APE help

[Goochman]

Ok,

 

Ive got an old Gateway Solo 2300 laptop computer I want to use as my SIO2PC machine. I am running WinXP Pro and Ape 2.0.9 - APE finds COM1 just fine but when I try to load software on my Atari the machine locks up - Im sure its because the mouse is also trying to use COM1 hence an IRQ conflict.

 

Any suggestions on getting this fixed? My IRQ days were long ago

[dinosaur]

Look in your setup BIOS and see if you can change the IRQ of

your COM port.

 

I guess that your laptop only have one serial port on your laptop.

You might try using a PS/2 mouse,if your laptop has a port for one,

and setting your serial port to a different address and IRQ

[Goochman]

Look in your setup BIOS and see if you can change the IRQ of  

your COM port.

 

I guess that your laptop only have one serial port on your laptop.

You might try using a PS/2 mouse,if your laptop has a port for one,

and setting your serial port to a different address and IRQ

 

I have a docking station that has 2 PS/2 ports (mouse and keyboard) which I have hooked up - 1 serial port - any suggestions on IRQ or address? I used to know these things but havent had to deal with them in a long time!

[dinosaur]

Try setting your PS/2 mouse port to COMM2 :

 

address: 2f8 IRQ:3

 

and your serial port to COMM1:

 

address:3f8 IRQ:4

 

Use COMM1 for the SIO2PC

 

OR vice versa.

 

Remember you will have to change your setup BIOS settings ro do this,

and you MIGHT have to change your device manager settings in

WinDoz.

[Goochman]

I think Im hosed with this laptop....no matter what I do it locks up - I cannot switch the com port for the mouse but have been able to switch the com port for the serial connection - no help

 

The mouse shows up as a PS/2 mouse and connection - it doesnt list the mouse as utilizing a com port - unless Im missing something?

 

XP allows you to reconfigure everything from the OS - alas no luck

 

Im open to any ideas

[Cybernoid]

Have you tried adjusting the "Framing Threshold" above 7 or the "Safety Margin" under "Basic Serial Setup"?

[Goochman]

Have you tried adjusting the "Framing Threshold" above 7 or the "Safety Margin" under "Basic Serial Setup"?

 

Im not really sure what these do? Any suggestions?

 

I also am using the DSR mode - there are 2 other options?

[Cybernoid]

Does your PC lock up or your Atari?

 

I usually use the RI "Serial Control" option. I think this is what you will want with a one chip interface. The safety margin is useful if your PC is slow, but I assume that this is not the case. I would try 2 or 3, just to see...

 

Adjust the Framing Threshold only if your Atari locks up after is switches to high speed SIO...

 

These suggestions are only if the Atari is locking up, not the PC...

 

 

_C_

[Goochman]

The PC locks up

 

Atari keeps on chugging

 

the laptop is a 233mhz with not enough memory to run XP (getting more memory)

[belboz]

Can you hit ctrl-alt-del when the pc is locked up? Or is it froze hard?

 

Besides trying the other options instead of DSR on the sio2pc interface, here are some other things to try.

 

1) Test the COM port. Try running Hyperterminal and telling it to talk to COM1 directly (i.e. don't pick a modem if your laptop has one). See if that locks XP up. If it does it is probably an XP/Laptop issue with the COM port. If you have an external modem (even if it is old) this is also a way to test the COM port.

 

2) Try a different drive emulator. This one is Windows based.

 

http://retrobits.net/atari810.html

 

This one is the original and is DOS based.

 

http://www.tcainternet.com/wa5bdu/sio2pc.htm

 

3) Try running all these Windows based apps (APE, Atari 810, Hyperterminal) with the sio2pc interface unplugged from the PC completely.

 

4) If all else fails try booting into DOS mode and skipping XP altogether. Then run the DOS based sio2pc above.

[belboz]

In #3 above I am just curious if the software still locks up with no interface plugged into the com port. Maybe the sio2pc cable is defective and doing something to cause the PC to lock up when accessing the com port.

[Goochman]

PC locks up - nothing can be done

 

I dont have DOS on this machine so no back fall (no diskette drive either )

 

Ill try that other windows based drive emulator - that might help clairfy the port issues - Ill also try hyperterm. Thanks for the suggestions

[Goochman]

Interesting news...........the A810 worked like a champ! It also appears to provide about the same level of functionality as APE (none of the PRO stuff) - so for now I am a happy camper - thanks for the heads up belboz!

 

I ran APE after A810 worked and another lockup

[belboz]

Glad that helped.

