Vol. 4, No.3 The HP Portable/Portable Plus/Portable Vectra Users Newsletter May / June 1989 PortableTHE Paper .' /l\T~W<p~:(tt14s;.Jt;eCllarIJ1Ilg\J:ri.~tjit~ti ons (, ,-NiWD:eski~tPl~A.ft~d~eea/:· Publisher's Message ................... 3 ROM Sulxlirectory Size limits . .. 41 Letters Portable Vedra Views light on Portable ........................ 4 Discontinuance of HP Portable Vectra CS PC ..... 10 Posters on the Plus . 4 Initializing LS/12 Hard Disk ................. 10 Got Any Spare Chips? .................... 4 Using ThinkJet Printer with LS/12 ............. 10 European Keyboards ..................... 4 Preserving The Integrity of Your Disks .......... 10 Reading Portable Disks On IBM .............. 41 Cheapest Software For The Portable Vectras ..... 12 EPROMs and More . 41 Batteries And The Vectra LS/12 .............. 12 ThinkJet Fuse .......................... 42 Pocket Power Inverter . 14 Editor II Ad Misleading .................... 42 LS/12 Questions & Answers ................. 16 19200 Baud DeskJet . 42 Other Sources Of InfOrmation For The LS/12 ..... 16 Cheap Drives For The Plus ................. 43 News From Personalized Software More Stat Programs ...................... 43 128K EPROMs Coming For Plus In July . .. 17 Problems With FORMIBM .................. 43 Statistix .............................. 17 HPll0 Autologon ....................... 43 TurbPlus Integrator ...................... 18 110% Future ROM Products In The Works ........... 18 Important: New Battery Charging Instructions Plus 6 Problems and Solutions With Some P S Products . .. 18 Faster HP DeskJet Printer With More Capabilities .. 8 Portable Plus Bacldit Screen Hopes Darken . .. 20 Serial Hard Disk A Possibility For HP Portables .... 38 ~ers Plus.......................... 20 Replacing Batteries Without lo5ing Files . .. 38 Grimmer's Portable Tales ............... 27 More On Dead Units ..................... 39 TItrough The Looldng Glass ............. 29 ECM Comer ........................... 39 The Savvy User . 34 La;t Disk Space? ........................ 40 VV~ ............................. 37 Help For Reflection Commands .............. 40 Users' Groups . 43 Single-sided Disks ....................... 40 .... \ . / , I / ~ '\ " ' / ------ .. " : / "" / ----:. , / _/' ../' ' .. ' ----/ ./' ./ MAXIMUM~: " ,/.. _--- ---------- POWER~~-===~:: ' ..:--- ------ FOR yolJR;'~~ TABLE ;/' /i "'"'--. '. \""- POR.1ft /'j/>:,',. 1,\ \;>'" \ Easy-to-use, lightning-fast / 1/ \ \\ \ ~ \ PLUS ROM chips save valuable Portable Plus memory \. ~ and eliminate the need for a disk drive. \" \\ \, \ I \ \ \ The most powerful and unique just a few of the sockets for ROM­ communications, graphics, pro­ feature of your Portable Plus is based programs like Lotus 1-2-3 gramming languages, and more. EASY TO INSTALL that it lets you store programs on or MemoMaker. Which means once you install ROM (Read-Only Memory) chips That's fine as far as it goes, but these ROMs, you'll have every­ We supply clear instructions an diagrams with every ROM order. If you for instant access. if you aren't using all the ROM thing you need right inside your prefer, send us your software drawer and Almost all other portable com­ sockets-or if you have to carry Portable Plus. Thu'll never have to we will install your ROMs for you-and puters require a disk drive in around an HP9114 disk drive carry a disk drive again. test them-at no charge. order to function. A disk drive­ wherever you go-then you are We invite you to browse through To remove your software drawer, first even a portable one-is a bulky not using your Portable Plus to the chart, read the information at back up your A drive (so you won't lose piece of equipment, easily break­ full advantage. the right, and then order one or your data), then use an ordinary screw­ able, and slow in loading pro­ more ROMs today. You'll find driver to remove the two outside screws Th start using the full potential on the drawe~. grams. of your Portable Plus, look over them to be fast, reliable, and an You won't be able to use your Portable By contrast, a ROM chip weighs the chart at the far right. It con­ incredible boost to your produc­ Plus without the software drawer, so we next to nothing, is virtually inde­ tains more than 50 programs and tivity. recommend you call us first to make sure structible, and lets you load pro­ utilities available on ROM chips Whatever your reason: to free the ROMs you want are in stock, and to grams instantly. (Programs on up valuable memory space ... to set an appointment for installation. from Personalized Software. That way, we can install and test your ROM chips don't take up any Taken together, these ROMs eliminate the need for an exter­ space on your Edisc.) new ROMs the day we receive your soft­ cover every application you're nal disk drive ... or just