ALT.SYS.PC-CLONE.PACKARDBELL FAQs

ALT.SYS.PC-CLONE.PACKARDBELL FAQs
Author: Anthony
Last updated: 02/13/2003
A HTML version of this FAQ can be found at...
http://pbfaq.tripod.com
COPYRIGHT 2003 BY ANTHONY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
NO PART OF THIS FAQ MAY BE USE IN WHOLE OR IN PART
WITHOUT EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE AUTHOR.
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Subject: 1. Table of Contents

1. Table of Contents
2. Introduction and Intent
3. Spamming and Netiquette
4. How to ID your MOBO
4.1. BIOS string
4.2. FCCID#
4.3. SYSCRED.EXE
4.4. System Configuration Lookup
5. Drivers for PB devices
6. Links
6.1 Offical PB websites
6.2 PB user websites
6.3 Driver websites
6.4 Related Links
6.5 Anti-spam & netiquette websites
7. Abbreviations used
8. Thank yous

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Subject: 2. Introduction and Intent

DISCLAIMER: ADVICE ON THIS NG IS FREELY GIVEN.
THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL WORK.
USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

The intent of this un-official FAQ is to give you,
the frustrated PB user, a few guidelines to use
when posting to this NG. These suggestions give
here are not set in stone, but are only used to
assist you in getting the fastest, and best
answers to your questions about PB computers. If
you feel there needs to be some additions to this
FAQ, please contact me by replying to this post.
Any and all suggestions are welcome.

This NG is for assistance with Packard Bell
Computers, not NEC. The two companies, although
now merged, did not now, nor did they in the past,
use the same parts or motherboards. If you have an
NEC advice will be very limited. I would suggest
looking for other sources for help with NEC
computers.

When posting to this NG it may be extremely
helpful, to those who respond to your question, to
know what MOBO you have. PB came out with several
different models of computers, and it is
impossible to know what is in a system by just a
model number and/or name. The best way to ID a
system, and get accurate info about it, is to find
out what MOBO it uses.

No one here gets paid for the advice they give. No
one here is employed by PB (as far as I know); we
are only here to help out our fellow PB users. Now
that PB is defunct in the North America, the
following info will apply mostly to users in North
America. But, it is intended to help out PB users
around the world.

Please read through the whole FAQ before posting,
it will make your experience here much better.
Also check out the websites in the LINKS section;
you may find your answer there.

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Subject: 3. Spamming and Netiquette

This NG is not a moderated news group, but
spamming will not be tolerated here. If you do
spam here, someone will find you, and have your
Internet service terminated. A couple of the
regulars here take joy in having someone's
Internet access revoked because of spamming.

It has been reported that we have an email grabber
on this NG. Someone that likes to coax a person
into an off group conversation (email), and then
uses that email address to send spam or adds it to
spam lists. Replying to the newsgroup is desired,
it may benefit others. Be wary of any requests for
email answers.

Selling of any computer service or parts is not
tolerated due to this being a non-sales news
group. Again, someone may track you down, and you
could loose your Internet access.

If posting something that is off topic, please put
OT: in the beginning of you subject line. Although
posting off topic is discouraged, it is sometimes
a necessary evil.

DO NOT post binary attachments (ie: pictures) to
this NG. This is not a binary NG. If you feel it
will help someone to "see" your problem (ie:
screen shots), then upload file somewhere and post
a link to that file. Most ISPs will give you some
free FTP space, or you can use many of the
"build-your-own-website" sites that are out there.

NOTE: see the Anti-spam & Netiquette websites
section for more info on spam and netiquette.

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Subject: 4 How to ID your MOBO

4.1. The first way is determined by the BIOS
string (BIOS version) displayed when the computer
goes through its initial startup or POST. IF you
then post you BIOS string to this NG, someone is
sure to point you in the right direction.

BIOS string examples:
AMI 1.00.nn.xxxR
Phoenix 4A3NT0X0.86A.0062.P06
Award (format varies)
Packard Bell Bios x.xx

4.2. The second to ID a MOBO would be to look at
the FCCID#, but I have seen 1 case where this did
not give the correct MOBO model. Anyway, embedded
in the FCC ID# is a series of 3 numbers that will
tell you what MOBO you have.

Example:FCC ID#: FOD680PT (click for EXAMPLE)
This would designate it as a system with a 680
MOBO.

