. Seems that we need to supply my own graphics editor / dis-
player... Since we don't have one, we need to get one... The obvious ques-
tion is which one, and how much does it cost... The reply usually is
"What's the format it creates?". Well, it can create the following formats
for graphics:
PCX - Used by Ventura Publisher & PC Paintbrush
TIFF - Used by Aldus Pagemaker
RES - most Xerox publishing systems
I am only quoting what's in the manual - I have never heard of any
of these systems / programs myself... So, what I need is some info on any
of these, as well as any other programs that use these formats as well...
The cheaper it is, the more likely we are to buy it. But all serious
replies will be appreciated... If there is a demand, I will repost a sum-
mary to the net, so please, mail direct to me.
Thanx In Advance,
James
|James Cayz can be found via: USPS: Educational Technology Laboratory,
|E-MAIL (ARPA): cayz@louie.udel.edu : 203 Willard Hall Education Building,
|PHONE: +1 302 451-6307 : University of Delaware, Newark DE
19716
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 87 19:35:29 MST
From: Villy G Madsen <VMADSEN@UALTAVM>
Subject: XEROX 4045 and WINDOWS
Has anyone seen a PC WINDOWs/WRITE or PAINT device driver for the XEROX
4045 ???
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 04 Oct 87 11:55:17 EDT
From: gorman@braggvax.arpa
Subject: RTI's Ingres
Several months back, I read a small note in either UNIX Review or UNIX
World stating that RTI had demonstrated its distributed Ingres product--at
either UniForum or USENIX during the winter conferences in Washington--
running on a network on Suns, MicroVAXen, and PCs. The demonstration in-
volved some level of remote queries and updates from the different machines
to a distributed database avialbale to all the machines. I plan to call
and speak to RTI about its product, but if anyone, other than employees of
RTI, can share any observations about this product, I would be grateful.
The sort of information I'm looking for is: Were the VAXen were running
VMS or Ultrix or UNIX 4.X? Were the devices on the same network or
separate networks gateway'ed together? Were the systems all using the same
network protocols, like TCP/IP?
Thanks in advance,
Bryan Gorman
gorman@braggvax.arpa
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 87 15:15:49 MEZ
From: Erich Neuwirth <A4422DAB%AWIUNI11.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU>
Subject: Animation software
Does anybody know about animation programs for the IBMPC like those avail-
able for the AMIGA.
I would need to move a few graphic objects simultaneously, so programs like
SHOWPARTNER are not enough, because they only can move one object at a
given time.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 87 15:18:15 MEZ
From: Erich Neuwirth <A4422DAB%AWIUNI11.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU>
Subject: MIDI and synthesizer for the IBM PC
I have heard rumours that together with the PS/2 family IBM also announced
a synthesizer card with built in MIDI interface and the card also shoud be
able to run on the PCbus, not only in the microchannel. IBM over here in
Europe does not know anything about it.
Can anybody help me?
E. Neuwirth
------------------------------
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest
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