This is a collectiong of testing utilities gathered over the years, and tested on over 30 XT and AT computers -- 086's 286, 386, 486, and finally tested on Windows98 running on a Pentium.

The zip file [tests.zip] includes the following (size may vary some) ...

      test.bat                              974
      readme.txt                          9,496
      1.com         (sysinfo.com)        15,860
      2.com         (portfind.com)        6,824
      3.exe         (syschk.exe)         66,906
      4.exe         (slueth.exe)        202,640
      6.exe         (portinfo.exe)       41,154
      7.exe         (speedcom.exe)       82,328
      13.exe        (irqtest.exe)        31,508
      14.exe        (driveck.exe)        18,252
      25.exe        (porttest.exe)       40,046
      26.exe        (disktest.exe)       67,769
      30.exe        (vesatest.exe)        8,961
      31.bat        (uart.com)              466
      uart.com                            2,541
                    17 file(s)          596,692 bytes

Move "tests.zip" to a subditectory, and unzip (for Windows, just double-click on the icon).

Reboot the computer into DOS ("start, shut down, restart in MS DOS"), this will produce less mis-information than attempting to run these utilities in a DOS window.

To go to the directory where the test programs have been installed, type "cd \teststuff" or whatever (don't call the subdirectory "test").

I would suggest you first install "Doskey" which allows you to recall commands by just hitting the up-arrow key. Either it is included already in the directory \windows\command, or find it on the Windows CDROM (just click on "Browse this CD"), and look under "\tools\oldmsdos". Copy "doskey.com" to the directory "\windows\command" on your harddrive. You will love it.

To get doskey going, type "doskey" and then try typing "dir" to get a list of files. If you want to see that listing again, just click on the up-arrow key to recall the command. Very nifty when used with the "test" batch file below.

One of the programs is called "test.bat". To run it just type "test" and you will get the following menu, (the original files have been renamed as 1.com, 2.com, 3.exe, etc, to make them work with this menu)....

    prog - description ----------"test.bat"---------------------

      1  - one page quick review .................. sysinfo.com
      2  - quick, finds LPT and COM ports ........ portfind.com
      3  - multipage general overview .............. syschk.exe
      4  - show just about everything .............. slueth.exe
      6 /0  - IRQ conflict test ....(USE /0).......portinfo.exe
      7  - CPU/FPU/Video speeds....................speedcom.exe
     13  - all IRQs tested .........................irqtest.exe
     14  - mfr, specs on Harddrives ............... driveck.exe
     25  - Delrina test for modems ................porttest.exe
     26  - harddrive test .........................disktest.exe
     30  - test vesa for this card ................vesatest.exe
     31  - UART chip test .....(batch 31)..............uart.com
     exit -- go back to the primary shell or Windows

     ............ select by number .............................

Sysinfo produces one page (in color) of information as an overview. I have never had it hang up. It is ten years behind the times, however, as follows..

It will identify your Pentium as a 386 (it tests for 386 behaviour). So, OK, you know better.

It will blow on memory, being totally unable to comprehend things like 128 Megabyte.

It will tell you that you have a VGA card with "more than 256K of memory," but has no clue as to what you really have.

It will get your HD and FD and ports rights. It will get the DOS version right.

This will get your COM and LPT ports correctly, and quickly, and also the memory, DOS version, Video adapter, BIOS date..

Summary: Oops, some errors (they should be obvious), like, _my_ Pentium gets identified as a "486" at an amazing speed of 13 Mhz. Oh, Yes. But most of the rest of the first screen will be correct.

Processor: Mostly correct, but most of the information is worthless, actually.

Input/output: Will get all of it correct -- keyboard, LEDs, Mouse, and the ports. Networked printer ports show up and are counted. Gets the UARTs correct.

Disk Drives: Yep, even lists the partitions correctly, and even shows networked drives.

Network: Mostly useless information..

Video: Gets the VGA/VESA correct, identifies the board and chipset, but, again, can only test video memory up to 256 KB. Please note that what it says about colors, etc, is for _this_ screen, not for your high-end megacolor display. You are operating in plain old 16 color EGA/VGA here.

Memory: It counts DOS use type memory (up to 640 KB) and will lump all your RAM chips beyond that as "expanded" memory.

Resident Map: Mostly useless info, unless you know what you are doing.

Speed: The program will go into hyperactivity here trying to account for speed. Give up and go on. You cannot get a true reading while Windows is switching back and forth between modes.

All the letter-memu items can be accessed with Alt-letter, or the mouse. Close some of the windows once in a while, cause they just stack up, with "Cont-F4." You can also move them around with the mouse, like on a MAC machine.

Fun thing is to snoop around memory ("View Memory"). You need to type in a base address, try 0000, which is the absolute bottom of memory. The numbers in the first column are the address, the blocks of two numbers and letters are the hex code for the stored binary, the equivalent ASCII is shown on the right. Hope you learn something

Video: Don't believe a thing you see.

Hardware, IRQs: Not correct. And DO NOT test I/O ports. Windows will go BAM!

To make it work here, type " 6 /0" or it won't work right. It only checks COM port IRQ conflicts. Beware that PnP cards (or built-in board chips) may not be listed or listed correctly.

I have compared every CPUs and Video card I have owned over the last decade with this ten-year old utility.

Under DOS ("start, shut down, restart in MS DOS") it will give true speeds for the CPU (which might be running at a reduced speed) and the Video (characters per mili-second). It will not be what you expect for your CPU.

If you operate this from a DOS window while in Windows, it will (for a Pentium) it just go off scale, and not give information on Video speed. Your Pentium will be shown as running at the speed of light, like 4000 MHz. BTW, hit the F3 key to drop the scale down.

OK, the clock speed will be correct, (in a Dos box) as will be the "..MHz" in the box. Read or scan the "F1" documentation to learn something.

This won't run in a DOS box under Windows; use "Start, Shut down, Restart in MS DOS". This will tell you where every IRQ is assigned to. My experience is that it missed the IRQ 10 networking card when I booted out of Win98 into DOS, as well as the sound chip-set IRQ's.

This utility always starts with Firmware names, and will show the actual disk parameters, not the translation used by DOS/Win. Look at a following page to get the logical parameters. It is the "logical" parameters that are used by your box, not the actual. The number of cylinders is shown as one more than the actual number, BTW.

Haven't tried this on my Win98 box, cause it connects via a LAN. It normally only tests COM1 and COM2, and returns the firmware information (ATI*) to list fax modems. It will find where your modem is connected, and what the make and model is.

This utility can't believe what it finds, and tells you so. Believe it anyway. It just don't know about Pentiums and things.

If you get more than one screen-load, type instead " 30 | more". Take a look at this, for it tells you what VESA modes your video card will produce. It tells you nothing about wether your monitor can actually reproduce without blowing up or melting. See the Video Monitor Manual for that.

The 5:5:5 and 8:8:8 are the color depth in like 15-bit and 25-bit modes. This program also doesn't list text-mode (like the 24x80 you are in while looking at the output). But who needs to know that?

If you want to find out, now is the time to type "mode CO40" that is, the letters C and O, and number 40. Shock! Just type "mode CO80" to get things back to normal.

This is being run through a batch file "31.bat".

Most of the time it is correct, at times screws up on modems, and on some motherboards.

Get out of all of this by typing "exit" Don't type "win" (I have added it as a menu item).

HOST: Outflux.net, http://www.Outflux.net
URL: http://jnocook.net/user/tests.htm