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COMPUTER BITS BY JOE ELKHORNE Upgrading to a 386 - more on kludging a computer Last month, I had lots of fun getting the hardware of my cobbled up computer to work. But there was more fascinating frustration to come when I realised how beautifully simple it is to purchase a completely new computer. The hardware is only half of a platform, of course. Having achieved a working computer, I now had to pursue state-of-the-art software. Fortunately, I'd picked up Windows 3.1 at PC92 at a significant cost reduction $95 is a lot better than the $225 I'd the 3.0 version to get the CGA driver and then install my 3.1 "over the top". That evening, we did exactly that and both discovered how clunky Windows looks on a CGA monitor. Well, it couldn't be helped. The whole exercise was a process "A quick skim gave me enough information to be dangerous & I started the installation. To my dismay, the first problem I encountered was that a CGA driver is no longer provided." seen at a discount house when I began this exercise! I also would have bought MS-DOS 5 but they'd sold out. The dealer, however, promised to let me have one from the next shipment at the show price. Good show! I opened the white box containing the 3.1 goodies and had a quick look at the "Getting Started" booklet. A quick skim gave me enough information to be dangerous and I started the installation. To my dismay, the first problem I encountered was that a CGA driver is no longer provided. Blast! It was pointless to proceed further and I telephoned my friend Graeme. His suggestion was that we "install" 78 SILICO N CHIP of getting a machine up and running as cheaply as possible. This included using the existing inadequate 40Mb hardcard and the Amstrad CGA monitor. Incidentally, somewhere along the line, an expert told me that said monitor would never work "since they're non-standard". Having h eard the "Amstrad's aren't compatible" canard before, I took that with a grain of salt. Empirical tests proved that the monitor did function in a normal fashion attached to an ordinary CGA card. One of the curiosities I glossed over earlier was the hardcard installation itself and how we simply ignored the CMOS Setup. Well, since the compu- ter was working, we continued to ignore the anomaly. Having dropped it into a slot and found that it worked, regardless of the CMOS Setup report, there were more important matters to attend to. Since normal disc operations (including defragging) worked, the system obviously was happy to recognise it. Despite the limitations of the CGA monitor, we completed the Windows 3 .1 installation. There were some frustrations - the system "fell over" several times, although I am certain that this was due to my kludged hardware rather than the software. In the course of subsequent daily operations , the system has clagged a number of times when using file manager or even the MS-DOS Prompt. I've learned not to attempt a file copy from the A: drive to the B: drive, though admittedly it sometimes works for short files. File size seems to be a factor in whether or not the system will hang. Marking a group of files is a recipe for disaster, usually, but those same files can often be transferred one by one. Again, these problems must be located somewhere in my hardware or in the system setup. Incidentally, this is a good place to point out that - if you have anomalous behaviour - don't make assumptions about the cause. Do not blame Windows for something that might be endemic to the system. The best test when something falls over is to stay at the DOS level and try to duplicate the behaviour. Drivers, drivers everywhere Right - at this point, we have a more or less working piece of hard- ware. We've achieved disc operations at the fundamental level, even if some of the bells and whistles don't quite work. Given the previous difficulties with the floppy drives, this is hardly surprising. The monitor is definitely marginal but is usable - just. The keyboard does what it's supposed to, except when it-doesn't. Well, what would you expect from a definitely used keyboard? An occasional missed character is no big deal and the problem can be solved by throwing a little more money at it. More on this later. Since the serial card has already been tested with the modem, I know I can continue to communicate with the outside world. Ripper. The final and perhaps most important peripheral operation is hard copy. I've been using a colour printer for several years and blithely assumed it would be supported by Windows 3.1. There's a Microsoft Windows Version 3.1 Hardware Compatibility List included with the software package. This covers compatible computers (my Kludge Special wasn't listed, of course), displays, printers, networks, pointing devices and keyboards. Perusing the list, I then discover the