Questions tagged [compatibility]
For questions regarding compatibility of retrocomputers and peripherals.
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In what ways was the Windows NT POSIX implementation unsuited to real use?
Windows NT implemented POSIX compatibility because some US government contracts required such. It is said that the POSIX implementation was only pro forma, not intended or suitable for real use (i.e. ...
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What disk packs are compatible with the DEC RM05?
While the majority of DEC's PDP-11 systems used UNIBUS or QBUS based peripherals for storage, some of the larger PDP-11s, along with larger machines such as the DECsystem 20 and the VAX-11/780 used ...
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Why does trying to break into the NT 3.1 kernel reboot my 486DX4 machine?
I installed Windows NT 3.1 on a Compaq ProSignia 3080 system, because of several reasons: I know that this machine was running Windows NT 3.1 when it was in productive use. And I think this machine ...
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How did games written for tape-based BBC micro, get officially and unofficially ported to disk, bearing in mind extra workspace needed by DFS ROM?
If I recall, PAGE = &E00 for a BBC Model B system with cassette tape based storage.
On installation of Acorn DFS ROM (with 8271 Floppy disc controller), the ROM allocated more memory, increasing ...
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1
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"Restoring" a 1986 Compaq Portable II (Cabling question)
I am in possession of a working 1986 Compaq Portable II. However, I couldn't find a 5.25" floppy with the proper version of DOS on it to actually make the computer, ya know, work.
I've since ...
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Did the Harris 80C286 differ from Intel's 80286 in its behaviour?
The Harris company, well known for being an early second source making x86 chips under license, eventually produced a fully static CMOS 80C286 of their own design (later known as the Intersil 80C286 ...
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Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Flight Simulator as unofficial compatibility benchmark?
Do I remember correctly about an unofficial but popular test of "PC compatibility" in the early 1980s? Basically if a machine could run vanilla versions of both Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft ...
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What was the second most common incompatibility in MS-DOS machines? [closed]
When the IBM PC was released, it did not take long for people to figure out that there would be a big market for compatible machines.
The first wave relied on MS-DOS as the compatibility layer. The ...
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9
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Why does MS-DOS 5.0 EDIT hang on my XT-class machine with a German 102-key keyboard?
Most times whene I call EDIT on my XT-class machine with MS-DOS 5.0 installed on the hard disk, the menus of EDIT appear, but the window that should contain the file contents stays blank and the ...
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Why did the PlayStation 2 implement backward compatibility that way?
It is well known that the PlayStation 2 implemented compatibility with the previous console by essentially incorporating a PS1 on a chip.
The fact of backward compatibility is unremarkable as far as ...
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Fan for old socket A Athlon cooler [closed]
I put together a retro gaming setup with a 2000ish spec (can post specs if required) and it's come together pretty nicely except the CPU fan is insanely shrill (it's a Coolermaster something).
If I ...
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USB ports for a 486 laptop (pccard 16bits)
I have an old laptop 486 with PhoenixBIOS which supports PC card 16bits( PCMCIA II/III).
I am thinking about the possibility of adding a pccard 16bits with USB ports, mainly to read usbsticks or ...
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How compatible is the Leningrad clone with the "original" ZX Spectrum?
In Leningrad they developed a clone of the ZX Spectrum, replacing the ULA by some TTL logic. Some of my speculations:
In the USSR, the analog TV sets used SECAM, not PAL, so I imagine that the ...
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2
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What changes made some Atari ST software incompatible with the Atari TT?
The Atari TT was based on the earlier ST line of computers but with a 32 MHz 68030 instead of an 8 or 16 MHz 68000. There were a number of extensions made (e.g. new video modes) and the memory ...
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Are later 68000 variants backward compatible with earlier ones?
The 68020 is an improvement over the 68000 because it includes new instructions, possibly better speeds and so on. The 68040 is an improvement over the 68020 again for the same reasons, as is the ...
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Can 6502 programs be transliterated to the SPC700?
The SPC700's instruction set is derived from the 6502's, but moves the instructions around and adds a few. But is it fully backwards compatible?
Assuming that the program fully separates data and ...
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Was OS/2 a viable alternative for daily DOS and Windows tasks?
After playing a bit with the OS, a question sparked my interest:
Could it entirely replace DOS and Windows ?
Let's restrict the scope of this question a bit since it's fairly broad,
Was it ...
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19
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3
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Do all VGA cards implicitly support CGA and EGA?
Practically speaking, if I buy an ISA VGA card, will it implicitly support CGA and EGA games?
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How POSIX-compliant is Xenix?
Xenix was the most popular Unix flavour of the 80's. However, it was designed before the POSIX standards came to be, and its final version was released shortly after the first POSIX specification was ...
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Pair Am386 with i387
I've got a motherboard with a Am386/DX processor.
I've also got an Intel 387 coprocessor.
Is it possible to use the Intel 387 that I've got together with the Am386 or do I need a coprocessor from AMD?...
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What are the common sources of incompatibility on different MSX computers?
I remember that a LOT of games for my MSX (I live in Brazil) don't work without some modification. For example, several need some kind of tweak on the loader, like poke -1,0.
I would like to know ...
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