-> Sep 11 07:38 05, TOM WALKER wrote to MAURICE KINAL:

->  MK>>The bios is the biggest drawback.

->  TW>  that is a Problem with abut ALL mother Boards.

-> Too true, except that some are better then others.

->  TW> That day of a 
->  TW> Universalk
->  TW>  BIOS dies long abo. THEY ALL are propority to Not only the Name 
->  TW> Company
->  TW>  but also a Particualr Chip Set and in some cases other things on
->  TW>  the MB as well.

-> Right.  Controller chips, such as pci, can have limitations that are lower then
-> the number of slots available.  Mind you sometimes overkill can be a good thing
-> if one of the slots decides to pack it in for whatever reason and a card can be
-> swapped out to another.  That has happened to me a few times.

->  TW> When I was chasing drivers for those Compaq machines I saw LOTS of 
->  TW> BIOS
->  TW> upgrades on the Compaq Web site.
->  TW>  What was your Particualr problem with the Compaq BIOS

-> I have no problem with them since I never use their stuff.  I don't like their
-> stuff.  They can keep them.  :-)

No use for them here either.                                

-> I do 'steal' their ram though but treat their stuff as disposable/recyclable
-> material.  I'd never buy any of that and don't appreciate the way they decided
-> to do the bios (especially).  Keyboards also seem to pack it in faster on
-> Compaqs for whatever reason.  Perhaps they are overpowering the ps2 port?

Same experience here.
                     
The bloody Hewlett Packard doesn't even HAVE a BIOS upgrade
and I think that stinks.
However I've made a decent machine of it by memory upgrade
and soon to be added hard drive.

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