model I have is not included. Bummer! Lots of Brand X printers, just not .mine. Now, one of the beauties ofWindows is that you need install a printer once and the graphical environment handles the talking between applications and hard copy hardware. This is, however, contingent on having the right printer driver! We did try several likely possibilities, including a couple of Epson bogstandard types, without success. Well, the X-42 (name changed to protect the guilty) is a bit long in the tooth but it is an 18-pin printer and has pr,oduced some reasonable hard copy from packages like Digital Research's GEM. I thought it would simply be a matter of getting the right driver; either Microsoft or the printer vendor was a possibility, I thought. Accordingly, I called my local Brand X dealer the next working day. They heard of anyone else trying this. Let me just check the master list on the computer". There was a long pause. It must be a big list! As the silence became uncomfortable, the technical support person (or whatever he was) said, "I'm just unzipping the file now." Then he added, idly, "Of course; three point one only supports 24-pin printers, you know. He then confirmed that the X42 wasn't on the list and suggested that what I really needed was a new "The monitor is marginal but is usable - just. The keyboard does what it's supposed to, except when it doesn't. Well, what would you expect from a definitely used keyboard?" referred me to the Sydney office, giving me a 008 number. I tried that. The telephonist understood my initial query easily. She put me straight through to the customer support officer. I explained the situation to him. "Uh, Windows?" he mumbled. "Yes." "Three point one?" "Yes." "What model printer again?" "X-42." "One of ours?" Well, I didn't get very far there. Next, I decided to call the Microsoft office in Sydney. A voice answered and I quickly explained the situation. "Umm, tricky. I don't think I've printer. Well, I hadn't argued the point but I knew after looking at the compatibility list that there were a number of 9-pin printers. Maybe his curious statement actually referred to Brand X printers and not all printers. Who knows? Who cares? By now, I was thoroughly frustrated. Just at that point in time , I got a call from the software dealer. I raced down to pick up DOS 5.0 and pessimistically took my compatibility list with me. The sales rep was not surprised at my tale of woe. I_ said I was about desperate enough to buy a new printer. He thought that a bad move, since I was essentially satisfied with my existing hardware, if I could get it to Protect your valuable issues Silicon Chip Binders These beautifully-made binders will protect your copies of SILICON CHIP. They feature heavy-board covers & are made from a distinctive 2-tone green vinyl. They hold up to 14 issues & will look great on your bookshelf. * High quality with heavy board covers * Each binder _holds up to 14 issues * 80mm internal width * logo printed in gold-coloured lettering on spine & cover SILICON CHIP Price: $A11.95 plus $3 p&p each (NZ $6 p&p). Just fill in &mail the order form in this issue; or fax (02) 979 6503; or ring (02) 979 5644 &quote your credit card number. MAY 1993 79 COMPUTER BITS - Upgrading to a 386 work. He offered further suggestions to trace a source for an appropriate printer driver. I was impressed with this since it really meant no money for them. Naught came of this, however, and in the end, I-went back to the dealer and bought an inexpensive Epson. Will it work? The rep said he used one himself. I looked askance , knowing the bane of compatibility problems and pointed out that this particular model was not on the Microsoft list. "Use such-andsuch," he said. "It works". Oh, before I continue, of course I was still able to get hard copy at the DOS level. And even under Windows 3.1, the "generic" driver functioned properly. It only meant the little advantages like TrueType fonts and other graphical bells & whistles weren't available. "Ifl have any trouble, I'll be coming back with fire in my eye," I warned. The plastic money got bent a bit further that arvo and I raced home. Installing the driver under the Win- out of the ordinary there. Without even going into Windows, I did a straight DO£ copy of an ASCII file to the printer. It had errors. Not dramatic ones, to be sure. It took me a second to recognise what was wrong: no upper case characters. Just to double check, I did a hex dump and repeated the same process on the old Brand X printer. The conclusion was inescapable: a stuck bit in the interface electronics. Bah humbug, so much for the self-test earlier. At least I'd been able to eliminate the guesswork by a systematic approach. I returned to the dealer with fire in my eye. When I walked through the doorway, several people dived for cover. The wimps sent one of the