 
 GBU Version 1.09 

 ---- 

 What is GBU? 

 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. 

 ---- 

 It is no secret that many people have had less than wonderful 
 experiences getting OS/2 to work with sub-standard computer 
 hardware.  This document is an attempt to minimize these problems in 
 the future.  It can be used as a shopping list, or to compare against 
 your machine to find if other people using the same hardware have 
 had similar problems. 

 As is the case with any document of this type, it can only be helpful 
 if it is supported by the potential users.  This means that enough 
 people must send in enough messages that a representative sample of 
 the available hardware gets listed. Please email me new submissions 
 at altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca.  New versions will be posted as additions 
 are made to the list. 

 Feel free to upload this document to any ftp site, BBS, or online 
 service that does not already have it, or that has an older version of 
 it. 

 ==== 

 80 column marker - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | 

 ====   

 
 Detailed Description 

 ---- 

 Since many of the problems people have had with OS/2 stem from 
 semi-compatible PC hardware, I will maintain a live document of 
 computer hardware with respect to its performance with OS/2.  I will 
 make this document available by uploading it to a local ibmNET BBS, 
 ftp-os2.nmsu.edu, and ftp-os2.cdrom.com.  It will be distributed both as 
 a viewable INF file and as clear text. 

 Please send me messages about any hardware experiences you want 
 to share.  In particular I am looking for information on motherboards, 
 video cards, multi-I/O cards, SCSI controllers, floppy drives, hard 
 drives, CD-ROM drives, printers, modems, mice, track balls, graphics 
 tablets, multi-serial port cards, and any other hardware you have had 
 good, bad, or ugly experiences with. 

 The definitions I am using are: 

 GOOD 
    hardware that caused no known problems, software drivers were 
    available in shrink wrap either with OS/2 or with the hardware, or 
    drivers were freely available on BBSs. 

 BAD 
    hardware that has proved to be incompatible with OS/2 due to 
    excessive numbers of trap messages, or OS/2 drivers do not exist.  
    The hardware might still work in DOS or Windows sessions with 
    appropriate drivers. 

 UGLY 
    hardware that has had problems which could be corrected only after 
    some serious work (changing jumpers doesn't qualify as serious), the 
    available drivers take advantage of only some of the features of the 
    hardware, only beta level (or worse) drivers exist, or the hardware 
    works only in a "compatibility mode".  If there are several messages 
    with conflicting votes for a piece of hardware, it will automatically 
    be placed in this category. 
 
 The specific information I need includes:  type of hardware (mother 
 board, video card, etc.), the manufacturer, model number, chip set, 
 serial number range (if it matters), version of OS/2 used to test the 
 hardware, and a vote on Good, Bad, or Ugly, with a specific problem 
 report or glowing recommendation, and any caveats regarding the GBU 
 vote. 

 To decide which category your submission fits in, ask yourself if you 
 would recommend this hardware to someone who does not have any 
 DOS or Windows programs.  I may change the GBU designation based on 
 the comments or caveats if they point to a different designation using 
 the guidelines above. 

 Any script files or chunks of code supplied with a submission can be 
 included as a footnote.  Cross references to other submissions will be 
 maintained as hypertext links. 

 If you wish to refute a previous category for a piece of hardware, 
 please provide adequate documentation that the hardware should 
 change from one category to another.  It is almost impossible to 
 promote something from Bad to Good directly without said hardware 
 spending at least one release of GBU in Ugly.  Likewise for the opposite 
 (less likely) demotion. 

 Please send messages directly to me via Internet or the networked IBM 
 BBS based in Canada.  On the (Canada) IBM BBS, send messages to 
 John Altstadt.  Private messages may be sent via the Ibm.Bbsmsg 
 forum or uploaded as files with a note to the sysop to forward the file 
 to me.  On Internet, send messages to altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca. 

 To reduce the time required to generate a new edition of GBU, I prefer 
 that messages are sent to me in IPF format, as I can just cut & paste 
 them into the source files, and then bang out a new version quickly.  If 
 this is a problem for you, then send them in ASCII format and I will do 
 the appropriate conversion.  Please use only one format for any 
 submissions.  These panels show example text that you would be 
 replacing highlighted this way. 

 Not all fields will make sense for all hardware categories. 

 The examples given are for hardware that does not exist. 

 ====   

 
 IPF Source Format Example. 

 Select this window, press <Ctrl><Ins> to copy this text to the 
 clipboard, then press <Shift><Ins> to paste it into your editor. 

 ---- 

 Category:  CD-ROM drive
 GBU rating:  good
 
 :p.----
 :hp8.
 :dl break=all tsize=3.
 :dt.:hp2.Type:ehp2.
 :dd.SCSI-2 interface, octuple speed
 :dt.:hp2.Manufacturer:ehp2.
 :dd.Toshisonic
 :dt.:hp2.Model Number:ehp2.
 :dd.XJ-9/4000
 :dt.:hp2.Chip Set:ehp2.
 :dd.Fish &amp. Chips
 :dt.:hp2.Comments:ehp2.
 :dd.Driver included with OS/2.  Uses 25 disk cartridges.
 :dt.:hp2.Caveats:ehp2.
 :dd.The drive will overheat and melt the CD-ROM after 50 milliseconds if
 the liquid helium coolant hose is disconnected.
 :edl.
 :dl compact tsize=18.:dthd.:hp2.OS/2 Version:ehp2.:ddhd.:hp2.Rated by:ehp2.
 :dt.Warp 5.0
 :dd.altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good
 :edl.
 :ehp8.
 
 ---- 

 A skeleton format without the sample text.  Delete the text above 
 before saving the file. 

 ---- 

 Category:
 GBU rating:
 
 :p.----
 :hp8.
 :dl break=all tsize=3.
 :dt.:hp2.Type:ehp2.
 :dd.
 :dt.:hp2.Manufacturer:ehp2.
 :dd.
 :dt.:hp2.Model Number:ehp2.
 :dd.
 :dt.:hp2.Chip Set:ehp2.
 :dd.
 :dt.:hp2.Comments:ehp2.
 :dd.
 :dt.:hp2.Caveats:ehp2.
 :dd.
 :edl.
 :dl compact tsize=18.:dthd.:hp2.OS/2 Version:ehp2.:ddhd.:hp2.Rated by:ehp2.
 :dt.
 :dd.
 :edl.
 :ehp8.
 
 ====   

 
 ASCII Source Format Example. 

 Select this window, press <Ctrl><Ins> to copy this text to the 
 clipboard, then press <Shift><Ins> to paste it into your editor. 

 ---- 

 Category:  CD-ROM drive
 GBU rating:  good
 
 Type:  SCSI-2 interface, octuple speed
 Manufacturer:  Toshisonic
 Model Number:  XJ-9/4000
 Chip Set:  Fish & Chips
 Comments:  Driver included with OS/2.  Uses 25 disk cartridges.
 Caveats:  The drive will overheat and melt the CD-ROM after 50 milliseconds
 if the liquid helium coolant hose is disconnected.
 OS/2 version:  Warp 5.0
 Rated by:  altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good
 
 ---- 

 A skeleton format without the sample text.  Delete the text above 
 before saving the file. 

 ---- 

 Category:
 GBU rating:
 
 Type:
 Manufacturer:
 Model Number:
 Chip Set:
 Comments:
 Caveats:
 OS/2 version:
 Rated by:
 
 ====   

 
 Other Sources of Help 

 ---- 

 Check for the following documents on BBSs, Internet archive sites, 
 Usenet news groups, and WWW sites. 

 PCMTAB.ZIP 
    IBM's list of 3rd party hardware that has passed compatibility tests 
    with OS/2.  This is an excellent list, but each entry is limited to the 
    information that can be contained on a single line.  Information on 
    equipment that has failed the standard set of tests is not included.  
    Much of the list covers complete systems as supplied to IBM by the 
    various clone manufacturers, so it would be a good resource for 
    people about to purchase a new system. 

 Patrick Duffy's PCI Lists 
    Patrick Duffy posts several lists to the Usenet news group 
    comp.os.os2.misc every week.  These lists cover PCI chip sets, 
    motherboards, video cards, and SCSI controller cards. 

 FAQxxx.ZIP 
    The FAQ maintained by Timothy Sipples contains some tips regarding 
    hardware and OS/2 in general. 

 http://pclt.cis.yale.edu/pclt/default.htm 
    The PC Lube and Tune site has general information on the PC 
    architecture. 
 
 ---- 

 This is a list of anonymous ftp sites mentioned elsewhere in this 
 document. 

 creative.creaf.com 
    drivers and software for Creative Labs cards 

 ftp-boi.external.hp.com 
    drivers for Hewlett-Packard printers 

 ftp.europe.ibm.com 
    drivers for PCMCIA on Compaq Contura Aero 

 ftp-os2.cdrom.com, ftp.cdrom.com 
    collection of OS/2 shareware, freeware, and information 

 ftp-os2.nmsu.edu 
    collection of OS/2 shareware, freeware, and information 

 ftp.gate.net 
    drivers for Optics Storage CD-ROM drive 

 microsoft.com 
    Windows drivers, mscdex 
 
 ====   

 
 What's New? 

 ---- 

 Ugly Audio cards:  ATI (upgrade), Gravis, MediaVision 
 Good CD-ROM drives:  Teac, Toshiba 
 Good Hard Disks:  Quantum 
 Good I/O cards:  Kouwell, STB 
 Good Keyboards:  IBM 
 Good Magneto Optical drives:  Fujitsu 
 Good Modems:  Supra 
 Good Monitors:  NEC 
 Good Motherboards:  AMI 
 Bad Motherboards:  ASUS 
 Bad Multimedia Kits:  Media Vision 
 Bad Notebooks:  Toshiba 
 Good Printers:  Epson (upgrade) 
 Good Removable Media:  Iomega 
 Good Scanners:  HP 
 Bad Scanners:  Microtek 
 Good SCSI Controller cards:  QLogic 
 Good Tape drives:  HP, IOMega 
 Good Video cards:  ATI (upgrade), TechWorks 
 
 ====   

 
 Good Audio cards 

 ---- 

 Type 
    8-bit mono card 

 Manufacturer 
    CPS 

 Model Number 
    Soundblaster Junior 

 Caveats 
    Does work only with recent Soundblaster drivers.  The CD audio 
    connector has to be changed from 1234 to 2143 for use with a 
    Mitsumi FX001D CD-ROM drive 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             marc_van-woerkom@ac3.maus.de - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    16 bit stereo with SCSI-2 port 

 Manufacturer 
    Creative Labs 

 Model Number 
    Sound Blaster 16 SCSI-2 

 Chip Set 
    Creative CT174x 

 Comments 
    Drivers supplied on MMPM diskettes.  The card comes with DOS and 
    Windows drivers and software.  New drivers for DOS, Windows, and 
    OS/2 are available via anonymous ftp from Creative Labs at 
    creative.creaf.com.  The DOS drivers will let you change the IRQ 
    and DMA channels, so the card can be set for IRQ10 under OS/2 and 
    Windows, while older DOS programs can use IRQ 2, 5, and 7 inside a 
    BAT file wrapper.  OS/2 will allow DOS programs to change the IRQ 
    on the fly.  See the Good SCSI Controller cards section for more 
    info. 

