SX386MC OPERATIONS GUIDE
SX386MC OPERATIONS GUIDE
GERMAN RFI DECLARATION FOR CLASS B SELF CERTIFICATION Hiermit wird bescheinigt, dass der TriGem SX386MC in Übereinstimmung mit den Bestimmungen der Vfg 1046/1984 funk-entstort ist. Der Deutschen Bundespost wurde das Inverkehrbringen dieses Gerätes angezeigt und die Berechtigung zur Überprüfung der Serie auf Einhaltung der Bestimmungen eingeräumt. TriGem Inc.
IMPORTANT NOTICE DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY TriGem Computer, Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to this manual, and shall not be held liable for technical or editorial omissions made herein; nor incidental or consequential damages resulting from the furnishing, performance, or use of this manual. Further, TriGem Computer, Inc.
TRADEMARKS TriGem is a registered trademark of TriGem Computer, Inc. AMI BIOS is a trademark of American Megatrends Inc. IBM, PC, PC/XT, PC/AT, MDA, Monochrome Display Adaptor, EGA, Enhanced Graphics Adaptor, VGA, and Video Graphics Array are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corp. Intel 386sx is a trademark of Intel Corp. Intel 387sx is a trademark of Intel Corp. AMD is a registered trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
SAFETY The following instructions pertain to the risk of fire, electric shock or bodily injury. Please read all of these instructions carefully. Follow all of the instructions and warnings marked on this product or included in this manual. Do not use this computer on an unstable cart, stand or table. Slots and openings in the cabinet and the back have been provided for ventilation.
MAINTENANCE Except as explained in Chapter 7, “Expanding Your System,” do not attempt to modify or service this product yourself. Opening or removing those covers that are marked “DO NOT REMOVE” may expose you to dangerous voltage points or other risks. Refer all servicing problems to qualified service personnel. If the product does not operate normally, adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions.
Stop! If you ever have to remove the main system unit cover, observe the following precautions: The power supply cord must be unplugged before the main system unit cover is removed. (Separe le cordon d’alimentation et puis enleve le couvercle.) Once removed, the cover must be replaced and screwed in position before the power supply cord is plugged back in. (Apresle couvercle a enleve, visse le couvercle en place et remettre le cordon d’alimentation.
Wichtige Sicherheitsvorschriften Unbedingt beachten! Allgemeine Sicherheit Die nachfolgenden Anweisungen betreffen die Gefahr von Verletzungen durch elektrische Spannung, Feuer und mechanische Einwirkung. Bitte lesen Sie diese Anweisungen sorgfältig. Beachten Sie alle Hinweise, die am Gerät selbst angebracht oder in den zugehörigen Handbüchem vermerkt sind. Stellen Sie das Gerät an einem sicheren, stabilen Arbeitsplatz auf.
Auf das Netzanschlußkabel dürfen keine Gegenstände gestellt werden. Legen sie das Netzkabel so, daß niemand darauftreten oder darüber stolpem kann. Wenn Sie Verlängerungskabel benutzen, müßen Sie sicher sein, daß die gesamte Leistungsaufnahme nicht größer ist als das Verlängerungskabel zuläßt. Der gesamte Stromverbrauch aller angeschlossenen Geräte darf nicht mehr als 15 A betragen. Wenn Sie das Gerät reinigen, muß das Netzkabel aus der Steckdose gezogen werden.
ACHTUNG: Wenn Sie das Gerät öffnen mößen (Abnahme der verschraubten Haube), ist unbedingt folgendes zu beachten: Das Netzkabel muß aus der Steckdose gezogen werden und zwar bevor Sie das Gerät öffnen. Die Haube muss wieder monitert und verschraubt werden. Erst dann darf das Netzkabel wieder eingesteckt werden.
Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 How to Use This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System 1. Unpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Choosing a Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Connecting a Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.
Chapter 3 Using Your Computer Changing the Operating Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1 Special Keys on Your Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 Stopping a Command or Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 Using Disks and Disk Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 How Disks Store Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6 Types of Diskette Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multiple Disk Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-25 Wildcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-26 Application Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-27 Chapter 5 Using Floppy Disks Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HOW Floppy Disks Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Formatting Diskettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 7 Expanding Your System Connecting Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 - 1 Serial Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 - 3 Parallel Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 - 4 Connecting Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 - 4 Connecting Modems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 - 4 Connecting External Disk Drives . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix C Video Monitor Systems Monitor System Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1 Video Controller Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1 Monitor Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4 Appendix D Connector Pinouts D-1 I/O Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Expansion Slot Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction Your TriGem computer is powerful, versatile, and easy to use. After setting up your system with the simple instructions in this manual, you’ll soon be using your favorite software programs. This computer is available in these configurations: The System provides one 1.2MB (megabyte) diskette drive and an optional 40MB (or 80MB) hard disk drive. You can operate a lot of application programs very fastly and efficiently with this system because it provides 32KB cache memory.
How to Use This Manual This manual explains how to set up and care for your computer. It also describes how to use your computer. The instructions in this manual apply to your system, except where otherwise indicated. You probably don’t need to read everything in this book; see the following chapter summaries. Chapter 1 provides simple step-by-step instructions for setting up your computer. Chapter 2 describes how to run the Setup program to setup your computer’s configuration.
Chapter 1 Setting Up Your System Setting up your personal computer is easy. Just follow the nine steps in this chapter. When you finish setting up your computer, go on to Chapter 2 and follow the instructions there to run the Setup program. The Setup program updates the list of equipment installed in the computer and any time options are added or changed. 1 Unpacking As you unpack the different parts of your computer system, be sure to inspect each piece.
Besides this manual, you should have the following: The computer and power cord The Keyboard with attached cable MS-DOS diskettes GW-BASIC diskette MS-DOS User’s Guide GW-BASIC User’s Guide In addition to these items, you need a compatible monitor to use with the computer. Be sure to keep your packing materials. They provide the best protection for your computer if you need to transport it later. 2 Choosing a location Before you set up your computer, it is important to choose the right location.
source of heat. High humidity also hinders operation, so select a cool, dry area. Avoid dust and smoke, which can damage disks and disk drives and cause you to lose valuable data. Appropriate power sources: To prevent static charges, connect all your equipment to three-prong, grounded outlets. You need one outlet for the computer, one for the monitor, and additional outlets for a printer and any other peripherals.
3 Connecting a Monitor The video display monitor is the device used by-the computer to communicate with you. Your software will use the screen to display information, such as prompts, text, graphics (charts and pictures), etc. Several types of monitor are available as options. A typical video display system provides a high resolution monochrome (green or amber screen) screen display. Your computer can be with either monochrome, color video monitors, EGA or VGA monitor.
2. If necessary, connect the monitor cable to the monitor. (Some monitors come with permanently attatched cables.) 3. Connect the monitor cable to the video connector on the back of the computer, as shown below. If the plug has retaining screws, tighten them securely. Figure 1-2. Connecting the Monitor 4. Plug the other end of monitor’s power cord into an electrical outlet.
4 Connecting a Printer, Mouse, or Modem The computer has a parallel interface and two serial interfaces on the back panel, so you can easily connect a printer or other type of device with either type of interface. For example, you can use the parallel port to connect a parallel printer (most printers have a parallel interface). You can use , the serial port to connect a serial printer, a serial mouse, or an external modem.
Figure 1-3. Connecting the Printer 3. Connect the other end of the cable to the printer, as shown below. If the printer has retaining clips on each side of the printer port, squeeze the clips together to secure the cable. 4. Plug the printer’s power cord into an electrical outlet. Using the serial Interface If you have a serial printer, modem, mouse, or any other peripheral with a serial interface, you can connect it to one of two serial (RS232C) ports on the back of the computer.
Figure 1-4. Serial Port Setting up-the serial port for a printer If you are using a serial printer but your software does not support a serial printer, you must do two things before you can print: o Set up the data transmission parameters for the serial port. 0 Tell the computer to redirect printer data from the parallel port to the serial port. Connecting the Power Cord Follow these steps to connect the power cord: 1. Insert the power cord into the AC inlet on the computer’s back panel, as shown below.
Figure 1-5. AC Power Connections 2. Plug the other end of the power cord into a three-prong, grounded electrical outlet. Note The socket-c&let should be installed near the equipment and should be easily accessible. Die Verbindung zwischen Steckdose solite mölichst Kurz sein. Die steckdose sollte frei zugäglich sein. For units to be installed in European countries, a power supply cord of type HAR, with H05W-F should be used.
6 Connecting the Keyboard Your keyboard has only one cable to connect. This simply plugs into the keyboard connector located at the bottom of the main system unit’s rear panel. This connector is designed to prevent insertion if the pins don’t line up, so it may be necessary to rotate the cable connector until it plugs in easily. Figure l-6.
Adjusting the Keyboard Angle You can change the angle of the keyboard by adjusting the legs on the bottom. Turn the keyboard over and lift each leg upward until it locks into place, as shown below. You lock the legs into a low or high position, or leave them flat. Figure 1-7.
7 Turning On the Computer Before you turn on your computer, read the following safety rules to avoide accidentally damaging the computer or injuring yourself: Do not unplug cables from the computer when the power switch is on. Never turn off or reset your computer while a disk drive light is on. This can destroy data stored on disk or make an entire disk unusable. Similary, never remove a diskette from a diskette drive while the drive light is on.
