>>> omni:28 Date: Fri, 6 Jan 1995 17:37:52 GMT From: lorenh@cv.hp.com (Loren Heisey) Subject: Re: Where to get HP Omnibook expansion memory? Apparently-To: omnilist@mroe.cs.colorado.edu Article: 25621 of comp.sys.laptops Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops Path: elektro!n8emr!pagesat.net!internet.spss.com!uchinews!ncar!gatech!howla ***nd.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!reuter.cse.ogi.edu!hp-cv! ***hp-pcd!hpcvra!lorenh References: <3e8qsm$o4e@binky.ics.uci.edu> <3eis2g$8kv@crl11.crl.com> Nntp-Posting-Host: hpcvrc.cv.hp.com Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Corvallis, OR Keywords: memory, omnibook, hp Lines: 13 -------------------------------------------------------------------- >>Can someone point me to places that sell HP OB530 memory? > >HP only make a 2-MB module. Kingston makes a 4-MB and 6-MB module. Be careful which OBs you are talking about. The OB 300/425/430 RAM expansion modules DO NOT work in the OB 530/600 and vica versa. For the 530/600 there are 4MB (F1054A) and 8MB (F1055A) modules from HP. Kingston does not yet make RAM modules for the 530/600. -- Loren Heisey lorenh@hpcvra.cv.hp.com disclaimer - the opinions expressed are those of the author and do not represent official statements of the Hewlett-Packard Company. >>> omni:98 Date: Wed, 3 May 1995 20:31:19 -0700 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: put HD to sleep -------------------------------------------------------------------- Jens Johansson wrote: >On Mon, 1 May 1995, H A M Van Helvoort +1 35 87 4393 wrote: > >> Is there a way to put the harddrive to sleep when the AC power >> is connected to the HP-300 omnibook i.e. after 1 minute not >> accessing the drive it stops spinning. >> (it behaves then the same way as when NO AC power is adapted) >> This will increase the charge time. > >I usually tap the on/off switch twice (to turn it off and then on >again). The HD motor won't spin until you access C: again... If for some reason you do not want to do the off-on thing the following will give a standby command to the disk which will spin it down. Any access will spin the disk back up. You will need to load debug.exe from somewhere if you haven't all ready. C:\>debug -o 1f7 e0 -q C:\> -- lorenr@peak.org >>> omni:108 Date: Thu, 18 May 1995 08:17:06 -0700 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: Homebrew Charger for OB's ???? -------------------------------------------------------------------- Tapani Tarvainen wrote: >But is there any danger to using an HP F1044A, the OB300/4xx/530 >charger with an OB 600C? The F1044B looks similar except for >higher power rating (3.3A vs. 2.5A) -- perhaps it couldn't >charge it as fast or something, but could there be some danger? The F1044A works OK with the OB600 by itself. I use one with my OB600 at home. The extra wattage of the F1044B is needed to power both the OB600 and the port replicator. -- lorenr@peak.org >>> omni:128 Date: Sun, 11 Jun 1995 22:02:25 -0700 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: 600c port replicator? -------------------------------------------------------------------- >I've heard a rumor that the while the empty slot in the port replicator >for the 600c is only said to support HP ethernet cards, it's actually >a standard (half-length) ISA card slot. Does anyone know if this slot >could be used for a sound card or another type of networking card? The slot is not standard half length ISA from either a size or electrical standpoint so other types of cards will not work. Some other LAN cards besides HP's will work but I do not know which ones. -- lorenr@peak.org >>> omni:134 Date: Tue, 13 Jun 1995 18:15:36 -0700 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: 300/425 Flash ROM Backup -------------------------------------------------------------------- >I have a question, maybe just showing my ignorance, but if one can write the >Flash ROM code to a hard disk file, could it not then be edited to modify the >40MB limitation, reinstalled on the orginal Flash ROM, and presto no more >40MB limitation. I suppose it's not that easy. The card in the OmniBooks is ROM not flash so it can not be changed. As someone mentioned the ROM can be read as an image, but because it is an image rather than files it would be very difficult to figure out what to change and where. >Along the same lines, since the 600c has a 260MB limitation, is something >along these lines possible for it since I think I read that it has a >flash BIOS. The only limitation the 600 has is there are not yet larger drives available. -- lorenr@peak.org >>> omni:143 Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 22:47:59 -0700 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: OB300 ROM uprade -------------------------------------------------------------------- >I first embarked on OB ROM erasure/re-recording when I had a troublesome >OB300 with early production ROM, and a later OB300 with what I hoped was a >newer ROM. Ah, that explains it. A few of the early OB300s had flash cards instead of ROM cards. If you got one of those consider yourself very lucky. Most everyone else has ROM cards which can not be modified. >On the latter note, many people, including me, have noticed that the OB >comes with a 10MB flash card for its ROM, with only about 2MB of that >actually used. A lot more of this may, of course, be used by hidden files >that a DOS examination doesn't see, but one suspects that there is a lot of >capacity wasted. Is there any way to reclaim this space? Nope, not without >the help of HP. All of the 10MB is used. The reason you only see 2MB is that is all that is formatted as a DOS file system. The rest