 

I believe Atari 810 uses the RI signal for control. You might want to try reconfiguring APE for that (if you haven't already).

[Goochman]

RI is the only 1 I hadnt tried - will try that on next reboot - thanks for the tips - I am a happy camper now!

[dinosaur]

Why would you want to run bloated XP on a 233MHz?

Win 98SE should work fine.

 

I tried XP on my main computer and took it out and reinstalled

Win98SE.

[Goochman]

Why would you want to run bloated XP on a 233MHz?

Win 98SE should work fine.

 

I tried XP on my main computer and took it out and reinstalled

Win98SE.

 

I got roped into it - I wanted to run Win2K but this PC has no floppy disk and it wont boot from CDROM for some reason - So I couldnt remove the OS prior to installing another one - anyhow, I ended up with WinXP

 

Classics has put a new version of APE up on his site - I am going to try that one today to see if it fixes my issues.

[Goochman]

Ive got some great news! The latest version of APE also now works with my slow PC - Classics just put up v 2.2.2 on his website and it works like a champ

 

Thanks for everyones help!

[dinosaur]

I had the same problem with my "Atari" laptop.

Mine is an IBM ThinkPad 365 XD (CD-ROM,no floppy)

It came to me with the hard drive formatted clean with no OS!

The BIOS setup would not let you boot from the CD.

 

SO......

 

I took a 100 Meg PCMCIA hard drive to another laptop and installed

Win98 on it and the driver for a Trantor parallel-to SCSI adaptor.

 

I then,on my desktop, made a bootable CD with DOS 6.22 containing

DOS6.22,PCXformer 3.8,the Trantor driver.Norton Disk Doctor,and

all the Atari files that I wanted.

 

Put the PCMCIA drive in the slot,selected "Boot from network" and

it booted the IBM. I then installed Win98 (minimal) on the IBM hard drive.

 

Put the CD into the IBM,and with DiskDoctor,made the IBM hard

drive bootable. Shut it down.

 

I removed the PCMCIA drive from the IBM,hooked up the SCSI

CD-ROM,with the bootable CD in it, and booted the IBM.

 

Went to the CD,FDISKed the C: drive,formatted it (with DOS 6.22

and SYS)made it bootable,and copied all the files from the CD.

 

VOILA!

[Goochman]

Hmmmmmmmmmm............that just might work

 

Now to find a PCMCIA HD for cheap

[dinosaur]

I had the same problem with my "Atari" laptop.

 

Mine is an IBM ThinkPad 365 XD (CD-ROM,no floppy).

 

It came to me with the hard drive formatted clean with no OS!

A lawyer gave it to me. (fiqures!)

 

The BIOS setup would not let you boot from the CD.

 

SO......

 

I took a 100 Meg PCMCIA hard drive to another laptop and installed

Win98 on it

 

I then,on my desktop, made a CD with DOS 6.22 containing

DOS6.22,PCXformer 3.8,.Norton Disk Doctor,and all the Atari files

that I wanted.

 

Put the PCMCIA drive in the slot,selected "Boot from network" and

it booted the IBM. I then installed Win98 (minimal) on the IBM hard drive.

Put the CD into the IBM,and with DiskDoctor,made the IBM hard

drive bootable.

Shut it down.

 

I removed the PCMCIA drive from the IBM,and booted the IBM.

with the CD in it, and booted the IBM.

 

Went to the CD,FDISKed the C: drive,formatted it (with DOS 6.22

and SYS)made it bootable,and copied all the files from the CD.

 

VOILA!

 

I am a packrat and collect all kinds of stuff.I bought the PCMCIA

hard drive and the Trantor SCSI adaptor at a thrift store quite a

while ago,and had never used either,except to test them.You

never know when something will come in handy!

 

I have seen parallel-to SCSI adaptor cables on eBay for sale.

I wonder if someone could write an Atari driver for one?

[dinosaur]

Cheap PCMCIA hard drives:

 

http://search.ebay.com/PCMCIA-hard-drive

[Goochman]

Just curious - how did you install Win98 on the PCMCIA card? I believe you need a Win98 machine inorder to do this first?

 

 

Or did you copy the Win98 installer to the PCMCIA disk?

[Goochman]

Ya know what - I dont think I can 'boot from network' with this laptop

[+Mitch]

Wouldn't it just be easier to get an laptop HD to IDE adapter? They're only a couple bucks. Then you can stick it in as a secondary drive on a regular PC and copy the WIN98 setup files to it.

 

Mitch