young women out to see me. I told her that I had to see the sales rep and they managed to drag him out of the back room. I showed him the printouts with that inescapable evidence of hardware malfunction, I received a swap printer straight away. Back home once again, I went through the entire process from the "I returned to the dealer with fire in my eye. When I walked through the doorway, several people dived for cover. The wimps sent one of the young women out to see me." dows operating system was not difficult. Foolishly, I didn't start at Square One. Yes, I know better. Why should I take my own advice? Instead, I went to a Windows application, called up a file I'd been working on and pointed it at the printer. WYSIWYG? No way. By now, I could recognise bit streams being interpreted wrongly. Was it the driver? Even the Epson book verified what the sales rep had said. Curses, foiled again! I turned off the rig in disgust and watched Star Trek and went to bed. The following morning, I did a systematic diagnosis. I verified the selftest of the new printer. It was good. I checked the software configuration of the printer itself, just in case. Nothing 80 SILICON CHIP ground up. And of course, there was no problem at all. By the time I got into Windows and produced my first state-of-the-art hard copy, I felt like I'd been through a war. Yet another upgrade Just at this point in time, "me good ol' mate" decided he really needed a high-resolution non-interlaced monitor. With appropriate video driver card, of course. So I inherited one SVGA monitor with Tseng Labs card. It's a world of difference to see what you're doing, rather than interpolating it from a CGA monitor whose dotpitch approximates S2 glasspaper. Over the next month, I soared up the learning curve of MS-DOS 5.0, and the intricacies of Windows 3.1 and various applications. It was inevitable that missing keystrokes would frustrate me to the point of buying a new keyboard. I smirked to myself that nothing could go wrong in this regard. Sure. After all, there 's only really a very few possibilities: the original XT-style (not mine) or the original AT style (nor again), the less common 3270 type (definitely not mine), or the 101key or PS/2 or enhanced keyboard. You definitely can't interchange XT and AT types. Yes, your typical clone keyboard usually has a switch with XT I AT positions. My existing keyboard did have a switch, did have 101 keys and surely any typical enhanced keyboard would work. I discovered there was a monthly computer swap meet on and attended the venue. Several dealers had attractive keyboards at even more attractive prices. One word of advice, here: do give a prospect a bit of a run to see if you like the feel and sound! There are wide variations. I selected one and took it home. Nothing can go wrong, I said ... off with the old, on with the new. I fired up the machine and knowing the CMOS did have the keyboard test installed, waited through the 35-second boot-up procedure. No error report, good! I typed "WIN" and waited whilst the operating system loaded. When I first started to do something, the system locked up. Hey, what's this? I'd decided some time back to coin a new acronym: "I had to CAD out of Windows (again)". CAD?-Control-Alt-Delete, of course. Well, to my surprise, I couldn't even CAD. A poke on the Reset button solved that problem. I watched again through boot-up. Then I stayed at the DOS level. Tapping the keys got response. But when I hit either the Caps Lock or, on a subsequent test, the Scroll Lock, the appropriate LED came on permanently and the keyboard was locked up. Very, very strange. The leaflet in the clone keyboard box referred to "the switch" and showed one of two possibilities, depending on whether it was "a type A or type B" keyboard. The unit itself, however, had no such switch; I'd already checked and assumed it was a standard enhanced unit. I called the dealer. He'd never had a keyboard fault, naturally, but offered to swap it. I drove a considerable distance to his location and watched in dismay as he plugged "my" keyboard into an ordinary 386 clone and it worked perfectly. Since I was already there, he gave me another keyboard as a swap. Back home, it exhibited the same symptoms! At this point, I drove out to see my favourite BBS sysop (hi Sandy !) and she put this u-beaut new keyboard on one of her many computers. It worked just fine. I took a slightly used one from her in exchange - it did have a switch, set on the AT mode, of course. And it works just fine on my system. Why is 't his all so? I have no idea. All I can say is that it points up the necessity for mix and match testing. There's nothing like substitution to sort out these little problems. Swapping one part and repeating a test is the quickest and easiest answer. Conclusions What's the bottom line? It's been an interesting