Howard:
On the older computers you receive, did you consider using other OSes like Vector Linux, Peanut Linux,
FreeBSD (v 2.2 will run on a 385 with 4MB of RAM). All come with freeprograms (freeware)to serve most average
users and if they upgrade the RAM a little more, there is world of software to do anything and all legally free for
downloading.
Regards
Harsha Godavari
Howard Rubin wrote:
> In my spare time I work for Comitê para Democratização da Informática in my
> city of Fortaleza (http://www.cdiceara.org.br/). Most of the machines we
> recieve as donations are 486 and 386s. Hardware is so expensive here and
> the software is all pirated, so we see lots of old machines running
> terribly slow with the latest software. Back to your problem, is your
> processor a SX or DX? The DX has a built in math coprocessor. Windows 98
> would have lots of problems without it if I recall. The older motherboards
> would have an extra socket for the added chip if it was the SX variety. See
> if there is a switch in the BIOS to turn the math coprocessor function on or
> off to see if it makes a difference. Another thing to check is wether some
> of the external cache chips may have lost connection, press them all down
> firmly. I hope this helps some.
>
> Howard Rubin
> The Computer Doctor
> Fortaleza, Brazil
>
> RE: Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 21:04:59 +1300
> From: Ian <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: 33mhz cpu? - high tech!
>
> This probably won't come as a surprise to some of our more experienced =
> listers, but I'll bet most of you haven't seen such a thing - I know I =
> hadn't.
>
> A customer brought me a non starting IMB computer. She'd gone before I =
> had a chance to check it out, otherwise I might have asked her to take =
> it away again.
>
> It's a 486 with a 33mhz CPU, 16mb ram and a 600Mb hard drive (that's =
> right, 600Mb). I got it going finally, but the thing that blew my socks =
> off is that it's running W98SE Lite!
>
> And as I type now, it's doing an AVG scan! Clever old thing.
>
> It's excruciatingly slow of course - I had to empty the C:\Windows\Temp =
> folder of 2016 files totalling 1.4MB and it took 25 mins in DOS to do =
> it. Still, I'm amazed it works at all. =20
>
> One query, just in case someone has seen it before; it starts up now, =
> which it wasn't doing before, but there's one glitch which I haven't =
> managed to get rid of - it throws up a type '162' error on boot-up, =
> referring to 'Configuration change has occurred'. This is in spite of =
> me resetting the BIOS to it's defaults and then subsequently flashing =
> the BIOS with the latest (1996) BIOS upgrade.
>
> Any ideas would be welcome.
>
> PS - I found some info about '162' errors on the IBM site - but most of =
> them referrred to a major hardware change like a new HDD or CD being =
> installed. This old clunker doesn't even have a CD drive and as far as =
> I'm aware, no other hardware has been installed recently.
>
> TX
>
> Ian Porter
> Computer Guys Inc.
> Arrowtown
> New Zealand
> [log in to unmask]
>
> The NOSPIN Group
> http://freepctech.com
>
> PCSOFT maintains many useful files for download
> visit our download web page at:
> http://freepctech.com/downloads.shtml
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