When I was working in process controls, we had PLC programming software
from two different companies that would only run on certain processors.
The original SLC-500 series software from Allen-Bradley would not run on
a 486, but would scream on a 286 or 386. As soon as you tried to run it
on a 486 or higher, instant crash, taking DOS totally down to the point
only pushing the reset would reboot it. The PLC-2 series from ICOM
would run on 8088-Pentiums, but faster than a 286 and the comm port
control routines refused to communicate with the system making it
totally useless. There was a MMI package we used, the names elludes me
(it's early) that wouldn't run if installed on a hard drive over 240mb.
It had a space checking routine that couldn't handle hard drives over
240mb, or a processor over a 486DX25. It would crash if either the
drive was too large or if the system was too fast. All of this software
was still current in 1994-98.
As far as finding an older system, except for the 386 that is kind of a
museum piece, we scrapped eveything below 1ghz a couple of months ago.
chris wrote:
>> Fellow classic'ers, I have a very specific set of old radio service
>>software packages that require running. Since they were written back when
>>the 386 was still in the "Ooooh, Ahhhh!" phase, and discontinued soon
>>after, they won't run reliably (if at all) on anything newer than a 486.
>>
>>
>
>I have some friends that make the same claim. That they have
>radio/scanner programming software that will NOT work on anything newer
>than a 386. I'm curious... WHY? What happens at the faster speeds that
>makes it useless? I've tried asking my friends, but they are clueless on
>these matters (and actually, all except one had no idea, they were making
>the claim simply because they were told that was the case... only one
>claims to have actually tried it).
>
>Is it something that is solveable by running some kind of speed killing
>software (I had an app that did that. I used it to play old DOS games on
>newer Pentium machines. The graphics ran so fast that the games were
>unplayable, so I ran this processor stealing software and it slows the
>machine down by the % you tell it to).
>
>
>
>> Here's what I'd like to find. A small tower-style 486, mini or mid, with
>>PS/2 type ports for keyboard and mouse built in. Speed-wise, it should be
>>in the DX33 or DX2/66 class. It should have switchable "Turbo/Non-Turbo"
>>mode, either from a front-panel switch or from a keypress combination.
>>Finally, it needs to have at least two PCI slots in addition to the usual
>>ISA or EISA.
>>
>>
>
>Ugh.... should have asked a few months ago. I just junked scores of
>486's. I'm sure one of them probably fit your bill (or at least came
>close). I have some more coming up to be scrapped, so I'll keep an eye
>out.
>
>-chris
><http://www.mythtech.net>
>
>
>
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Received on Sat Mar 01 2003 - 05:40:01 GMT