INT 24 DOS error message

[JoeG]

I'm trying to revive a CompuAdd laptop that has DOS on it. When these were originally sold, they came with Windows 3.1 installed. What's holding me back from reinstalling Windows 3.1 is that I can't get the floppy drive to work. I always get a Abort, Retry, Fail message when trying to access the floppy. I do on occasion get the Fail on INT 24 error message from DOS when trying to format a floppy disk.

In a previous post, I mentioned that the floppy that came with the laptop had a bad capacitor that I replaced. That didn't help. The replacement floppy drive I purchased also didn't make any difference. I still can't get the drive to pull a directory, or format a floppy. So today I ordered a 34-pin to USB floppy adapter from Amazon. I want to check these drives outside of the laptop.

Has anyone run into this issue with a perceived faulty floppy drive that always gives errors even when the floppy has been replaced with a hopefully working floppy drive?

Thank you

Joe

[Bill (Smithville NJ)]

Joe,

While I'm not familiar with your laptop, I have installed Win3.1 on many machines even without a working floppy. I'm taking it that your machine is working with DOS already installed on it.

The fastest way is to pull the harddrive from the laptop, then use a hardrive to usb cable so that it can be plugged into another computer. Then just copy the six Win3.1 disks to the harddrive. You can either have the six disks each in their own directory or just copy all the disks into a single folder on the drive.

Put the drive back in the laptop, then run the win setup to install.

A more difficult way is to use the rs-232 port to copy the win install files over to the laptop. If the laptop has laplink installed in it's dos, then a a reverse com port cable can be used. If you don't have laplink installed, then there's ways to copy laplink file over the com port using a dos command. I'd have to research it since it's been a long time since I have done it that way. Once laplike is installed it's pretty easy to then copy the disk files over. Besides laplink there are other programs/methods to do the copying. Kermit is one that comes to mind.

Another suggestion is that you post on the Vintage Computer Federation Forum:

VCF Forum

They have users that have worked/seen every type of old computer and it's associated problems.

73
Bill WD9EQD
Smithville, NJ

[JoeG]

Thank you for the prompt reply. I did post it on VCF as you suggested.

I also can do what you mentioned. I do have a device that allows me to connect most any hard drive to my PC via USB.

Thank you!

Joe

[JoeG]

While taking out the hard drive that appeared to have crashed, and trying to test it on a PC via USB connection without success, I was putting it back into the CompuAdd 316SL laptop when I saw something on what I'm calling a "controller module board" that I had to unplug in order to get the drive back in place.

Something fried pretty good on this board in the past (see photo). I really don't know if it's part of the floppy drive problem. I have no documentation, and I have not been able to locate any on the internet.

Now after putting everything back together, the hard drive decided to work again and boot DOS. The floppy still has a problem, but it appears to be at least trying to read and format a disk. I think it might be fixable if I pull the floppy again and replace the one capacitor that I didn't replace on it

This link is helpful. http://asknotes.com/2021/03/15/fixing-ep...isk-drive/

What I also discovered with the laptop floppy drive is that it has no power connector unlike the replacement I had purchased. It gets its power from the ribbon cable somehow. I've never seen this before. So I was unable to externally test it with the USB to 34-pin floppy drive adapter I purchased. The replacement worked fine since it has the power connector.

The laptop also does not appear to be charging the battery. Given the age of the unit, I'm not surprised.

I'll update this post as things move along.

Joe

   

[JoeG]

Well, the CompuAdd 316SL computer is dead. In terms of a functioning board that controls the hard drive and the floppy drive, it's dead. The previous post photo shows damage to the board. I could smell the "burnt fish" smell today from the hard drive and the control board. The effected components that fried require a microscope to clearly see, and the accompanying tools, skills and parts to possibly repair. Way, way over my head. At least I learned quite a bit from this ordeal. That's priceless to me.

So I will be posting this for parts only on ebay for $5 plus shipping after I send the grandkids home, put everything back together, and take some pictures. There will be full disclosure on the ebay post. Oh, and I did replace the other capacitor on the floppy today. At least that went well. I still don't know if it works.

Joe