GBU - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

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.

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 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.

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  to copy this text to the clipboard, then press  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  to copy this text to the clipboard, then press  to paste it into your editor. A skeleton format without the sample text. Delete the text above before saving the file.

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.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

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 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 functionality of the ATI Stereo F/X is supported 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 functionality 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 001D 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 with 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) 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. 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. 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. Caddyless. 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, up to 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 </PRE>

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     "

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 </PRE>

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 </PRE>

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 </PRE>

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 </PRE>

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 </PRE>

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 </PRE>

Bad Printers
Nothing supplied in this category.

Good Removable Media
 OS/2 Version     Rated by  3.0               sbowers@primenet.com - good </PRE>
 * 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 separate or downloaded from Hobbes, Compuserve.
 * Caveats:Requires some type of lockdrv.flt driver.The Syquest drivers work better than the Iomega drivers.

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 </PRE>

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 </PRE>

Good SCSI Host Adapters
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

Bad SCSI Controller cards
Nothing supplied in this category.

Ugly Tape drives
Nothing supplied in this category.

Bad Tape drives
Nothing supplied in this category.

Good Video cards
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 </PRE>