Computer Clock Speed

[sgtmatt]

Hi I have a laptop with WIN 98 I would like to be able to slow it way down so I can use it fo program some of my radios. I figured out how to get into the BIOS section on the computer but now I need to figure out how to find the section where I find out where to do this. Thanks a Million

 

[LordJ]

Why do you need to slow the cpu down? Just slow down the transfer speed of the port...

 

[zz0468]

Hi I have a laptop with WIN 98 I would like to be able to slow it way down so I can use it fo program some of my radios. I figured out how to get into the BIOS section on the computer but now I need to figure out how to find the section where I find out where to do this. Thanks a Million

There's a couple of programs you can run. I've successfully used Mo'Slow and Slowdown. Presumably, this is for Motorola RSS, since this is posted in the Motorola forum. You WILL be running DOS, right? Not every RSS is speed sensitive. What is it you're trying to do?

 

[bezking]

Howdy sarge (?),

I was unaware that you could even control processor speed via the bios.
As stated above by zz0468, use one of those utilities and control any applicable speed via those apps. Messing with the BIOS is much more trouble than it is worth.

Furthermore, you MUST run RSS ONLY in DOS mode. NOT just a dos window. To do this in windows 98, boot the machine normally. Then, click Start -> Shutdown. Select "Reboot in MS-DOS Mode," and then use the RSS.

 

[landonjensen]

can i run this program on my XP desktop to make it slower or?

(HT1000 software)

 

[landonjensen]

im trying out http://www.cpukiller.com/

nevermind... didnt work. hah. :evil:

 

[bezking]

can i run this program on my XP desktop to make it slower or?

(HT1000 software)

Nope. XP handles serial ports differently than it's predecessors. CPS will run on XP, but not RSS.

 

[RKG]

Do not try to run Motorola DOS-based RSS under Windows, including a so-called DOS Window under Windows. The reasons are a bit complicated, and have nothing to do with CPU clock speed. An awful lot of people have bricked older radios trying this.

 

[bezking]

Do not try to run Motorola DOS-based RSS under Windows, including a so-called DOS Window under Windows. The reasons are a bit complicated, and have nothing to do with CPU clock speed. An awful lot of people have bricked older radios trying this.

Right - from what I understand, a "feature" of XP causes this problem.

Simply put, XP acts as a middleman between applications and the serial ports, but RSS wants direct access. If it can't have direct access to the serial port, it will not function correctly and do all sorts of crazy things to your nice expensive radio.

 

[RKG]

Essentially correct, but not limited to XP.

The original DOS notion was the service calls to the UART chip would be handled by DOS. However, DOS permitted an application to take direct control of the UART.

Windows does not.

RSS requires direct UART control because of the way older radios were programmed.

 

[landonjensen]

So if I use a Windows 95 or 98 and press F8 during start up, and go to DOS Mode, Ill be in good shape?

 

[zz0468]

So if I use a Windows 95 or 98 and press F8 during start up, and go to DOS Mode, Ill be in good shape?

Maybe, maybe not. Try it and see if it works. If not, you'll need a real DOS version. If I can't run a dedicated PC running DOS 6.22 all by itself, I set up a machine with dual boot capability and have a separate DOS partition. I don't even attempt us WIN 95 or 98 DOS, because it doesn't always work with all RSS types.

 

[RKG]

So if I use a Windows 95 or 98 and press F8 during start up, and go to DOS Mode, Ill be in good shape?

No. You will be operating in DOS simulation under Windows, essentially the same thing as a DOS Window. What you need is a computer that boots in native DOS, either MS-DOS 6.22 or PC-DOS 7.1.

What a lot of folks who regularly program RSS-based radios do is maintain a stable of old 486 laptops (NECs, in my case), with either MS-DOS 6.22 or PC-DOS 7.1 installed.

 

[slicerwizard]

No. You will be operating in DOS simulation under Windows, essentially the same thing as a DOS Window. What you need is a computer that boots in native DOS, either MS-DOS 6.22 or PC-DOS 7.1.

Not true. Pressing F8 (or leaning on Ctrl, IIRC) while Win98 is starting to boot lets you get to a plain old *DOS* interface. Should be exactly the same deal for Win95.