is XIP (execute in place). However the 430 ROM card is only 512K. The lack of XIP in the 430 is the main reason why it is more sluggish without more RAM. -- lorenr@peak.org >>> omni:170 Date: Sun, 13 Aug 1995 21:32:42 -0700 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: msbackup, mwbackup on a 600c -------------------------------------------------------------------- >Anybody had problems with these programs. I can't get then to use >the floppy properly. Both programs reports problems with the floppy >disk even if they were used and formatted before. I get these >problems in the compatibility checks. Since the OBs do not have DMA the floppy needs to be accessed as a device rather than a floppy with these programs. So in msbackup set the backup to device a:\ rather than floppy A. -- Loren Heisey lorenr@peak.org >>> omni:173 Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 09:11:10 -0700 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: sigh -- capslock/ctrl redux -------------------------------------------------------------------- >it's me again, following up my own posting -- it occurs to me that in the >past i've successfully "hotwired" keyboards to make Capslock do the Ctrl >thing -- a little solder and some whitewires, and that was it. lately, >keyboards have been using harder-to-jumper construction, with membranes, >and flexible traces, and such. has anyone (Loren, perhaps?) had their OB >open to see what the keyswitch technology is? While I have taken an OB apart, there is a metal plate that covers the back of the keyboard. I think it uses flex and membrane so I would not try to modify the hardware. I would think there is a software solution that works in windows out there somewhere if you can find it. If you have usenet news access you might try asking in comp.binaries.ibm.pc.wanted. > i don't really want to open >mine up just to find that it's impossible. (and i certainly won't do >it 'til the warranty expires in any case... :-) Taking apart an OB is tricky and certainly not to be attempted before the warranty expires. -- Loren Heisey lorenr@peak.org >>> omni:176 Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 08:41:31 -0700 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: OB 300 disk size and compression -------------------------------------------------------------------- >> I hear that the OB300 won't support anything bigger than >>40Meg due to a Bios limitation. You may be able to stick a bigger >>drive into it, but it won't see more than the first 40 meg. [Actually >>I suspect that you might be able to see 64meg due to one of those >>powers-of-2-addressing-limitation things, but this is just a theory.] >>I don't know what would happen if you tried to run FDISK on it and >>make it several 40meg partitions. (another theory) It is not the size of drive that the 300 has a limitation but the type of drive. The Western Digital drive the 300 used pre-dates PCMCIA and does not have the PCMCIA configuration registers. It is simply an IDE drive with pins mapped to PCMCIA. The 300 could take larger drives of this type but none larger than 40MB were ever made. The 300 does not have code to do the PCMCIA initialization of hard drives which is why other drives do not work. ACE Technologies put this on a ROM card which is put in the A: slot every time the 300 boots so allows the 300 to use larger drives. After the 300 boots the card can be removed. -- Loren Heisey lorenr@peak.org >>> omni:197 Date: Tue, 19 Sep 1995 08:55:45 -0700 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: Omnibook 600c - Windows 95? -------------------------------------------------------------------- >Can I install Windows 95 on my OB 600c without running into problems? I >would expect problems with: A number of people on Compuserve have installed Win 95 on 600s with mixed results. Some have gotten it working OK and others have had some problems. Those that have gotten it working needed files only on the CD version and had to do some tweeking. HP will be issuing a system software upgrade for the 600s for Win 95 sometime after Oct 15. Even those who have gotten it running recommend waiting until then if possible to install it. >Is it possible to plug a 2nd hard drive into the OB 600c, which would result >in a maximum of 540 MB? or I run 2 hard drives in my 600 all the time though it does reduce battery life. >Are there larger HDs available (without consuming more power)? The people on Compuserve say 340MB drives will be available by the end of the year. >Quite often, when I have some open Windows applications, switch the OB off >and carry it around, the following happens: When I unpack the OB, it is not >powered off, but is quite warm and the screen flashes (2-3 Hz). In most >cases there is not enough power left to resume working. I do not know if it will help in this case, but the OB600 version 3.22 BIOS upgrade fixes some charging bugs. It is available via ftp on ftp-boi.external.hp.com in directory pub/mobile_computing/software. -- Loren Heisey lorenr@peak.org >>> omni:212 Date: Tue, 21 Nov 1995 08:16:24 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: what's the story on the BIOS upgrade for the 600c's? -------------------------------------------------------------------- >Seriously, it is finally _supposed_ to be within days of release (they'll >look really lame if they don't ship their Win95 support until 1996). It >wasn't on Compuserve (GO HPOMNI) or at >ftp://ftp-boi.external.hp.com/html/omni600.html the last time I checked >either. Hopefully someone will post to the list if they see it. Still not on the ftp site as of this morning. However an OB 600/4000 IRDA driver for WFW and WIN95 was