Follow these steps to turn on your system: 1. Turn on the monitor, printer, and any other peripheral devices connected to the computer. 2. To turn on the computer, press the power switch. Figure 1-8. Power Switch The power indicator on the front panel lights up. After a few seconds, the computer starts to perform an internal self test. This is a series of checks the computer completes each time you turn it on to make sure everything is working correctly.
388-BIOS (C) 1989 American Megatrends Inc. (C) 1989 TriGem Computer Inc. XXXX KB OK Press to bypass MEMORY test SIZING CACHE MEMORY, 32KB FOUND TESTING CACHE MEMORY, 32KB OK CACHE TEST COMPLETED (C) American Megatrends Inc,. DVSX-6080-060290-KB The computer continually updates this display as it tests its memory. This test takes about 1.5 seconds to complete.
The Command Prompt After the computer has loaded MS-DOS from the hard disk, you see the MS-DOS command prompt on the screen: The command prompt tells you that your computer is ready to receive instructions. It also identifies the current operating drive: A or C, for example. The command prompt appears on the screen whenever you load MS-DOS, complete an MS-DOS command, or exit an application. In your computer, the diskette drive is A and the hard disk is drive C.
Follow these steps: 1. The C > prompt should be on the screen. If not, type C: and press Enter. 2. Type the following and press Enter: The screen displays this message: 3. Insert the MS-DOS diskette in drive A, as shown below. Hold the diskette with the label facing up and the read/write slot into the drive. Figure 1-9.
4. Press any key. The DISKCOPY program copies the contents of the MS-DOS diskette to the computer’s memory, and then you see the following: If the diskette is not formatted, the DISKCOPY program formats it. Then the program begins copying the data from the computer’s memory to the formatted diskette. When the copy is complete, you see this prompt: 5. Remove the MS-DOS diskette and insert a blank diskette (which is to be the target diskette) in drive A. Then press any key. 6.
labels before you attach them to the diskettes in order to prevent damaging the diskettes. Store the originals in a safe place and use the copies as they needed. 9 Resetting Your Computer If your computer system should “lockup”, it may be necessary to reset the computer. Resetting the computer causes the CPU to clear its instruction set and the system memory. This ensures there is no “garbage” left in memory to interfere with new program information. There are two basic ways to reset your computer.
Chapter 2 The CMOS Setup Program Introduction The Setup program keeps a record of the host computer’s system parameters (such as memory amounts, disk drives, video displays, and numeric coprocessors). Setup resides in the Read Only Memory Basic Input/Output System (ROM BIOS) so that it is available each time the host is turned on. Setup stores the information in the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) memory.
Note Note that you can bypass the memory test by pressing the < ESC > key. This option would be useful when the memory on the system is quite large. You should hit the key when the following message appears on the screen.
Use and keys to set the reverse video cursor on the option you want to select and use < Enter > to get into the option. This means that the SETUP program options have been set at the factory. Since there were no errors detected, the computer tried to load MS-DOS from the floppy disk drive, before you have inserted the MS-DOS main system diskette. For now ignore this message. If you want to run the “DIAGNOSTICS” program, see Appendix E for the detailed description of it.
If you hit key, you will see a menu like as following. Set the reverse video cursor on the “RUN CMOS SETUP” using and < Down ” > and press . Then the screen will be replaced by the following. This screen is the SETUP MENU. ‘This lists the parameters you can change with the SETUP program. A solid cursor bar highlights the parameter currently available to be changed. You can use the following key conventions.
< Enter > . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . < ‘ > < ’ > .................. < PgUp > < PgDn > . . . . . . ... .......................... < Ctrl > < Alt > < Del > . . . moves the selection bar moves the selection bar scrolls allowable settings exit and save CMOS register exit without save Parameters 0 Date and Time Setup The first entry in the Setup screen is current date. A calendar has been provided for the user to facilitate him in this procedure.
Hard Disk Drive Setup Drives c: and d: are the hard disk drives in the system. 46 drive types have been defined by AMI. If for some reason or other your particular drive is not one of the 46 pre-defined types, simply scroll down to type 47 and enter the following drive specifications: cylinders, heads, WPcom, LZone, and sectors. Please consult the documentation received with the drive for the specific values that will give you optimum performance.
If Shadow RAM is not enabled, the parameters of the drive must be stored in normal RAM, but the integrity of the data must be maintained. The options you have are the following: 1. The BIOS to use 100 bytes at 30h:0 2. The BIOS to reduce the size of the base memory by 1KB. The default is 1. If you are not using Drive type 47 or not running programs like OS/2, RAMDRIVE this RAM will never be used by so you may leave the value as 1. P start-up speed This parameter is used to select the system’s default speed.
l l l l Video This parameter loads the program code from your video card into shadow RAM during system start up. BIOS + Video This option loads the BIOS and video code into shadow RAM. Ext. Memory If you use the extended memory on your system, select this option. The Ext. Memory size is determined according to the EMS Size and displays on the upper right comer of the Setup message. EMS Memory You can use the EMS memory using this option.
0 Peripheral Setup When you scroll down to this parameter, the following message will be displayed on the right side of the Setup message. Peripheral Setup Serial 1: Enabled Serial 2: Enabled Parallel: Enabled FDC: Enabled HDC: Enabled l l Serial 1 If you’d like to the on board serial port 1 for COM 1, set this option “Enable”. But, when you install the external card to use another serial port for COM 1, you should select “Disable” on this option to disable the on board serial port.
l FDC Your system provide on board FDC and it supports two floppy disk drive to your system. If you use another FDC in your system using external Card, you should disable this option. l HDC The system has on bord IDE type HDC. If you’d like to another type of HDC (for example, SCSI, or ESDI etc.), disable this option and install your HDC Card to the expansion slot on the backplane board. Leaving the Setup Program When you have completed the changes, press the < ESC > key.
Chapter 3 Using Your Computer This chapter covers the following basic procedure for using your computer: 00 Changing the operating speed 00 Using special keys on the keyboard Cl Stopping a command or program 00 Using disks and disk drives. Changing the Operating Speed Your computer can operate two speeds; 8MHz or 20MHz. At 20MHz, the computer performs all tasks faster, and almost all programs may be run at 20MHz. However, some option cards and application programs require the lower speed.
l Ctrl-Alt- < + > Hold down the < Ctrl > and < Alt > keys and press < + > on the numeric keypad to place the system in high speed. Changing the operating speed may be performed with the TriGem Utility TGSS.COM. This program is located on the MS-DOS diskette supplied with the system. You can find the detailed description of TGSS.COM in your MS-DOS User’s Guide. Special Keys on your Keyboard Certain keys on your keyboard serve special functions when your computer is running programs.
Key Purpose F1-F12 Perform special functions within application program (Some keys also function with MS-DOS. See your MS-DOS Reference Manual for more information.) Tab Moves the cursor one table to the right in normal mode (and one tab the left in shift mode when using some application programs.) Ctrl Works with other key to perform special (control) function, such as editing operations. Shift Produces uppercase characters or the top symbols on the keys when used with the main character keys.
Key Purpose SYS Req Produces the system request function in certain applications. PrtSc Prints the screen display on a dot-matrix printer Home, End, PgUp, PgDn et-1 Control cursor location in some applications, such as word processors, game programs, and spreadsheets. Ins Turns the insert function on and off in some application programs. Del Deletes the character at the cursor position.
Stopping a Command or Program You may sometimes need to stop a command or program while it is running. Many application programs provide a command you can use to stop or even cancel (undo) an operation. If you have entered an MS-DOS command that you want to stop, try one of the following commands: 0 Hold down the Ctrl key and press C 0 Hold down the Ctrl key and press Break These methods may also work in your application program.
o Care for your diskettes and diskette drives 0 Insert and remove diskettes 0 Write-protect diskettes 0 Make backup copies of your diskettes 0 Use a single diskette drive 0 Use a hard disk drive How Disks Store Data The diskette you insert in your computer’s diskette drive is made of flexible plastic, coated with magnetic material. It is enclosed in a square jacket. Your computer stores data on the diskette by recording on the magnetic surface. Unlike a diskette, a hard disk is rigid and fixed in place.
A disk is further divided by sectors. To understand what a sector is, picture the spokes on a bicycle wheel radiating from the center of the wheel to the tire. The space between one spoke and the next is like a sector on a diskette. (See the figure below.) Each track on a 1.2MB diskette has 15 sectors, and each sector holds 512 bytes. Figure 3-3. Sectors and Tracks Your computer uses the read/write heads in a disk drive to store and retrieve data on a disk.
Types of Diskette Drives You computer has at least one 1.2MB diskette drive. With this drive, use 51/4+inch, double-sided, high-density, 96 TPI, 1.2MB diskettes. These diskettes contain 80 tracks per side, 15 sectors per track, and hold up to 1.2MB of information, which is approximately 500 pages of text. You can also format these diskettes for 360KB - see your MS-DOS Reference Manual for more information. In addition, you may have a diskette drive of a different type.
Note You must format new diskettes before you can use them with an operating system. Formatting erases all the data on a diskette and prepares it to receive new data, so be sure to format only new blank diskettes or diskettes that contain data you want to erase. See Chapter 5 for instructions on formatting diskettes. Drive and diskette incompatibilities Because of the size difference, you cannot use 31/2-inch diskettes in a 51/4-inch drive or vice versa.
