tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-324903572024-03-13T19:15:58.512-05:00(Just) Popped in My HeadMy head is full of random thoughts and generally useless tidbits of information. I figure I just as well share them with the rest of the world...--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.comBlogger2265125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-65067564100279948132024-03-08T13:26:00.000-06:002024-03-08T13:26:08.086-06:00The Goodbye Letter: Compute!'s Gazette 1995<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxL7sLrAkPbRK334YjVaQKij_wV1ehWIeHARkRdiA4TEGAe4GOTz66oygvHFQYIlRal7U3vlraYU6qi3j900UqWtTDlfGhhoBFwGNwP2MBuMcl-8r368zIntwz29OsBRzkM8RlFgUN4d58iymBPoaSzjRX0a2G9UqNVQbGFq7iSVOFfoNpCNH5tA/s2214/Screenshot%202024-03-08%20at%201.15.26%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="2214" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxL7sLrAkPbRK334YjVaQKij_wV1ehWIeHARkRdiA4TEGAe4GOTz66oygvHFQYIlRal7U3vlraYU6qi3j900UqWtTDlfGhhoBFwGNwP2MBuMcl-8r368zIntwz29OsBRzkM8RlFgUN4d58iymBPoaSzjRX0a2G9UqNVQbGFq7iSVOFfoNpCNH5tA/w640-h228/Screenshot%202024-03-08%20at%201.15.26%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gazette masthead, recreated by David Henderson</td></tr></tbody></table><p> While falling down the rabbit hole that is nostalgia-induced Internet diving, I came across an archive of every issue of COMPUTE!'s Gazette ever published. I read through the very first issue. It brought back a flood of memories from my childhood - the ads, the "new" technology, the type-in programs. </p><div>I skimmed through a few other issues before jumping down to the FINAL issue ever produced. The magazine ran from 1983 through 1995. The last set of issues were fully disk-based. And on that lest Gazette disk, I found a heartfelt letter that announced the end of the magazine's publication.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am posting it here for your perusal and for posterity. </div><blockquote> Gazette, February 1995<div><br /></div><div>64/128 VIEW: Time to Say Goodbye</div><div>By Tom Netsel</div><div>In July of 1983, a new magazine devoted to the Commodore VIC--20 and the Commodore 64 hit the newsstands. Founded by Robert Lock and edited by Thomas Half hill, that magazine was called COMPUTE!’s Gazette. After almost 12 years, numerous editors, and several changes in format, Gazette ceases publication with this issue. This is the last Gazette. </div><div><br /></div><div>When Gazette started, Commodore was selling more than 100,000 VIC-20s and 64s each month. Dozens of software suppliers were rushing products to this rapidly growing market. The initial press run for Gazette was 175,000 copies, up from an originally planned 75,000. And all this was at a time before the 64 itself really took off to become the most popular home computer ever built, selling more than 14 million worldwide.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you look back at that first issue, you'll notice that Fred D'Ignazio had a column that was called "Computing for Kids." Jim Butterfield’s name appeared on the masthead as an associate editor. You'll find their final columns in this issue.</div><div><br /></div><div>Larry Cotton is another long time contributor. His "Beginner BASIC" column has been a regular feature for many years.</div><div><br /></div><div>A few years ago, I was looking for someone to write a GEOS column. It had been an on and off feature in Gazette, but readership surveys told me that there was considerable interest in this operating system from Berkeley Softworks. I went searching for someone to write a monthly column. I'll have to thank Robert Nellist for recommending Steve Vander Ark for the job. Robert and Steve had been corresponding for some time about GEOS, and he suggested I get in touch with Steve. I did and Steve agreed to supply Gazette with a column each month.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sometime later, I wanted a column to pay tribute to the great work being done by programmers who offered their work as public domain. Steve volunteered to do it and added "PD Picks" to his busy schedule. It was about that time that Robert wrote me a letter complaining in a good natured fashion that while Gazette had gained a columnist in Steve, Robert had lost a pen pal.</div><div><br /></div><div>The junior member of the Gazette columnists is David Pankhursto The author of fantastic spreadsheets, Calc and Calc II, David took over the reins of "Programmer's Page" a little more than a year ago. Each month he has supplied a number of good programming tips from his own library and from those submitted by our readers.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'd like to thank all these gentlemen for their great contributions to Gazette, without their help, this magazine couldn't have lasted a fraction of the time it did.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last, but by no means least, I want to thank all of you readers who have submitted programs to Gazette over the years. My biggest regret is that I still have so many good programs here that I'll never be able to publish. My budget allowed me to buy only so many each month and I still have almost 30 submissions still in my Pending basket. Gazette had a number of staff programmers in its early days, but it has been our readers who have supplied the bulk of the programs that we've published over the years. To all of you who have submitted a program, I offer you my thanks. Without your submissions, this magazine would have folded years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gazette's closing follows shortly on the heels of COMPUTE's demise, but it is for totally different reasons. COMPUTE was bought and closed because a competitor didn't want the competition and was hoping to convert those subscribers to its publications. Gazette is closing simply because there aren't enough Commodore enthusiasts subscribing to make Gazette profitable.</div><div><br /></div><div>So what's going to happen to your subscriptions? You'll have one of three options, but as I write this the week before Christmas, I don't know all the details as yet„ We are talking with other publishing companies that may have an interest in taking on our outstanding subscriber liability. If one of these companies takes over, then you will be offered a Commodore-related publication equal in value to the number of Gazette issues yet unmailed.</div><div><br /></div><div>The other option is that you may elect to take the remainder of your subscription out in Gazette disk products. The specialty disks that we offer, such as SpeedScript and the GEOS Collection, are examples.</div><div><br /></div><div>The final option is to simply request a refund of the remainder of your subscription. Each unmailed issue is worth approximately $2.50. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I said, negotiations have just started and I don't know what the outcome will be. You will be contacted shortly with an explanation of your options. I'm sure some of you will be getting letters asking you to renew your Gazette subscriptions. These mailings are scheduled months in advance and some undoubtedly will be mailed out after I write this. Please ignore them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Normally, publications close and readers learn about it after the fact. With Gazette being on dii»k and having a short production time, I was able to convince the powers that be to give me this final issue in order to say good. bye. As I said, I don't yet have all the answers but I was at least able to offer some word of explanation as to why you won't be getting any more Gazette's after this one.</div><div><br /></div><div>COMPUTE Publications will still be around, but involved with online publishing. COMPUTE Online has been on America Online for 18 months and it will continue, but with a new name. Starting in February, it will be called I-Wire. It will also be on the Internet with a world wide web home page. I have been the online editor during this time and I will continue with my duties there and as editor of Saturday Review Online.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once again, thank you for your support over the years. Keep those 64s and 128s humming. It's been a pleasure. </div></blockquote><blockquote><div>Gazette, February 1995</div></blockquote><blockquote><div><br /></div></blockquote>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-33381011165032312722023-07-31T08:24:00.007-05:002023-07-31T08:24:41.117-05:00Force Apple Captive Portal Login<p> If you try attaching to a guest wi-fi with an active portal that doesn't seem to want to trigger, try this:</p><p><a href="http://captive.apple.com/hotspot-detect.html">http://captive.apple.com/hotspot-detect.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Hope this helps!</p><p><br /></p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-41369516198316686582021-08-25T14:53:00.004-05:002021-08-25T14:53:37.930-05:00Acer TravelMate Disable Secure Boot<p> I was working on an Acer TravelMate that would NOT let me install Windows 8 or Windows 10. Turns out, the SECURE BOOT option was ENABLED and that was the culprit. Unfortunately, the BIOS would not let me select the Secure Boot option to change it. Turns out, there is a VERY easy fix:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOv0cMwOgG6d3WPXjkWTSyWbj7GZH0XxI-4yH0WcnRetfm4RCuCahz2yYBNb7tLIKiNiRjhdaSEqVDz6p3oZ01jJ0T2XlFx8O0e0eWqUsfMWCHTvcnjnV33TCQryaq6NXf1_d43Q/s1089/acer-bios.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1089" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOv0cMwOgG6d3WPXjkWTSyWbj7GZH0XxI-4yH0WcnRetfm4RCuCahz2yYBNb7tLIKiNiRjhdaSEqVDz6p3oZ01jJ0T2XlFx8O0e0eWqUsfMWCHTvcnjnV33TCQryaq6NXf1_d43Q/w400-h259/acer-bios.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Set the "Supervisor Password" in the BIOS to remove the greying out (there is a total of five different kinds of password in some of the BIOSes):</div><p>Hold down F2 during startup of the laptop to enter the BIOS.</p><p>Select menu "Security" using the arrow keys.</p><p>Select "Supervisor Password" using the arrow keys.</p><p>Press Enter to get the dialog for setting the password.</p><p>Type in a password and Enter.</p><p>Retype in a password and Enter.</p><p>Remember the password somehow! You will be prompted for it the next time you try to enter the BIOS.</p><p>Press Enter to dismiss the dialog.</p><p>Select "Boot" using the right arrow key.</p><p>"Enabled" for "Secure Boot" is no longer greyed out (and can be changed to "Disabled")!</p><p>Optional: Set the "Supervisor Password" back to empty.</p><p>Select menu "Exit" and menu item "Exit Saving Changes" using the arrow keys. Press Enter for "Yes" in the prompt.</p><p>This came from a forum post and I decided to post it here in case that post should disappear: : <a href="https://askubuntu.com/a/1001155">https://askubuntu.com/a/1001155</a></p><p><br /></p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-76434164361883527232021-07-23T12:00:00.001-05:002021-07-23T12:00:00.224-05:00First Saturday Computer Flea Market, Dallas Texas (1st Saturday)<p> Way back in 1994 or 1995, a group of my co-workers told me about a computer flea market in Dallas, Texas, that only took place at night. I was skeptical. Turned out to be true! What appears below is from an archived web page I had on the subject. NOTE: So far as I have been able to determine, the flea market has been long defunct.</p><p><i>So, you've been trying to figure out how to get to the now famous Dallas Computer Flea Market? Well, look no further! I thought the once a month, midnight computer flea market in Dallas was a big secret or something. It took a lot of digging and prodding, but my family and I found it. We wanted to be sure that NO ONE else ever had to go through what we had to, so:</i></p><p><i>The Dallas Computer Flea Market (aka 1st Saturday) is located at the corner of Ross Avenue and Routh streets in downtown Dallas. The closest approximation I could come up with is North Central Expressway and Ross Avenue. The market actually takes up several parking lots near the Ross/Routh intersection, but the vendor check-in (thus, most vendors) are in the lots at Ross/Routh.</i></p><p><i>The vendors start setting up around 11:30 p.m. on the first Friday of the month, but actual set-up starts at Midnight Saturday. When we went, we started at Midnight and hung out until about 4 a.m. I'd say the best time to get there is around 3 a.m. Most of the vendors are there and it's pretty kickin'. The whole things closes down at noon on Saturday, so don't wait! Have fun!</i></p><p><i>We hope this helps! If you have ANY questions, please contact me: David Henderson</i></p><p><i>Here's a map for clarity (The general area is marked in RED):<br />THIS MAP IS ABOUT 85k!</i> (Note: Back in those days, this was a HUGE picture - haha!)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSycgB6yKnq18LacltgWUYRalpFQPBa_4myFfBF0HBB4kzv0UF25ZP5pof9PLDRfGMTvqSjdjszExhbyqs4QDBb3yUys6mbWBMDFAgYsUzgdArnrKigFDliUZxXG2oP6sAXlqeVw/s492/dalross2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="492" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSycgB6yKnq18LacltgWUYRalpFQPBa_4myFfBF0HBB4kzv0UF25ZP5pof9PLDRfGMTvqSjdjszExhbyqs4QDBb3yUys6mbWBMDFAgYsUzgdArnrKigFDliUZxXG2oP6sAXlqeVw/w430-h373/dalross2.jpg" width="430" /></a></div><div><br /></div>A couple of notes in hindsight:<div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The area marked in red was the parking. The actual event took place southwest after you crossed the street under the freeway.</li><li>Note the hand-drawn black lines to indicate a new highway being built! That is now 366 (Sorry I don't know the local name for the interchange).</li></ul><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-45894812743721653942021-05-26T10:01:00.001-05:002021-05-26T10:01:36.451-05:00FortiFone FON-175 Silent Ring Mode<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YKOnm5F8b8/YK5iah_SYwI/AAAAAAAADTM/xv3_s1F8o9QsmWOGEEODznEsGxWCMX6-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s628/mute-btn.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="628" height="246" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_YKOnm5F8b8/YK5iah_SYwI/AAAAAAAADTM/xv3_s1F8o9QsmWOGEEODznEsGxWCMX6-ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h246/mute-btn.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>On the FON-175, the MUTE button does more than just mute the microphone, as I recently discovered. The MUTE button also places the phone into "Silent Ring Mode."</p><p>When the MUTE button is activated while NOT in a call (that is, when the handset is on the base), the MUTE button will toggle the Silent Ring Mode feature. This prevents the phone from ringing audibly during a call. The red light will flash during an incoming call, but the phone will not ring.</p><p>In order to toggle the setting back again, press the MUTE button while the handset is in the base and is not in use.</p><p>Hope this helps, as this terminology (Silent Ring Mode) is NOT referenced in the user's guide. </p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-88818230650515519742021-05-14T13:28:00.002-05:002021-05-14T13:28:15.418-05:00Remove and/or Disable the Preview Pane in Windows 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8SGZ4x5jeAJYcdUAKW1daggOJ52TA9J6WTkfyhhxzuDflypP5ojLaYwXufYuaiXxPX3b1B5KrHcZlgNAor6_kYFiGAYTpiB2B8X0r9C66DNo1FvyffzzGCvexP43ORnrfmqMug/s928/no-preview-pane.