 Caveats 
    The SB16 cards are known for hiss, clicks, and pops when playing 
    8-bit wav files.  Some of the system sounds skip the first chunk of 
    the file, but sound correct when using the Audio Player.  The 
    updated drivers from Creative Labs solve these problems.  OS/2 will 
    allow DOS programs to change the card IRQ on the fly, which has 
    potential for serious problems. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.11 - 3.0        altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    8-bit FM synthesis card 

 Manufacturer 
    Creative Labs 

 Model Number 
    SoundBlaster "Value Edition" 

 Chip Set 
    Creative Labs 

 Comments 
    Very minimal card, but works fine. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    MediaVision 

 Model Number 
    Pro Audio Spectrum-16 Basic 

 Comments 
    Requires 3rd party drivers for OS/2 2.1GA.  Readily available. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    ISA 16-bit 

 Manufacturer 
    Orchid ???? 

 Model Number 
    Sound Producer Pro 

 Comments 
    Cheap!, Creative Sound-Blaster Pro emulation - runs Doom in stereo 
    under DOS fine :)  Works perfectly with the v2.1 and newer Creative 
    Labs SB drivers (OPL 3) with a wide range of IRQs and base 
    addresses.  Also includes a Panasonic CD-ROM ifce. and optional (and 
    pretty useless) CD-ROM only Trantor SCSI chpiset. 

    The CR563 hitched without any problems as long as you remember 
    (1) to turn on the CDROM interface and (2) ignore the CD drivers 
    that come w/ the SP-Pro card (my disks are v1.1)! They didn't 
    work, but the CDROM drive came with IBM's ISA CDROM drivers which 
    installed first time under DOS and seem to work fine. Under OS/2 I 
    have v2.11 (serviced v2.1) and installation was rather worse: 
    Selective Install mentions the 563 but installation requires putting 
    disks 3-9 in succession into the drive and very little is done. After 
    reboot the SBCD2.ADD driver had NOT been copied to the OS/2 
    directory on my boot disk, so I did it manually and lo! the Feb 94 
    driver from Hobbes worked first time, though I think Selective Install 
    damaged the file system slightly on my OS2 boot drive which 
    CHKDSK subsequently fixed. 

 Caveats 
    Only 8-bit sound. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1               j.c.w.price@qmw.ac.uk - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Audio cards 

 ---- 

 Type 
    8-bit stereo 

 Manufacturer 
    ATI 

 Model Number 
    Stereo F/X 

 Chip Set 
    Yamaha 

 Comments 
    Run with driver for SoundBlaster (SBD2.SYS) included in OS/2.  The 
    card setup (Channel, IRQ, DMA) is done by DOS software - no 
    jumpers! 

 Caveats 
    Not the whole functionallity of the ATI Stereo F/X is supportet by 
    the Soundblaster driver:  playback of MIDI, digital stereo and files 
    with a sample rate of 44,1 kHz doesn't work.  If many sounds are 
    played in a short period of time, the WPS often hangs, due to bad 
    driver programming.  Quite old model, which is scarcely supported by 
    ATI. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 Warp 3.0          gerber@kilo.emk.e-technik.th-darmstadt.de - ugly 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    16 bit sound card 

 Manufacturer 
    Advanced Gravis 

 Model Number 
    Gravis Ultrasound 

 Comments 
    I used a revision 2.2 board; there is little physical difference between 
    the early 2.2 rev.  board and the more recent boards, rev 3.X I 
    believe.  The Gus Max is similar and uses the same drivers.  The GUS 
    ACE is a add on for the soundblaster series and may work 
    differently under os/2 than the GUS card. 

 Caveats 
    Only drivers available are _alpha_ Gravis drivers and shareware 
    drivers.  Winos2 support non-existant unless you register the 
    shareware drivers because Windows drivers are VXDs.  Emulation of 
    the soundblaster and roland cards under dos also not possible for 
    same reason.  Manley drivers, when registered will address this in a 
    future release.  No Midi support for os/2 unless you have midi device 
    attached.  (Not tested) 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               homi@netcom.com - ugly 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    8-bit mono 

 Manufacturer 
    MediaVision 

 Model Number 
    Thunderboard 

 Chip Set 
    MediaVision Thunder 

 Comments 
    Other soundcards which claim to be SoundBlaster 2.0 compatible 
    (some using the Thunder chipset) do not work with the Warp SB 2.0 
    driver either. It has to be patched in order to work.  See below. 

 Caveats 
    Not the whole functionallity of the Thunderboard is supported by the 
    Soundblaster driver, most notably playback of MIDI (FM synthesis 
    with OPL3). 

    o 2.1:  search for the patch tbos2.zip on ftp.cdrom.com, etc. 
    o 3.0:  search for the patch sb2warp.zip on ftp.cdrom.com, etc. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1, 3.0          leeuw@fwi.uva.nl - ugly 
 
 ====   

 
 Bad Audio cards 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good CD-ROM drives 

 ---- 

 Type 
    AT-BUS, double-speed 

 Manufacturer 
    Mitsumi 

 Model Number 
    FX 001 D 

 Comments 
    Good and cheap 

    Double Speed successor of the LU-Drive; driver kit available on 
    various BBSes (mitfx.zip; 17131 bytes).  Includes MMPM/2-Support 
    (CD-Player).  Easy to install.  Can use upper interrupts (10,11) or 
    software polling. 

 Caveats 
    I had to change the audio connector from 1234 to 2143 to connect to 
    to my soundblaster clone.  This may not be a problem mit other 
    Soundcards 

    No OS/2 drivers shipped with the drive, To install OS/2 from CD-ROM 
    you need to change the first boot disk (explained in the 
    mitfx.zip-archive). 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             marc_van-woerkom@ac3.maus.de - good 
 < 3.0             Pascal.Gienger@uni-konstanz.de - GOOD 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    proprietary interface 

 Manufacturer 
    Mitsumi 

 Model Number 
    LU005 

 Comments 
    Driver available from the usual sources.  Caddyless. 

 Caveats 
    Can't install OS/2 from CD-ROM unless you've modified the OS/2 
    installation disks to include the driver. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-1 interface, double speed 

 Manufacturer 
    NEC 

 Model Number 
    CDR-84 

 Comments 
    Driver included with OS/2. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2, triple speed, caddy 

 Manufacturer 
    NEC (?) 

 Model Number 
    CDR 510 

 Comments 
    OEM version of NEC 3Xi.  Cdthru says that the drive tops out at 401 
    kbytes/sec.  OS/2 2.1 GA and later recognize the drive as either an 
    NEC Multi-Spin or as an NEC 3Xx right out of the box. 

 Caveats 
    There are rumors that NEC doesn't support OEM drives in any way, 
    and is even hostile to people that buy such drives. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.10 - 3.0        altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2, Quad Speed, internal 

 Manufacturer 
    Plextor 

 Model Number 
    4Plex (PX43-CH) 

 Chip Set 
    

 Comments 
    Fast.  1Mb Buffer ram.  Uses caddies.  OS/2 Warp recognizes it 
    automatically.  Software Eject. 

 Caveats 
    No automatic loading, you have to push the caddy all the way into 
    the drive by hand.  For some reason it suddenly developed a 
    problem with spinning certain discs, but then the problem 
    disappeared.  Expensive. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 Warp 3.0          tam@usc.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-II, double speed 

 Manufacturer 
    Plextor (formerly TEXEL) 

 Model Number 
    DM3028 

 Comments 
    Driver included with OS/2 (use the Texel 3024 driver).  Uses caddies.  
    Self-cleaning lens mechanism.  Software eject. 

 Caveats 
    Does not support digital transfer on audio-CD's 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             paltiel@cnj.digex.net - good 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    proprietary interface 

 Manufacturer 
    Reveal (Panasonic) 

 Model Number 
    CD-620 (Panasonic CR-563b) 

 Comments 
    Requires SBCD2.ADD or SBCD2PAN.ADD drivers to operate in OS/2 2.1 
    GA. Fully supported under OS/2 2.11.  - jim.royer@nmebbs.org 

    Panasonic CDROM support under OS2 is excellent provided you have 
    OS/2 v2.11 or greater which supports the 563 directly.  The DOS 
    drivers are out of date, but drivers that ship with the CDROM drive 
    work fine.  Appears to be a decent standard port, though there is 
    no support for IRQ-driven data transfer, which is supposedly quicker 
    and less CPU-intensive than the pure I/O port stuff.  - 
    j.c.w.price@qmw.ac.uk 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good 
 2.1               j.c.w.price@qmw.ac.uk - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    Quad speed, panasonic/creative labs interface 

 Manufacturer 
    Teac 

 Model Number 
    CD-55a 

 Comments 
    Requires driver CD55os1.zip from Hobbes, found in /os2/drivers.  
    Works with both Warp (under which I tested it) and 2.11. 

 Caveats 
    Installation procedure on driver disk is both simple and thorough. 
    Drive installs without incident, and seems to work well in OS/2, DOS, 
    and Windows 3.1.  (note:  some users have reported that this drive 
    requires either the TEAC proprietary interface card, or a genuine 
    Creative Labs Soundblaster card.  Clones may or may not work 
    properly.) 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               farnold@alberich.duch.udel.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2 Single Speed 

 Manufacturer 
    Toshiba 

 Model Number 
    3301 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 <=3.0             dguthrie@iisys.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI interface 

 Manufacturer 
    Toshiba 

 Model Number 
    3401 

 Comments 
    Driver included with OS/2.  Uses caddies. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI Interface, double speed 

 Manufacturer 
    Toshiba 

 Model Number 
    4101 

 Comments 
    Driver included with OS/2. Caddyless 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             reinhard@ifki50.informatik.fh-muenchen.de - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    Proprietary interface, double speed 

 Manufacturer 
    Wearnes 

 Model Number 
    CDD-110 

 Chip Set 
    Philips 

 Comments 
    Includes interface card and DOS drivers. Caddyless 

 Caveats 
    Sony OEM drive but it doesn't work with the Sony drivers.  OS/2 
    drivers are available at ftp-os2.nmsu.edu in 
    /os2/2_1/drivers/wearnes.zip.  This driver works with OS/2 2.1 and 
    OS/2 3.0 Warp. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1, 3.0          peterpv@ice2.utwente.nl - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly CD-ROM drives 

 ---- 

 Type 
    Proprietary interface, double speed. 

 Manufacturer 
    Optics Storage 

 Model Number 
    Dolphin 8000AT 

 Chip Set 
    Philips 

 Comments 
    Includes interface card & DOS drivers.  Cadyless. 