Because of these incompatibilities, you should indicate the density and diskette type when you label your diskettes. (Usually this information appears on the manufacturer’s label.) If you have any combination of the above drives (360KB, 1.2MB, 720KB, or l.44MB), you can copy files from one drive to another - using the COPY or XCOPY command - as long as the correct diskette type is in each drive. You can use these commands to copy files between the hard disk and any type of diskette.
Keep diskettes away from magnetic fields. (Remember that diskettes store information magnetically.) There are many sources of magnetism in your home or office, such as electrical appliances, telephones, and loudspeakers. Do not place diskettes on top of your monitor or near an external disk drive. Never touch a diskette’s magnetic surface. The oils on your fingertips can damage it. Always hold a diskette by its protective jacket.
0 Never turn off the computer when the hard disk drive light is on. This light indicates that the computer is copying data to or from the hard disk. If you interrupt this process, you can lose data. Cl Never attempt to open the hard disk drive. The disk itself is enclosed in a sealed container to protect it from dust. Inserting and Removing Diskettes To insert a diskette into the drive, hold it with the label facing up and the read/write slot leading into the drive, as shown below. Figure 3-4.
If a diskette is in the drive but the latch is up (horizontal) and you enter a command for that drive, the computer cannot tell there is a diskette in the drive and displays an error message such as: Close the latch and press R. To remove the diskette, turn the drive latch up until it is horizontal and the edge of the diskette pops out. Carefully pull out the diskette, place it in its protective envelope, and store it in a proper location, such as a diskette container.
To remove a 3’/2-inch diskette, press the release button to release it. When the edge pops out of the drive, pull out the diskette and store it properly. warning Never remove a diskette or turn off the computer while the drive indicator light is on. You could lose data, Also be sure to remove all diskettes before you turn off the computer. Write-protecting Diskettes You can write-protect a diskette to prevent its data from being altered.
Some program diskettes, such as your MS-DOS diskettes, have no notch so they any permanently write-protected. This protects them from being accidentally erased or altered. On a 31/2inch diskette, the write-protect device is a small switch on the lower-right comer on the back, shown below. To write-protect a 3l/2-inch diskette, slide the switch toward the edge of the diskette until it clicks into position, exposing a hole in the comer. Figure 3-7.
safe place away from your working copies. Backup your data diskettes regularly, whenever you revise them, to keep them up-todate, and store them away from your originals. Chapter 1 describes how to use DISKCOPY to copy your MS-DOS diskette. For more detailed information to make backups of other diskettes, refer to Chapter 4 “Using MS-DOS with your computer”. It is best to put most of the programs and data files you use regularly on the hard disk.
You can load the opeating system and application programs from the hard disk, create and store your data there, and use the diskette drive just for copying data to and from diskettes. Note If you only have one diskette drive and no hard disk, you need to use that drive to load the operating system as well as the application programs you are using. First load the operating system; this copies it into the computer’s memory (RAM) so you do not need to leave the diskette in the drive.
Backing up hard disk Ales While the hard disk is very reliable, it is essential to back up your hard disk files to diskettes in case you lose some data accidentally. Make copies of all your system and application program diskettes before copying the programs to the hard disk. After you create data files on the hard disk, be sure to copy them to diskettes whenever you revise them to keep your backup diskettes up-todate. You can see the more detailed information of backing up hard disk files on the Chapter 6.
You see a message on the screen that tells you the disk drive’s read/write heads will remain locked until you reset the computer or turn the power off and on again. The computer locks the heads and disables the keyboard. You can now turn off the computer and prepare to move it to the new location. The TGSHIP command should be run whenever you are going to move the main system unit.
Chapter 4 Using MS-DOS With Your Computer Once you have your computer system “up-and-running,” you may begin to work with MS-DOS. Virtually all application software available for IBM PCiXT and PC/AT-compatible computer systems runs “under” MS-DOS. Therefore, in order to use these programs, you need to learn how to use MS-DOS. This chapter will give you a basic understanding of MS-DOS and provide you with the basic tools you need run application software on your computer system.
Inserting Diskettes Your MS-DOS software package contains of the following items: a One MS-DOS Install Diskettes 0 One MS-DOS Select Diskette 0 Three MS-DOS Operating Diskettes Q One MS-DOS Shell Diskette 0 The MS-DOS User’s Guide & User’s Reference 0 The MS-DOS Shell User’s Guide Begin the installation procedure by placing the MS-DOS Install diskette in the A drive and turning your computer on. Disk Drive Letters The various disk drives on your computer are assigned letters.
To insert a diskette into the drive: 0 Open the drive door 0 If you haven’t already done so, remove the protective cardboard insert from the drive. 0 Gently insert the diskette into the drive entry slot with its label facing up, and the write protect notch to the left. Cl When the diskette is all the way in, close the drive door by turning the door latch handle down. Caution! If any resistance is felt when closing the drive door, stop and reinsert the diskette.
Starting MS-DOS To start MS-DOS 4.01 on a floppy disk-based system (that is, one without a hard disk drive), follow these steps given below. For a detailed description of how to start MS-DOS 4.01, consult the Getting Started section in your MS-DOS 4.01 User’s Guide. Cl Remove the MS-DOS Install diskette from its protective envelope and insert it into the A drive. Cl Close the disk door and turn your computer on. 0 Remove the Install disk and insert the Select disk. Cl Press ENTER.
Notice that the words “Command Prompt” are highlighted by a solid bar. This is a DOS Shell option that allows you to work directly with MS-DOS. Your computer system is now “running under DOS.” For now, press ENTER to run the Command Prompt option.
This is the system prompt. When it is displayed, it means that MS-DOS is waiting for you to tell it what to do. This is done by typing a DOS command, then pressing the ENTER key. Cursor Following the system prompt, you will see a blinking underline ( _ ) character. This is the “cursor”. The cursor shows you where the next character you type will appear on the screen. As you can see here, any command you type will appear immediately to the right of the system prompt and on the same line.
Case Sensitivity MS-DOS does not differentiate between upper and lower case letters in commands and filenames. This manual will show commands in upper case for clarity, but you may enter them either way. For example, both of these commands will generate a directory listing of a diskette: and Function Keys and MS-DOS As mentioned earlier, MS-DOS uses several of your keyboard’s function keys to provide you with shortcuts.
- F4 key The opposite of F2, deletes all characters from the buffer up to, but not including, the next character you type - F5 key Moves the current line you are typing into the buffer without ENTERing it - F6 key Places an “end-of-file” marker when you copy from the monitor to a disk file - ESC key Cancels the current command line without changing the buffer - INS key Inserts characters into the command line as you copy characters from the buffer - DEL key Deletes characters from the buffer BACKSPACE Key
The BACKSPACE key on your keyboard works just like a backspace key on a regular typewriter: it moves the cursor back one position. In addition, however, it erases the last character typed. Press the BACKSPACE key as many times as necessary to erase the typing mistake, then type out the command correctly. For instance, type the following (but do not press ENTER): Press the BACKSPACE key twice to erase the I and the R. Retype: Then press the ENTER key.
Default Drive MS-DOS will only look at one disk drive at a time. Normally, this is the “default” drive. You can tell which disk drive is the current default drive by looking at the system prompt. For example: indicates that the “A” drive is currently the default drive. Unless you specify otherwise, MS-DOS will direct any disk activity to the “A” floppy disk drive. You can easily change the default drive with an internal DOS command.
From the A. prompt command, try the command: The computer will respond: Press ENTER after you insert the diskette into the drive, then the system prompt will be: If you have a dual floppy disk drive system, the second, or “B” drive is now the system default drive, as indicated by the new system prompt. If performed on a single drive computer system, this command will still change the system prompt to B > , even though there is only one physical drive present.
Write down the MS-DOS version number on each diskette labels. This will avoid confusion later if you upgrade your operating system to a new version. As you finish copying and checking each MS-DOS master diskette, peel the correct label off of the backing paper and place it on the upper left-hand side of the front face of the new diskette. The following procedures will show you how to make backup copies of your MS-DOS master diskettes on both single and dualdrive systems.
The “SOURCE” diskette is the disk that you will be copying from. Insert the MS-DOS master diskette into the A drive. Press any key, such as the % SPACEBAR. The floppy disk drive will be activated, and your computer will display: The contents of the disk are being read into your computer’s memory. After a few moments, the following message will appear: When the drive indicator light goes out, remove the MS-DOS master diskette from the floppy disk drive. Insert a new, blank diskette into the drive.
For now, type N. The system prompt will reappear. To compare the backup diskette with the original, you will use the DISKCOMP command. Enter the command at the system prompt: The computer will respond: Remove the backup diskette from the drive, and put it in its protective jacket. Set it aside for a moment, making sure that you don’t mix it up with the second blank diskette. Put the original “master” MS-DOS main system diskette back into the floppy disk drive, then press the SPACEBAR key.
Remove the master MS-DOS diskette from the floppy disk drive, and put it in its protective envelope. Take out the backup copy diskette, insert it into the disk drive, and press the SPACEBAR key. The computer will read the contents of the backup diskette, and compare them with the copy of the master diskette that it has stored in memory. If the information on the two diskettes is identical, the computer will respond: Type N to return to the system prompt.
