Get on the internet through another pc via serial?
So, I have just installed laplink on the Toshiba T2100 the 486DX machine with 20mb ram and monochrome screen.
I made all the floppy discs for it with the 4600, both of these machines can be seen here:
Yes, for those of you wondering that is a Marilyn Manson wallpaper with the logo found on Portrait of An American Family, at the top, on the 4600
The T2100 has nothing but '3.5 floppy, VGA, Serial, PS/2, and one parallel, not even a modem port which is funny because my zenith from 1993 does have 2 modem ports, and this T2100 was made in May of 1995.
I know I will be able to exchange files between these two easily, and it'll save me a lot of trouble with formatting and writing floppy diskettes.
I want to get the T2100 with WFW3.11 online though with either IE5 or Netscape 3, that way I can download files from the archive here, on it.
Is it in any way possible to get the T2100 online through the use of a serial connection to the 4600, considering the 4600 has an ethernet connection?
I was without a doubt not anywhere near old enough to have remembered or even learnt any sort of tricks like this "back in the day", considering I was born in February of 1995, and the T2100 was manufactured in May of 1995. So I was in this world back then, but crawling, crying, and wetting myself on a regular basis. :P
The first operating system I remember using was Windows 98, on a white tower, with a white CRT monitor in the basement office, this was around the turn of the millennium, probably shortly after, but for sure from around the turn as my earliest memory that I can confirm the time of, happened in 1999. Goddamn, Infant Amnesia! This is why I wanted to get a machine running Windows 98 from around that period, and I got just that with the 4600, it just so happens it can be useful for my other endeavours in old/vintage computing as well. :P
I made all the floppy discs for it with the 4600, both of these machines can be seen here:
Yes, for those of you wondering that is a Marilyn Manson wallpaper with the logo found on Portrait of An American Family, at the top, on the 4600
The T2100 has nothing but '3.5 floppy, VGA, Serial, PS/2, and one parallel, not even a modem port which is funny because my zenith from 1993 does have 2 modem ports, and this T2100 was made in May of 1995.
I know I will be able to exchange files between these two easily, and it'll save me a lot of trouble with formatting and writing floppy diskettes.
I want to get the T2100 with WFW3.11 online though with either IE5 or Netscape 3, that way I can download files from the archive here, on it.
Is it in any way possible to get the T2100 online through the use of a serial connection to the 4600, considering the 4600 has an ethernet connection?
I was without a doubt not anywhere near old enough to have remembered or even learnt any sort of tricks like this "back in the day", considering I was born in February of 1995, and the T2100 was manufactured in May of 1995. So I was in this world back then, but crawling, crying, and wetting myself on a regular basis. :P
The first operating system I remember using was Windows 98, on a white tower, with a white CRT monitor in the basement office, this was around the turn of the millennium, probably shortly after, but for sure from around the turn as my earliest memory that I can confirm the time of, happened in 1999. Goddamn, Infant Amnesia! This is why I wanted to get a machine running Windows 98 from around that period, and I got just that with the 4600, it just so happens it can be useful for my other endeavours in old/vintage computing as well. :P
Comments
Referenced:
http://www.techrepublic.com/forums/disc ... -internet/
A bit more in-depth here, though it corresponds with AVR microcontrollers and such.
http://www.avrfreaks.net/forum/internet ... re-any-way
And a full-on essay here:
http://www.taltech.com/datacollection/a ... _to_tcp_ip
Do a google search, "serial to internet".
In general folks do strap serial devices to a LAN for simple data transfer, but whether or not to the full internet I hadn't heard of that.
Glancing at the essay, it might work.
If I'm looking at the right laptop, it does have a pcmcia slot so you could find a dongle to go in there. Probably the best option.
EDIT:
Looking at the T2100 manual, your laptop has:
RS232 Serial and the option to go single pcmcia III or two pcmcia II on the one slot.
Manual Download
I'd also recommend upgrading the ram to 8mb or possibly more. That should run Windows 95 okay.
Seriously, get PCMCIA Ethernet.
^^^--- What he said.
What is clear to me, is that you were born to be a hacker. Only explanation for spending $25 on junked up 'puters, then many times that to get your frankensteins up & running. (You are able to download now from WW - after all, you post messages to the forum).
So its a sport.
Which is fine - it's how one learns.
But you were born to be a hacker, and what you are doing is deliberately choosing the harder path..
It is one thing to have somebody with an old machine be confronted with an issue - quite another when you /CHOOSE/ to work with busted up old junk when better /WORKING OLD HARDWARE/ is readily available.
On the one hand, you offer to us how you only paid $25 for that one IBM - and therefore can't justify/afford the monies for a PCMIA network adapter, then turn right around and buy the WAP and the serial LL cable.
So, I think you are playing us - even if that is not your intention - as you give yourself one helluva education - that part I appreciate.
Good luck Grasshopper.
The reason I bought the WAP adapter is so I can have a wired connection in my room that can be used for any computer with an ethernet port, not just old ones, my modern computer, my gaming systems as well, etc.
I think I'm going to find a 56k modem PCMCIA 2 or 3 card with drivers for WFW 3.11.
That way, I could use the 4600 as my dial-up server, and internet use on the T2100 would be helluva authentic to the time period.
Thank you,
I will look into this SLIP server thing.
The previous owner upgraded it to 20mb, so yes, it can run 95 good. If I can't find any PCMCIA 56k modem card with 3.x drivers, then I will be forced to upgrade, it seems.
i have found this, and am considering buying it, so I can connect to my 4600 which'll serve as a dial-up server from time to time.
It seems I will need to upgrade to 95 which is not a problem with a 486 and 20mb of ram, but will this work?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Gateway-Telepath ... 1649975446?
Side note, I have never heard of a dial up server ever in my life, so thank you for giving me something new to try out!
I just did some research, it seems those adapters work the opposite of what I need.
They take the serial and turn it into ethernet, not take ethernet and turn it into serial.
Just remember, Windows for Workgroups can't use IE's TCP stack/dialer for print and file sharing. That limitation does not exist in Windows 95.
A couple more thoughts: I have heard of parallel to Ethernet adapters also. It is possible the serial ones you looked at are just for driving TTY terminals - that is not what you want.
If your ISP has a dial-up "backup" number, you could attach a modem and just dial in to that. (My ISP does that - very handy when the DSL craps out)
Of course, second just getting a PCMCIA Ethernet adapter. That is the way it was done, and those weren't all that uncommon. I suspect many sellers on eBay want big bucks, but if you are patient one should turn up for a reasonable price eventually. At least those are dead easy to ship! Oh, just make sure it includes all appropriate cables if needed.