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Home / Other I-Appliances / MSN Companion COMPAQ IA-2 Anybody using these machines

COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) AMDLifer Profile I see alot of posting for the IA-1 but not much on the IA-2 which has a CRT instead of an LCD screen. Has anybody looked into these machines. I have yet to crack the case but was wondering if there is even a chance with the Bios settings. I read somewhere that there was an IDE header but there was some problems with the machine to not make it the most usable. I have a Virgin webplayer and the very original I-Opener already hacked but this might just be a doorstop according to the very limited posting on the machine. 07-10-2002 08:29:55

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) AMDLifer Profile Looks like there isn't an interest in the IPAQ IA-2. For those that have the machine, what do you think of the possibility of switching out the mobo and putting in an ITX board. Even with a VIA CPU, it would certainly be faster that the current non-functional mobo. There's three connectors to the mobo from the CRT, on for power and video. I guess the last is for the other ligths and stuff on the main box area. Just brainstorming here. Going to check it out a little more when I get home and reevaluate the board. Sure is easy to get to with only 2 screws. 07-22-2002 11:10:58

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) radarman Profile I haven't seen an IA-2, but I would be willing to bet even money they put an el-cheapo SVGA monitor in that thing. I would have to see the unit to determine this, but I would be suspicious if the number of low-voltage signal lines going to the CRT is in the neighborhood of 13-15. They might have integrated some of the monitor electronics into the mainboard, but this would have been a major departure from the IA-1. Keep in mind, the video chip on the IA-1 can drive both a CRT and an LCD. Clues to look for - where do the wires from the yoke and e-gun board go? Do they go the mainboard or is their a separate board between the tube and the mainboard? Monitors require a bunch of high voltage components. Are they on the mainboard or a secondary board. That said, how much different are the IA-1 MB's from the IA-2's? Anyone have pictures? I would be willing to bet even money that the mainboards are almost identical - with only the power supply being different. (I could even see the power supply being left alone - and the 115 VAC being routed to the monitor board) Radarman 07-22-2002 13:03:03

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) pappy3136 Profile | Email I had an idea, and was hoping to see what folks here thought???? Seems like the BIOS in my IA-2 is not so easy to crack. I tried all the same things I read here. Removed the battery, moved the CMOS jumper, etc. I picked the thing up off Ebay for a whopping $31 plus shipping and it's all in tact and works, but I cannot obviously use it the way I'd like to!! How about if one were to put a preconfigured (Win98 lite)DOC from a webplayer in place of the existing DOC with that bogus MSN companion O/S. Without changes to the bios, one could still boot up an alternative O/S in this manner. Maybe even a stripped down version of BeOS, QNX, or other.... Any suggestions? Comments? 07-30-2002 11:08:52

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) AMDLifer Profile Well it looks like it's over before it can start. I finally got time to plug the thing in and nothing happens. I can get power to light up but no image or boot up. Since it has no fan and no harddrive, it's hard to determine if there's any activity. I'm not sure if the thing is working or not. Porbably something stupid like the brightness or a loose wire. I did take it apart before actually starting the thing up so that might be the case. If all fails, I have another piece of antique to add to my collection. I guess it's back to the IOpener and Webplayer. Pathetic way to spend a vacation for some but it sure is hot outside. Got the thing for $45 in December and it was a refurbished model so I guess I should have checked it at the time. 07-31-2002 08:50:12

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) AMDLifer Profile loose memory was the prob. Now to figure how to get into the BIOS 07-31-2002 10:36:15

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) pappy3136 Profile | Email Let me know how you make out, I tried the clear CMOS jumper, pulled the battery, and still got that Damn MSN splash screen, etc.. One perplexing stumbling block I see is the damn IDE header is a 40 pin, which means we need to power the hard drive separately, unlike on Webplayers.... 07-31-2002 11:34:19

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) shadowsunrise Profile Power shouldn't be a problem, you'll just have to track down a line to tap into with the right voltage, etc. Klunk's IDE harddrive modification for the IA1 had to do something similar to power the harddrive. If the powersupply for the mobo is the same as the IA1, klunks pics should give you a head start. http://www.linux-hacker.net/cgi-bin/UltraBoard/UltraBoard.pl?Action=ShowPost&Board=MSNCompanion&Post=80&Idle=0&Sort=0&Order=Descend&Page=0&Session= 07-31-2002 12:02:58