Copying on Dual Drive Systems To make backup copies of your MS-DOS diskettes on a dualdrive system, follow the instructions below: First, turn your computer on and boot up MS-DOS. Choose the Command Prompt option from the DOS shell menu. The system prompt will appear. Enter the following command: This command indicates to MS-DOS that you want to copy the contents of a diskette in the A drive to a new diskette located in the B drive.
Close bath drive doors. Press any key, such as the SPACEBAR. The A drive will be activated, and your computer will display: The contents of the disk are being read into your computer’s memory. After a few moments, the following message will appear: For now, type N. The system prompt will reappear. To compare the backup diskette with the original, you will use the DISKCOMP command.
When the computer is finished comparing the diskettes, the drives will turn off, and the following message will appear: Type N to return to the system prompt. If there is a problem with the backup diskette or if you put the wrong diskette into the drive by mistake, the computer will respond: After you have confirmed that the backup diskette is a good copy of the master MS-DOS diskette, you may put your master diskette away in a safe place and put the label on the backup diskette.
FILES In the same way that you can keep information grouped together in manila folders, MS-DOS organizes data into files. While you may store these folders in a cabinet, your computer stores these files on disks. Separating information into files allows you to work with that information more efficiently. File Types There are two basic file types: B Program files 0 Data files Program files are files that perform a task. They manipulate the computer and data files in order to achieve a result.
Filenames and Extensions Needless to say, each file on a disk must be uniquely identifiable. To achieve this, MS-DOS requires that you name every file you create, as you create it. In order to be able to manipulate files easily, MS-DOS has certain rules that you must follow when naming files. As you will see, these rules leave you a great deal of freedom in your selection of filenames. Each filename can be up to eight characters long. To this eight character name can be added an “extension ‘.
(and) (parenthesis) - { and } - (minus sign or hyphen) (brackets) (underline character) The following are examples of allowable filenames: JANUARY CHAPTER.001 MEMO.APR MAYSALES.$ $$,SALES.OCT These filenames are valid because none of them are too long, and only legal characters have been used. The following are examples of illegal filenames, along with an explanation: 3RDQUARTER.SALES This is too long. MS-DOS will accept this filename, but it will be shortened to fit the size limits.
Certain filename extensions have been set aside so that MS-DOS can recognize program files. These are: Cl C O M (for COMMAND file) Cl E X E (for EXECUTABLE file) 0 BAT (for BATCH file) Program files should always have one of these three filename extensions. Data files should never use these reserved extensions. They can, however, use any other extension. Filename extensions are optional with data files, so you can leave them off entirely, if you want.
Disk Directories MS-DOS keeps track of the files stored on your disks by maintaining a “directory” on each disk. These directories are listings of the filenames and extensions, along with certain information about the files themselves, such as when the file was created or updated last. The DIR Command MS-DOS provides a simple command that allows you to look at the directory of any particular disk. This is the DIR command.
The information presented by the DIR command is as follows: D The filename & extension Cl The file size (in bytes) Q The date the file was created or last updated Q The time the file was created or last updated 0 The number of files listed in the directory 0 The number of unused bytes of space remaining on the disk File Searches You can also use the DIR command to search for specific files on a disk.
Multiple Disk Drive Systems The DIR command can be used to read the directories of other drives in your system, if any are installed. For instance, to read the directory of the B drive, when you are logged onto drive A, enter the command: The computer will display the directory of the diskette inserted in the B drive. A similar command: will cause the computer to display the directory of your hard disk. Note that in both examples, the A drive remains the default drive.
Wildcards Quite often, when dealing with disk files, you may find yourself looking through directories for a particular file or group of files. MS-DOS has a way to help you sort out those files you want without having to read through the entire directory listing. This is through the use of “wildcard” characters. Wildcard characters are used to make a single command cover a number of similarly named files.
Application Software Now that you know how to make backup copies of your diskettes and how to work with MS-DOS, you can proceed to use application software. Most software packages come with detailed instructions for their set-up and use. These instructions will often ask you to use the information in this chapter to find specific files in the disk directories, or back up the master diskettes provided with each package.
Chapter 5 Using Floppy Disks Description Your computer works with a large electronic memory array called RAM. This stands for Random Access Memory. Your system’s RAM is actually an array of electronic circuits. As long as the computer is powered up, this circuit array will “remember” whatever is placed in it. When you turn the power off, however, these circuits will “forget.” Therefore, you need some way of retaining your programs and data after you turn the system off.
How Floppy Disks Work Floppy disks, or diskettes, are made from a flexible plastic that is coated with a magnetic oxide. The floppy disk drive encodes this oxide with the data generated by the computer. After you turn your system off, unlike electronic RAM, the encoded oxide retains this data. Your data can then be read by the floppy disk drive at a later time. The magnetic oxide coating on the floppy disk will hold its encoded data almost indefinitely unless you deliberately erase it.
Formatting Diskettes When you get a new carton of diskettes, they are not yet ready to be used. First, they must be prepared to accept data. This is called “formatting” the diskette. MS-DOS uses the same formatting method regardless of the computer used. This is one of the keys to intermachine compatibility. Since all PC-compatible computers use MS-DOS, they can read all disks created by any other PC-compatible machine.
I When you type F (for Failure), the computer will automatically cancel the attempt and will display the following message. Remove the unformatted disk from the drive. The FORMAT Command MS-DOS provides an external command program called FORMAT.COM, that will format your blank diskettes. When running this program, there are options available that allow you to format several different types of diskette. The following routines will show you how to use the FORMAT command.
Insert the new diskette to be formatted and press the ENTER key. The computer will display: The formatting process takes a minute or two. The computer will wait until the formatting process is complete, then display: Press ENTER if you don’t want to have a label of your disk. Then the screen will display the following message.
Option Switches To format 180K-byte sigle-sided, sigle-density diskettes in the computer’s high capacity disk drive, enter the FORMAT command using the 11 option switch: The computer will proceed to format the diskette. Upon completion, you will see this message: And the following screen will appear if you press ENTER. (If you want to have a volume label, type the characters and enter.
The /4 option switch is used to format 360K-byte double-sided, double-density diskettes in the computer’s high capacity disk drive. To do this enter the command: The computer will proceed to format the diskette. Upon completion, you will see this message: Press ENTER not to have a label of your disk.
Caution! 360K-byte diskettes formatted on 1.2M-byte high density, AT-style drives may not be reliable when used on some 360K-byte, XT-style drives. The 14 option switch is primarily intended to permit the use of less expensive diskettes with AT-compatible systems like this one. If you need to have diskettes that can be safely read from and written to by both styles of computer, you should format the lower capacity diskettes on the XT-compatible system where they will be used.
You normally boot the system up from the MS-DOS main system diskette. The DISKCOPY command copied these files when you created the backup copy of the master diskette. Sometimes, though, you may want to create a “boot disk” that doesn’t have all of the external DOS commands on it. For instance, you may want to make an “autoboot” copy of an application software diskette.
XXXXXXX bytes total disk space XXXXXXX bytes available on disk XXX bytes in each allocation unit XXXXX allocation units available on disk Volume Serial Number is XXXX-XXXX Format another (Y/N)? Enter N to return to the system prompt. Then enter: The directory listing should appear similar to the following: Copying Files If you have a dual drive system, it is easy to copy program and data files from one diskette to another. This involves the internal MS-DOS command, COPY.
For example, to copy the file “MAYSALES.RPT” from drive A to drive B, enter the command: When the copying process is done, the computer will display: You can also enter this command without the default drive letter, as: When no drive letter is specified for the source drive, MS-DOS assumes that you want to copy a file from the default drive.
It is also possible to copy a file between two disks when neither one is the default drive. For instance: will copy the MAYSALES.RPT file from the hard disk onto a diskette in the B drive. This time, note that both source and target drive letters were used. This is because neither drive was the system default drive. Wildcards Copying files using wildcards in the filenames can be efficient, but it can also be dangerous. When using wildcards, always make sure you won’t overwrite or erase another file.
Chapter 6 Using your Hard Disk Depending on the model, your computer system can be expanded to included an optional hard disk drive. This chapter will give you a basic understanding of its operation and show you how to configure it. Information is also provided on how MS-DOS works with your hard disk drive. What is a Hard Disk Drive? As mentioned in Chapter 5, “Using Floppy Disks,” your computer uses an electronic memory array called RAM.
permanently mounted inside the drive housing. Several hard disk platters are stacked vertically in the drive housing and sealed in a dustproof casing. Second, a hard disk holds much more information than a diskette. The “high-capacity” diskettes used in your computer can only hold a little over one million bytes. The hard disk can hold up much more data than floppy disk. Finally, as mentioned above, a hard disk is much faster than a floppy disk drive.
Preparing Your Hard Disk This section assumes that you have a hard disk drive system physically installed in your main system unit. If you haven’t installed your hard disk drive yet, see Chapter 7, “Expanding Your System,” for information how to do this. To begin, boot up your system using your MS-DOS as explained in Chapter 4, “Using MS-DOS.
it means that MS-DOS can’t “find” the hard disk drive. This is either because the drive controller board has been incorrectly set up, or more likely, the hard disk drive has not yet been partitioned. If the computer correctly executed the C: command, but failed to display a directory, it probably means that the hard disk has been partitioned, but not yet formatted. The next sections describe how to partition and format your hard disk system.