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Registry Editor Image" border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="928" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8SGZ4x5jeAJYcdUAKW1daggOJ52TA9J6WTkfyhhxzuDflypP5ojLaYwXufYuaiXxPX3b1B5KrHcZlgNAor6_kYFiGAYTpiB2B8X0r9C66DNo1FvyffzzGCvexP43ORnrfmqMug/w640-h226/no-preview-pane.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>a) Press “Windows Logo” + “R” keys on the keyboard to open the “Run” command box.</p><p>b) Type “regedit” in the “Run” command box and press “ENTER”.</p><p>c) Now, navigate to following key:</p><p><b><i>HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer</i></b></p><p>d) In right-side pane, create new DWORD “<b><i>NoReadingPane</i></b>” and set its value to <b><i>1</i></b>. <br />(To create a new DWORD, click on the option “Edit” at the top, select “New” and then select the option “DWORD” from that sub-menu.)</p><p>e) Restart or log off your system and "Preview Pane" button will get removed from Windows Explorer command bar.</p><p><br /></p><p>To restore the "Preview Pane" button, you can either remove DWORD or change its value to 0.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Taken from: <a href="https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-desktop/how-to-hide-the-file-preview-pane-on-the-browse/36e8da9c-10c0-4ac0-ab16-284fea930075">https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-desktop/how-to-hide-the-file-preview-pane-on-the-browse/36e8da9c-10c0-4ac0-ab16-284fea930075</a> and placed here to make it easier to find.)</span></p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-26183284820604701732021-05-05T09:42:00.001-05:002021-05-05T09:42:16.078-05:00Windows 10 Prints Only One Copy<p>tldr; Change the Print Driver to "Windows Software Printer Driver"</p><p> I had a user with an issue where their Windows 10 computer would only print ONE copy of a document regardless of how many copies they specified. </p><p>I researched the problem and found that for anyone using HP, there is usually an option under Device Settings to disable Mopier. That's great of you are using an HP. But, this person was using a Lexmark MFP network device. So, no Mopier setting.</p><p>The computer did NOT have the Lexmark Universal Driver installed. Frankly, that probably would have solved the problem. Instead, the system had found the printer and installed the driver using the Microsoft Windows IPP Class Driver:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtsrPqsBynTOfJCEXQ_Q08VdKAeJLKavR732d3UZEQGVbCufoBsrtp1JzhqIw0q6OtGLNio0roKkvUtPakTQfjIPuuMkCnyPxyVfcXxNCt9cwhnDPlzptpo9Kn4Krk886_FxjwA/s508/printer01.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="459" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtsrPqsBynTOfJCEXQ_Q08VdKAeJLKavR732d3UZEQGVbCufoBsrtp1JzhqIw0q6OtGLNio0roKkvUtPakTQfjIPuuMkCnyPxyVfcXxNCt9cwhnDPlzptpo9Kn4Krk886_FxjwA/s320/printer01.PNG" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The ultimate solution was to change from the Windows IPP Class to the Microsoft Software Printer Driver:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4H3CAo77Mf2S1P5NRdCuKwn2UO3gL85EpB0tjemFjrhqiir12mz_ilFxFooBp01D6vjZdSLAzCg3-C5ceRUvRfSPG7NyFDjy8RR2_Cq-UwAt00Bq_ihqhIIl0oiC-Rqu_AGfPHQ/s506/printer02.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="458" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4H3CAo77Mf2S1P5NRdCuKwn2UO3gL85EpB0tjemFjrhqiir12mz_ilFxFooBp01D6vjZdSLAzCg3-C5ceRUvRfSPG7NyFDjy8RR2_Cq-UwAt00Bq_ihqhIIl0oiC-Rqu_AGfPHQ/s320/printer02.PNG" /></a></div><br /><p>This allowed the user to print all the copies desired.</p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-62439880254810824792021-04-15T11:25:00.004-05:002021-06-22T09:26:50.272-05:00Thin Client: devonIT TC2D<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IdjTN8AD3qnAkBkc-j7d4lajbJVebqMG_3MUETiMijMvin3k-s-sFXfzbcpkiL99VGch0VfVSKUoS3nGFXeT0yjlSgAnoes1ufDnw_ftD1kQgxMHf-tWDbYJxHpTRd5JHxwxFA/s1020/tc2-tc2d-tc5c-tc5xc-featured-image-2.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1020" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IdjTN8AD3qnAkBkc-j7d4lajbJVebqMG_3MUETiMijMvin3k-s-sFXfzbcpkiL99VGch0VfVSKUoS3nGFXeT0yjlSgAnoes1ufDnw_ftD1kQgxMHf-tWDbYJxHpTRd5JHxwxFA/s320/tc2-tc2d-tc5c-tc5xc-featured-image-2.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I picked up a DevonIT TC2D "Zero Client" device for about $5.00 on
eBay. It came new in the box (or appeared new) with a power adapter,
instructions, and a DVI/VGA adapter. Let's look at some specs:</p><p>CPU - VIA Eden 1 GHz<br /></p><p>GPU -VIA VX855<br /></p><p>RJ45 (Wired Ethernet) -Realtek 8110SC<br /></p><p>Sound -Azalia HDA Controller (VT1708s)<br /></p><p>Storage -1GB DOM (2.5-inch IDE riser connector)<br /></p><p>RAM - 1xDDR2 SODIMM </p><p>USB Ports -4x USB 2.0 (2 on back, 2 on front)<br /></p><p>Video Ports - DVI Connector </p><p>Power Requirements - 12V, 3A AC Adapter </p><p>Other Ports -PS/2 Keyboard connector on back, Kensington slot on back<br /></p><p>BIOS: Phoenix AwardBIOS <br /></p><p>OS: DeTOS 7.1.1 20120508<br /></p><p>Notes: HDD Auto Detection, Provisions for IDE Slave Device, Set Boot Priority,
Boot from USB, Azalia Disable Feature, USB Settings (KB/Mouse can be set
to USB), Power Management Options.</p><p><b>OPERATING SYSTEMS:</b></p><p><b> DeTOS 7.1.1</b> (05082012) (1GB RAM, 1GB DOM) - The unit came with DeTOS 7.1 installed. I did a complete post on my experiences with it: <a href="https://www.poppedinmyhead.com/2021/02/thin-client-adventures-devonit-tc2d.html">HERE </a></p><p>Briefly, DeTOS brings you to desktop with very limited options: Control Panel or Reboot/Shutdown. The Control Panel allows for some basic configuration and includes Firefox Aurora browser.</p><p><b>ZeroClient</b> <span style="background-color: #6aa84f;">WORKS</span> (1GB RAM, 1GB DOM) - Selecting this option during setup reboots the system to a simple login page. Note: After trying to revert back to DeTOS, system boots to blank desktop.*<br /></p><p><b>DOS 6.22</b> <span style="background-color: #ffd966;">PARTIAL</span> (1GB RAM, 2GB DOM) - Installed from bootable USB floppy. PC Speaker only since the audio is HD. I tried various TSRs, but none worked for sound. Games like Doom and Duke3d run very nicely! I was able to run VESA800x600 Duke3d smoothly. <br /></p><p><b>WFW 3.11</b> <span style="background-color: #ffd966;">PARTIAL</span> (1GB RAM, 2GB DOM) - Installs fine, but has weird screen issues upon boot. Changing the driver to VGA Version 3.0 helps get into the system. PC Speaker only since HD audio is HD. I tried to use HDADRV9J, but I never heard sounds. <br /></p><p><b>Windows 95</b> <span style="background-color: #ffd966;">PARTIAL </span>- (2GB RAM, 16GB DOM) - Booted from DOS USB. Copied setup files for Win95. Ran setup. After first reboot, had to edit the system.ini file [386enh] with MaxPhysPage=3B000 due to 2GB ram. Windows installed Active Desktop (blech!) which I promptly removed. Tried to install various Chrome9 Drivers, but none worked. Could not find network drivers. Sound would not work either, since it is HD audio.<br /></p><p><b>Windows 98SE</b> <span style="background-color: #93c47d;">WORKS </span>(2GB RAM, 16GB DOM) - Copied Win98 install files to Win95 DOM above. Booted Win95 to Command Prompt only. DELTREE c:\Windows then started Win98 setup. After first boot, fix the memory error by adding the MaxPhysPage=3B000 to system.ini (Safe Mode Command Prompt). I found Realtek "universal" drivers for the LAN Card (<a href="https://www.realtek.com/en/component/zoo/category/network-interface-controllers-10-100m-fast-ethernet-pci-software">HERE</a>). Go to Device Manager and on the General tab, use the "Reinstall Driver" option then find the INF file. I also installed "<a href="http://www.paulmather.net/lanlight.asp">LANLights</a>" to display network connectivity in the system tray. I tried to install Win98 USB drivers, but the system locked up and reported no mouse connected upon reboot. I reinstalled Win98 on top of the currently installed OS. I used the "Generic PCI to USB Host Controller" driver from Windows and USB started working. I installed VBEM VGA drivers to help with display resolution and color depth. <br /></p><p><b>Windows XP w/SP3</b> <span style="background-color: #93c47d;">WORKS </span>(2GB RAM, 16GB DOM) - Booted from USB installation (made from XP ISO and Rufus 3.x). Installation went normal, though VERY slow in places. After setup, three devices were missing. The drivers for these can be found <a href="http://padcircus.com/tc2d-xp.zip">HERE</a>. <br /></p><p><b>Windows 7</b> <span style="background-color: #93c47d;">WORKS </span>(2GB RAM, 16GB DOM) - Booted from USB installation (made from Win 7 ISO and Rufus 3.x). Had to clear the partitioning. Installation started. SLOW process. Win 7 detected all but the video card. Had roughly 6GB free upon first boot. I tried several different ways to install the VX855 driver for Windows 7, but each time it told me that the software was "not compatible with this version of Windows), even though it was asking for 32-bit Windows 7 in the error. Weird. I found VX900 C9-HD IGP drivers that worked! I had to go to the VGA adapter in Device Manager and force it to update the driver from a folder I chose. It wasn't happy about the driver, but let me install it anyway and after reboot, resolution was set to 1440x900 (matching the monitor I was attached to). Nice! I did run into an issue with DOS games in that these video drivers would not allow the system to switch to full screen mode. <a href="https://techjourney.net/workaround-to-this-system-does-not-support-full-screen-mode-in-windows-8-7-vista/">Here is a link</a> to an article about how to fix that (basically, revert back to the generic vga drivers).<br /></p><p>Windows 8.1</p><p><b>Windows 10</b> <span style="background-color: red;"><span style="color: white;">FAILED </span></span>(32-bit) (2GB RAM, 120GB SATA Drive) - I attempted to install Win10 32-bit on the device, but kept getting an "IRQ Not Less Or Equal" blue screen error. In order to use the SATA drive, I bought an IDE-to-SATA adapter. I swapped the SATA drive for a 16GB DOM, but had the same result. </p><p><br /></p><p>*Feb 25 2021: I ran into issues with the system itself after switching
over to the "ThinOS" option. I reached out to Clientron in Japan and was
sent a link to a reflash utility. I ran the utility, installing the
flash software onto a usb drive. After booting the device from the
drive, I followed the prompts to reinstall the software onto the
original DOM. I recommend NOT having a mouse plugged in. My system
screen was filled with connects/disconnects coming from the USB mouse
which didn't seem to affect the install process, but made following
along difficult. After it finished, the system rebooted. I was greeted
with the DevonIT boot screen and then the screen went blank for a bit. I
tapped an arrow key and was met with the OS selection screen as above!</p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-41765295606296087172021-03-08T12:55:00.074-06:002021-06-22T09:33:10.560-05:00Thin Client: Neoware CA10 (BL-Q2-JD & BK-00-00) (Updated: 03/17/2021)<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoLBOPXM1xJWiIhemZviirIMgr9l3Ea4a0bYXZYiuebL87VHgZrK-EHIpZ1bhOHB1yHvCGVnkmUhryAeem2epeLV1iWOhCbCGvM-pC1RGgIVfEnyZszKkHH13K3tOvT4P1kSQjQ/s2016/IMG_5003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoLBOPXM1xJWiIhemZviirIMgr9l3Ea4a0bYXZYiuebL87VHgZrK-EHIpZ1bhOHB1yHvCGVnkmUhryAeem2epeLV1iWOhCbCGvM-pC1RGgIVfEnyZszKkHH13K3tOvT4P1kSQjQ/w400-h300/IMG_5003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rear view of opened ca10<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><i><b> NOTE: Updates appear at the bottom of this article.</b></i><br /><p></p><p> I bought this version of the CA10 because, well, it was blue. I hadn't seen a blue version before. Turns out that the reason it is blue is that COMVoice had them painted that color. I bought it "as is" for about $10USD. <br /></p><p>SPECS:</p><p>CPU - VIA C3 800MHz / 1Ghz<br /></p><p>GPU - Apollo CLE266 (VIA UniChrome) (shared memory up to 64 MB)<br /></p><p>RJ45 - VT6103 Built in PLUS a PCI 3COM NIC<br /></p><p>Sound - VT8235M/VT1612A AC97 (Selectable MIDI port addressing and IRQ)<br /></p><p>Storage - 256MB DOM (44-pin IDE PATA)<br /></p><p>RAM - 1x256MB PC2100 (2 DIMM slots total, 1 available)<br /></p><p>USB Ports - 4 Total (@ on back, 2 on front)<br /></p><p>Video Ports - VGA / DVI<br /></p><p>Power Requirements - 12v 4A, though I was able to use 12V 3.5A<br /></p><p>Other Ports - PS2 Keyboard, PS2 Mouse, Line in, Mic out, Two 9-pin serial, 25-pin parallel (printer), PCI <br /></p><p>BIOS/CMOS - Phoenix AwardBIOS P640 V:5.03.20F-110205, Ver 6.00 PG, 11/02/2005<br /></p><p>Installed OS - Just enough FreeBSD to boot, then system hangs.<br /></p><p>The BIOS in this thing allows you to boot from just about anything - HDD0/HDD1, floppy, LS120, SCSI, CD, a slew of USB devices, and more. I could *NOT* use a USB keyboard. However, the BIOS has an option to enable USB keyboard support and that was disabled. I enabled it and was instantly able to use the USB keyboard while still in BIOS. Whoa. The BIOS allows the user to set memory speed timings, theoretically opening the door for some overclocking.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVv3z0dGFwNQoQKpp87O77rNf8wtj4Ir_deD2tCCoTwsJ9kew8j6clyaznIpHw15N_4GIZJa8jB8VknI5zA4G-yDuZvi-bsAGlxtRhxKK7YthYtGOTZxuBHeIxjPDq0v6KtJU5wg/s2016/IMG_5004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVv3z0dGFwNQoQKpp87O77rNf8wtj4Ir_deD2tCCoTwsJ9kew8j6clyaznIpHw15N_4GIZJa8jB8VknI5zA4G-yDuZvi-bsAGlxtRhxKK7YthYtGOTZxuBHeIxjPDq0v6KtJU5wg/w400-h300/IMG_5004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crystal sound card shown along with ide-to-sata cable and 768mb RAM.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p><p>The unit I got had high corrosion and would only post every so often. I swapped DOM cards and tried IDE/SD Readers, but the system always corrupted the drive data. Instead, I created a bootable microsd with DOS 6.22 and tried with that plugged into the USB port in the back. That, too, eventually quit working at random intervals.</p><p>Below is what I could make work for short periods of time:<br /></p>Operating Systems:<p><b>DOS 6.22</b> <span style="background-color: #f1c232;">PARTIAL </span>(256MB RAM, 2GB DOM) - DOS installs. None of the sound drivers I downloaded would allow the audio to play in DOS games. Sound only worked via PC Speaker. However, I installed a Sound Blaster Live! PCI card and the DOS driver. It works very well! Games like Wolf3d, Duke3d, Doom, Ultima Underworld 1, etc had digital sound and music.<br /></p><p><b>WFW 3.11</b> <span style="background-color: #f1c232;">PARTIAL</span> (256MB RAM, 2GB DOM) - Installed fine, but again no sound drivers.</p><p><b>Windows 95</b> <span style="background-color: #f1c232;">PARTIAL</span> (256Mb RAM, 256MB DOM) - I had to delete everything except just enough to boot DOS with HIMEM.SYS after copying the Win95 installation folder to the drive. I also deleted AOL*.*, MSN*.