 Caveats 
    From what I can tell the drive is a Sony OEM.  However, no drivers 
    for OS/2 can be found nor do the current Sony drivers work with 
    the card. However, the DOS drivers provided do load in a DOS box if 
    only someone can find a MSCDEX.EXE that will access the drive from 
    a DOS box. [sandman] 

    Sony OEM drive but it doesn't work with the Sony drivers.  OS/2 
    drivers are available at:  ftp.gate.net /pub/users/pyle/dolat001.exe 

    This driver works with OS/2 3.0 Warp.  [peterpv] 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             sandman@netcom.com - ugly 
 3.0               peterpv@ice2.utwente.nl - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Bad CD-ROM drives 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good Flopticals 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Ugly Flopticals 

 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-II 

 Manufacturer 
    Insite 

 Model Number 
    Unknown (Only one revision, known) 

 Comments 
    Driver support from 3rd party (Corel via CorelSCSI), reads and writes 
    1.44MB, 720K, 21MB 3-1/2" floppies, reads normal floppies at 2-3 
    times speed of a normal 3-1/2" drive 

 Caveats 
    Software conflict with MMPM/2's system sounds, incorrectly formats 
    21MB flopticals, unable to format any media from OS/2 WPS, format 
    created by OS/2 version of CorelSCSI unrecognizable by DOS based 
    floptical drivers, unable to change size of floptical software cache, 
    accessing drive locks WPS 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             paltiel@cnj.digex.net - ugly 
 
 ====   

 
 Bad Flopticals 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good Hard Disks 

 ---- 

 Type 
    513MB IDE HD 

 Manufacturer 
    Fujitsu 

 Model Number 
    M2624T 

 Comments 
    Very fast, durable, reliable, 5-year replacement warranty 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2 interface 

 Manufacturer 
    IBM 

 Model Number 
    1 GB SCSI-II HD 

 Chip Set 
    

 Comments 
    Fast and reliable. Flawless installation and operation with ADAPTEC 
    AHA 2842VL adapter. 

 Caveats 
    A bit noisy when busy. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 <= 2.11           100424.3441@compuserve.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2 / SCSI-3 / SCSI FAST  4GB 

 Manufacturer 
    Quantum 

 Model Number 
    Grand Prix 34301 

 Comments 
    Super fast, great for multimedia server 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 <=3.0             dguthrie@iisys.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    Fast SCSI-II, 340MB 

 Manufacturer 
    Seagate 

 Model Number 
    ST3390N 

 Comments 
    Audible high-pitched whine; makes loud popping noises when 
    powered on or off. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    340MB IDE HD 

 Manufacturer 
    Western Digital 

 Model Number 
    Caviar 2340 

 Comments 
    Fast, reliable 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Hard Disks 

 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-II (?), 540MB 

 Manufacturer 
    Quantum 

 Model Number 
    LPS540S 

 Comments 
    When used with a PCI-bus NCR chipset on a J-Bond or Asus 
    motherboard, OS/2 2.1 refuses to boot from the hard disk unless the 
    /!SN option is specified in the OS2CAM.ADD driver.  OS/2 2.99 Warp 
    Beta II will boot, but there's a 45-second delay during boot 
    (operation is normal after bootup).  Functions corectly when used 
    with an UltraStor 34F VLB SCSI controller on a Diamond FastBus VLB 
    motherboard with either OS/2 2.1 or OS/2 2.99 Warp Beta II. 

 Caveats 
    In above OS/2 2.1 scenario with NCR SCSI chipset, the boot partition 
    was occasionally WIPED OUT (OS/2 identified it as unformatted and 
    gave error messages when access was attempted). 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - ugly 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2 interface, 220 Meg 

 Manufacturer 
    Seagate 

 Model Number 
    ST3283N 

 Comments 
    Overall, the performance of the drive is actually quite good.  I've 
    had few problems with the drive itself, by itself. 

 Caveats 
    It intensely dislikes other SCSI devices.  It uses weird termination, 
    which throws off the entire SCSI chain.  You will only get three 
    devices working, for example, by terminating every device in the 
    chain.  Needless to say, troubleshooting is an absolute nightmare. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             jcarmack@phoenix.sas.muohio.edu 
 
 ====   

 
 Bad Hard Disks 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good IDE cards 

 ---- 

 Type 
    ISA bus, with floppy controller 

 Manufacturer 
    Boca Research, Inc. 

 Model Number 
    IDE002 

 Chip Set 
    GoldStar 

 Caveats 
    Tested for floppy controller only; IDE adapter disabled. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    ISA 16-bit 4xIDE HD/2xFDD controller 

 Manufacturer 
    Promise 

 Model Number 
    Promise DC200 

 Comments 
    Caching HD controller for the lame ISA bus.  Flawlessly handles 1-4 
    IDEs under DOS and OS/2 (v1.0 driver supplied for OS/2, 1.0C and v1.2 
    available by ftp), allows use of two IDE drives that wont 
    master/slave properly.  Takes 1Mb/4Mb SIMMS in pairs (3 chip or 9 
    chip 80 ns OK) 

 Caveats 
    Shutdown does not write the cache immediately, so you must wait 
    for the drive light to go out! v1.2 drivers seem to be for the VL-Bus 
    version, loses support for the second IDE cable :( 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1               j.c.w.price@qmw.ac.uk - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    ISA IDE Controller 

 Manufacturer 
    Western Digital 

 Comments 
    Not very fast, but rock solid 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly IDE cards 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Bad IDE cards 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good I/O cards 

 ---- 

 Type 
    1 (bi-directional) parallel 2 serial (16550) ports, 1 game 

 Manufacturer 
    Circo Technology 1-800-678-1688 818-369-5779 

 Model Number 
    AT I/O for 2S 1p(bi-di). 1g 

 Chip Set 
    16550 

 Comments 
    Cost $30.00 After trying many parallel printer ports that were NOT 
    bi-directional and didn't work with WARP 3.0, I finally found one that 
    works with my second printer.  Most IDE/SCSI Multi I/O cards are 
    already bi-directional; try finding a second printer port that is 
    however--good luck! 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               ged17r1@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    serial/parallel/game port 

 Manufacturer 
    Kentech 

 Chip Set 
    74LS series parts 

 Comments 
    jumper selections for COM ports at 1/3 and 2/4, jumper selections to 
    put PRT at 1/2, one UART is socketed 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.0 - 3.0         altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    ISA bus 

 Manufacturer 
    Kouwell 

 Model Number 
    KV 66 

 Chip Set 
    SMC 

 Comments 
    One of the better I/O cards I've seen.  This one has support for two 
    floppies up to 2.88, two 16550 compliant serial ports, one EPP/ECP 
    parallel port and one game port. 

 Caveats 
    Limited choices when it comes to IRQ's. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               sbowers@primenet.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    4 port, 16554 chip 

 Manufacturer 
    STB 

 Model Number 
    4-COM 

 Chip Set 
    16554 

 Comments 
    Allows 4 com ports on 1 interrupt 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 <=3.0             dguthrie@iisys.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    2S/1P/1G card 

 Manufacturer 
    ZyXEL 

 Model Number 
    I/O 16550-1 

 Chip Set 
    One 16450, one 16550 UART for serial ports 

 Comments 
    In contrast to fredng@io.org's account, my card has a GoldStar 16450 
    and a Startech 16550.  Still works fine, though. 

 Caveats 
    Game port can't be disabled. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly I/O cards 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Bad I/O cards 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good Keyboards 

 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Focus 

 Model Number 
    FK6000 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Fujitsu 

 Model Number 
    FKB4700 

 Comments 
    full use of grey keys 

 Caveats 
    keyboard driver would trap in version 2.0 GA + SP 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.0 - 3.0         altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    IBM 

 Model Number 
    1391401 

 Comments 
    Rock solid!  It's been dropped, had liquid spilled into it and it still 
    runs great. 

 Caveats 
    Required a 6 pin Mini DIN to 5 pin DIN convertor 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               sbowers@primenet.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    Programmable Keyboard 

 Manufacturer 
    KeyPro 

 Model Number 
    FK-9000 

 Chip Set 
    

 Comments 
    Standard OS/2 drivers work great 

 Caveats 
    Contains 12 programmable keys (limited to 14 characters though) 
    and (my favorite feature) a built in calculator that uses the numeric 
    keypad 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1, 3.0          scott@wymer.demon.co.uk - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Keytronics 

 Model Number 
    E03601Q 

 Comments 
    full use of grey keys 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Monterey 

 Model Number 
    K104 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    101-key 

 Manufacturer 
    NMB Technologies 

 Model Number 
    RT101+ 

 Comments 
    Sold as CompUSA "generic" keyboard; above manufacturer taken 
    from label on keyboard, and does not appear on display shelf box. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    101-key Enhanced 

 Manufacturer 
    NorthGate 

 Model Number 
    OmniKey/101 

 Comments 
    Great tactile feeling, persistent to my abuse (I don't type, I pound on 
    my keyboard hard!), even better than IBM keyboards!  [fredng] 

    Unusual keyboard layout, especially around cursor keys.  Light but 
    "clicky" feel.  [rsmith] 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - good 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Keyboards 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Bad Keyboards 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good Magneto Optical drives 

 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2 interface 

 Manufacturer 
    Fujitsu 

 Model Number 
    DynoMO 230 

 Comments 
    Great, fully re-writeable technology.  Drivers not included with OS/2 
    but can be found on Fujitsu BBS or Internet, contact Fujitsu for 
    filename. After drivers are obtained install is as easy a 123.  Works 
    in DOS and Windoze sessions great. 

 Caveats 
    Only gripe I have is that OS2 and DOS seem to need a bit of 
    customizing to get top performance, it may be my lack of experience 
    with SCSI and Optical devices.  Not that it is slow, it just claims to 
    be able to do 2 Meg per second (I think), and it doesn't seem to be 
    doing that. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               myersd@cadvision.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2, 3.5in, 128Mb 

 Manufacturer 
    Sony 

 Model Number 
    SMO-F331 (internal) 

 Chip Set 
    

 Comments 
    Good reliable performance.  Tough, I accidentally dropped it 3-4 feet 
    before I installed it and still works fine.  Tested with Sound Blaster 
    16 SCSI-2 interface and Adaptec 2940 PCI.  Worked flawlessly.  
    Needs Optical.sys driver which I think could be found at hobbes.  Has 
    to be formatted the IBM way as one large floppy for OS/2 to read. 

 Caveats 
    Termination cannot be set.  Not that fast with only 220kb/sec 
    transfer rate. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 Warp 3.0          tam@usc.edu - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Magneto Optical drives 

 ---- 

 Type 
    3.5", SCSI Interface 

 Manufacturer 
    Fujitsu 

 Model Number 
    M2511A 

 Comments 
    OS/2 recognizes it's there, but thinks it's a 2.88MB floppy drive.  I've 
    been unable to get it to work better, but haven't tried too hard, 
    either.  [rsmith] 

    Tested with an Adaptec AHA1542CF SCSI adapter.  OS/2 recognizes 
    that the M.O.  drive it's there, but the WPS format utility apparently 
    thinks it's a 2.88MB floppy drive.  However a properly FAT formatted 
    cartridge is obtained nonetheless. 