Move the screen cursor bar down to the Hard Disk C parameter. Using the PgUp and PgDn keys, scroll through the options to disk type number matched with the hard disk you have. If you select the type number 17 for 41MB hard disk, it provides the following information under the right hand headings: This should match the information provided with your hard disk drive. Other hard disk drives may require a different disk type number.
Press Y. The computer will update the information in its configuration RAM, and will go through the start-up routine again. Make sure MS-DOS is installed on floppy disk or hard disk of your system, so the system will boot up in MS-DOS. Note Your system has an on board IDE type HDC and if you want to install the another type of HDD except IDE, you must disable the on board IDE HDC using the BIOS setup program. See Chapter 2 for the detailed information of it.
Partitioning Your Hard Disk After the DOS Shell screen appears, select the Command Prompt option. At this point your are ready to initialize your hard disk drive. To do this, enter the command: After loading the FDISK program, the computer will display information on the hard disk drive installed in the system, as follows: MS-DOS Version x.xx Fixed Disk Setup Program (C) Copyright Microsoft Corp. 19xx, 19xx FDISK Options Current fixed disk drive: 1 Choose one of the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Note If you only have one hard disk drive, option 5 will not be displayed. Press ENTER to choose the default selection, “Create a DOS Partition.” The FDISK menu will disappear, and be replaced by: Create DOS Partition Or Logical DOS Drive Current fIxed disk drive 1 Choose one of the following 1 Create Primary DOS Partition 2 Create Extended DOS Partition 3.
To reserve the entire hard disk for MS-DOS, press the ENTER. FDISK now displays the following message: It is common to use FDISK to create an MS-DOS partition that takes up the entire hard disk drive and then make that partition bootable. Now that you have completed these tasks, you can restart your system using your MS-DOS Install diskette. Note For information on the remaining FDISK menu selections, see your MS-DOS User’s Guide. Make sure the MS-DOS install is in the A drive, then press the ENTER key.
If your hard disk needs to be formatted, begin by selecting the Command Prompt option from the DOS shell. Enter the following command: A > FORMAT C: /S/V The floppy disk drive indicator will come on for a few seconds, while the FORMAT command is into memory. When the light goes out, the computer will display: WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK DRIVE C: WILL BE LOST! Proceed with Format (Y/N)? You should already have made sure that there is no information stored on the hard disk that you want to save.
The IS switch in the FORMAT command caused the active portions of MS-DOS to be loaded onto the system area of the hard disk. At this point you can boot the system from the hard disk. Organizing Your Hard Disk This section provides you with a sample directory structure for use with your hard disk. It will provide step-by-step instructions that will create several files and subdirectories.
you are ready to begin. First, you will create several subdirectories. These will be used shortly to contain useful files. Begin by entering the command: The MD command is a short form of MKDIR. This internal DOS command creates a subdirectory under the directory you are currently in. Since your computer boots up in the hard disk root directory, the command you just entered created a subdirectory named DOS4 under the root directory.
Just as MS-DOS commands usually look at the “current” disk drive, they also look at the current directory. Since you can change the current, “1ogged” disk drive, you would expect to be able to change the current, logged directory. You can, using the CD (CHDIR) command. Enter the command series: The directory listing displayed should look like this: You have just moved to the DOS4 subdirectory. The two
entries indicate that you are currently logged onto a disk subdirectory. The period (.You will see that you are back in the hard disk root directory. Now return to the DOS subdirectory by entering the command: Another way of moving through the directory tree quickly involves the use of a similar command: This command will take you directly to the root directory of the current disk drive. This can be useful if you get “lost” in a large directory tree.
display the following message: Using the DIR command, run a directory to verify that you have copied the MS-DOS diskette. Remove the MS-DOS install diskette from drive A and replace it with the MS-DOS select diskette into the DOS4 subdirectory on the hard disk by entering the command. . When the copying process is done, carefully enter the following series of commands: These commands will remove the COMMAND.COM files from the DOS4 subdirectory.
You have now completed organizing your hard disk and installing the MS-DOS files into subdirectories. As you can see, the files have been placed in subdirectories according to the type of activity you will doing when using them. As you add application programs to the hard disk, it is a good idea to create subdirectories to store them in, so as to keep different program groups separated. For more information on directory and subdirectory organization with MS-DOS, see your MS-DOS User’s Guide.
of the active MS-DOS routines would be wasted with the BACKUP command. When you back up your hard disk using BACKUP, the first thing to do is to format enough blank disks to hold the backed up files. Once you start the BACKUP routine, you won’t want to stop the program to format more diskettes. BACKUP takes time, even on a high speed computer. Stopping the BACKUP command before completion usually means that you would have to start the process over again.
As you format these disks, prepare labels for them that identifies these diskettes as a hard disk backup archive. Also put the date on each label and number each diskette. This is very important, since the RESTORE command requires that you use the diskettes in the same order that was used during the BACKUP procedure. This file contains the BACKUP command program. As mentioned above, this file is provided on your MS-DOS install diskette.
In the first example, the A:BACKUP command tells MS-DOS to search the A drive for the BACKUP.COM file. In the second, the C:/DOS4 statement will automatically direct MS-DOS to look in the C:\DOS4 subdirectory for the file. In both examples, the A: portion of the command tells MSDOS that you want to start the backup routine with the root directory of the hard disk, and store the backup files on diskettes in drive A.
enter: If a directory listing is displayed, even if there are no entries, it means that your hard disk system is ready to receive files. If the active routines of MS-DOS have been loaded on to the hard disk, you will see the COMMAND.COM file at the beginning of the directory listing. If the computer responded to the A>C: command with: it means that MS-DOS can’t “find” the hard disk drive.
First, set the C drive directory to the root directory by entering the command: Now set the system default drive letter back to drive A by entering: The computer will respond by displaying: Make sure your MS-DOS install diskette is inserted into the A drive. Enter the following command: The RESTORE command file will be read from the MS-DOS install diskette. The A: C:\ in the command tells MS-DOS that you will be restoring files from diskettes in the A drive to the hard disk root directory.
Chapter 7 Expading Your System As you get more familiar with your computer system, you will probably want to add hardware to it. This can include additional disk drives, printers, modems, etc. This chapter addresses the installation of some of the most common devices. Connecting Peripherals Peripherals are devices that can be connected to your computer system to increase its ability to communicate and process information.
0 Modems 0 External disk drives Your computer is designed to communicate with peripherals by way of the connectors on the rear panel of the main system unit. The connectors are called “ports,” and allow information to be sent back and forth between the system CPU and a peripheral device. Your keyboard and your video monitor connect to the main system unit by way of two specialized ports. The keyboard is connected to the “Keyboard port” on the rear panel of the main system unit.
Note Your computer is referred to as a “16-bit” computer. This system can address over 16M-bytes of memory. In order to address this much RAM, the internal data communications in this computer use 16 parallel data lines. Serial Ports There are two basic kinds of general purpose I/O (Input/Output) port. One kind is a “serial” port, where data bits are sent one at a time along a single wire, in series. Additional wires are used to send control signals between the transmitting and receiving devices.
Parallel Ports Unlike serial ports, parallel ports allow your computer to communicate one entire byte at a time. Eight wires are included in the cable to permit the transmission of each of the eight data bits simultaneously. Extra wires are included in the cable for control signals. Your Computer uses the industry standard “Centronics-compatible” parallel printer port interface.
Internally mounted modems are attached to a circuit board that will be installed inside your main system unit. These modems can communicate directly with the system CPU through your computer’s internal circuitry. The telephone line is plugged into a socket located on the rear panel of the modem. External modems connect to your computer’s RS-232C serial port. Connectors are provided on the modem itself for attachment to the phone system.
System Expansion And Upgrades This section deals with the addition of expansion boards and products to your computer’s main system unit. Although most expansion products are provided with detailed instructions for their installation and use, it is recommended that you read through this section in order to familiarize yourself with some of the basic principles of expanding your computer.
Stop! When you remove the main system unit cover, observe the following precautions: P The power supply cord must be unplugged before the main system unit cover is removed. (Separe le cordon d’alimentation et puis enleve le couvercle.) 0 Once removed, the cover must be replaced and screwed in position before the power supply cord is plugged back in. (Apres le couvercle a enleve, visse le couvercle en place et remettre le cordon d’alimentation.
Opening and Closing the Cabinet The procedure for opening the main system unit cabient is as follows: 0 Unplug the video monitor AC power and signal cables from their rear panel sockets. Set the monitor safely aside. Q Unplug the keyboard and set it aside. 0 Unscrew the screws on the rear panel of the unit and set them aside. 0 Carefully, slide the main system unit’s cover towards the front of the unit. Continue sliding the cover forward until it can be removed completely. Set the cover aside. Figure 7-2.
Later, to close the unit, follow these steps in order: cl Make sure all the system and expansion boards are properly seated in their connectors, and have had their mounting screws tightened down. 0 Make sure all the internal cables have been properly connected and arranged neatly. Wires should not be pinched or caught between chassis parts or circuit boards. cl Carefully slide the cover back onto the main system unit, being careful not to damage the cables.
