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Urgent request need a ibm 8570 ps/2 computer in working condition

T

techctn

Experienced Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2013
Messages
69
Location
N.C.
Hello,
i am needing a ibm 8570 ps/2 computer for a business before it has to closed its doors. I am wondering if i can get one and switch out the harddrive and it work.. it is throwing up 161 and 163 error code. Or if i could get a reference disk on a floppy ready to go shipped to me and have someone guide me on how to reconfigure the settings to get it running again. MONEY IS NO OBJECT. NEED THIS ASAP ASAP ASAP, Thanks In Advance
 
List of error codes ftp://medialab.freaknet.org/pub/ps2/error-code.html

Looks like just a dead cmos battery. Not an uncommon problem for a lot of machines from this era. You may not even need to replace the hard drive.

Here's a link to the refrence disks http://www.walshcomptech.com/selectpccbbs/

This page might be useful http://ps-2.kev009.com/ohlandl/8570/8570.html

Whats so special about the machine that something more generic couldn't do the job? Does it have a special MCA controller card or somthing?
 
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It has some old windows version on it i guess from the 80s on it and has a design program on it for drawing a design and then writes it to a floppy and then is stuck in a floppy drive on a bunch of machines to make the design. all this stuff is old and they live in a small town and is hard to find someone to be able to fix it.

i just figured the most fastest way to get back going is to replace machine with working one without a dead battery in it. The owner says when they bought it they guy they bought it from had to add chips to it, i dont know if he means some kind of cards or what .

Thanks for the link but i already know about it, but how would i get that info on to the floppy disk, which i would think that drive is special too from the 80s. they have no other parts or machines to work with
 
If you post the location the machine is at there may well be someone not too far away with the know how to sort it out.

Also they may be able to make backups of the HDD for transfer to something less proprierty.
 
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I know its a battery problem but from what i have read it needs a reference disk made stuck in and reconfigure the settings. i dont mean replace the drive, i mean get another computer just like it and put the hard drive i have now from our computer into one exactly like ours and see if everything will go back to working.

Caluser2000 said:
List of error codes ftp://medialab.freaknet.org/pub/ps2/error-code.html

Looks like just a dead cmos battery. Not an uncommon problem for a lot of machines from this era. You may not even need to replace the hard drive.

Here's a link to the refrence disks http://www.walshcomptech.com/selectpccbbs/

This page might be useful http://ps-2.kev009.com/ohlandl/8570/8570.html

Whats so special about the machine that something more generic couldn't do the job? Does it have a special MCA controller card or somthing?
Click to expand...
 
im near charlotte nc. in a small town. I own a computer business and im a business partner with lenovo. I have talk to a mobile tech from lenovo who does my warranty work who has been with ibm since thoughs machine and he cant remember what to do because he has worked on so many different models over the years.

Me, it was way before my time i know 98 and up but truthfully i havent worked on any thing older than xp for years because my clients stay with the future instead of the past, except for a very few which you guessed it, this business.

The son tried to fix it and replaced power supply and motherboard and still gets the error code and they have run out of options and now they call me when it gets down to crunch time and there business is about to have to close the doors for good if i dont find the fastest fix possible

I meant take the harddrive out of the one we have now and put it in a working computer that is the same model. i would think the floppy drives would have to be what they use now because all the machines have that type in them too

Is the floppy drive regular 1.44 with different pins or what i havent look the machine over yet, so just gathering as much info as i can before i go down there
 
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The power supply and the motherboard were replaced and you still get the same error codes?. You say you are in the computer business? Just sell only and and don't do maintenance? Surely there is at least a 'Mom and Pop' computer repair shop, or a savvy high school kid, somewhere around Charlotte who can help you. Also, is this a joke?
 
If the machine in question is just creating files to a disk then sneaker netting them to the machines doing the production work there may well be a less costly/easier solution than trying to source a 8570 box.

I'd suggest getting the son, who has actually worked on the system, to post in this thread his experience with the machine.
 
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yes i do work on computers but more update stuff. i am self taught one man show, i do webdesign, seo networking, asp database, have over 1500 clients, but i dont work on 1980s model or software that old and i dont do server software. im the type that if i dont know how to work on something i find someone who does. i dont have time to learn it. i though coming to this vintage site i could find someone with knowledge about this stuff.
 
well all he done was replaced hardware, very easy, i could do that, going into the software and fixing that part is where the knowledge is lacking but im good and fast if i have a good tech to talk too to guide me through what needs to be done.
 
well if anyone wants to make some money by having the knowledge i need to get this job done here is my website with contact info www.techsetup.com
either phone support or a 8570 ps/2 machine im open to anything, thanks in advance
 
There was one up for sale in Ann Arbor, MI a while ago:
http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcf...ime-to-clean-house!/page5&highlight=Ann+Arbor

No idea whether it is still available.

