IBM PS/1

arlojanis · Post by **arlojanis** » Thu Oct 17, 2002 4:35 am

My IBM PS/1 has a major problem. 99 % of the time it will not boot from A: or C:. This is my main programing computer. What do you think is causing this problem?

elkbow · Post by **elkbow** » Thu Oct 17, 2002 4:53 am

Are there any errors? Please provide more information, not sure if it doesn't boot at all or what. I take it that your c: drive is your main drive? Your a: is your floppy I'm sure.....If it doesn't boot, what does it do, nothing?

arlojanis · Post by **arlojanis** » Thu Oct 17, 2002 5:43 am

When power switch is pushed, I hear switching power supply start, I hear normal sounds, beeps and others. C is main drive and it does not run. A boot disk is A: does not run either. Monitor is on but dark. One time it booted from C drive after on for a while and another time I left boot disk in A and it booted after being on 10 - 15 minutes. After booting computer is OK.

Post by **xmo** » Thu Oct 17, 2002 7:25 am

Most hardware errors cause a series of beeps during the power on self test along with an error code or codes being displayed on the screen. If you aren't getting any, maybe it is just a power supply problem.

There is a power supply listed on ebay item #: 2061419168.

Or buy a complete PS/1 - there was one at $5 that didn't even get any bids. You could email the seller through ebay - maybe he still has it. It was item #: 2060818860

RKG · Post by **RKG** » Thu Oct 17, 2002 7:47 am

This is most likely the power supply. Open the machine and remove the power supply (after labelling all the connectors if you're not familiar enough with PC innards to recognize them by sight) and go to a good computer store (e.g., MicroCenter). Power supplies are more or less a commodity item, and there are only a few different flavors.

Post by **alex** » Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:10 am

Well, also keep in mind that it's an IBM PS2... I forget if that's microchannel or not, but prob. getting the exact power supply ment for the machine is the best idea.

Usually if thereis a hardware failure in one of those systems, the screen will come up and give you a error message that is exceptionaly cryptic unless you still have the manual for the machine.

Power supply might be a good start, or just take $50 and get another 386

-Alex

cranbiz · Post by **cranbiz** » Thu Oct 17, 2002 3:53 pm

The PS/1 is not a microchannel machine, BUT the power supply is proprietery and not an off the shelf unit that you can get at Microcenter or CompUSA.

Depending on the exact model# of your PC and the wattage of the existing power supply, these are the FRU's from IBM and the price.

93F2390 65 Watt 125V for a 2133 192.00

93F2392 85 Watt 125V for a 2155 67.50

52G8741 145 Watt 125/250V for a 2155 137.00

I think that you would be much better off getting an ebay machine (IMHO)

If the machine is POSTing correctly, then you may have a hard disk that is not spinning, but from your description, it sounds like your power supply is missing the +5V

elkbow · Post by **elkbow** » Thu Oct 17, 2002 4:16 pm

If you can hear the computer trying to start, it is possibly not the power supply. You can check voltages with a DVM on the output of the power supply, do inside the computer with a load on it. Pull the computer apart and look at the guts.

I take it the reason you want to get this computer running is the contents of the hard disk? If you have it backed up, as you should, but most people rarely do, then I would suggest another computer. I hate to say it, but I have more computers running in my work room than I have room. If you are looking for something that runs great from DOS and is versatile, pick up a used IBM Thinkpad 755C or something of the same equivalent. I picked up a Thinkpad 755C, 486/75, 24Meg of RAM, 2.1 G hardrive, 3 batteries (two working) and AC adapter on ebay for $64. With the laptop, mobile reprogramming is much easier since you don't have to remove the radio. Especially in my case since my CDM 1250 is remote mounted and I would have to remove the remote and the unit to program. I do have to pull the remote and put back on the main unit to program, they don't like being programmed through the remote head.

kyledooley · Post by **kyledooley** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 8:31 am

I would suggest its a floppy drive failure.

If it's set to check A then boot from C and the A drive fails, it will hang just has he describes. A good place to start is try unplugging the A drive altogether and see if it will boot from the c drive directly.

Another suggestion:
I've had so many computers, I can't remember (its been a while since my ps1/ps2 days) but if you can get into the bios setup screen when you boot up (F1 or F11) change the bios to boot from C first.

If not, I think e-bay is a good way to go. Rip the hard drive out of your PS1 and put it into one you get from e-bay. It will be like nothing ever happened.

Good luck,

Kyle

Post by **alex** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 9:58 am

You can also send the drive to someone who can write what data is on there to a CD. I can't imagine the drive being huge, but you might want to consider a company more than an individual due to information security, esp. if it's for programming a lot of trunked or high end radios... not really stuff you want getting out...

I have a decent number of parts systems lying around work that I might be able to use to pull off the data for you, but my consulting rates are kinda high...

PM me if you want more info, I can try and help ya some more if you'd like.

-Alex

arlojanis · Post by **arlojanis** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 1:39 pm

IBM PS/1 does not ever boot now. There were no error messages back when it worked sometimes. C: drive is humming. I have unplugged other drives and all com and printer cables. I have tried another monitor. Power supply meters +5, -5, +11.75, and -11.73. I have unplugged and replugged all internal connectors.

kyledooley · Post by **kyledooley** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 5:02 am

Sorry to hear that.

I would try your best to find something used to replace that machine, then.

Take the hard drive out of your machine so you can get the data off it. At this point I would recommend not messing around much more with it, cause if your hard drive is still okay, its only a matter of time before it too may die. And that's the last thing you want.

Its probably just old. As a last resort, give it a good vacuum. Its possible you've got a dust bunny shorting something out in there, also take the cards out of it one at a a time and see if any of the fins are bent in the connectors on the motherboard (This happened to me on a PS/2 machine a while ago).