Installing Circuit Boards Most of the expansion products you will be installing into your computer are circuit boards. Like the system boards installed at the factory, expansion boards are plugged into the main system unit’s mother board. There are expansion boards available for a wide variety of functions. The most common expansion boards provide such functions as extra I/O ports, high resolution video graphics and system memory expansion.
Open the main system unit cabinet and set the configuration jumpers on the system motherboard to match the new hardware arrangement. You will be able to do this without removing the system motherboard from the main system unit chassis, although you may need to unplug the disk drive ribbon cable from its connector to allow easy access to the jumpers. Figure 7-3.
Disconnect any internal cables that may be in the way. As you do, make a note of their correct locations and orientations for later reattachment. Unscrew the retaining screw for the slot guard, and set it aside. Mount the expansion board into the slot by gently sliding the board into the slot. If the board is long enough to reach the card guide mounted on the front panel support flange, slide the board down the center groove of the guide.
INCORRECT ELECTRICAL RESTRICTIONS Figure 7-4. Installing the Option Card in an Expansion Slot Check the board’s alignment to make sure it is straight and level. If necessary, move the board slightly to align the hole in the top of the mounting bracket over the screw hole in the main system unit’s rear panel flange. Install the hold down screw that you removed earlier. Reconnect any internal cables that were disconnected earlier.
documentation provided. Then, remove the main system unit cover as described above. Select the drive compartment where you will install the expansion device. Remove the blank front panel from the selected compartment by removing the mounting screws. Slide the expansion device into the compartment along the side rails of the drive cage until it is all the way in. Replace the hold down clamps and their mounting screws. Connect any internal power cables to the correct pins on the rear of the expansion unit.
Internal Hard Disk Drive If you are to mount the internal hard disk drive inside the main system unit case, follow the steps below: D Remove the cover from the main system unit, as described above. 0 Remove mounting plate by unscrewing the hold down screws. 0 Attach the hard disk drive to the mounting plate by installing the four mounting screws through the bottom of the plate into the bottom of the drive frame.
Appendix A Specifications Computer System l Operating Temperature : 41” to 95°F (5” to 35°C) l Storage Temperature : -5” to 140°F (-15” to 60°C) l Operating Humidity : 20% to 80% (no condensation) l Storage Humidity : 10% to 90% (no condensation) l Compatibility : IBM PC/AT l Power Supply : 145w 110 Range: 100 - 125 VAC, 4A, 5016OHz 220 Range: 220 - 240 VAC, 2A.
l l l l Dynamic RAM (with parity) : ZM-bytes, expandable 32M-bytes on Motherboard 80ns, 0 wait state access Static RAM (CACHE Memory) : 32KB (35ns, 0 wait state access) Floppy Disk Drive Support: 2ea - 360K, 720K, 1.2M or 1.
System Memory l Memory Address Space : 24 Address lines (16MB) l Data Interface : 16-bit memory access l Cache Memory : 32KB (35ns) l Memory Bank Configurations l NO BANK 0 0 0 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 256K 256K 256K 256K 1M 256K 256K 1M 1M 256K 1M 1M 4M 256K 256K 1M IM 4M 4M 256K 4M 1M 4M 4M BIOS ROM BANK2 BANK1 0 256K 256K 256K 0 1M 256K 1M 1M 256K 1M IM 0 4M 256K 4M 1M 4M 4M 256K 4M 1M 4M 4M 0 0 256K 256K 0 0 1M 0 256K IM 1M 1M 0 0 4M 0 4M 0 256K 4M 1M
System I/O l DMA Channels: 8-bit operations - 4 channel 16-bit operations - 3 channel l Programmable Timers: 3 l Vectored Interrupt Levels: 15 System Timing l System Clock Speed : 2QMHz (high) 8MHz (low) l Clock Cycle Time : 50ns (20MHz) 125ns (8MHz) I/O Address Map Hex Range Device 000-01 F 020-03F 040-05F 060.06F 070.
Hex Range Device ZBO-2DF 2El 2E2&2E3 2F82FF 300-31 F 360-363 368368 378.
Appendix B System Mother Board Figure B-l. System Motherboard This appendix provides configuration and interface information for this board. You may skip this appendix if you are not installing expansion products that require changing the motherboard’s configuration jumper settings. Hardware Settings The system motherboard provides a set of headers to set the system configuration. These are located at various points on the board.
There are several headers on the motherboard but most of them are already factory setting and you should not remove them. Note If you have problems setting the system CPU configuration headers, contact your dealer for assistance. When you turn the system power on, the system CPU will compare these settings with the information stored in its configuration RAM as part of the diagnostic routines. If any inconsistencies are found, they will be shown on the display monitor before MS-DOS is loaded.
Removing The MotherBoard In order to change the settings defined by these jumpers, it will be necessary to remove the system motherboard from the chassis. To do this, follow these steps, referring to Chapter 7, “Expanding Your System,” where necessary: cl Unplug all of the cables from the rear panel of the main system unit. cl Remove the main system unit cover.
The Table B-l, lists the jumper settings Table B-l. Headers Connectors The system motherboard is provided with a number of connectors for communication with other parts of the computer system. These connectors are discussed below. For pinout information on these connectors, see Appendix D, “Connector Pinouts.
Expansion Slots - 521 to 530 The system board contains five expansion slots for 16-bit AT boards. Keyboard Port - 52 The keyboard connector J2, is a 5-pin DIN connector for keyboards that are compatible with the IBM AT keyboard. Parallel Port - J11 Connector J 11 on the system board provides a standard Centronics 25-pin parallel interface. You cm use the parallel port for LPTl or LPT2.
Power Connector - J12 The system board requires four DC voltage: + 12V, - 12V, +5V, and -5V. The power connector, J12 is 12spin connector, respectively, that supply power to the system board and to the five expansion slots. Speaker - J4 Connector J4 provides a speaker connection for audible tone generation. The connector is a two pin header. IDE Interface connector - 57 You use this 40 pin connector with IDE type Hard disk drive.
Appendix C Video Monitor Systems There are many video display systems available for use with your computer system. This appendix will provide a brief description of the most common video system types, and discuss their applications. Monitor System Resolution The main difference between video monitor system types is their screen resolution.
The personal computer industry has established several video controller resolution and color standards. Some of these are described below. - Hercules Graphics Compatible (HGC): HGC boards have become the video controller-of-choice for basic personal computer video display monitor systems. Providing dot resolutions up to 729 x 350, HGC boards display good quality text and graphics, while using shading to accommodate color software.
The maximum screen resolutions of the different video standards is summarized below, along with their color and graphics features: cl HGC: maximum dot resolution: 720x350 maximum text display: 80 columns x 25 lines colors: monochrome green or amber cl CGA: dot resolution: 640 x 200 maximum text display: 80 columns x 25 lines colors: 2 of 16 colors (640 x 200) 4 of 16 colors (320x200) 0 EGA: dot resolution: 640x350 maximum text display: 80 columns X 43 lines colors: 16 of 64 colors P VGA: dot resoluti
Monitor Types There are many different types of video monitor available. Some of the major ones are described below. 0 Composite Video: With a 300 x 200 resolution, this type of monitor is usually used with home computers. They are not recommended for use with your system. 0 TTL Monochrome: These monitors provide up to 1000~350 resolution, with either a green or amber colored screen.
useful in applications that need good-looking graphics, or higher resolution text, though they are limited in the number of colors that can be displayed at a given time. if you are going to be using software that requires color, but not high resolution graphics, you should use an RGB video display monitor, connected to a CGA video controller board. If your software requires high resolution graphics, use an EGA controller board instead.
Appendix D Connector Pinouts I/O Ports 0 RS-232C Serial port (9-pin subminiature “D” connector): Note All signals conform to EIA Standard RS-232C.
0 Centronics-compatible paralle printer port (25pin subminiature “D” connector): Note 1. All outputs are software generated All inputs are rea-time signals (not latched). 2. All signals are TTL compatible.
0 IDE Port Connector Pinouts D-3
0 Power Supply Connector (12-pin post header) Pin # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I0 11 12 Signal Name Power Good Signal +5 Volts +I2 Volts -12 Volts Ground Ground Ground Ground -5 Volts +5 Volts +5 Volts +5 Volts Figure D-l.
Expansion Slot Connectors Your computer comes with industry standard IBM compatible expansion slots. There are five At-style (98 pin) expansion slot connectors mounted on your system mother board. The charts below show the pin numbering on the expansion slot connectors.
0 Expansion Slot Connector Pinouts (continued): D-6 Connector Pinouts
0 Expansion Slot Connector Pinouts (continued): Connector Pinouts D-7
Appendix E Advanced ROM Diagnostics Introduction In addition to the POST diagnostics which are performed during power-up, the ROM BIOS also has an advanced diagnostics program which can perform specialized tests on each of the following when instructed: l l l l l Hard disk drive(s) Floppy diskette drive(s) Keyboard Video adapter board and monitor Printer and communication ports This section contains descriptions of operation for all the tests available through this program located in the ROM BIOS.
Starting Advanced ROM Diagnostics To access the Advanced ROM BIOS Diagnostics, perform the following: l Turn on the on/off switch at the front of the unit. When the system first starts and the memory tests have been completed, this message displays briefly for your decision (respond as indicated in the brackets): Press . Note If you do not press the key after a few seconds, the system finishes the start-up process and attempts to find an operating system.