    Adaptec SCSI drivers included with OS/2.  Available also at 
    ftp-os2.nmsu.edu.  [marziani] 

 Caveats 
    Only FAT seems supported.  No HPFS for 128MB cartridges.  Not all 
    (i.e. very few) SCSI adapters and their respective OS/2 drivers seem 
    to support this unit.  Adaptec 1542CF works fine.  [marziani] 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - bad 
 < 3.0             marziani@vaxfe.fe.infn.it - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Bad Magneto Optical drives 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good Modems 

 ---- 

 Type 
    external 

 Manufacturer 
    AT&T Paradyne 

 Model Number 
    Dataport 

 Chip set 
    AT&T 

 Comments 
    Flawless operation with both ZOC and Fax/PM 

 Caveats 
    Does not come with OS/2 software. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    V. 34 28,800bps Fax/modem, internal 

 Manufacturer 
    Practical Peripherals 

 Model Number 
    PM288HC II V.34 

 Chip Set 
    Rockwell 

 Comments 
    Good, basic, reliable and fast.  No fancy features like auto 
    data/voice detection.  Works with ZOC, Fax/PM, OS2CIM, and PPP.  
    Built in 16550A UART. Computer to modem rates of up to 115,200bps.  
    Connects to V.FC modems as well.  Group 3 Fax under Class 1 and 
    Class 2 operation at up to 14,400 bps.  I've gotten CARRIER rates up 
    to 24,000bps only, but probably due to bad phone lines. 

 Caveats 
    Manual is a little too brief.  No Flash Rom for easy bios update. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 Warp 3.0          tam@usc.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    External 

 Manufacturer 
    Supra 

 Model Number 
    FaxModem 288 

 Comments 
    Documentation excellent, configuration easy, new led display is 
    great. The power switch is on the front for very easy access.  
    Performance is excellent and above average reliablility, compared to 
    my past Zoom 28.8 modem (which lost carrier often).  The 
    re-negotiating, due to line quality, is great, and with the led display 
    it shows instantly what the current modem-modem speed is. 

 Caveats 
    The Fax software it comes with is lacking, but Data software is just 
    ok. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               myersd@cadvision.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    14.4k Fax Modem 

 Manufacturer 
    US Robotics 

 Model Number 
    14,400 Fax Modem 

 Comments 
    Supported by virtually all communication programs, inexpensive, 
    reliable, although not a screamer in performance 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    internal v.32bis (14,400 bps) fax-modem 

 Manufacturer 
    US Robotics 

 Model Number 
    Sportster 

 Chip Set 
    80186 with DSPs 

 Comments 
    User should change the default settings, since it's set up for COM3 
    with an IRQ shared with COM1.  Includes built-in 16550 UART. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    14.4 Fax/Modem 16550UART ISA (internal) 

 Manufacturer 
    Zoom 

 Model Number 
    VFP V.32bis 

 Chip Set 
    Rockwell 14.4Kbps 

 Comments 
    20 Mhz controller and v.32bix data pump on board. 16550UART. MNP 5 
    and v.42bis. Group III, Class 1 and 2 Fax (V.17). Selectable port 
    settings at (COM/IRQ): 1/4, 2/3, 3/4, 4/3, 3/2, 4/2, 3/5, 4/5 through 
    jumpers. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             davmp@alumni.caltech.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    external 

 Manufacturer 
    ZyXEL 

 Model Number 
    U-1496E 

 Chip set 
    68000 cpu & TI DSPs 

 Comments 
    Flawless operation with many DOS, Windows, and OS/2 programs 

 Caveats 
    Some versions of ZyXEL's Z-Fax DOS software don't run under OS/2; 
    does not come with OS/2 software. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Modems 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Bad Modems 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good Monitors 

 ---- 

 Type 
    15" SVGA 

 Manufacturer 
    KFC 

 Model Number 
    1511 

 Comments 
    Handles 30-60KHz horizontal, 50-90Hz vertical -- enough for 1024x768 
    at 70Hz but not (quite) 1280x1024 at 70Hz.  Manual controls. 

 Caveats 
    First two units I received were defective; the third seems OK. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    17" Multisync 

 Manufacturer 
    Mag Innovision 

 Model Number 
    DX17F 

 Comments 
    Large display area.  Microprocessor controlled multifrequency.  
    100Mhz bandwith.  30-64kHz Horizontal Refresh, 50-100Hz Vertical 
    Refresh. Supports up to 1280x1024.  Good price.  Supports DPMS 

 Caveats 
    1280x1024 Resolution will only work at up to 60Hz Vertical Refresh 
    rate, non-interlaced. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1, 3.0          tam@usc.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    15" Multisync, supports up to 1280x1024 

 Manufacturer 
    MAG 

 Model Number 
    MX-15H (MX-15F in U.S.), 1992 model 

 Comments 
    Microprocessor-based Multi-freq. monitor, 100MHz bandwidth 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    15" SVGA 

 Manufacturer 
    NEC 

 Model Number 
    XE15 

 Comments 
    Plug and Play compliant. 

    o VGA at 640 x 480 at 60, 72 & 75Hz 
    o SVGA at 800 x 600 at 56, 60, 72 & 75Hz 
    o 1024 x 768 Non-interlaced at 60, 70 & 75Hz 

    On-screen management, DPMS aware.  Curently running with a 
    Techworks Thunderbolt VL:  using a Tseng ET4000 w32i chipset 

 Caveats 
     None 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               sbowers@primenet.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    14" SVGA 

 Manufacturer 
    Panasonic 

 Model Number 
    C1381 

 Comments 
    Can (barely) handle 640x480, 72Hz or 800x600, 60Hz.  Manual 
    controls. Adequate, but not recommended for a new system. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    17" SVGA 

 Manufacturer 
    ViewSonic 

 Model Number 
    17G 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Monitors 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Bad Monitors 

 ---- 

 Type 
    17" SVGA 

 Manufacturer 
    Samtron 

 Model Number 
    SC-726V 

 Comments 
    70Hz up to 1024x768, .28dp, analog controls, cheap! 

 Caveats 
    1st unit was defective 2nd unit has had problems with a capacitor..  
    works good now though! 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1               darryl.teichroeb@t8000.cuc.ab.ca - bad 
 
 ====   

 
 Good Motherboards 

 ---- 

 Type 
    486 (any type) EISA/VLB, 486DX2-66, DX2-50, DX-50 

 Manufacturer 
    AIR 

 Model Number 
    486EI 

 Chip Set 
    SiS, AMI BIOS 

 Comments 
    VERY solid board.  Personally tested with no problems using DX50 
    and DX2-66.  Takes nifty new 72-pin SIMMs.  [greck] 

    Very stable from day one. No problems running OS/2 2.11, or 2.99. 
    Uses 72-SIMMs. Good Docs  [jaycee] 

 Caveats 
    Only 5 of 8 EISA slots are master-capable.  [greck] 

    Memory bank configurations are limited above 16M(28M).  [jaycee] 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             greck@catt.ncsu.edu - good 
 < 3.0             jaycee@emh.osan.af.mil - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    486 EISA/VESA, SX/20, 25, DX/25, 33 or 50, DX2/50, 66, P24 

 Manufacturer 
    AMI 

 Model Number 
    Enterprise IV 

 Chip Set 
    AMI 

 Comments 
    Personally tested with a DX/33 and a DX/50.  Uses 72 pin SIMMs.  
    VERY good board!  Stable on 2.1 and Warp.  Has on-board floppy, 2 
    16550 compliant serial ports, 1 EPP compliant parallel port, PS/2 
    mouse port and IDE drive connector.  Outstanding docs! 

 Caveats 
    Six of the seven slots are Bus-Mastering (5 EISA, 1 EISA/VESA) 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               sbowers@primenet.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    486DX/50, ISA 

 Manufacturer 
    Amptron 

 Chip Set 
    Opti, AMI BIOS, 08/30/91, 256K (20ns) RAM Cache 

 Comments 
    The system has been used extensively (at least 16 hours a day, 
    sometimes on for a week or so without resetting), and yet is still 
    operating with extreme stability 

 Caveats 
    Never used with more than 16MB of RAM 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    486 CPU, PCI bus 

 Manufacturer 
    Asus 

 Model Number 
    SP3G; motherboard revision 1.8 

 Chip Set 
    Intel Saturn II (revision 4), 82420ZX; NCR 53c810 SCSI controller; 
    Award flash BIOS version 4.50G 

 Comments 
    Includes on-board SCSI, IDE, 2.88MB floppy, two 16550 UART serial, 
    and parallel ports.  Uses 72-pin SIMMs in pairs.  Has 3 PCI and 4 ISA 
    slots (1 shared slot).  Takes 486DX, DX2, and DX4; and Pentium 
    Overdrive CPUs. Includes "green" features (only work with Intel 
    CPUs).  Comes with OS/2 drivers for the SCSI port. 

 Caveats 
    This board reportedly doesn't work with AMD 486DXL-series CPUs, 
    but does work with AMD 486DX-series CPUs, as well as Intel and 
    Cyrix CPUs. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    ISA/VLB Multi-speed Intel Chip 

 Manufacturer 
    BioStar 

 Model Number 
    1433/50AEA-V 

 Chip Set 
    AMI 

 Comments 
    2 VL Bus slots. 6 ISA. 8 32-pin SIMM slots. No ZIF socket. Came with 
    256K cache. I run mine with an Intel 486DX-66 and 16MB of 70ns RAM 
    - no problems. CMOS settings (and jumpers if I remember right) for 
    setting of clock speed. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             davmp@alumni.caltech.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    generic clone, Intel 386DX20 

 Model Number 
    ECS 386/32, ISA Bus 

 Chip Set 
    C&T 8230, 1991 AMI BIOS, no cache 

 Comments 
    With 8 MB RAM, 2 IDE drives on generic ctrlr, VGA Mono.  Just goes 
    to show how primitive a system can still run OS/2 acceptably. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rwh@gov.on.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    486DX2-66 ISA/VLB 

 Manufacturer 
    Gigabyte 

 Model Number 
    GA-486VM 

 Chip Set 
    UMC, AMI BIOS 256K 20ns cache, up to 32MB (2 simm banks) 

 Comments 
    Reliable, small board 

 Caveats 
    Not tested with more than 16MB; 1 bank of simms must be filled to 
    work (ie. for 4MB to work, 4 1MB simms must be used) 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1               darryl.teichroeb@t8000.cuc.ab.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    486DX2-66 EISA/VLB 

 Manufacturer 
    Gigabyte 

 Model Number 
    GA-486TA 

 Chip Set 
    SIS,AMI BIOS, 256K (20ns) Cache, upto 128M (standard SIMMS) 

 Comments 
    The system has been extremely stable. 

