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Compaq User Programs disk image wanted

compaqportableplus

compaqportableplus

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I’m looking for the User Programs disk image that was supplied with Compaq DOS 3.31. Can’t find it anywhere.

I need it because it contains the CEMMP.exe utility I need to configure EMS RAM on my Compaq SLT/286.

Thanks!
 
I've got a boxed copy of 3.31 Rev G, and I don't see a User Programs disk, or any mention of it or the CEMMP.EXE program in the manual. I wonder if there was a special version just for the laptops?
 
Possibly. The SLT/286 manual makes mention of the CEMMP.EXE utility being on the included User Programs disk, which I unfortunately do not have.

Thanks for the reply!
 
compaqportableplus said:
Yeah, that’s a bit older than the SLT/286 though, so not 100% sure that would work.
Click to expand...

There must have been a newer package of 3.31 than what I have, that's for the SLT/286.

There is a DOS 4.01 and 5.0 for Compaq listed on that site as well, both of those have the CEMMP.EXE, but I have no idea if it would be backwards compatible with 3.31
 
jafir said:
There must have been a newer package of 3.31 than what I have, that's for the SLT/286.

There is a DOS 4.01 and 5.0 for Compaq listed on that site as well, both of those have the CEMMP.EXE, but I have no idea if it would be backwards compatible with 3.31
Click to expand...

Do they? I will have to try those! I’m running DOS 6.22 anyway, so those newer versions may be better. Or I may just switch to the Compaq DOS 5.0 altogether.

Thanks!
 
Okay, installing Compaq DOS 5.0 now. Going to be switching to that full-time on the SLT/286. Will try the CEMMP once it’s installed.
 
I was looking at CEMMP.EXE recently when checking to see if my DeskPro 286 supported the EMS page mapping hardware. Alas, it did not. However, the switches for the driver were a little daunting. If you don't have access to the manual, here are the pages from the Compaq DOS 5 Reference Guide (hopefully still readable). Good luck.

IMG_1557.jpeg IMG_1558.jpeg IMG_1559.jpeg IMG_1560.jpeg

P.S. My story with the SLT/286 was I got to take one of the very first production models back to my parents home over the Christmas of '88. Caused quite a stir when I pulled that thing out in the airplane and placed it on the dining tray!
 
resman, thank you for those pics! Very helpful. I have tried everything on my “primary” SLT/286, but just can’t get it to work reliably. It works fine on my other (newer) SLT/286 though, which has a newer revision system board and BIOS. When I launch Windows/286 (the main reason I want expanded memory) on the older one, it will load up and see the expanded memory, but the hard-lock the machine when you open any programs. I ran all Compaq Diags and it checks out fine, so I’m thinking it’s an incompatibility with that newer version of CEMMP and the older BIOS. Just a theory. Going to pop the ROMs from the newer SLT into the older one and see if that changes anything. I really don’t think anything is broken because it works great when the extra memory is used as extended. Been using this SLT as one of my primary DOS machines for years with no issue. Worst case I’ll just give up putting EMS on this machine. Windows will just about do everything I need with the base 640 anyways, but having 1MB of EMS would be very handy.

That’s a cool story! Thanks for sharing that. So you had one of the early (blank-handle, as I like to call them) SLTs, made before they started putting the Compaq logo on the handle. Been looking for one of those. Had one many years ago, but it had been dropped or something, so it was basically falling apart. Will definitely get another when the right one comes up.
 
compaqportableplus said:
resman, thank you for those pics! Very helpful. I have tried everything on my “primary” SLT/286, but just can’t get it to work reliably. It works fine on my other (newer) SLT/286 though, which has a newer revision system board and BIOS. When I launch Windows/286 (the main reason I want expanded memory) on the older one, it will load up and see the expanded memory, but the hard-lock the machine when you open any programs. I ran all Compaq Diags and it checks out fine, so I’m thinking it’s an incompatibility with that newer version of CEMMP and the older BIOS. Just a theory. Going to pop the ROMs from the newer SLT into the older one and see if that changes anything. I really don’t think anything is broken because it works great when the extra memory is used as extended. Been using this SLT as one of my primary DOS machines for years with no issue. Worst case I’ll just give up putting EMS on this machine. Windows will just about do everything I need with the base 640 anyways, but having 1MB of EMS would be very handy.
Click to expand...

Glad they helped but surprised to hear your machine is locking up. Will any other EMS programs like disk caches/RAM disks work with it? I never knew about the EMS hardware on the Compaq 286s until recently.

compaqportableplus said:
That’s a cool story! Thanks for sharing that. So you had one of the early (blank-handle, as I like to call them) SLTs, made before they started putting the Compaq logo on the handle. Been looking for one of those. Had one many years ago, but it had been dropped or something, so it was basically falling apart. Will definitely get another when the right one comes up.
Click to expand...