The following screen should appear: Figure E-l. Starting Advanced ROM Diagnostics The screen is divided into six (6) sections. From top to bottom, these are: l The Signature Line. This line includes the title of the program, the copyright, the name of the company which designed the program, the date, and the time in military format. l The Diagnostics Options Line. This is where the user chooses the device/adapter to be tested.
l The Diagnostics Options Window. Below the Diagnostics Options Line is the Diagnostics Options Window for that option, The test options available in each Diagnostics Options Window are addressed in the following pages under the appropriate diagnostics heading (Hard Disk, Floppy Disk, Keyboard, Video, and Miscellaneous). l The configuration of the system in the Devices Present section of the screen. This section identifies the types of devices present in the system.
Hard Disk Diagnostics The following tests can be performed on your hard disk(s): 1) Hard Disk Format, 2) Auto Interleave, 3) Media Analysis, 4) Performance Test, 5) Seek Test, 6) Read/Verify Test, 7) Check Test Cylinder Test, 8) Force Bad Tracks. The following tests are valid only if the if disk being: tested is not a SCSI device: 1) Hard Disk Format, 2) Auto Interleave, 3) Media Analysis, and 4) Force Bad Tracks. These tests are not valid for a SCSI Fixed Disk Drive.
Diagnostics Generated Error Messages This error message is generated by the Performance Test procedure which requires at least 128KB of RAM space. So, if your system board has less than 128KB of available RAM space, you cannot use this function.
The Hard Disk Format Test Use the Hard Disk Format Test to 1) integrate a new hard disk to the system, or 2) reformat a used hard disk which has developed some bad patches as a result of aging or poor handling. After entering the Advanced ROM Diagnostic program, the following screen will appear. “Hard disk” is highlighted with a block cursor in the main menu. Below this horizontal menu is another menu which lists all available hard disk tests.
l Press < ENTER > . The causes the following information boxes to appear. Figure E-2. Performing A Hard Disk Format Test: Entering the Disk Drive Type The box on the left contains a series of questions (fields) which must be answered before performing the Hard Disk Format Test. The answers are entered to the right of the question mark. The first question will already be answered for you as long as a value has been previously entered at the CMOS Setup screen.
Disk Drive Type After entering the appropriate response (if it hasn’t already been entered) the default value (1, if the drive was not entered during the CMOS Setup) for “Disk Drive Type” will appear to the right of the "?” following the “Disk Drive Type” field. The cursor blinks to the right of the “?,” prompting for either a new value, or acceptance of the default value, by pressing < E N T E R > . Note Values entered during the Advanced ROM Diagnostics tests are not retained by the CMOS Setup program.
l Type l cyi. l l This is the number designation for a drive with certain identification parameters. This is the number of cylinders found in the specified drive type. This is the number of heads found in the specified drive type. W-pcomp W-pcomp is the read delay circuitry, which takes into account the timing differences between the inner and outer edges of the surface of the disk platter. The number designates the starting cylinder of the signal.
Interleave Factor After pressing at the “Disk Drive type” field, the cursor will blink below either the default value or the previous value entered for the “Interleave (1-16)” field. The default value is the previous value determined by Auto Interleave. Type the desired value and press . The cursor will move to the next field, “Mark Bad Tracks (Y/N).” Figure E-3.
Mark Bad Tracks The default value is ‘N’ for ‘No’. If the hard disk being tested is not a SCSI device, check the unit for a manufacturer’s list of bad tracks. If this information is available, type ‘Y’ and press < ENTER> . Another informatin box, titled “Bad Track List,” appears to the right of the “Hard Disk Format” box. Below the heading are three columns for 1) the entry number (S#), the cylinder number (Cyl.), and the head number (Head).
The Bad Track Edit Menu With the block cursor highlighting “Add an entry,” press < ENTER> . This will cause another box to appear below the Bad Track Edit Menu. This box asks you to enter the track number for the entry you wish to add. When the box first appears, either the default (0) value or the previous value entered will appear. The cursor will blink below the value, prompting you to either accept the value by pressing < ENTER > , or enter a new value.
The Enter New Track # and Head # box will appear with the current track # (Cyl.) value entered in the field to the right of “Enter New Track #.” Type in a new value (if desired) at the blinking cursor, and press < ENTER > . Enter a new value at “Enter New Head #.” The program will not accept dual entries. All values must not exceed the corresponding cylinder and head values for the disk drive type entered at that field.
Start Cylinder Number See Figure E-2. Enter the cylinder number where you want the formatting to begin. The default value is ‘0’. End Cylinder Number See Figure E-Z. Enter the cylinder number where you want the formatting to end. The default value is the last cylinder in the drive. Start Head Number See Figure E-2. Enter the head number where you want the formatting to begin in the cylinders specified in the previous two fields. The default value is ‘0’. End Head Number See Figure E-2.
After you enter ‘Y’, the Activity box appears on the right side of the screen. “Format” is highlighted in the Activity box. In the Status portion of the Activity box, the specified cylinders, heads, and sectors are displayed sequentially as they are formatted. Note The test can be aborted at an): time by pressing the key. When the test is aborted or finished, press to return to the main menu. Figure E-5.
Auto Interleave Routine Note This test is not valid for a SCSI drive. Run the Auto Interleave Routine to optimize hard disk performance. This routine actually occurs in two separate steps. First, the BIOS will calculate the optimum interleave value through trial and error by measuring the transfer rate for four different interleave values. During this process, a portion of the hard disk is formatted to determine the best interleave value.
Figure E-6. The Auto Interleave Routine If you want to change a response to one or both of these fields before running the test, enter “N” at the “Proceed” field. This will return the cursor to the Disk Drive Type field unless the Disk Drive ID (C/D) has not been previously entered at the CMOS Setup screen. If this has not been done, the cursor will prompt you for an appropriate response at this field first.
Entering “N” returns you to the Auto Interleave Routine Information Box. Entering “Y” causes the following information boxes to appear: 1) Auto Interleave Detection, 2) Bad Track List, and 3) Activity. In the Auto Interleave Detection box, the transfer rate is calculated for up to four (4) different interleave factors. These interlelave factors are 1-4. The Bad Track List box displays the status of the routine.
Media Analysis Test The Media Analysis Test performs a series of tests to locate bad patches. Even though you may have a list of bad patches from the manufacturer, this will not list any new bad patches which may have developed as a result of aging or poor handling. This test locates all bad tracks on the hard disk and lists them in the Bad Track List box. Since this test writes from all cylinders and heads on the hard disk to verify any bad tracks, this test may require several minutes to complete.
Figure E-7. The Media Analysis Test To run the Media Analysis Test: At the Hard Disk Menu, highlight “Media Analysis.” Press < ENTER > .
Each of these fields are described earlier in this tab under the heading “Hard Disk Format Test.” When you have filled the first seven fields with an appropriate response, enter “Y” in the Proceed field. The following WARNING message will appear: The Bad Track List with all current entries, and the Activity box will also appear at this time. Entering N will return the cursor to the Disk Drive Type field in the Hard Disk Surface Analysis information box. Entering Y will initiate the test.
Hard Disk Performance Test Note Before performing the Hard Disk Performance Test, optimize the Interleave factor. See Auto Interleave Routine earlier in this tab for instructions. The Performance Test determines the Data Transfer Rate and the Track to Track Seek time based on transfer size, seek count and data transferred. Data Transfer Rate is measured in kilobytes per second. Track to Track Seek Time is measured in milliseconds. To determine the transfer rate, the CPU reads 64KB blocks 15 times.
At the Hard Disk Menu, highlight “Performance Test.” Press < ENTER > . Fill in the appropriate response for each of the following fields in the Hard Disk Performance Test information box: Each of these fields is described earlier in this tab under the heading “Hard Disk Format Test.” When you have filled the first two fields with an appropriate response, enter “Y” in the Proceed field. This initiates the test. When the test is completed, press < ENTER > to return to the main menu. Figure E-8.
Seek Test The Seek Test determines the seek capability of the hard disk on the specified cylinder and head range. First, a sequential seek is performed, followed by a random seek. Any errors occurring during this test are displayed. To perform a Seek Test: At the Hard Disk Menu, highlight “Seek Test.” Press < ENTER > .
Note Entering “N” in the Proceed field will cause the cursor to return to the Disk Drive Type field. Figure E-9. Performing the Seek Test Hard Disk Read/Verify Test This test performs sequential and random read and verify operations on the cylinder and head range specified in the Hard Disk Read/Verify Test Information box. To perform the Hard Disk Read/Verify Test: At the Hard Disk Menu, highlight “Hard Disk Read/Verify Test.” Press < ENTER > .
Disk Drive (C/D) 3 DlSK Drive Type 7 7 ? ? ? ? Start cylinder number End cylinder number Start Head number End Head number Proceed (Y/N) Each of these fields are described earlier in this tab under the heading “Hard Disk Format Test.” When you have filled the first six fields with an appropriate response, enter “Y” in the Proceed field. This will cause the Activity box to appear on the right side of the screen.