Did you try the guy on e-bay that had the PS/1?

Kyle

Post by **alex** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 5:29 am

You might also want to be careful what kind of vacuum you do use. Some have a habit of generating static, and I've known people to zap their comptuers. Not a good thing...

I would use compressed air.

Or if your going to try the vacuum, I would not use any metal attachments.....

-Alex

kyledooley · Post by **kyledooley** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 6:41 am

Good call, Alex.

Thanks.

Kyle

tennesseefirefighter · Tue Oct 22, 2002 7:02 am

it might even just be the video card or the cmos battery might even be dead they do that after a while i believe on the ps 1 it was built in can you hear the hard drive trying to boot up how many beeps do you get when it trys to boot up

arlojanis · Post by **arlojanis** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 7:36 am

I have changed battery. The modem is the only installed card. Have not counted beeps, I think it is the normal number of beeps. Caps lock and number locks lights are on like before boot. If I swap the hard drive to another machine, does it have to be another 486SX and does the other machine have to have the exact version of DOS? Does the other machine have to have a 211MB drive like the IBM?

tennesseefirefighter · Tue Oct 22, 2002 7:53 am

i believe the ps1 had an an interface harddrive and youll have to have an other computer that will take that that interface but if its an ide drive it will work in modern day computers if you can do that all you gota do is set the old drive TO master AND THE NEW DRIVE TO SLAVE AND COPY THE DRIVES if you can count the beeps it should beep 1ce or even 2ce but thats it if it beeps anymore its a hardware error code let me know an ide interface has 40 little pins double stacked and the ibm interface has like a slide in card interface let me know what u find out and no the new drive can be bigger if you want but you need to format the new one if possible and copy all your old info off the old hard drive that should give you all the info and operating system you had before

arlojanis · Post by **arlojanis** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 9:13 am

The hard drive is a Maxtor and the ribbon cable has a connector with 2 rows of 20 pins each (small round pins).

tennesseefirefighter · Tue Oct 22, 2002 9:32 am

then you should be cool its an ide hdd any computer by todays standards should accept it but dont forget to configure them in cmos but as long as your hdd is not bad all your data is still there i would check that out if i had another computer around and make shure your harddrive isnt bad

sounds like its in the motherboard you might also try pulling the memory out and puting it back in and if the prosessor is in a pull out type slot with the little leaver beside it you might try to take it out to making shure to put pin 1 back with pin 1 on the prosessor sometime corosoion will cause this to happen to a computer

Post by **alex** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 9:34 am

Alrighty - to do this your going to need to know some stuff.

Follow these steps:

1) Visit Maxtors Support site, and type in the model number of the drive. This is going to give you the jumper settings to install in the other computer.

Here's the URL to make it easier:

http://www.maxtor.com/en/support/products/

Your drive should fall under the ATA Hard Drives: Desktop category. The drive you are describing is and IDE drive.

2) Adjust the jumpers so that the drive is set to be a Slave. With IDE you can have 2 drives per port on your controler or motherboard. One has to be the master, one has to be the slave.

3) Now visit the website for the drive manufacturer that is in the computer you want to extract the data to. Again, make the adjustment to the drive in the other computer so that it is setup as master with slave present

4) Hook up the drive to the other computer. The RED line on the IDE cable indicates Pin #1. This should be a keyed connection, but if it isn't, red goes towards the 4 pin power connection on the drive. CAUTION: Some IBM setups have drives that get their power from the IDE bus, and this requires special hardware. If the drive doesn't have independent power, well... think up plan b.

5). Note the Cylindars, Heads, Tracks, and other information off the top of the drive. You might need this to add to your CMOS/BIOS setup on your computer. If you have access to a copier, take the PS1's drive, and make a copy of the top with the label on it.

6) Boot up your computer

7) go into your CMOS/BIOS (should be F2, Delete, something should say "press this key to enter setup, or F12=setup... something like that)

Add the drive

9) save the settings, and exit.

10) Reboot

11) You now should have both drives on the computer visiable.

NOTE: You may have to disconnect a CD rom or other IDE device to make space on your chain to accept the Hard Drive. Make notes of settings in CMOS/BIOS that you change so that you can set them back.

Good Luck... I won't go into how to set stuff up in CMOS/BIOS since there are so many different versions.

-Alex

motor59 · Post by **motor59** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 6:59 pm

Check the back of your machine, on the dataplate. If it's a model 2155, I have the same unit here. If you want to see if the drive is still functional and try backing up the data on it, drop me a PM.

cranbiz · Post by **cranbiz** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 6:13 am

If you are going to try to put the hard disk into another machine, check the jumpers on the existing hard disk first. NOT all manufacturers use the master-slave configuration. Compaq and Dell usually use cable select. If this is the case, you then need both disks jumpered for cable select and the disk at the end of the cable is the "master" or boot disk and the disk in the middle is the"slave" or second disk.

Good Luck

Bob

arlojanis · Post by **arlojanis** » Thu Jan 30, 2003 1:34 pm

Found problem with IBM yesterday! It was a bad keyboard killing the computer. Replaced the keyboard and computer works everytime. Another thing I learned from this computer is com 2 does not always work with RSS if modem card is removed from computer.

Post by **wavetar** » Thu Jan 30, 2003 3:41 pm

Hmm. Bad keyboard usually gives an "error 301 - keyboard error" if it's bad. I think that's what was throwing everyone off. Oh well, glad to hear you got it working.

Todd

IBM PS/1

IBM PS/1

IBM PS/1

it might just be the video card

ps1

should comply