4.3. Another way to find out what MOBO you have is
to use the SYSCRED.EXE program that may be on your
system already, or possibly on your PB Master
Restore CD. To do this, first locate the
SYSCREDEXE program either on your hard drive, or
on you PB Master Restore CD. Then just double
click it to run, and it will tell you info about
your system. (click for EXAMPLE)

4.4. The finally way to find out what your system
originally came with is to use Priority One's (see
link section) System Configuration Lookup Utility.
You will have to register to be able to use the
system, and use the FREE access registration. Then
the System Lookup Configuration Utility can be
found in the Packard Bell driver section. This
lookup tool is for North American systems only.
Sometimes it will not find any information about
your system, it's kinda hit n' miss.

Again, if asking a question on the NG, put as much
info as you can in the post. And the most
important, besides your question, is usually what
MOBO you have. If you don't know what MOBO you
have, post the BIOS string and/or FCC ID# with
your question, and someone in the group should be
able to figure it out.

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Subject: 5 Drivers for PB devices

If you need drivers for your PB systems, the
device that you need the driver for must be
correctly IDed. PB came out with hundreds of
hardware configurations, and similar to IDing a
MOBO, it is impossible to know what devices are in
a PB system by model of PB you have. But there are
ways to ID a device in a computer.

The first way to id a device is in the DEVICE
MANAGER, which can be accessed by STARTCONTROL
PANNELSYSTEMS and then clicking on the DEVICE
MANAGER tab. Then scroll through and find the
device in question. This is sometime inaccurate,
as Windows may not have installed the correct
drive when Windows was first setup.

A second way to ID a device would be to open the
case and actual look at the card. Look for the
manufacture, model #, or chipset. Then go to the
manufacture's website, or any driver website (see
LINKS section), and see if you can find what you
need there.

You can also use the FCC ID# to find out who made
your device. Just enter the number on the FCC's
ID# search page (see LINKS section), and you will
find out who made your device.

NOTE: When using the FCC ID# and web page to find
out who made your device, make sure you are using
the FCC ID# and not the FCC Registration Number
(see LINKS section).

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Subject: 6. Links

6.1. Offical PB websites

http://www.priorityonesupport.com
Official Support site for PB in North America
Requires FREE regestration to get to usefull
things on the site

http://www.packardbell.com
Official World Support site for PB

6.2 PB user websites
NOTE: These sites may be "DOWN" from time to time.
IF they are, just try them at another time.

http://www.geocities.com/anotherpackardbellsite
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/_ht_a/...ackardbell.htm
(mirror)
Velix's PB website

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/8774/
Ray's PB website

http://www.geocities.com/paul21_56304/index.html
Paul's PB boot disk/Restore CD website

6.3. Driver websites
Note: You can also find drivers at the official PB
websites.

http://www.driversearch.com/sites.php
A searchable driver website

http://driverguide.com/
Another driver website
Username: drivers
Password: all

6.4. Related links

http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/
FCC ID lookup page to find a manufacturer via the
FCC ID#

http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/help.html
Help page for FCC ID

http://microsoft.com
Microsoft's website

http://www.wimsbios.com/
Wim's BIOS page for info on various BIOS types

6.5. Anti-Spam &Netiquette Websites

http://www.my-newsgroups.com/SiteMap/netiquette.htm
Usenet Netiquette beginners guide

http://mail-abuse.org/rbl/notifyfaq.html
SPAM: What to report, how to report, where to
report.

http://spamcop.net/
Spam Cop's original spam reporting service will
help you report spam quickly and accurately. Or
choose from a variety of filtering options ranging
from the easiest web-mail account to advanced
network-wide spam blocking.

http://spam.abuse.net/
Lots of info, one of the best anti-spam sites on
the net.

http://www.cauce.org/
Coalition Against Unwanted Commercial E-mail

http://www.turnstep.com/Spambot/
Here you will find information on how to avoid,
detect, and harass Spam bots. Spam bots are
programs that extract email addresses from web
pages, which are then used as targets for spam.

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Subject: 7. Abbreviations used

AMI=American Megatrends
BIOS=Basic Input Output System
FAQ=Frequently Asked Questions
FCC=Federal Communication Commission
MOBO=Mother Board
NG= News Group (ALT.SYS.PC-CLONE.PACKARDBELL)
PB=Packard Bell
POST=Power On Self Test

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Subject: 8. Thank yous

First off, I would like to thank the old timers
here (Elector, Ben, KC, Metronid, Simon, and
Velix). I believe I got my first taste of this NG
when trying to get a proper driver for my PB
1412SL monitor, so it would work in 800x600 mode
without having to use the vertical height knob to
adjust it to the proper screen size. To this day I
still have not gotten this damn monitor working
properly. Hence you may not find the answer you
need here all the time.

I would also like to thank a lot of "newbies" that
have popped up over the last year or so. Without
you, this group would get stale, and eventually
die out. You give a fresh perspective, and it is
greatly appreciated.