Info-IBMPC Digest V92 #42
Info-IBMPC Digest
Today's Editor:
Gregory Hicks - Rota Spain <GHI...@brl.mil>
Today's Topics:
Re: DOS 5.0 Formatting problems
Re: Computers to Russia, Brazil
RE: Moving files in MS DOS
Review: date/time stamp utilities
Spouses & Phones (and emergencies)
Internet paranoia - revisited??
Today's Queries:
Laser Printer
MATLAB
DOS 5.0
Request for Autodial Interface
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Date: Mon, 9 Mar 92 17:53:10 EST
From: BRIAN HOBBS <BHO...@luke.dnet.ge.com>
Subject: Re: DOS 5.0 Formatting problems
>Date: Tue, 11 Feb 92 10:26:27 CST
>From: Rob Caton <C089...@WUVMD.Wustl.Edu>
>I'm having problems formatting 360k disks under DOS 5.0. Every time I
>try to format a previously formatted disk, it produces the message
>'Invalid Media Type or Track 0 Bad...,' and I can no longer use the
>disk on my machine. This occurs even if I use the Unconditional flag.
>The disks format fine on a PC at work, using an earlier version of DOS.
>I have also been successful doing QuickFormats on them.
>Has there been a bug reported on DOS 5.0's format command, or am I
>overlooking something obvious?
I have MSDOS 5.0 and have had no problems formatting 360K disks in a
360K drive (or 1.44 MB disks on my other drive.) I have run into the
'Invalid Media Type or Track 0 bad' error message if I try to format
1.2 MB disks in a 360KB drive. Are you sure that your disks are 360KB.
Perhaps your PC at work has a 1.2MB drive which is able to format the
disk.
What does the CMOS setup say the drive is? Or - perhaps it's a
hardware problem.
- Brian Hobbs BHO...@DNET.GE.COM
-----------------------------
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1992 01:58:28 PST
From: hugh_dav...@rx.xerox.com
Subject: Re: Computers to Russia, Brazil
Dave Duling. "dul...@niehs.bitnet" or "dul...@vaxc.niehs.nih.gov" asks,
<...
We have a number of visiting researchers, many of whom wish to take
computers with them to their home countries. In particular, Russia and
Brazil
..
Does anyone have any advice at all?
..>
Well, I have some advice, but you might not like it. Glasnost,
perestroika and the collapse of the USSR notwithstanding, you are going
to have great trouble with the Cocom export regulations. I believe the
restrictions on the export of '286s has now been lifted, but I think
the restriction on '386 and better machines is still in place. In other
words "You can't do that".
(A Cocom horror story; When I last tried to take my Compaq 386SLT
abroad, I had to spend 3 entire days sorting out export control
documentation. Where was I taking it? The USA, where it was made.)
Regards,
Hugh.
Senior S/W Engineer, European Systems Centre, Welwyn Garden City, UK.
Phone: Internal; 8-668-3848, Internat.; +44 707 383848, UK; 0707 383848
MT; 7-142.2-856-395-346.0, CIN; Huge:wgc1:rx,
Internet; Huge...@rx.xerox.com
-----------------------------
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1992 09:58:07 MEZ
From: "Reinhold Meyer" <rme...@ufobi2.uni-forst.gwdg.de>
Subject: RE: Moving files in MS DOS
> How would you move a file from one directory to another? (Without
>copying it and then deleting it that is).
Some years ago, I wrote RENAM. You can rename files from one directory
to another and change the name of directory entrys.
renam directory1\*.txt directory2\*.* ! move files
renam directory1 directory2 s ! change name of directory
You cannot
renam directory1 \directory2\directory3 s
because of the . and .. entrys.
You can get RENAM on ufobi1.uni-forst.gwdg.de via anonymous ftp.
Reinhold Meyer Abt. Forstliche Biometrie u. Informatik Buesgenweg 4
W-3400 Goettingen
Voice : +49 551 393466 Internet:
rme...@ufobi2.uni-forst.gwdg.de
-----------------------------
Date: 10 Mar 92 16:11:45 GMT
From: Jonathan Rice <ri...@cray.com>
Subject: Review: date/time stamp utilities
I wanted to append an ISO-conforming date stamp to a file, without a
trailing CR/LF, from a .BAT script. Simple? You would think so. Here
are seven programs, available by anonymous FTP, that looked from their
descriptions like they might do the trick:
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/mirrors/msdos/batutl/dat13.zip DAT
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/mirrors/msdos/sysutl/dt.arc DT
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/mirrors/msdos/sysutl/dtime.arc DTIME
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/mirrors/msdos/sysutl/showdt11.zip SHOWDT
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/mirrors/msdos/sysutl/showtd.zip SHOWTD
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/mirrors/msdos/sysutl/tyme.arc TYME
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/mirrors/msdos/sysutl/udate.zip UDATE
Feature DAT DT DTIME SHOWDT SHOWTD TYME UDATE
---------------------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Works Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes ? [d]
User specified format No[a] No[a] No[b] No[c] No[a] No[c] Yes
Can do ISO/ANSI/FIPS No No No No No No Yes
Optional CR/LF Yes No No No No No Yes
Can redirect output Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No [e]
Source included ASM No C C No No No
Price PD $0 $0 $0 $30 $0 PD
Notes:
[a] has options to show date, time, or both, and to include arbitrary
message.