 Caveats 
    Not tested with more than 32MB. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             reinhard@ifki50.informatik.fh-muenchen.de - good 
 
 ---- 

 Model Number 
    EISA486P, ME009 

 Chip Set 
    HiNT, AMI BIOS, EISA/VLB 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Model Number 
    G486HVL 

 Chip Set 
    HiNT Caesar, AMI BIOS, "Super ISA"/VLB 

 Caveats 
    "Super ISA" is a subset of EISA; most EISA boards work, but not all. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    PCI Pentium Motherboard 

 Manufacturer 
    Intel 

 Model Number 
    Premier/PCI II 90MHz Pentium 

 Chip Set 
    Plato 

 Comments 
    Fast. Very Fast! 

 Caveats 
    Mine has the Pentium FDIV bug. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             Dave@OCCL-cam.demon.co.uk 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Silicon Star, Intel 486DX33 

 Model Number 
    AV433, ISA/VL bus 

 Chip Set 
    SIS, AMI BIOS, 06/06/92, 256 K external cache 

 Comments 
    One known problem (the Pentium APAR) corrected in CSD 2.11. 

 Caveats 
    Not tested with more than 16 Meg of RAM. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    generic Taiwan clone, Intel 486DX33 

 Model Number 
    Rev D2 486SC-P, June 1991, ISA bus 

 Chip Set 
    Symphony, AMI BIOS, 07/07/91, 128 K external cache 

 Comments 
    The system has been extremely stable. 

 Caveats 
    Not tested with more than 8 Meg of RAM. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.0 - 3.0         altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Motherboards 

 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Diamond 

 Model Number 
    FastBus VLB, Flash EPROM revision 1.2I 

 Chip Set 
    Chips & Technologies with Diamond-modified C&T BIOS 

 Comments 
    Problems with speed of QIC-80 backup unit when UltraStor SCSI 
    controller installed.  Also some bugs in BIOS. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - ugly 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    VL SCSI 

 Manufacturer 
    DTC 

 Model Number 
    DTC 3270 VL SCSI 

 Chip Set 
    SiS 

 Comments 
    Card is *loosely* supported by OS/2.  Using the latest *beta* drivers 
    provided by DTC, access times for any units below unit 0 is 
    increased by 10 to 20 *times*.  (It usually takes my OS/2 system) 
    10-20 minutes to boot depending on whether or not it has to run 
    CHKDSK.  Better support is gained by ditching current DTC .ADD files 
    and using IBMINT13.I13 which supports only the first two DASD 
    devices at a fairly large but usaeable performance hit (compare 3x 
    slower compared to 10-20x).  Latest DTC .ADD files for 3270/3280 
    dated 11/7/94.  DTC is aware of the problem but has *no clue* as 
    to when it will be fixed and a corrected driver released.  (They've 
    been saying "A couple of months..." for the past *4* months.  
    Apparently users with 1 drive systems aren't experiencing problems 
    to this degree, however, there is still a slight slowdown even on 1 
    disk systems. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               cbwood@cbwood.beva.blacksburg.va.us - ugly 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Unknown 

 Model Number 
    Laser 9000 

 Chip Set 
    Unichip U4800 with Ami BIOS, 256K external cache 

 Comments 
    Machine operates with AMD 486DX40 CPU run at 50MHZ, jumper 
    selectable CPU speed, otherwise very stable 

 Caveats 
    System hangs and occasionally reboots when Mediavision PAS-16 
    uses 16-bit DMA channels, sometimes displays errors about not 
    finding basic ROMS during 16-bit DMA induced reboot, PAS-16 
    sometimes works flawlessly if there is no hang on system boot-up.  
    Not tested with more than 16MB of ram. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             paltiel@cnj.digex.net - ugly 
 
 ====   

 
 Bad Motherboards 

 ---- 

 Type 
    486DX2-66/256K 

 Manufacturer 
    ASUS 

 Model Number 
    PCI/I-486SP3G 

 Chip Set 
    Intel Saturn II, NCR 53c810 SCSI controller (BIOS V3.06) & PCI-SC200 
    (for external SCSI devices); Award bios V4.05G (flash Revision 3.02) 

 Comments 
    Includes on-board SCSI, IDE, 2.88MB floppy, two 16550 UART serial, 
    and parallel ports.  Uses 72-pin SIMMs in pairs.  Has 3 PCI and 4 ISA 
    slots (1 shared slot).  Takes 486DX, DX2, and DX4; and Pentium 
    Overdrive CPUs. Includes "green" features (only work with Intel 
    CPUs).  Comes with OS/2 drivers for the SCSI port. 

 Caveats 
    Tried two different motherboards.  Floppy based tape drives won't 
    work reliably, they hunt or fail on excessive errors(DOS included).  
    Three different drives tried.  Won't wake up on incomming calls on a 
    modem attached to built-in com port 2. NE-2100 network card just 
    paused for 10 to 50 seconds at a time.  Proaudio Spectrum 16 drops 
    out after randomly.  All boards used successfully on other systems.  
    Internal IDE was disabled and only SCSI devices used on board. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1, 3.0          102176.16@compuserve.com - bad 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    486 CPU, PCI bus 

 Manufacturer 
    J-Bond 

 Model Number 
    PCI400C-A 

 Chip Set 
    Intel Saturn I (revision 2), 82420TX; NCR 53c810 SCSI controller; 
    Phoenix BIOS 

 Comments 
    Manufacturer attempted to blame drivers for the below problem, but 
    changing to the IBMINT13.I13 driver doesn't help.  Has 3 PCI and 5 ISA 
    slots (1 shared).  Comes with OS/2 drivers for the SCSI port. 

 Caveats 
    Board occasionally crashes when doing SCSI I/O.  Disabling the 
    external cache seems to fix this.  This is a known Saturn revision 2 
    bug.  As of 9/27/94, J-Bond doesn't use the fixed (Saturn II, revision 
    4) chipsets. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - BAD 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    486DX2-66, DX2-50, DX-50 

 Manufacturer 
    Micronics 

 Model Number 
    EISA-VL-Bus (Part #09-173-05 Rev A) 

 Chip Set 
    Intel / Pheonix BIOS 

 Comments 
    Very unstable from day one.  Manufacturer support was poor (they 
    refused to call me back, said it was OS/2 and not their board, would 
    not provide RMA for return of Board for them to test; even after I 
    offered to pay for the testing and shipping to and from, etc).  
    Continous Trap 000D, 000E, and 0002 when I was able to even get it 
    to load.  Used built-in controllers, even worse.  Used 3 different 
    video boards, 2 different HDD/FDD boards, 8 differnt HDD, 4 different 
    FDD, 3 different CPUs, 8 different SIMMs (56Meg, same manufacturer, 
    one of their reccomeded ones and Part #), etc.  The only thing I 
    didn't change was the MB itself (even changed the cache).  Spent 4 
    months on this board, over 225 reloads before giving up (PC mag 
    gave this board a #1 reccomendation).  Fair Docs 

    P.S.  ALL of the hardware used works fine on another MB and my 
    current MB!  Some of the problems I am sure are also attributable to 
    the BIOS and not the MB. 

 Caveats 
    When, for the short time periods, it was running it ran like a champ 
    (Better than the AIR I currently use). Fast, clean, crisp.  REALLY 
    wish this board worked. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             jaycee@emh.osan.af.mil - bad 
 
 ====   

 
 Good Multi I/O cards 

 ---- 

 Type 
    VLBus 

 Manufacturer 
    AIR 

 Model Number 
    Q-Access 

 Chip Set 
    Adaptec 

 Comments 
    Supports 2 IDE, 2 Floppy (up to 1.44 MB), SCSI-II, 2 ser, 1 LPT. 
    Included disk contains required drivers (replacements for OS/2's 
    AHA154x.ADD).  With ver 1.0 BIOS, COM ports will not work under 
    OS/2. Problem fixed with V1.01 BIOS. 

 Caveats 
    ASIC emulates a 16450 and cannot be replaced by 16550 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    VESA LB IDE Controller with Multi-Functional I/O 

 Manufacturer 
    Data Technology Corporation (DTC) 

 Model Number 
    DTC 2278VL 

 Comments 
    IDE controller with 2 serial, 1 parallel and 1 game port.  Jumper 
    configurable ports, IRQ's, addresses, enable/disable feature.  OS/2 2.x 
    drivers available on DTC BBS and found on ftp.cdrom.com. 

 Caveats 
    16450 UART. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             gsteckma@sdcc15.UCSD.EDU - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    GoldStar 

 Model Number 
    IDE Plus-V3, December 1991, ISA BUS 

 Chip Set 
    GoldStar 

 Comments 
    jumper selections for primary, secondary, and disabled floppy and 
    hard drives, jumper selection to disable game port, jumper selections 
    to put COM ports at 1/3 and 2/4, jumper selections to put PRT port 
    at 1/2, jumper selections to put COM and PRT ports at IRQ3, 4, 5, 7, 
    9, jumper selections to disable COM and PRT ports 

 Caveats 
    ASIC emulates a 16450 and cannot be replaced by 16550 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.0 - 3.0         altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    StarGATE 

 Model Number 
    One Slot combination multiport board, ISA BUS 

 Revision 
    Unknown (Not first revision, known) 

 Comments 
    4 COM and 3 PRT ports, jumper selections to put COM ports at 
    {4,3,3,3}, {4,3,4,3,}, {4,3,12,15}, {4 AND 3 - with interrupt sharing}, PRT 
    ports at {7,5,5} and {7,7,5}, jumper selections to disable individual 
    interrupts and addresses 

 Caveats 
    Unable to get PRT3 to work under OS/2 2.1GA 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1               paltiel@cnj.digex.net - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    ZyXEL 

 Model Number 
    I/O 16550-1, ISA Bus 

 Chip Set 
    HM82C11C, NS16550AFN (National Semiconductor 16550AFN, the real 
    McCoy), HM83450 (16450 clone) 

 Comments 
    Jumper selections for COM ports at 1/3 and 2/4, jumper selections to 
    put PRT at 1/2, both UART chips are socketed. One game port (two 
    can be supported through a "Y" adapter cable).  Highly 
    recommended. 

 Caveats 
    Extremely hard to find (my friends have been trying for eight 
    months to no avail) 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Multi I/O cards 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Bad Multi I/O cards 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good Multimedia Kits 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Ugly Multimedia Kits 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Bad Multimedia Kits 

 ---- 

 Type 
    soundcard with integrated SCSI controller and external cd-rom drive 
    attached to it 

 Manufacturer 
    Media Vision 

 Model Number 
    Memphis 

 Chip Set 
    PAS16, Trantor SCSI, NEC CD-ROM 

 Comments 
    according to documentation, OS/2 2.1 support exists.  Not supplied 
    however.  In theory everything should work with the standard 
    drivers supplied with Warp... 

