Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!att!dptg!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!mg32+ From: mg32+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Ginsberg) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: backup programs, DMA speeds Message-ID: Date: 30 Aug 89 20:15:45 GMT Organization: Class of '92, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Lines: 27 That's an easy one... The DMA (which, incidentally stands for Direct Memory Access) chip is on the motherboard. If you have a 80286 or '386 system, you're in trouble. If you have a 8086 or 8088 (read: PC or XT clone) you can easily get a replacement fairly cheaply (I think at most 20 bucks, if not much cheaper). If you want to save money, at the expense of time, get a computer magazine with lots of electronics adds (such as Computer Shopper) and order a chip. If you're lazy and don't mind paying whatever they feel like charging you, the makers of Fastback plus (and if you read the manual you'd know this) offer a "DMA upgrade" deal where they'll sell you a replacement chip. NOTE: THIS chip is only good in 8086/8088 systems. If you don't have their phone number, and can't get it through information (if you own the software, it's in their docs, and the bit about the DMA chip, is, if I can recall, in the appendix of the docs), write back and I'll dig it up. Other than that, if you've got a few bucks (and the clone-makers haven't done something really mean like solder the poor chip onto the board (in which case you've got to desolder it) it's a five minute job. --Michael Ginsberg Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA ARPA: mg32+@andrew.cmu.edu BITNET: mg32%andrew@cmccvb UUCP: ...!harvard!andrew.cmu.edu!mg32+ Good luck!