  ͻ
                                                                           
    ISA Bus: Symptoms/Solutions: Parallel/Serial Port and Clock Problems   
                                                                           
  ͼ

CLOCK.SYS (FOR THE PS-PC ONLY)
CORONA DOS 3.1 & CLOCK.SYS

  Symptom: CLOCK.SYS always returns Msg. 101 on boot up.  Corona DOS 3.1
  apparently resets the clock chip on AB PS-PC.  Have user try using MS-DOS
  or PC-DOS.  Lower versions of Corona DOS potentially have the same
  problem.

DIAGRAPH AND CLOCK.SYS

  Diagraph graphics software is incompatible with many DOS device drivers.
  If you have problems using the Above Board clock with Diagraph Version
  3.4, try the ABCLOCK program (available from the Intel Bulletin Board
  System).

NORTON UTILITIES AND CLOCK.SYS

  The early Norton Utilities "System Information" (SI) command returns an
  error message if the AB Clock device driver is installed.  To use SI,
  remove the clock device driver and reboot.

  Current versions of Norton Utilites potentially have the same problem but
  this is unknown at this time.

OFFICE WRITER & CLOCK.SYS

  Will not run properly with our clock installed.  Office Writer looks for
  time at INT 1A and is not changeable; CLOCK.SYS uses INT 2. The Office
  Writer folks can be  contacted at ph: (608) 274- 5047.

"PC TO MAC AND BACK" AND CLOCK.SYS

  "PC to Mac and Back" is software that runs on a PC and allows you to
  communicate with a MAC via serial port.

  In a computer with an Above Board PS/PC "PC to Mac and Back" won't work if
  the Above Board's clock is active.  Remove the CLOCK.SYS device driver or
  switch off the clock.

LOSS OF TIME OR DATE ON COLD BOOT

  Check IBM PC power supply.  If it says 'manufactured in Mexico', this may
  be the problem. They will probably need to upgrade their power supply to
  remedy this situation.

"SLOW" CLOCK PROBLEMS

  The clock on the Above Board PS/PC is warranteed to 0.05% accuracy.  This
  amounts to approximately +/-5 minutes per month, or about 10 seconds per
  day.  If a clock is operating within these parameters, it is NOT
  defective.  This level of accuracy is consistent with that found in all
  other manufacturers' boards.

CAN'T SET TIME AND DATE

  If you're unable to set the time and date, make sure you have the latest
  clock software, and remove the VERIFY ON command (if it exists) from the
  AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  Contact Intel's Customer Support or Intel's Bulletin
  Board System for the latest software.

BREAKTHRU 286 TURBO (BY PCSG)

  Users report this computer uses the same I/O ports as the Above Board
  PS/PC's clock and returns clock message 101.  Contact Intel's Customer
  Support or Intel's Bulletin Board System for the latest ABCLOCK software.

INVALID DATE OR TIME MESSAGE

  If you receive this message even after resetting the date and time
  correctly, you may have a dead battery on your Above Board PS/PC. If you
  do NOT have an Above Board PS/PC, the computer's battery keeping the CMOS
  memory on the motherboard active might need replacing.

  The battery on the Above Board PS/PC is designed to work for 1 year.  The
  Above Board PS/PC uses a 3-volt, H coin battery you can find at many
  computer dealers, electronic stores and camera shops.

  Some part numbers for batteries that will work in the Above Board PS/PC
  are:

       MANUFACTURER               PART#
       -------------              ------
       PANASONIC                  BR2325
       RAY-O-VAC                  BR2325
       PANASONIC/MATSUSHITA       BR2325

PARALLEL PORT

  PARALLEL PORTS
  DOS assigns the names LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3 to parallel ports according to
  the number of parallel ports in the computer and the I/O address each
  uses.  You can have up to three parallel ports in your computer only if
  LPT1 is on the IBM Monochrome display Adapter or its equivalent.
  Otherwise DOS limits your computer to two parallel ports (LPT1 and LPT2).
  When you turn on or restart your computer, DOS checks for parallel ports
  first at I/O address 3BC, then at 378, and finally at 278.  The first port
  it finds becomes LPT1, the second LPT2, and the third LPT3.  The SETBOARD
  program lets you name the Above Board's port.

  You can't set the Above Board port to I/O address 3BC.  This address is
  reserved for video boards that contain a parallel port.

  If you have only one parallel port in the computer, DOS always names it
  LPT1, regardless of the I/O address it uses.  If you have two parallel
  ports, DOS assigns LPT1 to the port using the highest address.

SERIAL PORT MISSING IN COMPAQS

  Problem: Compaq Deskpro 286 can't recognize a serial port on an Above
  Board's Serial Port.

  The problem is Compaq's Diagnostic disk.  If you run diagnostics on the
  system with an Above Board PS/286 or Plus I/O installed, the Com2 port
  goes away until you cold boot.  Proper installation is as follows:

  1.   Install Above Board, run Setboard, make the comm port COM2 (use
       default interrupt 3).

  2.   Install serial software

  3.   Do NOT run COMPAQ diagnostics.

  Diagnostic versions 5.07, 5.08 and 6.01 all produce the same problem.  If
  diagnostics are run, a cold boot will get things back to normal again.

DETECTING PORTS WITH DEBUG

  If you're having a problem determining which ports (parallel and serial)
  the computer is using, you can check for the I/O ports using DEBUG.

  Follow these steps to use DEBUG:

  1.   Change to the directory containing the DEBUG program and type
       "DEBUG".

  2.   At the DEBUG prompt, a dash, type "D 40:0" and press Enter.
       This will display the hexadecimal values of the active I/O port
       addresses, first serial then parallel.  Here's an example:

       C>debug
       -d40:0
       0040:0000  F8 03 00 00 00 00 00 00-BC 03 00 00 00 00 00 00
       -q (to exit DEBUG)

  This display indicates one serial port installed at 3F8 and one parallel
  port installed at 3BC.

TIME IS OK, BUT DATE IS WRONG

  This is caused by Compaq DOS Ver. 2.11 and lower and also by some versions
  of PC DOS 2.1.  It is a DOS problem and the only fix is to upgrade to a
  higher version of DOS.

  A customer reported that using Compaq DOS Ver. 3.1 on a Zenith 151 caused
  the same problem when the machine was configured with three COM ports
  (COM3 being a Hayes internal modem).  Problem disappeared when modem was
  removed.



End of file                 Intel FaxBack # 1160          December 2,1992
