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----- Original Message -----
From: Michael L. Dawley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 29, 2000 4:49 PM
Subject: lost & desperate
> Hello all,
> ---------
> Note: The following procedure has been outlined as a way
> of Starting Over with a used HDD, to place DOS and
> Arachne on it, for installation in a 486 computer.
> Members of this list are encouraged to contribute
> to this procedure for the benefit of the
> "Lost and Desperate".
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> L.D.,
> In one of your earlier posts you mentioned that you had 16MB of
> free disk space. That may not be enough on a machine with Windows
> 3.1, DOS and Arachne. I have about 200MB free on this machine, and
> all runs smoothly, even AOL<g>.
> I've found that with a small drive, slow processor, too many
> programs, things can get out of hand.
> --------------------------------------
> A solution:
> -----------
> If you have a copy of Arachne 1.60b1 on a floppy, and also
> your arachne.cfg file, you could format the drive, and reinstall
> DOS and Arachne. Before you do that, make printed copies of your
> config.sys and autoexec.bat to keep. Also, if you use a DOS
> mouse driver, make a copy of it to a floppy. I use dmouse.com,
> and keep it around on a floppy.
> --------------------------
> The Format Room:
> -------------------------
> Here's how I do it on a used drive I buy from the
> computer repair shop near my house:
> ------------------------------------------
> This is step-by-step:
> I'm using an IBM PS/1 Essential Model 2133-W53 486SX 25 that has
> been upgraded to an Evergreen 586, with 32 MB ram installed.
> I have MS-DOS 6.21 backup disks made on a Toshiba T1910CS with
> the backup utility.
> -------------------
> Unplug the power cord from the back of the computer.
> ------------------
> l. Slide the case off the computer. Unhook power and interface
> cables from the installed HDD, and plug them in the used drive
> to be formatted. Just lay the drive on top for now.(The four-wire
> power plug on the HDD requires creative language to get it to
> unplug from the installed drive. Work it side to side, not top
> to bottom, and it'll come out.)
> 2. Turn the computer on,(power cord installed) and take a look at
> what's on the drive. Usually has WIN95. Budget about 20 minutes
> for this look-see. If the drive appears ok, then proceed with the
> format: (all files will be deleted, except for the manufacturer's
> HDD files)
> 3. With computer off, place MS-DOS disk #1 in Drive A.
> 4. Turn the computer on.
> 5. MS-DOS 6.21 will start, and it'll go to the setup screen.
> 6. Exit F-3. Don't set up yet, you want to format first.
> 7. At A:\> FORMAT C:/S
> 8. Will say: blah-blah, this disk cannot be unformatted.
> 9. Proceed with format "Y".
> 10.You'll see this:
> Verifying 407.75MB
> ___percent complete (it formats the drive)
> 11.When the format is done, enter volume label when prompted to
> do so now. I usually just put the drive brand, "quantum410M".
> 12.You still have MS-DOS disk #1 in Drive A, so,
> A:\> SETUP
> to install MS-DOS 6.21 on the drive.
> 13.Choose" Continue Setup".
> 14.It proceeds with setup.
> (There's three disks) You now have MS-DOS 6.21 on the
> drive. Scandisk can be run now, if time allows.
> At this point, I unhook the cables from the drive, and set it
> aside, waiting for a computer that needs it.
> -----------------------
> You can set up Arachne 1.60b1 by placing your Arachne disk
> in Drive A, and
> A:\>arcn16b1 (enter).
> ------------------
> After installation, I place my working arachne.cfg file in
> the directory c:\arachne.(Then I ALT-D and go surfing)
> http://www.angelfire.com/ms/telegram/arachne.html
> Here's how to get your arachne.cfg off your floppy and
> into c:\arachne in DOS:
> -----------------
> cd arachne
> rename arachne.cfg arachne.old
> cd c:\
> a:\
> copy arachne.cfg c:\arachne
> ----------------
> Now you should have your working arachne.cfg in the
> directory c:\arachne.
> If you use an .acf file, place it there also, in DOS:
> a:\> copy myacf.acf c:\arachne
> ---------------
> At the C:\ prompt, you can use the EDIT program to look at
> these files.
> --------------
> Your a.bat file should be in the root directory. Arachne
> installs it in the first directory in the path, and if
> you make changes to your path, it can't be found by Arachne
> to start from any directory.
> -------------
> You should be able to start Arachne 1.60b1 now, and connect
> to the internet.
> Things you are going to want to do next:
> Look at a memory report in Arachne.
> Send these in to the list for everyone to review for you:
> l. Your config.sys
> 2. Your autoexec.bat
> 3. Your mem.txt
> To create a mem.txt, at the c:\> prompt:
> mem/c > mem.txt (enter)
> When connected to the internet in Arachne:
> ALT-E (Shell out to DOS). You'll be at C:\>ARACHNE
> then:
> mem/c > mem.txt (enter)
> This will give the placement of EPPPD.EXE, whether it's
> in Conventional Memory, or loaded high.
> ---------------------------------------
> L.D.,
> You could visit your local computer repair shop, and for
> anywhere from $20-35 they can sell you a drive that they
> have removed from a machine brought in for HDD upgrade,
> and follow the above procedure to get a working useful
> drive.
> If you have the money, they can install it for you, and
> place DOS on it, ready for you to take home and install
> Arachne.
> My PS/1 required no BIOS configuration of the new drive at
> all. Neither does my Tandy. I can plug used drives of
> 120, 130, 270 MB in both with no problem. The PS/1 takes
> those, plus the 410, 420MB drives also.
> Other motherboards may take you into the setup utility
> when a new drive is detected, and may autodetect it,
> and allow you to proceed. If, when you plug the new drive
> in, you get taken to the setup utility, you can stop if
> you get cold feet, and reinstall the original one.
> You could format it, however.
> --------------------------------
> Note:
> If the HDD is big enough, and the final installation
> requires it, WIN 3.1 can be installed after the DOS installation
> above. This operating system will want to set up a very large
> swap area, sometimes 100MB or so, for it's use.
> -------------------------------
> Hope this helps.
> Michael L. Dawley
> Pearl, Mississippi
>
> -- This mail was written by user of Arachne, the Ultimate Internet Client
> -- Arachne V1.60;b1, NON-COMMERCIAL copy, http://arachne.cz/
>
