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2500SX works!

N

NathanAllan

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Joined
Jun 1, 2003
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Location
Bellevue, Colorado
I finally got the chance to set up the 2500SX that I haven't had a minute for, and it seems to work with only a few issues. i had DOS 5 handy, so I used those disks (2). Tell me if this is right or wrong: It boots, but asks for system disks. Once I use the disk to boot, I go to A: and cd over to C, and it seems to be there but it's not booting from it. BIOS tells me that A drive is the boot drive and it isn't changeable. What am I missing?

This is a pretty common 386 type of machine, not like the 1000SL that I still haven't found a keyboard for :( But it's still a neat machine :) I'm gonna use this for all my DOS games.

I think I'm missing something pretty simple. It's been so long, I can't remember what to put in the config.sys/autoexec.bat to make it boot from C:!

Nathan
 
Is the drive detected in the BIOS?

FDISK should allow you to partition the drive, then back to DOS to format it.

If it doesn't appear in the BIOS or FDISK, something sinister has happened...
 
The 2500SX usues a standard AT type keyboard, which I think he has. Try setting the primary partition as "active" as stated above.
 
Yeah, missed that. It's the XT that he needs the keyboard for. Apparently, I read too fast for my brain LOL.

If C: isn't set to active (you don't have to reformat the drive or anything, just choose option #2, I believe), what you have is an XXMB non-removable hard floppy drive :)
 
I just got back from working with it. It had been sitting allnight and most of the day plugged up to power. I turn it on, it boots from the hdd and gives me the IBM DOS SHELL! I swear I didn't do anything to it to do that, I was getting ready for it to ask me for a system disk again. But it went straight to the dos shell. Lucky guess, I suppose, that I was using dos5, that's what it is booting to. I didn't copy anything over or anything yesterday, I was just looking around. The bios even gave me the correct date!

DOS box is running!

I found a tandy keyboard (they're XT, then??) that I think i can use on these XT machines I've been working on (paused for months, >groan<) for $30 shipped. I think it's okay, since three machines can use it. I'll remember what y'all said, keep it in my shirt pocket for next time :)

Nathan
 
NathanAllan said:
I found a tandy keyboard (they're XT, then??) that I think i can use on these XT machines I've been working on (paused for months, >groan<) for $30 shipped. I think it's okay, since three machines can use it. I'll remember what y'all said, keep it in my shirt pocket for next time :)
Click to expand...


The 1000 SL and TL can use standard XT keyboards. Earlier 1000 versions (1000, 1000A, 1000SX) have proprietary keyboards. These proprietary ones may work in the SL/TL, but I'm not real sure about that.
 
kb2syd said:
The 1000 SL and TL can use standard XT keyboards. Earlier 1000 versions (1000, 1000A, 1000SX) have proprietary keyboards. These proprietary ones may work in the SL/TL, but I'm not real sure about that.
Click to expand...

I asked the seller to describe it for me, if there were any model numbers on the manual that was being bundled with it but it wasn't the right one, it was the one you mean, the proprietary one. Ah well, back to looking.

Now to get DeskMate on this 2500! That Dos Shell is okay, but since it's Tandy I may as well go all the way with it.

Nathan
 
I got an XT keyboard, and the 1000 did not like it. It has 7 pins, not 5, but I figured I'd take a shot. No-go. It'll still work on the XT clones.

Terry, you're the man.

Nathan
 
NathanAllan said:
I got an XT keyboard, and the 1000 did not like it. It has 7 pins, not 5, but I figured I'd take a shot. No-go. It'll still work on the XT clones.

Terry, you're the man.

Nathan
Click to expand...

So, we've heard AT, XT and Tandy keyboards all in one thread. No wonder you're confused. Just to clarify, the online docs don't really specify which to use.

http://support.radioshack.com/produ...sp?sku_id=25-1401&Name=Tandy Desktops&Reuse=N

Now to muddy the waters up again, what you have might not actually be an SL. The seven-pin jack is for the T1K board. My best guess is that some previous owner may havemixed up the covers, and put the SL cover onto an original 1K, as they will interchange. Does the sticker on the back agree with the badge on the front?

--T
 
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I checked, and both stickers agree, 1000SL. maybe a previous owner swapped the motherboard out from a real 1K, and used the case. I have another one like that, from the same source (thrift store reject; An XT crammed, dremeled and shoved into an AT case). Hmm... seems when i find something interesting in this town it's a project already :)

Nathan
 
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