In the "olden days" of computing, computer systems cost a lot of money. The IBM XT cost $7545.00 (list price--Source: IBM Canada) . This lead to an attempt by purchasers to get as much performance out of a system as they could for as little money as they could. Many of the text files describe how they did that. Other text files reflect the method of computer-based communication of the time. There's a listing of BBS phone numbers, and a bit of a rant by a BBS sysop.
So far, all the text files here have been contributed by Walter De Groot (but not written by him.) He has added the original file date at the top of many files, so you have a reference point in history. If you need to contact him, please visit the Forums.
You can follow the link to read most files, but some files your system will try to read with an external program. To avoid this, you can bring up the link menu and select "Save this file as" and then open it in a text editor such as Notepad or SimpleText.
File name |
Description |
bbs/800BBS.DOC | A listing of 800 numbers for various BBSes. |
bbs/800BBS.TXT | A listing of 800 numbers for various BBSes. |
bbs/ABUSIVE | Description of the abusive behavior of BBS users by a SysOp. |
bbs/BBS800.TXT | A listing of 800 numbers for various BBSes. |
bbs/BEASYSOP.TXT | How to become a BBS SysOp... Or a view of what really goes on. |
bbs/BUSTED.TXT | Messages related to a BBS that was shut down for piracy. |
bbs/CONFIRM.TXT | A document that a BBS used to confirm you were someone who wanted access and not a troll. |
bbs/DIRTYDOZ.005 | A list of files that are either viruses, pirated, or hacked. |
bbs/FONELIST.TXT | A listing of access numbers for various BBSes. |
bbs/PCTURBO.TXT | This document describes the problems with a PC Turbo from the company PC's Limited. |
bbs/SEA-HD | wdegroot asking a question about a Seagate drive. |
bbs/SOUPCAN.BBS | Some ASCII art that tells you where you got the file. |
File name |
Description |
cables/ATPINS.DOC | How to make a DB9 to DB25 cable (9-pin serial(pc) to 25-pin serial(external modem)) |
cables/PARALLEL.TXT | Wiring Diagram for Bidirectional Parallel Cable. |
cables/PARWRAP.TXT | Shows how to make a parallel port wrap plug (for ast boards). |
cables/PIN-CABL.TXT | A description of what the pins do for various old hard drive forms. ST-506, ESDI, MFM/RLL and SCSI hard drives are referred to. |
cables/SERWRAP.TXT | Shows how to make a serial port wrap plug (for ast boards). |
cables/WIRE.TXT | How to wire a 10BaseT network |
cables/XTR_NULL.DOC | Shows how to build a null modem cable connection that works with XTreeLink. |
File name |
Description |
communication/16650.TXT | What is the 16550 and how can it benefit communications? |
communication/BIT-BA.TXT | When is a Baud not a Bit? A data communications tutorial by James A. Walker |
communication/CABLE | How to make a LapLink Serial Cable (Null Modem cable) |
communication/CALLWAIT.BAS | This is one way to solve the problem of Call Waiting interrupting a communications session. |
communication/NULLMOD.TXT | Wiring diagram for various null model connections. |
communication/ZEES.DOC | Tells how to install ZMODEM in PROCOMM PLUS or PROCOMM 2.4.2 |
communication/ZHOWTO | Describes how to install and use the zmodem file transfer protocol. List some files that are needed. |
File name |
Description |
creativestuff/ARI.TXT | Abort, Retry, Ignore? A poem talking about this error message. |
creativestuff/DOS-10.TXT | Dos 10 commandments. |
creativestuff/STAFF.BAS | Music score paper program for the Epson series of printers. (Requires Microsoft Basic.) |
