Subj : My new* 486 (*=old)
To   : BEN COLLVER
From : Cougar428
Date : Wed Mar 01 2023 06:24:00

-=> Quoting Ben Collver to Cougar428 <=-

 CO> I'll check out what I have and see about creating images.  I have a
 CO> registered version of Winimage 10 that I can use to create the
 CO> diskette images for download.  It creates .img files.

 BC> Thanks!  I'm interested in obtaining the original disks in case the
 BC> diagnostics prove useful in the future.
 
I lied, I looked in the box and the only thing in there were
manuals.  The system booted to DOS for the previous user.  I was
able to make it switch to booting OS/2, however there were some
problems booting.  So I downloaded the OS/2 Red spine edition and
the boot floppies from FSKTechnology: 

tinyurl.com/bdfwwkcu

Hate to type in those long links that wrap...

 BC> I read that USB floppy drives manufactured prior to 2004 are more
 BC> reliable. I ordered a Sony USB floppy drive that was manufactured in
 BC> 2001.  It has been working fine so far.

Thank you for that tip!

 BC> The PC came with a box of floppies and so far they have all been
 BC> blank. About half of them are failing a low level format with
 BC> verification. I'm marking the bad ones with a sharpie and using the
 BC> good ones. 
 
That would be about normal for floppies in my experience.  I usually
make an image of the floppy if it works for applications, that way I
can restore it to a good disk if I have issues.

 BC> I hoped to back up the hard disk to a USB drive.
 
I used a 'Ghost 2002' boot disk to backup the original drive on the
386. Plugged in the DOM to the second IDE port and cloned from one 
to the other.

 BC> That's fun that you are maintaining a DOS 386SX.  Does it come from
 BC> the era before PC's had BIOS setup screens?  What do you use it for?

Well, I learned on commodores and upgraded to an XT compatible, so I
kind of 'grew up' with these systems.  The 386 does have a BIOS, but
I only had to fiddle with it when changing the HDD.  For these
systems, you have to know what type of drive you have and set the
correct number in the BIOS.  Strangely the DOM was recognized
without that.  Might have to fiddle with com ports, but I haven't
used a modem with it.

I use the 386 for all of my old apps.  I still use Lotus 123 V3.1,
Wordstar 7.0, dBASE III+, XTree Gold and all the old apps I started
with.  Wordstar is the system I started using back in the 80's and I
still find it the easiest system to use for writing.  It lacks
anything but basic image insertion, but if you need to type and are
a touch typist you can fly in it.  And I love programming apps in
dBASE III, it's so easy.  I have an Epson LQ570 dot matrix printer
that is hooked up to it for output.  I use Colorado backup for DOS
with a T1000 drive for system backukps. 

 BC> I remember buying a used 386 for $100 and it seemed like such an
 BC> upgrade at that time.  I bought a used VGA card for $20 from an older
 BC> friend and that really opened up possilities for gaming.  At the time
 BC> the school PC lab had a single 386 as the server and the clients all
 BC> ran real mode software.  I installed Wolfenstein, Doom, and Star
 BC> Control II from big sets of floppy disks.  I didn't have a sound card,
 BC> but Star Control II could play its soundtrack through the PC speaker. 
 BC> The playback volume was quiet so i disconnected the internal speaker
 BC> and fitted a headphone jack into the case.  Then i plugged in amplified
 BC> speakers. 

Sounds like quite the setup in school!  The 386 has 3.5" and 5.25"
diskette drives and both work flawlessly.

Thanks Ben!


.... A truly wise person knows that he knows not.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
 * Origin: CJ's Place, Orange City FL > cjsplace.thruhere.net (21:2/156)

.