*, CHL*.CAB, and possibly a few other files from the Win95 setup directory. I chose the "Compact" installation. I chose to select options not to install, but the only options were Disk Defrag and Disk Compression. So, I deselected them. Setup asked for the now-deleted AOL files, but I told it to just Skip them. When Windows installed, it wanted to set up active channel. ctrl-alt-del to bring up task manager. Kill IE4Setup then kill the Active Setup. You are now at the desktop! At the end of the install, I had 82 MB free. No sound, etc since sound is HD. (Though could install the SBLive and use Win95 drivers).<br /></p><b>Windows 98SE</b> <span style="background-color: #93c47d;">WORKS </span>(768MB RAM, 2GB DOM) - This took a bit of creative problem solving. When you boot from a USB stick, the computer treats it as a hard drive (C:), so installing Windows would mean installing to the USB. So, I booted to a DOS-ready USB, FDISK and formatted the 2gb DOM. I then copied the Windows 98 setup files to the DOM. After that, I rebooted with a Win98 CD. Because the setup does not recognize USB drives, the CD defaulted to A: which allowed me to switch to the C: drive (DOM) and run the setup from there. I installed the <a href="http://padcircus.com/v700b.zip">Vinyl-7b</a> sound drivers and the <a href="http://padcircus.com/ca10-vga.zip">UniChrome</a> VGA drivers. <br /><p><b>Windows XP</b> <span style="background-color: #93c47d;">WORKS </span>(768MB RAM, 120GB SATA) - I installed a DOM-to-SATA adapter then plugged in a 120GB 2.5 SATA HDD. I booted from a WinXP setup disc. This is a SLOW process. I don't think I have ever seen every single pre-loaded driver's name on the screen before. Usually those whip by. Not with this device. The network card was detected during setup. I disabled everything but TCPIP when prompted, as I had encountered blue screening during certain phases of the installation. After installation, I installed Vinyl7b (<a href="http://padcircus.com/v700b.zip">v700b.zip</a>) drivers for sound. For video, use the <a href="http://padcircus.com/ca10-vga.zip">UniChromeIGP</a> driver. Video supports DX7, DX8, and DX9. I did not test anything beyond DX9. Research shows that XPEmbedded was the OS of choice for this, so it makes sense that XP does moderately well once installed.<br /></p><p><b>Windows 7</b> <span style="background-color: #93c47d;">WORKS</span> (768MB RAM, 120GB SATA) - I installed a DOM-to-SATA adapter then plugged in a 120GB 2.5 SATA HDD. I booted from a Win7 setup DVD. This was *NOT* fast! It took nearly 10 minutes to get to the partitioning screens. Once setup finally finished, I was able to install Crystal CS4281 drivers to go along with the PCI sound card I had installed using the riser adapter. Unfortunately, the system always reported "not enough resources." I thought this was an IRQ/DMA issue, but after disabling a bunch of built-in devices, I believe the issue is simply that no Windows 7 driver exists (that I could find) for the card. The system functions, but is much too slow to serve as anything other than novelty.<br /></p><p>TBD: Windows 8.1</p><p>TBD: Windows 10</p><p>*NOTES:</p><p><i><b>03/17/2021 - </b></i>I installed a SBLive (CT4830) using the PCI slot and a 90-degree adapter. I installed the DOS drivers for it and after a reboot, I had Sound Blaster emulation running for DOS games! <i><b> <br /></b></i></p><p><i><b>03/16/2021</b></i> - I received a replacement unit that was a slight "upgrade" from my original board. This one has the "BK" designation, indicating it had the DVI connector on the back in addition to VGA and the processor is bumped to 1Ghz. Everything else, so far as I could tell, was the same. <br /></p><p><i><b>03/12/2021 - Unfortunately, after the initial Win95 install, the unit would no
longer POST. I think the corrosion on the motherboard finally caused the
thing to bite the dust. </b></i><br /></p><p>I do plan to get a
replacement motherboard, though. I just can't help myself. I love this
blue case and the form factor will make for a fun little retro machine.</p><p>I received a new board on 3/11/2021, but it was DOA - it would show a red light when plugged in and I could press power, but it would never boot. The company I bought it from is doing a cross-shipped RMA, which is very nice of them! <br /></p><p>The original board went through some more testing. I was able to get it to boot so long as it was out of the case AND the power button panel was no longer screwed into the case. I surmised we had a grounding problem. This was confirmed by experimenting with various configurations on the system inside the case and out. I eventually laid a piece of anti-static bag under the system board. This works intermittently, but more often than not working.<br /></p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-79600407945982019282021-03-05T14:41:00.001-06:002021-03-15T10:28:38.783-05:00Thin Client: Wyse WT1200Le (Updated: 03/15/2021)<div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNT38BIJzcMqkXKx9DkBSgoQEl89kEnDfnLABSiSO2NrW1XyTby0a3QyHlXMyye_dZkBKtfOe9fYM_349zJcm_A4cIdh362YYgDGVn1pWZKevuhj1UhL_oLPTjhdgdzUACV_DuQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNT38BIJzcMqkXKx9DkBSgoQEl89kEnDfnLABSiSO2NrW1XyTby0a3QyHlXMyye_dZkBKtfOe9fYM_349zJcm_A4cIdh362YYgDGVn1pWZKevuhj1UhL_oLPTjhdgdzUACV_DuQ/" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Picked up this thin client hoping to make a fun little DOS machine out of it. Turns out, that's a bit of an issue. The device will not boot to USB. There is also no accessible BIOS/CMOS that anyone has discovered so far as my research goes. </p><p>Let's look at specs and such.</p><p>CPU - AMD Geode GX<br /></p><p>GPU - Geode GX CS5530A</p><p>RAM - 32MB (Soldered onto motherboard)<br /></p><p>Sound - LM4546AVH (AC97)<br /></p><p>Storage - 512kb SoC (System on Chip)<br /></p><p>RJ45 - Pulse PE-68515L 10/100<br /></p><p>USB Ports - 2 on back<br /></p><p>Video Port - VGA<br /></p><p>Power Requirements - 12v 3.33a<br /></p><p>Other Ports - Headphone, Mic<br /></p><p>OS - Wyse ThinOS<br /></p><p>BIOS - Winbond; not accessible by keyboard so far as I have been able to determine.<br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSyfHtykEKvFx0Pjxj1lKliPlLdFgf0E7ed-jOZkYZhi97E2_LEPuHc7gFGVyIfDuDNITVIqsvs0OVPZQzgIuhAAgtIqYdrPQG9Sqo2s_BP8F9ZFF4HkwMsGpkirzdznU1pyhmA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSyfHtykEKvFx0Pjxj1lKliPlLdFgf0E7ed-jOZkYZhi97E2_LEPuHc7gFGVyIfDuDNITVIqsvs0OVPZQzgIuhAAgtIqYdrPQG9Sqo2s_BP8F9ZFF4HkwMsGpkirzdznU1pyhmA/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoANzbP41qVO5UOZPt2KGQC6DWhafuhbJIyt1z8uzcLKHaja2SdOQU59HPeeSrMFK4kRYX4W0RNeU_-Oxb-vVdOtzD8RbNoyT54ate6HkjXakwQTYkZfRubC-SYrWGESXjyUkCw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoANzbP41qVO5UOZPt2KGQC6DWhafuhbJIyt1z8uzcLKHaja2SdOQU59HPeeSrMFK4kRYX4W0RNeU_-Oxb-vVdOtzD8RbNoyT54ate6HkjXakwQTYkZfRubC-SYrWGESXjyUkCw/w300-h400/IMG_4967.jpg" width="300" /></a></div></div> <p></p><p>System booted and within seconds, presented a desktop that appears to be some kind of no-frills Windows 98 or XP, but is more likely some version of Linux. </p><p>A "System Information" window opened up for a few minutes as the system grabbed an IP address. That screen disappeared and a "Connect Manager" screen popped up, trying to connect to "jtc-gp." Of course, that failed.</p><p>System Information shows Memory (32MB) and ROM (512k). There is a NAND Size option, but it shows zero, as there is not storage device on the unit. The 32MB RAM is soldered onto the motherboard but there are no means for expansion without soldering a SODIMM socket to the thing.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgP9-1PTS4BCrB09Q5xY11FRw18vxS7pTiKEjQOSba8aJOHGinqYHjk_0fopHDkARgu_L1g2S_5zKh8yRvkOS33DsipayNUMUwPVdCAAcAbstQs5dKENxRpRdGjNBpSj0PZSSOw/s2016/IMG_4982.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgP9-1PTS4BCrB09Q5xY11FRw18vxS7pTiKEjQOSba8aJOHGinqYHjk_0fopHDkARgu_L1g2S_5zKh8yRvkOS33DsipayNUMUwPVdCAAcAbstQs5dKENxRpRdGjNBpSj0PZSSOw/w400-h300/IMG_4982.jpg" width="400" /></a> <br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD72zm9IbxHiZeg6OF4udSvrHsGFR7yi-oZLgf21rsTnjwhw1ty4kdOC_kwARpqD22obyPvC-gfoxkuYD_HLBXWkkOaPVDnq2tPYyDmIT_iFNSCzEmlUylekNvlkqWUd-_U4UF3A/s2016/IMG_4983.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD72zm9IbxHiZeg6OF4udSvrHsGFR7yi-oZLgf21rsTnjwhw1ty4kdOC_kwARpqD22obyPvC-gfoxkuYD_HLBXWkkOaPVDnq2tPYyDmIT_iFNSCzEmlUylekNvlkqWUd-_U4UF3A/w400-h300/IMG_4983.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0Nm02hvg2kAnr7WYeklV5a1fxRJ_DhOM4X6mgBPRPUjG4-JMQOKHeKsDUi_iaUrZ77thJuoA7kxXZICTeK3DlnhGYxB__apvGQPoCGGOWybtpeHj7-GmDI9V_aZnxnf2mw2zwg/s2016/IMG_4984.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0Nm02hvg2kAnr7WYeklV5a1fxRJ_DhOM4X6mgBPRPUjG4-JMQOKHeKsDUi_iaUrZ77thJuoA7kxXZICTeK3DlnhGYxB__apvGQPoCGGOWybtpeHj7-GmDI9V_aZnxnf2mw2zwg/w400-h300/IMG_4984.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVihcTVj3qS9UazGYUn2nobsLOd6dHa7v8DkcJAUPjMhmKVUmbHGnc9AWHPFY0mtWCcHUNhh1RzKsWsK5InsRphcxaWPyUjMe_-FPoRtv92PoeWRpMi3QfQ5yL4qJRWm5nX3RlA/s2016/IMG_4985.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVihcTVj3qS9UazGYUn2nobsLOd6dHa7v8DkcJAUPjMhmKVUmbHGnc9AWHPFY0mtWCcHUNhh1RzKsWsK5InsRphcxaWPyUjMe_-FPoRtv92PoeWRpMi3QfQ5yL4qJRWm5nX3RlA/w400-h300/IMG_4985.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRp2XJv2FAddBOWsudddTkiJBnAwg_ew_4wH02MBkY7hOM1orruHoH6KyfeZZbrWhMZq-AShV4z_3dU9S51ZDUg71w_L7ktCfm0L9JmbT94emClG4cQd8Jlee_bEMaHUmBqSiZg/s2016/IMG_4986.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRp2XJv2FAddBOWsudddTkiJBnAwg_ew_4wH02MBkY7hOM1orruHoH6KyfeZZbrWhMZq-AShV4z_3dU9S51ZDUg71w_L7ktCfm0L9JmbT94emClG4cQd8Jlee_bEMaHUmBqSiZg/w400-h300/IMG_4986.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p></p><p>The "Start" button says "Desktop," and leads to a variety of applications to examine. System Setup provides options for setting preferences, configuring network and display, and setting serial/parallel ports (even though the unit doesn't actually have any).<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CDi5b02QsJ2qWbvJ-SPsyvYqSUWi93g_29AOAIVGkyYX0zUkN-iTFLxK8ZVSVTeKFTt_B_Glorpas6jkJ1KV_oPUo-I8bkpOViFFwSOwpbg9OUSOrv2ap7P5nZR0b5XijlX0pw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CDi5b02QsJ2qWbvJ-SPsyvYqSUWi93g_29AOAIVGkyYX0zUkN-iTFLxK8ZVSVTeKFTt_B_Glorpas6jkJ1KV_oPUo-I8bkpOViFFwSOwpbg9OUSOrv2ap7P5nZR0b5XijlX0pw/w400-h300/IMG_4972.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_v4Qty55Nwoiz88sbvBmkjwARXqmNRiGwHhE_Pgz9eKQcchGDPi8NbPK_Nmiwq19UZEqVO0L3PmPYhyphenhyphenTRz0r9qy4twytOeeWMvTkIBDwfVH1-M-9xY0YUwjMGa4dF43_m9nZ2aw/w400-h300/IMG_4973.jpg" width="400" /></div><p style="text-align: left;">System Preferences cover naming the device, time zone, DST, and other options. <br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1QJDUdMe_Rf1p3yV3TBt1psMqNrQQVXztp-mAOoV_6YJekZ4GyEBWO3s0ecBNxDX0B6E17RdULRUz1HVzeQ0HX7pLv98TBdaiYs07O8j-kNbKmy2aeVKRbaPwB8_XVcaK45tiA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1QJDUdMe_Rf1p3yV3TBt1psMqNrQQVXztp-mAOoV_6YJekZ4GyEBWO3s0ecBNxDX0B6E17RdULRUz1HVzeQ0HX7pLv98TBdaiYs07O8j-kNbKmy2aeVKRbaPwB8_XVcaK45tiA/w400-h300/IMG_4976.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">The Network Setup allows for assigned or DHCP addressing.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhG980Rjr3IFh4eMFGiHyUHr4-E8XQTBQMGUfNSkOaulFVmerEApDfJ5Wi6pwJtCKLyCC1tGHqZpAX6-R7RH8EZTuZop-c-GzguOf2qC91BaGUYZU9HZ-B-RkxMx9cpAnPkmgEw/w400-h300/IMG_4977.jpg" width="400" /></p><p style="text-align: left;">There is a wireless setup screen, but there is no wireless adapter in the unit. There is a header for a micro-wifi card, but there is no socket soldered in the spot. <br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_wYNRSFyBzr2yLjKbieniT30ZJO4i5L0ExtczpJj7r-AcmKJwR3hiuwuNjiL_nP8ARgDYKUAkXqZfwkC74ujomjc9HLk1qYajKfUvfR8pkTclt1YgunCMJMhrcIzH7WYhCEIwg/s2016/IMG_4978.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_wYNRSFyBzr2yLjKbieniT30ZJO4i5L0ExtczpJj7r-AcmKJwR3hiuwuNjiL_nP8ARgDYKUAkXqZfwkC74ujomjc9HLk1qYajKfUvfR8pkTclt1YgunCMJMhrcIzH7WYhCEIwg/w400-h300/IMG_4978.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">The Display setup auto-selects the resolution and color depth based on the monitor the system detects, but the user can override this, changing the resolution and/or the refresh rate.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrDYtvl6aCsIjRn0yxpQcXTUPF8m7Hit1zU16NCVMIR8LHQG63lcy4wkx40VqmTw8_GuOWg_poGn8oqvRHGcm6LtoKX-0Bvtie8xmLSetkljI7qsZxG0FYzyEoZWwg3mzeVc1TQ/w400-h300/IMG_4979.jpg" width="400" /> <span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span>The Serial Setup must be a holdover from an earlier version of the device, since there is no serial port nor is there a dial-up modem port.<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLo5qTE1LyvsrN4DWkwKLsp7W3kiAsulCv42NTYOL5EiY5NA5DfGuzmH8iO8bZMekgVXGGQ9SxNFjNUiUztCJs9mqOZYD0oiMTfEgz_mwzCGF8gCyWdmKt-aWQOQp36KaGVDKCA/w400-h300/IMG_4980.jpg" width="400" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Like the serial settings, there is a Printer Setup. The default is LPT1, however later versions of the software allow for various USB printers to be used.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxMzMlCL1SFaT-IyWqXEaVZOKmbjgTp9kwSVMJAoF9_KnVtOzXXeUuMi25blRJ8-wQ2eqdl-Y_yn-mTlfhM-obgSjKAicbfNUrCHBpTFoRCNESNe59b-PAuet8b2fSZg2-R4CzA/s2016/IMG_4981.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxMzMlCL1SFaT-IyWqXEaVZOKmbjgTp9kwSVMJAoF9_KnVtOzXXeUuMi25blRJ8-wQ2eqdl-Y_yn-mTlfhM-obgSjKAicbfNUrCHBpTFoRCNESNe59b-PAuet8b2fSZg2-R4CzA/w400-h300/IMG_4981.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We looked at the System Information earlier, so next we have Applications - which is empty by default.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78DEFykSZNqSo8Z4b9rSjzPvxNIuwrS2KdVNOLKtIsZiQX84OK_RuhrMYhyq8zchbqARpv-HctLe2IIQAud0LLE_o5E1fjy69ranP7BhPzUkxvnfd6SSFWuxren2b4MzWbbSnnA/w400-h300/IMG_4974.jpg" width="400" /></div><p></p><p> As you can see, there are a few more tools - PPOE Manager, Dialup Manager, and PPTP Manager for handling different types of connectivity. The Network Test section has Ping, Trace Route, and Print Queues.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25tVIn87E_5i_Mc0cBFCYpX1d2rT7GKzQU2Hj1fKP_q_6bnT9_UN6hL7LFXUTzdMDOQ8EmzDKREQlPTrFrbckrLzcnbHKNk0_RT24qMKgTk-gkPAONtIoz3AV04YUbdryPW2fjA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25tVIn87E_5i_Mc0cBFCYpX1d2rT7GKzQU2Hj1fKP_q_6bnT9_UN6hL7LFXUTzdMDOQ8EmzDKREQlPTrFrbckrLzcnbHKNk0_RT24qMKgTk-gkPAONtIoz3AV04YUbdryPW2fjA/w400-h300/IMG_4975.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Inside the Connection Settings, we can create new items to connect via ICA, which is a Citrix-based server, or via RDP, which is how most people connect remotely to servers.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcig1DER4Xvy2eN42i19zK0SWhnXcr5khSifms05U9XbThMw4GFlaqRRZcMKkcIeKYG-fliIWxX7MliZb8YsTYTvFDPVwJ132Qkw_6HAxjSY_ntdPS-Z9rKCRFCFTjg1WjDXI2RQ/s2016/IMG_4987.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcig1DER4Xvy2eN42i19zK0SWhnXcr5khSifms05U9XbThMw4GFlaqRRZcMKkcIeKYG-fliIWxX7MliZb8YsTYTvFDPVwJ132Qkw_6HAxjSY_ntdPS-Z9rKCRFCFTjg1WjDXI2RQ/w400-h300/IMG_4987.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I do not have a Citrix server on site, but I do have various Windows servers, so I created an RDP connection to a local server.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kiyfVX3szVpFMeGFVnlDvA1uvbU9y7OoNalNSvzAbhUyreuxnyjnXnkByTFrYCayp8MwlUYJNwRVURenqGRv20iVe9yDJmwK3P4mr4mEvnO_pAZQlvSTTlYH3uPBehFgsrm9BA/s2016/IMG_4988.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kiyfVX3szVpFMeGFVnlDvA1uvbU9y7OoNalNSvzAbhUyreuxnyjnXnkByTFrYCayp8MwlUYJNwRVURenqGRv20iVe9yDJmwK3P4mr4mEvnO_pAZQlvSTTlYH3uPBehFgsrm9BA/w400-h300/IMG_4988.jpg" width="400" /> </a></p><p style="text-align: left;">I did not provide a username/password combination when I set up the connection, and the server promptly provided the login screen for me to enter my credentials.<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DXnznv5X6LYqkPaFiPZhwJmVLS8KUrNSwXBX9HjjjqlUM5MNE7O8fje87wdbUt_Xr1GErUo-zu_nA5V4xtm1NTUf6r9elTl3WmBmARvz24JxdGd5ZwMfzcznGqq0kQ3K5kIE1w/s2016/IMG_4989.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DXnznv5X6LYqkPaFiPZhwJmVLS8KUrNSwXBX9HjjjqlUM5MNE7O8fje87wdbUt_Xr1GErUo-zu_nA5V4xtm1NTUf6r9elTl3WmBmARvz24JxdGd5ZwMfzcznGqq0kQ3K5kIE1w/w400-h300/IMG_4989.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p> All in all, this is a very simple device for folks who want to provide no-frills access to network resources. Parkytowers has a cool write-up about this thin client and addresses the limitations of not being able to access BIOS. </p><p>I think if someone were capable, they could devise a way to sneak DOS into a firmware build and replace the built-in TOS with it. The main problem is the 512k "storage." One would basically have to keep the OS inside a 512k "drive." Not sure how feasible that is.</p><p>I think it would great if someone could hack the wt1200le to drop a DOS loader package. Basically, you would have enough OS to boot, then it would create a ramdrive that the OS in unpacked into with whatever games/apps you were going to run in DOS. The main issue I see with the 512kb boot space is that it would have to house the "MBR" etc PLUS the compressed disk image. The issue with the 32MB RAM is that the ramdrive would be limited to roughly 20-25MB. That's a 20MB hard drive. Not a lot to say the least. The other problem you have is that none of the data can be saved back out again. So, if you were playing a game, you could save the game as long as the unit was powered on, but once you turned it off, the ramdrive is gone and so is whatever save games you had.</p><p>Still, it would be a cool project if it were possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>*Update 03/15/2021 - I found someone who provided the 4.4.079i firmware image and I setup my desktop as a FileZille FTP server. In the 1200LE, I configured the network settings to point to my desktop and it upgraded to the original OS. The person also provided 5.2_035 firmware, which I then tried on the device. The updated OS runs VERY quickly, but the mouse wouldn't CLICK. I could move it around the screen, but the system would not register any mouse clicks. Weird.I reverted back to 4.4.079i and everything seems fine.<br /></p><p>*Note: My unit was running v 4.4.079i when I got it. I found a firmware "update" that turned out to be a downgrade to 4.4.010i. That downgrade killed the USB mouse. Well, technically, a USB mouse kills the OS, causing it to throw up a "divide by zero" error. I am still looking for the firmware to upgrade back to where I was.</p><p>*Note: If you are presented with a login screen, turn off the device. Turn it back on. While it is booting, keep spamming the G key on your keyboard. The unit will force itself into a "Factory Reset" mode which will eliminate the login screen.<br /></p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-20373986121463482952021-03-04T10:05:00.006-06:002021-06-22T09:36:54.802-05:00Thin Client: HP T5710 (Died during testing)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULMSi08N-j3qA65eDFtllLHfObucSx8d8m7S9g7x3SLnSMpIjTTjBMLTFfSDCszFa8js7lGacmullP_tjvC_vso-rLnbpOnPCR9UarbJNfuUO4sIXQD9VIiFVVWooBJdFdozFcQ/s2016/t5710b.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULMSi08N-j3qA65eDFtllLHfObucSx8d8m7S9g7x3SLnSMpIjTTjBMLTFfSDCszFa8js7lGacmullP_tjvC_vso-rLnbpOnPCR9UarbJNfuUO4sIXQD9VIiFVVWooBJdFdozFcQ/s320/t5710b.png" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I bought an HP t5710 off eBay recently. I had seen a couple of videos and read multiple forum posts about the t5710's ability to serve as a cool, compact DOS gaming rig. In addition to DOS, I thought I'd see what else we could throw at it. First up, the specs for the one I bought:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVORJN3BdPmE3sbAeJ0p_njjxw_GIjyVnKPO_yPpqPa_19qn0_Pz2sjMTvwFKrXhwpG3wbIyiOFAnnWx-HMZt1Z80spiCLppwPd-AnW_vZqoVfxwOfpiHkA2GFdGahYZqohQ_5_Q/s2016/t5710a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVORJN3BdPmE3sbAeJ0p_njjxw_GIjyVnKPO_yPpqPa_19qn0_Pz2sjMTvwFKrXhwpG3wbIyiOFAnnWx-HMZt1Z80spiCLppwPd-AnW_vZqoVfxwOfpiHkA2GFdGahYZqohQ_5_Q/s320/t5710a.png" /></a></div><p>CPU - Transmeta Crusoe 800MHz</p><p>GPU - Radeon 7000M</p><p>RAM - 1xDDR SODIMM Socket</p><p>Sound - Via AC97 Compatible (Use VIASBCFG for sound, see below)</p><p>Storage - 44-pin DOM (Disk on Module) 2.5-inch 44-pin IDE PATA Interface</p><p>RJ45 - 10/100 VIA Rhine Family Networking</p><p>USB Ports - 4x USB 2.0 (all located on back)</p><p>Video Port - VGA Connector</p><p>Power Requirements - 12V, 3.33A AC Adapter</p><p>Other Ports - Internal PCI slot (requires 90-degree angle adapter), Audio Out (Headphone), Mic in, PS/2 Keyboard, Parallel, 9-pin Serial, Kensington</p><p>OS - Windows XP Embedded (WinXPE) with various programs, VERY limited access rights</p><p>BIOS - F10 to enter BIOS. Phoenix AwardBIOS installed (Version 786R1 v1.04) - Options included just about everything you would expect from a computer built circa 2004 (as this one was). You can set time/date, boot device, passwords, enable/disable various onboard devices, etc. You can also enable USB mouse in BIOS so that it works in DOS!<br /></p><p>You can boot from USB flash drives, USB CD drive, or USB Floppy.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5e0nCsudbtWDypFE2rdn3INYT4hs4j0_z_K5gvUW4h_G3gJQ3T2zH5Q2KZhyphenhyphenfbdErnvyjelDGfORhPx2YHCLGoLW4PmCgy92QHqHOUq6tLM2PtGLivi2CVi77PmeNL6Ofh7aTFQ/s2016/IMG_4801.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5e0nCsudbtWDypFE2rdn3INYT4hs4j0_z_K5gvUW4h_G3gJQ3T2zH5Q2KZhyphenhyphenfbdErnvyjelDGfORhPx2YHCLGoLW4PmCgy92QHqHOUq6tLM2PtGLivi2CVi77PmeNL6Ofh7aTFQ/s320/IMG_4801.jpg" /></a></b></div><b><br /> DISASSEMBLY </b>- There are two screws on the back of the unit. Once removed, the cover comes off after a bit of manipulation. There are a couple of plastic clips that keep the cover in place. I clipped them off to make future removal much easier. Once the outside cover is removed, there is a metal shield with two screws that must be removed. Once done, the metal cover lifts off easily. There is a speaker screwed into the metal lid, so USE CAUTION when lifting the cover, as the lead wires from the speaker plug into the motherboard. The connector for the speak is easily removed for unabated access to the system.<p></p><p>NOTE: You can replace the DOM with a ribbon/sd card adapter to provide more storage/flexibility. Or, you can buy larger capacity DOMs. I suggest at least a 4GB, though I have seen them as large as 32GB.<br /></p><p><b>OPERATING SYSTEMS (<span style="color: #274e13;">[works]</span> <span style="color: #7f6000;">[partial]</span> <span style="color: #990000;">[failed]</span>)</b><br /></p><p><b>DOS 6.22</b> <span style="background-color: #ffd966;">PARTIAL</span> (512MB RAM, 256MB DOM) <span style="color: #274e13;">[<b>works</b>]</span> - Booted from a DOS USB stick that had various games, VIASBCFG, MOSLO, and other software installers. I then installed from USB without issue. Ran FDISK, formatted drive, copied relevant files. Set the AUTOEXEC.BAT with the following Sound Blaster environment: SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 P330 J0 then added VIASBCFG /v50 (to set volume at 50%) and VIAFMTSR (for FM synth). I had to use MoSlo in order to install games like Duke3d and Wolf3d, but once installed, the games ran fine without MoSlo. Some games would not run at all (Monkey Island Demo, for example), so be aware of that.<br /></p><p>NOTE: The Network Adapter uses IRQ 5, which will conflict with VIASBCFG Sound drivers for DOS. Be sure to set the sound IRQ to 7.<br /></p><p><b>Windows for Workgroups</b> <span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">WORKS</span> (WFW 3.11) (512MB RAM, 256 DOM) <span style="color: #274e13;">[<b>works</b>] </span>- During my DOS install, I had copied the WFW installation files to the USB stick then copied those to the DOM after DOS was installed. The WFW setup ran without issue. I did NOT install network drivers during install. After reboot, added Sound Blaster 1.5 from the Control Panel. Selected A220 and IRQ 7. After Windows restarted, I had sound. I found Rhine-II drivers for the VT6102 networking and installed those. <br /></p><p><b>Windows 95</b> <span style="background-color: #ffd966;">PARTIAL</span> (512MB RAM, 256 DOM) <span style="color: #7f6000;">[<b>limited</b>] </span>- This was a bit more involved. I created a VirtualBox MSDOS installation and converted that to an IMG file (Details in footnotes below). I then Copied the Win95 install files to a Win95 folder on the SD card. Be sure to deleted the CONTENT folder if there is one. Booted the t5710 with the SD card. I formatted the D drive (which is the DOM card). Copied DOS and Win95 setup to D drive. Shut down device, removed SD card, rebooted. Delete CHL*.* and AOL*.* from the Win95 directory. Start Win95 setup. Chose Minimal (just above Custom). Install asked for several files we had deleted but let me just SKIP those during the "Copying files" section. PC rebooted with "Getting ready to run Win95..." Setup finished and rebooted the PC. After reboot, Win95 found the monitor and presented the desktop! Windows showed 75MB free on drive while installing the stupid IE Active Desktop junk. Java Error (since we deleted java). System booted fine. Grabbed the <a href="https://www.computerhope.com/download/window95.htm">USBSUPP.EXE</a> file, saved it to the DOS Flash Drive, booted with the DOS Flash Drive and copied the USBSUPP to the DOM. Rebooted into Win95 and ran USBSUPP. System rebooted. Went into Device Manager and updated any USB devices. Installer complained about uhcd.sys, but I was able to browse to Windows\System to find it. Unfortunately, the system locked up after an "Unknown Device" wizard popped up. The USB driver could no longer see the keyboard and mouse attached. Of course, I have no PS/2 keyboards or adapters. Contacted a friend of mine at a local school and he had an adapter! Got the adapter to work with a USB ball mouse (optical would not work). I could not find a keyboard that would work with the USB add-on. So, I removed the USB support. Once I did that, the keyboard and mouse worked as usual. Go figure. I even tried the <a href="https://msfn.org/board/topic/177518-xusbsupp-extended-usb-supplement-for-windows-95-osr2/">XUSBSUPP</a>, but that did not work either. Specifically, the drivers in stalled, but the keyboard no longer worked and I eventually had a BSOD. I gave up on this part of the project.<br /></p><p><b>Windows 98SE</b> <span style="background-color: #ffd966;">PARTIAL</span> (512MB RAM, 256MB DOM) <span style="color: #7f6000;">[<b>limited</b>]</span> - I followed the steps outlined at <a href="https://www.rmprepusb.com/tutorials/117">RMPrepUSB</a> for installing Win98 via Easy2Boot. I used UltraISO to edit the Win98SE.iso file. In retrospect, I should have not only deleted the files mentioned, but also ALL of the folders under the Win98 folder, as I do not believe they are needed and the copy process is SLOW on the t5710. The DOM had already been partitioned from the Win95 install above, so I skipped those steps and jumped to formatting the DOM. Once the format was done, I created the B:\TEMP folder. NOTE: You MUST delete all the files under the WIN98\OLS folder, otherwise setup complains about drive space on B. Run SETUP /T:b:\temp to start the install. My install complained about a Windows NT format. I chose COMPACT install. Skip the startup disk. When prompted to remove disks, unplug the USB and hit Enter. System will reboot. Continue installation. My system booted with 70MB free on the DOM. I restarted the system and booted from a DOS USB then copied the USB drivers from <a href="https://www.philscomputerlab.com/hp-t5710.html">PhilsComputerLab</a> to the system. I figured this would open up the door to grab other drivers directly from a USB stick. Rebooted to Win98 and ran setup for the first set of drivers. No luck. I grabbed <a href="http://www.tmeeco.eu/9X4EVER/GOODIES/NUSB/">NUSB32E.exe</a> and copied it from a DOS boot-up USB to the Win98 and ran it. After a couple reboots, it detected my USB flash drive! At this point, trying to install various drivers was fruitless due to storage constraints.</p><p><i><b>Win98SE (256MB RAM, 4GB DOM) - UNTESTED*</b></i><br /></p><p><b>Windows XP Embedded</b> <span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">WORKS</span> (Factory Reset) - (512MB RAM, 256MB DOM) <span style="color: #274e13;">[working]</span> - Downloaded the <a href="ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp29501-30000/">SP29705.EXE</a> file that contains the SuperPAQ factory image from HP. I tried to run their flash utility, but it never worked. So, I chose the option to create an ISO then burned the ISO to a cd. I booted the device with a USB CD drive and started the restore process. It is not fast. Removed boot media, restarted. XP continued setup. Was presented with locked PC with arrow on screen. Manually rebooted. After a few moments, the factory-restored XPe appeared and finished setting up devices, software, etc. This also takes a LONG time (10 minutes or more). Asked to restart device, restarted. After a few moments, presented with desktop. VERY limited access. Cannot access My Computer, drives, etc. Limited Control Panel access. An HP Sys Info app shows 57MB free on the DOM along with some other info about installed software, hardware, etc. <br /></p><p><i><b>Windows XP (256MB RAM, 4GB - UNTESTED*<br /></b></i></p><p><i><b>Windows 7 - UNTESTED*<br /></b></i></p><p><i><b>Windows 10 - UNTESTED*<br /></b></i></p><p><br /></p><p>*NOTE - I inserted a USB stick in order to try to install Win98SE with the 4GB DOM. When I did, the system would no longer boot. I swapped DOM, RAM, etc and unplugged everything except power and VGA, but the system would never POST again. Pretty sure the USB stick shorted the system somehow.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p>– To Create DOS SD Card - From "Dustin" on <a href="http://theinstructionlimit.com/installing-ms-dos-6-22-on-a-486-without-a-floppy-drive-using-a-cf-to-ide-adapter#comment-84093">theinstructionlimit.com</a>. Create a virtual drive with the same specs as your SD/CF card. (I don’t think the size actually matters, but just in case)
– Install DOS on to the virtual drive via VirtualBox and the DOS floppy images.
– Open powershell or cmd and navigate to the VirtualBox install directory
– Run .\vboxmanage internalcommands converttoraw "C:\PATH\TO\YOUR\VIRTUALDRIVE.vdi" "C:\PATH\TO\YOUR\VIRTUALDRIVE\NameOfImage.img"
– Plug in your CF/SD card.