 Caveats 
    CD-ROM drive won't initialize; except when you turn the drive off 
    and on again during boot-up.  When you change a CD, OS/2 will 
    hang.  Had to go through lots of pain before making this conclusion... 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               reinout.van.schouwen@p25.f545.n281.z2.topnet.nl - bad 
 
 ====   

 
 Good Notebooks 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Ugly Notebooks 

 ---- 

 Type 
    Sub-Notebook 

 Manufacturer 
    Compaq 

 Model Number 
    Contura Aero (4/33C, 4/25, 84, 170 & 250MB HDD) 

 Chip Set 
    CPU:  intel 80486SLJ; VGA:  Tseng Labs ET4000, 256KB RAM, Compaq 
    BIOS; PCMCIA:  VLSI i82365 clone 

 Comments 
    Works well overall.  PCMCIA is supported (drivers at 
    ftp.europe.ibm.com in /pub/psmemea/os2drivers/pcmcia/cvlsi3.zip), 
    but not at the same time as the floppy drive (although 
    plug-and-play with the PCMCIA floppy can be 'fudged' - e-mail 
    dcheong@student.ecel.uwa.edu.au for details). 

    note:  there is a mailing list for the Contura Aero - send e-mail to 
    listproc@lassp.cornell.edu.au with message text "subscribe aero-l 
    <your name>" 

 Caveats 
    You MUST install sp1073.exe from ftp.compaq.com (Flash BIOS) to get 
    the floppy drive to work when the system is booted from the hard 
    disk.  Hence, you must install this BIOS to install OS/2 in the first 
    placewith (although it is possible to do so by response file).  This all 
    stems from the lack of OS/2 PCMCIA Floppy drivers. 

    Unfortunately this BIOS does not correctly return the battery status 
    to OS/2, but this is only a minor problem. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1-3.0           dcheong@student.ecel.uwa.edu.au - ugly 
 
 ====   

 
 Bad Notebooks 

 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Compaq 

 Model Number 
    Contura 4/25, 4/25c 

 Chip Set 
    Compaq AVGA 

 Comments 
    No drivers for AVGA display adapter (640x480x256) 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             marc@igwe1.vub.ac.be 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Toshiba 

 Model Number 
    1910 Satellite 

 Comments 
    I saw this one at a friend's.  Sorry, didn't write down the CPU etc.  I 
    wanted to try Linux since it can detect PCMCIA chipsets (it is 
    supposed to support the Toshiba PCMCIA chipset) but just never 
    bothered after reading frustrated posts of people trying to talk to 
    Toshiba... 

 Caveats 
    PCMCIA chipset not supported. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               leeuw@fwi.uva.nl - bad 
 
 ====   

 
 Good Pointers 

 ---- 

 Type 
    mouse 

 Manufacturer 
    CompuDyne (CompUSA house brand) 

 Model Number 
    Serial 3-button mouse 

 Comments 
    OS/2 doesn't automatically identify the mouse type when set to 
    3-button mode, and it's inactive until installation is complete, but it 
    IS supported by OS/2's drivers. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    Joystick 

 Manufacturer 
    Gravis 

 Model Number 
    GamePad 

 Comments 
    4-button game pad permits greater control in games like DOOM and 
    Mortal Kombat 

 Caveats 
    [Strictly speaking, this should not be listed under "good" since OS/2 
    does not support joysticks, but where else can it go? - ed.] 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    mouse 

 Manufacturer 
    Logitech 

 Model Number 
    MouseMan, Serial-MousePort, M-CJ13-9F 

 Comments 
    the serial pointing device drivers supplied with OS/2 recognize that it 
    is a 3 button mouse, although the middle button is unused 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.0 - 3.0         altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    Serial 3-button Mouse 

 Manufacturer 
    Logitech 

 Model Number 
    First Mouse 

 Comments 
    Works great with OS/2 mouse driver.  Very reliable, mine is 2.5 years 
    old and has had zero problems. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             walgate@umr.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    trackball 

 Manufacturer 
    Mouse Systems 

 Model Number 
    Trackball II, GK-T321 

 Comments 
    Full support in OS/2 2.1 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    Optical Mouse 

 Manufacturer 
    Mouse Systems 

 Model Number 
    Optical Mouse, M411 

 Comments 
    OS/2 recognizes the mouse out of the box, never needs cleaning 

 Caveats 
    Mouse must be held perpendicular to pad or screen movement will 
    be jerky 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             paltiel@cnj.digex.net - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    3-button optical mouse 

 Manufacturer 
    Mouse Systems 

 Model Number 
    PC Mouse, 403533-001 

 Comments 
    The mouse is inoperative during OS/2 installation, but becomes active 
    after installation is complete. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    mouse 

 Manufacturer 
    Z-Nix 

 Model Number 
    Serial 2-button mouse 

 Comments 
    OS/2 recognizes the mouse out of the box. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Pointers 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Bad Pointers 

 ---- 

 Type 
    joystick 

 Manufacturer 
    Advanced Gravis 

 Model Number 
    Phoenix Flight and Weapons Control System 

 Comments 
    

 Caveats 
    Completely incompatible with Warp, Gravis software will not 
    recognize the Phoenix in a DOS session.  Gravis' response:  "Yep, it 
    won't work and we're not really concerned." 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 Warp              raddy@unf.edu - bad 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    Joystick 

 Manufacturer 
    Logitech 

 Model Number 
    Cyberman 

 Comments 
    

 Caveats 
    Compatability with WPS and Win-OS2 not tested, I can't imagine this 
    to be a good general purpose mouse.  Its strength would be with 
    DOS games that are designed to take advantage of it.  
    Unfortunately, it cannot be used in DOS session, according to 
    Logitech. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               raddy@unf.edu - bad 
 
 ====   

 
 Good Printers 

 ---- 

 Type 
    Bubble Jet, portable 

 Manufacturer 
    Canon 

 Model Number 
    BJ-10ex 

 Comments 
    Driver is not included with OS/2 nor is one available for this model. 
    However, it can be used in IBM Proprinter emulation of 180X180 dpi 
    for OS/2 apps with poor results.  Dos and Windows printing works 
    fine for the printer in native 360X360 dpi mode.  [walgate] 

    A driver is supplied with OS/2.1 GA, you use the IBM4070IJ driver!  
    This gives you access to all functions and resolutions of this printer!! 
    [rwalford] 

    Use the IBM 4070-IJ driver, which is include with OS/2 2.1 and later. 
    Make sure the printer is in native Canon mode.  Text performance is 
    acceptable, graphica performance tends to drag a little, so boost 
    your PRINTMONBUFSIZE settings.  [jdunlop] 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             walgate@umr.edu - bad 
 < 3.0             rwalford@mogul.apana.org.au - good 
 < 3.0             jdunlop@db-soft.wmeonlin.sacbbx.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    Bubble Jet 

 Manufacturer 
    Canon 

 Model Number 
    BJ-200 

 Comments 
    Drivers are available through BBS and Internet. 

 Caveats 
    Printing is almost as good as in MS-DOS/Windows, but not quite. 
    Drivers are being worked on to improve performance. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             walgate@umr.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Epson 

 Model Number 
    Stylus 800 

 Comments 
    excellent resolution in printing words 

 Caveats 
    OS/2 driver does not support high resolution (360x360dpi) graphics 
    modes.  Use a MSWindows or DOS based program with appropriate 
    drivers to print complex graphics or high resolution CAD art.  
    [mhinkle] 

    I never had any problems reaching this resolution.  The Stylus 800 
    driver that comes with Warp is fine.  Using JoeView I can print 
    images just as neat as any windows program would do with the 
    supplied windows-driver.  [Reinout.van.Schouwen] 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             mhinkle@NMSU.Edu - good 
 3.0               Reinout.van.Schouwen@p25.f545.n281.z2.gds.nl - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    color ink jet 

 Manufacturer 
    Hewlett-Packard 

 Model Number 
    DeskJet 1200C 

 Comments 
    Latest HP drivers available from ftp-boi.external.hp.com; these 
    drivers support color printing from OS/2 applications. 

 Caveats 
    Printer may run out of memory when printing large color images. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    laser 

 Manufacturer 
    Hewlett-Packard 

 Model Number 
    LaserJet 4L 

 Comments 
    Latest HP drivers available from ftp-boi.external.hp.com. Printer is 
    supported directly by OS/2 out of the box. 

 Caveats 
    Printer jams more frequently than it should.  Jams intensify if 
    double-sided (two-pass) printing is attempted from a program which 
    supports this (such as DeScribe). 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    4PPM PCL5 laser printer 

 Manufacturer 
    Hewlett Packard 

 Model Number 
    LaserJet 4P 

 Comments 
    HP quality, 600 dpi, Excellent printer drivers (4P drivers in 2.11) by 
    IBM 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    300/600 dpi laser printer 

 Manufacturer 
    Lexmark 

 Model Number 
    4039r 

 Comments 
    Driver included with OS/2.  Lexmark provides drivers and support 
    software for OS/2 

 Caveats 
    Rock solid printer, low maintanence, very versatile; PS and HP 
    laserjet emulation; VERY upgradeable, bios and PS interface on flash 
    card, takes HP font cartridges, takes up to 16M RAM; GREAT tech 
    support and manuals from Lexmark 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 tested with OS/2 2.1 and Warp scott@wymer.demon.co.uk - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    printer switchbox:  automatic 1-computer/4-printer or 
    4-computer/1-printer 

 Manufacturer 
    Computer Accessories (CompUSA house brand?) 

 Comments 
    Works in 4-computer/1-printer mode with no special drivers or 
    hardware (except for extra cables) 

 Caveats 
    Not tested in 1-computer/4-printer mode under OS/2; comes with DOS 
    driver software for this, so functionality for this is uncertain. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Printers 

 ---- 

 Type 
    B&W ink jet 

 Manufacturer 
    Hewlett-Packard 

 Model Number 
    DeskJet 500 

 Caveats 
    Margin problems -- depending upon the program, the top margin is 
    from 0" to 0.5" too small, and the bottom margin is correspondingly 
    too large.  If it weren't for this, I'd call the printer "good," but this 
    problem can be very obnoxious in some situations. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - ugly 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    Ink Jet 

 Manufacturer 
    Hewlett-Packard 

 Model Number 
    DeskJet 520 

 Comments 
    Successor to DeskJet 500; capable of 300x600 resolution (but see 
    below) 

 Caveats 
    OS/2 printer drivers don't support the 520's 300x600 resolution, only 
    the 500's 300x300 resolution.  They also have margins problems with 
    many applications (see comments on DJ500). 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Hewlett Packard 

 Model Number 
    PaintJet 

 Comments 
    Contains instructions on cleaning, priming, and testing inside printer's 
    chassis on plastic coated quick-ref sheet 

 Caveats 
    OS/2 driver does a bad job at dithering color images, leaving colors 
    too dark, digital on/off switch does not automatically turn printer on 
    when power is supplied, external power supply required for use 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             paltiel@cnj.digex.net - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Bad Printers 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good Removable Media 

 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-1 interface 

 Manufacturer 
    Iomega 

 Model Number 
    Zip 100 

 Comments 
    Attached to an AMI Enterprise IV motherboard and an Adaptec 
    2740AT SCSI card.  Drivers for OS/2 are not included.  Must be 
    purchased seperate or downloaded from Hobbes, Compuserve. 