creativestuff/TIC-TAC.ZIP | A zip file containing a Tic-Tac-Toe game written using a batch file. Does not work with every system. |
creativestuff/WHOS-1ST.TXT | The text to "Who's on First" by Abbott and Costello. |
File name |
Description |
dos/4DOS.TIP | Describes some changes from DOS to 4DOS as well as gives some advice on what not to do. |
dos/6-2MENU.TXT | How to create a boot menu on Dos 6. |
dos/BDRIVE.TXT | Patching MS-DOS 3.3 to allow use of DRIVPARM |
dos/COLOR.TXT | How to use colors from the DOS command prompt. |
dos/DESCRIP.TXT | The readme file concerning MS-DOS 6.22 step up program. |
dos/DOS31.DOC | A description of undocumented features in Dos 3.10. |
dos/DOS31.PAT | A note on some patches were attained from. |
dos/DOS31V2.PAT | Patches and descriptions for Dos 3.1 from CompuServ IBMPC SIG users group. |
dos/DOS32.PAT | Patches and descriptions for Dos 3.2. |
dos/DOS32FU.TXT | Describes problems with PC-DOS 3.2 reading MS-DOS formatted disks. |
dos/DOS33.PAT | Patches and descriptions for Dos 3.3. |
dos/DOS33.TXT | Dos 3.3 patches. |
dos/DOS330.BUG | Describes a bug regarding bad sectors in Dos 3.3. |
dos/DOS4BUGS.TXT | A list of bugs found in Dos 4. (Does not specify MS-DOS or PC-DOS.) |
dos/DOS5.TEC | Compatibility note from Quarterdeck about its programs and Dos 5. |
dos/DOS50.DOC | What will be new in Dos 5.0? An anonymous user tells the public what is being planned. |
dos/DOS5CMD.TXT | Dos 5 commands and what they do. (Excellent thing to print out!) |
dos/DOS6HLP.TXT | Dos 6 commands and what they do. (Excellent thing to print out!) |
dos/DOS6MENU.HLP | How to do the Dos 6 boot menus. |
dos/DOS6TEC | This [like dos5.tec?] was a release from Quarterdeck about Dos 6. The news is it will work. |
dos/DOS6TIP.TXT | Note about mirror and recover options that were removed from DOS 6. |
dos/DOS6WARN.TXT | A warning against using the defrag program that came with DOs 6.0. |
dos/HARD-D.PAT | How to convert from 4k clusers to 2k clusters. |
dos/MSDOS6.TEC | Quarterdeck compatibility readme for MS-DOS 6 and EMM-386. |
dos/NEWFOR62.TXT | Why should you step up to MS-DOS 6.22? |
dos/PC869KB.TXT | What is high memory, why should I care, and how do I use it? |
dos/README.PLS | Patches for IBM DOS 3.3 addendum. |
dos/README.TXT | MS-DOS 5.0 readme file. |
dos/XCOPY.PAT | How to make XCOPY work with all versions of DOS. |
File name |
Description |
drives/2072.TXT | Installation guide for the ACB-2072. |
drives/20MEG.FMT | How to low-level format common 20 MB drives. |
drives/251-WARN.TXT | A warning about a potentially defective ST-251 drive. |
drives/3AT-HD.TXT | How to install a 3rd MFM hard drive in a computer. |
drives/3MFM.TXT | How to install 3 or more hard disks in a computer. |
drives/4HDISKS.TXT | How to install 3 or more hard disks in a computer. |
drives/ADDCTLR | The readme file for the PS200IO.bin file with a RLL drive controller. |
drives/ATDRTABL.DOC | A listing of drive types 0-23 on the AT. |
drives/ATDSK.DOC | How to read a Double density disk in the IBM AT's new High Density drive. |
drives/ATTYPE.TXT | IBM AT drive types 0-14. |
drives/CONNER.DAT | Conner IDE disk reference guide. |
drives/DISKTIPSREADME.NOW | Readme for the file below. |
drives/DISKTIPS.ASC | Disk Tips describes some problems with interchanging IBM XT and AT written disks. |
drives/EXTRN.DRV | How to hook up an external drive to an IBM PS/2. |
drives/FLOPPY.MSG | How to install a 3.5" floppy drive in an IBM AT. |
drives/QUADRIVE.ASC | How to install more than 2 floppy drives in a computer. |
