-> Sep 11 17:20 05, WAYNE CHIRNSIDE wrote to MAURICE KINAL:

->  ->> also seem to pack it in faster on Compaqs for whatever
reason.  Perhaps 
->  ->> they are overpowering the ps2 port?

->  WC> Same experience here.

-> I kind of thought there was something odd with that.  I've never noticed that
-> with any other computer, other then keyboards wearing down normally from
-> (over)use.

->  WC> The bloody Hewlett Packard doesn't even HAVE a BIOS upgrade
->  WC> and I think that stinks.

-> Yeah.  I had a couple floppies once for the HP netservers.  The difference
-> between that and Compaq though was at least once properly configured the
-> netserver was solid.  Sucked a ton of power though but had scsii everything. 
-> Awesome system in it's time but I hated the bios there too.

->  WC> However I've made a decent machine of it by memory upgrade
->  WC> and soon to be added hard drive.

-> Yeah that helps.

->  WC> Tossed the H.P. software sound card - modem combo as refuse.
->  WC> Oddly a salvaged Turtle Beach Sound card uses precisely the same 
->  WC> Vortex
->  WC> sound drivers and it's a hardware card :-)

-> Good idea.  I recall the EISA HP network cards gave all sorts of hassels but
-> that was easily resolved by replacing them with 3c509's which were regular ISA
-> ones.  I have yet to run across any decent EISA stuff, not that it matters
-> anymore given the lack of any (E)ISA slots.  The Gateway board has one straight
-> ISA with six 32-bit pci's and one 64-bit pci slot.  I am looking forward to
-> getting that one running as I'd like to see what would work well ISA-speaking. 
-> I am thinking a pcmcia controller but would also like to compare a few other
-> ISA thingies, sound and capture cards, and compare those to their pci
-> contemporaries.  I seem to recall soundblasters being better then they are
-> these days and this will give me an opportunity to find out if that is true or
-> just phoney-baloney nostalgia.  :-)

The H.P. has one ISA slot occupied by an NE2000 network card.
That gives me two spare PCI slots.
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