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|D |5Diskussion |D
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^C^1The PCjr Sector
^Cby
^CDennis Wodtli

HARDWARE

When you bought your system, 128k with one drive was adequate.  Today it seems 
like 256k is the minimum (even some of the popular games require 256k) and two 
disk drives would be a big help since many programs use two or more disks plus 
a data disk.  Don't give up on the jr; it can be upgraded to 640k and two disk 
drives.  A list of companies selling jr products follows this article. 

MEMORY - 128k and 512k memory sidecars are available, and a 128k sidecar can 
upgraded to 512k by replacing the 64k chips with 256k chips. Prices for these 
products have come down a lot since they were introduced.  Some typical prices 
I have seen are as follows: 128k - $200, 512k - $300, upgrade 128k to 512 - 
$150.  The extra memory may allow you to set up a RAM disk which can help 
compensate for having only one disk drive.  I have had some luck with this but 
many programs will not accomodate use a RAM disk due to copy protection or due 
to their basic structure.  If you ever get to see a data base sort on a RAM 
disk you will be sold on getting one.  It sorts incredibly fast.  The big 
advantage of extra memory is the ability to run the new software that uses more 
than 128k.  If you have the bucks, go for the 512k sidecar; this gives the 
system 640k of RAM which allows you to run all DOS programs that will run on 
the jr.  If you are adding memory and a second disk drive, consider the Racore 
Drive Two Plus as the memory boards that fit inside. It costs much less; 256k - 
$95, 512k - $125. 

2nd DISK DRIVE - Several companies are currently offering add-on second disk 
drives and even hard disk drives.  The Racore drive has built-in ROM that 
allows the jr to boot up in a two drive configuration.  Other drives may 
require a software patch to be run during boot.  The significance of these 
technical details is that some software can be run only by booting.  This 
software does not allow you to run a software patch after it is booted and thus 
you could not use a second drive that requires a software patch after the 
system is booted.  For example, to run |E~1Wizardry^N or |E~1King's Quest^N, you 
must boot the system with the program disk in the drive.  The program then 
controls the system and prevents running a software patch that allows the jr to 
recognize two disk drives.  You are left with a one drive system even though 
you have two drives.  Whether this technical point is a problem depends 
entirely on the kind of software used. 

SOFTWARE

|E~1Starflight^N - This program will not run on the jr without first modifying it 
with a software patch available from Electronic Arts.  I have modified this 
program per the patch and it ran fine.  It is a fascinating program and well 
worth the money. 

|E~1Blueline^N editor - One use not mentioned for Big Blue's resident editor is 
writing batch files.  Of course, that is what an editor is -- a junior word 
processor that produces straight ASCII text that will execute DOS commands.  
What you see is what you get, without hidden printer codes or margin control 
characters.  To understand this, write a short note on your word processor, 
save it to a file named TEST, get into DOS and enter TYPE TEST.  The strange 
symbols you see on the screen cause problems when DOS tries to execute them.  
DOS can't understand them and gives you an error message. 

|E~1PFS Write^N (version c) - This word processor will run fine from a 360k RAM 
disk.  You can copy program files to the RAM disk and start the program from 
there.  It will check to see if the program disk is in drive A, after which you 
can remove it and insert a data disk for the rest of the session.  This solves 
the disk swapping problem and makes the spelling checker run lightning fast. 

SHOULD YOU UPGRADE YOUR PCjr?

Let's look at upgrading a standard 128k PCjr to 640k and two disk drives vs.  
buying a low cost PC clone with the same features.  The clone will run at a 
faster clock speed but will not have a 3 voice sound chip.  Also assume that 
the jr monitor and cable can be modified to work with the clone.  (This might 
not be so easy to do.) This table compares the costs of the two systems. 



                         PC CLONE    PCjr Upgrade
    SYSTEM UNIT              $500         0
    COLOR GRAPHICS CARD       200         0
    MONITOR CABLE MOD.         20?        0
    2nd DISK DRIVE            100       295 (RACORE DRIVE TWO PLUS)
    FILL MEMORY TO 640K       100       125 (RACORE MEMORY BOARD)
                        --------------------
              TOTAL          $920      $420

Upgrading the jr is less expensive than starting over.  I'm not sure if the 
clone would work as well as the jr in terms of compatibility, color (do you get 
16 colors and will the software access it?), and whether the company be here 
tomorrow. 


BITS AND PIECES

I ran |E~1King's Quest 3^N on an IBM AT with an EGA graphics card and monitor to 
see if it was better than on a jr.  Surprisingly, it was not much different.  
The graphics were the same, which indicates the program has not been rewritten 
to use advanced graphics.  The colors were more solid, which reflects the 
higher resolution of the monitor.  Other programs I've tried to run on this 
system will not run unless they specifically say they are compatible with EGA 
graphics. 

LET'S TALK

I am thinking about buying the Racore Drive Two Plus and would like to hear 
from anyone who owns one.  Is it good, bad, or otherwise?  Is there any 
software it will not run that will run on a standard jr?  Will it run |E~1PFS 
|E~1WRITE^N? 

I have expressed my views on the jr.  What are yours?  There are always two 
sides to any story; let's hear yours. 

COMPANIES SELLING PCjr PRODUCTS 

J & M SYSTEMS, LTD.
15100A CENTRAL SE
ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87123
(505) 292-4182 

PCjr GROUP 2929
WEST ANDERSON LANE
AUSTIN, TEXAS 7857
(512) 454 3999 

RACORE COMPUTER PRODUCTS INC.
10 VICTOR SQUARE
SCOTTS VALLEY, CA 95066
1-800-325-1833 except CA.
1-800-847-8417 except UT.
BBS: (801) 363-8720 

OTHERS - Write to |9~3Big Blue Disk^N and tell us about it! 