I would replace the battery first. IBM PS/2 technical manuals are still out there and accessible on the IBM website (you can search and reach those through Google very easily).

Good luck!

Spare parts can sometimes still be found through secondary market re-sellers like http://www.acsoutlet.com and http://www.brokerbin.com.

Off topic: what always surprises me with companies (and people on reality TV like Gold Rush Alaska) is that they never plan ahead and buy plenty of spares (and then spares for the spares for the spares and so on) for mission critical tools. I guess that is my profession coming into play. Especially when using obsolete tools that have spares that are extremely difficult to source.
 
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i will pay you to find someone in charlotte. no its not a joke, its a time issue, and the computer stores i have called dont do it, heck the ibm man said goodluck. thats why im here with people who mess with these units on a daily basis. im sure someone in charlotte does but im a hour east of there and dont have time to call a ton of people to see if they know 1980s software or not
 
well i know the battery can be replaced but wouldnt i still have a issue needing the reference disk to do the reconfigure, i thought that was what i was reading somewhere. and if i got the thing running as long as it wasnt cut off it would keep time and date and everything else in sync until i could get a battery for it?

Is there by any chance that the configure settings can be accessed without the reference disk, like i said i have zero knowledge on the old software or bios if that is what it was called back in the day. i do know the error codes says something about setup options and time and date, is setup options meaning the reconfigure setting like what the reference disk is for or does it mean something different.

you seem intellagent on this matter, i see your NY i will pay you if you can guide me on what you think needs to be done. thanks
PeterLI said:
There was one up for sale in Ann Arbor, MI a while ago:
http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcf...ime-to-clean-house!/page5&highlight=Ann+Arbor

No idea whether it is still available.

I would replace the battery first. IBM PS/2 technical manuals are still out there and accessible on the IBM website (you can search and reach those through Google very easily).

Good luck!

Spare parts can sometimes still be found through secondary market re-sellers like http://www.acsoutlet.com and http://www.brokerbin.com.

Off topic: what always surprises me with companies (and people on reality TV like Gold Rush Alaska) is that they never plan ahead and buy plenty of spares (and then spares for the spares for the spares and so on) for mission critical tools. I guess that is my profession coming into play. Especially when using obsolete tools that have spares that are extremely difficult to source.
Click to expand...
 
why are my post not showing up i just left a detailed message to peter and dont want to have to type it again
 
Caluser2000 said:
If the machine in question is just creating files to a disk then sneaker netting them to the machines doing the production work there may well be a less costly/easier solution than trying to source a 8570 box.

I'd suggest getting the son, who has actually worked on the system, to post in this thread his experience with the machine.
Click to expand...

I would do that if i know software part would not be a issue. these people have no clue on any of it and they use to have companies that would handle it but they have been long gone since the industry there in has moved to China in the 90s except for a few small ones.
he just replaced the hardware he does not have knowledge in the software side, which i dont either on these 80s machines but as long as im talking to someone who does i can fix it. I just need guidence
 
techctn said:
he just replaced the hardware he does not have knowledge in the software side, which i dont either on these 80s machines but as long as im talking to someone who does i can fix it. I just need guidence
Click to expand...
Did he replace the battery? If the son is up to the task of replacing hardware with a little guidance he may well be able to do the rest. How's your experience with transferring data via serial/parallel cable?

Folk come here all the time with similar issues without any "industry" experience and can get systems sorted. They just had a willingness to learn something and solve the problem.
 
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PeterLI said:
There was one up for sale in Ann Arbor, MI a while ago:
http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcf...ime-to-clean-house!/page5&highlight=Ann+Arbor

No idea whether it is still available.

I would replace the battery first. IBM PS/2 technical manuals are still out there and accessible on the IBM website (you can search and reach those through Google very easily).

Good luck!

Spare parts can sometimes still be found through secondary market re-sellers like http://www.acsoutlet.com and http://www.brokerbin.com.

Off topic: what always surprises me with companies (and people on reality TV like Gold Rush Alaska) is that they never plan ahead and buy plenty of spares (and then spares for the spares for the spares and so on) for mission critical tools. I guess that is my profession coming into play. Especially when using obsolete tools that have spares that are extremely difficult to source.
Click to expand...

I can get a battery replaced, but i thought i read that i would still need to do a reference disk thing to get it configure from default when the battery went dead? i was thinking if i could get it going and configure it, and keep it running until i can get a battery the time and date and setting options would stay set.

And im confused about the setting options in the error code is that talking about the reconfigured part with the reference disk or something different? and also i dont know which reference disk to go with, one with reply or not or planar update or not, these people dont have a clue or anything about it and i sure dont know what was done
 
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