time to be sure , with lots of unanswered questions. At the end of it, I have a reasonably inexpensive and mostly working platform. Did I save any money? If time is money, then the answer is unequivocally "NO! " Using 20-20 hindsight to confirm things I generally knew anyway from past experience, here's a little list: (1). Change one thing at a time. (2). When in doubt, substitute. (3). Cheap add-ons without documentation may be no bargain. (4). Be systematic and thorough. (5). Don't blame one thing when another may be at fault. (6). RTFM - when all else fails, Read The Flamin' Manual. The last is particularly important when confronted with little, niggling annoyances like too-easily accessible mains select switches on power supplies. Probably more units have blown up from inadvertently flicked switches than all the component failures or supply spikes put together! And finally, keep smiling! Editor's note: readers would do well to regard this and last month's story as a cautionary tale. Upgrading hardware in this piecemeal way can be frustrating, even to the most well-informed computer user. If you want a new computer and can afford the price, sell your old one, buy the new one and sleep well at night. SC Intel Announces The Pentium Intel Corporation has announced the production version of the Pei;itium® processor. Up to five times as powerful as the 33MHz 486 DX CPU, the fifth-generation Pentium processor extends performance while maintaining full compatibility with existing software. The new processor will benefit areas such as scientific modelling, computer-aided design and engineering (CAD/CAE), large-scale financial analysis, and high-throughput client/server applications. The Pentium processor also will provide the increased performance necessary for applications such as voice recognition , imaging and real-time video. The Pentium processor will be offered in 66MHz and 60MHz versions. The speed difference between the 66MHz and 60MHz versions is about 10%. Manufactured using a 0:8µm BiCMOS process and designed using a superscalar RISC architecture, the Pentium processor has two 5-stage execution units and can process up to two instructions in a single clock cycle . Both the Intel 486 and Intel 386 have one execution unit. The Intel 386 is a traditional CISC design that utilises several clock cycles per instruction. By contrast, the Intel 486 CPU, designed with a RISC integer core , executes most instructions in a single clock cycle. The Pentium processor features two 8Kb on-chip caches, dramatically improved floating point performance, and a 64-bit burst-mode external bus. It has 3.1 million transistors - nearly three times as many as the 486 . The powerful, fully compatible floating point unit (FPU) incorporates optimised algorithms and dedicated multiply, divide and add hardware, with an 8-stage pipeline to execute one floating point operation per clock cycle. The FPU is capable of running many applications 5-10 times faster than the same applications running on a 33MHz 486DX. Other design techniques, such as branch prediction, 256-bit internal data buses and write-back caches, all serve to improve performance. Not only will current software run on Pentium processors without modification and with substantial performance improvement, but new high-performance tools and compilers are available that will allow commercial and in-house developers to achieve even greater performance enhancements through a recompilation process, also known as optimisation. Many major software developers have committed to optimising their current applications for the Intel architecture, while others are porting their high-end applications to the Intel architecture for the first time . Peripherals Intel is providing system building blocks to enable a variety of Pentium processor-based systems designed for high-performance desktop and server applications. These blocks include the 82496 advanced cache controller and 82491 cache, the 82489 DX interrupt controller, and the 82430 PCI set chip set. The Pentium processor and second-level cache chip set, the 82496 cache control ler and multiple 82491 custom SRAMs, are a tightly combined group of components optimised for high-performance desktop systems and two to eightprocessor high performance servers. The 82489 DX, the first implementation of the advanced programmable interrupt controller (APIC) architecture, provides multiprocessor system support. The Intel 82430 PCI set provides PCI local bus performance to Pentium processor-based desktop systems. It includes an integrated cache/DRAM controller, a local bus accelerator, and system logic with an EISA or ISA expansion bus bridge to enable a range of price/performance systems. Intel has begun production of the new processor and expects to ship approximately 10,000 units in the second quarter of 1993. MAY 1 993 81