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First post, by OSkar000

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I just got my first 286/12 to my collection and since my experience from that time period is quite limited I need some help with finding out what fits it best.

At the moment it has only 1mb ram but I will upgrade it to 4mb as soon as I find 4x1mb 30pin sims. The harddrive will be at least 100mb so space shouldn't be an issue.

It has Dos 4 installed now and my initial plan was to make a new install of Dos 5.0 and Windows 3.0 on a "new" harddrive. Would that make any sense?

No soundcard or network is installed so far but I have plans for that too.

System specs is 286/12 with 1mb ram, IDE harddrive (will be replaced), 1,44mb floppy and VGA (probably 256kb).

Reply 1 of 53, by Jo22

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Hi, yes, I think it does.
Way back in the 1990s, I had a 286-12, too.
My dad and me got it second hand and we upgraded it to 4MB RAM and installed an 80MB Conner HDD (AT-Bus/IDE).
But since the BIOS was from the mid-80s,
only 40MB was useable.
Anyway, we soon realized that a CD-ROM drive was a must have, so I got a PAS16 CD-ROM kit quite soon afterwards.
Later, I got my father's antique HP Laserjet+, too and a cheap Mustek handy scanner.
Windows 3.10 ran quite nicely on it, and I was able to watch little videos even, by using VFW 1.0.
And listen to WAVE and MIDI music.
If memory serves, I even dialed into T-Online and also CompuServe network via WinCIM software.

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 2 of 53, by Grzyb

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286/12 isn't a late 286, it's an average 286.
DOS 5.0 would be fine, unless you need multi-config - in this case the prefered version is 6.20.
Windows 3.0 is OK, but with 4 MB of RAM you can also try 3.1 - especially if you install a sound card.
You can also try OS/2 1.x.
As for games, everything from mid-80s until around 1992 should work.

Żywotwór planetarny, jego gnijące błoto, jest świtem egzystencji, fazą wstępną, i wyłoni się z krwawych ciastomózgowych miedź miłująca...

Reply 3 of 53, by Caluser2000

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I run MS Dos 5.0 and Windows 3.1 on my Zenith 286LP Plus (286/12) with 8megs of ram. On my first 286, a generic 286/16 clone system, in the very early '90s I ran DRDos 6.0 and GeoWorks Ensemble 1.2 Pro. Later upped the ram from 1meg to 4megs and ran MS Windows 3.1.

Eventual you will find a 100meg hdd far too small. I ended up fitting a 240 meg hdd to my original 286/16 and ram upgrade and HDD upgrade were'nt cheap back then. I suggest a IDE card with XT-IDE on it using a bigger drive or SD card. Or network card with XT-IDE Bios fitted in the boot rom socket.

Last edited by Caluser2000 on 2020-12-20, 16:53. Edited 1 time in total.

There's a glitch in the matrix.
A founding member of the 286 appreciation society.
Apparently 32-bit is dead and nobody likes P4s.
Of course, as always, I'm open to correction...😉

Reply 4 of 53, by OSkar000

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Thanks for your replies. The computer seems to be from late 1990 or early 1991 from looking at the date codes on some chips.

Upgraded it to 4mb ram now so that gives me a bit more to play with when running Windows. It will probably accept more but I'm not sure if I have any 4mb 30pin sims that I can put in this project at the moment.

A sound card will probably get installed soon, but that is mainly for Dos games. Anything that needs Windows 3.x and a soundcard to be enjoyable probably needs a bit more power than a 286 anyway...

Reply 5 of 53, by Caluser2000

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Don't forget to post pics of your progress 😉

There's a glitch in the matrix.
A founding member of the 286 appreciation society.
Apparently 32-bit is dead and nobody likes P4s.
Of course, as always, I'm open to correction...😉

Reply 6 of 53, by Grzyb

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OSkar000 wrote on 2020-12-20, 16:51:

Upgraded it to 4mb ram now so that gives me a bit more to play with when running Windows. It will probably accept more but I'm not sure if I have any 4mb 30pin sims that I can put in this project at the moment.