 Caveats 
    Requires some type of lockdrv.flt driver.The Syquest drivers work 
    better than the Iomega drivers. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               sbowers@primenet.com - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Removable Media 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Bad Removable Media 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good Scanners 

 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2 / 1200 dpi / 24-bit / Flatbed 

 Manufacturer 
    HP 

 Model Number 
    IIcx 

 Comments 
    Works with Galleria for scanning under OS/2.  All windows apps 
    supported. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 <=3.0             dguthrie@iisys.com - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Scanners 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Bad Scanners 

 ---- 

 Type 
    hand scanner, 400 DPI by 16.7mil colors 

 Manufacturer 
    Logitech 

 Model Number 
    Scanman Color 

 Comments 
    Not supported by OS/2--uses VxD in scanner software.  Ancillary 
    image editting and OCR software works in WinOS2, but you can't 
    scan anything. Uses it's own interface adapter which requires an IRQ.  
    [jeff] 

    No OS/2 drivers supplied or available.  The Windows drivers do not 
    work under OS/2, because the are VxD drivers, which do not work 
    under OS/2. And there are no DOS drivers supplied or available.  
    [zalmstek] 

 Caveats 
      Logitech support does not know if and when OS/2 drivers wil be 
    available.  The current version of ImpOS2 (v1.2) does not support 
    this scanner.  [zalmstek] 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               jeff@advance.com - bad 
 2.1-3.0           zalmstek@euronet.nl - bad 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    PCY interface 

 Manufacturer 
    Microtek 

 Model Number 
    600Z 

 Comments 
    No known OS/2 drivers. Not many OS/2 graphics packages. 

 Caveats 
    Using the notbook settings, DOS_Devices I am able to successfully 
    load device driver and scan from Windows software.  Some times 
    after a couple of scans the scanner stops responding to the 
    application (PhotoStyler V1.1, Picture Publisher V4.0).  Just close the 
    windows session and restart Windows, somtimes I must cycle the 
    power on the scanner.Twain drivers have never worked with this 
    scanner even in straight DOS/Windows (cause divide by zero error).. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.0, 2.1, 3.0     102176.16@compuserve.com - ugly 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    hand 

 Manufacturer 
    Reveal (Mustek) 

 Model Number 
    HS150, 400 DPI Grayscale 

 Comments 
    Not directly supported by OS/2.  Works well in OS2 DOS or Win 
    session. Uses it's own interface adapter which requires an IRQ.  (5-12 
    supported) 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             jim.royer@nmebbs.org 
 
 ====   

 
 Good SCSI Controller cards 

 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Adaptec 

 Model Number 
    1542C, ISA BUS 

 Chip Set 
    Adaptec 

 Comments 
    Very reliable with OS/2 drivers, but not as fast as most VLB or EISA 
    controllers. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    EISA bus-mastering SCSI-2 host adapter 

 Manufacturer 
    Adaptec 

 Model Number 
    2740/2742/2742T 

 Chip Set 
    Adaptec 

 Comments 
    PhaseEngine(tm) coprocessor (support scatter/gather, tagged 
    queueing, etc.) really speeds along IO.  The T version has two SCSI 
    bussed (up to 14 devices).  Uses new 50-pin high-density connector.  
    OS/2 drivers in box work great. 

 Caveats 
    No cache. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             greck@catt.ncsu.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    VLB Host Adapter 

 Manufacturer 
    Adaptec 

 Model Number 
    AHA-2842VL 

 Chip Set 
    Adaptec, PhaseEngine 

 Comments 
    OS/2 drivers included in the card's box.  Seems to work fine.  
    [rsmith] 

    Very stable from day one.  Worked great!  Just plugged it in and it 
    ran.  Great Docs and on OS/2.  Drivers enclosed.  Built-in BIOS 
    support for a lot of SCSI devices (too many to list), eliminating the 
    need for additional drivers for CDROM, HP scanners, etc.  Very 
    configurable too!!!  If all cards were this easy you wouldn't GBU!!!  
    [jaycee] 

 Caveats 
    Installing OS/2 from a SCSI-based CD-ROM with this controller may 
    require adding the drivers to the OS/2 boot disk and deleting one or 
    two unneeded drivers.  [rsmith] 

    To the people and designers of this board, stupendous!!!!  Cant think 
    of any others.  [jaycee] 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 < 3.0             jaycee@emh.osan.af.mil - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2 interface card for VL-bus 

 Manufacturer 
    Adaptec 

 Model Number 
    2940 (VL-bus KIT) 

 Chip Set 
    

 Comments 
    Driver included in the Kit. Very good documentation. One external 
    SCSI-interface. Easy configuration as BIOS-settings can be modified 
    during boot-time. Fast enough for the fastest available HD (e.g. 
    Seagate Barracuda). Runs stable for 12 month with several devices 
    (CD-ROM, HD's, tape streamer, SYQUEST 250MB). 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               100424.3441@compuserve.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2 Bus Mastering PCI 

 Manufacturer 
    Adaptec 

 Model Number 
    AHA-2940 

 Chip Set 
    Adaptec 

 Comments 
    Fast, up to 10Mb/sec synchronous data rate.  On board RISC 
    Processor to handle the transfers.  Bios support for HD's and other 
    devices, computer can be booted from SCSI device.  One external 
    SCSI port.  Easy configuration, BIOS settings could be changed at 
    boot up.  PCI bus makes simple installation, just plug it in, no dip 
    switches, no jumpers.  Drivers for other devices (CD-ROM, MO, 
    Scanners, etc.) included in box, OS/2 Warp comes with drivers too. 

 Caveats 
    Requires PCI IRQ A to be free.  BIOS does not support that many 
    different types of devices. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               tam@usc.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    ISA SCSI-2 with sound capabilities 

 Manufacturer 
    Creative 

 Model Number 
    Sound Blaster 16 SCSI-2 

 Chip Set 
    Adaptec AIC-6360L 

 Comments 
    OS/2 recognizes the card as an Adaptec 1510/1520 and installs the 
    appropriate drivers.  People have reported a 1 Meg/sec transfer rate 
    using hard drives with this card.  The card comes with DOS and 
    Windows drivers and software.  See the Good Audio cards section 
    for more info. 

 Caveats 
    MSCDEX is not included on the diskettes supplied with the card, so if 
    you want to use a CD-ROM with the card under DOS, you will have 
    to obtain mscdex via anonymous ftp from microsoft.com, or other 
    sources. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.11 - 3.0        altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    EISA VL-Bus SCSI-2 interface 

 Manufacturer 
    Data Technology Corporation 

 Model Number 
    DTC3270VL 

 Chip Set 
    ?? 

 Comments 
    Standard SCSI Driver included with OS/2 works well.  DTC also 
    provides OS/2 driver 

 Caveats 
    Modest preformance but solid compatability and good price; very 
    good tech support 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1, 3.0          scott@wymer.demon.co.uk - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    PCI Fast SCSI-2 controller 

 Manufacturer 
    NexStor 

 Model Number 
    NXT-93N 

 Chip Set 
    NCR 53C825 

 Comments 
    OS/2 driver as shipped was for wrong card. Correct driver installed 
    with no problems. Excellent performance and much cheaper than 
    comparable Adaptec. 

 Caveats 
    Make sure it is in a bus master PCI slot. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             Dave@OCCL-cam.demon.co.uk 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2 interface, VLB 

 Manufacturer 
    QLogic 

 Comments 
    Comes with OS/2 drivers, new drivers are available from QLogic BBS. 
    Card also comes with Corel SCSI for DOS, Windows, and OS/2, which 
    includes CD-ROM support. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1-3.0           pikus@physics.ucsb.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    UltraStor 

 Model Number 
    34F, VLB 

 Chip Set 
    UltraStor 

 Comments 
    Reliable and fast.  OS/2 drivers come with card, but may be old; 
    newer drivers available from the usual sources.  Does NOT include a 
    floppy port. 

 Caveats 
    Older cards have an outdated EPROM that causes OS/2 to crash 
    sporadically.  This ROM has a sticker with a number ending in -005, 
    and should be replaced with a -006 EPROM.  UltraStor will ship a 
    new EPROM free of charge if needed.  If installing OS/2 from a 
    SCSI-based CD-ROM, will need to modify the OS/2 installation disks 
    to include the UltraStor driver. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly SCSI Controller cards 

 ---- 

 Type 
    Fast SCSI-II, Floppy controller, ISA Bus 

 Manufacturer 
    Future Domain 

 Model Number 
    TMC-1680 (SVP Package) 

 Chip Set 
    Bios v3.2 

 Comments 
    Driver included with OS/2.  Updated drivers available from Hobbes 
    FTP or Future Domain.  Jumpered settings for: 

    o IRQ's 3,5(d),10,11,12,14,15 
    o Memory Address' C800,CA00(d),CE00,DE00 
    o I/O Address' 0140(d),0150, 0160,0170 
    o Floppy On(d)/Off Has Micro DB50 connector (SCSI-II connector) 

 Caveats 
    Will not boot OS/2 v2.1, or Warp Beta I/II, off SCSI drive if set to IRQ 
    15, yet will happily run and access these drives if booted off of IDE 
    drive. (Will boot DOS/Windows, Win NT, Win 95 Beta at IRQ 15.) IRQ14 
    and IRQ5 both allow OS/2 to boot off SCSI drive. Others not tested. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             davmp@alumni.caltech.edu - ugly 
 
 ====   

 
 Bad SCSI Controller cards 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good Tape drives 

 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-based DC-6xxx drive (250MB max. capacity uncompressed) 

 Manufacturer 
    Archive 

 Model Number 
    Viper 2150S 

 Comments 
    Works fine with UltraStor 34F using ASPI driver for GTAK 2.12b.  Not 
    tested with other software. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-based DC-6xxx drive (500MB uncompressed) 

 Manufacturer 
    Archive (now bought by Conner; advertized as either) 

 Model Number 
    Viper 2525S 

 Comments 
    Works fine with GTAK 2.40.  Can read & write Viper 2150S tapes. 
    Tested with UltraStor 34F (works fine) and NCR controller on J-Bond  
    PCI motherboard (works fine, except for crashes due to Saturn 
    chipset bug on motherboard) and NCR controller on Asus SP3G 
    motherboard (works fine). 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    QIC-80, floppy interface 

 Manufacturer 
    Colorado Memory System 

 Model Number 
    Jumbo 250MB 

 Comments 
    Works great with Fastback Plus for OS/2 and BackMaster, with 
    optional higher performance dedicated controller cards available. 

 Caveats 
    Bundled DOS and Windows software don't work under OS/2, and no 
    OS/2 backup program is included. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    QIC-80, floppy interface 

 Manufacturer 
    Conner 

 Model Number 
    TapeStor 250 

 Comments 
    Previously sold as Archive XL-80.  QIC-80 tape format.  BackMaster 
    works with it quite well on four tested machines. 

