What is GBU? ---- It is no secret that many people have had less than wonderful experiences getting OS/2 to work with sub-standard computer hardware. This document is an attempt to minimize these problems in the future. It can be used as a shopping list, or to compare against your machine to find if other people using the same hardware have had similar problems. As is the case with any document of this type, it can only be helpful if it is supported by the potential users. This means that enough people must send in enough messages that a representative sample of the available hardware gets listed. New versions will be posted as additions are made to the list. New entries will be highlighted like this for one issue. If this highlighting is a problem for any colour blind people, please send me a message, and we can experiment with other highlighting formats. Feel free to upload this document to any ftp site, BBS, or online service that does not already have it, or that has an older version of it. ==== 80 column marker - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | ==== Usenet Announcement ---- Since many of the problems people have had with OS/2 stem from semi-compatible PC hardware, I will maintain a live document of computer hardware with respect to its performance with OS/2. I will make this document available by uploading it to BBSs and ftp-os2.cdrom.com. It will be distributed both as a viewable INF file and as clear text. The working name of the file is "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". "GBU" for short. Please send me messages about any hardware experiences you want to share. In particular I am looking for information on motherboards, video cards, multi-I/O cards, SCSI controllers, floppy drives, hard drives, CD-ROM drives, printers, modems, mice, track balls, graphics tablets, multi-serial port cards, and any other hardware you have had good, bad, or ugly experiences with. The definitions I am using are: GOOD hardware that caused no known problems, software drivers were available in shrink wrap either with OS/2 or with the hardware, or drivers were freely available on BBSs. BAD hardware that has proved to be incompatible with OS/2 due to excessive numbers of trap messages, or OS/2 drivers do not exist. The hardware might still work in DOS or Windows sessions with appropriate drivers. UGLY hardware that has had problems which could be corrected only after some serious work (changing jumpers doesn't qualify as serious), the available drivers take advantage of only some of the features of the hardware, only beta level (or worse) drivers exist, or the hardware works only in a "compatibility mode". If there are several messages with conflicting votes for a piece of hardware, it will automatically be placed in this category. The specific information I need includes: type of hardware (mother board, video card, etc.), the manufacturer, model number, chip set, serial number range (if it matters), and a vote on Good, Bad, or Ugly, with a specific problem report or glowing recommendation, and any caveats regarding the GBU vote. I may change the GBU designation based on the comments or caveats if they point to a different designation using the guidelines above. If you wish to refute a previous category for a piece of hardware, please provide adequate documentation that the hardware should change from one category to another. It is almost impossible to promote something from Bad to Good directly without said hardware spending at least one release of GBU in Ugly. Likewise for the opposite (less likely) demotion. I do not intend to be a clearing house for debates on the relative merits of hardware. I know enough people who think that ATI is God's gift to OS/2 since their cards work with the drivers included in the shrink wrap, and others who will never purchase another thing from ATI since the best drivers only use 8514a compatibility mode. Similarly I refuse to get involved with any Diamond video driver debates (I don't subscribe to c.o.o.a for good reason). The debate on these two manufacturers places some of their products firmly in the Ugly section. Due to the level of debate that may ensue, I will include email addresses and GBU votes with the entries for the hardware. People who wish to debate the relative merits of the hardware can send messages directly to each other. Please send messages directly to me via Internet or the networked IBM BBS based in Canada. I will NOT be scanning news groups or message forums for anything relating to this hardware list, so make sure any messages are to my attention or sent via email. On the (Canada) IBM BBS, send messages to John Altstadt. Private messages may be sent via the Ibm.Bbsmsg forum or uploaded as files with a note to the sysop to forward the file to me. On Internet, send messages to altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca. I prefer that messages are sent to me in IPF format, as I can just cut & paste them into the source files, and then bang out a new version quickly. If this is a problem for you, then send them in ASCII format and I will do the appropriate conversion. These panels show example text that you would be replacing highlighted this way. If this highlighting is a problem for any colourblind people, please send me a message, and we can experiment with other highlighting formats. When inserting an ampersand (&) in an IPF format message, please use the string "&.". Not all fields will make sense for all hardware categories. The examples given are for hardware that does not exist. ==== IPF Source Format Example ---- Category: CD-ROM drive GBU rating: good :dl break=all tsize=3. :dt.:hp2.Type:ehp2. :dd.SCSI-2 interface, octuple speed :dt.:hp2.Manufacturer:ehp2. :dd.Toshisonic :dt.:hp2.Model Number:ehp2. :dd.XJ-9/4000 :dt.:hp2.Chip Set:ehp2. :dd.Fish &. Chips :dt.:hp2.Comments:ehp2. :dd.Driver included with OS/2. Uses 25 disk cartridges. :dt.:hp2.Caveats:ehp2. :dd.The drive will overheat and melt the CD-ROM after 50 milliseconds if the liquid helium coolant hose is disconnected. :dt.:hp2.Rated by:ehp2. :dd.altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good :edl. ==== ASCII Source Format Example ---- Category: CD-ROM drive GBU rating: good Type SCSI-2 interface, octuple speed Manufacturer Toshisonic Model Number XJ-9/4000 Chip Set Fish &. Chips Comments Driver included with OS/2. Uses 25 disk cartridges. Caveats The drive will overheat and melt the CD-ROM after 50 milliseconds if the liquid helium coolant hose is disconnected. Rated by altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good ==== Good Motherboards ---- Manufacturer generic Taiwan clone, Intel 486DX33 Model Number Rev D2 486SC-P, June 1991, ISA bus Chip Set Symphony, AMI BIOS, 07/07/91, 128 K external cache Comments The system has been extremely stable. Caveats Not tested with more than 8 Meg of RAM. Rated by altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good ---- Model Number EISA486P, ME009 Chip Set HiNT, AMI BIOS, EISA/VLB Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Model Number G486HVL Chip Set HiNT Caesar, AMI BIOS, "Super ISA"/VLB Caveats "Super ISA" is a subset of EISA; most EISA boards work, but not all. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Manufacturer Silicon Star, Intel 486DX33 Model Number AV433, ISA/VL bus Chip Set SIS, AMI BIOS, 06/06/92, 256 K external cache Comments One known problem (the Pentium APAR) corrected in CSD 2.11. Caveats Not tested with more than 16 Meg of RAM. Rated by jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good ---- Manufacturer generic clone, Intel 386DX20 Model Number ECS 386/32, ISA Bus Chip Set C&T 8230, 1991 AMI BIOS, no cache Comments With 8 MB RAM, 2 IDE drives on generic ctrlr, VGA Mono. Just goes to show how primitive a system can still run OS/2 acceptably. Rated by rwh@gov.on.ca - good ---- Type 486 (any type) EISA/VLB Manufacturer AIR Model Number 486EI Chip Set SiS Comments VERY solid board. Personally tested with no problems using DX50 and DX2-66. Takes nifty new 72-pin SIMMs. Caveats Only 5 of 8 EISA slots are master-capable. Rated by greck@catt.ncsu.edu - good ==== Ugly Motherboards ---- Manufacturer Diamond Model Number FastBus VLB, Flash EPROM revision 1.2I Chip Set Chips & Technologies with Diamond-modified C&T BIOS Comments Problems with speed of QIC-80 backup unit when UltraStor SCSI controller installed. Also some bugs in BIOS. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - ugly ---- Manufacturer Unknown Model Number Laser 9000 Chip Set Unichip U4800 with Ami BIOS, 256K external cache Comments Machine operates with AMD 486DX40 CPU run at 50MHZ, jumper selectable CPU speed, otherwise very stable Caveats System hangs and occasionally reboots when Mediavision PAS-16 uses 16-bit DMA channels, sometimes displays errors about not finding basic ROMS during 16-bit DMA induced reboot, PAS-16 sometimes works flawlessly if there is no hang on system boot-up. Not tested with more than 16MB of ram. Rated by paltiel@cnj.digex.net - ugly ==== Bad Motherboards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Good Video cards ---- Manufacturer Cardinal Model Number VGA700, 1991, ISA BUS Chip Set Tseng ET4000, 1 Meg RAM Comments Completely supported by drivers supplied with OS/2, need to use the supplied DOS support tools to set up refresh rates before running SVGA ON. Caveats quite slow Rated by altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good ---- Manufacturer "Color Designer" (generic) Model Number ?? VL-bus Chip Set Tseng ET4000, 1 Meg RAM Comments Completely supported by drivers supplied with OS/2, need to use the supplied DOS support tools to set up refresh rates before running SVGA ON. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Manufacturer Cirrus Logic Model Number CL5426 Chip Set Cirrus Logic 5426 Comments Drivers come with OS/2, but more recent and faster drivers are available by ftp and from BBSes. Caveats More recent drivers give some people installation problems. Had to re-install old seamless Windows drivers to get them to work on this system. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Manufacturer Orchid Model Number Fahrenheit 1280/VLB Chip Set S3-805 (?) Comments Drivers come with some recent OS/2 package; are available from usual sources for other packages. Caveats Beta-level S3 drivers from IBM crashed one machine when installing; final S3_16M drivers gave no problems. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Manufacturer STB Model Number Evolution, 1991, ISA BUS Chip Set Cirrus Logic GD-5428, 1 Meg RAM Comments Requires 3rd party drivers for use under OS/2 2.1. Directly supported under OS/2 2.11. Caveats quite slow Rated by jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good ==== Ugly Video cards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad Video cards ---- Manufacturer Prostar (taiwan) Chip Set OTI-087 (Oak Technology) Comments Does not work for DOS window or MS window in super VGA - Video sync problems. Caveats OK with OS/2 windows. OK in VGA mode. Rated by g-fulford@adfa.edu.au - bad ==== Good Multi I/O cards ---- Manufacturer GoldStar Model Number IDE Plus-V3, December 1991, ISA BUS Chip Set GoldStar Comments jumper selections for primary, secondary, and disabled floppy and hard drives, jumper selection to disable game port, jumper selections to put COM ports at 1/3 and 2/4, jumper selections to put PRT port at 1/2, jumper selections to put COM and PRT ports at IRQ3, 4, 5, 7, 9, jumper selections to disable COM and PRT ports Caveats ASIC emulates a 16450 and cannot be replaced by 16550 Rated by altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good ---- Type VLBus Manufacturer AIR Model Number Q-Access Chip Set Adaptec Comments Supports 2 IDE, 2 Floppy (up to 1.44 MB), SCSI-II, 2 ser, 1 LPT. Included disk contains required drivers (replacements for OS/2's AHA154x.ADD). With ver 1.0 BIOS, COM ports will not work under OS/2. Problem fixed with V1.01 BIOS. Caveats ASIC emulates a 16450 and cannot be replaced by 16550 Rated by jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good ---- Manufacturer StarGATE Model Number One Slot combination multiport board, ISA BUS Revision Unknown (Not first revision, known) Comments 4 COM and 3 PRT ports, jumper selections to put COM ports at {4,3,3,3}, {4,3,4,3,}, {4,3,12,15}, {4 AND 3 - with interrupt sharing}, PRT ports at {7,5,5} and {7,7,5}, jumper selections to disable individual interrupts and addresses Caveats Unable to get PRT3 to work under OS/2 2.1GA Rated by paltiel@cnj.digex.net - good ==== Ugly Multi I/O cards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad Multi I/O cards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Good SCSI Controller cards ---- Manufacturer Adaptec Model Number 1542C, ISA BUS Chip Set Adaptec Comments Very reliable with OS/2 drivers, but not as fast as most VLB or EISA controllers. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Manufacturer UltraStor Model Number 34F, VLB Chip Set Adaptec Comments Reliable and fast. OS/2 drivers come with card, but may be old; newer drivers available from the usual sources. Does NOT include a floppy port. Caveats Older cards have an outdated EPROM that causes OS/2 to crash sporadically. This ROM has a sticker with a number ending in -005, and should be replaced with a -006 EPROM. UltraStor will ship a new EPROM free of charge if needed. If installing OS/2 from a SCSI-based CD-ROM, will need to modify the OS/2 installation disks to include the UltraStor driver. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Type EISA bus-mastering SCSI-2 host adapter Manufacturer Adaptec Model Number 2740/2742/2742T Chip Set Adaptec Comments PhaseEngine(tm) coprocessor (support scatter/gather, tagged queueing, etc.) really speeds along IO. The T version has two SCSI bussed (up to 14 devices). Uses new 50-pin high-density connector. OS/2 drivers in box work great. Caveats No cache. Rated by greck@catt.ncsu.edu - good ==== Ugly SCSI Controller cards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad SCSI Controller cards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Good Keyboards ---- Manufacturer Fujitsu Model Number FKB4700 Comments full use of grey keys Caveats keyboard driver would trap in version 2.0 GA + SP Rated by altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good ---- Manufacturer Focus Model Number FK6000 Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Manufacturer Monterey Model Number K104 Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Manufacturer Keytronics Model Number E03601Q Comments full use of grey keys Rated by jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good ==== Ugly Keyboards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad Keyboards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Good Rodents ---- Type mouse Manufacturer Logitech Model Number MouseMan, Serial-MousePort, M-CJ13-9F Comments the serial pointing device drivers supplied with OS/2 recognize that it is a 3 button mouse Rated by altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good ---- Type mouse Manufacturer Z-Nix Model Number Serial 2-button mouse Comments OS/2 recognizes the mouse out of the box. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Type mouse Manufacturer CompuDyne (CompUSA house brand) Model Number Serial 3-button mouse Comments OS/2 doesn't automatically identify the mouse type when set to 3-button mode, and it's inactive until installation is complete, but it IS supported by OS/2's drivers. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Type trackball Manufacturer Mouse Systems Model Number Trackball II, GK-T321 Comments Full support in OS/2 2.1 Rated by jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good ---- Type Optical Mouse Manufacturer Mouse Systems Model Number Optical Mouse, M411 Comments OS/2 recognizes the mouse out of the box, never needs cleaning Caveats Mouse must be held perpendicular to pad or screen movement will be jerky Rated by paltiel@cnj.digex.net - good ---- Type Serial 3-button Mouse Manufacturer Logitech Model Number First Mouse Comments Works great with OS/2 mouse driver. Very reliable, mine is 2.5 years old and has had zero problems. Rated by walgate@umr.edu - good ==== Ugly Rodents ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad Rodents ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Good Modems ---- Type external Manufacturer AT&T Paradyne Model Number Dataport Chip set AT&T Comments Flawless operation with both ZOC and Fax/PM Caveats Does not come with OS/2 software. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Type external Manufacturer ZyXEL Model Number U-1496E Chip set 68000 cpu & TI DSPs Comments Flawless operation with many DOS, Windows, and OS/2 programs Caveats Some versions of ZyXEL's Z-Fax DOS software don't run under OS/2; does not come with OS/2 software. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ==== Ugly Modems ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad Modems ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Good Printers ---- Type Bubble Jet Manufacturer Canon Model Number BJ-200 Comments Drivers are available through BBS and Internet. Caveats Printing is almost as good as in MS-DOS/Windows, but not quite. Drivers are being worked on to improve performance. Rated by walgate@umr.edu - good ==== Ugly Printers ---- Manufacturer Epson Model Number Stylus 800 Comments excellent resolution in printing words Caveats OS/2 driver does not support high resolution (360x360dpi) graphics modes. Use a MSWindows or DOS based program with appropriate drivers to print complex graphics or high resolution CAD art. Rated by mhinkle@NMSU.Edu - good ---- Manufacturer Hewlett Packard Model Number PaintJet Comments Contains instructions on cleaning, priming, and testing inside printer's chassis on plastic coated quick-ref sheet Caveats OS/2 driver does a bad job at dithering color images, leaving colors too dark, digital on/off switch does not automatically turn printer on when power is supplied, external power supply required for use Rated by paltiel@cnj.digex.net - good ==== Bad Printers ---- Type Bubble Jet, portable Manufacturer Canon Model Number BJ-10ex Comments Driver is not included with OS/2 nor is one available for this model. However, it can be used in IBM Proprinter emulation of 180X180 dpi for OS/2 apps with poor results. Dos and Windows printing works fine for the printer in native 360X360 dpi mode. Rated by walgate@umr.edu - bad ==== Good I/O cards ---- Type serial/parallel/game port Manufacturer Kentech Chip Set 74LS series parts Comments jumper selections for COM ports at 1/3 and 2/4, jumper selections to put PRT at 1/2, one UART is socketed Rated by altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good ==== Ugly I/O cards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad I/O cards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Good Audio cards ---- Manufacturer MediaVision Model Number Pro Audio Spectrum-16 Basic Comments Requires 3rd party drivers for OS/2 2.1GA. Readily available. Rated by jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good ---- Type 8-bit mono card Manufacturer CPS Model Number Soundblaster Junior Caveats Does work only with recent Soundblaster drivers. The CD audio connector has to be changed from 1234 to 2143 for use with a Mitsumi FX001D CD-ROM drive Rated by marc_van-woerkom@ac3.maus.de - good ==== Ugly Audio cards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad Audio cards ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Good CD-ROM drives ---- Type proprietary interface Manufacturer Mitsumi Model Number LU005 Comments Driver available from the usual sources. Caddyless. Caveats Can't install OS/2 from CD-ROM unless you've modified the OS/2 installation disks to include the driver. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Type SCSI interface Manufacturer Toshiba Model Number 3401 Comments Driver included with OS/2. Uses caddies. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ---- Type proprietary interface Manufacturer Reveal (Panasonic) Model Number CD-620 (Panasonic CR-563b) Comments Requires SBCD2.ADD or SBCD2PAN.ADD drivers to operate in OS/2 2.1 GA. Fully supported under OS/2 2.11. Rated by jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good ---- Type SCSI-II Manufacturer Plextor (formerly TEXEL) Model Number DM3028 Comments Driver included with OS/2. Uses caddies. Self-cleaning lens mechanism. Software eject. Caveats Does not support digital transfer on audio-CD's Rated by paltiel@cnj.digex.net - good ---- Type AT-BUS, double-speed Manufacturer Mitsumi Model Number FX 001 D Comments Good and cheap Caveats I had to change the audio connector from 1234 to 2143 to connect to to my soundblaster clone. This may not be a problem mit other Soundcards Rated by marc_van-woerkom@ac3.maus.de - good ---- Type Proprietary Bus Manufacturer MITSUMI Model Number FX001D Comments Double Speed successor of the LU-Drive; driver kit available on various BBSes (mitfx.zip; 17131 bytes). Includes MMPM/2-Support (CD-Player). Easy to install Can use upper interrupts (10,11) or software polling. Caveats No OS/2 drivers shipped with the drive, To install OS/2 from CD-ROM you need to change the first boot disk (explained in the mitfx.zip-archive). Rated by Pascal.Gienger@uni-konstanz.de - GOOD ==== Ugly CD-ROM drives ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad CD-ROM drives ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Good Tape drives ---- Type QIC-80, floppy interface Manufacturer Conner Model Number TapeStor 250 Comments Previously sold as Archive XL-80. QIC-80 tape format. BackMaster works with it quite well on four tested machines. Caveats Does not come with OS/2 backup software. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - good ==== Ugly Tape drives ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad Tape drives ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Good Scanners ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Ugly Scanners ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad Scanners ---- Type hand Manufacturer Reveal (Mustek) Model Number HS150, 400 DPI Grayscale Comments Not directly supported by OS/2. Works well in OS2 DOS or Win session. Uses it's own interface adapter which requires an IRQ. (5-12 supported) Rated by jim.royer@nmebbs.org ==== Good Flopticals ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Ugly Flopticals ---- Type SCSI-II Manufacturer Insite Model Number Unknown (Only one revision, known) Comments Driver support from 3rd party (Corel via CorelSCSI), reads and writes 1.44MB, 720K, 21MB 3-1/2" floppies, reads normal floppies at 2-3 times speed of a normal 3-1/2" drive Caveats Software conflict with MMPM/2's system sounds, incorrectly formats 21MB flopticals, unable to format any media from OS/2 WPS, format created by OS/2 version of CorelSCSI unrecognizable by DOS based floptical drivers, unable to change size of floptical software cache, accessing drive locks WPS Rated by paltiel@cnj.digex.net - ugly ==== Bad Flopticals ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Good Magneto Optical drives ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Ugly Magneto Optical drives ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad Magneto Optical drives ---- Type 3.5", SCSI Interface Manufacturer Fujitsu Model Number M2511A Comments OS/2 recognizes it's there, but thinks it's a 2.88MB floppy drive. I've been unable to get it to work better, but haven't tried too hard, either. Rated by RSMITH@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU - bad ==== Good Notebooks ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Ugly Notebooks ---- Nothing supplied in this category. ==== Bad Notebooks ---- Manufacturer Compaq Model Number Contura 4/25, 4/25c Chip Set Compaq AVGA Comments No drivers for AVGA display adapter (640x480x256) Rated by marc@igwe1.vub.ac.be ==== Publication History ---- The numbers in the .INF and .TXT columns are the sizes of the published files. Ver Date .INF .TXT Release Notes 1.00 94/04/25 27984 21514 initial release 1.01 94/05/10 37278 28891 removed graphics characters, added notebooks, floptical drives