recently placed on the ftp site if anyone is interested. It is in: pub/mobile_computing/software (The driver allows the OBs to talk to printers like the HP Laserjet 5P via infrared). Loren Heisey >>> omni:261 Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 09:52:07 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: OB memory changes -------------------------------------------------------------------- Alyn wrote: >My dealer says HP will be announcing a Pentium Omnibook sometime in 1st >quarter 96. Again, it will probably not use the same type of memory >cards or the existing docking station. That's my only problem with HP. >I love the Omnibooks (I've had 4 of them) but every time they upgrade >they obsolete our peripherals (and our bank accounts). The reason for the change in memory modules from the 300/425/430 to the 530/600 was a change in memory architecture that going from a SX to DX CPU allowed. I do not think many 530/600 owners with a 32 bit memory data bus would appreciate the reduction in performance of having to use a 16 bit bus just so they could re-use the memory modules. Since the Pentium notebooks that are coming out now have 64 bit memory buses I would say the chances are pretty good for change in memory with a corresponding increase in performance. Loren >>> omni:265 Date: Wed, 24 Jan 1996 10:19:21 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: OB memory changes -------------------------------------------------------------------- Alyn wrote: >Interesting stuff. Why do you think HP made the memory upgrades for the >600C and 600CT incompatable? Same processor, same speed. I really want >to upgrade my 600C to the 600CT but I'll lose too much money on my 12 meg >simm upgrade. The F1054B, F1055B, F1123A work in both. What module do you have that does not work in the 600CT? Loren >>> omni:273 Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 14:09:05 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: OB disassembly -------------------------------------------------------------------- Johnny Angel wrote: >To anyone thinking of disassembling >an OmniBook: DON'T DO IT. It was my only choice, but it is horrendously >fiddly, even compared with other laptops. The OBs can be opened without undue difficultly though it is not as trivial as with some other notebooks. There are a couple places where it is not obvious what to do. If there is interest I can send out on the list some instructions someone on Compuserve wrote after opening one. >The main problem, however, is that >HP unwisely used damnable "one-time" connectors on the motherboard that >receive the keyboard signal from the (Mitsumi membrane) keyboard flexible >PCB. Once you have disconnected the keyboard, which easily happens by >accident, there is no way to push these connectors back in and have them >make proper contact. I've tried, over and over -- and I am annoyed that a >working machine is now inoperable because of bad connector design. The keyboard connectors are 2 piece. The one part slides up and releases the cable. To replace push the cable in with the one part extended and push it down to lock the cable. While the connectors are not intended for frequent insertions they can easily take 100 times. Loren >>> omni:274 Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 13:42:29 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: OB memory changes -------------------------------------------------------------------- >I have a 12 meg card that I bought from Kensington. The card works in >the 600c but the bios only recognizes eight megs of it, if the card fits >in the 600ct then I will get a CT immediately as its bios should >recognize the extra ram. Are the cards for the 600c and the Ct the same >pin and size configuration? The two have the same pin and size configuration. You might check with Kensington to see if they know of any other limitations. The 16M memory limitation of the 600C was because of the memory controller, not the BIOS. Based on the product literature of the 340MB 600C (F1113A) it can have 32M like the CT. Loren >>> omni:278 Date: Sun, 28 Jan 1996 22:08:13 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: OB600C memory controller -------------------------------------------------------------------- Several people asked me about upgrading the memory controller in older 600Cs. It is a 100+ pin soldered IC so would be difficult to replace. I doubt it would be possible to get one anyway as it is a custom IC for HP and I doubt HP will sell them. Loren >>> omni:279 Date: Sun, 28 Jan 1996 22:21:34 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: OB disassembly -------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the disassembly instructions someone on Compuserve wrote: Take out all the screws. You'll have to take out the rubber-feet (don't know the right expression, this is german english) because there are screws underneath. There is another screw nearby the battery-pack. The back of the Omnibook (where the connectors are) is stuck together. You'll have to use something like a knife for carefully lifting the upper half. But the clue is inside the PCMCIA-Slots. That's what really drove me crazy and took half a night to discover. Turn the OB so that it lies on the keyboard. Take out all PCMCIA-Cards. You'll see two black screws which need not to be taken out. Insert a small screwdriver between the metal and the corner of the OB between those two screws and bend the plastic a bit. Then you can loosen the bottom of the OB. Be careful! When loosened (right word?) you will have to disconnect the keyboard-strips first. I think you know how that works since you want to change the CPU. On the