TI Professional Computer

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Tue Jun 13 09:32:49 2000

   Here we go again!

At 11:27 PM 6/9/00 -0400, RD wrote:
>On Fri, 9 Jun 2000, Joe wrote:
>> I picked up one of these today but some of the files on the hard drive
>> are messed up. Can someone send me the Command.Com file for MS-DOS 2.11A?
>> Also how do you get one of these to boot from the floppy drive and not the
>> hard drive?
>
>Firstly, you did test the power supply before powering the system up,
>didn't you?

    No, as a mattter of fact I didn't! Not that it's any of your business
but the only thing that I really wanted was a card out of the computer.
After I pulled the card, I proceeded to power everything up with no
problems. The hard drive worked fine and a quick CHKDSK revealed no obvious
problems. I used it for several hours with no problems but then tried to
use TI's File Manager program that was installed on it and it wiped out
part of the operating system. The only reason that I decided to bother with
the computer is that it's a nice clean one and included the original
monitor and keyboard so I thought I'd try to find it a home. But even if
the power supply went up in smoke and the hard drive torn itself to ribbons
it was still a good deal for me since the card is worth far more than the
rest of the computer.

> Also, before moving the system, did you check to see if
>the hard disk was the type that needed to have it's heads parked, and
>if so, park them, before moving the system? Not doing that can result
>in filesystem damage.

   No shit, Sherlock! Read my comments above about why I bought it. Also
please explain how you intend to power up a system and park the heads
without moving it and with no power available within 500 feet. Oops, I
forgot, you insist on checking the power supply first. How do you plan on
opening it and testing the power supply without moving it? Again with no
available AC power.

  Let me make a couple of things clear. First, Most of the stuff that I get
is considered scrap. If I don't take it then it gets smashed and loaded on
a container ship headed to China. That's not just speculation, I've helped
to load and ship them. We've shipped three 40,000 pound loads in the last
two weeks. So anything that I take at least gets a second chance at
survival even if I don't follow every possible precaution about testing it.
 Second, the places that I get this stuff from have no AC power availble
where the equipment is located. I can take the stuff or leave it but it's
impossible to power it up and park the heads or test the power supply first.

   Here's a list of just SOME of the stuff that I've picked up in the last
two weeks: SIX Cromemco Z2-D S-100 systems with dual floppy drives and
hard drives, HP 9825B (loaded), FIVE various HP 9825 interfaces, HP 1000
A600 computer, HP 1000 E series computer, TWO HP 9895 dual 8" floppy
drives, TWO HP 9885 single 8" floppy drives, two HP 987? printers, HP 7906
fixed drive, TWO HP 6940 Multiprogrammers (loaded) and a HP ??
Multiprogrammer Interface, TI Professional computer in like new condition
with original monitor and keyboard and a National Instruments HP-IB card,
and last night, a IBM AT with an 8" floppy drive controller card. That's
in addition to OVER 320 memory SIMMS, numerous cards, keyboards and other
bits and pieces. Does that sound like the kind of stuff that should be
left as scrap because I can't test it first?

    Joe
Received on Tue Jun 13 2000 - 09:32:49 BST