– Open Rufus (https://rufus.ie/)
– Select your CF/SD card, and browse to find the image you created above.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-87295411417213277012021-02-12T16:00:00.005-06:002021-02-25T08:30:34.190-06:00Thin Client Adventures: DevonIT TC2D DeTOS 7.1.1 (Update: Feb 25 2021)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZwWUxBEn1ntMKndzaO_028SzFIe6lMZ14LoLnby9RUlgd1ZCoeUHGN-zU_jsQGtRwytxLnvqDPOyfI_X_tRcoftPmdvpjwaoFMdcX_aXRCzYl9xZl29HEUI1dsyBSSdp6F1_qA/s1020/tc2-tc2d-tc5c-tc5xc-featured-image-2.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1020" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZwWUxBEn1ntMKndzaO_028SzFIe6lMZ14LoLnby9RUlgd1ZCoeUHGN-zU_jsQGtRwytxLnvqDPOyfI_X_tRcoftPmdvpjwaoFMdcX_aXRCzYl9xZl29HEUI1dsyBSSdp6F1_qA/s320/tc2-tc2d-tc5c-tc5xc-featured-image-2.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /> I picked up a DevonIT TC2D "Zero Client" device for about $5.00 on eBay. It came new in the box (or appeared new) with a power adapter, instructions, and a DVI/VGA adapter. Let's look at some specs:<p></p><p></p><p>CPU - VIA Eden 1 GHz<br /></p><p>GPU -VIA Chrome9 (according to LSPCI)<br /></p><p>RJ45 (Wired Ethernet) -Realtek 8169 (from LSPCI)<br /></p><p>Sound -Azalia HDA Controller (Intel HDA)<br /></p><p>Storage -1GB DOM (2.5-inch IDE riser connector)<br /></p><p>RAM - 1xDDR2 SODIMM </p><p>USB Ports -4x USB 2.0 (2 on back, 2 on front)<br /></p><p>Video Ports - DVI Connector </p><p>Power Requirements - 12V, 3A AC Adapter </p><p>Other Ports -PS/2 Keyboard connector on back, Kensington slot on back<br /></p><p>BIOS: Phoenix AwardBIOS <br /></p><p>OS: DeTOS 7.1.1 20120508<br /></p><p>Notes: HDD Auto Detection, Provisions for IDE Slave Device, Set Boot Priority,
Boot from USB, Azalia Disable Feature, USB Settings (KB/Mouse can be set
to USB), Power Management Options.</p><p><b>OPERATING SYSTEMS:</b> <br /></p><p><b>DETOS 7.1.1</b> (1GB RAM, 1GB DOM) - The device boots to a DevonIT (displayed as "devonIT") and attempts to search for an auto-configuration server. <br /></p><p>After that fails, user is presented with an option to boot to DeTOS or ZeroClient. I chose DeTOS.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsBT3Oiy4UzPTSEuO7GFf4vGvyU_M5R2OryeOy0JhN9ZEVAowCXUGH6ZN17Hb0LdrwkAskcnTfGJOpo7n6WvrudVVyEYzVBghwes13ajtPw5Djxpg0OMh4Y60EDV9HOeNcCtNkg/s640/IMG_4816.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsBT3Oiy4UzPTSEuO7GFf4vGvyU_M5R2OryeOy0JhN9ZEVAowCXUGH6ZN17Hb0LdrwkAskcnTfGJOpo7n6WvrudVVyEYzVBghwes13ajtPw5Djxpg0OMh4Y60EDV9HOeNcCtNkg/s320/IMG_4816.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p></p><p>I was presented with locale selections. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIYc_bnAwTS_rEPN4dZdPmPzxhAFodU754SnRNAFtdqo8VLtobeoo6qvrsRYzR_iKWhmcgjak938w0XijqB6nzWCqPNHdLu9G65ZKqzMidV-Jl1-UkwpuujlHBqNdlOdSoxHQ3Q/s640/IMG_4817.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIYc_bnAwTS_rEPN4dZdPmPzxhAFodU754SnRNAFtdqo8VLtobeoo6qvrsRYzR_iKWhmcgjak938w0XijqB6nzWCqPNHdLu9G65ZKqzMidV-Jl1-UkwpuujlHBqNdlOdSoxHQ3Q/s320/IMG_4817.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br />Next, networking options. This includes wired and wireless. Also options for IP configuration, included option to boot with DHCP.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyXd31flSnn2McxxWHDaOSKCLsankT-2Vt8a1ci0SPVGzdPAt5PLNuEqL9t1fTTwEgp23Aee6GaW409ke_fwYQom01bpih3fz0h4TOoQ5hvufhlEISssH9bGPiWcqJdCtwxWqRw/s640/IMG_4818.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyXd31flSnn2McxxWHDaOSKCLsankT-2Vt8a1ci0SPVGzdPAt5PLNuEqL9t1fTTwEgp23Aee6GaW409ke_fwYQom01bpih3fz0h4TOoQ5hvufhlEISssH9bGPiWcqJdCtwxWqRw/s320/IMG_4818.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KEz7AM4_pbHPr84Od-XHSSKpq37eIdtvRK1RrqTj8iAorjjf2RyZZfa-jPzHk9nduL4OLcy6QNv4KNWkpr2KljHUSY83f6wZUWHK3v21myPOjzEVyjvvMjMh66VDlCd0chwryQ/s640/IMG_4819.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KEz7AM4_pbHPr84Od-XHSSKpq37eIdtvRK1RrqTj8iAorjjf2RyZZfa-jPzHk9nduL4OLcy6QNv4KNWkpr2KljHUSY83f6wZUWHK3v21myPOjzEVyjvvMjMh66VDlCd0chwryQ/s320/IMG_4819.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /> </p><p>The next screen is "Thin Client Management." This allows setup of managed or unmanaged settings, adding an "agent" password, and whether or not to allow users to take screenshots.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7BGXoZi5IenMIQBm974UFYdRqMVTf5pzDLQ-2crCv2lmho1DRkDWMMulAHnKt2dukDSjTnj17ovQW-u2BUbaIN1R7AdzklpO-jgFNTV24zZ-aAISYQucrg3g0QraWdh2yPCPuQ/s640/IMG_4820.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7BGXoZi5IenMIQBm974UFYdRqMVTf5pzDLQ-2crCv2lmho1DRkDWMMulAHnKt2dukDSjTnj17ovQW-u2BUbaIN1R7AdzklpO-jgFNTV24zZ-aAISYQucrg3g0QraWdh2yPCPuQ/s320/IMG_4820.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Q_BEdyye62tvUWkha0A9jZKDtz9Yy8g0OAit8ICXwdmL2gkHwwcLO_-8Dx4JFQEIseva2ySURdeP-VjVXXnClGoC3mktc6zZ1c3NpPoKyNwrVduCOztHATKOTlIIyuj1F4QWZw/s640/IMG_4821.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Q_BEdyye62tvUWkha0A9jZKDtz9Yy8g0OAit8ICXwdmL2gkHwwcLO_-8Dx4JFQEIseva2ySURdeP-VjVXXnClGoC3mktc6zZ1c3NpPoKyNwrVduCOztHATKOTlIIyuj1F4QWZw/s320/IMG_4821.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p> </p><p>Next up, the tech can set up remote session connection info, if desired. </p><p><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZKv1Kps4zykoZCTJLOMNiA1AXFkMX_cIihfQ4qHTa0ejjZa4In0YM_lKyD4rhe2Bgk1q8on8N80Cb-lkoiPoyA58lSU-eFA0PLhlLbG7_Ia9NGaHrWzAxgBVYN5yYL4fDe6YZA/s640/IMG_4822.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZKv1Kps4zykoZCTJLOMNiA1AXFkMX_cIihfQ4qHTa0ejjZa4In0YM_lKyD4rhe2Bgk1q8on8N80Cb-lkoiPoyA58lSU-eFA0PLhlLbG7_Ia9NGaHrWzAxgBVYN5yYL4fDe6YZA/s320/IMG_4822.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>Then, we are presented with "Local Storage Options." This allows the system to keep (or not keep) certain information on the installed DOM. </p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMVuMwTNci1opdn0C9AwAS5GIoRQwgSeYpeRTRakE741qLnIRr7oG-kq4zzT1Swhw6CAIJcRATXf8tfvoX-Gy5pWMJ4wzfoLluaBozL77u6nT8aTOpyvel3EeH-Ovzv4_sz1SPg/s640/IMG_4823.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMVuMwTNci1opdn0C9AwAS5GIoRQwgSeYpeRTRakE741qLnIRr7oG-kq4zzT1Swhw6CAIJcRATXf8tfvoX-Gy5pWMJ4wzfoLluaBozL77u6nT8aTOpyvel3EeH-Ovzv4_sz1SPg/s320/IMG_4823.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>Next up, we can choose to save settings to Echo. This basically creates a machine profile for this device on the management server. Since i don't have one, I just clicked "Finished."</p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GPJbjZXk8d9ARLCxvW1DeQLcuim309MPWaOh8sOeJPSjIxzqkHq-UOol9egGG_SnaMiWCrfaFA07IRTRcX4V4TXrou-jUmXPpdYcsAHwtu90KHMmJ3isMTeZrAc6CGzzP9ipyA/s640/IMG_4824.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GPJbjZXk8d9ARLCxvW1DeQLcuim309MPWaOh8sOeJPSjIxzqkHq-UOol9egGG_SnaMiWCrfaFA07IRTRcX4V4TXrou-jUmXPpdYcsAHwtu90KHMmJ3isMTeZrAc6CGzzP9ipyA/s320/IMG_4824.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>After a few moments, I was presented with the DeTOS desktop.</p><p> The desktop displayed the time and date (incorrectly) in the lower right along with a couple icons. Once of which (the little blue "devonIT" logo) presented config info. The "Start button" only had a Control Panel option and selections to shut down or reboot. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtvH5zqRiAdhfc6F1ryh9jfx35Wp1nPH-PEoRNiwEBpDi8EjrRn8owwiawwKae1ns5svJvX4wIXTkOCR1cUbzAL6FXI-hDL1Pyo_1qPgbv_Mpxd8XQmSP6b5ivgdvi0kGXiPwEA/s640/IMG_4825.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtvH5zqRiAdhfc6F1ryh9jfx35Wp1nPH-PEoRNiwEBpDi8EjrRn8owwiawwKae1ns5svJvX4wIXTkOCR1cUbzAL6FXI-hDL1Pyo_1qPgbv_Mpxd8XQmSP6b5ivgdvi0kGXiPwEA/s320/IMG_4825.jpg" width="320" /></a> <br /></p><p>Control Panel provides a slew of information and possible connections. Each item listed allows the user to add a connection to the certain type (Citrix ICA, VDI-in-a-Box, rDesktop, etc). When I attempted to set DHCP, I received an error screen. Note: I was trying to figure out the wifi. Wired was not plugged in. </p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicP4rntGJa3GPC3AQS5RLEUgnZlIuqgd27rcbtd30sV1HlX-Ud-QDq4V64G6SA6y2Z1cHs-kVMfK0fScwtHzeWuA-dvvHDgqhEsa9YKej0JgpHa-hp5SPhB0KN5oeKrDnAXmnx0w/s640/IMG_4826.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicP4rntGJa3GPC3AQS5RLEUgnZlIuqgd27rcbtd30sV1HlX-Ud-QDq4V64G6SA6y2Z1cHs-kVMfK0fScwtHzeWuA-dvvHDgqhEsa9YKej0JgpHa-hp5SPhB0KN5oeKrDnAXmnx0w/s320/IMG_4826.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>I plugged in a network cable and the screen went blank for a moment. When the desktop returned, I had an IP address.</p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJd1YjV0dNzTmHc38ZEsEUq8212v8AeHURc72yq7LWhBAWmmeohL_Wlnb2Qxc3hDPyBnFohfiRbJ_Ah41Djs4qTPBNYHL_tAzjGdXhw38OHeSojupYcH1Lws9uFMzdrt9gbfl_xw/s640/IMG_4827.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJd1YjV0dNzTmHc38ZEsEUq8212v8AeHURc72yq7LWhBAWmmeohL_Wlnb2Qxc3hDPyBnFohfiRbJ_Ah41Djs4qTPBNYHL_tAzjGdXhw38OHeSojupYcH1Lws9uFMzdrt9gbfl_xw/s320/IMG_4827.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrUrUOFRzTHNPf0nVUIqMmSbP5Ysuf_v9oRkKL7A4N2XX4BtyDdkW4dWydh_8gViOqfpNXT4SS0FjLPyRqwuO-8Znk0h9yZPCQEmDpMd1lLtA0YSsptiDIASCgFvq8xddTUVViw/s640/IMG_4828.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrUrUOFRzTHNPf0nVUIqMmSbP5Ysuf_v9oRkKL7A4N2XX4BtyDdkW4dWydh_8gViOqfpNXT4SS0FjLPyRqwuO-8Znk0h9yZPCQEmDpMd1lLtA0YSsptiDIASCgFvq8xddTUVViw/s320/IMG_4828.jpg" width="320" /></a></p>For giggles, I added a shortcut to Firefox and visited the DevonIT webpage in the "Aurora" browser. It is not fast!<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunpMkqoJ9DKMkPJYMi9KjYqDGPIMeGuKzO0-QlC3VOxgmQK8dJ5DvRNtGwsNE2_sxiz2rHFASvA7V8Lxa8ODUN6ssX7Eifn9WL6o50_2SCy7psSzsxo3PqbE-Rf5Gtkh0Q8CKtQ/s640/IMG_4832.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunpMkqoJ9DKMkPJYMi9KjYqDGPIMeGuKzO0-QlC3VOxgmQK8dJ5DvRNtGwsNE2_sxiz2rHFASvA7V8Lxa8ODUN6ssX7Eifn9WL6o50_2SCy7psSzsxo3PqbE-Rf5Gtkh0Q8CKtQ/s320/IMG_4832.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>Feb 25 2021: I ran into issues with the system itself after switching over to the "ThinOS" option. I reached out to Clientron in Japan and was sent a link to a reflash utility. I ran the utility, installing the flash software onto a usb drive. After booting the device from the drive, I followed the prompts to reinstall the software onto the original DOM. I recommend NOT having a mouse plugged in. My system screen was filled with connects/disconnects coming from the USB mouse which didn't seem to affect the install process, but made following along difficult. After it finished, the system rebooted. I was greeted with the DevonIT boot screen and then the screen went blank for a bit. I tapped an arrow key and was met with the OS selection screen as above!<br /></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><p>Side Note:</p><p>I found a squashfs version of Firefox (or hoped that what it was) and
copied it to my own server. I then added the URL to the Package
Manager. I did not realize that Firefox (or Aurora) came with the device.<br /></p><p>I rebooted the device to see if Firefox would be installed. Nope. I received an error screen. </p><p>I
rebooted again to see if the system would simply ignore the file upon
reboot. It did not. Attempts to delete the file failed because it was
marked as a read-only system file and I could not get any chmod commands
to change the flags. I opted to factory reset. I was prompted with a
password entry line. I could not find the factory reset password.</p><p>After
a TON of poking around online, I managed to get the system to boot into
what appears to be a factory-reset condition. When booting up, I did
this:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Press the ESC key to bring up grub</li><li>Press e to edit the DeTOS boot line</li><li>Deleted everything after root=live</li><li>Added toram=detos.squashfs quiet</li><li>Press ENTER to save</li><li>Press ESC to get back to menu</li><li>Press B to boot</li></ul><p>I
enabled local storage (debating if I should clear local storage, but
starting with least destructive option first). The Firefox package was
no longer listed, so I rebooted. Reboot still tried to load Firefox.