for the ware drawer, then ship your drawer back All of which means that your likely to need-froxu word pro­ convenience of lightning-fast pro­ that same evening. Return shipping with­ 9-pound Portable Plus is the fast­ cessing to sprea~sheets to data gram loading, fill your software in the Continental U.S. via UPS Second­ est, most portable, and most re­ drawer with ROMs and you'll Day Air is free for all orders over $200. liable computer you can own­ turn your Portable Plus into the Please add $15 to your order if you want provided, of course, you take full powerhouse its designers intend­ overnight return shipping. advantage of its ROM technology. OUR EXCLUSIVE (In most cases, if you set an appoint­ ed it to be. ment in advance and use overnight ship­ YOUR SOFTWARE DOUBLE GUARANTEE With our exclusive Double ping both ways, you'll only be without DRAWER WAS MEANT ON ROMS Guarantee, the risk is all ours. your software drawer for less than two TO BE FULL Why not order right now? business days. We'll ship the manuals and other materials in advance by sur­ The engineers at Hewlett­ 60-DAY GUARANTEE OF SATISFACTION face carrier so you'll have them by the Packard designed the Portable If, within 60 days, you are dissatisfied time you receive back your software Plus so it could accommodate an with a ROM product for any reason, P.S. If you have questions about drawer.) optional "software drawer" con­ you may return it for a full refund. any of the ROMs, give us a call. taining 12 ROM sockets. Clearly, Brian or David will be happy to their intention was that those 2-YEAR GUARANTEE make some recommendations as HOW TO ORDER ROMS AGAINST DEFECTS: to which ROMs might best meet sockets be filled with useful If a ROM proves defective at any time To order, use the postage-paid order programs. within 2 years, we will replace it at no your needs for word processing, form in the center of this issue. For even But if you're like most Portable charge. spreadsheets, or whatever ap­ faster service-or if you have questions Plus users, you probably are using plications you're interested in. about any of our ROMs-give us a call. IMPORTANT INfORMATION SOFTWARE AVAILABLE ON ROM ABOUT OUR ROMS For product details, see individual ads elsewhere in this issue or in our catalog, or refer to articles in past issues. In this chart, "Type" refers to either HP (used liP ROM) or PS (Personalized Software ROM Backup package-price includes both We offer two kinds of ROM chips. One ROM and disk versions. kind we produce ourselves; these are Part Retail Subscriber No. of offered as part of our "ROM Backup Product Number Price Price Type chips Notes Packages" (see below). The other kind WORD PROCESSORS are manufactured by Hewlett-Packard; WordPerfect 5 WDllNK $919.00 $595.00 PS 6 384K of files includes PlusPerfect, main WP we call these simply "HP ROMs." program, help files, printer drivers, etc. ROM Backup Packages Does not include required 300K wp.fil file, A ROM Backup Package includes both spelling checker, or thesaurus. -------- the disk version of a program and the The Editor II ED12NK 224.00 94.95 PS The Editor version 1 is available as part of ROM version-pius the standard User's our SuperROM chip (see "Combined ROMs," below). Manual and additional instructions for Editor II Upgrade ED15NR 58.00 58.00 PS For The Editor ROM and SuperROM owners only. installing and using the ROM. (In the MemoMaker HP Comes on same chip as Time Manager (see chart, prices of products marked "PS" "Combined ROMs" below.) are for entire ROM Backup Package.) MSWord MS20UR 375.00 199.00 HP According to the agreements we have MultiMate MM20UR 520.00 425.00 HP 1 with the original software vendors, our WORD PROCESSING UTILITIES ROM version is considered a backup Formatl10 ,> PS Comes as part of SuperROM (see "Combined ROMs',) copy of the disk version. Unless you FormatPlus FP13NK 174.95 164.95 " PS ROM includes driver for Softword extra memory already own the disk version, we cannot drawers. sell you the ROM Backup by itself. FormatPlus Upgrade FP14NS 58.00 58.00 PS 1 For SuperROM owners only. Please note.' HPrint HP12NK 175.00 170.95 PS 1 1. If you purchased the disk version of a program from us, we have that in our Mini PrinterTalk PS Comes as part of SuperROM (see "Combined ROMs'') records. If you purchased the disk Webster Speller \VB13NK 258.95 248.95 PS 2 version elsewhere, you will need to SPREADSHEETS AND UTILITIES show us proof of purchase before we Lotus 123,1A LT12UR 495.00 295.00 lIP 2 can sell you just the ROM Backu p. Lotus 123,2.01 LT15UR 520.00 425.00 HP 31 2. Prices for ROM Backups alone are as SideWinder SW12NK 134.95 124.95 PS Also available on a ROM with Shelp, and on our follows: SuperROM chip (see "Combined ROMs" below). Best of DOS Tools ...... $129. DATABASE PROGRAMS The Editor .............. 95.