Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!pacbell!att!ihlpb!bash
From: bash@ihlpb.ATT.COM (Basham)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Computer Products United 386 16MHz
Keywords: Chapter Two.
Message-ID: <9804@ihlpb.ATT.COM>
Date: 7 Mar 89 22:52:21 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois
Lines: 35

Not too long ago I posted on how Computer Products United salesmen
treated me in a fair and friendly manner in my quest for a 16MHz
386 box.

Well, after about three weeks, the machine locked up a couple of
times while playing the game "Wasteland".  I attributed this to 
the software.  A few days later the machine died.  Upon power up
the fan comes on, the light comes on, and that is it.  No screen,
no errors, not even the speaker beep.

I've shipped the box back to CPU.  They told me I could cound on them
having it at least a week.  I tried to just get a replacement, but 
they refused until they've diagnosed the faulty unit.  As of this 
writing U.P.S. has not delivered the computer to CPU.

The thing that bothers me about this is:  the processor is a 386 16MHz
chip.  The motherboard is copyrighted as a 20MHz board.  There is 
an oscillator speed jumper that sets the maximum clock speed at
either 16 or 20 MHz.  This jumper is missing.  Possibly the clock
will default to a 16MHz rate, but I doubt it.  I don't have a scope
at home to actually measure the clock.  If they have the clock running 
too fast the poor 386 would try to keep up as long as possible and 
then give up (I've seen this trick in the world of Z80s.).  Anyway, to
me, missing this jumper seems to be a blarring error.  I'm getting
worried that this may be an indication of poor practices by their
staff.  

Then again. maybe it was a simple mistake.

To be continued...

Tom Basham
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"The world was going down the tubes.  They needed a scapegoat.  They
  found Wayne."