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Table of Contents:
S) 1.0 Introduction
Q) 1.1 What does this FAQ cover and how do I use this FAQ?
Q) 1.2 What are the different PS/2s and their features?
Q) 1.3 What are the IBM brand MCA cards?
Q) 1.4 Where do I get a Reference Disk for my PS/2?
Q) 1.5 Which file is my Reference Disk? They are all cryptically written.
Q) 1.6 What does the Reference Disk do?
Q) 1.7 I hear there is more diagnostics hidden on the Reference Disk,
where are they?
Q) 1.8 Why can't I copy my Reference Disk, I want to make a backup?
Q) 1.9 I got the Reference Disk, but now it is saying I need an Option
Diskette/or giving me a 165 error at POST...What are Option
Diskettes and Where do I get them?
Q) 1.10 I got the Option Diskette, but the Reference Diskette is telling
me no option files can be found, What am I doing wrong?
Q) 1.11 I bought my PS/2 second hand who can I get technical support from?
Q) 1.12 IBM tech. support says they do not know my answer now what?
Q) 1.13 I got an IBM MCA card with no labeling, How do I tell what it is?
S) 2.0 Motherboards
Q) 2.1 Where can I find a PS/2 motherboard?
Q) 2.2 Instead of a 'stock' motherboard can I get a more advanced board?
Q) 2.3 Will a standard motherboard work in a PS/2?
Q) 2.4 What motherboards come with a cache and are more up-to-date with
todays standards?
Q) 2.5 Which motherboards allow/prohibit additional on-board memory?
Q) 2.6 Can I use normal 72-pin SIMMS? 30-pin SIMMS?
Q) 2.7 How do I tell the speed of the PS/2 SIMMS I have now on my
motherboard?
Q) 2.8 What speed SIMMs do I need?
Q) 2.9 How good is MCA and what does it offer?
Q) 2.10 Which is better, ISA/EISA/VLB/PCI/etc?
Q) 2.11 Will an ISA card work in an MCA (PS/2) machine?
Q) 2.12 How do I enter the CMOS configuration menu?
Q) 2.13 What is bus mastering anyway?
S) 3.0 IO controllers/interfaces
Q) 3.1 How do IDE/MFM/RLL/ESDI/SCSI interfaces work?
Q) 3.2 How can I tell if I have MFM/RLL/ESDI/IDE/SCSI?
Q) 3.3 Why won't my two hard drives work together?
Q) 3.4 How do I install a second controller?
Q) 3.5 Which is better, SCSI or IDE or ESDI?
Q) 3.6 Can MFM/RLL/ESDI/IDE and SCSI coexist?
Q) 3.7 What's the difference between SCSI and SCSI-2? Are they compatible?
Q) 3.8 What is a 16550UART and do I need one? Does my PS/2 have it?
Q) 3.9 Should I buy an internal or external modem?
Q) 3.10 What kinds of sound cards are available?
Q) 3.11 Can I run both a SoundBlaster and the Audiovation/A?
Q) 3.12 Can I fake a keyboard so my computer will boot without it?
S) 4.0 Upgrading
Processor/Coprocessor/Disks/Video/CDROM
Q) 4.1 I dont have the money for a new computer or motherboard, what can
I do?
Q) 4.2 What are the Benchmarks for the Processor Upgrades?
Q) 4.3 Which Math Co-Processor do I use?
Q) 4.4 How can get rid of my slow stock Hard Drive and get a faster and
larger capacity version?
Q) 4.5 How can I add a second floppy drive and what type will work with
my PS/2?
Q) 4.6 Is there an SVGA option for PS/2s?
Q) 4.7 How can I add a CD-ROM to my PS/2?
Q) 4.8 How can I build a Multimedia PS/2?
Q) 4.9 How can I get sound effects in DOOM?
S) 5.0 Adding System and Cache memory
Q) 5.1 How do I add memory to my PS/2 off the motherboard?
Q) 5.2 How do I add cache memory to my PS/2?
Q) 5.3 Can I use the 4MB Modules in a machine that only calls for 1 or 2MB
modules?
Q) 5.4 Who has memory the cheapest?
Q) 5.5 Is there a way to identify a PS/2 RAM card or SIMM?
Q) 5.6 What is the ECC memory options on some of the newer PS/2s?
Q) 5.7 What cache size do I have/can upgrade to?
S) 6.0 Diagnostics
Q) 6.1 What do the POST beeps mean?
Q) 6.2 What do the POST codes mean?
Q) 6.3 Why when my system boots fine sometimes the reference disk reports
errors?
Q) 6.4 How can I *REALLY* find out if these errors are just bogus?
Q) 6.5 OK I got a problem, who can I get to fix it?
Q) 6.6 What are the wrap plugs the reference disk sometimes refers too?
S) 7.0 Misc
Q) 7.1 What is the pin out for ...?
Q) 7.2 What is the special SCSI connector by IBM?
Q) 7.3 Where are benchmark programs located. What do they mean?
S) 8.0 Operating Systems (OS)
Q) 8.1 Can I run UNIX on my PS/2? Which UNIX variety works?
Q) 8.2 Why won't certain UNIXs run on my PS/2?
Q) 8.3 What is better for the PS/2, MSDOS or PCDOS?
Q) 8.4 Can I run Windows? What would I need?
Q) 8.5 Can I run Win95? What would I need?
Q) 8.6 Can I run Linux now?
S) 9.0 References
Q) 9.1 Who makes upgrades for a PS/2 computer (company phone #'s)
Q) 9.2 Is there automated FAX help available?
Appendix A MCA Brand Card and Part Listing
Appendix B IBM Reference Diskette
Listing
Appendix C .ADF Modification for dual SB and Audiovation/A
use
Appendix D POST Code Listing
Appendix E Pinouts
Appendix F PS/2 Sound Cards
email: Chris Feeny alkemyst@shadow.net