Rebooted and repeated steps above. Walked through the setup as before
until I got to desktop.</p><ul><li>Open Control Panel</li><li>Launch Terminal</li><li>Type: su then press ENTER</li><li>cd /live-rw-backing/live and press ENTER</li><li>Type: rm 02-firefox.squashfs (or whatever your squashfs is)</li></ul><p> </p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-17117605973645420642021-01-29T11:19:00.006-06:002021-03-08T12:56:23.277-06:00Thin Client: Wyse Cx0 Notes, Experiences (Updated: 02/03/2021)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-aYRV7crXVEoolS2a_755TYOtC9-n7mWcPJah2HJgW4bUlzXCCh5j4ryhgDU9y4EN5rTK0LalxJXSVspOAwvUfFVgMzaE-chWqxKUzwmU_AOl7lGSoJi2HEZso8tH66tByktcQ/s269/wyse-cx0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-aYRV7crXVEoolS2a_755TYOtC9-n7mWcPJah2HJgW4bUlzXCCh5j4ryhgDU9y4EN5rTK0LalxJXSVspOAwvUfFVgMzaE-chWqxKUzwmU_AOl7lGSoJi2HEZso8tH66tByktcQ/s0/wyse-cx0.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I bought a super-cheap Wyse Cx0 Thin Client off eBay some time ago, and I have been toying with it a bit. This post serves as a catch-all place for my information regarding the device. Note: information may be added, updated, or deleted at any time.</p><p>Let's talk hardware specs to get things going:</p><p>CPU - Via C7</p><p>GPU - VX855 Chrome9</p><p>RJ45 (Wired Ethernet) - VT6122 (Velocity)</p><p>Sound - Vinyl HD (uses version 7.9 drivers)</p><p>Storage - 2.5-inch IDE interface (male connector on motherboard)</p><p>RAM - 1xDDR2 SODIMM</p><p>USB Ports - 4 USB 2.0 Ports (2 in front, 2 in back)<br /></p><p>Video Ports - DVI Connector</p><p>Power Requirements - 12V, 2.5A AC Adapter</p><p>Other Ports - 1 PS/2 Mouse, 1 PS/2 Keyboard</p><p>Mine came preinstalled with some kind of thin client software (I do not believe it was XP Embedded)</p><p>BIOS was locked with a password. Password for WYSE is Fireport. The BIOS allows user to change boot sequence and enable/disable some basic items. Very limited BIOS. </p><p>The system accepted bootable CD/DVDs and also USB floppy drive as bootable media. You can also boot from properly formatted USB storage. Makes for a very flexible installation environment.</p><p>Since the storage is IDE, everything just worked when installing anything from DOS 6.22 to XP as far as install goes. My unit had 512MB RAM and a 128 MB DOM (Disk on Module) 44-pin PATA board. </p><p>I purchased a 2.5-inch ribbon cable (F-F) and a 2.5-inch IDE-to-SD adapter. This allowed me to swap out storage options at any time (er, with the top cover removed, of course).</p><p>Speaking of top cover, there are two plastic clips at the front corners of the lid, making it a bit of a hassle to remove. I snipped those off so that the lid can just come off when I remove the single screw (on back of unit) to open the case. </p><p><b>OPERATING SYSTEMS</b> - ALL MUST BE 16-bit or 32-bit ONLY!<br /></p><p>In every case, booting with USB keyboard and mouse already plugged in showed no problems installing/using the OS. The speed rating (Class) of your SD card makes all the difference! Be sure to use Class 6 or higher.<br /></p><p><b>DOS 6.22</b> (512MB RAM, 512MB SD) - DOS installs easily from USB Floppy (or bootable USB). In order to install games like Wolf3d or Duke3d, I had to employ the use of MoSlo. Once the games were installed, though, the Wyse ran the games themselves just fine without the helper. Duke3d ran VESA 800x600 smoothly. The Secret of Monkey Island Demo played nicely in EGA mode (hmm, maybe it was VGA mode). There is NO SOUND BLASTER SOUND. The Vinyl HD audio does not have a DOS driver. I tried a variety of VIA-related drivers, hacks, etc and in each case, the dreaded "No VIA Chipset detected" message (or something similar) would appear. Programs that support the PC Speaker will output sound to the piezo speaker built onto the motherboard. This would make for a compact, spry DOS game machine if only there was sound support.</p><p>I installed DOS on the 128MB built-in flash and then after I swapped out for the SD/IDE adapter, I installed DOS to a 512MB MicroSD with an adapter. Works great! <br /></p><p><b>Windows for Workgroups (WFW 3.11)</b> (512MB RAM, 512MB SD) - Installed on same SD as the DOS install above. Windows would not boot. Either got a scrambled splash screen or a "Divide Overflow" error on a mangled splash screen. I changed various video settings and tried MoSlo, but nothing worked for me. I gave up trying to make it work.<br /></p><p><b>Windows 95</b> (512MB RAM, 512MB SD) - Formatted SD with DOS. Copied Win95 setup folder from CD to SD card. Did not choose Sound, Network, etc during setup. Could not get any drivers to work (even though they came from the VIA downloads site).<br /></p><p><b>Windows 98</b> (512MB RAM, 512MB SD) - Installed with no problem that I recall. Used LAN drivers from the XP Drivers file below. Could not get sound nor video drivers to work. I installed VIA Hyperion Drivers v5.24a and the VIA Retro Drivers (<a href="https://www.philscomputerlab.com/via-chipset-drivers.html" target="_blank">from here</a>) along with the USB 2.0 Driver Pack (<a href="https://www.philscomputerlab.com/windows-98-usb-storage-driver.html" target="_blank">Here</a>). After the install, reboot and the system should find new system-level devices. If asked to search for drivers, just click NEXT and let Windows find what it needs. I also recommend Phil's Win98 Easy DOS Mode PIF! <a href="https://www.philscomputerlab.com/ms-dos-mode-super-easy.html" target="_blank">More info here</a>!<br /></p><p><b>Windows XP</b> (512MB RAM, 4GB SD) - Windows XP installs with no problems. Finding drivers, however, was a royal pain. To help with that, I created a ZIP file that has the XP drivers for video, sound, networking, and chipset. <a href="http://padcircus.com/Drivers.zip">You can grab those here.</a></p><p><b>Windows 7</b> - (2GB RAM, 40GB 2.5-inch Drive) - Straight-forward install from USB DVD drive (though could have used a bootable USB). Install takes a while. Windows 7 detected sound and network. Using the OS is painfully slow. The system hits the hard drive in a nearly constant state. Attempting to download, install, then use Chrome was a smack in the face of the reality of the limitations of older hardware - especially running at 1GHz with only 2GB of RAM. Firefox was slightly better in that I could at least surf pages, download video drivers, etc. However, the video drivers reported that I had the wrong version of Windows (perhaps because Win7 wasn't registered during testing?). In any case, Win7 saw it was a vx855 chipset and allowed me to change to all sorts of resolutions. <br /></p><p>*Note: I tried to install on a 128GB SD card and Windows said it could not install it to that device because it couldn't find a bootbale BIOS setting for it. I switched to a 40GB 2.5-inch IDE drive from an old laptop.<br /></p><p><b>Windows 10</b> (2GB RAM, Various drives) - I tried a variety of drives (SD, 2.5-inch IDE) and each time, the installer gave me an IRQ Not Less Than (or whatever) blue screen. I never could get Win10 to install on this device.</p><p><b>Windows 8.1</b> (2GB RAM, 128GB SD) - Since Windows 10 failed, I thought I would try Windows 8.1 Pro. Note that at several times during the install, the system will appear to lock up. Just be patient. System will countdown to a reboot. Shut off the unit here. Otherwise, it will boot back to the setup USB drive. Initial setup took quite a bit of time. This will vary based on the speed of your SD and the throughput of the onboard IDE controller. Again, be patient. During setup, got an error that UUID was not supported and it logged me out. I then tried to log back in, and setup continued. Like Windows 7, setup detected everything except for the video card. And, like Windows 7, I could change to a variety of resolutions. </p><p><b>DOSBox Distro</b> (1GB RAM, 16GB USB) - There is an <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/dosboxdistro/">interesting project</a> that uses TinyCore Linux to serve as a loader for DOSBox. This actually worked decently on the Cx0. The software itself has issues. For example, some programs dump you back to the DOS prompt, but are actually trying to run in the Linux environment behind the scenes. You can't get to it, though, because task switching is disabled in the system. Overall, things boot and run rather slowly. However, you do get Sound Blaster sounds out of the headphone jack! There was no adlib music even though the games did detect adlib capability. Not sure what's going on there. This has potential promise as a workaround for running DOS games with Sound Blaster on the Cx0.<br /></p><br /><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-15446753586388270832021-01-07T14:26:00.001-06:002021-01-07T14:26:28.485-06:00Lenovo e550 Thinkpad Red Light Only No Boot (Possible Solutions)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhixqcmxYfswqHgTAcW_GXecLVVmf8x-oSJyUs_KhLfsio7DcBY3AknhHnfF4xMHL7n0Ni0m4nHq4aw2Tp32qyE2hcyktPT4zSsLfFSd3khhT_boesC1o8w_XSdP5BWUe8uRuVmg/s268/e550-kb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="268" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhixqcmxYfswqHgTAcW_GXecLVVmf8x-oSJyUs_KhLfsio7DcBY3AknhHnfF4xMHL7n0Ni0m4nHq4aw2Tp32qyE2hcyktPT4zSsLfFSd3khhT_boesC1o8w_XSdP5BWUe8uRuVmg/w320-h201/e550-kb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Have a user with a Lenovo E550 laptop. The laptop was working fine while watching videos, etc, but would sometimes appear to turn off without being able to come back on.<p></p><p>The Thinkpad light would come on (red light in the logo in the wrist rest area), but the unit would not power up. Fans would not spin up, no POST, no boot, no hard drive sounds.</p><p>We found several solutions that have worked intermittently (that is, seemingly randomly):</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Remove the battery. Leave the AC plugged in. Hold power button for 30 seconds. Red Thinkpad light will blink 3 times. Unplug the power. Hold the power button down again for 30 seconds. Plus the AC back in, but leave the battery out. Turn on the laptop. If it boots, shut it down and put the battery back in. Boot the laptop.</li><li>Remove the battery. Leave the AC plugged in. Connect an external VGA monitor. Hold the power button for 30 seconds (until red Thinkpad light blinks 3 times). Turn on the laptop. If the laptop boots, it will most likely show on the monitor instead of the built-in display. Once booted, change the display options to make the built-in display panel the primary display. Shut down the laptop. Unplug the VGA cable. Boot the laptop. If it boots, shut down the laptop, insert the battery, and reboot the laptop.</li><li>Turn off the laptop (hold power button until Thinkpad red light goes out). Remove the battery. Unplug the AC adapter. Turn the laptop over and remove the three screws holding the large plate that covers the RAM and hard drive. Remove back cover. Near the hard drive, find a wrapped CMOS battery (looks like a watch battery). There are two wires with a plug adapter at the end. Disengage the plug gently. It is a TIGHT fit, so be careful. With the CMOD battery disconnected, turn the laptop over and plug in the AC. Open the laptop and turn it on. When it boots, you will get an error that the time and date a re wrong. Hold the power button until the laptop turns off. Unplug the AC adapter. Turn the laptop over again. Reconnect the CMOS battery. Again, this is a TIGHT fit, so be careful. Replace the back panel and attach the screws. Turn the laptop back over, reinstall the battery and connect the AC. Turn on the laptop. You should get an error about the time and date. Follow the on-screen instructions for setting those then you should be able to boot as normal.</li></ul><p>As we find other solutions to this problem, I will update this post. Hope it helps!</p><p> <br /></p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-8755489517518196492020-10-02T12:35:00.001-05:002020-10-02T12:35:12.418-05:00Tract Computing, Inc - My days in computer retail<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OwXZ9Joy9IGRXK-NnhZhFIuE9Z1h1JCZ0cdk0d0rfHbtNdA8Xyho6_eFdkX8KETbUa_yAb1DAZFuRsfMLX7NduHJiXZpjCpRj6Wq8U5nfeMEZwerOZemY6tV_yCSwgEaQx1xoQ/s672/potomac-mills.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="672" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3OwXZ9Joy9IGRXK-NnhZhFIuE9Z1h1JCZ0cdk0d0rfHbtNdA8Xyho6_eFdkX8KETbUa_yAb1DAZFuRsfMLX7NduHJiXZpjCpRj6Wq8U5nfeMEZwerOZemY6tV_yCSwgEaQx1xoQ/s320/potomac-mills.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Back in 1989, I worked for a retail computer company called "Tract Computing." The operation had two locations: one in the Potomac Mills Mall in Woodbridge, VA, and the other in an office complex in Alexandria, VA. I have tried to research information about the company since, but have come up empty.</p><p>What I do remember, however, are a few of the things that I will probably never forget. They help lay the foundation for some of my core beliefs regarding business and handling employees. In this post, I'll share some of the things I remember (which may or may not have anything to do with business practices, but are rather memories).</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I worked with several guys at the store. There was Rick and CJ (I cannot remember their last names to save my life). There were at least two other guys as well. The place was managed by a woman named Karen (I believe her name is/was Karen Williams, but that could be wrong). The company was run by a man named Alex and his wife (also named Karen, I believe). Alex's brother did the books, but I'm afraid I cannot recall his name. Their last name was either Nassif or Nassir, perhaps.</li><li>Alex had a vanity license plate with "DOS EXE" on it. So appropriate for the late 80's/early 90's.</li><li>One of the guys had an Amiga 1500 or perhaps 2000. We would go to his house to mess with it and eventually cobbled together a very cool PC/Amiga hybrid. I don't remember the details, but we used an IBM-PC bridge card from the Amiga with a ribbon cable that led to an AT chassis where a separate board served to add expansion ports to the PC side. That was crazy.</li><li>One of my most memorable moments came by way of a woman who came into the store one day. She held a computer mouse in her hands, and she approached me asking if we happened to sell just the balls that went into the computer mouse. In those days, we didn't have optical mice. Mice had a little ball that rolled around inside for movement. When I told her that we only sold complete mice, I asked her why she just needed the ball. She opened her hands and showed me a computer mouse that had been marred and scarred with a cable that looked like it had been chomped on for quite some time. She said, "Well, you see, my cat was playing with my mouse, and I think she killed it." Truly one of the funniest moments I've had. We sold her a replacement mouse.</li><li>Another stand-out situation came by way of an older couple. The woman had come to the store early in the day, picked out some software, then asked if it would run on an IBM-PC. I assured her that it would and she bought it. Later that day, she came back with her husband. Her husband was angry about something. When I asked what was wrong, he barked, "Are you the one that sold this (holding up the box) to my wife?" "Yes, sir," I said, confused. "Well, it will NOT work on an IBM-PC! This has five and quarter inch disks and we need three and a half! Where's your manager?" I tried to explain that the software WOULD work, but that I was not told the computer only had 3.5" drives. Didn't matter. He found the manager and proceeded to tell her how incompetent I was (using pretty colorful words to do so), and that I should be fired on the spot. She got him calmed down. One of the other guys copied the program to a 3.5-inch disk and sent the couple on their merry way. The manager got my side of the story and we decided it was a lesson learned - one I still practice as best I can to this day: ASK ALL THE QUESTIONS, ASSUME NOTHING. From that day on, I have tried to ask all the possible questions I can when given a task or a project.</li><li>Even though I couldn't find information online regarding Tract Computing, Inc, I do recall that the company had folded not long after I left in 1990. I was offered a manager's position in late 1989 as an enticement not to back to college (I was out for a semester, taking time off). They offered me a decent amount of money, but in the end, I thought it better to get my degree and return should the opportunity and offer still stand. By the time I graduated, they no longer existed. Plus, I wouldn't have gone back by then anyway. Life had taken me in a different direction.</li></ul><p>In those days, we sold everything from hardware including PCs, Amigas, C64s, all kinds of peripherals. We were basically like Computer Shopper magazine in a little store. We weren't anything like Software, etc or Babbages or the myriad of other computer-related stores, but we were one of the few in the area. Sometimes, just being there is enough to have a moderately successful business. </p><p>Shortly before I left, the manager was fired for allegedly stealing money from the company. Apparently, she wrote company checks to herself, which she signed, and then she endorsed on the back. The bank raised a few questions after the check amounts continued to grow, and things spiraled from there. Note: this is the story as I heard, so if facts are askew, I am not making any accusations nor legal claims here. Nor am I trying to slander/libel anyone.</p><p>Anyway, I thought I would write this post in case any of the folks from back in the day started poking around looking for info about Tract Computing. Thanks for reading.</p><p><br /></p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-58677414049864676552020-09-23T12:00:00.008-05:002020-09-23T12:00:11.525-05:001997: The Year of Mystique (Mercury Mystique and Matrox Mystique)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbCLcaB6a-MkohljOEwSarNpUhO7lOVFLNK9KG3j8onC5iltkCXrWsgKZim2_cpj1i0hs1nfWUK9sirs5vcfhXyW5fwh7Wd2rgQbBto_1e1mMJrEnsvJ4Vmi3C87uIWNM2TR3Sw/s1280/mystique-joker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbCLcaB6a-MkohljOEwSarNpUhO7lOVFLNK9KG3j8onC5iltkCXrWsgKZim2_cpj1i0hs1nfWUK9sirs5vcfhXyW5fwh7Wd2rgQbBto_1e1mMJrEnsvJ4Vmi3C87uIWNM2TR3Sw/w400-h225/mystique-joker.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />In 1997, I fell victim to two of the worst purchases I have ever made. On top of that, they both shared the name model name even though they were vastly different pieces of equipment.<p></p><p>In those days, I had been driving around in a Dodge Neon. I had a 1996 Dodge Neon. I had seen the car through some trade show something or other as a concept car and instantly fell madly in love with the car. In 1996, I convinced my wife that we should get one. </p><p>About a year or so later, I was having weird trouble with the car and
decided to get rid of it. I went shopping at the local Ford dealer and
came across a maroon sports sedan. Er, more like a compact sedan dressed
up to look sporty. That should have been by first warning sign.