[b] shows date, or both date and time.
[c] shows date and time.
[d] intermittent problems with output appearing at random screen
positions. Unable to reproduce consistently.
[e] all output goes to the CRT regardless of redirection.
Conclusions: too bad about UDATE's insistence on output to the tube --
otherwise, it would be quite handy. DAT works and includes source,
modifiable to conform to international and U.S. standards for dates and
times; that's the solution I chose. It's not, however, particularly
flexible.
Jonathan C. Rice | ri...@zizania.cray.com | ...uunet!cray!rice
-----------------------------
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 92 23:29:18 EST
From: Peter Olsen <n2ell!pcolsen@umbc3>
Subject: Spouses & Phones (and emergencies)
I've found a ham radio license to be a good solution to the emergency
telephone problem at our house. We have two lines servicing 23 users;
my wife, my computer, me, and my two teenage sons (who work out to be
about 10 user-equivalents each).
But from even before the advent of either teenagers or computers, I've
always kept my 2-meter walkie-talkie, equipped with an touch-tone pad
for telephone autopatch, next to my bed, just in case I ever needed to
make an emergency call when the telephone didn't work. I've never
needed it, but it has been reassuring to know it's there.
(For those of you who don't follow these things, you can now get a ham
license *without* having to learn Morse code. There are some
restrictions on operation, but it allows most vhf ops, where most of
the exciting technical stuff seems to be happening these days.)
Peter
Peter Olsen, PE (n2ell), 410-997-8584, PO Box 410, Simpsonville, MD 21150
UUCP: ...uunet!n2ell!pcolsen
INTERNET: pcolsen%n2ell...@super.super.org
-----------------------------
Date: 11 Mar 92 14:57:00 GMT-9:00
From: HUGH PRESTON <hpre...@osan-emh.af.mil>
Subject: Internet paranoia - revisited??
Hello all,
For those of you who have not yet seen it, STRONGLY recommend you find
a copy of DDN Mgt. Bulletin #93. What the "powers that be" could not do
to MILNET by just outright isolation, they are now doing a bit more
covertly under the guise of equipment limitations. I am still trying to
go through the list of network addresses that will no longer be
"advertised" on the butterfly mailbridges, so I really can't assess the
impact it may have for folks in this area of the world. I can say for
sure that a lot of people that would normally have communicated with us
and that we might have done telnet and/or ftp are apt to be unavailable
before most of you read what I am writing now.
Hugh Preston
Computer Tech Services
Osan AB, Korea
-----------------------------
Date: 10 Mar 92 08:44:00 GMT-9:00
From: HUGH PRESTON <hpre...@osan-emh.af.mil>
Subject: Laser Printer
Hello all,
This is a request for help. Have a friend here with a laser printer and
a drum that needs to be replaced. Info on the printer is as follows:
Blaser Star 2
Serial # P0877081
Part # 300.100.000
Built July 88
The documentation with it was from a company in California (printer
made in Japan). A letter to the company was returned - no such person.
If anyone has any info on the machine, please e-mail me direct. If
there is any interest, I'll let everyone know "who's on first".
Thanks,
Hugh Preston
Computer Tech Services
Osan AB, Korea
hpre...@Osan-EMH.AF.MIL
-----------------------------
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 92 08:50:35 -0800
From: an...@office.decnet.lockheed.com
Subject: MATLAB
Hello.
I am looking (Desperately) for a program called "MATLAB - student
edition" and the student bookstore has only Mac (:^( versions. If any
could tell me where one might purchase this program, I would be
eternally gratefull!
Thanks! Mark Antle
-----------------------------
From: David J Bartrum <d...@gmsws.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 92 13:50:30 GMT
Subject: DOS 5.0
I have been using DOS 5.0 for a while now and I've run into a problem
with the print queue (I think!). At first I thought it was the word
processor I was using (Display Write 4) but then the same thing
happened with a drawing package and a number of other programs.
What happens is that the output gets sent to the printer, which begins
printing quite normally, then the program reports an error like
"Printer Error - Abandoning Job". The printer continues to print for a
while (probably emptying its buffer) and then stops, quite often
without completing even a single page.
I have found (at least with Diaplay Write 4) that I can get my output
printed by sending 1 page at a time, but as you can imagine for
anything more than about 5 pages this becomes a bit frustrating and it
doesn't solve the problem with the drawing package.
I thought it might have something to do with "infinite retry" on
printer timeouts, but a number of variations of the "MODE" command
didn't solve the problem.
My machine is a 16Mhz 386sx with 1Mb ram, I'd appreciate any advise.
Send direct and I'll post anything useful to the Digest.
Dave (d...@gmsws.co.uk)
-----------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Mar 92 16:22:38 MST
From: jalove%admn.SA...@ucnet.ucalgary.ca
Subject: Request for Autodial Interface
I need an interface between by PC and my phone so I can have my PC
autodial the phone for me. This is so I can quickly go through a phone
list.
Preferably, I would like the software to automatically skip to the next
number if it gets a busy signal or if the rings exceed 5.
It should also continue the sequence after I hang up. Sort of
something like those annoying phone solicitors likely use.
I have a modem that will auto-dial. Can I use it to sequentially phone
a list for me.
I am still looking for Postering software.
Thanks, Jim Love, Internet: JAL...@ADMN.SAIT.AB.CA
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest V92 #42
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