ak621@chebucto.ns.ca (richard

Hello, All.

I recently acquired an HP Pavilion Notebook N3438 and want to know if
anyone can recommend drivers for the CD-ROM, Sound Card and Modem. I am
using DR-DOS 7.03 on it and no drivers I have tried can recognise this
hardware. I assume it may be Windows-only hardware.

I have not taken the notebook apart to see what hardware is in it and
am hoping someone can suggest something so I won't have to.

Comments? Suggestions?

Richard Bonner
http://www.chebucto.ca/~ak621/DOS/

dos guy

On 2005-11-02 ak621@chebucto.ns.ca (Richard Bonner) said:

Hey, Richard. Yep, the sound card and the modem are most likely
Win-hardware...and as such, cannot be made to function under true
DOS.

If you be wanna be double-sure about the modem, you could download
the DOS 'Modem Doctor' diagnostic. Even the freeware 'Bananacom'
communications program (usually BCOM.ZIP) does a decent job of
finding and identifying DOS-compatible modems. If it spazzes out,
it probably means you've got a Win-modem.

The CD-ROM, though, is definitely do-able. Just depends on what
type of drive it is (IDE/ATAPI? SCSI? USB?).

Do a web search to see if you can find some technical specs for
your particular HP laptop. Check the HP website.

If (as I suspect) the CD-ROM drive is ATAPI, then the generic
'VIDE-CDD.SYS' driver is what you need. If you don't already
have it, Google will quickly find it for you.

I've never yet encountered an IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM drive that doesn't
work perfectly with that 'VIDE-CDD.SYS' driver.

And the 'NWCDEX.EXE' CD extensions driver supplied with DR-DOS 7.03
works fine. No need to get fancy with it, either. If you use the
'VIDE-CDD.SYS' driver, you won't need any switches with 'NWCDEX.EXE'
other than the usual '/D:<your_drive_name>' parameter.

Enjoy your new DOS laptop!

ak621@chebucto.ns.ca (richard

*** Does no one make DOS drivers for Win hardware? I understand there
are Linux drivers for some .


*** I have COMDOG and it doesn't recognise that there is a modem on the
system. I tried your suggestion of Modem Doctor and get the same thing. I
guess I will have to cart around an outboard modem. )-: Microsoft really
ruins it for others, doesn't it?

*** I don't know. Nothing I tried can recognise it, although the laptop
can boot from a CD.

*** Thanks. I found their site tedious but shall try again.


*** I have a copy and it didn't work. However, it wants information I
can't provide: Port Setting and IRQ. How can I know what they are if the
device is not recognised?

*** This may be it! (-:

*** I tried it and my favourite SHSUCDX. Nothing has yet recognised the
drive.


*** Despite limited hardware, I am enjoying it, thanks. (-:

Richard Bonner
http://www.chebucto.ca/~ak621/DOS/

dos guy

On 2005-11-03 ak621@chebucto.ns.ca (Richard Bonner) said:

For DOS, it would have to be more than a mere "driver" (as we
normally understand the term "driver" in the world of true DOS).

Win-hardware (modems, printers, sound cards) have no on-board
ROMs to provide the functionality, as did the modems, printers
and sound cards of yore.

To try to provide that functionality in software under a single-
tasking O.S. like DOS would be -- at best -- highly inefficient.
DOS was never intended to deal with such brain-dead peripherals.


Yep. Sounds like you've got a Win-modem there, fersher.

Hit the garage sales, rummage sales and e-Bay. I bought a full-
hardware (DOS-compatible) 56k Hayes brand external modem a couple
of months ago at a rummage sale for $US 1.00. Works great.

Dial-up modems are usually ultra-cheap on the secondary market.


Heh. Mikro$loth's been doin' that since it released its first
commercial product (Mikro$loth BASIC). Which, incidentally, was
stolen from somewhere else!


Yeah. You need to find out for certain what *type* of drive that
CD-ROM drive is. Then you can find an appropriate driver.

If there's a computer retailer in your area that sells new HP
laptops, you might give'em a phone call, and see if you can get
through to a "techie" type. He'd know what type of CD-ROM drives
HP installs in its laptops.


Have you wandered around in your laptop's in-ROM set-up program?
Does that give you any clues?

Or, more likely, the drive may not be IDE/ATAPI.

Yeah, well...it probably wouldn't, without the CD-ROM hardware driver
loaded first.

Gotta love the look of that nice HP screen.

mike jones

googling for "HP Pavilion N3438 technical specification"

got me to a user guide pdf

which was no good; but it does look as if W98 is your best option. (with
bootmenu for commandline, of course)

http://www.computerwriter.com/Star/2001/apr/sf040501%20-%20inexpensive_notebooks_section_fr.htm

gives the general spec, and the video card type.

frank slootweg

As said, the modem (and sound card) is probably (MS-)Windows-only. But
can't you buy a cheap PCMCIA modem card which *does* have DOS (driver)
support? IIRC most PCMCIA modem cards of the Windows 95 era came with
DOS support.

Perhaps there's a similar solution for the sound.

juliosros2000

Richard,
Get ideprobe.exe from:
http://www.diskman.co.uk/default.aspx
Run it from a DOS floppy boot.
If this doesn't identify your CD as ATAPI, post again, and I'll try to
find my stash of info on CD interfaces. (Blasted hackers break in every
week or so, and rearrange all my stuff, so I can't find it. Terrible.)

ak621@chebucto.ns.ca (richard

*** I am likely wrong because hardware is not my forte, but Win 9.x,
which runs DOS underneath can do it, so one would think that all that is
needed is whatever Windows uses for the purpose but ported to DOS.

*** I have several outboard modems, so I can use one of them. I shall
have to make up a short cable though, because I don't want two metres of
thick cable taking up so much room in the laptop case.


*** OK. I experimented and now believe that the drive may have a
problem. I used a Win ME boot disc and asked for CD-ROM support. The drive
was not recognised. (The laptop came with ME.) I haven't tried the boot CD
because it is a recovery disc and I am worried it might damage what I have
on the hard drive now. I plan to get a boot CD from a friend tonight.

*** Good idea. I shall try that.

*** None.

*** Agreed.

*** I loaded several drivers in turn including the OAK one on the ME
disc before trying those programs. No go.


*** Actually, this one is about 5 years old and exhibits everything I
dislike about LCD screens: Linited viewing angle, blurring during
scrolling, and native resolution difficulties. However, it's fine for what
I want and better than any of my other laptops.

Richard Bonner
http://www.chebucto.ca/~ak621/DOS/

ak621@chebucto.ns.ca (richard

*** Thanks, but I went through the Windows phase in the 1990s and will
never go back. I found Windows to be tedious, annoying, antiquated and
a displeasure all around to use. I should add that I find all GUIs to
be much the same, so it's not just Windows.

*** Thanks. I believe that info may be in the manual, too.

Richard Bonner
http://www.chebucto.ca/~ak621/DOS/

ak621@chebucto.ns.ca (richard

*** Thanks, but it appears that used laptop hardware is hard to come by.
I am also under the impression that not just any cards will fit.

Richard Bonner
http://www.chebucto.ca/~ak621/DOS/