Instead, it had bells and whistles I could have only dreamed about in my
base model Neon. No, this car had a much better stereo system, power
windows, power locks, remote trunk, fog lights, cool alloy wheels and a
spoiler on the back! And, it had a cool name: The Mercury Mystique! <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGuLYnVYR0U5Qj8I7pd0TvukML9sBejhUz-tFnyZkue87p30u-dlQ09re0d0L-M0jvi9o5okS0OKPFcFemNIX7NTotjWw4AbtjPb52j1X3ak2RYtimYWdW04wnIPmRwusM6I5IQ/s640/mystique.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mercury Mystique" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGuLYnVYR0U5Qj8I7pd0TvukML9sBejhUz-tFnyZkue87p30u-dlQ09re0d0L-M0jvi9o5okS0OKPFcFemNIX7NTotjWw4AbtjPb52j1X3ak2RYtimYWdW04wnIPmRwusM6I5IQ/w320-h240/mystique.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><center><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails/26779812?RowNumber=1">image from: https://www.iaai.com/vehicledetails/26779812?RowNumber=1</a></span></center><p>As if that weren't enough, though, at the same time (or around the same time), I had upgraded my computer. I saw a very cool ad with a clown-mime joker dude in it for an amazing new video card. Granted, the card had come out in 1996, but I could finally afford it a year later. Not only was this a supposedly awesome video card, but it share the name of the car I had just bought! This was the Matrox Mystique! How cool was it to own a car and video card with the same name!? Yeah, I was a doof.
(Heh-heh "WAS?!")</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPf8QVP_t1jzX_hA5y2qOqO_gk3YIZLNdOgSmGNu5cE2RXOhDTfsXdgsWErOe5dlbQ1hjGQcWFMQSCQ-Ptt4vV30aKhTe0lTG4wlUqM8syiSMD-xtFhb6wBcDpAHMWfRVWrPFJyg/s902/MatroxMystique2MBcard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="902" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPf8QVP_t1jzX_hA5y2qOqO_gk3YIZLNdOgSmGNu5cE2RXOhDTfsXdgsWErOe5dlbQ1hjGQcWFMQSCQ-Ptt4vV30aKhTe0lTG4wlUqM8syiSMD-xtFhb6wBcDpAHMWfRVWrPFJyg/s320/MatroxMystique2MBcard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></p><center><span style="font-size: xx-small;">By Swaaye at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0,<a href=" https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4855006"> https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4855006</a></span></center> <p></p><p>Turns out, as far as the car was concerned, the only "mystique" was how Ford managed to sell a crap-ton of these things on poor unsuspecting schmucks like me. This car was a piece of junk. The power window system failed (just after warranty), the engine ran like crap, the air conditioner gave out, it drank oil like a man drinking water in the desert. Just anything and everything that could go wrong went wrong all in this one car. I got rid of it in 2000 and bought a Chevy Impala. Now, THAT was one of my favorite cars ever. That's a story for another time.</p><p>As for the video card, it ran my Windows installation at a higher resolution than whatever my previous card was. Nothing like squeezing more tiny dots onto a massive 19-inch CRT... As for gaming, though, I remember upping the resolution of certain games, but everything seemed muddy and blurry. It was like, in some games, I was playing with dirty glasses on. I bought some kind of daughter-card add-on for the card (TV tuner or video capture maybe), but it never worked. I even took it back to the store where I bought it and exchanged it. That one didn't work either. Now, it was still a better card than I had before, and even though it had been a year since initial release, the card still cost me a pretty penny that I didn't really have at the time. So, with the money invested and performance boost, I soldiered on with it until 2000 when I dove into the world of ATI and Nvidia graphics cards.</p><p>Both of the "Mystique"-branded equipment in life became unlovingly referred to as the "Mystakes." Both ended up being foolish purchases, which even to this day in 2020 I hold a deep hatred for both items. Though, I admit, I hate the Mercury far more than the video card. <br /></p><br />--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-21039128430551123152020-09-01T16:02:00.007-05:002020-09-23T11:36:54.360-05:00FON-175 POST Mode Recovery (Factory Reset)<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWcWUBVNFpx7-7_KDWfc3EeRKY6MUy-qy-gGRCZ72Qnw9asWd2L80JVpsjVZTGk0nRE6fvkpEDWahqUYY-ckurXdNuqCBjDqonO9BodUNT7p-g195LlfAt1InQ7UeXbZ72S2JnQ/s247/fon-175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWcWUBVNFpx7-7_KDWfc3EeRKY6MUy-qy-gGRCZ72Qnw9asWd2L80JVpsjVZTGk0nRE6fvkpEDWahqUYY-ckurXdNuqCBjDqonO9BodUNT7p-g195LlfAt1InQ7UeXbZ72S2JnQ/s0/fon-175.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>If you need to do a factory restore on a Fortinet FON-175 (or FON-175i, FON-375, FON-375i) device, they will send you a document that refers to the "Post Mode" in order to do a recovery via post mode. While the document is helpful, I couldn't make the recovery work as it was written. </p><p>In the document, it suggests you use FileZilla FTP Server. For whatever reason, I could not get the phone's built-in ftp client to connect to FileZilla. After much hair-pulling and Googling, I stumbled across another ftp server to use instead of filezilla: CoreFTP Server.</p><p><a href="https://www.coreftp.com/server/">https://www.coreftp.com/server/</a></p><p>The setup is a little wonky, but in a nutshell:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Click the SETUP button at the top.</li><li>Click NEW in the "Domains" section</li><li>Type the IP you chose for your IPv4 (192.168.10.x)</li><li>Set the Base Directory to the folder where you stored your firmware</li><li>Click OK</li><li>Select your new domain</li><li>Click NEW in the "User" section</li><li>Enter a username</li><li>Enter a password</li><li>Set the HOME DIRECTORY to the location of the firmware file</li><li>Check the "Always Allow Login" option</li><li>Click OK</li><li>Click OK to exit SETUP</li><li>Click the "View Activity" option <br /></li></ul><p>Once you have done that, follow the steps outlined in the Post Mode document.</p><p>By the way, there is a version of the document online here (though in a foreign language):</p><p><a href="https://startcom123.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/troubleshoot-ip-phone-fanvil-post-mode/">https://startcom123.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/troubleshoot-ip-phone-fanvil-post-mode/</a></p><p>*Note: even though this method allowed me to update my phone, the phone itself was still bricked. It kept rebooting after getting to the user screen. At least it was worth a shot.<br /></p><p><br /></p>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-17361213711956867142020-06-26T16:00:00.001-05:002020-06-26T16:00:10.093-05:00Lords of Conquest - A Commodore 64 Risk Like Game<div>Every now and then, my brain tries to think of the name of a game I used to play with my friends. I can describe it perfectly, but the actual name escapes me.</div><div><br /></div><div>The game is laid out on a grid with very rudimentary landforms. It plays basically like Risk, where players take turns trying to attack/defend other players from taking over their land. It also has a cool feature where you can actually build your own maps!</div><div><br /></div><div>I search and search on Google, trying to come up with the right phrasing that will expose the game and its long-forgotten name. Alas, one day, I am searching for "Commodore 64 risk like game" and nothing is coming up other than Risk or other like games but not the one I am seeking. I flip over to the image results to see if anything stands out. A few screens down, and there it is!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0_vbxsyKtwmQ0xdEw4p3S-NaBR8fHp9FfkmKLTrHiGdVhwGC2PgagSOdRdo-dQhTZhiiuxn8Ds6L3gnIawGoW3R_07OW2Rc_UBepJNMQmPT_Nvfrft7HiqHm1sfNECKwCZG34g/s699/lords-conquest02.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="699" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0_vbxsyKtwmQ0xdEw4p3S-NaBR8fHp9FfkmKLTrHiGdVhwGC2PgagSOdRdo-dQhTZhiiuxn8Ds6L3gnIawGoW3R_07OW2Rc_UBepJNMQmPT_Nvfrft7HiqHm1sfNECKwCZG34g/s320/lords-conquest02.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, the link to the image's hosting page leads to some weird Instagram curation page and the image above is nowhere to be found in the mess of images.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I save the image and do a reverse image search. Basically, you go to images.google.com and click the little camera icon to upload a picture. Google then tries to find your image compared to the rest of the internet. BINGO!</div><div><br /></div><div>The game, as it turns out, is called "Lords of Conquest." Now, I have to say, I do not believe that is the name of the game I played. I am almost certain the game I played had to be loaded with the command:</div><div>LOAD"DELUXE",8,1</div><div><br /></div><div>But, that doesn't matter! I finally found what I was looking for. Not only that, but I found a d64 disk image and fired it up on a C64 emulator (I didn't have easy access to my breadbin Ultimate 64 Elite at the time).</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBk4o5JrFCMKxIcq9oWSJs5bUbjoUYMtsZsu51a11vSWJULtZkunA5hx-Nafo1nYmH3PNGy8cQ2j4pLtyxjppisOfw62jPBcIn1KnXF9ujKqLRu142Jten6PyzKtCcjrsWELt-Qw/s1010/lords-conquest01.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="1010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBk4o5JrFCMKxIcq9oWSJs5bUbjoUYMtsZsu51a11vSWJULtZkunA5hx-Nafo1nYmH3PNGy8cQ2j4pLtyxjppisOfw62jPBcIn1KnXF9ujKqLRu142Jten6PyzKtCcjrsWELt-Qw/s320/lords-conquest01.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And there it is! The game plays like an overly complicated version of Risk. Players get resources (gold, iron, horses, weapons, etc) and they can use those resources to help with attacks and defenses. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/Lords_of_Conquest" target="_blank">The C64 Wiki</a> has a great write-up on the game, so I will spare you the details. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The main reason I am posting this is so that in the future when I forget the name of this game, I can search my blog and find comfort in knowing the great mystery had been solved.<br /></div>--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-74796080658420832462020-06-19T15:42:00.001-05:002020-06-19T15:42:34.286-05:00Force Zoom to QUIT Instead of Minimize!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFX3hDauInI7gssJbIIJefy_PMOcvuQxBGPe6Ug9HBRQUecnrKwdrRg6NPHZCSxOo4ykGvHLte0s9LXeu5_lj2hd-CfEwh-FwUD371KSLfDdBw5-IX9bmP9umSM5rjBuD_mAaGQ/s1600/quitzoom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="574" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFX3hDauInI7gssJbIIJefy_PMOcvuQxBGPe6Ug9HBRQUecnrKwdrRg6NPHZCSxOo4ykGvHLte0s9LXeu5_lj2hd-CfEwh-FwUD371KSLfDdBw5-IX9bmP9umSM5rjBuD_mAaGQ/s320/quitzoom.png" width="273" /></a></div>
<br />
Since the makers of Zoom don't play by the rules of 99% of the programs out there, I decided to make my own BAT file that will launch Zoom and provide a way for the user to force-quit Zoom after the session is over.<br />
<br />
I have created a Windows batch file called "Quit Zoom." It has its own installer/uninstaller and it works very simply:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U3VE_voBRFrzLdwy8pDm5ToPSEYQ-hZo/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Download the installer (qz-setup.exe)</a></li>
<li>Run qz-setup.exe</li>
<li>Once installed, double-click the "Quit Zoom" icon</li>
<li>A window will open that launches Zoom</li>
<li><i><b>Leave the window open</b></i> until you are done with your Zoom session</li>
<li>After the session, click in the window and press any key</li>
<li>Zoom will exit (instead of being minimized to the task bar/system tray.)</li>
<li>Quit Zoom will exit</li>
</ol>
If you wish to remove the program, simply use Programs and Features to uninstall Quit Zoom.<br />
<br />
Note, this program is a simple batch file. It doesn't collect data. It doesn't write anything to your computer other than the program itself. It's not elegant, but it works. I offer it for free. you can install it on all the computers you want. If you edit the file and/or share it, whatever happens from that point on is *NOT* my responsibility.<br />
<br />
I will try to monitor this post for questions/problems, but I'm letting you know right now that you are more than likely on your own. I built this for me to use and am sharing it with anyone that wants it until such time the people at Zoom make their program work like 99% of the other programs for Windows: The X means EXIT!<br />
<br />
Notes:<br />
<ul>
<li>You may still see the Zoom icon in your system tray, but the program is not running. As soon as you hover your mouse over the icon, it will disappear. </li>
<li>You may need Administrator-level rights on the computer in order to install or run this batch file.</li>
<li>This program invokes the "Taskkill" command in order to terminate Zoom. Access to that process may be blocked by your computer administrator. </li>
<li>Terminating Zoom with this brute-force method may cause unintended consequences. Use at your own risk. Your mileage may vary.</li>
<li>This batch file will *NOT* run when clicking a link in email, calendar, etc. For what it's worth, it appears that the program exists normally when closing from a linked launch. Go figure. </li>
<li>You can replace your Zoom shortcut by copying the command from the batch file to replace the launch command inside the program's shortcut. I am not providing the steps to do that here.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-50842335755369066102020-02-18T14:22:00.002-06:002020-02-18T14:23:28.685-06:00#WorkLife: HP LaserJet P1006 and other old hp printers on Windows 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPqOazL9rhMSPEu0Yfl03j3mTKdsAvH2GD4E2FAYCaRadf_6xKuwd3Y3CViR7LdYW2jTJfP_0a8rq3PcxDWJQF1WdQGeSOFQQfRLAh6bfxjBG_QfIgAfGBC-CR3HZkPkvAypRKA/s1600/hp_p1006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="507" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwPqOazL9rhMSPEu0Yfl03j3mTKdsAvH2GD4E2FAYCaRadf_6xKuwd3Y3CViR7LdYW2jTJfP_0a8rq3PcxDWJQF1WdQGeSOFQQfRLAh6bfxjBG_QfIgAfGBC-CR3HZkPkvAypRKA/s320/hp_p1006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After upgrading to Windows 10, my HP LaserJet P1006 failed to work. The printer showed up in my printer list, however it would not process any print jobs. Technically, the queue would process it as if it were being sent to the printer (and thus disappear from the queue), but the printer would never actually print the job.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, I found a working solution (posted below) on the HP Forums. I am copying it here just in case the forums disappear one day and/or to make it easier for me to find the information. Hope it helps someone! (Solution written by Shlomi L)<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>First unplug the USB from your PC.</li>
<li>From the Control Panel select Devices and Printers, if you see your printer listed right click it and select Remove Device.</li>
<li>next restart your computer.</li>
<li>Next right click the start menu and select Run, the Run dialog appears.</li>
<li>Type printui.exe /s and press OK, the Print Server Properties opens.</li>
<li>Open the Drivers tab.</li>
<li>Select any instance of your printer and remove it, be sure to select the 2nd option to remote both the printer and its package.</li>
<li> </li>
<li>Once you are done install the software below, only plug the USb once the installation prompt doing so:</li>
<li><a href="http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib/software12/COL21058/bi-55362-7/ljP1000_P1500-HB-pnp-win64-en.exe" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #146cac; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib/software12/COL21058/bi-55362-7/ljP1000_P1500-HB-pnp-win64-en.exe</a></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
Original post:<br />
<a href="https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/LaserJet-Printing/HP-Laserjet-P1006-not-working-on-windows-10/m-p/6709444#M346167">https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/LaserJet-Printing/HP-Laserjet-P1006-not-working-on-windows-10/m-p/6709444#M346167</a> --Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-22479850117152737462020-01-28T16:02:00.000-06:002020-01-28T16:02:01.019-06:00DEC Pathworks on WFW 3.11 - Group Creation Tool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8ePXt9xQoktUJvPAi4C1h7wLCYPYll-L2OwYCCrYY8d4Pam4hK2RZUloDtNy8nlE_8eAuQN9q4EatuWVwSAfhhG5tqm7Txk2xi8YZLlUOLJjdK7ZD1_g74Dj1taY4sTKV29AQw/s1600/Win311-825x480.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="825" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8ePXt9xQoktUJvPAi4C1h7wLCYPYll-L2OwYCCrYY8d4Pam4hK2RZUloDtNy8nlE_8eAuQN9q4EatuWVwSAfhhG5tqm7Txk2xi8YZLlUOLJjdK7ZD1_g74Dj1taY4sTKV29AQw/s320/Win311-825x480.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Way back in the day (circa 1994 or so, I would venture), I worked for a university where they were using Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) VAX servers. The workstations were a mix of Windows 3.1 and WFW 3.11, though when I arrived, we were moving everyone to WFW 3.11. As part of the general network installation, we installed DEC Pathworks (I believe it was version 4.x), which allowed Windows machines to have file storage access to the servers. While that's all well and good, the real her in this tale is a little program that ran during the installation of the software and drivers.<br />
<br />
