Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!slcs.slb.com!asc.slb.com!lwilliam
From: lwilliam@asc.slb.com (Laird Williams)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: Re: Building a PC that can run OS/2
Message-ID: <1991Jun28.143223.14812@asc.slb.com>
Date: 28 Jun 91 14:32:23 GMT
References: <9106280040.AA11931@ray.com>
Sender: news@asc.slb.com
Organization: Schlumberger Austin Systems Center
Lines: 31
In-Reply-To: paulcn@idsvax.ids.com's message of 27 Jun 91 23:32:16 GMT
Nntp-Posting-Host: magnesium

I built a system last year that runs OS/2 without a hitch.
AMI 80486 Motherboard, Paradise 8514/A+ and Video 7 1024i
video cards worked fine. My experience so far has been
positive, as have the experiences of my friends who
did the same thing. The primary source of glitches seems
to be the drive controllers. A couple of folks bought
big HDDs and DUMB drive controllers. BAAAAADDD NEWS.
To be safe, I bought an UltraStor ESDI controller
because it 1) REMAPS CYLINDERS > 1024
           2) LOOKS like a WD to everything else
I have had no compat. problems of any kind with it.
Not so for my friends. Anyway, if you are getting a
big disk drive, get a SMART controller that looks
to the rest of the system like one that is WELL UNDERSTOOD
(WD1003A, WD1007A, several others...)

As for the 8514 card:
   If you get one, be sure to get a VGA card WITH a pass-thru
connector AND which uses that connector properly. The ATI VGA
Wonder did not. (Here's some VGA card logic for you...
                       If I can't tell what monitor is out there
                       AND since I am a VGA card
                       I'll produce an EGA (TTL..jeez) signal when
                       no monitor is plugged into my monitor port)
This glitch may have been fixed in the Wonder+, but the point is
for you to make SURE that the passthru connector on you VGA choice
works properly.

    Hope this helps.    -Laird
                         lwilliam@magnesium.asc.slb.com
                         Transcript show: (Smalltalk at: #StandardDisclaimer)