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) AMDLifer Profile Power for the HD isn't a problem right now b/c I have the thing opened and a spare powersupply is feeding the HD. I have tried Ctrl-U and F-10 to stop the boot and get into the BIOS but that doesn't do anything but lock it up. From what I see, this is a lost cause. I was hoping to use the thing for something but it looks like it will just be a ccollection of useless stuff artifact. 08-01-2002 17:49:49

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) pappy3136 Profile | Email Can you pull out your disk on chip????? I am still thinking this is the way to go.... Get Win98 lite loaded on a webplayer 48MB chip, and put it in the IA-2. Same chipset, etc.. Maybe the modem would even work???? All we would need then, is the ability to load drivers, etc. for a USB ethernet adapter.... 08-01-2002 19:06:53

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) shadowsunrise Profile That sounds like a good idea, but 1)you'd have to be a gem cutter to have the dexterity needed to rip that thing off w/o seriously messing things up, and 2)who knows what shortcuts are taken in the bios since it can rely on there being exactly that particular 16MB sandisk on board. I think the solution may be a bit simpler... I haven't read the threads all the way through, but I think I've heard some success with replacing the bios chip w/ help from badflash.com... You may want to search the threads for more information on that, but if it's true, then you should be able to spend 10-20USD and get a reprogrammed bios chip that will make the bios screens avail. and you'll be on your way (with far less risk of turning it from another useless (but operational) antique to a big (non operational) paperweight). Just my 2cents. good luck! 08-02-2002 07:46:47

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) pappy3136 Profile | Email So my assumption is correct that the Damn DOC is soldered in??? I didn't have a chip puller, but it seemed pretty tough.... Anyway, the bios replacement sounds good. I am assuming it's the little 1cm square? Since this is a National Geode board, I'd imagine so? Could I put a Webplayer bios in it??? 08-02-2002 09:56:19

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) radarman Profile Better idea is to go after the BIOS. I'd bet even money that the BIOS will be nearly identical to the unhackable IA-1 BIOS. Given that the IA-2 came out after the IA-1 had been hacked, and the BIOS modified, it might be a good avenue to go. Besides, getting that PLCC device off the board is a lot simpler than the DOC. Also, keep in mind that some folks have successfully installed an i-opener BIOS on an IA-1. That would indicate that the hardware designs are either fairly similar, or the BIOS doesn't do much beyond bootload the processor. 08-02-2002 10:30:34

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) pappy3136 Profile | Email Anyone have an extra bios I can buy??? 08-02-2002 11:08:27

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) AMDLifer Profile To answer a few question. Both the DOC and Bios come out easy. Neither are soldered in. If you have a chip puller, getting it out is real easy. I have tried to hook a HD with the DOC out but it wouldn't boot. Gives an error at boot up. I also tried to replace the BIOS with both a webplayer BIOS and an IOpener. Neither worked with both the DOC in and out. It looks like the BIOS is required and the DOC necessary. I'm going to try a USB HD next and see if that can be seen. I read that some people had luck with that route. As for the IA-1 and IA-2. I think they are completely different down to the mobo. They have different CPUs and different BIOS. There's also a chance that I might be able to re-write the DOC in a webplayer and replace it in the IA-2 but I think someone did that already and it didn't do anything. 08-03-2002 07:02:41

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) radarman Profile This might be a bit harder than it sounds, but have you looked at the contents of the DOC from another OS? Is it possible that you could put an "intermediate" image on there, such as DOS or Linux? Ah, I wish I hadn't sold my only machine that had both a DOC socket and IDE port... If you could boot DOS from the DOC - and get all the way to the C:\ prompt, I think you might have a winner. 08-05-2002 11:40:03

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) AMDLifer Profile I have to get the webplayer up and running but I read somewhere that someone did reformat the DOC with DOS but can't remember what happened after that. I was also thinking of ordering a new BIOS from ATMEL and seeing if that might get me somewhere. I am still toying with the idea of putting in an ITX mobo in place of the mobo currently there if only I could figure out the wiring scheme for the power and monitor. I just have to match up the wires and reconfigure the plugs. Worse case, I still have a good mobo that can go into any little case and have a decent machine. 08-05-2002 13:29:20

RE:COMPAQ IA-2 (modified 0 times) pappy3136 Profile | Email Well folks, I took out the original DOC and put in a formatted, sys'd DOC from my webplayer and all I get is the friggin "COMPAQ" logo. I remember seeing something about how that is a bad thing... 08-07-2002 18:25:22

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