Fred is exactly right. Sanyo 55x will run Sanyo flavored MS-DOS ONLY! They will not run ANYTHING else! Programs that comply with all MS-DOS calls SHOULD run on the 55x. But most SW bypasses the MS-DOS calls and WILL NOT run on the 55x. The 55x does not have ROM BIOS like the IBM PC does (it only has a loader) and that's another source of incompatiblity. There's also no ROM BASIC in the 55x.
Joe
At 03:25 PM 8/23/02 -0700, Fred wrote:
>> > I've got one of these cuties (monochrome monitor), but no
>> > software or docs. Disk spins on power up, but no text at
>> > all on screen; have tried PC-DOS 1.0 through 3.3, but no
>> > message of any sort. Is this normal with a non-Sanyo disk,
>> > or does it have a problem?
>>
>> Try MS-DOS 1.25. Or, if you want to be truly retro,
>> CP/M 86. :) This should work according to:
>> http://www.digidome.nl/sanyo.htm
>
>Whether or not THAT says that it will work, be aware that MS-DOS 1.25 is
>an OEMed version, and each and every company that built a computer that
>used it had a mutually incompatible version of it. SANYO MS-DOS 1.25
>would certainly work. Morrow MS-DOS 1.25 won't, etc. A statement that
>"MS-DOS 1.25 will work" is so incomplete as to be FALSE, even though there
>exists a single true instance. Thus, it is as valid a statement as "Honda
>600s can use Michelin tires" being interpreted to mean that because I have
>a michelin tire, it will fit a Honda 600 (not ALL Michelin tires are
>145x10!). MANY versions were close enough that they would at least
>partially work, but not all. The Sanyo was an especially weird one,
>particularly things such as MODE.COM.
>
>Once you find a version of MS-DOS that works with it, then "well
>behaved" MS-DOS programs will work. Note: that does not include any real
>world software. Programs with well documented customization (such as
>PC-Write) can be easily reconfigured for it.
>
>
>The versions of MS-DOS with the most "customization" for
>"non-standard" hardware were: 1.25, 2.11, 3.31
>(ALL of those have characteristics that are not present in any
>corresponding version of PC-DOS)
>
>By MS-DOS 5.00, customization for "non-standard" hardware was no longer
>supported.
>--
>Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin_at_xenosoft.com
>
>
>
Received on Fri Aug 23 2002 - 18:14:01 BST