 Caveats 
    Does not come with OS/2 backup software. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    SCSI-2 / 4GB 

 Manufacturer 
    HP 

 Model Number 
    35480A 

 Comments 
    Works FastBack, Backmaster and more 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 <=3.0             dguthrie@iisys.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    QIC-80, piggy-back on floppy controller cable 

 Manufacturer 
    IOMega 

 Model Number 
    Tape250 

 Comments 
    Comes with DOS/Win software.  Supposedly IOMega is working on 
    OS/2 software.  Works great with BackMaster 1.1a 

 Caveats 
    None 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               cgraingr@hpb.hwc.ca - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Tape drives 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Bad Tape drives 

 ---- 

 Nothing supplied in this category. 

 ====   

 
 Good Video cards 

 ---- 

 Type 
    Graphics accelerator 

 Manufacturer 
    ATI 

 Model Number 
    Graphics Ultra, ISA Bus, 1MB VRAM 

 Chip Set 
    ATI mach8 

 Comments 
    Although the drivers for mach32 and mach64 are pretty good, the 
    one for mach8 is not worth the hassle to install it.  It simply screws 
    up the DOS sessions.  [fredng] 

    I just want to state that I disagree with the 'ugly' rating given the 
    ATI Graphics Ultra by fredng @ io.org.  I have used this card with 
    os/2 2.0, 2.1, 2.11, and 3.0.  Some of the early drivers were less than 
    ideal, but the recent ones work very well.  [philb] 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             fredng@io.org - ugly 
 2.0 - 3.0         philb@noif.ncp.bc.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Cardinal 

 Model Number 
    VGA700, 1991, ISA BUS 

 Chip Set 
    Tseng ET4000, 1 Meg RAM 

 Comments 
    Completely supported by drivers supplied with OS/2, need to use the 
    supplied DOS support tools to set up refresh rates before running 
    SVGA ON. 

 Caveats 
    quite slow 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.0 - 3.0         altstadt@mprgate.mpr.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    PCI bus accelerator 

 Manufacturer 
    Cardex 

 Model Number 
    Challenger 

 Chip Set 
    ET4000/W32p 

 Comments 
    Includes drivers for OS/2 2.x; Warp beta II includes TrueColor support 
    for this board.  Comes with 1MB of RAM upgradeable to 2MB 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    PCI 64-bit accelerated SVGA 

 Manufacturer 
    Cirrus Logic 

 Model Number 
    VI-720 

 Chip Set 
    Cirrus CL-GD5434 

 Comments 
    OS/2 drivers worked fine. Amazing performance for the price. 

 Caveats 
    No OS/2 support for 1280x1024. Minor blitter bug seems to leave 
    black rectangles occasionally. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             Dave@OCCL-cam.demon.co.uk 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Cirrus Logic 

 Model Number 
    CL5426 

 Chip Set 
    Cirrus Logic 5426 

 Comments 
    Drivers come with OS/2, but more recent and faster drivers are 
    available by ftp and from BBSes. 

 Caveats 
    More recent drivers give some people installation problems.  Had to 
    re-install old seamless Windows drivers to get them to work on this 
    system. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    PCI, Accelerator 

 Manufacturer 
    Diamond 

 Model Number 
    Stealth 64 PCI VRAM 

 Chip Set 
    S3 Vision964, Brooktree Bt485 RAMDAC 

 Comments 
    I have 4 Mb of VRAM.  Fast with high resolutions.  Max res. at 
    1600x1200.  I don't know how many colors it does at this res. since 
    my monitor can't support it and the manual doesn't say.  At 
    1280x1024 it does 65k colors and it does 24bit color at up to 
    1152x864.  I have my desktop at 1280x1024x65k and it runs at a fine 
    speed.  Tested with Intel Premier II motherboard and MAG DX17F 
    monitor.  The drivers that come with it works fine for OS/2, but 
    you'll to download the updated installation script and readme file for 
    Warp from Compuserve or the Diamond BBS.  VESA bios 
    compatability without software drivers.  Supports DPMS.  For people 
    who uses straight DOS too, the DOS performance is good too. 

 Caveats 
    I couldn't seem to be able to change my desktop to 1024x768x65k. 
    Everytime I try it, my monitor won't sync to it.  Haven't tried 
    changing to other res. yet.  Drivers seem to have a glitch when 
    playing videos with MMPM/2.  Sometimes the Digital Video Player 
    would just display a blank video window and if you try to play it, 
    the sounds would play, but the window remains blank.  Rebooting 
    the system would fix the problem.  This card may be getting out 
    dated with the availability of the Stealth 64 Video VRAM which uses 
    the S3 Vision968 chip and accelerates video playback too. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               tam@usc.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    VLB 

 Manufacturer 
    Diamond 

 Model Number 
    Viper VLB w/2MB 

 Chip Set 
    Weitek P9000 

 Comments 
    Stable from day one.  Their driver supports all resolutions I can 
    think of and is available via Internet or their BBS.  Zero Wait State 
    is dis/enable/able.  Also VGA (IRQ2) is dis/enable/able.  Good Docs 

 Caveats 
    Only works with 2.1, 2.11, Feringi, or Warp, not anything earlier. 
    Instructions on how to use it with Feringi or Warp is not included 
    with the VLB drivers but can be obtained from the PCI driver.  Due 
    its built in drivers some games won't run or require special 
    configurations to run (SimCity 2000, Empire Deluxe) 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             jaycee@emh.osan.af.mil - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    miro 

 Model Number 
    miroCRYSTAL 8S 

 Chip Set 
    S3 805 (VL-Bus) 

 Comments 
    Don't use the video drivers from S3 (version 2.2) as their WinOS/2 
    drivers don't work with this card. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             seidel3@wrcs1.urz.uni-wuppertal.de - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    VLB 

 Manufacturer 
    National Design Inc. 

 Model Number 
    Volante Warp10LB 1 or 2 MB DRAM 

 Chip Set 
    Quadtel S3 86C805 

 Comments 
    Fast enough for 640x480x16M 800x600x65536 1024x786x256, S3_16M 
    drivers work superbly with this board, fast in DOS (48 FPS in 
    3DBENCH) 

 Caveats 
    Anything above 1024x768x256 interlaces 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 2.1               darryl.teichroeb@t8000.cuc.ab.ca - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    VLB 

 Manufacturer 
    Number Nine Computer Corporation 

 Model Number 
    #9GXE Level 11 and #9GXE Level 12 

 Chip Set 
    S3 928 

 Comments 
    very fast, upto 76Hz refresh rate at a resolution of 1280x1024, runs 
    with manifacturer drivers and IBM S3 drivers. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             reinhard@ifki50.informatik.fh-muenchen.de - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Orchid 

 Model Number 
    Fahrenheit 1280/VLB 

 Chip Set 
    S3-805 (?) 

 Comments 
    Drivers come with some recent OS/2 package; are available from 
    usual sources for other packages. 

 Caveats 
    Beta-level S3 drivers from IBM crashed one machine when installing; 
    final S3_16M drivers gave no problems. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    STB 

 Model Number 
    Evolution, 1991, ISA BUS 

 Chip Set 
    Cirrus Logic GD-5428, 1 Meg RAM 

 Comments 
    Requires 3rd party drivers for use under OS/2 2.1.  Directly supported 
    under OS/2 2.11. 

 Caveats 
    quite slow 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             jim.royer@nmebbs.org - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    TechWorks 

 Model Number 
    ThunderBolt VL2 VESA bus 

 Chip Set 
    Tseng ET4000w32i 2Mb DRAM 

 Comments 
    This card is the most cross compatible I've seen.  It runs with 
    Windows 3.1, NT, Linux &  OS/2. 

 Caveats 
    Not the fastest but accapetable.  Requires a bit of manipulation to 
    use its full capabilities.  But this is a limitation of the chipset and 
    not the card. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 3.0               sbowers@primenet.com - good 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    "Color Designer" (generic) 

 Model Number 
    ?? VL-bus 

 Chip Set 
    Tseng ET4000, 1 Meg RAM 

 Comments 
    Completely supported by drivers supplied with OS/2, need to use the 
    supplied DOS support tools to set up refresh rates before running 
    SVGA ON. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ---- 

 Type 
    VLB accelerated 

 Manufacturer 
    generic 

 Model Number 
    ???? 

 Chip Set 
    Tseng ET4000/W32I 

 Comments 
    OS/2 drivers included in the card's box (available on ftp.cdrom.com, 
    too).  Installation went smoothly, but drivers not as feature-laden as 
    S3 drivers.  Fast card (similar to Orchid S3-805 cards in this respect). 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             rsmith@psych.colorado.edu - good 
 
 ====   

 
 Ugly Video cards 

 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Diamond 

 Model Number 
    Stealth 32 VLB 

 Chip Set 
    Tseng ET4000W 

 Comments 
    These boards are prone to conflicts with other devices in your 
    system. In a few installations, I've had no trouble getting them to 
    run; in others, nothing would get them to work.  They're really 
    hit-or-miss.  OS/2 drivers are included in the box. 

    In talking to the guy that puts together most of our systems, he said 
    that the Diamond Stealth 32 seems to have the most problems with 
    motherboards using the SSI chipset. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             bobdehn@mprcamnl.wr.usgs.gov 
 
 ====   

 
 Bad Video cards 

 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    INFOTEL 

 Model Number 
    Ultra DS600 

 Chip Set 
    S3 801 

 Comments 
    This board is a duplicate of the STB Powergraph board, and 
    evidently the architecture of these boards uses an external clock 
    that OS/2 cannot support.  1) no seamless windows, 2) cannot start 
    DOS windows (but can windowize a FS DOS session), and 3) no 
    background processing to FS windows. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             CGaylord@vt.edu - bad 
 
 ---- 

 Manufacturer 
    Prostar (taiwan) 

 Chip Set 
    OTI-087 (Oak Technology) 

 Comments 
    Does not work for DOS window or MS window in super VGA - Video 
    sync problems. 

 Caveats 
    OK with OS/2 windows. OK in VGA mode. 
 
 OS/2 Version      Rated by 
 < 3.0             g-fulford@adfa.edu.au - bad 
 
 ====   

 
 Publication History 

 ---- 

 
  Ver   Date      Release Notes
 
  1.00  94/04/25  Initial release.
 
  1.01  94/05/10  Removed graphics characters, added notebooks, floptical
                  drives.
 
  1.02  94/07/07
 
  1.03  94/09/18  Added IDE controllers, hard disks, and monitors.  Changed
                  rodents to pointers.  Removed file sizes from history since
                  it was a pain to maintain.
 
  1.04  94/09/24  Discovered the alphabet.
 
  1.05  94/10/02
 
  1.06  94/11/05  Changed introductory text.  Added What's New section,
                  pointers to other sources of help, and OS/2 version numbers.
 
  1.07  95/05/13  Added submission skeleton.
 
  1.08  95/06/17
 
  1.09  95/07/16  Added Multimedia Kits, Removable Media.
 
 

