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- Newsgroups: comp.sys.3b1
- Path: sparky!uunet!ceilidh!dnichols
- From: dnichols@d-and-d.com (DoN. Nichols)
- Subject: Re: Help needed to bring life back to my old UNIX PC
- Message-ID: <1993Jan27.043124.4272@d-and-d.com>
- Sender: usenet@d-and-d.com (Usenet)
- Nntp-Posting-Host: shindig
- Organization: D and D Data, Vienna VA
- References: <1993Jan24.055312.9796@d-and-d.com> <1993Jan25.074958.28031@nwnexus.WA.COM> <1k1g1gINNh59@kirov.intercon.no>
- Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 04:31:24 GMT
- Lines: 96
-
- In article <1k1g1gINNh59@kirov.intercon.no> aras@intercon.no (Arne Asplem) writes:
- >
- >Before I go any further with bringing life back to my old AT&T UNIX
- >PC 7300, I would like to check that I have all the required floppy
- >diskettes.
- >
- >From the system manual box I have the following diskettes,
- >all are labelled "System Software, Version 3.51":
- >
- > Floppy Boot Disk (2/12)
- > Floppy File System Disk (3/12)
- > Hard Disk Boot (4/12)4/12)4/12)4/12)
- > Foundation Set (5-12/12)
- > Telephone Manager (1/1)
- > Async. Terminal Emulation Disk (1/1)
-
- *** Hold on to this one - we couldn't send you a replacement, given the
- current laws. ***
-
- > Encryption Set (1-2/2)
- *****
-
- > Communication Patch (1/1)
- >
- >Apparently I'm missing the first diskette in the Foundation Set,
- >the onle labelled 1/12. Do I need this ?
-
- Absolutely. It is the diagnostic disk, which is needed to format
- the hard disk for the 3B1/7300.
-
- It also looks as though you are missing the terminfo disks and the
- gss drivers from the full foundation set. The terminfo ones are needed if
- you are going to be logging in with other terminals on the machine. I think
- that the gss drivers are needed for certain graphics programs, but I haven't
- checked recently.
-
- What you *don't* have, and will want greatly, is the development
- set. That is more disks than the whole foundation set.
-
- >Furthermore, since I've never installed UNIX on a 3B1 before
- >(I traded i for a 2400 bps modem some time ago, and only used for
- >a couple of weeks before the hardisk crashed), do I need a serial no.
- >(well, I guess I have that on the original diskettes) or a installation
- >key ?
-
- No, you just format with the diagnostic disk, and then put in the
- floppy boot disk, and it will offer to install the OS, warning you that it
- will erase all of the nothing that you have on the disk. It then tells you
- everything that you need to do as you install things. (It will give a
- moment's confusion when it starts off with disk 5 of the foundation set, and
- afterwards it asks for disk 2, 3, ...) This is because cpio (which is now
- in control) is asking for the floppys starting with 5 as 1, so all the
- subsequent disks are labeled wrong for the prompts.
-
- One other thing to remember is to not install the encryption disk
- (the one that we can't send you :-) *after* installing everything else. The
- reason for this is that it checks whether certain programs are present, and
- *only* if they are, it replaces them with the encryption-capable versions.
-
- >Is there a FTP archive with a FAQ for this group somewhere on the net ?
-
- There is an excellent archive of software source and hardware hints
- both on ftp.uu.net and (I think) archive.osu.cis. I am not sure whether the
- FAQ is posted there. It hasn't been updated recently, and there is a new
- flurry of activity, including selecting a new maintainer, so it may be
- posted soon.
-
- >I'm particularly interested in replacing the floppy disk (it's a 360K
- >isn't it ?) with a 3 1/2" 1.44 Meg, is this possible ?
-
- Well ... yes and no. You can put in a 1.44 MB drive (from one
- specific manufacturer, and one specific model), but it has to be jumpered to
- hold it down to 720k. The disk controller in the 3B1 is not wired to
- produce the proper data rate for the 1.44 MB format. (I have considered
- trying to change this, but haven't had the time to devote to the project.)
-
- It is possible to put in other 720 K floppy drives, but there are
- difficulties involved. The other drives have a status line which reports
- the oposite sense of what the system is expecting. In one case, it is
- reporting "disk ready", while the 3B1/7300 is looking for a "disk changed"
- line. As a result, you are flooded with windows popping up saying something
- along the lines of "Disk removed - Please re-insert the floppy and close the
- door", even though you haven't touched the disk. (I know, I put such a
- drive on my system. The "One True Drive", has a larger set of configuration
- jumpers, and can be set to tell the 3B1 what it wants to know.
-
- The article describing this was posted by Tom Trebisky (I'm sure
- that the spelling of his name is wrong), and should be in the archives.
-
- Good Luck
- DoN.
- --
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- Donald Nichols (DoN.) | Voice (Days): (703) 704-2280 (Eves): (703) 938-4564
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