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Re: PC Transporter fun
In article <1et0i2m.owt7vk1gsm9wN%dempson@actrix.gen.nz>,
David Empson <dempson@actrix.gen.nz> wrote:
> Paul Schlyter <pausch@saaf.se> wrote:
>
>> In article <3AF4516B.16210FD8@hotmail.com>, J.Q.P. <jqp@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Paul Grammens wrote:
>>>
>>>> Isn't the PCT an XT class PC? I didn't think Win3.0 would run on anything
>>>> short of a 286.
>>>
>>> Older versions of Windows (i.e. 3.0/3.1) had "standard" and "Enhanced"
>>> modes. Enhanced, of course, required an 80386, but I believe
>>> that standard mode would work with older processors, and lower
>>> memory configurations.
>>
>> I think he's right. Only Windows up to ver 2 would run on a plain
>> 8086/8088. Windows 3.x did require a minimum of a 286 in standard
>> mode.
>
> Don't forget that the PC Transporter uses an NEC V30 processor, which
> has additional instructions that are also available in the 80186
Already the NEC V20 had all the extra 80186 instructions.
> (and later family members).
This was a fuzzy claim. Which later family members? Only the 286?
Or all of them right through the Pentium III ?
> This may be sufficient to allow Win 3.x to run in standard mode. (I
> haven't tried myself, so I don't know the answer either way.)
>
> I've encountered other software (such as 4DOS) which claim to require
> an 80286, but which also work on an 80186, or an NEC V20 or V30.
Since there were very few PC compatibles with an 80186 processor, the
choice was usually between a plain 8086/8088 and an 80286 or later.
Therefore, if some PC program required at least an 80186, in practice
this often meant you had to get an 80286 PC or later to be able to
run that program.
Inserting a V20 into your 8088 PC of course was a way to make it
"80186 compatible" very cheaply. I used a V20 myself; however when I
inserted the V20 into my old PC, the 8087 refused to work, so I ended
up switching back to the 8088.
The V20 also had a nateive 8080 mode, which enabled you to run CP/M
must faster than by emukating the 8080. As a result, my 4.77 MHz V20
PC ran CP/M programs some 2-3 times faster than my 16 MHz 386.
--
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Paul Schlyter, Swedish Amateur Astronomer's Society (SAAF)
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