Mail Archives: opendos/2000/10/29/20:03:30
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul O. Bartlett" <bartlett AT smart DOT net>
To: <opendos AT delorie DOT com>
Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2000 5:29 PM
Subject: Public Buying (was: Re: DRDOS FDISK)
> On Sat, 28 Oct 2000, Patrick Moran wrote (tiny expert):
>
> > This problem may not even be a DRDOS bug, but a Compaq compatibility
> > problem. I really hate those computers and do not understand why anyone
> > would buy one.
>
> A lot of people simply don't know any better. Most of your average
> computer megastore shoppers wouldn't know a Compaq from an interstate
> compact.
Yes I know. People will even buy a Sears computer just because they have a
Sears credit card and pay 30% APR for a piece of junk that will be obsolete
before they even pay it off! Of course now Sears has even dipped lower on
the food chain, they now sell Packard Bell computers. You may not believe
this but in the mid 80's to late 80's Packard Bell sold quility computers.
They came with DRDOS, GEM, well documents books and was a quality piece of
equipment. I would not have given 2c for their monitors though. I have
repaired their TVs and they were a piece of junk to start with then went 90
degrees downhill after teledyne bought them out. Their console stereos were
great! Go Figure!
People are much better off buying custom made computers using standardized
components like the ones I put together and paying a little more. Then after
a couple of years they can easily and inexpensively upgrade their system as
required. This propietary crap if very expensive to upgrade, IF it can even
be upgraded.
In fact the average person tat knows little and nothing about electronics
can put together a system. There are even video tapes available to help them
do it. If you buy components that have good docs, you don't even need the
video tape. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put one together today.
Since most people will use WINDOZE and buy Plug-N-Play components, very
little documentation is needed, just a good munual for the mother board.
> I have been following this list for some time now, and for the most
> part it seems to be a list for hackers (in the original good sense). I
> subscribed because I don't like Windows and thought about trying to
> install something on my home box (made out of parts by a mom-and-pop
> shop) like DR-DOS. I prefer a command line, not a GUI. (I looked at
> BeOS briefly -- very briefly -- and it looked like more of the same on
> the surface.)
If you have a good understanding of DOS, you might want to give Linux a
shot. I recommend starting out with DOSLinux. It is a very small version
based on Slackware and is intended mainly for internet use. I comes with
everything you need to get on the internet and after reading the
documentation, you can install it and be on the internet in less than 10
minutes. It can run on a FAT 16 or FAT 32 filesystem. If you want to use
Netscape on it, you can get Xwindows for it. It has every thing set up to
quickly install Xwindowns and tells you exactly where and what files to get.
Xwindows is a GUI, which is needed for netscape. DOSLinux comes with LYNX
text WEB browser and a bunch of other stuff for the internet. You can add
any Slackware packages you want to it at any time. In fact you can add just
about any Linux stuff that comes in .tgz package. Once you get familiar with
it, you could also add RPM and DEB packages. You will have to edit some of
the system files in the /etc directory to get those to work. Then later you
could pick up a full version of Linux on CD for as little as $3.00.
> I am not a hacker, and all this talk about boot records and what
> not is 100% perfectly legitimate but of little interest to me. I
> recently bought Partition Magic and downloaded DR-DOS (7.02) but have
> not tried to use them yet. (Partly lack of time and partly
I would recommend that you get 7.03 instead of using 7.02. You could not
load the system into HMA with 7.02. However, if you do not want to dl 7.03,
you can go to the Lineo FTP site and get the updates. The update will fix
that problem.
As for boot records, MBR and such, it is something that people using DOS and
Linux and even other OSes should learn about. If you ever intend on running
multiple Operating Systems, you will at least need to learn some basics
about them. Partition Magic will rewrite both of those areas. I have never
used it, but have heard great thing about it. I prefer to back up everything
and start from scratch. musch less possiblility of something going wrong
(like losing power in the middle of the process and not having a UPS.)
> trepidation.) First I think I need to get a new modem, as what came
> with my box was apparently one of those cheesy "Winmodems." (BeOS
> would not use it, and somebody on a BeOS list called it a Winmodem.)
Okay, I have the perfect fix for that WinModem! First you take the WinModem
out of your computer, then you trot down to your local hardware store and
find their bench vise. You then open the jaws on the bench vice enough to
put the card into it edgewise. Them you close the jaws on the vise all they
way as far as you can. Then you pick up the pieces and drop them into the
trash can on you way out of the store. The you go to your friendly computer
store and buy a good modem.
I could not believe those thing when they first came out with them. They
left half the hardware off of them and provided software to do the work that
the hardware was supposed to do. They claimed that no one would know the
difference that the WinModem would be hogging a bunch of resources and
slowing things down. It cost them much less to build them, then they had the
guts to charge more for them!!!!!
Then after some sucker bought one of them and installed it, it is almost
guaranteed that the drivers or register entries will get corrupted. Then the
sucker who bought it will remove the software and remove the hardware entry
in the Device Manager and reboot the system. When they reboot the system to
WINDOZE, NO new hardware is found. Then they have to call a 900 number and
pay more money to fix the problem. The person on the other end of the phone
will tell them to boot the computer and start the regeditor. Then they will
spend another bunch of time editing the WINMODEM crap out of the registry.
Ten reboot the system and pray that WINDOZE will find new hardware. Another
method is to open up the computer case and remove the piece of crap and
power up the computer and start WINDOZE. Then shut down WINDOZE and turn the
power off. Re-isert the piece of crap and then power the computer back up
and pray that WINDOZE finds new hardware! 'nough said!!!!
I suggest that when you do buy another modem, that you check and see if it
is both PNP and Legacy. Many use no jumper on it to make it PNP and have
jumpers on it to configure it manually. These are the best types because
they will work with any OS. These do not cost much more than any other type
of modem. You can go to websites and check out their modems and download the
documentation for most modems. I suggest a known brandname modem and one
that has a flash ROM. That way you can get updates easily and not have fool
around with installing a new ROM if one is ever needed. There are many good
modems available like these at low prices. After finding a good one you
would like, you can go to ebay or yahoo auctions or others and find a new or
used modem of the type and model you want. You can even ask the seller
questions about the modem.
> In fact, I nearly bought a Compaq at a megastore until somebody
> tipped me off against it. I wouldn't have know the difference myself,
> and a lot of the buying public are the same. This list is rather
> specialized, and the general public do not subscribe here. That is why
> they buy Compaqs and the like.
Maybe I should sit down and write a book titled "Buying a Computer For
Dummies"!!!
Pat
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