drives/SEAGATE.TXT | Seagate drive setup reference guide. |
drives/SLOW3425 | A note on how a problem with a drive controller was fixed. |
drives/TEAC144.TXT | How to install a Teach 1.44MB drive. |
drives/TWOHD.TXT | A method of installing a second hard disk. |
drives/XEBEC.DOC | How to set up a hard drive using the XEBEC hard disk controller. |
drives/XEBECTEC.DOC | Installation and configuration for the XEBEC 1200 series controllers. |
File name |
Description |
fileformats/ARCS&LBR.DOC | Describes 4 file compression/archive formats (.arc, .zoo, .lbr, and .?Q?) |
fileformats/ARCSPACE.TXT | How to de-arc files that are too big to fit on one disk. |
fileformats/ASC2WS.TXT | How to convert from ASCII text to Word Star text. |
File name |
Description |
hardware/386UPGR.TXT | How to turn your PC into a true multitasking 80386 machine for $500. (Upgrading from an 8088 or 80286.) |
hardware/6PACK2.TXT | 6Pack clone multifunction card jumpers and board layout. |
hardware/8MEG.TXT | How to increase the speed of the 8088 based IBM or compatible to 8 mHz. |
hardware/ABSWITCH.TXT | Describes the problems using a mechanical switch box and a HP LaserJet. |
hardware/AST-3G | Jumper Settings for the AST-3G video card. |
hardware/AST3G-P | Jumper Settings for the AST-3G Plus video card. |
hardware/BUILDPC.TXT | How to build your own PC. |
hardware/CHIPLA.TXT | A large (143k) listing of many chips used in computers. |
hardware/CLUSTER.TXT | 2K Cluster Size for 10MB Fixed Disks under DOS 3.x. |
hardware/COOLING.UBC | Do it yourself add-on cooling fan for the IBM PC/XT. |
hardware/DIAGMEM.TXT | Diagnosing Memory Problems. |
hardware/PC-ROM | Adapter for 2764 EPROM to 24 pin socket for PC/XT roms. |
hardware/PCJRTOPC.TXT | Instructions to convert an IBM PCjr Color monitor to a Standard DB9 connector. |
hardware/PCXT.TXT | Converting a 256k IBM PC/XT motherboard to 640k. |
hardware/PERSYST | Layout of PERSYST memory card for IBM PC/XT. |
hardware/RAMERROR.TXT | How to diagnose and find bad RAM chips. |
hardware/SURGE.DOC | How to build a surge supressor. (Naturally, you do this at your own risk.) |
hardware/SURPRISE.TXT | A description of the Surprise! accellerator card which doubles your speed to 9.54 mHz from 4.77 mHz. |
hardware/UPGRADE.TXT | How to upgrade your 8088 to a 80386. (See also hardware/386upgr.txt) |
hardware/XTMB640K.MOD | Another method to upgrade your PC/XT's 256k motherboard to 640k. |
File name |
Description |
misc/ANSI-SC.SCR | Unknown--Looks like machine code. |
misc/AST | A work order for a person's computer. |
misc/BCLINTON.TXT | A biography of Bill Clinton circa 1996. |
misc/BUGTEST.COM | A program that's likely to test for bugs in another. |
misc/CID.BAS | A program to calculate the C.I.D. in engines |
misc/COMP-50.SCR | Unknown--Looks like machine code. |
misc/COMP-BEP.SCR | Unknown--Looks like machine code. |
misc/DISCARD.TXT | In introduction to a site advocating building a computer from unwanted parts. |
misc/FIND-HD.SCR | Unknown--Looks like machine code. |
misc/OFF-ECHO.SCR | Unknown--Looks like machine code. |
misc/PD0321T.TXT | How to remove non-dos partitions with DEBUG |
misc/PRINT.SCR | Unknown--Looks like machine code. |
misc/READBAS.BAS | A program to read programs that have not been saved in ASCII format. |
misc/TOSHZENI.TXT | Comparison of Toshiba 3100 and Zenith SupersPort 286 Laptop Computers |
File name |
Description |
misc/recipies/BROWNIES | Brownies. |
misc/recipies/COKE | Coca-cola. (Perhaps not the recipie they use, but it claims to be Coca-cola.) |
misc/recipies/COOKIES.TXT | Authentic Mrs. Field's cookies |
