Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!bbn!ginosko!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!dsmythe
From: dsmythe@cup.portal.com (dave l smythe)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Device drivers damaging HW
Message-ID: <20783@cup.portal.com>
Date: 27 Jul 89 06:03:51 GMT
References: <13679@ea.ecn.purdue.edu> <601@amms4.UUCP>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 12

1. Some graphics-on-your-monochrome-monitor cards can be programmed
so that if you set the scanning frequency too high (or something like that) 
it will damage the monitor.  The symptom is that the screen starts to shrink.
If you see this happen, turn the whole thing off immediately!  There are
warnings/explanations of the specifics in those CGA card emulators for Hercules
cards (like SIMCGA).

2. As for drives, I have heard that if you use tracks 81 and 82 on a 3 1/2 inch
drive that you can damage the drive mechanism on some drives.

Dave Smythe
dsmythe@cup.portal.com