left side you will then have to disconnect the display. At the end both pieces are apart. >>> omni:280 Date: Mon, 29 Jan 1996 21:52:29 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: OB memory changes -------------------------------------------------------------------- >The 16M memory limitation of the 600C was because of the memory controller, >not the BIOS. Based on the product literature of the 340MB 600C (F1113A) >it can have 32M like the CT. I may have to take back what I said earlier. I was going by the OB 600 series literature for the F1113A/F1115A which under features said the memory was expandable to 32 MB. However the OB product matrix literature says: Std RAM/Max RAM 8 MB/16 MB (F1113A) 8 MB/32 MB (F1115A) Both literatures were printed 9/95. Loren >>> omni:281 Date: Mon, 29 Jan 1996 22:48:00 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: Garlic in the Keyboard! -------------------------------------------------------------------- >quickly. My question is: >can the keyboard be easily lifted up to clean out garlic chunks, or do I >just live with the risk of garlic contaminating the innards of my OB600C? I >assume that garlic contamination would not be covered under the warranty so >I'd hate to send it in, and get socked for a big bill. If it is any help the key caps pop off with slight pressure and can be pushed back on. The keyboard can not be removed without opening the OB. Just be carefull not to lose any of the rubber spacers. Loren >>> omni:287 Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 19:55:33 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: OB600C memory controller -------------------------------------------------------------------- >I second the motion. Kensington made a 12 meg upgrade for the Hp530. >The 530 recognized all of it (12+4 internal =16) even though the Bios >limitation was listed by HP as 12 megs for that unit. The 530 has the same memory controller as the 600C so has the same 16M limit. I do not see anywhere in the 530 HP info I have that says the max possible ram is 12M though it might be inferred from "expandable to 12M". There was a reason why Kensington made a 12M module and not 16M for the 530. >Contrarily, the same simm (12 megs) popped into my HP600 is only >recognized for that unit's bios to be an 8 meg card. You most likely have a 8M 600C. On a 4M 600C it should give 16M. Loren >>> omni:288 Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 20:46:33 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: OB300 ROM Version? -------------------------------------------------------------------- Rod Owen wrote: >I wonder how possible it is to copy someone's 1.1 ABA ROM? It is possible as some reported here doing it. Microsoft has some programs I think maybe with their flash file system. The card must be copied as an image so for the OB425 ROM a 10MB Intel type flash card would be needed. The OB430 OTP is only 512K but windows and all the apps in ROM are not there. For it a 512K RAM card could be used. Loren >>> omni:292 Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 20:26:14 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: Upgrade Bios to 4.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------- >How do I upgrade my bios 3.22 to 4.0 ? >I have a german Version of the Bios on my omnibook 600CT > >When I try to upgrade the system says unknown system. German users on Compuserve report the same problem. The word there is to wait until a German 4.0 bios is released. I haven't checked on Compuserve for a couple weeks to know if it is out. Loren >>> omni:293 Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 20:18:48 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: Installing Excel 5.0 on an OB 300... -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Childers wrote: >Anybody have any idea how to install Excel 5.0 on an OB 300??? Everytime I >install it, and try to run it, it just references the built-in Excel 4.0 in >ROM. Please HELP! This ought to be in a FAQ somewhere. Rename the excel.exe you installed to excel50.exe or something and change the references in progam manager accordingly. This is because the ROM executable is found before the one on the disk. Loren >>> omni:294 Date: Mon, 5 Feb 1996 18:24:36 -0800 To: omnilist@elektro.cmhnet.org From: Loren Heisey Subject: Re: 300 DISK DRIVE WON'T FORMAT -------------------------------------------------------------------- sbarth@ix.netcom.com wrote: >A CVF was damaged on my C Drive. I tried to fdisk from drive D but C >won't reformat. For the first 2% of the format process it goes real >slow (apparently trying to recover allocation units), then it picks >up speed until it gets to 93%. Then I get a message that there is an >error renaming DBLSPACE.001. > >Of course, fdisk wipes out everything on C so there can't be a >DBLSPACE.001. I spent over two hours on the phone with an HP tech to >no avail. He says he's never seen the fdisk not work and thinks -- >but is not certain -- that the drive is bad ... perhaps a virus. Unfortunately FDISK never checks to see that it really wrote something so if a previously fdisked disk is damaged such that its boot sector can not be written you will never know. I do not have a 300 but here is the way to tell in a 425 and hopefully the 300 will be similar. Run fdisk and when the system reboots there should be messages: Drive C may not be properly initialized to run Windows Do you want to format C and copy required files to it? Answer N. Then do dir c:. There should be a message: Invalid media type reading drive C If you get other than the above the fdisk did not work. When fdisk doesn't work it is probably time to replace the disk. Loren