I have started a project that I will describe. I am going to try to marry a Weirdo to a TWAIN. A few definitions are in order: A Weirdo is anything plugged into the Z88’s 9 pin serial port according to the book “Z88 MAGIC”. A TWAIN is “Technology Without An Important Name” and by definition a standard for acquiring graphics, such as input from a scanner, computer video, or something else that brings graphics into the computer. And text is a form of graphics.
There is a kit (Z88 PC LINK II) that contains the hardware and software to interchange Lotus and WordStar files between your Z88 computer and an IBM PC compatible computer. It comes in a box that is 7.562 X 7.562 X 2.312 inches. The box contains a 5.25 diskette, ROM card for the Z88 and a Z88 serial cable with a 25 way D female connector and a PC-LINK USER GUIDE. The box also contained a 3.5 diskette with a hand written label that I worked from.
Initially I tried to copy the disk to hard drive by way of DOS and Windows and I kept getting all kinds of reasons why it could not be done with the majority of the reasons stating that I was not in DOS. Finally I read the User’s Guide. There I found the instructions for installing PC-LINK to either another floppy or to the hard drive. So at first I tried to get it on hard drive. Step one was to Move onto the hard drive by typing C: Aha! From having looked at my DOS 5 User’s Handbook I knew that was a DOS command. Next was to type cd to move to the root directory. Create a suitable directory for the PC-LINK software by typing: ad PCLINK. Move into the new directory by typing: cd PCLINK. Copy the PC-LINK software onto the hard drive by typing: copy A:*.* You will see the files as they are copied across.
But after that I read further in the manual and learned that when files were transferred from the Z88 to the PC they are put into whatever memory the software was in. And to avoid overloading the hard drive (is that possible with a 13gig hard drive?) I decided to transfer the files to a three and a half inch 1.44 meg floppy. I also copied it to a 720K 3.5 floppy. But for some reason the 1.44 meg floppy was listed as a 720K.
Then I discovered that I had to copy the MS-DOS file COMMAND.COM to be with the PC-LINK files be it on hard disk or floppy. So every time I tried that the PC objected and stated that I was either in DOS and couldn’t do it or that I was in Windows and couldn’t access DOS files. After having the computer lock up a couple of times I decided to copy the files I had on hard drive in case the computer crashed. That is the word-processor files I had created. In doing that I had to read up on the procedure of how to do it. And of course I ran across the procedure for making an emergency back up disk for use if I had to reconstruct the hard drive programs. I had already done that and so I checked that disk and I found the file COMMAND there in the directory.
The manual for PC-LINK has the procedure for copying COMMAND to the disk. It is not complicated but to copy that one file I had to change disks since I only have one 3.5 drive. I had to put the original and the copy in several times (I think a total of 4 each) before the process was finished.
Now with that hurdle over with I had to connect up the Z88 to the Compaq. The cable has a male nine pin D to connect to the Z88 9 pin female. That is fine and dandy. But the other end of the cable is a 25 way female and the Compaq has a 9 way male. So I needed a serial adapter for the cable. So I had to go to Staples to get one.
I also have a LASER PC3 that is somewhat like a cheap version of the Z88 which also can be up and down loaded to a IBM compatible PC. Somehow I lost the disk of software that came with the LASER PC3 to be loaded into the PC to receive the files or to send the files.
Is there anybody out there that can send me a copy on a 3.5 floppy? Or even on a 5.25 disk?
Plugged together with all powered down I then powered up and tried the file transfer from the Z88 to the PC. The window of the Z88 directory came up on the PC and I proceeded per instructions but! I never did see the file in the PC. That is where I am stuck right now. Is it lost in cyberspace or is it hiding some place in the PC where I haven’t thought to look. I even looked in the directory of the 3.5 disk and didn’t see anything.
Hopefully, I will get more insight into the problem by the next issue. I will be reading and trying this and that till it works. And when it works I will be reporting it.
C:>DIR A:
Volume in drive A is EMPTY
Volume Serial Number is 374D-3BBF
Directory of A:
ISOIBM EXE 12,271 08-01-97 3:57a
IBMISO EXE 12,271 08-01-97 3:58a
PCLINK EXE 97,277 08-01-97 3:58a
READ ME 2,762 08-01-97 3:59a
PCLINK HLP 7,369 08-01-97 3:59a
SETUP BAT 5,818 08-01-97 3:59a
WTP EXE 32,471 08-01-97 3:59a
PTW EXE 43,597 08-01-97 4:00a
PTL EXE 64,164 08-01-97 4:01a
LTP EXE 64,364 08-01-97 4:01a
10 file(s) 342,364 bytes
0 dir(s) 385,024 bytes fre
Since you are in DOS, I would make a new directory, then copy from A: to that directory.
C:mkdir PCLINK (Make dir.) C:A: A:copy *.* C:PCLINK C: DIR > PRN (To print dir.)