Hallo allemaal,


I'm having fun with a XT-clone I built for a customer in 1988 and
which I got back for free some time ago. Originally an EGA monitor
went with it but I received it without. I found a 16-bit ISA VGA card
that can be used in 8-bit mode and now I can hang it on my KVM-switch.

I installed IBM PC DOS 3.3, works fine. but 'mode con lines=50' to
have 50 lines on the screen isn't recognized :( Seems I should use DOS
5 or 6. Any suggestions/ideas (FreeDOS, DR DOS, ???) are welcome! I'm
even thinking about CP/M-86.

This XT has only a 20 MB harddisk. One idea I have to expand the size
is using an 8-bit SCSI card. Another idea I have is using a 16-bit IDE
interface. This means I can only use 8-bits. This works, I already use
this idea for my Commodore 64. Having a 20 GB harddisk, the available
10 GB can contain every program ever written for the C64 :) But to be
able to access the 256 bytes/sector harddisk, I need to write a
driver. Any docs or URLs containing info how to do this, is welcome!


--
    ___
   / __|__
  / /  |_/     Groetjes, Ruud Baltissen
  \ \__|_\
   \___|       http://Ruud.C64.org

Hello "Ruud" !

Inserting comments as I go..... be sure to read all the way down.


"Ruud" <Ruud.Baltissen@apg.nl> wrote in message 
news:8cb9c4e5-92cd-42e4-ad7f-9b97799211b8@g19g2000yqo.googlegroups.com...
> Hallo allemaal,
>
>
> I'm having fun with a XT-clone I built for a customer in 1988 and
> which I got back for free some time ago. Originally an EGA monitor
> went with it but I received it without. I found a 16-bit ISA VGA card
> that can be used in 8-bit mode and now I can hang it on my KVM-switch.
>
> I installed IBM PC DOS 3.3, works fine. but 'mode con lines=50' to
> have 50 lines on the screen isn't recognized :( Seems I should use DOS
> 5 or 6. Any suggestions/ideas (FreeDOS, DR DOS, ???) are welcome! I'm
> even thinking about CP/M-86.
>

I highly recommend at least DOS 5, although I personally use 6.22.
Works great !


> This XT has only a 20 MB harddisk. One idea I have to expand the size
> is using an 8-bit SCSI card. Another idea I have is using a 16-bit IDE
> interface. This means I can only use 8-bits. This works, I already use
> this idea for my Commodore 64. Having a 20 GB harddisk, the available
> 10 GB can contain every program ever written for the C64 :) But to be
> able to access the 256 bytes/sector harddisk, I need to write a
> driver. Any docs or URLs containing info how to do this, is welcome!
>

If you aren't already aware of it, you might want to check this out:

http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?t=12359

That thread is about a 16 bit / 8 bit IDE controller for XT computers. I 
have the Acculogic sIDE/16 controller that the BIOS was cloned from, and 
they are developing their own controller. Probably have some to sell within 
a year. They "may" be able to use 250 gig or bigger drives when they are 
done.  Look around, it's a great site for old computer tinkerers !

This is (one of) my XT here:

http://home.fuse.net/bobwatts/xt.htm

Frankly, it's just for fun, so I have no need for super large HDD's, but the 
one very interesting thing that that computer does do, and very well, is run 
Window 3.0  ! I haven't seen anyone else do that.

Good luck !

bobwatts


-- 
bobwatts

Watts Carburetion Service
WhizzBang Computers
" collector of Asian transfat plastic trinkets ! "
EartH //  KlaXXoN 

Have you tried installing ANSI.SYS?  I think it has the support to go to 
the 43 and 50 line modes that VGA supports.


Ruud wrote:
> Hallo allemaal,
> 
> 
> I'm having fun with a XT-clone I built for a customer in 1988 and
> which I got back for free some time ago. Originally an EGA monitor
> went with it but I received it without. I found a 16-bit ISA VGA card
> that can be used in 8-bit mode and now I can hang it on my KVM-switch.
> 
> I installed IBM PC DOS 3.3, works fine. but 'mode con lines=50' to
> have 50 lines on the screen isn't recognized :( Seems I should use DOS
> 5 or 6. Any suggestions/ideas (FreeDOS, DR DOS, ???) are welcome! I'm
> even thinking about CP/M-86.
> 
> This XT has only a 20 MB harddisk. One idea I have to expand the size
> is using an 8-bit SCSI card. Another idea I have is using a 16-bit IDE
> interface. This means I can only use 8-bits. This works, I already use
> this idea for my Commodore 64. Having a 20 GB harddisk, the available
> 10 GB can contain every program ever written for the C64 :) But to be
> able to access the 256 bytes/sector harddisk, I need to write a
> driver. Any docs or URLs containing info how to do this, is welcome!
> 
> 
> --
>     ___
>    / __|__
>   / /  |_/     Groetjes, Ruud Baltissen
>   \ \__|_\
>    \___|       http://Ruud.C64.org
> 
> 
> 

Hallo Mike,


> Have you tried installing ANSI.SYS?

OOPS, completely forgot about that!
Many thanks !!!


--
    ___
   / __|__
  / /  |_/     Groetjes, Ruud
  \ \__|_\
   \___|      http://Ruud.C64.org