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Looking for Xenix 386

Chuckster_in_Jax

Chuckster_in_Jax

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Joined
Feb 28, 2006
Messages
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Location
Jacksonville, Florida
Last week I got a Tandy 386 machine off of eBay and would like to install Xenix 386 on it. Unfortunately my searches for Xenix disk images are coming up with nothing. The only images I can find are for the Tandy Model II/16/6000 series. Does anyone know where I can find a set of diskettes? By now I would think that Xenix should be in the public domain.
 
Am I dreaming, or did Microsoft offer Windows 1.X for free download before? I know Apple has put out old MacOS versions for free. On the other hand, what are the chances Microsoft still have any sources or even knowledge of Xenix?
 
I've been looking all over for things related to Xenix, and whoever has them aren't releasing them. I have an Altos running Xenix, and have also come up short. I can't remember anything by M$ that has ended up as public domain, either. I'll still keep my eyes out, Chuckster.
 
Xenix 386 Diskettes

Xenix 386 Diskettes

I came across Xenix 386 on 5¼" floppy diskette about a month and half back. I thought nobody would be interested in those, and I think I chucked 'em away.

Doh!

Paul.
 
Chuckster_in_Jax said:
Last week I got a Tandy 386 machine off of eBay and would like to install Xenix 386 on it. Unfortunately my searches for Xenix disk images are coming up with nothing. The only images I can find are for the Tandy Model II/16/6000 series. Does anyone know where I can find a set of diskettes? By now I would think that Xenix should be in the public domain.
Click to expand...

Drop Sharkonwheels a PM.

I believe he said he had a Xenix set of disks for the Tandy 3000, he probably has a 386 version as well. Somewhere. In all that hardware.
 
The version I have is for the 286 only (Tandy 3000NL I think).
I recall that it would NOT install on ANYTHING higher.

I DO have a copy or 2 of SCO Xenix, if that is a 2nd choice.


T
 
Bingo! Looks like I stumbled across a big Unix find. In a web search I found an archive on the BitTorrent file sharing network named titor-special. It contains a large number of versions of Unix for various platforms including source code(although no source code for Xenix). At the end of the list was Xenix and it includes disk images for versions for 8088, 80286, and 80386. I generated the 1.44MB floppies for Xenix 386 v2.3.4 and tried to install. It initially started booting up but then began giving fd(64) errors. I used rawrite3 to make the floppy images, so I may try a different software utility and/or one of the other versions and see if I have any better luck.
 
Chuckster_in_Jax said:
Bingo! Looks like I stumbled across a big Unix find. In a web search I found an archive on the BitTorrent file sharing network named titor-special. It contains a large number of versions of Unix for various platforms including source code(although no source code for Xenix). At the end of the list was Xenix and it includes disk images for versions for 8088, 80286, and 80386. I generated the 1.44MB floppies for Xenix 386 v2.3.4 and tried to install. It initially started booting up but then began giving fd(64) errors. I used rawrite3 to make the floppy images, so I may try a different software utility and/or one of the other versions and see if I have any better luck.
Click to expand...

Are you sure you don't have to use 5.25" floppies? Not really that familiar with rawrite, but every Xenix machine I have encountered (mine plus ones I have talked to people about through email) have all used 5.25" disks.

I love the titor-special, reminds me of the story of John Titor :)

Nathan
 
VintageComputerman said:
Xenix 3.2 downloads...

http://www.catcorner.org/Tandy/
Click to expand...

I believe these disks are for a Tandy Model II/12/16 with a 68000 processor and not PC compatible.

NathanAllan said:
Are you sure you don't have to use 5.25" floppies? Not really that familiar with rawrite, but every Xenix machine I have encountered (mine plus ones I have talked to people about through email) have all used 5.25" disks.

I love the titor-special, reminds me of the story of John Titor :)

Nathan
Click to expand...

The instructions in the Readme files are as follows:

**************
Instructions for installation

Convert images in 3.5 1.44MB disks using a disk image tool, like RAWRITE,
then boot from disk N1.
**************
It still may be possible that they were originally in 5.25" format and converted or transferred to 3.5". RAWRITE3 wrote the image to the disk and gave no errors. I believe that it will not allow you to write to a disk that is different from the source image. The fact that the readme file said to use RAWRITE and i used RAWRITE3 may be a problem if there are compatibility issues between versions.
 
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Waking up an old thread here, but while it's alive again.... I just left for vacation for a few days but coincidentially just before I left I went through a box of Xenix disks and manuals for the 386 era. A SCO set or two and a related set of 386 Unix for At&T. I also saw minix whatever that is. Need to investigate further.
 
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