djo7613@blake.acs.washington.edu (Dick O'Connor) (03/24/90)
My email bounced, so I'll post this response here to the lucky fellow who bought 2 Z's for $500!! **************************************************************** In article <1227@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU> you write: >I have recently acquired a couple of old z100s from a local shop <stuff deleted> >What I would like to get my hands on is: > > 1: IBM PC compatibility upgrades (is it possible?) Yes. Join the Heath/Zenith User's Group and buy ZPC. There are other options, but this is a software or sw/hw combo approach that works well. > 2: A version of Kermit for it watsun.cc.columbia.edu has the Z100 version of kermit. I have a slightly more advanced version V2.32A sent to me by Drew Derbyshire, the fellow who's been working on it. I can send you 2.32A if you like; can you UUDECODE a uuencoded file? > 3: some hard disk utilities (so I know what the sam-he!! I destroying) Z100's with hard disks come with a separate diskette of Winchester utilities. The store should have provided them. I don't know of another source right now except possibly Paul F. Herman (3620 Amazon Drive, New Port Richey, Fl 34655 (800-346-2152) who you should call anyway to start getting his Z100 Lifeline newsletter. There's a LOT of life in these old beasts yet!! > 4: the latest version of MS-DOS (Z-Dos) for it. > - I have MS-Dos 4.01 on my 486 and I kinda like it.... If you have 3.1, you have the latest and last. There will be no more. But that doesn't stop Paul and Gern (who will no doubt contact you also) and others from continuing development. Paul just released a driver pack that allows you to use 1.2M 5.25inch and 1.44M 3.5 inch drives in a Z100! > 5: where can I get a list of software (Freeware, Shareware, Store Stocked)? Again, Paul has a pretty good list. Check your local BBS to see who carries the Fidonet HZ_ECHO for another good source. > 6: One of the two z100s seems to have some stuff about a company > name BCS on it. I do know that at on time the two were networked > and used in a library together, but I have no clue, whether or not > to save the data on the 2nd machine. Its the one that seemed to have > a bunch of specialized software to which I have no need for. Any clues? Beats me. > 7: Is there a ftp site for z100 stuff?? (or am I asking for too much?) Best one in the world: Simtel. Try PD3:<HZ100>. It isn't very active, but there a lot of good stuff there. Though I'm a Kermit fan, I am impressed with BESTERM, another emulator program. It's there, along with about 50 other ARC files. >Personal E-Mail would probably be better, but I'll take any kind of assistance >I can get. Watch this space (comp.sys.zenith.z100); Gern and Kent Phelps and others will no doubt post in response. Gern is an unabashed supporter of the Z100. >One last question, does Zenith still have technical support for these babies >and/or did I waste $500 for the 2? That's 2 questions. (1) No, period. ZDS has been known to refer callers to Paul Herman! (2) NO, exclamation point! At $250 each, you got a GREAT deal. Z100's are pretty tough stuff, and can take a lot of beating. Hackers love 'em. I like mine and use it for all communications, WP, and programming. Even when I'm forced to get a 286 or 386 machine to join my staff on the network, I'll still keep it for communications. And fooling around, too! >Thanx ahead of time for any assistance. Yer welcome! "Moby" Dick O'Connor ** The only difference between Washington Department of Fisheries ** a lazy man on a riverbank Olympia, Washington 98504 ** and a fisherman is a pole Internet Mail: djo7613@blake.u.washington.edu ** and a length of string.