Re: Hopefully last dumb newbie question.

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article CUTjefbla@bconnex.net (Jeff Blakeney) writes...

>On 15 Jun 1998 17:34 -0500, spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)
>wrote:
>
>>    Good question. I always thought it was there to disable hardware
>>shadowing, but apparently it functions the same way as on the ROM 00
>>and 01 machine -- you manually have to activate. I've been going by
>>how my ROM 3 acts as the norm.
>
>It should be disabled by default, even in the ROM 3 if my memory
>serves me correctly.

    Then this is definitely yet another glitch with this particular
ROM 3 motherboard. The programmer CDA's and Alternate Display Mode
are always flagged to 'on'. Perhaps I need to have someone write a
an INIT that forces Alternate Display Mode to be disabled (just as
was done for forcing the programmer CDA's out of my menu).

>>    My ROM 3 board and a few others are slightly different, the
>>programmer CDA's are *always* present in the Classic Desk Menu,
>>and all conventional methods of removal will not work (it has
>>something to do with the state of certain RAM chips when you
>>cold-boot the machine).
>
>I believe, again this is from my poor memory as my archived messages
>are only on my backup right now, there is a jumper on the motherboard
>of the ROM 3's that allows you to either have the programmer's CDA's
>always present or to not show up at all.

    Nope, but close. That jumper (at location 'S1' if my memory is
right) is to remove the Control Panel CDA from the menu. This lets
schools prevent unauthorized tampering with the settings (it still
has no affect on the graphical Control Panel in System 5+, so you
have to manually disable or remove it from the System folder).

    It is a good idea actually, the ROM 00 at my old high school
would constantly have the Control Panel settings messed around
with. You'd always find the screen colors set to something odd,
the startup device to ROM Disk, the volume at maximum, system
set to 'Normal' speed and the clock set about 60-80 years slower
than it should be. ;-) I later removed the sticker placed on the
case that gave instructions how to access the Control Panel. :)

>In the latter case, I believe they act just like on the ROM 00 and
>ROM 01 machines (meaning you can enable them and disable them using
>the check box in the SetStart CDEV).

    On the ROM 00/01 you had to enter Monitor and give a command
to invoke them, then warm boot (the ROM 01 was easier to do than
the ROM 00, you just had to type "#" at the prompt; same option
with the ROM 3). The SetStart Control Panel is another way to
activate them, and a more permanent one since you can have the
System Software change a byte or two in battery RAM that will
determine whether they're "on" or "off". I know the ROM 3 can
check this location without loading special software, though
I'm not sure about the ROM 01.

>I could be wrong and I'm sure someone here can correct me if I did.

    Done. :) As for the programmer CDA's and Alternative Display
Mode always being active on my ROM 3, it is actually a hardware
related problem. In theory, I could probably fix it by changing
the type of 64Kx4 DRAMs in the Slow RAM area of memory.

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca