Msg: 3660 *Conference*
12-28-92 06:28:13
From: RICHARD HANSON
To : CROSBY! CROSBY!
Subj: REPLY TO MSG #3658 (NEC PC8201A)
Crosby!: The item you need to interface your TPDD2 (or a TPDD for that matter) is TS-DOS on either disk or ROM. TS-DOS for the NEC8201 is the "only" disk operating system (DOS) every built to do the job. The last, latest version is 4.0 and works for both TPDD and TPDD2 drives. The disk version is $39.95 and the ROM version is $49.95, with $3 s&h in either case. You might ask why you would want the disk version over the ROM version, or vise versa. Well, the answer is complex and deals with how you invision using your NEC8201. If you just need drive access, and nothing else, you might want the ROM version. As with all ROMware, it requires no RAM for its operations. TS-DOS ROM-only users include those who use their laptop for data collection, or notes, development and planning, etc., and who either use RAM-based programming for output, or transfer the data over to another computer, i.e., DOS or Mac, or something else. The disk-based users of TS-DOS include those that use other ROMware in their laptop, like The Ultimate ROM II, or Sardine ROM. These ROM's include a load-and-run feature that automatically loads TS-DOS from disk into RAM and runs it. FYI: There are actually nine versions of TS-DOS but, like I mentioned above, once loaded, TS-DOS works with both the TPDD and TPDD2 drives. Computer ROM TPDD TPDD2 100/102 x x x 200 x x x NEC8201 x x x For your NEC8201 you will want either the ROM version or TPDD2 (disk) version. Also, if you want both ROM and disk, simply order the ROM version and ask me to throw in the disk at no extra charge. Such a deal! That way you're all set to go ROM-only, or incorporate TS-DOS into other system configurations and processing needs. Hope this helps... -Rick-