It probably won't accept more using SIMMs - 286 boards with support for 4 MB modules are rare.

Żywotwór planetarny, jego gnijące błoto, jest świtem egzystencji, fazą wstępną, i wyłoni się z krwawych ciastomózgowych miedź miłująca...

Reply 7 of 53, by Caluser2000

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Grzyb wrote on 2020-12-20, 18:18:
OSkar000 wrote on 2020-12-20, 16:51:

Upgraded it to 4mb ram now so that gives me a bit more to play with when running Windows. It will probably accept more but I'm not sure if I have any 4mb 30pin sims that I can put in this project at the moment.

It probably won't accept more using SIMMs - 286 boards with support for 4 MB modules are rare.

On the later 286s they were not like my new 286/16. The mobo manual specified them.

There's a glitch in the matrix.
A founding member of the 286 appreciation society.
Apparently 32-bit is dead and nobody likes P4s.
Of course, as always, I'm open to correction...😉

Reply 8 of 53, by OSkar000

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Caluser2000 wrote on 2020-12-20, 18:24:
Grzyb wrote on 2020-12-20, 18:18:
OSkar000 wrote on 2020-12-20, 16:51:

Upgraded it to 4mb ram now so that gives me a bit more to play with when running Windows. It will probably accept more but I'm not sure if I have any 4mb 30pin sims that I can put in this project at the moment.

It probably won't accept more using SIMMs - 286 boards with support for 4 MB modules are rare.

On the later 286s they were not like my new 286/16. The mobo manual specified them.

If the information in the bios is correct it can handle up to 8mb extended memory.

I don't think I will try to go beyond 4mb anyway, it should be enough and if its not I'm probably not using the right computer for the task...

Pictures will come when its up and running 😀

Reply 9 of 53, by Jo22

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OSkar000 wrote on 2020-12-20, 19:11:

Pictures will come when its up and running 😀

Cool, I'm looking forward to it! 😎

Btw, a 286 isn't necessarily as slow as most of us remember it.

Back then, early ATs were built by recycling XT parts.
So it happened that ATs had slow MFM/RLL HDDs with an interleave factor meant for XTs.
Or VGA cards that ran in 8-Bit ISA mode.

Additionally, newer software such as DOS 4 (and higher) or Windows 3.x started to
better support the 286 processor.
Newer versions of Himem.sys nolonger switched between real-mode/protected- mode which required a reset on a 286,
but used features such as LOADALL to conveniently access memory past ~1MB.

If everything is fine, a 286/12 is about as quick as a 386SX/16. 🙂
You find some footage in my channel (look for "286"), also.

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

//My video channel//

Reply 11 of 53, by Caluser2000

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appiah4 wrote on 2020-12-21, 07:36:

OS/2 1.3 ftw.

It's a bloated load of shit. I've got a boxed copy of IBM OS/1.3EE. Wouldn't touch it a barge poll. IBM were stupid in insisting on keeping it 286 compatible. Total waste of resources.

There's a glitch in the matrix.
A founding member of the 286 appreciation society.
Apparently 32-bit is dead and nobody likes P4s.
Of course, as always, I'm open to correction...😉

Reply 12 of 53, by GigAHerZ

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If you go at least with DOS 5, is there any reason not to go with DOS 6.22 already?

"640K ought to be enough for anybody." - And i intend to get every last bit out of it even after loading every damn driver!

Reply 13 of 53, by Cyberdyne

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Litle more memory print. Thats about it. I have never come across a program that needs DOS 6.x, but there are many stuff that need DOS 5, like Wolfenstein 3D of example.

But i really like DOS 3.3x for old 640kB computers. And to be honest Wolfenstein 3D is not a game for 286.