File name |
Description |
programs/DE-JET.EXE | A program to take the game "JET" and put it in a normal DOS executable. |
programs/DE-JET.TXT | The documentation for the de-jet program, above. |
programs/DEFRAG.BAS | A program to defragment your hard drive. |
programs/DEFRAG.DOC | The documentation for the above defragmentation program. |
programs/DOBAT.BAS | It's unclear what this does. There's no comments in the code and no accompanying documentation. |
programs/DOBAT.DOC | A short personal message implying that dobat.bas came from a magazine. |
misc/UNDOBAT.BAS | A compliment to the dobat.bas above. |
programs/MFORMAT.BAT | A batch file to format a floppy disk (Providing standard options of size.) |
programs/QFORMAT.BAT | A batch file to quick format a floppy disk (Providing standard options of size.) |
programs/README.NOW | The documentation for mformat.bat, qformat.bat, sformat.bat and uformat.bat. |
programs/SFORMAT.BAT | A batch file to format a floppy disk as a system disk (Provides standard options of size.) |
programs/SNIFF.COM | A program used by the ?format.bat files |
programs/UFORMAT.BAT | A batch file that performs an unconditional format on a disk. |
programs/ZP.BAT | A batch file used to test the speed of a drive. |
File name |
Description |
software/123R3UNP.TXT | Unprotect to Lotus 1-2-3 Release 3. |
software/2304.TXT | Addresses issues between stacker and MS-DOS 6.0. |
software/AMIBIOS.PAT | Explains why QEMM gives an error with an AMI 3.0 BIOS. |
software/APIQUEST.TEC | The 10 most commonly asked questions about the DESQview API. |
software/BASCOMM.BAS | Takes input from the serial port and outputs it to screen. |
software/BATS.TXT | Introduction to batch file programming. |
software/BOGUS.TXT | An alert of a trojan horse in PC Write 2.7. |
software/BOOKPT.TXT | Using Word Perfect to print a book or pamphlet |
software/BUGW55.ASC | WordStar 5.5 problem reports. |
software/CHNAME.TXT | The documentation for CHNAME, a file moving/name changing program. |
software/CMD320.BAT | Patches for Command.com version 3.2 |
software/COMPAT.DOC | Word Perfect 5.1 file compatibility and other answers. |
software/CREPORT | A Spin-rite report. |
software/DBLSPACE.TXT | Double Space or Double Trouble? Discusses the use of Double Space drive compression software. |
software/MSLOGO.TXT | How to remove the Windows logo at start of Windows 3.0. |
software/PKXARC.BUG | Describes a bug in PKXARC. |
software/PRCMBAD.TXT | Describes a problem with Procomm and a space in the filename. |
software/PRM242.PAT | Describes how to fix a stack overflow error in DOS 3.2. |
software/STAC62.EXE | Stac62 prepares your stacker-compressed disk for an upgrade to MS-DOS 6.2. |
software/STAC62.TXT | This describes how to use STAC62. |
software/UNPCTOOL.LTR | Describes an undocumented (and probably unwanted) use of PC-TOOLs. |
software/USEANSI.TXT | How to use the ansi.sys driver. |
software/VIRUS_MY.THS | An explanation of viruses and some of the myths around them. |
software/WARD.BAS | War games auto-dialer for the PC-jr. |
software/WARNING.TXT | Tells of a false version of PKZIP that was being distributed. |
software/WPEV | Evaluation of several shareware word processors. |
software/WSBUGS.DOC | Describes a few bugs in Wordstar 4.0 |
File name |
Description |
system/DIAGCODE.DOC | Listing of IBM PC Diagnostic Error Codes |
system/PHOENIX.TXT | List of Phoenix AT ROM BIOS messages. |
system/ROMBEEP.DOC | ROM beep codes and messages for a Pheonix BIOS. |
system/UMB.TXT | How to optimise memory with UMBs. (Upper Memory Blocks.) |