During the installation, Pathworks created its own Windows Program Groups - a common thing to do for program installations. For some reason, during one install, the creation routine failed with an error about a problem in a BLD file though the actual extension may have been different now that I am trying to recall). Being the nosy characters we are, the tech guys decided to investigate since we had never head of a BLD file.<br />
<br />
Turns out, the BLD file, which I believe was called PATHWORK.BLD (or something similar) is just a text file outlining group names and the shortcuts to go into the groups. I have tried to locate the actual file, but can't at the moment, so here is the sample file from the program's webpage:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[CreateGroup(Test Main,TMAIN.GRP)]<br />[ShowGroup(Test Main,1)]<br />[AddItem(progman.exe,File Manager)]<br />[AddItem(control.exe,Control Panel)]<br />[AddItem(printman.exe,Print Manager)]<br />[AddItem(clipbrd.exe,Clipboard)]<br />[AddItem(command.com,DOS Prompt)]<br />[AddItem(setup.exe,Windows Setup)]<br /><br />[CreateGroup(Test Accessories,TACCESS.GRP)]<br />[ShowGroup(Test Accessories,1)]<br />[AddItem(write.exe,Write)]<br />[AddItem(pbrush.exe,Paintbrush)]<br />[AddItem(terminal.exe,Terminal)]<br />[AddItem(notepad.exe,Notepad)]<br />[AddItem(recorder.exe,Recorder)]<br />[AddItem(cardfile.exe,Cardfile)]<br />[AddItem(calendar.exe,Calendar)]<br />[AddItem(calc.exe,Calculator)]<br />[AddItem(clock.exe,Clock)]<br />[AddItem(pifedit.exe,PIF Editor)]</blockquote>
<br />
As you can see, this file contains the structure to build groups. First, the CreateGroup command expects two arguments, the display name of the group ("Test Main") and the actual name of the GRP file for Windows ("TMAIN.GRP"). The next command tells Windows that the group is visible (that is, not hidden) and also expects two arguments: The display name of the group ("Test Main") and a 1 for yes or a 0 for no. Finally, the next series of lines build the items to be displayed within the newly created group. The AddItem command expects two arguments as well. The first is the name of the file to be referenced followed by the display name of the file. Note: If the filename is not available via the PATH statement, the full path to the file must be provided - ex: [AddItem(c:\games\duke3d\duke3d.exe, Duke Nuk'em)].<br />
<br />
The BLD file is just the configuration, though. The actual program to run is BUILDGRP.EXE, though again I believe DEC used a custom name instead, if memory servers.<br />
<br />
During setup, a:\BUILDGRP.EXE PATHWORK.BLD would be executed, with the EXE referencing the specific configuration.<br />
<br />
As you might imagine, this suddenly opened a whole new world to us! We created a slew of custom group installations for the users, running the program from a batch file stored on a floppy disk or on the network itself. You see, once Pathworks was up and running, the WFW machine had access to the network. So, we could call a batch file from the workstation and tell our custom group(s) to install themselves on the client machines.<br />
<br />
If you're interested in playing with GROUPBLD, you can find it (along with a help file and the sample configuration above) buried in this <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/win31dosbox.html" target="_blank">Windows 31 DOSBox package</a>.<br />
<br />
I have no idea what made me remember all this. Guess it just PoppedInMyHead!--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-7449491767259894702019-05-31T12:00:00.000-05:002019-05-31T12:00:01.075-05:00Forgotten Realms: Angelica, Remembered #gaming<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><b>Note:The following article was originally published in April 2017 on my website davidinark.com. The link to that is at the bottom of this one.</b></i></span><br />
<br />
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://i1.wp.com/davidinark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Pool_of_Radiance_Coverart.png?resize=193%2C300" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="193" src="https://i1.wp.com/davidinark.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Pool_of_Radiance_Coverart.png?resize=193%2C300" /></a></div>
<br />
While poking around online, I discovered that I was late to a very cool party. It seems that Good Old Games managed to hunt down and secure the licensing rights to the classic “Gold Box” games from SSI built around the Dungeons and Dragons world. Now, to many of you, this means nothing. To me, however, this ushered in a surge of memories from my youth.<br />
<br />
I played the “Pool of Radiance” series (as I called it) on my Commodore 64 from the time the Gold Box Series came out until well into my college years. Holy smokes. Stopping to think about that, I just realized I played that series starting in 1988 (freshman year) up until a couple years after my wife and I got married. We married in 1991, but I played the game at least until 1993 or later.<br />
<br />
I loved the game. It was based on REAL D&D rules, regs, characters, stats… It combined two of my favorite things: computers and D&D. When I got the game in 1998, I fired up the game and began creating my characters and building a party. The first character I created was a female fighter. She was awesome from the very start. She had pixelated flowing blonde hair, was a tough character through stats, and became the undisputed leader of the party. I named her Angelica. She led battles, did most of the speaking for the group when put into such situations, and remained throughout the entire series – though others had not.<br />
<br />
I have to admit, the temptation to resurrect Angelica from the depths of memory and plop her down at the beginning of a new tale, a new adventure, excites the nostalgic kid in me like you would not believe. Thanks to Good Old Games, I could do just that. They took the games, reworked them a bit, and created virtual DOS machines in which to run them. Oh, to fire up the games again and create a new band of adventurers in all that 8- or 16-bit glory…<br />
<br />
Alas, it is not meant to be. You see, if I do buy the revamped games, I don’t think I could bring myself to create a new lead female character bearing the name and likeness of the one I had grown so fond of, the one who survived each of the games into which we could move our characters, allowing them to keep growing as new challenges arose from the disks contained inside those gold box games.<br />
<br />
No. You see, sometimes you play with a certain character in a game series so long that when the time comes for that character to rest (she never died, the series just ran out and time moved on and I eventually got rid of all my Commodore 64 stuff), you let the character rest. Creating another wouldn’t be the same. And, if the replacement didn’t live up to the same level as the original, then the memory of the first is forever tarnished.<br />
<br />
Angelica lives in my heart and memory the way she was: a strong, fierce, pixelated beauty.<br />
<br />
Get the games here: <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/forgotten_realms_the_archives_collection_two">https://www.gog.com/game/forgotten_realms_the_archives_collection_two</a><br />
<br />
<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Link to original article:</span></b></i><br />
<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://davidinark.com/2017/04/11/forgotten-realms-angelica-remembered-gaming/">http://davidinark.com/2017/04/11/forgotten-realms-angelica-remembered-gaming/</a></span></b></i><br />
<br />
<br />--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-37300517854976498292019-03-25T12:00:00.000-05:002019-03-25T12:00:06.052-05:00Packard Bell Legend 316sx (386sx-16) - Memories of my first IBM-PC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSN3NvvzDgmN2d6xixNN5r6ViOACJnYN0ulOpO_7BsvMVkwotW1NqKXtaV9BhUwbuh8FuHRLUIhbGJrnNKnZWZsWcRIIBydLEjp8aQFHkDEcxJkZcOqu1mgoGMAHgudcILclJoA/s1600/pb316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1600" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSN3NvvzDgmN2d6xixNN5r6ViOACJnYN0ulOpO_7BsvMVkwotW1NqKXtaV9BhUwbuh8FuHRLUIhbGJrnNKnZWZsWcRIIBydLEjp8aQFHkDEcxJkZcOqu1mgoGMAHgudcILclJoA/s400/pb316.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Though my first computer was a Commodore 64, my first PC was a Packard Bell Legend 316sx. It had a 386sx-16MHz processor, 1MB of RAM, and I can't remember if it came with the 120MB hard drive or if I upgraded to that, but I believe it came with the 120MB HDD (A Seagate ST3144A, if memory serves). Installed OS was DOS and Windows 3.0. I got it for a combo Christmas/birthday gift and I am almost certain it cost around $1600. I also got a Packard bell monitor with it.<br />
<br />
The very first thing I did with it was to go to the store (heck, it was probably Walmart since Walmart actually sold computer parts in those days) to buy memory so that I could upgrade it to 4MB. I distinctly remember this because each megabyte was $40! That is crazy to think nowadays where, in 2019 anyway, we can grab 16gb of RAM for that price!<br />
<br />
The system came with a 5.25" floppy and a 3.5" floppy. There was NO sound, no CD-ROM, and only had a built-in Oak VGA video card. It worked well for what I needed when I first got it (typing papers for college, mostly, and some rudimentary gaming). But, it wasn't long before the upgrade itch really got me going.<br />
<br />
I started with a Multimedia Upgrade kit from Creative Labs. Unfortunately, the only images i can find online are of a later version than the one i got. I am pretty sure mine had a short audio card, CD-ROM drive, software and related cabling. I believe the upgrade included Windows 3.1 or 3.11 as well, so that the user could take "full advantage" of the new multimedia offerings. I think the CDs had to be put into a special cartridge tray that would then be inserted into the drive itself. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8ycOswNa3XyqR_wA-Qe03NWEOQlpvnA5awKd_EkFYeUQNsFkgSR_QuNMgrfhvR_-KQNeCGTNIF4tQzJ2c-MSOH8gA3SYwbnKrlhpvzyYs1NErZp9p7jWbpahR_x5yRTkhzRdOg/s1600/mpc-upgrade.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="368" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8ycOswNa3XyqR_wA-Qe03NWEOQlpvnA5awKd_EkFYeUQNsFkgSR_QuNMgrfhvR_-KQNeCGTNIF4tQzJ2c-MSOH8gA3SYwbnKrlhpvzyYs1NErZp9p7jWbpahR_x5yRTkhzRdOg/s320/mpc-upgrade.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From: <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=a2YTCyIAwwIC&pg=PP168&dq=sound+blaster+multimedia+upgrade+kit&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGuujwxJ3hAhVBG6wKHQZfAdUQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q=sound%20blaster%20multimedia%20upgrade%20kit&f=false">https://books.google.com/books?id=a2YTCyIAwwIC&pg=PP168&dq=sound+blaster+multimedia+upgrade+kit&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGuujwxJ3hAhVBG6wKHQZfAdUQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q=sound%20blaster%20multimedia%20upgrade%20kit&f=false</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
While that sufficed for a while, allowing me to play and experience games in a way I hadn't before, I soon wanted more power under the hood. Rather than shelling out another $1500 for a newer machine, I looked into upgrading the CPU itself.<br />
<br />
Since this was a 386SX, I had several options: 1) Upgrade from a 16MHz to 25 or 33, 2) Add a math coprocessor (the motherboard had a socket for that), 3) Upgrade the CPU with an adapter kit.<br />
<br />
Yes, that's right! Back in the early 90's, there were adapters you could buy that would sit directly in top of your 386 CPU. The adapter would then house a 486 CPU piggybacked onto the 386 chip. Now, since my 386 was an SX variety, I had to stick with SX versions of the 486 (no DX for me).<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkijKzWlshvbr-KpegNqfxaHBeBHRp-h-kO_qTScT_9sUuO2AESd3TD4GJyAk1x1SMgMLVquokxVcjZTql_4C9iPYJBsYDFtSO6S8lbRH9z9QgJss7SGscE_BhqTruGSPCNY35wQ/s1600/makeit486.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="521" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkijKzWlshvbr-KpegNqfxaHBeBHRp-h-kO_qTScT_9sUuO2AESd3TD4GJyAk1x1SMgMLVquokxVcjZTql_4C9iPYJBsYDFtSO6S8lbRH9z9QgJss7SGscE_BhqTruGSPCNY35wQ/s400/makeit486.PNG" width="382" /></a></div>
<br />
I bought the Make-it 486 SX upgrade kit for about $100. This was quite a bizarre arrangement. In addition to the CPU upgrade sitting on top of an adapter socket, I also had to install a 486 CPU fan on top of that. Now, look back at the case for this computer. It's a small form factor, especially for those days, and this stacked-up CPU made for one VERY tall apparatus inside. Nevertheless, it worked flawlessly! Er, well, as flawlessly as Packard Bells could perform, anyway.<br />
<br />
I also upgraded the modem several times over the years, and added a network card for local gameplay via IPX (Doom, etc). Heck, I think I even upgraded to windows 95 before it was all said and done.<br />
<br />
Packard Bell became synonymous with low quality, cheap components that would fail completely, or worse, provide intermittent issues that would leave users frustrated, dazed, and confused.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, though, I used my Packard Bell Legend 316SX from 1991ish when I got it until about 1994/5 when I was afforded the opportunity to upgrade to a newer machine through my employer.<br />
<br />
The 316SX holds a fond place in my heart because it was the first IBM-Compatible PC that I ever owned. I can remember putting it in a backpack once to carry it on to the airplane for a trip. The airport security made me plug it in and turn it on. Of course, I didn't have a monitor, so the fans whirred, the lights came on, and the system speaker chirped to let me know there was no keyboard attached, but it passed security (much more lax in those days, pre-9/11) and I carried onto the plane with me (I wasn't about to let it suffer the agony of checked baggage). --Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-88981716957564106232019-01-22T09:07:00.001-06:002019-01-22T09:07:22.354-06:00#Ransomware Attack at School Triggers Best Practice Reminders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrCDMaynZTYNiQP0TECyGbx4VCLbebn8KdsxfeEQoT90_Z2GEOk-ivYLXj4rJ2xcS2ok1WtKHO2Ofd5Y3eAYZpleLF98xlt-3uB2X_MJLIg5UffLnPLNLTozAc9EHvnjTHPgAcA/s1600/dataguy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrCDMaynZTYNiQP0TECyGbx4VCLbebn8KdsxfeEQoT90_Z2GEOk-ivYLXj4rJ2xcS2ok1WtKHO2Ofd5Y3eAYZpleLF98xlt-3uB2X_MJLIg5UffLnPLNLTozAc9EHvnjTHPgAcA/s1600/dataguy.jpg" /></a></div>
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Recently, there was a ransomware incident at a nearby school district. The event occurred through a Remote Desktop Protocol Session (RDP) running on the Technology Coordinator's desktop. His machine had a publicly accessible RDP IP address so he could work from home, etc. Unfortunately, his computer was compromised and subsequently used to attack their servers.</div>
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<i><b>If you are using RDP to get access to your network from outside, I recommend the following:</b></i></div>
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<li><b>Kill all RDP sessions accessible from outside your internal network. This may require editing your firewall settings to remove the public IP address(es) to your RDP computers.<br /></b></li>
<li><b>Change your password on any accounts used for accessing public RDP. The current en vogue system is to use passphrases rather than passwords.<br /></b></li>
<li><b>If you must have remote access, set up a VPN to handle that instead of RDP.Several companies offer secure VPN access.<br /></b></li>
<li><b>Do NOT put your own login account into the Domain Admins group.<br /></b></li>
<li><b>For internal RDP sessions, do *NOT* save the logon credentials. I know it is a pain, but better safe than sorry. :-)</b></li>
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--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32490357.post-81040910171276000292018-08-18T15:40:00.001-05:002018-08-18T15:40:33.084-05:00Blocking/unfollowing the malicious cowards of social media.Blocking/unfollowing the malicious cowards of social media.<br />
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“Social” media has given rise to the most impersonal public whining in the history of civilization. Never in time have we been able to so readily make a complaint against an individual or individuals with nothing more than general, noncommittal rhetoric and nonspecific public shaming. Disappearing are the days when one would speak directly to the individual(s) for resolution.<br />
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Many have lamented the effects of anonymity online in respect to the author of posts, but it seems the same anonymity applies to the recipient of posts, even when said recipient cannot possibly be aware that s/he is the target because the person posting hides behind the ability to be nonspecific. Often, when pressed for details, the posting offender hides behind just enough information to garner support for the nonspecific post from the poster’s “friends,” but not enough to allow the “offending” party any recourse.<br />
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It is with cowardly malice these individuals post these tirades and diatribes to social media. There are steps to take to rid timelines of such drivel. 1) Unfollow the poster. 2) Block the poster if unfollowing isn’t enough 3) Unfriend the poster if the negativity brought by that person only serves to affect one’s own well being. <br />
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Share your thoughts below.--Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03884046413767054746noreply@blogger.com0