Figure E-10. Performing the Hard Disk Read/Verify Test Check Test Cylinder Test The last cylinder on the hard disk is the test cylinder. This cylinder should be tested if a C:Drive or D:Drive error occurs during the POST. A Read/Verify test is performed on all sectors in the test cylinder. This test should pass in at least one sector. If the test fails in all sectors, then one of two possible problems has occurred.
At the Hard Disk menu, highlight “Check Test Cyl.” using the bar cursor. Then, press < ENTER > . That causes the Hard Disk Test Cylinder Test box to appear on the left side of the screen. The box contains the following questions (fields) that must be answered with appropriate responses. These responses are addressed earlier in this tab under the heading “Hard Disk Format Test.” If you want to change a response to one or both of these fields before running the test, enter N at the “Proceed” field.
Figure E-11.
Figure E-11.
Hard Disk Test Cylinder Test box to appear on the left side of the screen. The box contains the following questions (fields) that must be answered with appropriate responses. These responses are addressed earlier in this tab under the heading “Hard Disk Format Test.” After you have entered the appropriate information at the first four fields, enter “Y” at the “Proceed” field. This causes the Activity box to appear on the right side of the screen. “Format” is highlighted in the upper half of the box.
See Figure E-13. Warning! The Diskette Format Test, the Random Read/Write Test, and Sequential Readwrite Test are destructive operations. This means that the data on the diskette required to perform these tests will be destroyed. When performing these operations, be certain that the formatted diskettes required for these tests does not contain valuable information which cannot be recovered from the hard disk or from another diskette. Figure E-13.
Error Messages Error messages can either be ROM Diagnostics generated, or controller generated. The error messages encountered while performing any of the diskette functions are displayed in a window with 2 lines: Line 1 Line 2 ***ERROR*** The actual error message The actual error message could be any one of the following: ROM Diagnostics Generated Error Messages This error message is generated while running the “Disk change line test” if the program detects that the disk change is not working.
l l l l l Diskette WRITE PROTECTED (Write protect error) MEDIA CHANGE error (Media type not found) BAD DMA error @MA overrun on operation) Record Not Found (Requested sector not found) BAD Address Mark (Address mark not found) Floppy Diskette Format Test Figure E-14. The Diskette Format Test This test determines the ability of the floppy disk controller to perform the low-level formatting function on a diskette.
Warning! This test is a destructive operation. This means that the data on the diskette required to perform these tests will be destroyed. ‘When performing these operations, be certain that the formatted diskettes required for these tests do not contain valuable information which cannot be recovered from the hard disk or from another diskette. To perform a Diskette Format Test: Highlight “Floppy” in the main menu by using the left and right arrow keys.
Entering “Y” at the “Proceed” field causes the Activity box to appear on the right side of the screen. “Format” is highlighted in the upper half of the box. This flashes while the test is in progress to indicate that this, function is being performed. In the lower half of this box, the status line displays the number of the cylinders, the number of the heads, and the number of the sectors in sequence as they are formatted. When this test is finished, press < ENTER > to return to the main menu.
To perfom a Drive Speed Test: Highlight “Floppy” in the main menu by using the left and right arrow keys. Below this menu is another menu which lists all possible tests available for the Floppy drive. At this Floppy Disk Menu. “Diskette format” should be highlighted with the bar cursor. Use the down arrow key to highlight “Drive Speed Test.” Press . That causes the Diskette format box to appear on the left side of the screen.
After inserting a formatted diskette in the drive, and pressing , the message box will contain the following message: At the bottom of the Activity box, the message “Wait for 2 minutes” will appear briefly as the test begins. The test will record a LOWER limit, and an UPPER limit during this time period. The Current Speed will flash. Note To abort the test, press < ESC > When the test has been aborted or completed, press to return to the main menu.
Figure E-16. The Random Read/Write Test Warning! This test is a destructive operation. This means that the data on the diskette required to perform these tests will be destroyed. When performing these operations, be certain that the formatted diskettes required for these tests does not contain valuable information which cannot be recovered from the hard disk or from another diskette. To perform the Random Read/Write Test: Highlight “Floppy” in the main menu by using the left and right arrow keys.
Disk Menu, “Diskette format” should be highlighted with the bar cursor. Use the down arrow key to highlight “Random ReadWrite Test.” Press < ENTER > . That causes the Diskette format box to appear on the left side of the screen. The box contains the following questions (fields) that must be answered with appropriate responses. These are: The response for the first field depends upon the response given in the CMOS Setup screen.
After inserting a formatted diskette in the drive, and pressing c ENTER > , the message box will contain the following message: In the upper portion of the activity box, “Read,” “Write,” and “Verify” will flash in sequence as these operations are performed. In the Status portion of the Activity box, the cylinder numbers, head numbers, and sector numbers will be read, written, and verified.
To perform the Sequential Read/Write Test: Highlight “Floppy” in the main menu by using the left and right arrow keys. Below this menu is another menu which lists all possible tests available for the Floppy drive. At this Floppy Disk Menu, “Diskette format” should be highlighted with the bar cursor. Use the down arrow key to highlight “Sequential Read/Write Test.” Press < ENTER> . That causes the Diskette format box to appear on the left side of the screen.
Figure E-17. The Sequential Read/Write Test Note Entering “N” (the default) will return you to the Floppy Drive Menu. Entering “Y” causes two information boxes to appear: 1) a message box on the left side of the screen, and 2) the Activity box on the right side of the screen.
After inserting a formatted diskette in the drive, and pressing , the message box will contain the following message: In the upper portion of the Activity box, “Write,” and “Verify” will flash in sequence as these operations are performed. In the Status portion of the Activity box, the cylinder numbers, head numbers, and sector numbers will be read, written, and verified sequentially by sector number.
Figure E-18. The Disk Change Line Test To perform the Disk Change Line Test: Highlight “Floppy” in the main menu by using the left and right arrow keys. Below this menu is another menu which lists all possible tests available for the Floppy drive. At this Floppy Disk Menu, “Diskette format” should be highlighted with the bar cursor. Use the down arrow key to highlight “Disk Change Line Test.” Press . That causes the Disk Change Line Test box to appear on the left side of the screen.
The response for the first field depends upon the response given in the CMOS Setup screen. If the response entered by the user at the CMOS Setup screen was “A,” this field will automatically display “A.” If the response entered by the user at the CMOS Setup screen was “B,” this field will automatically display “B.” To change the response, enter the appropriate value at the CMOS Setup screen. When you are satisfied with the information entered for the first field, enter “Y” at the “Proceed” field.
In the upper portion of the Activity box, “Verify” will be highlighted. In the Status portion of the Activity box, the cylinder number will display “0, ” the head number will display “0,” and the sector number will display “1.” When the test has been completed, press < ENTER > to return to the main menu. Keybord Diagnostics There is only one Keyboard Diagnostics Test: the Scan/ASCII Code Test. This will help you determine whether the keys depressed match their Scan and ASCII codes.
Video Diagnostics Figure E-19. Video Tests The range of video tests available depends upon the type of display adapter card installed in the system. The following tests are available for both monochrome and color display adapters and monitors: l Sync Test This checks the sync capability. l Adapter Test This performs a test on the display memory. l Attribute Test This checks the attributes of the display. l 80x25 Display Test This checks the 80x25 character set of the display adapter.
These tests are available for systems with a color display card and color monitor: l l l l l 40x25 Display Test 320x200 Graphics Test 640x200 Graphics Test Page Selection Test Color Test Test results for all diagnostics functions except the Sync Test are displayed on the screen. To perform any of these visual tests: Highlight “Video” in the main menu by using the left and right arrow keys. Below this menu is another menu which lists the various tests. “Run All Tests” is highlighted with a block cursor.
Miscellaneous Diagnostics These include the following tests: 1) Printer Port Test, and 2) Serial Communication Port Test. Printer Adapter Test This test writes a pattern on the printer. The results are observed here. If the printer does not write, then the test has failed.
Figure E-20. The Printer Adapter Test Serial Communication Adapter Test This test requires a special RS-232 Turn-Around Connector plugged into the port. It must be jumpered as follows: • TXD & RXD (2 & 3) shorted RTS & CTS (4 & 5) shorted l DSR & DTR (6 & 20) shorted l This test is programmed to read the following data: 9600 baud rate, odd parity, 2 stop-bits, and 8-bit data. This test first performs a reset function to check for all possible errors.
Figure E-20. The Printer Adapter Test Serial Communication Adapter Test This test requires a special RS-232 Turn-Around Connector plugged into the port. It must be jumpered as follows: l l l TXD & RXD (2 & 3) shorted RTS & CT’S (4 & 5) shorted DSR & DTR (6 & 20) shorted This test is programmed to read the following data: 9600 baud rate, odd parity, 2 stop-bits, and 8-bit data. This test first performs a reset function to check for all possible errors.
Error Messages l l l l l Error - Time out! Error - Break Detected Error - Framing error Error - Parity error Error - Overrun error If a time out error occurs during the send and receive portions, this indicates a problem with the communication adapter controller. To perform the Serial Communication Port Test: Highlight “Miscellaneous” in the main menu by using the left and right arrow keys. Below this menu is another menu which lists the two tests.
The message box in the middle of the screen displays: This test will run for about 2 minutes. Press to return to the main menu when the test is completed. Figure E-21.
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