All I remember about those handles was that you didn't want to carry the computer around for long using it!
 
Yeah, I’m surprised too. I haven’t tried an EMS RAM disk or cache program with it yet. I guess it would be worth a try possibly.

I did also try Windows 3.0, and it locks up too with EMS enabled. Works great with XMS though.

Really curious to see what happens when I put the newer ROMs in. If that works, I guess I’ll have to get an EPROM programmer and make a duplicate set of the newer ones to use in here.

Yeah, I could see how that handle might get to you after a long time of carrying it. Great for moving it short distances though. I think most people bought the matching carry case anyways. :) That’s what I carry mine in. I should really rebuild a battery pack and carry one of these into Starbucks someday. That would be epic...

I think a lot of people would be embarrassed to do that, but I’d actually feel pretty cool in public with my overbuilt American-made laptop. :)
 
There is one BIOS version archived at minuszerodegrees. If one of yours is newer, and especially if it fixes your issue, you should send it to modem7. http://www.minuszerodegrees.net/rom/rom.htm

If it’s got a similar mask rom to what my portable has, you might need to jumper a pin on the rom to enable reading it in the programmer.
 
jafir said:
There is one BIOS version archived at minuszerodegrees. If one of yours is newer, and especially if it fixes your issue, you should send it to modem7. http://www.minuszerodegrees.net/rom/rom.htm

If it’s got a similar mask rom to what my portable has, you might need to jumper a pin on the rom to enable reading it in the programmer.
Click to expand...

Would be happy to do that, but I’ll have to first see if it fixes the problem, then get the equipment necessary to image it.

I’m not 100% sure what type of ROM chip it is. I’ve got a junk one with a broken leg I can peel the stick off of to see.

Edit: looks like that’s an ‘89 revision, but not 100% sure which one. There were at least two revisions in ‘89.
 
Tried the ROMs from my other two SLT/286s in it (two different ‘89 revisions) and there was no change. Machine still freezes.

There are two possibilities left: this board is faulty (still a little skeptical of that, as it checks out 100% fine in the diags and otherwise works perfectly) or this, being a first-revision system board, has a design flaw. Don’t have another machine with a revision 1 system board to test this theory unfortunately. Will get another eventually.

I think I’m going to let CheckIt run an exhaustive memory test on it with EMS enabled and see what happens.
 
Very strange. The EMS memory works fine if it’s running off of the docking station or the battery, but it still freezes when plugged into the AC adapter! Very odd. I swapped out the internal DC/DC converter, which didn’t help, so I’m just going to leave it be. I’ve tried pretty much everything at this point, and the machine still works fine without EMS disabled, which I don’t NEED anyways. And I can just use one of my other two if I really want it.

It’s entirely possible this machine has always had this issue, as the original owner probably never used the EMS option, so it would’ve likely went unnoticed.

That being said, the SLT/286 is still my favorite laptop of the 1980s, and this issue is very minor compared to the absolute hell I went through will the power supply circuitry in the Toshibas.

These SLTs are incredibly reliable for a 30-plus-year-old laptop!

On a side note, I’m going to be doing the RTC chip hack on my final SLT/286 today, then they’ll all be done. After that I’ll do my two SLT 386s/20s. The 386s/20 is a very robust system as well.

I know this thread kinda went off track... oh well...
 
jafir said:
I know this is a little late, but I found some floppies that are pretty close to what you were originally asking for. These were the floppies inside of a manual for a Deskpro 286E and the manual for the user programs indicates they are for Compaq DOS version 3.1. The manual does mention the SLT/286, so this should be the correct stuff. I think. :)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mq0ckxompkhof3u/Compaq Deskpro 286e Operations Guides Floppies.7z?dl=0
Click to expand...

Awesome! I will take a look at these.

Thanks!
 
jafir said:
I know this is a little late, but I found some floppies that are pretty close to what you were originally asking for. These were the floppies inside of a manual for a Deskpro 286E and the manual for the user programs indicates they are for Compaq DOS version 3.1. The manual does mention the SLT/286, so this should be the correct stuff. I think. :)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mq0ckxompk...oppies.7z?dl=0
Click to expand...

I completely forgot about this and never came back to download the files (I replied from my phone and intended to come back later on a PC and grab the files). Could you re-upload them? Thank you.

I have discovered the existence of the “PWRCON” utility which lets you toggle power management features right from DOS, without having to go all the way to the setup utility each time. And once again, the manual says it’s on the user programs disk.
 
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