I am aroused about any X86 motherboard that has full functional ISA slot. I think i have problem. Not really into that original (Turbo) XT,286,386 and CGA/EGA stuff. So just a DOS nut.

Reply 14 of 53, by Grzyb

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Caluser2000 wrote on 2020-12-21, 08:13:

It's a bloated load of shit. I've got a boxed copy of IBM OS/1.3EE. Wouldn't touch it a barge poll. IBM were stupid in insisting on keeping it 286 compatible. Total waste of resources.

Well, yes, OS/2 is too heavy for typical 286 machines.
On the other hand, it's the most advanced system one can have on a 286, with preemptive multitasking, multithreading, memory protection, advanced file system, networking, and GUI.

Żywotwór planetarny, jego gnijące błoto, jest świtem egzystencji, fazą wstępną, i wyłoni się z krwawych ciastomózgowych miedź miłująca...

Reply 15 of 53, by GigAHerZ

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Cyberdyne wrote on 2020-12-21, 09:54:

Litle more memory print. Thats about it. I have never come across a program that needs DOS 6.x, but there are many stuff that need DOS 5, like Wolfenstein 3D of example.

I've always been successful with dos6.22 and wolfenstein 3d. Never done anything special to get it running... Any other examples?

"640K ought to be enough for anybody." - And i intend to get every last bit out of it even after loading every damn driver!

Reply 16 of 53, by Cyberdyne

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Well DOS 6.22 is the common denominator, all works there, but also all works with DOS 5.x. Just Wolfenstein/Blake Stone do need at least DOS 5.00.

OS/2 is just a nice thing to play with. Not for everyday gaming.

I am aroused about any X86 motherboard that has full functional ISA slot. I think i have problem. Not really into that original (Turbo) XT,286,386 and CGA/EGA stuff. So just a DOS nut.

Reply 17 of 53, by GigAHerZ

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Cyberdyne wrote on 2020-12-21, 13:04:

Well DOS 6.22 is the common denominator, all works there, but also all works with DOS 5.x. Just Wolfenstein/Blake Stone do need at least DOS 5.00.

Oh. I read from your post that wolfenstein 3d does not run on 6.22...

"640K ought to be enough for anybody." - And i intend to get every last bit out of it even after loading every damn driver!

Reply 18 of 53, by Cyberdyne

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Almost everything runs with DOS 6.22... Windows 1.x and Windows 2.x have few problems, but they are manageable.

Ohh and best games for late 286 are 16 color EGA/VGA platformers and shootemups. All things 3D and 256 color is not really for 286, even if they have minimum requirement.

PS. Wolfenstein is for fast 386 or better a slow 486.

I am aroused about any X86 motherboard that has full functional ISA slot. I think i have problem. Not really into that original (Turbo) XT,286,386 and CGA/EGA stuff. So just a DOS nut.

Reply 19 of 53, by Caluser2000

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Grzyb wrote on 2020-12-21, 11:29:
Caluser2000 wrote on 2020-12-21, 08:13:

It's a bloated load of shit. I've got a boxed copy of IBM OS/1.3EE. Wouldn't touch it a barge poll. IBM were stupid in insisting on keeping it 286 compatible. Total waste of resources.

Well, yes, OS/2 is too heavy for typical 286 machines.
On the other hand, it's the most advanced system one can have on a 286, with preemptive multitasking, multithreading, memory protection, advanced file system, networking, and GUI.

Networking was an addition ( separate software, which is included in IBM 1.3EE not prior versions iirc or v2.x) and not native to OS/2 until v3 Connect(which had a 16 bit tcip stackand no DHCP support unless MPTS it was updated). It's easier to network in Dos. And more hardware is supported.

Last edited by Caluser2000 on 2020-12-21, 17:17. Edited 3 times in total.

There's a glitch in the matrix.
A founding member of the 286 appreciation society.
Apparently 32-bit is dead and nobody likes P4s.
Of course, as always, I'm open to correction...😉