Win95/98 run on top of good old DOS. With F8, you can eliminate virtually all of the Windows effects - you don't even get access to long file names.

 

[RKG]

Not true. Pressing F8 (or leaning on Ctrl, IIRC) while Win98 is starting to boot lets you get to a plain old *DOS* interface. Should be exactly the same deal for Win95.

Win95/98 run on top of good old DOS. With F8, you can eliminate virtually all of the Windows effects - you don't even get access to long file names.

There's quite a few owners of bricked Motorola portables who would disagree.

The F8 routine for Win95/98 is a command line mode that is designed to avoid reliance upon Windows drivers and .dlls, in order to get a machine running that has otherwise been corrupted. It looks like DOS, and will run many DOS commands. However, the kernal of this OS will not permit an application to take direct control of the UART.

 

[obijohn]

There's quite a few owners of bricked Motorola portables who would disagree.

The F8 routine for Win95/98 is a command line mode that is designed to avoid reliance upon Windows drivers and .dlls, in order to get a machine running that has otherwise been corrupted. It looks like DOS, and will run many DOS commands. However, the kernal of this OS will not permit an application to take direct control of the UART.

There is quite a bit of hysteria about windows. It has been my experience that if the RSS program can read a radio, than writing to it will be OK.

Newer radios, such as the MCS and Spectra will not program with the so-called "ribless" cables that you see offered on E-bay. Get a real RIB and cable.

To maximize your success, the following helps:

Use the latest version of software released. Moto upgraded many of their RSS programs to work with faster UPC's. The caveat was that they still needed to run in MS-DOS.

I regularly program MOTO radios with pentium class computers, the trick is that I use MS-dos 6.22.

Forget anything involving windows. Most of the older RSS are dependant on the UART calls, as previously mentioned.

I still maintain a 4.77 MHZ computer for older radius radios. Like I said, it depends on what version of RSS that you own. There is newer stuff out there, bit I don't own it, so I have to get by with what I own.

It doesn't hurt to try to read a radio. I would never try to program a MOTO radio using anything but real DOS. I have been doing this for a long time, as others here have, and I have never corrupted a codeplug.

BUT!, I always use MS-DOS 6.22. Good luck.

 

[zz0468]

I suspect that a lot of the disparity in people's opinions on what works and what doesn't depends on the particular version of RSS that's being run. For example, I can run Spectra RSS on a newer Pentium laptop (under DOS) and it just works. Run STX RSS on the same laptop, and it doesn't even load without running Mo'slo. I can even run Spectra as an application in XP, and modify a previously saved codeplug, although it won't let me write to the radio until I reboot to DOS.

I know guys that have DOS on a USB memory stick, along with their RSS, and use it to boot their laptops, and then run virtually every RSS version Motorola released. Some absolutely require that something be done to slow the PC down. Some don't seem to care.

As stated in previous posts, just use DOS, use a RIB. Get Mo'slo or Slowdown, and use it if absolutely necessary. And if you really want to do it right, get an old computer at a thrift store or garage sale. I have a $25 laptop that works perfectly for this.

 

[slicerwizard]

There's quite a few owners of bricked Motorola portables who would disagree.

Our shop used old Win98 laptops booted to command prompts to run RSS for many different old radios. We never had a problem.

The F8 routine for Win95/98 is a command line mode that is designed to avoid reliance upon Windows drivers and .dlls, in order to get a machine running that has otherwise been corrupted.

That is not its only use.

It looks like DOS, and will run many DOS commands. However, the kernal of this OS will not permit an application to take direct control of the UART.

I see. So how exactly does this real-mode OS intercept hardware accesses?

Virtually every DOS program that accesses serial ports does it by directly accessing the hardware. This includes RSS, GPS applications, scanner control software, data slicer based decoders, etc. and they all work fine with Win98 booted to a command prompt.

 

[SCPD]

Windows Vista and CPS

Do the newer versions of the CPS run on Vista?

Thanks,

Sorry I thought I was starting a new thread!

Moderator, please delete

 

[bezking]

I don't know. Try to write to your brand new FPP XTS5000 M3 and see what happens for us. :lol: