Windows 98, Facom GTR 600 geometry bench
CHAPS088
Posted messages
1
Status
Membre
-
georges97 Posted messages 14513 Registration date Status Contributeur Last intervention -
georges97 Posted messages 14513 Registration date Status Contributeur Last intervention -
Hello everyone,
to start, I would like to thank all the members of this excellent forum who have helped me on several occasions in the past.
Secondly, my request is very particular and I am probably not in the right section, please forgive me.
Problem statement:
I work in an auto body shop and we are equipped with a very outdated FACOM GTR 600 geometry bench (to carry out the running gear checks) and we need to change the printer because the original one is out of order and is connected by a 25-pin type cable.
The central unit runs on Windows 98 which in turn is "slave" to the Fog Automotive software used for geo-checking, meaning that the software opens instantly at startup and shuts down the computer when you exit the software.
http://hpics.li/3b8dd0c
Do you know if we can bypass this and interact manually with Windows?
To install a "modern" printer via USB.
The control heads are connected to the computer remotely via a receiver plugged into a "board" of the central unit, I don't know what type of board it is (see photo)
http://hpics.li/bfd4943 and http://hpics.li/971fe49
Or I was thinking of changing the entire central unit, but how would I connect the antenna whose photos I have attached?
I thank all the people who took the time to read me and I strongly doubt that anyone can help me.
Have a good day.
Antoine.
to start, I would like to thank all the members of this excellent forum who have helped me on several occasions in the past.
Secondly, my request is very particular and I am probably not in the right section, please forgive me.
Problem statement:
I work in an auto body shop and we are equipped with a very outdated FACOM GTR 600 geometry bench (to carry out the running gear checks) and we need to change the printer because the original one is out of order and is connected by a 25-pin type cable.
The central unit runs on Windows 98 which in turn is "slave" to the Fog Automotive software used for geo-checking, meaning that the software opens instantly at startup and shuts down the computer when you exit the software.
http://hpics.li/3b8dd0c
Do you know if we can bypass this and interact manually with Windows?
To install a "modern" printer via USB.
The control heads are connected to the computer remotely via a receiver plugged into a "board" of the central unit, I don't know what type of board it is (see photo)
http://hpics.li/bfd4943 and http://hpics.li/971fe49
Or I was thinking of changing the entire central unit, but how would I connect the antenna whose photos I have attached?
I thank all the people who took the time to read me and I strongly doubt that anyone can help me.
Have a good day.
Antoine.
1 réponse
Hello,
This is a challenge in the form of a multi-variable equation (even if several elements lend themselves to interpretation).
1) Using a USB printer
Current printers are equipped with a USB/B (square) port that differs from the USB/A ports found on PCs (female) or mice (male), or from Ethernet ports (network).
I am not aware of any parallel 25-pin to USB/B adapters anymore.
You would therefore need a USB card (to be inserted into the PC, which must be open), knowing that you need the driver and to know how to configure said card under DOS (you must therefore find an early home computer).
2) You can only change PCs if you have the program on a medium (floppy disk, CD-ROM) and provided that drivers exist for your new PC.
This seems to exclude PCs running Windows 10 or 8. Remaining would be, subject to availability, PCs running Windows Vista or 7, if any are still on sale.
This does not solve the issue of drivers that you will not find for all the mentioned systems and which you would need to retrieve for testing on your PC running W98.
3) What remains is what we call virtualization, using software like VirtualBox (free, more suitable for a single-user setup than VMware according to my reading).
This involves running W98 on a PC under a current OS (Windows 8, Windows 10, or Linux), installing the FACOM software and the retrieved drivers.
This last point seems delicate to me, as it means that someone has to handle it, but moreover, it involves the printer driver as well as those for the sensors (control axes) and the receiver (if it is a radio receiver).
For the automatic startup, there are likely initialization files (readable as text files) that allow full-screen display (your first photo) and the automatic power on and off of the PC.
4) Due to point number 3, someone knowledgeable enough can:
a) If the BIOS allows it, change the boot order to use a live CD/DVD to boot into Linux without destroying anything on the hard drive and allow examining and temporarily modifying the initialization files, after backing them up of course.
You can change the behavior of the PC, by preventing the PC from shutting down, to access W98 and all its files, for example, by adding # to turn certain instructions into comments). This is reversible.
5) You can also dismantle the PC to remove the hard drive to examine the same initialization files (there are hardly more than two, one ending with .ini and the other named config.sys). It would be a good idea to make a backup copy with the help of a trusted technician.
In any scenario, it would be better if you have the original Windows 98, as well as the FACOM software, even if I doubt they left it with you. Otherwise, one without the other would remove any possibility of restoration or attempt at virtualization.
In case of problems with the hard drive, you will not be able to reinstall the FACOM software if you do not have it, and you cannot make a copy from the hard drive.
The next step is to find the rare bird around you who would be willing to test all these procedures.
Best regards.
This is a challenge in the form of a multi-variable equation (even if several elements lend themselves to interpretation).
1) Using a USB printer
Current printers are equipped with a USB/B (square) port that differs from the USB/A ports found on PCs (female) or mice (male), or from Ethernet ports (network).
I am not aware of any parallel 25-pin to USB/B adapters anymore.
You would therefore need a USB card (to be inserted into the PC, which must be open), knowing that you need the driver and to know how to configure said card under DOS (you must therefore find an early home computer).
2) You can only change PCs if you have the program on a medium (floppy disk, CD-ROM) and provided that drivers exist for your new PC.
This seems to exclude PCs running Windows 10 or 8. Remaining would be, subject to availability, PCs running Windows Vista or 7, if any are still on sale.
This does not solve the issue of drivers that you will not find for all the mentioned systems and which you would need to retrieve for testing on your PC running W98.
3) What remains is what we call virtualization, using software like VirtualBox (free, more suitable for a single-user setup than VMware according to my reading).
This involves running W98 on a PC under a current OS (Windows 8, Windows 10, or Linux), installing the FACOM software and the retrieved drivers.
This last point seems delicate to me, as it means that someone has to handle it, but moreover, it involves the printer driver as well as those for the sensors (control axes) and the receiver (if it is a radio receiver).
For the automatic startup, there are likely initialization files (readable as text files) that allow full-screen display (your first photo) and the automatic power on and off of the PC.
4) Due to point number 3, someone knowledgeable enough can:
a) If the BIOS allows it, change the boot order to use a live CD/DVD to boot into Linux without destroying anything on the hard drive and allow examining and temporarily modifying the initialization files, after backing them up of course.
You can change the behavior of the PC, by preventing the PC from shutting down, to access W98 and all its files, for example, by adding # to turn certain instructions into comments). This is reversible.
5) You can also dismantle the PC to remove the hard drive to examine the same initialization files (there are hardly more than two, one ending with .ini and the other named config.sys). It would be a good idea to make a backup copy with the help of a trusted technician.
In any scenario, it would be better if you have the original Windows 98, as well as the FACOM software, even if I doubt they left it with you. Otherwise, one without the other would remove any possibility of restoration or attempt at virtualization.
In case of problems with the hard drive, you will not be able to reinstall the FACOM software if you do not have it, and you cannot make a copy from the hard drive.
The next step is to find the rare bird around you who would be willing to test all these procedures.
Best regards.